1. NOT SETTING GOALS – Having specific and measurable goals has shown time and time again, to be more effective and directly related to success rates. Start with a proper assessment from a health and fitness professional, and measure progress every 2 to 3 months. This will help you see what is working best for your body.

2. CARDIO ONLY EXERCISE PROGRAMS – A common misconception is that cardio burns more calories than strength training with weights. Actually, with weight training, the body burns calories for several days after your workout, resulting in more total calories expended than with cardiovascular training. Additionally, weight training increases your metabolism, helping the body burn more calories at rest. For best results, it is critical to do both strength training and cardiovascular training.

3. IGNORING THE NUTRITIONAL ASPECT OF HEALTH & FITNESS – Often, people continue to eat unhealthy and/or over-eat when starting an exercise program. Understanding the importance of nutrient rich foods, the significance of smaller portions, and the timing of food intake are all critical factors in your success. A little planning goes a long way in helping you reach your goals, and reaching them faster.

4. DOING THE SAME FEW WORKOUTS FOR MORE THAN 2 MONTHS - Limiting yourself to the same one to three workout routines for over 2 months (often people do the same few routines for years) results in the body reaching a plateau. Workouts should be changed every 4 to 6 weeks for optimal results. A fitness professional can help you design a program that takes you through various progressions that fit your needs and goals.

5. IMPROPER FORM – 99% of people I see working out in the health club do a significant amount of their exercises with improper form. Our bodies naturally look for the path of least resistance, meaning the easiest way to complete the exercise. Therefore, our bodies overcompensate by using our already developed muscles to do most movements. This creates muscular imbalances in the body, as well as increases your risk for injury. A fitness professional can teach you the proper technique for doing all your exercises, in order to get the best results.

6. SKIPPING THE WARM UP – Getting to the health club or working out at home, and going straight to chest press or bicep curls is one of the most common flaws I see in people's workout programs. Muscles that are warmed up recruit more efficiently and help the body move more effectively. Cold muscles cause other muscles to compensate for inefficiencies, and increase your risk of injury

7. TRADITIONAL STRETCHES BEFORE EXERCISING – Doing the wrong type of warm up is as bad, if not worse, than not warming up at all. Traditional static stretches cause the muscles to become inactive through a chemical released into the fibers. This actually increases your risk for injury, as well as makes the muscles ineffective for a period of approximately 60 minutes. Dynamic stretches have been shown to be the most effective and safest way to warm up.

8. DOING THE EXERCISES THAT YOU DO WELL - Doing exercises that are easier and more comfortable for you, results in training the muscles that are already strong, and ignoring the weaker muscles. Not only does this create muscular imbalances, which increases your risk for injury, but also less work is required resulting in fewer calories being burned.

9. DOING THE SAME CARDIO ROUTINE - Training cardio, almost exclusively, and often the same cardio routine, without lifting weights. As with weights, you have to challenge your body when doing cardio. Doing the same 30 minute routine on the same cardio equipment is beneficial for your heart, but does not result in physique change. Your body reaches a plateau. Alternating your cardio routine and increasing the intensity helps to produce the best results.

10.  EXERCISING ON MACHINES - Lifting weights almost exclusively on machines. Machine weights control the path of motion for you, so the stabilizer muscles don't have to work. This creates a greater risk for injury as the muscles become stronger and can move more weight, without developing the smaller muscles near the joints. Additionally, most machines are set up to isolate a targeted muscle and resting the core, so fewer muscles are recruited during the exercise, resulting in less calories burning.