No matter who you are or what your fitness goal, at one time or another, you’ve hit a plateau. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be stuck on that last few pounds. For those who want to get fit, they may find they simply aren’t getting stronger or building muscle tissue. You can burst through plateaus easily if you follow a few simple steps that have helped many others in your position.
Be honest.
There are plateaus in the fitness world that occur for a number of reasons. If you’re trying to lose weight, but don’t track all the food you eat or how long you exercise, you may be very surprised once you start doing it. Sometimes we forget those bits of goodies we indulge in and think we’ve stuck with a rigid diet, but when the calories and food intake is tracked, the real truth rears its ugly head. Our workouts may be the same too. It’s hard to measure intensity unless you have a heart monitor, which is an excellent tool. You may not be working out as hard as you should and just be putting in your time. Winners keep score and you should too to see if you’ve reached a plateau or just need to try harder.
Change your exercise program.
If you’re running and using weights to exercise, why not take a break for a while and try using kettlebells? You’ll be challenging your body in a new way and making it react. That’s the key, waking up your body! Shaking up your program and creating variety can make the workout more interesting and more fun. It also can increase muscle tissue or burn extra fat. You’ll want to workout longer and harder if you have a more variety exercise program. That can also push you through the plateau to success.
Are you getting plenty of rest?
If your body doesn’t have adequate rest at night or even between strenuous sessions, you won’t do your best during exercise and can find yourself plateauing. You can also overdo when it comes to weight loss. If you shave off far too many calories while intensifying your workout schedule by doubling the time and number of days you workout, your body will rebel and protect itself by slowing down your metabolism. Resting at night and between workouts, while also eating healthier is a good way to bust through a plateau.
Make the little wins count. The more you workout, the harder it will be to see big improvements in your fitness or weight. You’ll always see more improvement initially and slower progress later. Count the little wins by tracking everything from heart rate and inches to reps. You’ll win at something each day.
Challenge yourself. If you’re doing the same routine you started with, it’s no wonder you hit a plateau. As your fitness level improves, you need to adjust the program to reflect that improvement.
Make sure you’re getting all types of exercise. You need strength, flexibility, endurance and balance training on a regular basis. If you’re just doing strength training, such as working with weights, you’ll miss all the benefits you get from other forms of exercise.
Stay focused. If you’re doing everything right, you’ll break through that plateau in no time. Have patients and keep on working out.