There are numerous factors associated with modern lifestyles that can act as serious roadblocks to reaching your goals. If you want to really maximize your efforts in the gym, you need to make sure you are also eliminating negative elements of your lifestyle that could be working against you. Here are six things that can ruin your physique if you make them a part of your life!
1. BEING INACTIVE
Many people believe that as long as they hit the gym regularly it will counteract all the sitting they do at their jobs or at school. However, this is not the case. Sitting for long periods of time has many effects on the body, not all of which are fully understood yet. If you go to the gym four times per week for an hour, you are only being active 2.4% of the time! Yes, of course this time spent in the gym is important, but to see even better gains get your body moving for a higher percentage of your time with activities like:
- Going for a leisurely walk
- Playing with your kids or young family members
- Playing intramural sports
- Swimming
- Bike riding
2. POOR SLEEP
Sleep is an often overlooked and underappreciated element of health and fitness. A poor night’s sleep can wreak havoc on your hormone levels and ability to use carbohydrates effectively in the body, both of which can lead to unwanted weight gain. Poor sleep also puts a big damper on your recovery, meaning you can’t train as hard and will likely enter a state of overtraining, which can lead to injury and an impaired immune system.
3. LIQUID CALORIES
A big part of building and maintaining a lean physique is managing the amount of total calories and macronutrients (protein, fat and carbs) you consume. Many people fail to realize how many grams of sugar and calories they are putting into their body through liquids. Consistently drinking fruit juices, soda and dairy products will quickly add unwanted pounds to your physique. The only significant amount of calories you should be consuming in terms of liquids should be protein shakes, like Six Star® Whey Isolate Plus, that are low in carbs and fats but very high in protein. Other than protein shakes, stick to water as well as coffee and tea with no added milk or sugar, of course.
Six Star® Whey Protein Plus is enhanced with core ingredients clinically shown to build more muscle and strength than whey protein alone.
4. TIME SPENT ON ELECTRONICS
Spending too much time in front of the TV or on the computer is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Spending time on electronics tends to add to the already sedentary life of most modern people. It also tends to lead to mindless snacking with no thought to portion control. Are you wondering where all those fast food cravings are coming from? It could be all the commercials and advertisements you see for unhealthy foods that your brain is constantly bombarded with that stimulate the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Take some time away from electronics and spend more time getting fresh air instead!
5. ABUSING CHEAT MEALS
Cheat meals can be a great way to help you stay on track with your goals. However, many people abuse the cheat meal label and use it as an excuse to make poor food choices on a much more regular basis than they should. Keep your cheat meals under control or risk sabotaging your gains! To find out the best way to manage your cheat meals read Diet Secrets Revealed! The 90/10 Rule.
6. BAD HABITS
Bad habits like smoking and drinking can negatively impact your gains. While your parents and grandparents might have had excuses (everyone is doing it, we didn’t know any better) to abuse these types of substances, modern science has made the negative health effects of such substances public knowledge. Health and fitness is a lifestyle and must be adhered to across the board if you hope to make any real progress to achieving your dream physique.
