Fitness Tips: Healthy Mistakes

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

The title sounds like an oxymoron, I know. But there are a lot of healthy mistakes we all make and the scary thing is, we don't even recognize them as mistakes when we do them.

Mistake Number One: Sleeping in on the Weekends

We get up early all week long, so turning off the alarm and just sleeping in a few extra hours on the weekend sounds like a great plan. Unfortunately, most people who sleep in late when they get up early the rest of the week face a problem called sleep inertia - they are groggy and have trouble waking all the way up when they finally do get up. This doesn't mean you can't sleep in - it just means you should only hit that snooze button for 30 to 60 minutes max.

Mistake Number Two: You Drink Water During Your Workout

No, that doesn't mean you shouldn't hydrate or drink water during your workout. But you need to be focusing on hydration throughout the day, before, during and after your workout. Water will help you regulate your body temperature and keep you from feeling falling down tired. Dehydration can cause impairment of the senses, exhaustion and physical illness and more.

Mistake Number Three: To Make Up for Being Late, You Skip Your Cool Down

If you're running late and you want to maximize your workout, most people will skip their warm up, their cool down or both. A good workout includes both of these components and it's crucial that you don't skimp on these two because you are risking injury, cramps and over training if you don't take the time to do it right. So if you have to cut your cardio five minutes short in order to get a proper cool down in - do it. Your body will thank you for it later.

Have you made any of these mistakes?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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