Maybe you've fallen off the wagon, or maybe you've hit the proverbial “wall.” Whatever the case, you're not the only one struggling to get over the dreaded plateau in your fitness journey. In fact, one of the most common questions we hear is: “I was doing so well for a while, but how do I drop these stubborn last few pounds?”
The truth is, there is no magical answer that applies to each individual—but there is hope! Sometimes all it takes is a bit of honesty with yourself and a few tweaks to your fitness and/or diet regimen.
Here are five factors that may be contributing to the halt in your progress.
1. You're doing too much of the same exercise.
More isn't always better. You do not always have to be crawling out of your workout with sweat (and tears) dripping off of your face. Your body adapts to physical activity and intensity fairly quickly. For example, let's say you start with one hour of cardio completed three times per week. At first, you'll see and feel changes in your body. Eventually, though, those changes will slow to a halt. You'll add more cardio with the hopes of seeing more change. Makes sense, right? Before you know it, you'll be doing two hours of cardio six days a week! Not only is it a time suck, but it's also unnecessary. While you may continue losing weight, most of that weight loss will actually be muscle loss. Your body is under constant stress during long, moderate-intensity cardio sessions. There will come a time when it won't be able to keep up and your metabolism will stop responding efficiently.
Adding short, higher intensity cardio is effective in burning fat and maintaining muscle. On the other hand, long and slow restorative exercise—such as walking, yoga, mobility, foam rolling, etc.—is extremely beneficial. Your body craves variety. Change things up and notice the progress!
2. You're ignoring the weight rack.
There actually is a trick to achieving change fast—it's called weightlifting. Weight training kickstarts your metabolism in ways that cardio can't. Plus, your body continues to work and burn calories long after the session is over. The mistake many people make while weightlifting is performing the same exercises for the same amount of sets and repetitions while using the same weight. Remember when we talked about the body's need for variety? It's possible to achieve here, too! Lifting heavier weights with fewer repetitions, lighter weights with more repetitions, high volume/density training or circuit training will still leave you out of breath like a cardio session does.
This efficient workout method allows you to build your own body and actually leaves you leaner in the long term.
3. You aren't eating enough.
Your muscles need food to recover from your training sessions. Failure to consume enough calories will cause your body to use existing muscle for energy. Instead, fill yourself with adequate amounts of unprocessed carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats, which are essential macro-nutrients that properly fuel your body. Micro-nutrients from fruits and vegetables support your health.
Food isn't only your fuel—it's information. What you put into your body tells it how you want it to perform. Feed yourself well and it will reward you!
4. You're not catching enough Z's.
There is a correlation between lack of sleep and hunger/cravings. In addition to that, your lack of energy to engage in any physical activity is detrimental to your progress.
Neglecting or failing to get enough sleep contributes to a hormonal imbalance that even a person with the strongest willpower can't overcome. However, it's important to recognize the difference between tiredness and laziness. Tired means you need to aim for seven or more hours of sleep each night to restore your energy levels and allow your body to rest and recover. Lazy means you have plenty of energy but may just need a kick in the butt to get moving!
5. You're too obsessed with perfection.
There is an immense difference between consistency/dedication and unhealthy obsession. Take a step back and be honest with yourself. Assess the reasons why you decided to embark on this journey to a healthy lifestyle in the first place. Are you doing it for yourself? For someone else? For a career? For a sport? Just because you enjoy it? No matter the reason, it's up to you to learn and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes—consistently. You don't have to be perfect; be obsessed with a healthy lifestyle because of how it makes you feel, not because you think it will make you perfect. This is not an all-or-nothing cycle where the alternative to succeeding is giving up on yourself. The key is to keep going.
There is no need to know everything right off the bat. As a matter of fact, accept that you'll never know everything! Allow yourself some wiggle room; otherwise you'll exhaust yourself in pursuit of perfection.
Practice makes progress. Try new workouts. Try new foods. Sleep more. Be patient and be kind to your body. Don't give up because you've stalled. Learn about how your body responds to change. Accept that consistency is more effective than quick fixes. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how your body rewards your hard work!
Forward Thinking Fitness | 6750 Iroquois Trl. Suite 12, Allentown | trainftf.com
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Forward Thinking Fitness and Lehigh Valley Style.
