Challenge #11– March 15, 2010

Week Eleven: March 15, 2010

Challenge: Switching It Up!

One of the most common questions I receive regarding physical activity and weight loss is the famous “I have reached a plateau in my weight loss and have not seen a change in a while!”  When we begin a workout routine, allocate our certain days to fit in physical activity, and stay with it for a period of time, our body adapts to burning that certain amount of energy during the half-hour, hour or longer we invest at the gym.  So, what can we do to get over the hump?

First of all, you have to understand that when you implemented your workout routine and committed to sticking to it, you may have seen a lot of weight fall off (eg. working out 4-5 times/week, including high cardio and weights).  The initial weight loss would be more water loss, and then as you begin to lose actual fat, while gaining muscle mass, it may take longer.  The important thing here is not to get discouraged, because you are still doing a whole lot of good for your body.  Although you are losing fat mass and replacing it with muscle mass, muscle is more dense than fat.  This is not to say that a pound of muscle weighs more than a pound of fat…..a pound is a pound!  But what we are trying to get across is that if you have a certain AMOUNT of body fat, and it is slowly being built into muscle, this will weigh more — but there are so many more health benefits along with it!  Most importantly, is the fact that muscle burns more calories than fat, so while you are at rest, or are working out, there will be a higher calorie burn.  So, the number on the scale isn’t necessarily the best gauge, compared to how you feel overall, and how your jeans fit.

So, what can we do to help beat the plateau?  A couple of things:

• Look at your Nutrition:
  • Plain and simple: You Are What You Eat!  You can’t spend an hour at the gym and think that having a burger and fries afterwards is justified.  Our bodies need the right fuel to keep us going through the day, keep our bodies strong, our minds focused, and our hearts ticking strongly!
    • Write down your meals, and snacks for 2 weeks!  Be accountable for what you put in your mouth and make more conscious healthy decisions on a more regular basis (that treat every once in a while is OK to have as a reward!)
    • Speak with a nutrition professional or Dietitian to help further explain little adjustments that need to be made, and why one choice is better over another
• Switch up your workout routine:
  • If you normally work out in the evening, try working out in the morning or adding a 15-minute power walk during your lunch break (enjoy that sun!)
  • If you do cardio 3 times a week and weight training 3 times a week, combine one or two of your weight training and cardio workouts, and take 2 rest days [ie. Monday – cardio; Tuesday – cardio +weights; Wednesday – cardio; Thursday – weights; Friday – off; Saturday – cardio + weights; Sunday – off)
  • Add in stretching and flexibility training such as a yoga class
• Change your cardio:
  • If you spend 30 minutes a day on the elliptical or treadmill, at the same speed and intensity/incline, change this up! Challenge yourself to increasing the intensity/incline, or speed (and even spending less time – 20-25 minutes)
  • If you frequent classes in a gym- setting, try a different class for a while, or look into attending a bootcamp class
• Re-visit your weight training:
  • If you are on a certain weight training routine involving free weights (or machines) and circuits, is it still tough for you to get through that last set of reps?  If you can make it through 3 sets of 15 reps (on a certain muscle group) without breaking a sweat, or fighting for that last set to be over, then you need to increase the weight selection!  Speak to a personal trainer or fitness trainer to show you different ways of building leaner muscle and strength as opposed to “bulking up”