Work-out not working out?

It’s been a month since you made the commitment to go healthy, get in shape and eat healthy food choices. You’ve mapped out a serious plan. In addition to your weight routine, you’ve been on the treadmill 3 times a week, decided on a banana instead of French fries, skipped the cola for water, stayed away from empty calories and saturated fats, you’ve been working so hard! All this hard work and you haven’t seen any results. Sound familiar? You are not alone. I have heard this complaint before and it can be a very frustrating challenge. A challenge that you can over come with the proper solutions.

To shed a pound of fat you need to create a deficit of 3500 calories. But it must be done gradually and not in one or two days. Keep in mind you can eat 300 calories of apples or 300 calories of cake, but you still need to burn it off the same way. Continue making healthy choices, but watch your caloric intake. If your goal is fat loss, lower your caloric intake by 500 each day to lose a pound a week. Eliminate about 250-300 calories a day and you’ll lose a pound in about 12 days.

To stay on course and out of ruts, vary your exercise routine every 4 weeks. Your body adapts to a physical activity and the same exercise isn’t as challenging as it used to be. Alter your exercise and you’ll continue with a change for the better in your results.

Think cross-training. If you enjoy running, then add a day of cycling to your plan. If you enjoy walking or aerobics, exchange an hour for swimming instead. Consider changing your intensity and duration as well. For example, if you don’t want to give up your time running, change your pace throughout a workout running harder for a few minutes, then return to a recovery pace and repeat 3-5 times.

Keep in mind the amount of time you are devoting to your plan. Generally speaking, 60 minutes a day of moderate physical activity may be needed to prevent weight gain. If you are trying to lose weight, you must devote 60-90 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.

If your work out program has given you a challenge, now is the time to reassess your plan, and get back on the horse, or should I say… bike? You are well on the way to reaching your goals, just look at all your achievements! Keep your chin up and visualize yourself the way you plan to look and feel when you have reached your goals. You can do it!

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