Understanding Fitness and Weight Loss Plateaus

At least once in the lifetime of each and every one, there comes a time where one reaches a fitness or weight loss plateau. The simple reason for is that the human body has been designed to keep the intake and output in balance. Your body will respond to the additional physical exercise and changes in diet when you initially commence a fitness program. However, as time goes by the progress will slowly go down and finally stop even though you still maintain your new exercise and diet life.

So, the 1 million question is, how can this plateau be avoided and continue seeing the results you desire?  Here are tips that will help answer the above question.

·         Vary the intensity of your workout.  Doing the same physical exercise under the same intensity every now and then will surely lead you to a plateau. You need not to do a workout with the same volume and weight every day. It is definitely boring. For you to get peak result and performance, you need to have different intensity of workouts. For example, instead of having interval training, try a 40 minute steady run on a treadmill.

·         Mix things up. We have already mentioned that you need to mix things up. This time however is not about changing the intensity of the workout but changing the actual workouts to avoid over exercising the same muscles. Do not use same movement patterns over and over again. By changing the routine of your workout will shock the body thus forcing it to adapt and take you to a new fitness level. For example, you can try a Yoga class during a day that follows an intense total/interval conditioning class. This will increase the range of motion, provide toning of the muscles, increase flexibility and greatly relieve stress.

·         Get support. Definitely, you need support as you journey towards a better and a healthier life. You need the support of family members and friends, even at your workplace.  Be sure to enlist the support and help of your family members and friends when you decide to cut down the pounds. This is a great way of getting success as they will not only encourage you but also motivates you to keep moving.

·         Work with a personal trainer. Working with a professional will ease the whole process and make it enjoyable. It will also offer you newer kinds of workouts. This will also assist you to get more energy as you use a plan that matches your fitness goals. Moreover the trainer will also help you to remain focused, committed and accountable.

·         Avoid over training. Over training just as the case with less eating, will lower the quantity of calories that your body can burn. Increasing the intensity of exercise will make the body to respond by lowering the quantity of calories that can be burned during the rest of the day.

Always keep in mind that there is no single fitness plan that provides a guarantee. Even though some people might see temporary benefits from fad dieting and other quick fixes, generally the best approach to losing weight is shaping your lifestyle and incorporating new and healthy ways of living