Am I Wasting My Time At The Gym?

One of the biggest excuses I hear for people not exercising, is “I don't have enough time..."

Generally people think it’s either going to take too long, be too hard, or a combination of the both.

It doesn’t have to be that way, and at midlife, less is more when it comes to working out.

Here are 5 mistakes midlifers make with training:

??Mistake #1 - Thinking you need the gym

Lockdown has shown us that while the facilities and equipment of a gym are great, we can condition our bodies just fine without them.

We kept in shape using resistance bands and kettlebells and our clients got amazing results - dropping fat, adding muscle, losing inches - in the same way, with short home-based workouts.

??Mistake #2 - Hours of cardio

Trudging on the treadmill or having your legs spinning around on the stationery bike for 40 minutes plus is not only boring, it’s not really doing a lot for your body composition.

Instead, warm up, then a short 15-20 minutes of High Intensity Interval training - if you really want you can do intervals on the bike or treadmill, but it’s more fun to mix up multiple moves either using your bodyweight or kit like kettlebells and battle ropes.

??Mistake #3 - Overtraining

It’s natural to assume that if you’ve stalled on your progress doubling down on your efforts will pay dividends but you’d be wrong, especially if your life is already stressful.

Training puts a load on the central nervous system and elicits a stress response.

We need to find the balance between optimum stress for results, and over-stressing resulting in raised cortisol, fatigue , muscle loss and fat gain.

Shorter workouts at intensity with adequate recovery is the name of the game at midlife.

??Mistake #4 - Skipping resistance training

We see this a lot. The hours of cardio approach that used to work but no longer does… As we age hormonal and physiological changes mean we lose muscle mass, resulting in a loss of strength and lowered metabolic rate (we burn less calories). We can (and should) offset this natural muscular attrition with regular resistance training.

The results are maintained strength, better bone density, higher metabolic rate (as muscle is metabolically active) and research has shown, increased cognitive function and decreased risk of dementia.

Plus you also look and feel great :-)

Note, you don’t need weights, you can get these results at home with no or minimal equipment.

??Mistake #5 - Unrealistic expectations

Sure, it would be great to pump some iron once every couple of weeks and watch your body transform, but you need to be in this for the long haul.

Consistency wins and small steps done repeatedly will get you the results. A 30 day shred programme you purchased from Instagram is not going to work (especially for the midlife body!).

Do the mental reps as well to make exercise an enjoyable and rewarding part of your lifestyle and not only will the results come, they’re yours for life.

??To ensure you get the results here are 5 tips:

?Follow a proper workout plan designed for your goals, time constraints and lifestyle

?Do the mental reps to transform your mindset and habits to support you to where you want to go , then beyond

?Uplevel on your nutritional knowledge so that healthy eating becomes second nature and you know how to still enjoy splurges without any guilt and secure in the knowledge it’s not impacting your long term results

?Plan your week and set a daily and weekly routine that supports your goals - the mind loves certainty

?Ensure you have accountability with a workout buddy, supportive group or mentor - this will massively boost your chances of success.

Think how great it will be to feel energised, strong, healthy and empowered without wasting any time at the gym!

Want some help with the above? Book a free 30 minute call and let's discuss your goals:

https://calendly.com/themidlifementors/30min