Obstacles to Fitness: Overcoming 3 Common Challenges

Exercising regularly isn’t always easy. Creating a weekly workout plan is half the battle. Nevertheless, there are still several challenges you have to face. Our three fitness rules can help you learn to overcome them.

Challenge # 1: Warming up and active recovery

Intense training is important if you want to get or stay in shape. Warming up and active recovery post-workout are important for reducing the risk of injury and increasing your flexibility.

• Warming up: It is important to warm up properly before you go running, cycling or do bodyweight training. Warming up prepares your body for the upcoming physical activity and improves your flexibility. You can find the most effective stretches for warming up on the Runtastic Blog.

• Active recovery: Good examples of active recovery post-workout are stretching or foam rolling. Both are ideal recovery methods for relieving muscle tension and improving your performance. Plus, they also help you avoid sore muscles the next day.

Challenge # 2: Take a break

We all know that sense of accomplishment after a strenuous workout or the joy we feel when we stand in front of the mirror and see our first (weight loss) results. You’d like nothing better than to hit the gym every day or run another loop to keep the gains (or losses) coming. But as important as regular exercise is, one of the most important fitness rules is to give your body a rest. Recovery is essential if you want to see results. In this video, Runtastic Fitness Coach Lunden explains how you can tell if your body needs a rest day:

Challenge # 3: Find the right balance

Work, family, friends, exercise… it is often hard to juggle all these responsibilities. Many fitness enthusiasts know how challenging it can be to find the right balance. But the good news is that it’s possible: kill two birds with one stone and set up a workout with your friends or coworkers. We at Runtastic like to do lunch pumps or runches (lunch runs). You will see that working out together strengthens your relationship and team spirit.

What obstacles to fitness do you have to overcome? Tell us about them in the comments below.

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