by Ellen Como

Ellen Como is a Santa Clarita Personal Trainer and has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years. She writes a weekly column, published on hometownstation.com and on her personal website, ellencomo.com.

I want to congratulate you for choosing a healthy lifestyle and making your wellness a priority. Having goals for your body and health are the most important goals you can have. When you are healthy, everything in life becomes easier.

Health should be your first priority in everything you choose to do. Because without your health not a lot is possible other then spending your time and resources to get your health back. That is why it is so important to have all the pieces of wellness operating at the highest level together for you to achieve the results your desire.

Taking in mind that you have found your perfect nutrition program/diet and have made it part of your healthy lifestyle, you are getting plenty of sleep and working out regularly, losing weight but are not getting the results you believe you should be getting from your workouts. Lets look at the top reasons you might not be reaching your workout goals.

1. Consistency – If you workout off and on. Some weeks you work out 5 days a week then you might workout 1 or 2 days the next week. Or you workout consistently for a month then get busy and don’t workout for a week or 2. Do you see a pattern here? This is where you need to take a honest look at how much time you have per week to workout. Is it 3 days a week for 30 minutes? Is it 5 days a week for an hour? Be realistic about the schedule you set for yourself and stick to it. Realistically if you really want to see a change in your body you are going to need to workout at least 4 days a week. And each and every one of those workouts needs to be focused and on point with no fooling around. Optimum is 5 or 6 days a week.

2. Not having a plan – If you show up at the gym 5 days a week and just take whatever class is on the schedule or wonder around to some random machines without a plan its like grabbing some wood, nails and hammer and expecting to build your dream home. There has to be a plan. Different classes have different purposes. You might be taking a class that is exactly what you do not need for your goal. You are definitely getting something out of the class it just might not be the class for your goal. This is where a Fitness Expert can help so you know what classes to take and how to sequence your week.

Previous: Diving Into The Ketogenic World (Part 3)

3. Not working out in the correct culture for your motivation – Its important to know what motivates you. Are you better with an appointment and a one on one with a trainer. if you know you need the constant attention and motivation from a trainer then a class would not be the best choice for you. If you are motivated by camaraderie a trainer would not be the best way to go you would be motivated by a group class. If you like a more private setting, being at home with a video would be a great choice over planning to go to the gym and never showing up. When you find your workout culture you will be more likely to show up.

4. You get out of a workout what you put into a workout – If you show up for a class, appointment, turn on a video or meet a group at a park. Be ready to make every minute count!! Be present! Be on time!! Be ready to workout. You can show up to a workout and fudge your way through it and no one will know (well actually your trainer or group instructor will know) and you will not receive the results you are looking for. As a group instructor and personal trainer there is nothing more frustrating then having a small group in a class talking while the class is going on and even trying to talk over the while they are teaching. Not only are the talkers not getting much out of the workout for themselves but they disrupting the rest of the class and are being rude to the instructor. Or a private client taking constant phone calls and texts in a training session. Its not surprising that these are the first people to complain about not receiving the results they desire. If you show up and give 100% of what you have to give that day your body will show the effort.

5. Not taking responsibility for your results – You alone are responsible for your results. If something isn’t working get informed and change it. You might not be doing the right workouts for your goal. Don’t continue a workout because its popular or the new “hottest” workout. Everyone’s body, body history and body structure is different. Reach out to a fitness expert for direction. I build fitness training programs and fitness plans all the time for people so they know they are on the right path to the goals they have set up for themselves.

6. Not using proper form in your workouts – When you are working out know what muscles are utilized while you are performing the movement. If you just use movement without activating the muscle you will achieve a small amount of results but you are opening up the risk of injury to your body and you will never achieve the results that can only come from the muscle being the lead for all movements in your body.

I hope this information gives you a boost to your workouts. The good news is it is never too late to make some changes and get on the right track for your health, fitness and reaching your goals.

Ellen Como has been in the fitness industry in Santa Clarita for over 30 years.  With her experience working in Gyms and as a personal trainer she has developed fitness training programs and fitness plans for men and woman of all ages.    Her passion is creating overall wellness in all her clients and sharing menopause fitness with women going through all the phases of menopause. Visit her website for latest news, products, and personal training at ellencomo.com.