1) Too much too soon. You start a running routine, running as hard and fast as you can; you come home feeling sick to your stomach, with cramping muscles, a headache, and a hunger that won't quit. It can be quite humbling to start a new activity- walking quickly may bring you to your ideal aerobic heart rate without ever breaking into a run for the first day, or week. Progress needs to measured for the long term, not the short term, if you are trying to make lasting changes. A realistic goal may not sound very challenging- walking for 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace, for instance- but the benefits to your heart, lungs, muscles, and mental health are incredible, if subtle at the onset.
2) Too many variables. If you are starting a new running routine, don't cut back your calories drastically in the beginning- your body needs a chance to acclimate to the new activity before you reduce your food intake. By cutting calories and working out at the same time, you can throw off your metabolism for the worse, not the better, and your body will actually try to hang on to the calories you do provide.
3) Extra weight is hard on your body. We don't normally consider our joints when we think about the dangers of obesity and overweight, but each extra pound is creating much more pressure on our knees, ankles and hips than you might think. Choose a workout that will be manageable for your body, otherwise you may be discouraged by pain and injuries, and that will only slow down your efforts.
4) No pain, no gain. This just isn't the truth; discomfort may occur during an intense workout, but pain is your body's way of communicating potential injury. When you feel sharp pain, you need to stop what you are doing, or lower the intensity until you reach a pain-free threshold. Pain should be a red flag that something isn't quite right, whether it is body mechanics, intensity level, or an injury. Cross training reduces your risks of repetitive injury, and provides you with alternatives if one activity is aggravating a particular joint, for instance.
5) Weight is only one measurement. Many people check their weight every day, only to be disappointed that the number hasn't changed very much, or worse that it has increased slightly. Typically we think of losing weight as losing fat, but they are not the same thing. Tracking your activity levels, your waist size, your food intake AND your weight gives you a better picture of how well you are achieving your goals as well as help you define a healthier lifestyle, overall.
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