When it comes to working out, people can get discouraged when their fitness program seems to plateau. It can be hard when you workout every single day and yet, you don’t seem to make any improvements. Your weight loss stalls. Your muscle tone doesn’t seem to develop. Your abs don’t tighten up.
You work. You sweat. You hit the gym every day. But somehow, nothing is happening.
When this happens, you probably feel intensely frustrated and unfortunately, people who experience this type of frustration are more likely to give up their workout programs altogether. Before you throw in the towel, take an honest look at your workout. Assess your progress and be thorough.
For example – look around at the gym. Check out the people walking slowly on the treadmill – are they reading? Talking to each other? Talking on the phone? Are they distracting themselves from actually working out? Are they going through the motions?
It’s amazing how easy it is to go through the motions of a workout and not get much out of it. A lot of times, it comes down to the choices you are making in your actual workout. If you’ve been working out for a while and you haven’t changed your workout program, chances are good that is the reason you have hit the plateau.
For example, if you walk at the same speed, every day for 30 minutes, and you don’t shake up the intensity or the speed, your body no longer has to strain. Without the need to strain you have peaked your body’s output at that efficiency level. That’s why shaking your workout up is important.
If you are feeling stuck in a rut – talk to a personal trainer. Book one or two sessions, and let them help you pump up your workout. You should likely shake it up once every 12 weeks or so in order to maximize your calorie burn, fat burn, muscle tone and flexibility.