Since my adolescence, I have always been more of the act first think second type. I was born with a natural need for competition and a competitive spirit to accompany it. I have engaged in the cinnamon challenge (lead to puking), the ‘how-many-saltines-can-you-eat-without-a-drink’ challenge (lead to my dad giving me the heimlich) and would even try to hold my breath longer than my friends (and I used to be a severe asthmatic). I push myself to the limits, and often don’t recognize the negative repercussions that could result from my actions. Luckily, my body tends to give out before my mind will ever give up. My most recent endeavor of almost-fatal attraction took place at the gym. I consider myself a loyal gym member—I don’t just show up between the months of January and March with a “new year, new me” tank and bright pink Lulu leggings. No, I am committed. And with all these newbies I found it to be my responsibility, nay, moral obligation, to show them how it’s done. I lifted myself onto an elliptical and set myself up. Thirty minutes, incline of five and Spotify playlist on–all the necessary ingredients for a good workout. But somewhere into mile four, my head felt heavy, my stomach churned and my heart felt like it was collapsing into my torso. I placed my hands on the heart rate monitor and watched the red numbers dwindle down to 58 beats per minute. I stopped the circular motion of my legs and attempted to step down from the machine, but my efforts proved futile. Instead, I fell off, catching myself not on a handsome trainer, but on a sweaty older man walking by, and even he had tried to escape from my damsel in distress moment. After regaining my balance and chugging water, the gym manager escorted me out. I had really shown the newbies who the real queen of the gym was.

Though embarrassing and potentially dangerous, my John Mayer ‘Free Falling’ at the gym was an eye opener. As a society, we put so much emphasis on the importance of

working out, and while its true that physical activity is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, people often jump into this lifestyle without educating themselves thoroughly on the possibilities of injury or sickness. So now, as a veteran of gym malfunction, I see it to be my new moral obligation to inform the masses of the dangers of working out incorrectly.

The Risk: choosing the wrong exercise or improper form.

We have all fallen to the allure of that weird chiropractic-looking strappy ab crunching machine, or the tire flipping at CrossFit. Being drawn to the most intense workouts may boost your ego, but it will certainly not be a good workout if your body is not prepared for it. Neal I. Pire, spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that this is the number one cause for injury at the gym.

The Solution

You know your body much better than that little diagram sticker on the machine does, and you certainly do not need to compete with the body builder that used the machine before you. Sherri McMillan, spokeswoman for IDEA Health and Fitness Association, put it best by saying “know your limits.”

The Risk: Injury

Having the energy and motivation to work out is a rare and beautiful happening. Because these moments can be so few and far between, people often forget to warm up their bodies before engaging in activity, or burn themselves out within the first five minutes by lifting too much.

The Solution

“If you are questioning whether you can safely complete a exercise, it’s probably best to back off” McMillan says. Avoid adding too much weight or resistance to your workout, stay hydrated and always stretch properly before and after working out.

The Risk: Falling

My area of expertise. Increased activity causes the muscles to use more oxygen, which means your heart must beat faster to get the oxygen to the muscles quickly. If you’re heart is not beating properly (such as mine), your muscles cannot perform the workout. As a result, your body can give out, or you can get dizzy and fall.

The Solution

If anything feels even slightly off while working out, stop immediately. You only have one body, and harming it while trying to better it is possibly the biggest paradox there is.

And remember, failed workout stories don’t make for a great dinner conversation, or a great lead to an article.