If you’re a gym bunny or are working out to lose weight, you ought to know that at some point or the other you will hit a plateau–a time where your weight won’t budge and nothing will seem to be working for you. We asked four fitness experts to tell us how to beat that.
Namrata Purohit, Pilates instructor
When you have plateaued while working out, there are a few things that can help you get out of that phase. While working out, if we do the exact same thing over and over again, our body becomes extremely efficient at that activity. In fact, it can even learn to do that activity so well that you end up burning fewer calories. So it is important to add some variations to your routine occasionally to help stimulate progress.
In terms of weight loss if you’ve hit a plateau, remember that depending on the point of the weight loss journey you are at, you will have to rework your food intake too. What usually happens when you are stuck in a plateau is that your calorie intake might be around the same as the number of calories you are burning through the day. This is when you need to rework what you’re eating and either lessen your calorie intake or increase your calorie burn.
It is also important to take a planned recovery week, every four to seven days so that your body can heal and get enough rest. In this period, you will see your body getting stronger and glowing, making you look healthier.
Urmi Kothari, founder of Kinetic Living and a Nike Training Coach
Remember perfection is not the aim. MINDSET is everything. Even if you are feeling tired, weary, or low–show up and do your best on that day. There WILL be boring and bad days. Point is to get into a habit.
Secondly, if you have plateaued then chances are you are doing the same workout or type of exercise for too long. Increase the challenge in some way by either increasing the intensity of your workout, decreasing your rest period, increasing your frequency during the week, or by loading unevenly (do unilateral exercise). The secret to growing is to keep your body and mind challenged not only with weight but also in agility, reaction, balance, endurance, coordination, and spatial awareness. Neither will you get bored nor will you plateau. Motivation and consistency, one; and boredom and plateau, zero!
Sucheta Pal, ambassador & education specialist, Zumba® LLC
Always take pictures of yourself rather than weighing yourself on a scale. When you see a visible change, you will be self-motivated to continue.
Mix up the workout: Try yoga one day, Zumba the other and maybe a simple hike with your friend or a sport over the weekend. The body needs to be shocked with different methods of movement and a mix always does the trick.
Go shopping: Buy a new shoe or a gym bag or even some Dri-fit workout gear. When you look good it always helps!
Danesh Doctor, strength & conditioning coach at The Heal Institute
Make sure the first thing you do when you wake up is to drink a big glass of warm water to prep yourself for the day. It is always better to find a workout buddy–this will surely keep you motivated at the gym or on the track. Don’t forget to track your workouts and mark an exercise session on your calendar as an appointment. Keep yourself motivated for achieving a set goal and then think about changing your diet plan accordingly. Drink at least two or three litres of water a day. Fill up a two-litre bottle and keep it at your desk, so you can track how much you drink. Mix your high- and low-intensity workouts, but it is not advisable to smash your body every day to get the best solution for a healthy body. Don’t hammer a workout regime for a week and expect to be an Olympian. Change takes time, so don’t create an unrealistic schedule. Ease yourself in and allow yourself some time to build up.
