Common gym mistakes made by women!

We all make mistakes, man or women, boy or girl, but it's how we learn and correct these mistakes that help us become better, stronger and in this case... fitter and healthier! If you have been going to the gym and have seen very little results there may be a reason why. In today's post I will be listing the most common gym mistakes made by women and how you can correct them. So here goes...

1) Avoiding the weights section - This is a huge one. Too many women spend hours upon hours in the cardio section and do not bat an eyelid at the weights section. I can't begin to tell you how much I cringe when a woman tells me the weights section is a "guy thing". If you want to improve your figure you will need to start lifting weights. Increasing lean muscle mass will help you burn more calories through your day, will add shape to your figure, will boost your metabolism and will make you fitter, stronger and more toned.

2) Being afraid to lift heavy - "I do not want to lift heavier because I will get big bulky muscles", this is all too common. Thankfully more women are starting to realise that lifting heavier weights will help them improve their figure. Now that's not to say you should just walk into the gym and lift the heaviest weight possible, no, not at all! I always suggest learning the technique with lighter weights first and once you are comfortable with the movement, progress onto bigger and heavier weights. Women do not produce enough testosterone to grow HUGE muscles, so the chances of you becoming the next she-hulk are as slim as me becoming the next Miss World.

3) Being intimidated by others - Again, a very common one. Remember, you pay your membership just like everyone else, so you are entitled to a full intense workout. You should never worry about others who "may be judging you". You are there to workout, not to look pretty. So you're hot and sweaty? Well guess what, no-one cares, you're putting in this hard work now so you can look fabulous later. What's 1 hour in the gym not looking your best worth compared to the other 23 hours looking fabulous. It's that simple, hard work will pay off! Oh, and to those who judge you for working hard, well these people will be running over for advice once they see your progress... FACT!

4) Poor nutrition post workout - So now your workouts done, what's next? Some girls will eat NOTHING because they do not want to "ruin all their hard work" and some girls will eat EVERYTHING because "they've earned it". Both are incorrect. You will never out train a bad diet! You want to make sure you are eating a form of protein with some carbohydrates post workout to help replenish and rebuild muscles. This could come in the form of a homemade smoothie that consists of 25g protein powder, 1 banana, 1 kiwi. half a cup of Greek yogurt and half a cup of milk.

5) Unbalanced workouts - You can't spot reduce! This means you can't spend 6 days a week doing crunches because you want a flat stomach. Having a balanced workout routine will allow you to burn fat and improve your body as a whole whilst preventing injury, plateaus and boredom. 

6) Having a goal weight - This is a topic I will dedicate a whole blog post towards, but what I will say now is that a scale does not know what it is weighing. Now you hear me use this phrase a lot, but I can't put it any other way. One kg of diamonds and one kg of dog mess will both appear equal on the scale, but we all obviously know that this is not the case. Allowing the scale to influence your mood and bring you down is silly. Why? OK, well lets say you weigh yourself now, go drink 1 litre of water and step back on the scale. What you will find is that you will appear heavier, have you gotten fat in the space of a minute? Not at all. So rather than having a GOAL WEIGHT, have a GOAL LOOK! Take pictures and measurements to judge your progress rather than obsessing about a number.

7) Following a celebs workout routine - Let me start by saying there is nothing wrong with using other peoples workouts as motivation, or learning about new exercises. But so many people follow "celeb workouts" and expect the exact same results. Everyone is different. We are all unique and our bodies work in different ways. So don't copy exact workouts and expect exact results, try out different things, different exercises and find out what works best for you.


So to conclude, workout smart, eat healthy and most importantly... be confident!

"Body confidence does not come from trying to achieve the 'perfect' body, it comes from embracing the one you already have!"

Hadee x