Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid On Your Fitness Journey

I started my fitness journey back in 2005 and from that time to now I have hit peaks, valleys, stayed on track, fell off track and everything in between. I also made several mistakes and learned along the way.

Here are my top 5 mistakes that I have made on my fitness journey that I now work to avoid in order to stay on track.

Eliminate or limit consumption of OJ – it has too much sugar. One 8 oz glass contains about 22 grams of sugar. Can you guess how many grams of sugar the average adult woman should consume in a day? Leave your answer in comments below if you know and I will share the answer later.
Stop making calorie and sugar bomb smoothies – using juice as a base plus fruit high in sugar is a recipe for disaster when it comes to smoothies. I actually went up a dress size from drinking these types of smoothies daily for a year. YIKES!
Change up your workout routine every 4 to 6 weeks – I used to run on the treadmill faithfully at 0 incline and 5 mph. After a while I stopped seeing results. Only until I incorporated intervals with the incline and changing up the speed did I begin to see changes again.
Be mindful of what you eat – portion size and what you eat are very important. I used to run for 6 miles and then come home and drink beer, eat ice cream and eat high calorie meals in the restaurants. I was undoing any progress I could have been making with all of the calories I just consumed after burning calories from the run. I was working backwards. Stay on your healthy eating plan and don’t make every meal a cheat meal just because you work out.
Have patience – give yourself time to see the change. You didn’t put on the lbs overnight and you won’t lose them overnight.

I share additional perspective on this topic in this video. Check it out.

I hope this information helps you avoid making the same mistakes I made. The journey isn’t easy and some days can be easier than others but don’t give up. Stay consistent, remain focused and one day you will look up and see your goals fully realized.

What mistakes have you made on your fitness journey and how did you correct it?

In The Gym with Kayla Itsines

22 Replies to "Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid On Your Fitness Journey"

Lena July 4, 2014 (7:46 am)

Great tips, Diatta! Thanks for sharing.
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 4, 2014 (10:19 am)
  
  Thanks for reading Lena. Who knew OJ was a sugar bomb!
Zee July 4, 2014 (7:54 am)

Exercising religiously without paying attention to what I ate.
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:32 pm)
  
  That was my downfall too Zee.
  o
Kamila Gornia July 4, 2014 (10:02 am)

Great post, especially the thing about OJ – a lot of people don’t even talk about this!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:35 pm)
  
  Exactly – they easily can have up to 700 to 1,000 calories in a single 16 oz serving – YIKES!
  o
Deborah
Twitter: deborahbrooks14
July 4, 2014 (1:26 pm)

Totally agree with the smoothie thing. People think they are healthy bc they are called smoothies. Those things can have hundreds of empty calories.
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:34 pm)
  
  Exactly – they easily can have up to 700 to 1,000 calories in a single 16 oz serving – YIKES!
  o
GiGi Eats
Twitter: dubagee
July 4, 2014 (1:34 pm)

Drinking calories – that is definitely a HUGE mistake!! But sadly, so many people think juices of sorts are “so healthy” when in actuality, they are NOT!!! I love that you listed that as #1!!!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:34 pm)
  
  The only juice I trust now is the one I JUICE myself. I have to be mindful to include as many veggies as well as fruit and to me CARROTS don’t necessarily count because they are also sweet.
  o
Hilary July 4, 2014 (4:09 pm)

Great tips! I can’t drink OJ or those smoothies anymore so that problem is already taken care of lol I just need to remember to have patience with my body.
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:33 pm)
  
  Hmm, you can’t drink smoothies?
  o
Angela
Twitter: happyfitmama
July 4, 2014 (7:52 pm)

I so agree with all of these! Variety in workouts, drinking your calories and over estimating portion sizes are huge!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:33 pm)
  
  Thanks for stopping by Angela. It’s crazy isn’t it?
  o
Mahdi Martin July 5, 2014 (1:57 pm)

I always knew OJ was a sugar bomb, but I love taking a swig when I feel my energy is low. Never a whole glass though.
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 5, 2014 (8:17 pm)
  
  I agree it is good for a quick energy pick-me-up.
Delia July 8, 2014 (8:06 am)

I don’t know what OJ is, but I know lots of smoothies and coffee drinks have tons of sugar in them and many people drink them because: fruit is healthy and… well, it’s just coffee. Thanks for bringing awareness, Diatta!

PS. Also found out you are a winner of a CommentLuv Premium lifetime plugin. No kidding, check out and claim your prize here: http://comluv.com/bol-newsletter-57-contes-sales-dissapointment-new-plugin-coded/ Well done!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  July 8, 2014 (8:12 am)
  
  Delia – orange juice
Lex
Twitter: flecksoflex
November 7, 2015 (10:39 pm)

Thanks for the great post, as always, Diatta! I think my biggest mistakes were not changing up my routine enough, and not eating well. Fortunately, I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I drink way more water than anything else. However, I do crave some pretty gross things from time to time, and I’ve been working on having healthy snacks at my office, at home, and even in my car to make sure I don’t allow myself to make any excuses!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  November 8, 2015 (2:35 am)
  
  I think preparation is key.
weight loss supplements March 4, 2016 (12:26 am)

That is a good tip especially to those fresh to the
blogosphere. Short but very precise info… Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read article!
o
- Diatta
  Twitter: DSTPRL
  March 4, 2016 (4:48 am)
  
  Thanks