If you want to get fitter this year, here’s what to focus on instead.
Fitness advice on social media can be littered with misinformation and impossible promises.
No single exercise can give you a six pack, and just because someone has a large following doesn’t mean they’re qualified to give fitness guidance, said Dr. Amy Comander, the director of the lifestyle medicine program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
If you are setting a fitness goal this year, it’s wise to to steer clear of any fitness plan that promises a quick and easy fix. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Focus on finding movements you enjoy and building a regular habit, rather than the latest miracle workout.
I asked dozens of experts about the fitness trends that irk them the most, and what they recommend doing instead.
Skip the ‘75 hard’ challenge.
The viral challenge “75 Hard” took hold last year. The key to mental and physical toughness, its proponents claimed, was following a set of daily rules for 75 days: Work out twice for 45 minutes, maintain a strict diet, drink a gallon of water and read at least 10 pages of nonfiction, among other things.
While the idea of transforming yourself in 75 days might sound appealing, the challenge is “extremely unsustainable,” said Victoria Sekely, a physical therapist in New Jersey and the founder of Train Smart Run Strong, a running and strength coaching program. “It is quite possibly the worst way to set good habits.”
Exercising twice a day, especially if you are new to working out, “is a good way to injure yourself and to create completely unrealistic expectations around exercise,” she added.