We have this mentality that as long as we exercise, we should be seeing results. We create these special routines or join programs in an effort to lose weight, get more fit, and be healthier. However, for many people, this can lead to frustration if the fitness exercise program isn’t working the way they had hoped. We then throw up our hands in frustration and say, “Didn’t I say this wasn’t going to work? The health people don’t know what they’re talking about! Exercise doesn’t work for me!”
There are some truths to the above statement, but it’s not complete true. The truth is that not all exercise programs are the same. All people are not the same either. Therefore, there are times when exercise programs will not work for you. If you think you’re exercise program isn’t working for you, let’s look at five of the reasons behind this problem and how you can fix it.
1) Your fitness exercise program isn’t intense enough: “Not intense enough?” you’re thinking. “You’re saying I have to do more?” Unfortunately, many people want to see big results but think it will come by a twenty minute walk three days a week. Not that this type of exercise isn’t good, but if you’re hoping to get fit, lose weight, tone muscles, and feel a lot better, you’ve got to increase the intensity. You’ve got to challenge yourself, and sadly, most people just don’t.
2) You’re not eating well: You can exercise all day long, but if you’re still eating too many calories or nothing but junk, you’ll probably see very little benefit from your exercise program. For healthy results, you’ve got to combine a great exercise program with a healthy diet. There’s no way around it.
3) Your fitness exercise program isn’t something you enjoy: Many people participate in exercise programs because they’re the latest fad. However, if you don’t enjoy the program, it’s going to become a miserable routine which you’ll dread. When you dislike the exercise, you don’t put in as much effort and you skip out as much as possible. This obviously isn’t going to work.
4) You’re not exercising enough: You don’t want to overdo it, but you also don’t want to hit under the goal either. Unfortunately, many people will play a round of basketball on the weekends and call it good, thinking they’ve got a good exercise program. However, it is recommended that you exercise every day of the week for at least thirty minutes. Heart-pumping exercise every day is important.
5) Finally, you’re exercise program isn’t balanced: We have to work all parts of the body, not just a few parts. If you’re exercise program consists of nothing but running, you may notice knee and calf injuries or tight muscles. If all you do is stretching, you will not have a strong cardio ability. To reap all the benefits of an exercise program, you’ve got to vary things up and try to incorporate cardio exercises as well as strength training and stretching.