- Not enough water. Water helps all other bodily functions work. Your body has to have water to function and to survive. The more you weigh, the more water your body needs just to perform basic functions, such as muscle repair, digestion and cell regeneration. The recommended daily intake should be half your body weight in ounces of water per day . Find a water bottle that will help you keep track of water intake or download one of the hundreds of apps out there to keep track and remind you to drink throughout the day.
- Not enough sleep. Most Americans already don't get enough sleep and it affects every day functions. Not getting enough sleep can prevent your body from digesting food properly and from allowing muscles adequate recovery time. Lack of sleep can also keep your body from performing essential cellular functions.
- Over do it in the kitchen. Weight loss really happens in the kitchen, not the gym. You can work out all day long if you chose, but if you are not eating right and fueling your body correctly, it wont matter what you do in the gym. Having a balanced diet of whole grains, lean meats, and plenty of fruits and veggies are essential. It is also important how things are cooked. Clean eating is one of the simplest and easiest ways by keeping foods close to their natural form. Too much processing reduces the nutrients in the food so it is best to have them raw, steamed, baked or stir fried. For some it helps to keep a food diary. I was always skeptical of this, and admittedly a little lazy too. Once I got in the habit of it, I do it without thinking now. I use MyFitnessPal app on my phone but there are many others out there. If you have a Fitbit, there is a calorie counter on there as well. I highly recommend it. It takes a lot of the guess work out of the old fashioned food diary.
- Too much stress. Too much stress in your life can affect so many areas including your immune system and your hormones, which can also lead to psychological changes. It is a more serious situation than most realize and one that often goes untreated. People that sufferer from too much stress also have tendencies to overeat and lead a sedentary life. No one has a stress free life. But others are better at handling stress. If you feel that you suffer from too much stress in your life, it is important to find ways to simplify things and reduce stressful situations. I'm not going to comment on specific strategies as everyone is different and that is a one on one conversation I would love to have with you. For me, working out does reduce stress. I also like to do crafts or read a book to distress. But this is just me, other may like yoga or video games or watching TV.
- Not intense enough. You may not be working out enough. If you don't come out of every workout feeling like you gave it your all and you cant possible do any more, then you need to up the intensity. It doesn't matter if you are doing cardio, yoga, or lifting weights, you have to constantly challenge your body to do more, life more and push further than it did the day before.
- Drinking your calories. People often forget to count the calories in the things that they drink, or at least they try to forget that those calories also count. Soda and sugary coffee drinks are two big culprits of this. As an example, one Mountain Dew has 106 calories. To burn off just ONE drink you would have to walk for 28 minutes, job for 12 minutes or bike for 14 minutes. The problem is that most people don't just have one.
- Stale routine. If you have hit a plateau then it is probable that your routine has gone stale and you need to change things up a bit. Trying something new usually gets people over the hump as does increasing intensity. I love the idea of doing a popsicle stick workout or using a deck of workout cards. It keeps things fresh and ensures that you aren't doing the same thing every day. Muscles need to be cha
llenged constantly in order to keep getting stronger and sometimes have to be tricked. If they get used to a leg routine on Tuesdays but you change it up and do only abs then they will adapt to the change. Just be sure you are giving your body time to heal in between as well.
FitDeck Body Weight Cards - Weights. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Therefore, if you have more muscle, you will burn more fat and your metabolism will remain higher. If you are not currently doing any weights in your routine, add some. It will help you build more muscle, and I'm not talking about bulking up and becoming a body builder. You can add simple 2-5lb weights to certain moves for more resistance. Or use your own body. Strength training includes all the things you can also do with your own body weight like push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges and crunches. Don't just stick to cardio, or if you do, add weight to that too. They make weighted calf sleeves, wrist weights and weighted vests for a bigger challenge in a cardio routine. Wrist/Ankle Weights
NOTE: I would also like to point out that results are not just what you see on the scale. If you are worried about not getting results but are only focusing on what the scale says then you need to pay more attention to your body. Results happen in so many ways that you may be ignoring some of the obvious signs such as how your clothes fit or if moves are becoming easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment