I'm stuck. I was doing so well and now I cannot get the scale to move. The number won't budge. My body is just stuck where I'm at. Sound familiar? That's called the dreadful word when working out, plateau.
A plateau period is simply your body taking a break and catching up to all the changes you have been making. It's not that you really aren't making any more progress, it's that your body has finally caught up to the changes you have made. So, in order to shorten the life of this plateau, you have to make more changes. If you've been cutting calories, it may be time to increase by 200-300 a day. If you've been doing the same routine, it's time to mix it up. If you've been heavy on the cardio, it's time to add strength training. If you've been doing strength training and are at the higher level of repetitions, it's time to go heavier on the weights and decrease the repetitions. If you've been killing it with weights, now you need to add a cardio component.
Look at your nutrition. If you've cut way back on carbs and don't have a lot of energy, start adding them in (a little). That should help with the energy level. Maybe you are over-training. Are you getting the rest and break that your body needs? Vary your workouts and the intensity of them. Take a rest day at least once per week. If you feel like you cannot "rest" then do yoga or take a walk. Giving your body a break is needed to recover and perform at its best.
These don't have to be big changes, just some minor adjustments to get your body guessing again and you will plow through that plateau and start seeing and feeling the results again. If you don't know how to change things up, ask a professional. Ask a trainer, a fitness coach, someone who understands what you are currently doing who can give you guidance on how to mix it up just enough to get you where you want to go.
Be patient with your body, if you continue to work toward your goals, you will reach them!
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