5 mistakes to avoid when exercising

Mistake n° 1: forgetting to warm up before exercising

Though it’s often neglected, the pre-exercise warm-up is essential both for preventing injury and improving sports performance. Muscles, tendons, joints, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems … it’s important to get the whole body ready for exercise.

In practice: Before taking part in sports or exercise, you should spend 5-10 minutes warming up. This means doing some low-intensity exercise to gently and gradually prepare your body. Sports nutrition research has also led to the development of specific nutritional supplements that help prevent sports injuries. The product Joint Support Formula, for example, helps maintain joint health, while the supplement Tendo-Fix supports flexibility of the tendons.

Mistake n° 2: skipping the recovery phase

As with warming-up, the post-workout recovery phase is often neglected, even though it is vital in order for the body to regenerate properly. It is particularly beneficial for preventing sports-related joint pain and soreness.

In practice: Following any kind of workout, you should gradually reduce your physical activity in what specialists refer to as the active recovery phase. Take 5-10 minutes to complete a series of stretches. To be effective, these should be gentle and should challenge every muscle in the body. To help your body recover after exercise, you can also ‘recharge your batteries’ with the aid of dietary supplements such as PEAK ATP™.

Mistake n° 3: forgetting to rehydrate your body

One of the most common mistakes made by sports enthusiasts is failing to rehydrate. This, despite the fact that exercise results in a significant loss of water which must be replaced through optimal hydration.

In practice: To ensure your body remains well-hydrated, you should drink before, during and after exercise. And here the choice of water can be important. There are special waters available now which are particularly beneficial for active people, such as the benchmark product SuperWater from SuperSmart. This has been conceived to meet the body’s needs for water, provide energy and improve cellular performance.

Mistake n° 4: setting unrealistic goals

What people want to achieve from their sporting activity can vary widely, but their goals must always be realistic. Setting objectives that are impossible to achieve can produce negative consequences such as injury, low morale and lack of motivation …

In practice: Whatever your objectives, it is best to establish a gradual programme over several weeks. This allows you to monitor your progress and to celebrate each goal you achieve. It also maintains your motivation and enables you to benefit safely from your sporting activity. To help you reach your objectives more easily, you can boost the benefits of physical activity with nutritional supplementation. Multivitamins, amino acids, fat-burners … many options are available to support your efforts!

Mistake n° 5: not eating a balanced diet

Whether it’s to improve performance or reduce body fat, many sports enthusiasts decide to modify their diet. While such dietary changes can be effective, they can also be counter-productive. Inadequate nutritional intake can leave the body at risk of deficiencies which are harmful to health.

In practice: Even if your goal is to lose weight, engaging in physical activity requires you to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins… the body needs all these nutrients to function properly.