4 Reasons Why you're not Getting Fitness Results

There are some people who just want to lose a few pounds for their vacation on the beach in the summer time or have some type of special event coming up such as a wedding or reunion and want to look there absolute best. Then they're some that are just tired of being overweight, but whatever the reasoning is behind your desire to exercise, a lot of people do not see the results they envisioned and quickly get discouraged and stop. I've even heard people say that different forms of exercising like insanity and cross fit were just a scam to get money. This couldn't be further from the truth. The first thing you need to understand when beginning any type of exercise/routine is, no one's body is going to be exactly like yours, not even if you have twin. Some people can walk into a gym and play "follow the leader", meaning they can pick a work out routine from this years top body builder or the hottest new trend/personal trainer from a muscle and fitness magazine and start to see good results immediately. Then of course there are those individuals that have gotten the short end of the genetic stick and have to try to defy the laws of physics, just to lose a pound. The second thing you need to understand is that you must learn and know your own body. Knowing your body type and understanding how your body works and responds to different forms of training and dieting is imperative to achieve your desired fitness goals.

We have all heard the cliche', "if it's too good to be true, it's probably not true", well that goes for fat loss as well. Stay away from those fad diets that promise the loss of ridiculous amounts of weight in a very short period of time. The human body does not work that way, and it's not very healthy. I was always told "you have to crawl, before you can walk". Sudden drastic changes in your diet will not only result in you losing muscle and strength, but this will also force your body into a natural process of preserving itself. Eating habits/dieting changes should be gradual, normally over a 3 to 4 week period. Gradually bringing down the calories that you consume (100 to 200 calories a week, depending on the person) will allow you to keep the muscle your building, while still dropping fat. Ensure that you are eating an adequate amount of protein. Protein is the building blocks of the body, used to repair, recover and rebuild muscle. If you are not consuming enough protein that your body requires, your are restricting your growth/results potential. You can also eat too much protein. The kidneys can only handle so much and the body can not store protein, anything your body doesn't use is excreted or stored as fat. Stay away from the scale when your trying to lose weight. Some people don't see the scale moving downward and think what they are doing is not working. Initially you will not see a big difference on the scale, muscle weighs more than fat. You will notice the fit of your cloths getting looser first, before you see a major difference in the numbers on the scale.

Training goes hand in hand with knowing your body. Are you training enough? Some people are blessed with genetics and might see some results from "6 minute abs", but most of us probably will not. There is also a such thing as over training. Just because you can work out for 3 hours straight, doesn't mean you should. If you still have the energy to train after 90 minutes to 2 hours of training, then it's a safe assessment to say you are not training/pushing yourself hard enough. Your central nervous system needs recovery time, after approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours, your body is going to stop building muscle and begin to retain fat. Your body grows when you rest. Are you taking enough rest days? Working out like a psycho 6 or 7 times a week is good muscle stimulation, but will hamper your immune system. making you more susceptible to getting sick and fatigued, which can rail road your progress.. A rest day is just that, for rest! Doing 90 minutes of cardio on a rest day, is not a rest day. You may also be resting too much. If you notice are becoming softer and smaller in between work outs, your probably not putting in enough work. If your not one of the gifted ones that get results from any kind of training. Trial and error is a better way to go. Try everything and any kind of training, and focus on which ones your body responds to best.

When trying to lose weight/make gains, some supplements are very beneficial and will help you reach your fitness goals a little faster. But you shouldn't abuse them. You should take supplements for the recommended time frame, recording the weight used and how your body responded to them and then give your body a break from them. This will help maintain your body's reception to the desired effects of the supplements. Abusing supplements or overloading on them and not cycling off will only allow your body to become acclimated to them basically rendering them useless. If you have been taking any type of sports nutrition supplement for an extended period without a break, you would be better off just flushing your money down the toilet because your basically throwing it away and going through the motions. Your body adapts rather quickly and in time it will have little if any effect on you at all. I motto to live by is that too much of anything is bad for you. Supplements not taken in moderation can also result in unhealthy side affects, such as anxiety, diarrhea, insomnia, nausea, kidney and heart problems.

I simply can not stress enough how significant knowing and listening to your body is to attaining your goals. When your body tells you it's tired, you need to listen and rest. You would think that with the added weight training activity and less calories consumed it will be a lot easier to sleep. Ironically a lot of times its simply not the case. Especially when using stimulants and appetite suppressants. Your body goes through a lot of stress when participating in a fat loss program/diet. If the stress becomes too much, your body will go into a catabolic state (your metabolism becomes destructive and breaks down complex molecules), resulting in the brain releasing cortisol (called the stress hormone for a reason) and burning muscle while preserving fat.

If your goals are not being achieved from a particular program/training regime, it does not mean that exercise/fitness does not work. All that means is that particular program doesn't work for you and your body. Change it and try a different one, and keep trying different ones until you find the one that your body responds to the best. Giving up is the only reason you will not reach your desired weight loss/fitness goals and there is never a legitimate reason/excuse to give up.