ST. ALBERT

 250 – 16 RENAULT CRESCENT, ST.ALBERT, AB  T8N 4B8  |  780.459.6684

Break Through a Plateau

You went hard, knocked through your fitness goals, were feeling fantastic and loving it. And then your progress slowed down… It happens to all of us at some point but you can break through a plateau to keep seeing results!
Focus on the following 5 steps to get your body back into results mode in the upcoming month:

Step #1: Drink Only Water
To restart your results you may need to make some changes. If you’re hooked on soda (and yes this includes diet), alcohol, or other sweetened beverages, then your plateau will stay locked in place until you replace these drinks with water. Also, the brain often confuses thirst with hunger so make sure you are getting enough water during the day to avoid overeating when you are just dehydrated!
Step #2: Reduce Sugar
Inspect all of your food and eliminate items that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. Are you already diligent about your sugar intake but still feel that you are not seeing the results you want? Dig a little deeper by substituting more vegetables into your day instead of fruit to bring down your natural sugar intake a bit more.
Step #3: Get More Sleep
We are supposed to get an average of eight hours of sleep each night. If you’re not getting adequate amounts of rest, you’re more likely to be hungry, overeat, and gain weight. When you’re tired, you don’t feel like cooking a healthy meal, and you’re more likely to opt for fast food, and lack of energy causes you to skip your workouts. Plus sleep deprivation causes your metabolism to slow down, slowing or reversing your results. To beat your plateau, make sleep a priority.
Step #4: Eat Healthy Breakfast
We are not talking a breakfast of your kid’s favorite cereal. Your day fueling, metabolism boosting breakfast should be low in carbs and high in protein. An omelette filled with veggies is a great start to the day. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat breakfast. A good healthy breakfast can make a huge difference in reaching your goals.
Step #5: Increase Exercise Intensity
It’s time to start taking your workouts more seriously. Not just going through the motions, it’s all-out for you. If you want to get back on track with your body transformation, and to keep the fat melting away, then increase the amount and intensity of your exercise routine. Try to get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. 2-3 days per week this should be strength training then incorporate additional activity from yoga, walking, bike riding, swimming, golfing, etc. With the nice summer weather it can be easy to get in the extra exercise you need. When exercise is a normal part of your everyday routine, you’re more likely to stick with it, and your body will become slimmer and more toned.
The quickest and most permanent way to beat that plateau is through a combination of healthy eating and consistent, challenging workouts. So let’s bust through those plateaus this summer.
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