Variety Is the Spice of Your Fitness Life

About three or so months into my fitness journey I was sitting at my desk one day getting ready to go knock out a lunchtime workout and I thought to myself how much I really did NOT want to go the gym. While this was not a thought that totally surprised me because lets face it, there are just some days when working out is the last thing we want to do, what did surprise me was how disinterested I was in the whole thing all of a sudden.

In the months leading up until that day, I had been super motivated. I had lost a few pounds, my energy levels were up and I was definitely sleeping better. So what was going on?? Why wouldn't I want to continue on that path? Then it dawned on me....I was plateauing. I had initially lost weight pretty quickly. I was doing a mix of primarily cardio with some weights thrown in at that point and it seemed to be working. The last couple weeks however my progress seemed to be stalling. I wasn't getting the results as quickly and it was starting to affect my motivation.

I knew I still wanted to achieve the goals I set out for myself. I knew I didn't want to quit. I knew enough of me was still committed to this process that I would pull myself up out of my chair and get my butt to the gym. So I did. And instead of doing the same routine I had been sticking to up until that point, I changed it up. I looked up some new lifting moves to do with the free weights and weight machines and I walked out of that workout feeling refreshed, strong and re-motivated! I also walked out of that session with a new found love of lifting weights!

Back at my desk I did a little research into the whole plateauing phenomenon and realized there was actual science behind it and that it was a pretty common occurrence right about at the pint I was in my journey. Apparently, from what I understood, plateauing in a weight loss/getting fit journey happens apparently because our bodies are sometimes too smart for our own good. It eventually happens to everyone who loses weight after several weeks of steadily dropping pounds. Our bodies after the initial weight loss start to burn muscle right along with the fat. Once this starts happening our metabolism rate declines causing us to burn fewer calories than we did at our heavier weights. Now the plateauing happens if you continue to take in the same amount of calories as you were previous to your metabolism slowing. Makes sense right?

All the sciencey stuff aside, I knew I was not going to let myself get derail by it so I probably had to make some changes and make them quick. I did not want to lose all the progress I had made and end up right back where I started which was ten pounds overweight, sick, tired and unhappy all the time. Having gotten a great workout in that day just from changing up my go-to routine slightly so I figured I was on to something there. I knew I was going to have to continue to keep things fresh and find new ways to be active in order to get my metabolism going again. I made the decision to start training for a 5k. It was a goal I had wanted to achieve anyway but I hadn't put too much effort into really training for. I got a training plan together for that and found a race a few months out that I immediately signed up for in order to hold myself accountable. I also did a bunch more research into lifting weights. I came up with new routines that incorporated fresh moves and targeted specific areas to work on certain days of the week.

Above and beyond these two things, I also knew I needed to start being active in other fun ways. I used to rock climb and mountain bike many years ago so I started doing both of those things again. I have also included more outdoor activities like hiking, group fitness classes and even found a great program that I can use right from my living room that incorporated both weights and HIIT which I love so I don't have any excuse not to get a workout in, even on the days I just didn't want to go to the gym.

Some other great ways to incorporate variety into your own fitness journey are:

• Take a class - Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, etc.
• Go for a Swim - great all around, no-impact, full-body workout
• Get outside! Walk, Run, Hike, Garden, Rock Climb, Kayak....so many great choices!
• Volunteer to walk a dog - So many local shelters need volunteers to help out. Why not make a dogs day and get some exercise while you are at it!
• Go Dancing - fun and a great cardio workout!
• Even cleaning your house is a great way to burn calories!

The bottom line is making fitness as fun and exciting as possible will increase the likely hood you stick with it and achieve the results you set out for. Be a little creative with how you get your exercise is. Mix it up as much as you can. Just keep your eyes on the prize and don't give up at the first sign of plateauing or boredom. It is so important both mentally and physically that you keep things interesting. Our minds needs to be engaged in your fitness journey just as much if not more than your body. So much of getting and staying healthy is a mental game, one that is much easier to win if you are having fun along the way!

xoxoxo,

Beth