Are you making these fitness mistakes?

You should have a sustainable eating plan which you can actually follow for the rest of your life, says Sohrab Khushrushahi, founder, SOHFIT, an online fitness community.

Everybody aspires to have a well-chiseled body just like their favourite celebrity, which is not impractical to envision, but to execute is a whole different ballgame.

Primarily, what people fail to understand is that to get a particular type of physique, a lot of effort and hard work needs to be put in over a consistently long period of time.

Here are some of the common mistakes people make in the gym and with regards to their fitness.

#1. The numbers game

I know a lot of people love to measure their fitness based on that number on the weighing scale. Remember you are so much more than just a mere number.

Don't let that number define your fitness levels or your happiness.

First thing I'd like to tell most people, throw away the weighing scale, it'll make you a happier and fitter person.

#2. Ignoring the basics

If you want to achieve anything in life, you have to get your basics right. For example, a small child will always walk first before they start running or, for that matter, crawl before they can even walk.

A lot of people today just watch someone do something on social media and try to imitate it when they can't even do a squat properly. As a result, they end up hurting themselves and will then blame working out for the injury.

My advice, don't rush things and work on your basics till you have absolutely nailed them. Yes, it may get a little boring but you have to do the boring work to get fitter.

#3. Cardio is not the answer to everything

A common mistake most women make is they run away from weight training.

Reason being they think it'll make them bulky and look overtly masculine and beefed up. Not something I agree with at all.

I believe women should focus on being strong as opposed to skinny.

There is nothing wrong in a girl lifting weights. In fact it is better as she'll get stronger and live a healthier life. And no, it will not make her look bulky.

#4. Your workout is not a punishment

Most people believe that if they have not spent hours at the gym and are not exhausted at the end of a workout, they haven’t trained hard enough.

A workout is not meant to kill you, but to make you feel better about yourself and progress every single day.

You need to work on yourself, work on getting better everyday and focus on feeling better after a workout instead of feeling dead.

#5. Focus on yourself and try to be the best version you can be

People love comparisons. I see people constantly comparing their bodies to someone else's.

What they don't realise is that the person’s body they are aspiring for actually isn't satisfied with what they have. Therefore, it is imperative that we stop comparing our goals.

It's good to have a goal, but to be obsessed with someone else's body isn't healthy at all.

#6. Fad diets

Most people have a fascination for diets. But honestly, diets don't work in the long term.

They are short term solutions, and end up causing more damage than good.

According to me, you should have a sustainable eating plan which you can actually follow for the rest of your life.

Stop focusing on weight loss and start focusing on living a good healthy life.

At the end of the day, what you eat will show on your body. Hence, discipline along with patience and persistence is the only way to achieve a fitness goal that is realistic and healthy.