Staying motivated to exercise is a difficult feat for many people. And it becomes even more frustrating when you hit a fitness plateau — a point at which you don’t seem to be making any progress in your exercise or diet goals. But fortunately there are many tactics to get your body progressing again. Here are eight ways to overcome a fitness plateau.
1. Find a better ‘FITT’
A fitness plateau often occurs when your workout routine isn’t challenging enough for your body anymore. If that’s the case, it’s time to change up your FITT — or frequency, intensity, time and type of workout.
According to the American Heart Association, the average person should aim to exercise three to five days a week for roughly 20- to 60-minute sessions (or 150 minutes per week). They should work at about 65 percent to 90 percent of their maximum heart rate — engaging in aerobic activities, as well as muscle-building exercises. “As you get into better shape, you’ll have to continue increasing your intensity to get into the appropriate target heart-rate range,” the heart association says. And varying the types of exercises you do is a great way to get different parts of the body moving and push you beyond that plateau.
2. Log your diet
Regardless of whether you’re trying to lose weight or meet new exercise goals, diet plays a key role. And logging exactly what you eat can help to pinpoint areas where your diet might not be benefiting your fitness, especially if you’ve inexplicably hit a plateau. “Make sure you haven’t loosened the rules, letting yourself get by with larger portions or less exercise,” Mayo Clinic says. “Research suggests that off-and-on loosening of rules contributes to plateaus.
Plus, it’s important to be aware of your actual caloric intake, as research has shown some people tend to underestimate what they’re consuming. Try using a calorie counter app or website to tally your diet for you. Yes, it might be a little tedious. But it could become a very eye-opening experience to explain your fitness plateau.
3. Stay active throughout the day
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Even if you exercise regularly, your fitness goals might be at a standstill because you’re not active enough throughout the day. Many able-bodied people are sitting too much — whether it be at work or in front of the TV. And that can cause several health issues, including muscle weakness, spine degeneration and cardiovascular disease.
So if you’ve hit a fitness plateau, it’s important to consider your activity level all day long. Set an alarm to move at least every 30 minutes, even if it’s just a quick stretch out of your office chair. Take the stairs, stand during phone calls and don’t binge-watch TV for hours on end without moving. Every little bit counts to break up those sedentary hours and keep your metabolism revved.
4. Hire a personal trainer
A fitness plateau can be extremely frustrating, especially when you’re out of ideas about what you could be doing better. And that’s where a personal trainer can help. According to Harvard Medical School, personal trainers work to identify your individual fitness needs and help you break bad exercise habits.
They also provide you with new challenges. “It is easy to fall into an exercise rut when you work out alone, particularly if you do the same workout, in the same order, every time with little, if any, variation,” Harvard Medical School says. “Eventually you reach a plateau where your fitness no longer improves and may even regress.” Even hiring a personal trainer for just a few individual sessions might worth it to give you the spark you need to overcome your fitness plateau.
5. See a dietitian
Just like exercising with a personal trainer, a dietitian might be able to spot problem areas in your nutrition that are holding back your overall fitness. Not all of us are experts in feeding our bodies for optimal performance, so some professional help can certainly be worth the cost.
According to Cleveland Clinic, a dietitian can advise on eating habits to reduce the risk of disease, boost weight loss, benefit amateur athletes and more. They’ll form an individualized plan for your body that can help you overcome your fitness plateau. And as a bonus, the knowledge you glean likely will benefit your life for years to come.
6. Sleep smarter
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Quality sleep is essential to overall health. And not getting enough sleep might contribute to a fitness plateau “by lowering your metabolic rate and altering hormone levels to drive appetite and fat storage,” according to Healthline.
The average person needs roughly seven to nine hours of sleep per night. But many factors — including age, health and physical activity — can affect a person’s individual needs. According to Sleep.org, you should assess how long it takes you to fall asleep, whether you need an alarm to wake up and your level of alertness throughout the day to determine whether you’re getting the right amount of sleep. Make sure your bedroom is set up for quality sleep and that you prioritize winding down at night (avoid strenuous exercise, large meals, bright light, etc.) as bedtime draws near. Allowing your body time to rest and rejuvenate can do wonders for your overall fitness.
7. Avoid stress
If you hit a fitness plateau, don’t stress about it. That might just make things worse. Stress notoriously makes weight loss more difficult. “In addition to promoting comfort eating and triggering food cravings, it also increases your body’s production of cortisol,” Healthline says. “Cortisol is known as the ‘stress hormone.’ While it helps your body respond to stress, it can also increase belly fat storage.”
But the good news is when you manage stress, those extra pounds should start to fall off. And exercise is an excellent stress-buster. “Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day,” according to Mayo Clinic. “But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.” For instance, exercise boosts endorphins, distracts you from stressors and relieves tension. So to push past that fitness plateau, turn to exercise over excess food in times of stress.
8. Forget about the scale
When you hit a fitness plateau, the scale can be your worst enemy. You hop on it each day, hoping for a sign that your exercise or weight-loss goals haven’t stalled. And yet the number refuses to budge. The solution? Ditch the scale.
“It’s important to realize that the scale reading may not accurately reflect your progress, such as changes in your body composition,” Healthline says. For instance, your weight might not change, even though you’ve replaced some fat with muscle. And hormones or some foods might be causing you to temporarily retain water. So instead of fixating on the scale, consider how you feel and what you’ve already achieved. Hitting a fitness plateau likely means you’ve made progress toward some of your diet and exercise goals, and you’re healthier for it. So give yourself a pat on the back before you challenge yourself with new goals.
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