Sometimes its a matter of knowing what you do and how you do it. Do you often show up at the gym only to return the next day trying to remember which exercises you had done the day before? Next time, grab a small notebook or even your phone and jot down your routine.

Write down which types of exercises you do, for how long, and at what weight. So if today you did an arm workout, what exercises did you do? Did you do curls, then how many (this is known as reps)? And how many times did you repeat those reps (the repeating is known as sets)? And what weight did you use?

You might be surprised what you find. Maybe when you work on your arms you only do the same exercises over and over, missing other areas of your arm. Or you might find that you never increase your weight. Writing your workout down can be very revealing and help you to keep track of your improvements.

If losing weight is your main motivation for working out, there can be some unhealthy temptations that arise. One of those is not eating before working out. Although it seems logical that you want to burn calories and therefore you need to cut back on the snacks, not eating anything pre-workout isn’t going to help you burn more calories. It can actually be detrimental!

The body needs the extra energy from a snack to help power you through a workout. Have you ever been in the middle of workout class and just felt completely exhausted? That may be because you don’t have enough healthy fuel to keep you going. You need that energy to finish strong and see the results that come from giving your workout your all.

Now, that doesn’t mean hit up the fast food lane before hitting the gym. Instead, chose healthy options like peanut butter, bananas, or yogurt.

Isn’t it always the case that when we pick up a pair of weights or sit down at a workout machine, we tend to chose the weight that feels comfortable, a.k.a. easy? Well, your muscles aren’t going to be challenged if you always choose the easiest route.

Yes, that 3lb weight feels great and that might be the perfect place to start, but don’t stop there! When that weight starts to feel too easy, pick up a heavier weight. Keep increasing weight so that you challenge your muscles. The same goes for exercises. Change things up so that your body doesn’t plateau. If you aren’t sure you can make it through your whole workout with a heavier set of weights, then try the drop set method. Start with the heavier weight, let’s say 5lb, and try to make it to the end of your reps. Then for the next set, drop the weight, like to a 3lb. And if you do another set, if the weight is still feeling heavy, drop it down again.

The point is to keep pushing yourself harder, while not giving up on the amount of reps and sets you need to finish your exercise. Only drop the weight if you can’t do the exercise properly or if it is causing you pain, don’t use drop setting as a crutch.