Don’t make these 10 common fat loss mistakes!

I recently posted this image on my facebook page. Shortly after I got an immense amount of messages asking me how I got so jacked. While I appreciate all the replies and emails, the reality is I’ve pretty much looked this way for a long time…this isn’t new. I just don’t take my shirt of often…especially for the camera.

I got this lean, and continue to stay this lean by following the principles I teach in my coaching program.

The structured, whole foods nutrition program mixed with all the intense workouts keeps me pretty jacked all year around. If you are looking to get in great shape this year (or for life) come join me!

Time to give you something you can work with right now to help you with your goals.

10 Fat loss mistakes to avoid!

Over time and as we go through life we accumulate beliefs on specific topics. This happens from our experiences, what we read, are told by friends and family, and force fed by the media. Many of our beliefs as strong as we feel about them can lead us astray.

Maybe along the way you’ve accumulated some exercise and health beliefs that are limiting your success.
If so no worries we’ll get you back on track asap!

Check through this list to make sure you aren’t falling for these very common fat loss beliefs/mistakes!

1. You believe walking on the treadmill at the pace you walk around the shopping mall is a sufficient warm-up for your workouts.

One of the best ways to have a great workout is to make sure you are properly warmed up. A slow walk on a treadmill will not produce the kind of energy needed to make sure you can give it 100% in your upcoming workout. I’m not saying you need to be sprinting at your max level to warm up. I’m just saying if it’s easy odds are it’s not hard enough.

Feel free to start with a slow walk, then jog or run for 5 minutes to get your heart rate in a good zone. If you have knee issues and can’t run, put the treadmill on an incline and power walk up a hill instead. See how I just killed your knee pain excuse. I’ve heard them all a thousand times ;)

 2. You believe that reading a book or magazine while doing cardio is still considered “doing cardio”.

If you are sitting on a bike, walking on a treadmill or slowly using a stepper while reading a magazine or book you are not doing “cardio”. This might be better than sitting and watching tv on the couch…but barely. Get off the phone and put away the reading material…you are supposed to be focusing on you and your body. Focus!

3. You believe you must destroy yourself every time you workout.

Don’t fall for all the CrossFit hype and get brainwashed into thinking you must be lying on the floor panting in agony, on the verge of barfing and in a pool of your own sweat in order for you to have “worked out” properly. This is total BS. Watch those with the best figures and you’ll see they train hard but they also train smart.  Exercise is all about applying a stress to your body in order to make it change…too much stress and you won’t recover properly by the next time you want to exercise. This is an excellent way to incur injuries, kill your immune system and stall results. Train hard, but also train in a way that when you leave the gym you not only feel good, you know you’ll still be able to train again tomorrow. Destroying yourself 3 days a week will not produce the same kind of results as training 5-6 days a week at a medium-strong level.

4. You believe doing the same workout day in and day out will magically reap results one day.

You will plateau doing the same routine all the time. You will also get bored out of your mind and not want to exercise. Similar exercises are ok…but you must mix up the sets, reps, and tempo in order to keep seeing results. I mix up my client’s workouts every 3-4 weeks.

5. You believe the group fitness “cross training” class you go to once or twice a week is enough to sculpt you into a lean mean machine.

Group fitness classes are great in the way that they are cheaper than traditional personal training and you tend to get worked pretty hard. The problem is there is no focus on your specific goals. The Instructor of the class has a job, which is to kick your ass enough to make you think you’ve gotten your money’s worth so you’ll keep coming back. I’m not saying don’t go to classes…just make sure you use them as a boost and a dose of motivation for what you are already working on with your own training. Also, if you feel like the classes are focusing too much on something you aren’t interested in (like say CrossFit competition) then find another class that suits you better. This is about you…not them!

6. You believe you only have to eat when your hungry and drink when you’re thirsty.

If you want to be in great shape you’ll need to get on a schedule with eating, drinking and even sleeping. Ask anyone in great health and shape and you’ll always find someone who has some kind of plan and schedule with the way they eat, sleep and train. If you have someone tell you otherwise ask them to show you their abs…that will shut them up.

7. You believe you don’t have time to eat right, grocery shop, workout or sleep.

All day I have people telling me they don’t have time. There are those that truly are limited in time, but most people could go to bed a little earlier instead of staying up late to watch some lame tv show. That way they could wake up earlier to workout and get their food organized for the day.

If you want something bad enough the time will reveal itself.

8. You believe in calories in vs. calories out is the key to fat loss.

This isn’t always the case. While cutting calories will make most people lose “weight”, weight isn’t the main focus of what people are trying to lose. When people talk about weight loss they are always referring to FAT LOSS. Only focusing on calorie deficits as opposed to eating quality calories will force you to lose weight, the problem is you will lose much more than just fat…you will also lose muscle and in return slowing/damaging your metabolism.
Take note of your calorie consumption and limit it if needed…just make sure to focus on the quality of food you are eating as well. Quality food has more nutrition, more nutrition means you can literally eat less and get more out of it. If you need to know what your caloric intake should be send me a message and I can set you up on a plan eating the right amount of high-quality foods.

9. You believe Mondays are a magic day of inspiration and motivation.

While I do think having a start day when starting a new program of any kind is a good idea. I also think there is no time like the present to start. If you screw up on your diet on Friday don’t blow the whole weekend with the idea that “I’ll start fresh Monday”. How about if you screw up at lunch today you make the rest of the day awesome!

10. You believe that there is an endpoint to fitness.

Getting in shape for your wedding, vacation or reunion is an awesome goal, but once the date comes do you stop and let it all go? That would be a such a shame. One of the keys to staying healthy and in shape long term is having those goals to work hard towards, but finding a way to enjoy the process along the way…and knowing once you reach those goals it’s not over.

*For me personally…Throughout the year I use things like vacations, photo shoots, and the upcoming summer to give myself a little boost of motivation. I use those things to push me and keep me on track. That way if I’ve slipped up a bit through the winter I can get back to The Jadeway :)

I plan on staying healthy and fit for as long as I’m on this planet…there is no end

Hopefully, this list will give you a few things to think about, give you a boost of motivation and help get you back on the fat loss track!
Stay healthy my friends.

Jade McClure – Vancouver Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach

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Jade is a Vancouver Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach with over a decade of helping people get fit and healthy.

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