10 Reasons Why Most Exercise Programs Fail

Has this ever happened to you?



Every year around this time millions flock to the

health club, join a diet center, or make a pledge to

get fit this year.



Yet by February 1, 90% have failed in their resolution

and have returned to their old ways.



Sure they're frustrated, discouraged, and miserable

with their current condition... but feeling that way

about your health and your body does not determine

whether or not you will be successful this year in

making a real change.



Why?



Well, there are many reasons for fitness failure. And

as a fitness professional I see them all the time.



Here's my Top 10 list of why fitness programs fail:



1. Incomplete programs- starting a strength training

program, with no attention paid to nutrition. Or

beginning a cardio program without addressing strength

training, etc. I could go on and on. But chances are

you can identify with one of these scenarios.



2. Failure to address nutrition first- starting an

exercise program, and failing to address nutrition

FIRST is just plain dumb. You've got to feed your body

the right "fuel" to exercise, have energy, keep up with

the increase in activity, and furthermore really get

your metabolism movin'.



3. Incomplete nutrition- with all the wacko diets and

'well-meaning' but 'uneducated' friends giving you

advice in this area, it's no wonder there is so much

confusion. All protein. No protein. All organic. Low

glycemic. High glycemic. Good fats. Bad fats. If you're

confused when it comes to how to really put together a

nutrition program that will get you to your goals,

you're not alone.



4. Avoiding endurance- mostly a mistake made by men.

You know the guys I'm talkin about. They're over 40+

and get back to the gym to work on their "big arms"

when they really need to be working on gettin' rid of

their "big gut". That means making cardio a priority!



5. Push too hard, too soon- this one is really sad, and

it happens because most folks begin exercising with no

instruction. And also because most folks are IMPATIENT,

and they have nobody to help them establish realistic

goals on a timetable, with a plan to accomplish them.

So they workout like an animal for a week, then can't

move their body for three, and lose all the motivation

they had when they started. Totally unnecessary.



6. No warm-up, cool down- Whether you haven't worked

out in a while. Or you've been exercising regularly.

MOST folks do not put anytime into preparing their body

for exercise. And this is essential... especially as

you get older! You've got to warm up the car, before

you put the 'petal to the metal'. Otherwise you're just

asking to break somethin' and be in the repair shop...

and trust me, you DON'T want to go there.



7. No stretching- not stretching is asking for injury.

And it's not "if", it's "when." Stretching and

attention to flexibility must be part of your warm-up

and cool-down routine. And the more you exercise, the

more you have to stretch. I preach this all the time,

but some folks just don't listen until it's too late.

Don't let this happen to you.



8. No post workout nutrition- why is it important to

feed your body a certain way after exercise? Because

the right nutrition after exercise will accelerate your

recovery dramatically, refuel glycogen (gas in your

tank) and reduce soreness dramatically. Anytime you

perform intense exercise, or strength training,

attention MUST be paid to nutrition after the workout.

And there is a VERY specific formula for maximizing

this. Use it and succeed, ignore it and suffer.



9. Lack of professional guidance- go into any health

club this week and you'll see it all over the place.

The "blind leading the blind." Often well-meaning and

intentioned, but incredibly misinformed and uneducated

folks will sink your fitness ship faster than you can

say "Titanic." You wouldn't ask just anybody to give

you financial advice, nor would you have just anybody

just you legal advice. You invest in experts to get

expert guidance. That's why anyone serious about

getting results from a fitness program should invest in

working with a professional coach. As the saying goes,

"you get what you pay for."



10. Lack of accountability- you cannot be accountable

to yourself. Read that statement again. No matter how

good your intentions are, if left to your own devices

you will almost always revert to old lifestyle

patterns. I call it the "rubber band effect." You start

to stretch out, make changes, then before you know it

you're pulled right back to your old form. And that

ain't where you want to be. You've got to work hard to

break free and adopt new lifestyle patterns. Having a

coach hold you accountable to your plan and

IMPLEMENTATION is essential. Without somebody to hold

you accountable, you results will almost always be

little to nil.