5 Common Gym Mistakes

1. Eating the wrong foods before and after
Become familiar with the Glycemic Index. 30mins before and within 30mins after weight training consume high glycemic index foods. 30mins before cardio consume low glycemic index foods, and within 30mins after consume high glycemic index foods.

2. Skipping Warm-up and Cool-Down
Both are important to a safe and effecient work out. Include stretching in both!

3. Poor Technique
Make sure you have someone show you the proper way to use weights, wouldn't want to injure yourself. Be aware of your breathing, exhaling during the most difficult part of weight lifting.

4. Skipping Muscles
Many times we concentrate mainly on the muscles we can see in the front of our body, and forget about the muscles in the back. It is important to keep everything in balance by training both sides of our bodies. It is also important to work all the muscles in our body, not just the ones we want to look nice!

5. Ignoring Heart Rate
Keeping track of your heart rate while exercising is a great way to see exactly how hard your body is working. When you are trying to lose fat, you want to participate in cardiovascular exercise for more than 40mins keeping your heart rate within your fat burning range (being able to have a conversation is a good test).