Have you been exercising for a long time and of late seem to have plateaued? Or did you start your fitness regime in January and now 6 weeks in you are not seeing the results you were hoping for and feeling rather demotivated?
This week I am going to give you some reasons why this could be and some tips to make sure you keep seeing the results you’re after.
Firstly a couple of key questions:
If you've just started, remember that its early days and results take some time - depending on your goal changes can be difficult but stick with it, you are most certainly on the right track and the hardest step was to get started. You always need to stick at a new program for at least 3-6 months to start seeing those gains…
A key question - are you consistent in your exercises routine? How many sessions a week are you managing? Consistency really is key when it comes to improvements – so make sure you are planning your workouts.
Secondly, are your workouts still challenging you? The weights you were using at the start might not be challenging you in the same way any more, maybe it is time for an increase? (Did you see last week’s blog all about when and how to increase your weights? Read it here).
Also are you varying your workouts or doing the same program time and time again? The body will only change if you move outside of your comfort zone - otherwise it will stop making adaptations if it's too comfortable. Remember what your goal is. It's good to stick with a set program but make sure you also include some cardio with your strength training and vice versa - interval training is brilliant for keeping the challenge on. And remember to switch up your upper, lower and full body workouts.
Change just one thing at a time - maybe it's the duration or the intensity or the load. Don't change everything at once or you risk injury or being demotivated when it's too much.
Next up –how’s your nutrition? You can't outrun a bad diet and however hard you train it's essential that you are fueling your body correctly. Are you having adequate protein? Is your diet healthy and balanced? Are you drinking plenty of water? Look at portion sizes and try to cook your meals from fresh.
Finally, are you letting your body recover properly? This encompasses not only rest days (active recovery days are good too when you can walk, stretch etc) but refuelling (as mentioned above), hydrating and sleeping. When we sleep our muscles not only repair but grow. Without enough sleep you can’t expect your body to have the energy it needs to perform in workouts, for potential changes to take place and time to recover afterwards.
When it comes to seeing results it really does come down to consistency, challenge and recovery. So keep going, the benefits will come, 100%.
As always if you have any questions please do get in touch.
Caroline x
