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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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My Biggest Fitness Mistakes

July 9, 2018 by Taylor 1 Comment

While most of my posts generally seek to provide some sort of advice, this one does not. Instead, we’re getting reeeaaaal personal about mistakes and parts of my fitness journey that were definitely not pushing me in the right direction, for whatever reason. This post exists so that maybe, if you’re someone who struggled with or is struggling with the same sorts of things, you can know you’re not alone.

 

Obsessing over the scale

Is weight a good way to track progress? Yes, of course. But exclusively using the scale to track progress? Not at all. I’ve gone through periods of my life where that little number on the scale was somehow an indicator of my success, fitness-wise. Never mind if I felt strong or looked leaner, what did that number on the scale say? And of course, that leads to some really negative habits and an obsession with a number instead of, you know, pursuing fitness for what it’s supposed to be good for: being healthy and feeling good.

Getting over it: I weigh myself once a week now, if that, and I try to keep it in perspective with other things, like body fat percentage, progress pics, and overall feelings.

 

Setting low calorie limits

When I first starting “dieting,” I truly thought the key to losing weight was being on the biggest calorie deficit possible without, you know, starving yourself. Seriously, I’m pretty sure I was on a 1,200-calorie diet for a while. And that’s a) not healthy in general, and b) probably caused me to lose more muscle than fat anyways, because super-low-cal diets like that can put your body into starvation mode. Which is less than ideal for weight loss.

Getting over it: Accepting that losing weight should be a slower process, if you’re going to do it right. A 500-calorie deficit is ideal, not a 1,000-calorie one, if the goal is to lose fat without losing muscle too.

 

Only doing one type of workout

I’ve always been a one-type-of-workout gal, and honestly, I don’t even know why. Variety is fun! Not only that, but it’s something your body really needs. I’ve been mixing more cardio into my weekly workout splits instead of doing exclusively weight training, and I’ve seen improvements in both areas as a result.

Getting over it: Cardio, balance, flexibility, and resistance training all play important roles in keeping your body in peak form, so don’t be afraid to make your weekly workouts a bit more ~varied~!

 

Punishing myself for getting off track 

This is probably my least healthy “healthy” habit. And honestly, I still struggle with it to this day. There’s some part of me that always wants to compensate for getting off track – whether it be going way over a calorie goal for the day or missing a workout – by swinging to the other extreme. Went 800 calories over yesterday? Looks like I’m only eating carrots today! Missed a workout? Alright, let’s do one today that’s twice as long! And that’s just… no. For a number of reasons. First of all, that’s terrible for your body to restrict it so harshly. And second of all, being healthy should never be a punishment. As I’ve grown to have a healthier appreciation of why I like staying in shape, I’ve started to understand that fitness is worthless if you’re not happy about it. Being in peak shape doesn’t matter if you’re miserable. Being healthy is something you should do because you want to, and because you like how it makes you feel, rather than something you feel like you’re forcing yourself to do.

Getting over it: As mentioned before, I still struggle with this one sometimes. The best thing I’ve found is to remind myself that this is a long-term deal, not an 8-week crash diet. One unhealthy meal won’t derail an entire life’s worth of work.

 

And there you have it – my biggest fitness struggles and mistakes laid out in a post. On a more optimistic note, here’s to consistently fighting those negative voices. Keep on keeping on.

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Fitness

Comments

  1. Caitlyn says

    July 11, 2018 at 11:31 am

    I wish I could force everyone to read this. Everything is just so much truth and things I feel like a lot of people don’t understand.

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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