Finding that happy medium
Like overtraining, under training and/or plateaus are also very common if not more in exercise. How many times have you heard someone say, “I am working out, but I am not losing any weight or seeing any results?” I know I have said this line a few times in the past and will undoubtedly say it again. There are three explanations 1. Not working out often enough or hard enough, 2. Diet needs improvement, 3. You have hit a plateau. I know you are probably saying this girl is crazy. Which one is it? Last week you told us not to work out too hard and this week you are telling us we may not be working hard enough. I would be lying if I said this was easy. I have not figured it all out yet, but I know there is definitely a happy medium which I am going to try to explain in my own little way.
Number one is tricky because so often in our busy lives it is hard to find the time to workout consistently. Some weeks may be great and you work out 4-5 times, while other weeks only 2-3 and some weeks even less. In order to rid yourself of the guilt of not finding the time on these off weeks I suggest finding a number that you can consistently and comfortably keep. That way not only will you get your workouts in, but you will avoid either feeling guilty and over-eating on the days you can’t work out or over doing it on the days you can in order to make up for lost time. For example if 4 is your lucky number try your best to stick to 4 workout sessions a week. You will be surprised to discover that when you only have a certain amount of allotted time to complete your workout, not only will it get done, but it will be intense. You know the old idea, the more time we have the less we get done. Same applies for exercise. If you give yourself only a certain designated time, you will be amazed. The key is consistency and increasing intensity.
Diet is another important factor. I never was a big believer in this notion until recently. Maybe it was denial. I hate to give up that refined sugar I love so much. Truth is diet is just as important if not more important than exercise. The two really go hand in hand. I try to follow what a lot of people refer to as “clean” eating.. I, refer to a lot of it as common sense eating. We all know by now that eating processed foods and sugar is bad, yet we still do it. Clean eating is eating whole foods and small meals frequently: lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs), fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs (sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice). It is also very important to drink plenty of water and stay away from refined sugars as much as possible. Please note I say this because everything in moderation. The rest of dieting is basic math calorie intake vs calorie expenditure.
We have all heard the expression hit my plateau but what does it mean? When you hit an exercise plateau it means you are continuing your workouts but are not seeing any results. No one can predict when a plateau may come on, but we will all face them at some point in our lives. The important thing is to know what to do to get out of one shall it occur. Since our bodies adapt very easily, it is important to vary your routines every few weeks. I can’t stress enough the importance of cross training to my clients. Not only does it prevent boredom and injury, it helps to constantly trick and challenge the muscles. If you were to do the elliptical everyday for a month or so it would soon no longer be a challenge to your body. Doing various forms of cardio as well as implementing strength training into your routine will help. What if you can’t get to a gym and only have a treadmill or elliptical at home? Varying the intensity and duration will help as well.
Exercise, as well as many things in life, is trial and error. There is no magic formula. Everyone is different. Listen to your body and its needs. I would love to hear your suggestions or comments or how you have managed to break through your plateaus.
Stay Strong,
Kristi
15 Comments
Reader Comments (15)
I think it's great that you are advising people that both UNDER and OVER exercising is possible!
Mixing up workouts is always a good way to get past a plateau, I think that intervals are probably the best work out when people need a change of pace! :)
Here's to listening to our bodies - I finally learned to do that, which is why I only do yoga (daily) and strength-training (5 days per week with my trainer).
I had reached a plateau recently and finally broke through with a one pound loss last week. I changed my eating routine. Instead of my big bowl of oatmeal every morning, I had eggs or egg beaters scrambled with leftover steamed vegetables. I also added strength training -- just arms/shoulders. And, I intensified my treadmill routine plus started power walking outside.
Basically, I tried some of the suggestions you made in this post. Good info!
Hey girl,
Just wanted to thank you for all of that sweet and encouraging comments you leave on my blog. They mean a lot to me. Have a GREAT day!
Love, Lexi
Thanks for this--it's good to keep in mind that there are a variety of ways to approach the situation, and several factors to consider.
Plateaus stink! I've recently hit one in my gym routines, and it can really get you frustrated. I have been trying to fix my workout "formula" and been stuck! Great advice and encouragement to those out there struggling (including me!).
Kristi, this is such a great post!!!!! Covers it all! Yes, there are people that really are just not working out hard enough. I think they know it but may fool themselves. If you are at the gym & can carry on a wonderful conversation with your friend next to you for the whole cardio session, than you are not working out hard enough. You really need to focus.. hey, chat a bit in the slower portions or before or after. A whole easy chat for 45 minutes means something is wrong. A chat but difficult along the way is a different thing. And with weights, you need to focus so as not to hurt yourself & you want the mind/muscle link so don't lift & talk at the same time.
Ah, yes.. FOOD! Kristi, such a good post on that too. Food is a huge factor. I know people don't want to hear this BUT unless you are one of the ones with the great genetics, it is going to be important. I know that from experience. I always thought a would have bigger hips until I really cleaned up my food. I have to eat pretty clean now & even when I was younger to stay lean. Your points on listening to the body is key! Once I did that & started to change things along the way, it all fell into place. I am still changing things & I know I will in the future too. But I do know that I can fit in my "special treats" because I am working hard & eating clean most of the time. I don't feel guilty about it!
And last, the plateau. Once again, you put it out there. You must challenge the body & change the routine up to keep the body guessing. This is more important as you go from beginner to intermediate to experienced because as a beginner, your body is just responding to anything.. BUT, then it starts to "learn". Lee's points on what she did shows great insight. Try changing the food & increase the intensity of the workouts. As hard as I work out, I still have to do this & as women, I guaranty you will be glad you understand this when you get to hormone changing age!!
Kristi, once again, a great post!
Once again you girls are great!
Jess: Thanks for mentioning intervals they are great way to not only break past a plateau and add intensity, but to help eliminate boredom.
Veggie Girl: Strength training is awesome. I need to give yoga another shot.I am getting my cert in Pilates. I am scared b/c I can barely touch my toes. lol Baby steps.
Lee: That is great. Starting your morning out with protein opposed to a big old carb is essential when trying to lose wight, and pair that with weight training like you did, and you are good to go. Congrats on your loss. Keep it up!
Lexi: Thanks for visiting my site. I love yours and hearing about your journey.
Forthright Fattie: Thanks for stopping by again and for the kind words.
Amanda: I hate plateaus too. In fact, I am in one right now. That is why I have now turned to switching up my diet. Taking away as much refined sugar as possible. Will see what happens. Good luck to you. Hope I helped. Maybe we can help each other. If you have any suggestions or need any let me know.
Jody: You are right as usual. When women are having whole conversations in my class, which isn't very often, I tell them obviously you are not pushing yourself hard enough. Can't wait to hear your routine.
So true. I try to think of plateau's as more of a "food rut" or "excercise rut", which means I'm doing too much of the same thing and need to switch it up. Everything is connected though, and I like how you made that clear. Our food affects our excercise, our excercise affects our food, everything plays it's role. Great post!
And thank you so much for the nice comments on my blog. Take care!
Love, Rachel
Great post! One of the rewards of getting to my goal range has been trying to find that happy balance. It's actually fun discovering (or trying to) what works best for me.
Another keeper.
I like how this article really comes down to fine-tuning methods and doesn't try to offer a hard and fast rule for one particular way to workout. It really is about listening to and challenging the body, and eating healthy. And you are soooo right about plateus....switch things up and keep your body on its toes. I've been doing intervals on the bike and even though I spend roughly the same amount of time, my ass is BROKE when I'm done and am so sweaty I could slide into the shower.
Lee, the point you make about also switching up the daily diet is a thoughtful one. I'm going to give that a shot, too.
GREAT post. Thanks so much for sharing your insights ;)
I'm keeping track of how many weeks in a row I do the same strength routine so that I remember to change it up this time!
Rachel: I love that word rut. That sounds a lot better than a plateau. Because a rut usually means temporary and that is what a plateau should and can be. I know people don't want to hear it, including myself, diet is over half the battle :)
Cammy: You have been doing a lot of self discovery recently. I think you are doing just find with that balance considering your success,
Camevil: I can just picture you slithering off of that bike with your cat looking at you like your crazy. lol great job with increasing the intensity.
Shannon: Welcome!
Jess: Great point. Just like a lot of people talk about food journaling, exercise journaling is a great way too to help keep track of your progress and at what level you should be working out or striving to improve.
I switch up my eating and exercise enough, if I'm plateauing it can usually be traced to me eating too much, or too processed.