I’m a fitness expert and there are 3 bad habits that may make you age faster

A FITNESS expert has revealed three bad gym habits that might actually be getting you older faster.

While consistent exercise is recommended for everyone, you may be making mistakes that are getting in the way of your fitness goals.

1

Most people should have variety in their training sessions, including strength training and aerobics.

However, how you go about your workouts can really affect your results.

For example, training too hard too often can be detrimental to long-term health, according to fitness and nutrition coach Tim Liu.

“Even if you want to work hard and push your body to get the most out of your weight training sessions, don’t overdo it!” Liu said.

To get the most out of your workouts, you need to be able to fully recover.

“There’s a limited number of muscle fibers and motor units you can recruit in a single session, and more than that becomes ‘junk volume,’ meaning you’re building up fatigue,” he said.

Not only could he be tired, but working too hard could even stress him out.

“When you train too hard, your body also produces more cortisol, something you should avoid at all costs,” Liu said.

Cortisol can create more stress, which in turn could speed up the aging process.

“If you strength train regularly, three to four sets of work on most of your exercises should be enough, and you can incorporate a day or two of rest.”

Another piece of advice Liu had for people on a fitness journey is not to go overboard with HIIT workouts.

“HIIT is an amazing form of exercise,” Liu said.

“You’ll be burning calories at a higher rate compared to normal cardio, as well as boosting your metabolism and sweating a lot.”

However, much like Liu’s first piece of advice, he said it can be difficult to fully recover from HIIT.

“Just like strength training, you want to manage fatigue and not overdo it,” he said.

He said to limit HIIT workouts to just two days a week.

Finally, Liu said that people should prioritize zone two training in their routine.

This is basically a low-impact cardio workout that can include running, swimming, cycling, or rowing.

“Doing aerobic work is important for improving metabolic health, longevity, mitochondrial function and resting heart rate,” Liu said.

“When you don’t include zone two training in your routine, you lose these key aspects of health and can accelerate your aging process.

“Make sure to incorporate two to three zone two training sessions into your routine, aiming for 30 to 45 minutes in each session.”