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Beat exercise plateau!
Posted under female workout
Plateau is a dreaded word when it comes to exercise. You finally started shaping your body back into good shape. Everything was going great during the first few weeks. You look fit and fabulous. Your muscles are back in shape. The flabby arms you once have are now toned. You were at the peak of a consistent work out until suddenly the results just stopped!
This phase called exercise plateau is an obstacle that exercisers need to overcome. No matter how often we exercise, it is very likely that we fall and commit exercise plateau. It is a point when we just stop exercising. Know how to handle this dilemma with these exercise plateau breakers.
Take an active rest
It maybe time for an active rest when exercise plateau hits you. Take a week off from structured exercise. Take leisurely walks, play with your kids, or take another form of work out like yoga or Pilates. Active rest refreshes the mind and the body to allow overworked muscles to rest and rebuild. This change in your routine will make you more strong and ready for new challenges.
Time to eat
As your fitness level increases, your metabolism and caloric needs increases. When you hit plateau, determine how much you need to consume. You may need to eat more than you have in the past. Your body will then continue to increases its fitness level. Eat more if you are often hungry. It is a clear sign that you need to eat more to sustain your exercise program.
Add variety to your exercise program.
Your body will eventually run on a cruise control or plateau if you keep on doing the same workout routine over and over. Try new cardiovascular activities or use free weights if you always use machines as part of your strength training. Variation in your routine will surprise the body and force it to adapt to a more advanced level of fitness.
Double up the intensity on different days
Cross training allows your body to be consistently challenged in order to lose weight and increase fitness. It is not good to follow to a single or a couple of types of exercises. Your body adapts and could set itself in a cruise control. Should you choose to use the treadmill, mix it up and try using a combination of different machines, such as an Elliptical spending 10 minutes on each machine. Every time you change exercises, different muscles are used; it will keep the body from becoming complacent and lazy. It will eventually help you get out of your fitness rut.
Sleep
The lack of sleep can greatly affect your performance and progress on exercise. Make it a habit to get the right amount of sleep for your body to allow recovery time of the muscles. Muscles reshape on a maximum effective level when given enough time to recover, it only happens at rest not during active workout. Getting enough sleep can also ensure that your next exercise session will be a challenging work out.
What should I do if I don’t see any results?
Don’t lose hope if you won’t see any results. It might take a bit longer than you would have expected. Your body may need more time to adjust to a new body weight or fitness level.
The best thing to do is to ride the plateau but at the same time keep up with your routine. Don’t stress about exercise plateau, your body will break through the plateau when it’s ready.
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