3 Common Health Mistakes That Active Women Often Make

Staying active helps you stay healthy and reap tons of physical and mental benefits. However, it is important to avoid common mistakes active women make because they can derail your workout and lead to problems.

Not Taking Rest Days Seriously

It's easy to imagine that working out is the most important part of staying physically fit. What many women forget is that taking rest days is just as important. In fact, not taking rest days seriously can ruin the effects you were hoping to see from your workout. Working out breaks down your body, and that means your tissue and nerves need time to recover. The recovery process helps make your body stronger, but if you never take rest days, you deprive your body of that process. You are breaking your body down without ever giving it time to recover. Set aside rest days and put them in your workout calendar just like you would a workout. Skipping a rest day is like skipping a workout, and it can have detrimental effects.

Not Hydrating Properly

Everyone needs to stay hydrated, but women who are active really need to be careful about hydration. If you're waiting until you are thirsty to drink water, you are waiting too long and putting your body at risk. It's easy to forget to drink when your body isn't demanding liquid, but this is a costly mistake. Dehydration can cause serious injuries and health complications, including shock, coma, brain damage, kidney and liver damage, and eventually death. Staying hydrated means not waiting until a workout to drink water. It means drinking liquids throughout the day so your body never runs low on fluid. Use an app or a calendar tracker that helps you see how many glasses of water you've had in a day. If you tire of plain water, add lemon or lime juice for variety. Find drinks that are good for you that you enjoy so staying hydrated will be easier.

Pushing Through an Injury

Active women know that physical activity does more than just tone the body. It's easy to get addicted to the feel-good endorphins that flood the body after a workout. That's why many women are reluctant to take a break, even when they are injured. Not letting an injury heal properly is a mistake because it will lead to problems in the future, such as a worse injury or permanent damage to the body. Pushing through the pain is not an answer when injured because the pain is there to signal you to stop. If you don't want to be completely sedentary while healing, find an activity that won't worsen your injury and that is low intensity. Give your body rest when it is needed.

 

It’s important to take care of yourself so that you can help your body be healthy, but you need to make sure that you don’t overwork yourself. Stay active, but make good decisions that ensure you get the most out of your workouts.