We’re now into the 7th week of 2012, are you still on track with your New Year’s resolution? If the answer is yes, you’re among 64% of people who maintain their resolutions after one month. Woohoo! So, don’t stop now, keep going! Are you still making progress with your goals? Or have you hit the dreaded “plateau” and became discouraged? If you feel like you’ve reached a standstill with your weight loss, I will repeat myself, don’t stop now-keep going; but let’s talk first.
1. Assess the situation.
Why is the scale stuck? Be honest with yourself; have you skipped a few gym sessions? Have you snuck in a few too many cheat meals? Keep in mind, what you do and/or eat in private, shows up in public. Try keeping a food and exercise journal. Log all your workouts and meals for a week to get a better idea of what it is you’re doing (or not doing, for that matter). If you have a smart phone, a great way of tracking all this info is by using the MyFitnessPal app.
2. Evaluate your workouts.
When you walk into the gym, what is the first thing you do? Is it the same every time? Change it up! Keep your body guessing by switching up exercises, reps, and rest time in between sets, etc. every 3-4 weeks. This will not only create muscle confusion, but will help you avoid boredom as well. When talking about repetitiveness, I always refer to this quote by Albert Einstein, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Change is a good thing.
3. Ramp up your cardio sessions.
Incorporate intervals into your cardio sessions at least a couple times per week. Instead of keeping a moderate pace and/or staying on level one incline on the elliptical or treadmill, choose a ‘hill’ program or knock out a HIIT (high intensity interval training) session. Not sure where to start? Try this fat blasting plan on the treadmill:
Minutes Speed Incline
0-3 3.5 3
3-5 4.0 3
5-7 5.0 3
7-9 4.0 4.5
9-11 5.5 4.5
11-13 4.5 4.5
13-15 6.0 6
15-17 5.0 6
17-20 4.0 6
20-22 5.5 4.5
22-23 7.0 4.5
23-24 6.0 4.5
24-25 5.0 3
25-27 4.0 3
27-30 3.5 0
4. Beat Stress.
Everyone leads busy, hectic lives causing stress levels to rise. Take on the mantra, “too blessed to be stressed”. Look at all the positive things in your life and focus on those each and every day. Being too stressed out can lead to overeating and binges; however exercise relieves stress. When you feel overwhelmed, take a few deep breaths and step away from the situation for a few minutes. A friend once said to me, “thoughts become things“. Write this down where you’ll see it every day and think on the bright side.
5. Rest & Recover.
The average person only gets 5-6 hours of sleep every night verses the recommended 7-8 hours needed. Sleep is very important when it comes to weight loss. The lack of sleep causes your metabolism to slow down and may cause skipped gym sessions or eating binges. If you’re hitting the gym hard and throwing around some heavy weights, recovery is also extremely important. HGH (Human Growth Hormone) rises during sleep and plays an important role in human development by affecting muscular growth and body fat reduction. Try adding in Fahrenheit Nutrition’s Resurrect to your supplement stack and bring HGH production to a new level and I guarantee you get some of the best sleep you’ve had in a very long time.
If you keep all of these tips in mind and implement them into your routine, you will have continued progress with your goals. If you’ve fell off the wagon or have failed to even begin your journey to your goals, it’s never too late for you. Every workout, every meal, every day; you are one step closer to achieving your goals.
Thanks for reading!
Happy Training!
Ashley
