Plateaus
August 24, 2009 08:58 AM
Let’s talk about Fitness Plateaus, shall we? What’s a Fitness Plateau? It’s when you’ve been working out like a maniac for weeks and, suddenly, your body has decided to stop changing. The muscle definition has stalled, you’re not seeing the numbers on the scale go down, your endurance has petered out, you’re just not feeling any fitter. What gives?!!!
Is it your body’s way of telling you to stop working out? Do you find yourself scrutinizing your frame in the mirror, muttering to yourself “Well, I guess this is as far as it goes.” And then continuing to mumble and grumble your way to the fridge for some Chunky Monkey Ice Cream and Oreo Cookie Pie because “it doesn’t matter anymore. My body’s through with this whole stupid fitness thing.”
You’re not alone, dudes.
The unfortunate reality is that most of us experience a plateau at some point in our work out lives. I’m going through one myself right now. No kidding. I really am! And it’s making me nuts.
So what are we going to do about this? Well, let’s take a look at some cold hard facts, first.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 60 minutes of cardio workouts 5 times a week for weight loss. Throw in 2-3 days of strength training during the week and the pounds should be dropping off at a steady rate, right? Ooookay…so that worked at first. Now what?
Well, in a nutshell, your body gets used to this regimen and your metabolism kind of balances out. Because there are no more surprises, your body doesn’t have to work so hard, thus, your weight loss seems to hit pause.
Just like a decent relationship, you’re gonna need to spice things up to keep ‘em moving forward. Time for a few surprises!And, no, none of the include whipped cream or dressing up as either a French Maid or a Plumber.
SHAKE, RATTLE-N-ROLL
I know, you dig my classes. I dig having you there. But sometimes, a change of pace is just what the Fitness Investigator ordered. Leave me for a Step class or hit the pool for an hour. A stretch or Pilates Class can work you harder than you could imagine. Talk about surprises!
I’ll miss you, but I’ll understand. Change is good, dudes. You gotta mix it up to keep it going. To get past my plateau I’m going to start spinning again and I’m going to try to find time to take some Cardio Ball Classes.
REST
Okay….I’m not very good at this one. It’s important that you give your body time to rest between workouts. It’s kind of like keeping a toy turned on all the time. It’ll keep on running until the batteries wear out. That energizer bunny will keep on going, but, it will eventually start to slow down….way down. Just because it can keep on going, doesn’t mean it’s going at full capacity. It gets run down and doesn’t work so well. When energy has finally been spent, The Bunny’s kinda lame.
Turn it off on a regular basis so it can re-charge and work better, longer. Take a look at your workout routine and find a day or so (depending on the intensity of your schedule) to let your body rest. Working out 7 days a week simply becomes coun ter-productive. Its not only good to relax it good to….
SLEEP
There are oodles of studies out there that have all come to the same conclusion…people need an average of 7=9 hours of sleep a night to work at optimal levels during the AM. A solid night of shut-eye is in direct correlation to consistent, healthy weight loss. I know, in this 24/7 Hi Speed Age we exist in it’s easier said than done. But I’m gonna give it a try.
EAT
First off, I’m a Fitness Instigator. I’m not a Diet Instigator. My diet is horrible. I eat what I want when I can. People assume that, because I’m a Workout Chick, I eat all the right things. Um….wrong. Somedays I eat too much at the wrong time (i.e. Pot stickers and Egg rolls for brunch on a Tuesday morning) or too little too late (a peanut butter sandwich with potato chips @ 11:30pm, doing Facebook quizzes!)
I know I have to clean up my diet and be sure to eat a simple, effective breakfast, pepper healthy snacks throughout my day, make sure I ingest a sensible, way tasty lunch and finish off with a smart, snappy, trimmed down, dressed up dinner. This is going to be a challenge. I burn spaghetti. I’m not kidding.
I’m always up for leaping into a new endeavor with unparalleled spontaneity and enthusiasm but it is incredibly important to check in with your doctor before you decide to make any drastic changes to your diet and fitness routine. You all know your bodies better than I do. They rock and so do you. Keep ‘em running right.
Good luck kicking your fitness plateau in the gluts. I’ll be busy kicking mine, too. Will check in on my progress over the next few weeks.
Be good kids! But not too good, know what I mean?
You’re not alone, dudes.
The unfortunate reality is that most of us experience a plateau at some point in our work out lives. I’m going through one myself right now. No kidding. I really am! And it’s making me nuts.
So what are we going to do about this? Well, let’s take a look at some cold hard facts, first.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 60 minutes of cardio workouts 5 times a week for weight loss. Throw in 2-3 days of strength training during the week and the pounds should be dropping off at a steady rate, right? Ooookay…so that worked at first. Now what?
Well, in a nutshell, your body gets used to this regimen and your metabolism kind of balances out. Because there are no more surprises, your body doesn’t have to work so hard, thus, your weight loss seems to hit pause.
Just like a decent relationship, you’re gonna need to spice things up to keep ‘em moving forward. Time for a few surprises!And, no, none of the include whipped cream or dressing up as either a French Maid or a Plumber.
SHAKE, RATTLE-N-ROLL
I know, you dig my classes. I dig having you there. But sometimes, a change of pace is just what the Fitness Investigator ordered. Leave me for a Step class or hit the pool for an hour. A stretch or Pilates Class can work you harder than you could imagine. Talk about surprises!
I’ll miss you, but I’ll understand. Change is good, dudes. You gotta mix it up to keep it going. To get past my plateau I’m going to start spinning again and I’m going to try to find time to take some Cardio Ball Classes.
REST
Okay….I’m not very good at this one. It’s important that you give your body time to rest between workouts. It’s kind of like keeping a toy turned on all the time. It’ll keep on running until the batteries wear out. That energizer bunny will keep on going, but, it will eventually start to slow down….way down. Just because it can keep on going, doesn’t mean it’s going at full capacity. It gets run down and doesn’t work so well. When energy has finally been spent, The Bunny’s kinda lame.
Turn it off on a regular basis so it can re-charge and work better, longer. Take a look at your workout routine and find a day or so (depending on the intensity of your schedule) to let your body rest. Working out 7 days a week simply becomes coun ter-productive. Its not only good to relax it good to….
SLEEP
There are oodles of studies out there that have all come to the same conclusion…people need an average of 7=9 hours of sleep a night to work at optimal levels during the AM. A solid night of shut-eye is in direct correlation to consistent, healthy weight loss. I know, in this 24/7 Hi Speed Age we exist in it’s easier said than done. But I’m gonna give it a try.
EAT
First off, I’m a Fitness Instigator. I’m not a Diet Instigator. My diet is horrible. I eat what I want when I can. People assume that, because I’m a Workout Chick, I eat all the right things. Um….wrong. Somedays I eat too much at the wrong time (i.e. Pot stickers and Egg rolls for brunch on a Tuesday morning) or too little too late (a peanut butter sandwich with potato chips @ 11:30pm, doing Facebook quizzes!)
I know I have to clean up my diet and be sure to eat a simple, effective breakfast, pepper healthy snacks throughout my day, make sure I ingest a sensible, way tasty lunch and finish off with a smart, snappy, trimmed down, dressed up dinner. This is going to be a challenge. I burn spaghetti. I’m not kidding.
I’m always up for leaping into a new endeavor with unparalleled spontaneity and enthusiasm but it is incredibly important to check in with your doctor before you decide to make any drastic changes to your diet and fitness routine. You all know your bodies better than I do. They rock and so do you. Keep ‘em running right.
Good luck kicking your fitness plateau in the gluts. I’ll be busy kicking mine, too. Will check in on my progress over the next few weeks.
Be good kids! But not too good, know what I mean?
0 Comments