5 Swords to Sharpen-Fighting the Plateau, pt. 2

I am just going to begin with the end.

What I learned from the experience of quitting the gym temporarily—as well as from the period of ‘plateau’ that followed—is this:  Fight it by DOING WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

(BUT- you have to stick with it!)  Let me explain….

I have read (or at least skimmed) hundreds of articles over the past several years that give advice about which methods or practices are better: gym vs. home workouts, cardio vs. weight training, macro vs. calorie counting, tracking vs. not tracking, meal planning vs. intuitive eating, shakes vs. real food, and high protein/low carb/no sugar/low fat vs. paleo, and on and on. Wading through the plethora of information out there can be totally overwhelming and defeating!  Never fear, Your Bff is here to give a few pointers, encouragement and support that are based not only on my acclimation of lots of information, but (and more importantly) my actual experience with the trials and errors of healthy living.

So, in a (large) nutshell, here is the take away from my recent experience of changing things up, just for the challenge of it:

1. I learned early on in my endeavor to coach people to “make better choices for a healthier lifestyle” that this journey is absolutely individual. This does not mean you need to, or should, do this alone.  Flying solo is actually NOT a good idea.  Having a partner/coach/spouse to come alongside you, to coach you, to hold you to some form of accountability is KEY!
2. Excuses exist for a reason. We ALL have excuses, some are made up, some are real. Taking time to think about which ones we are making up–such as: I don’t have time, I am too tired, I can’t afford it–just to get out of doing what we should; and, the ones that are REAL – such as: I have a (work/home) schedule to keep, I have physical/ nutritional/health limitations, etc.
3. It has to be a priority. Sometimes you have to consciously MAKE it a priority, until it’s habitual. ‘Fake it ‘til you make it’!
4. Honesty is the best policy. I think we lie to ourselves. A LOT. I believe most of us know when we are off track, making a poor choice, sabotaging our progress. Checking in with yourself, or reaching out for help from someone (see #1) will help.
5. Self – control (aka, Discipline) is a muscle that needs to be exercised just as much, if not more, than your biceps/triceps/quads and glutes! There are times you need to take a strong stand against a poor choice, the more you do it, the stronger that muscle and the more control you have over your choices.

To bring it full circle:

In my attempt to challenge myself to work out only at home, I encountered the challenge of ‘flying solo’.  Whether they know it or not, my ‘gym buddies’ are an encouragement and motivation for me(#1). I found that my plan to work out first thing in the morning (which works best for me, #1 again), would get pushed out by laundry, cleaning, paperwork for clients, etc. Not that these tasks weren’t important, but they did NOT need to happen FIRST. So, I found that my daily workouts dwindled to one or two per week, almost without notice (#2). That led to a lower place on my list of priorities almost without thought.  In the past, my body and emotions would ‘cry out’ for work outs.  Over time, after ignoring the cries, I became deaf to the cues that I was entering dangerous territory (#3). On occasion, I would acknowledge that I hadn’t had “my” work out time in over a week, I would just look at the scale (which didn’t show much of a change) or I’d flex an arm and think ‘I still have it’. Total lies. My belly was feeling bloated, my legs felt jiggly and I just didn’t feel ‘good’. I was struggling a little more with feeling anxious (with no reason for it). I kept telling myself I would get back to it tomorrow. Tomorrow would come and go, but I kept repeating myself the same lies (#4). My self – control muscle had gotten so weak, I began to fall off on my nutritional choices, too #5).

See how our choices snowball? I started out with the intent of a short-term challenge to only work out at home for a while, to better identify with the challenges of some of my Bffs. Eventually, all of my healthy choices were in jeopardy! I had hit a full – blown plateau.  Scale was moving in the wrong direction, I was craving and eating food I had not had in years, I was feeling weak, jiggly and anxious.

I’m not sharing this to scare you (well, maybe a little).  I am sharing this so you can see the ending:

I literally stood before my open refrigerator one day and told myself: Choose the yogurt.

So, I did. The next day, I went to the gym, for the first time in months (#5). It was HARD. But, I felt great on my way home. VICTORY! Then, I told my husband my goal for the next month, to go to the gym at least 3x per week for the next month (#1); I made it 4x per week most weeks (#3). The confidence from these good choices helped me re-assess my eating. I was eating mostly healthy foods, but probably too many, too much (#4). I started meal-planning again. I went back to my basics, the South Beach Diet plan (#1), because it worked/works for me, and it is a plan I can stick to long – term. It may not work for you, however. You have to find a plan that resonates with you! (if you need advise/assistance, I can help you with that, too!)

I still struggle some days.  I still make excuses about not wanting to take the time to ‘get ready’ to go to the gym (#3) (can’t go without makeup, but that’s an article for another day). But, more days than not, if the excuses win, I make sure I get a GOOD, sweaty work out at home (#5).  It is still better for me to go to the gym (#1) but home workouts can be the boss, too. You just have to make it so!  (#3,4,5)

If you need support or encouragement to:

1. Individualize, but find a (accountability) partner
2. Get your excuses under control
3. Prioritize
4. Be Honest (with yourself)
5. Or practice self-control and discipline

–contact me!  I am here for YOU!  I have been there, and done that-so maybe I can help!

Always, Your Bff