Have You Hit A Wall? - special guest post!

I am happy to announce we have a special guest post today from Jenn Givler of J. Givler Fitness. Jenn has been helping people focus on getting fit and fabulous since 1993.

You’ve been doing all the right things… eating the right foods, religiously workout out… but suddenly, for seemingly no reason at all, you stop seeing results. The scale won’t budge - your measurements haven’t changed in weeks, what in blazes is going on?

Welcome to the plateau. What’s happening is simple – you’re body is used to all the changes you’ve made so far, and now it’s doing just fine in this new comfort zone.

The good news is, jumping off the plateau isn’t hard. It’s just a matter of making some tweaks, and challenging yourself again.

Here are 5 things you can do to start seeing results again:

1. Add higher intensity intervals to your cardio. If you walk, try adding 1 minute of jogging 3 to 4 times during your workout. If you run, add 30 second intervals of sprints. Climb some stairs, add a couple of hills – anything to give you a little boost during your workout.

2. Add weights. If you’re not currently doing any weight training, start. All you need is 10 minutes, 3 times a week. And, you can replace part of your cardio training with weight training – so it doesn’t have to increase the time you’re working out.

3. If you’re already doing strength training, add more weight. Those weights are probably feeling pretty easy to you if you’re hitting a plateau – time to up the amount you’re lifting. If the heavier weight feels really tough, do fewer reps until you build up your strength.

4. Add more activity. I know – who has time? Stay with me here… try parking farther away, take the steps instead of the elevator, walk around the building at lunch instead of surfing the net, treat your grocery shopping as a sprint… you get the idea. Just adding a little bit more activity can be enough to get you seeing results again.

5. Re-evaluate what you’re eating. When you up your activity, I do NOT advise you lower your calorie intake. Your body is going to need the fuel to move you. But, you can make some easy tweaks to get things moving again:

– Cut out more of the processed foods you may be eating. For example, if you’re snacking on 100 calorie snack packs; replace that with a piece of fruit and some nut butter, or 1 oz. of cheese and some veggies.

– Watch your carbs. This is something that can be easily over done. If you’re having grains with every single meal or snack, try cutting it down to twice a day.

– What good fats are you eating? Make sure you’re getting good fat from things like avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, fish, nuts or nut butter, etc. Your body does need some good quality fat. And, if it’s getting what it needs, it will more easily release what it doesn’t.

Not only will making a few simple changes help you bust the plateau, but you’ll probably feel more accomplished, energized, and have a renewed sense of why you’re doing all of this in the first place.

Jenn Givler is a yoga and fitness coach. She teaches dynamic, effective fitness for busy professionals who don’t have time for fitness. Jenn has been in the industry since 1993. She currently teaches classes and offers 1 on 1 services online.

For more information, check out Jenn’s blog at http://jgivlerfitness.com and on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/JGivlerFitness