I’ve made my share of mistakes when it comes to working out. It’s to be expected.
We all make some. I always believe it has more to do with learning about how your body responds to exercise more than anything else.
When it comes to fitness, everybody is different. So we all have to figure out what works best for each of us.
Along the way we might find out that things we were taught early on really don’t work all that well.
I definitely went through several ideas that I was told were the best for training that turned out to do little or nothing for me.
Hey, maybe they worked magic for other people, but not for me.
In the meantime, I’ve witnessed some hilarious mistakes that people are making with their own ideas about working out that are definitely affecting their results.
If any of these things are affecting you, I’m pretty sure if you can change it up and move away from these ideas, things will get better for you in a hurry.
1. I’ve Got A Wicked Fast Metabolism So I’m Able To Eat All The Pizza I Want But Exercise Isn’t Helping Me Get Rid Of My Gut
This is one of my favorites when it comes to mistakes people make about working out. It’s also great for anybody who likes science.
So to say you have a fast metabolism I have taken over the years to mean that you can burn off the energy or calories from food you eat at a fast rate. I presume this means in comparison to other people eating the same amount of food.
Also, usually people who claim to have a fast metabolism are usually slender or lightweight most of the time.
To me , it’s hysterical when somebody tells me they have a fast metabolism (and they’re saying it seriously) but have a belly they want to get rid of.
Usually, the two don’t come together.
As far as I know, people who believe they have a fast metabolism don’t have a gut and people with a gut don’t usually go around claiming to have a fast metabolism. Unless they’re pretty funny and I do have a couple friends like that.
If you’re eating tons of pizza and you’re having trouble shaking off you’re belly, look I’m no doctor but my guess is you don’t have the quickest metabolism.
Also, eating tons of pizza is probably not the greatest plan for getting rid of you’re gut.
Regardless of how speedy you believe your metabolism to be, in order to lose fat and in turn weight, you’re going to have to be working on a caloric deficit.
Simply put, you have to be burning off more calories than you are taking in. Otherwise, that gut is going to stick around.
So maybe try eating a little healthier. Slow down on the pizza. Maybe try some celery instead. I know it’s not as much fun. But try it with some almond butter. You just might like it.
Oh, and throw in some regular exercise. Jumping rope or a brisk walk for starters probably burns off more calories than a meatlovers special.
2. Exercise Causes Sweat And Pain Like Ebola And I Don’t Want Anything That Is Like Ebola
A few things to know about this one, also kind of hilarious.
First off, the Ebola virus is a highly infectious and fatal disease. It causes internal bleeding, fever and is contagious. Meaning, you can catch it from another person. (I’m guessing that’s similar to highly infectious. Again, not a doctor.)
Anyway, exercise works quite differently. It is not known to cause a fever. Usually it will not result in internal bleeding unless you are doing it very badly. And, it is not contagious. Although, the mood to exercise can be given the right circumstances.
It would also be great if the results from exercise were contagious. Somebody getting great results from exercise could come in contact with another person and presto, you’re in great shape.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, it doesn’t work that way.
Also, as I’m sure you know, except in the rarest of occasions as it relates to healthy people, exercise is not fatal. Although, you should probably check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program.
Why is it similar to Ebola?
That all being said, here is why exercise appears to have a couple similar symptoms to Ebola.
When you exercise, especially when starting a new program, it is not uncommon to experience what is commonly referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
This is not a bad thing and considered perfectly normal. It is usually a sign of your muscles adapting to your workout and actually growing stronger. This is safe to say, the exact opposite of what happens when infected by Ebola.
So… good news.
Also, you will tend to sweat during exercise because your body temperature is rising and by secreting perspiration on the surface of your skin, your body is working to cool itself down.
And more good news, you may not always sweat that much during exercise since it doesn’t necessarily correlate to how hard you are working out. How do you like that?
It’s just about cooling down. Again, I imagine you could sweat with Ebola because you have a fever and you’re body is fighting a virus and wants to cool down but again, very different from exercise.
No need to confuse exercise and Ebola anymore so go enjoy your workout.
3. You Got To Wake Up Early Every Day To Exercise And I’m Happiest When I’m Asleep
There is no doubt that getting a good sleep is an important part of staying healthy.
Everything I’ve read or heard from people into fitness seems to say you should shoot for 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
I can tell you without hesitation that nobody enjoys sleep like I do. It became important to me to figure out how to get the best sleep ever.
So I enjoy it as much as the next person. Let’s face it, if you’re active or on a regular exercise routine of some kind, proper rest is crucial for seeing the results you’re looking for.
But, you shouldn’t sleep all the time. That’s a given. It’s hard to get things done that way. Also, I would hope that you find some joy being awake sometimes. Hopefully, most of the time.
This mistake I’ve heard from people from time to time and it’s a strange one. The idea that you have to workout early in the morning.
I imagine some people believe it because you hear about some athlete waking up every day as the sun rises to start training. Or maybe you see those people running first thing in the morning on the street. (I’d never do that).
Wait, so when’s the best time to exercise?
As it turns out, I found there is no “correct” time to exercise. There are some theories I’ve read about energy levels early in the morning versus later in the day.
But for the most part, I’ve learned the best time of day to exercise is when you find you can complete it giving your best effort and get your best results. That’s all there is to it.
Don’t kill yourself trying to get up at the crack of dawn every day thinking that’s the only way your workout will uh… work out.
Get a good night’s sleep. Enjoy your rest. Get up and enjoy your day. Get your workout in when it’s best for you.
And maybe you’ll discover that there are a few other times in your day when you’re equally as happy as when you’re sleeping.
Well, let’s take it one step at a time.
4. If I Start Working Out With Weights I’ll Get Bulky Like Schwarzenegger And Did You See The Movie Junior?
There’s no question that Arnold is our time’s icon for weight training. I’m saying our time instead of generation because his influence seems to go beyond a single generation.
I think if you were having a discussion with somebody about fitness and just used his first name, Arnold, everybody would know exactly who you were talking about.
It just wouldn’t be the same if you were discussing your workout with somebody and mentioned “Larry”… I’m pretty sure they’d have no idea who you were talking about.
He’s definitely had an influence over people looking to get into body building having won the Mr. Olympia title seven times.
He’s also made a few movies, some of which were intentionally funny and was governor of California for eight years.
Let’s just say the guy leaves an impression.
But do you honestly believe that if you start getting involved in weight training that you will eventually look like Arnold in his prime? OK not in his prime.
Do you honestly believe you’d even get to be half his size when he was competing? Come on. Don’t fear your muscles getting a little bigger and stronger.
Resistance training is one of the greatest things you can do to help your body get stronger and leaner.
Could I get huge by accident working out?
In order to get as big as the professional body builders you see who put on tons of mass there are a few things you’d have to do along with your weight training.
You’d have to eat tons of food. Mostly healthy food. Consistently over time. The kind of amount of food that you probably have no interest in eating.
You’d have to lift massive weight as part of a progressive overload program to get the kind of massive development we’re talking about.
That’s not to say you can’t implement progressive overload to acquire moderate gains as well. You should. But you don’t have to worry about getting so bulky.
Also, you’d probably have to put in more time than you have in a day. Remember, these folks you’ve seen competing are doing it for a living and probably spending enormous amounts of time to acquire those kinds of gains.
And these points are just part of the story. None of which happen by accident.
You don’t have to worry. You can work out to a reasonable schedule throughout the week and get the kind of results you want without becoming massive.
So lift those weights. Don’t worry about getting as bulky as Arnold. And check out Kindergarten Cop. It was funny and a pretty good movie.
5. My Uncle Was Working Out All The Time And Now He’s Dead
I think Jim Morrison said “Nobody here gets out alive.” Well it was probably him and a few other folks as well.
There was plenty of healthy people before your uncle and there will be plenty of healthy people after.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t exercise that sped up their check out times.
Sure, there are some people that manage to come along, eat whatever they want, stay out until all hours of the night, never exercise and live long and fruitful lives. Of course it’s possible.
More often than not, those long enjoyable lives include a healthy exercise regimen of some sort.
It can only help you.
Will exercise actually help you live longer? The discussion continues from what I’ve seen.
But it seems that regular exercise can definitely help you to reduce the risk of diseases and other problems that are connected to aging.
There does not seem to be an abundance of evidence that connects exercising to being a cause of death. Although, the bizarre case of Jim Fixx does seem to be an outlier. Genetics can play a role in lots of things.
Lets not bring your uncle into this any more than we have to.
Hey, that’s Uncle Lou You’re talking about
Get out there and find the workout that suits you and gets you the results you want. You know this uncle excuse isn’t going to work much longer.
By the way, getting into a regular habit with a workout routine is a great cure for laziness. Not saying that’s an issue for you. I’m sure it’s the uncle thing.
There you have it. Some of the most hilarious and entertaining mistakes I’ve heard over the years that people are making about working out.
I think if you can get past these, you’re well on your way to a healthy a productive workout regimen sure to deliver some impressive results.
Then again, you can always see what happens if you take another nap.
