Do you need a complex fitness program with a long list of supplements coupled with an iron will to get shape?

Sadly, that’s what most people believe is required to get in shape and to stay healthy.

And for this reason, a lot of people spend their money on countless programs and gym memberships that they never get to use. 

But that should not be the be case.

 In reality, you can get better results by following any good training program. 

It could be as simple as doing a few body-weight squats and push-ups every morning. Doing this is enough to increase your fitness levels and to see some positive changes in your body in no time. 

Can you do something better than this? Of course, you can. 

But your goal here should be to move your body every day if you are new to training.

So, why has your progress stalled if you are following a decent training program? 

Well, several reasons can hinder your progress. Here are five reasons that might be holding you from reaching your full fitness potential.

You are Not Pushing Yourself Enough

Having the best fitness program written by a top-notch trainer is not enough. If you are not pushing yourself hard enough during training, you will get lacklustre results.

Alternatively, you can have an average program but can get better results if you give it your best during training.

So, stop going through the motions when you lift weights or do your cardio. You must push yourself and work hard enough to feel the burn or the pump in your muscles. Make sure you are sweaty at the end of your training session.

When working out at home, remove any distraction and focus exclusively on your training. Practise mind-muscle connection engaging your muscles when lifting or moving.

You will get quick results from a short and intense session than a long workout whiling away your time.

You Are Not Tracking Your Progress

How would you know you are on the right track if you only have a vague idea of where you are heading?

Do you have a well-defined goal?

If you don’t have one, you will likely be treading water with little to no progress at all. Not tracking your progress is like throwing arrows in the dark. You can never hit the bull eye with that kind of strategy. 

So, the first step is to have a clear goal attached to a specific timeline. Next, break down your goal into small achievable processes that you can execute every day.

Then finally, have a simple system to track your progress. You can easily keep track of the steps you walk per day, the weights you lift in the gym or your calorie intake. 

Download any app that can do the job and start tracking your daily steps today. Another simple but effective way is to use a tape measure and keep track of your inches. Tracking inches as opposed to obsessing over the scale is the best way to track your fat loss.

You Are Program Hopping

When I was a novice personal trainer, I took on the erroneous idea that every workout must be different because that was the trend then amongst most trainers. The explanation was that this kept the body guessing by confusing the muscles to maximize results. 

So, I used to write a different program every week for myself and my clients. Luckily, after learning from the best people in the industry about program design, I quickly realized that this strategy was flawed. 

I was getting poor results because I was not giving the program the needed time to work.

It takes at least 3-4 weeks for your body to adjust to a new program and to be able to reap the most benefits from it.

If you keep jumping every week from one program to the next, you are, in effect, working against yourself.

So slow down and stick to a program for at least four weeks to be able to know if it is working for you or not.

Your LifeStyle Is Killing Your Progress

Whatever you do outside the gym is even more important than what you do in the gym. You might be regular with your fitness routine working out three times a week for an hour. 

But, if you spend the rest of the day seated at a desk, you undo almost all the gains you made in the gym. Unfortunately, this is the way most people spend their days because of their jobs.

If you want to be fit and healthy, you should figure out a way to add some form of activity to your days. You can walk, run or do some gentle stretches to loosen up tight shoulders after sitting for hours.

After every two hours, find an excuse to stand and walk around to keep your blood flowing and your joints mobile. Doing this might appear to be of no consequence at the moment, but the effect will add up over time.

Inadequate Recovery And Rest

Training hard and pushing yourself is good and has a lot of benefits. But just as training is vital to making progress, recovery is of much greater importance.

If all your workouts are gruelling and you are skimping on your rest, your progress will come to a halt.

Physical training is a stressor to the body. Taking a day off after a heavy training session gives your body time to rest and recuperate. You will be able to train better in your next session when you are well-rested.

Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, or getting an occasional massage is crucial for better performance. Doing this will guarantee steady progress as you continue working on your fitness and health every single day.

Are these five mistakes holding you back from becoming fit and healthy? Share in the comments below how you are handling them and any other challenges you might be facing.