Regular exercise is essential for keeping your body strong and in excellent shape, but certain common mistakes can completely derail your dedicated efforts. In fact, they can speed up the aging process, increase wear and tear on your joints and muscles, and promote fatigue. To ensure you continue progressing toward your goals, we spoke with a fitness pro who reveals five exercise habits that age your body faster.

Below, Michael Baah, celebrity trainer and BlazePod ambassador, shares how to recognize and address these common errors and maximize your training routine to maintain a youthful, fit body.

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Training Without Rest Days

One super common yet detrimental mistake is training without carving out time for rest and recovery days. “Overtraining leads to chronic inflammation, elevated cortisol levels, and increased injury risk, which can age the body prematurely,” Baah stresses.

The Fix: Ensure you have ample time to rest and implement active recovery days into your routine. This will reduce excess strain on your body while keeping it engaged. “Try simple activities like light yoga, stretching, or reaction games with a tennis ball to keep active on recovery days,” Baah suggests.

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Skipping Resistance Training

Strength training is essential to improving muscle and bone strength—especially as you age. “Avoiding resistance training accelerates muscle and bone loss (sarcopenia and osteoporosis), making the body weaker and more prone to injuries as we age,” Baah tells us.

The Fix: Baah recommends including two to three weekly strength sessions into your routine, highlighting functional movements such as deadlifts, squats, and pushups. “Resistance bands or household items like water bottles can be used as weights if you don’t have access to a gym,” Baah explains.

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Emphasizing Only High-Impact Exercise

Consistently performing high-impact exercises, such as jumping or running, can promote wear and tear on your joints as time passes. This increases your risk of developing arthritis or injuries.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The Fix: “Mix high-impact exercises with low-impact alternatives such as cycling, swimming, or walking,” Baah recommends. “These activities are easier on joints while improving cardiovascular health. Additionally, try joint-friendly strength exercises like step-ups or glute bridges for a well-rounded routine.”

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Skipping Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs

You’ve likely heard that warming up and cooling down are crucial portions of your workout routine—so don’t skip them! “Skipping warm-ups increases the likelihood of injuries while neglecting cool-downs leads to muscle stiffness and slower recovery,” Baah tells us.

The Fix: Begin each fitness session with warm-up exercises like arm circles and leg swings to get your muscles ready. After your main workout, perform static stretching to engage major muscle groups. If you have access to them, massage balls and foam rollers can help alleviate tightness and boost circulation.

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Neglecting Mobility Training

Another key part of a successful workout regimen you shouldn’t neglect? Mobility training!

“Ignoring flexibility and mobility limits range of motion, leading to poor posture and movement inefficiencies, which worsen with age,” Baah explains.

The Fix: Carve out time for mobility flows, yoga, or Pilates to decrease stiffness and improve movement. “If you’re short on time, incorporate stretches like hip openers or cat-cow during TV breaks or after your workouts,” Baah suggests.

Alexa Mellardo