Pushing Through Plateaus

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary [person], but [she] is brave five minutes longer. " -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

IT'S TOUGH TO STAY ON TRACK when you are doing everything right and stop seeing the progress. Here are some strategies and solutions to keep your fires stoked through the stagnation.

It is a deal we strike with our bodies and, by all accounts, it is a fair one: “If I eat well and exercise consistently, you improve your shape.” Unfortunately, our bodies do not always hold up their end of that bargain. Have you ever experienced a period in which, no matter how much you exercise, or how impeccably you eat, the scale does not budge an ounce? If that scenario sounds familiar, you may be experiencing what is known as plateau, and it can completely undercut your motivation. In fact, according to a recent study by The American Council of Exercise, if people do not see and feel results after 21 days of working out and dieting, a whopping 41% will throw in the towel on their entire program. You needn’t be part of that statistic. Here is how to stay the course even when it seems like your program, and your body, is failing you.

TIP: Spice things up. We all know that a consistent exercise routine nets better health, a clearer mind and a more beautiful body, but if your exercise becomes too much of a routine, the same Stairmaster workout day-in and day-out, for example, you will likely hit a plateau. “The human body is wonderfully adaptive,” says Todd Weitzenberg, MD a sports medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, California, California. If you positively stress the body, it will improve its shape and its performance,” he says. That adaptability can also be our nemesis, however. A plateau is a sign that your body has, in essence, grown wise to your routine. “If you place the same exercise stress on the body on a daily basis, it will not be as inclined to change its shape,” he says.
EXERCISE: Write down three new activities you will do over the next month. Try different sports such as golf or tennis, even snowboarding, and have fun. Those activities will alter the positive stresses on your body and help you break free from ruts. If you don’t have access to other sports, then vary your current routine. For example, change the exercises you do in the weight room. Breakthrough workouts are another effective countermeasure to plateaus. These sessions are either longer or more intense than you are accustomed to and serve to break-through your plateau.

TIP: Throw in the towel, just for a few days. If you have been grinding away at an exercise program for more than four weeks and you are not seeing commensurate payoffs, then you may need to take time off. “Rest is just as important as stress to the total body equation,” says Dr. Weitzenberg. To progress over time and avoid plateaus, you must stress the body (exercise), take time off to rejuvenate and then come back to exercise with a renewed vigor. “In as little as two days away from exercise, hydration and hormone levels return to normal and the body begins functioning better,” he says.
EXERCISE: Review your exercise program over the past month and if a period of rest is warranted, then take two to three days completely away from exercise and spend that time recuperating: take daily naps, partake of deep soaks. You will come back to your workouts better equipped to achieve results.

TIP: Think long-term. Not seeing results from exercise and diet can erode one’s motivation. It is important to remember that we all experience highs and lows in our fitness programs; it is how you deal with them that matters most. “People who accept the fitness process in its entirety, and hang in there during the lows, are the ones who succeed over time,” advises Dr. Weitzenberg.
EXERCISE: View good nutrition and exercise as long-term investments in your health and well-being. In other words, you may not see appreciable gains every single week, but that is ok. Use the successes you have experienced so far to provide inspiration and keep your exercise and eating graph headed upwards over time.

TIP: See the big picture. Sometimes we tend to obsess with the physical benefits of working out and eating well, such as tighter buns, slimmer hips. Those things are important, but good exercise and diet nourishes mind and spirit, reduces stress, strengthens confidence and makes us feel more alive. Focus on these elements during physical plateaus.
EXERCISE: This week, when you work out or eat a healthy meal, shift your focus. Let your stress melt away with every footstrike on the treadmill; visualize that salad bathing your cells in healthful nutrients. Before you know it, you will have cleared your current plateau while actually enjoying the process.