Plateaus
Hi, V! Oh, the dreaded plateau!! You have been doing so well, losing weight, changing shape and seeing results. And then, ...nothing. Don't give up!
Our bodies like "homeostasis". Your body will do whatever it takes to return itself to a low energy expenditure state. It is this adaptation to stress that causes a plateau. So if you do the same type of fitness routine day by day, the body will adapt and the workout will become less stressful on the body. Thus, changes slow down or stop completely. This is the very basic foundation of "cross training". This means that you change up the kind of stressor on the body. Think of a variety of things you have access to, and try to incorporate them into your regular fitness routine.
If you have been losing weight and have recently hit a plateau, here are three tips to try to kick start some new results:
- Change up your workouts. Most often, you can increase the intensity of your workouts and start to see results again. Also, if you do not do weight training, start. If you do, try to increase the amount of weight you do. Do not be afraid of lifting weights. Women actually respond very well to strength training, and it's great for the bones. (More on this later)
- V, what does your current workout regimen entail?
- Get plenty of sleep. A lack of sleep can alter hormone levels, increase stress hormones and make weight loss more difficult. (More on this later)
- Check the diet. Then check it again.
- Drinks can add a huge number of calories to our daily calorie intake, but do little to let our brain know that we have consumed anything. Thus, we lack "satiety" and stay hungry. This can include protein shakes, meal replacement drinks, etc. Watch the amount of sugar in these items, too.
- The same goes with processed and refined flours and sugars. Have you heard the expression "empty calories"? This basically means eating without gaining the benefit of great nutrition and satiety. Go for brown rice, whole wheat flours, and raw sugar or honey. Skip items with words like "enriched" or "refined". The closer something is from coming out of the ground, the more satisfaction it will give you and hopefully the less calories you will need to consume to get and stay full.
V, I hope this helps! Write back with the answers to the questions above and I'll see if I can help more.
Thanks for writing!!! :) You should follow...
Question to the followers:
ReplyDeleteWould you rather have me answer questions is a separate titled blog post or in the comment section where you posted the initial question?
ok I recently was sick for a week but before i was working out 3 to 4 days. I have a trampoline which I job in place because its too cold to walk outside. I am trying to do more strength but its hard cause sorry I don't like to lift weights the soreness after is crazy lolol I am taking your suggestion on sleep I have it scheduled every day this week to go to bed between 10 or 1030pm to get my 8 hrs in.
ReplyDeleteYes, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (aka DOMS)can be an icky side effect to working out :) Here is a quick tip: following a weight workout, do a light jog (legs) or light rowing/arm bike (upper body) (yes, I do mean light, very light, like the other people in the gym think you're a pansy light) for 10 minutes. The forced blood flow through the muscles will help reduce the amount of lactic acid that is allowed to build up in your body. Try it and let me know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteTrampolines are great exercise, and to be perfectly honest, I think they are terribly underrated. I haven't read any research to this effect, but I have family friends with back and spinal issues that have benefitted from the neural stimulation resulting from the use of trampolines.
You may not like this news, but to really see a significant change in your body, current recommendations are 4-5 days of physical activity per week. We'll talk about intensity, etc. later.
Thanks for writing back! FOLLOW!! :)