Even if you’re dedicated to your workout routine and have seen major strides, you can hit a point where your old exercises just don’t seem to work anymore. If this sounds familiar, you may have hit what's called a “fitness plateau.” Get out of the rut and back on track by mixing up your routine with these simple steps.
- Stay well-rounded. A good workout program incorporates both cardiovascular activities and strength training. If you’ve shed pounds by running every day, you’ll need to start lifting weights, doing yoga, or trying some other type of strength exercise in order to get out of the rut. Likewise, you’ll need to add a cardio exercise in order to see more results from weightlifting.
- Forget about the scale. Even if you haven’t lost weight in a few weeks, that doesn’t mean that your body isn’t changing. You could still see results in your cardiovascular health, strength, and other areas.
- Take a break. It may seem like working out every single day will yield better results, but you could actually be overworking yourself and diminishing your results. Your muscles need days off in order to grow, so plan a day of rest in between continual days of exercise.
Overcoming a Fitness Plateau [American Heart Association]
Fitness 2.0: How to Overcome Exercise and Diet Plateaus With Minimal Effort [Lifehacker]
How to Overcome a Workout Rut [U.S. News]
Equal Housing Opportunity