It's that time of year.........

All right, the peeps are finally gone…….NO more Easter Candy……..

It’s that time of year, if you noticed the stores are gearing up for warmer weather. They are showing more bikinis and short pants. Yes, it’s supposed to be spring, someone should have told us here in New England. Yes, spring is just around the corner……

Some of you have been on a plan for a while and have dropped some weight, but still feel you could drop a few more. Here’s the thing, some of you started out on a new plan and the pounds were dropping, you’re sticking to your plan and getting in all your workouts, but you feel like you’ve crashed. DO NOT GIVE UP!

Warning Warning!!! You hit the dreaded plateau!

The scale won’t budge. Measurements stay the same, no change to how your clothes are fitting. In fact, you may even start to GAIN weight. Noooooooooo………..

This is where we start to panic, this can make a grown man weep……..this is not the time to quit or try another plan. If you’re following a good plan and have everything in place, stay on course…..

Please do not panic. This is where some folks, especially you ladies, think you can just do MORE cardio to try to burn it off. Please off the treadmill…………

 
 
No need to panic…….

First thing, review your goals and make sure you have everything in place.

Number 1.  Do not replace your weight training with cardio. Again, science backs this up –Resistance training is your BEST option when trying to lose body fat and transforming your body. Not the pink dumbbells and not small muscles like biceps or triceps. Think legs, back and chest. Working full-body will burn a tremendous amount of calories. Especially ladies, get stronger. You will not bulk up. Building lean sexy muscle will not only look good and make you appear thinner. It will burn calories at a higher rate WHEN YOU ARE AT REST.

Here are a few ways to get you on your way……helping you bust through any plateau and keep you shedding off unwanted fat.

If you’ve been eating clean for a while –you may have to mix things up.

Plan, Plan , Plan

First thing, take a look at your goals and make sure your plan is still in place.  Write them down. To succeed you have to have an end goal. Don’t just wing it.

Cycle Your Carbs

Not saying going zero carbs –never a good idea. Some folks make things worse when they hit a plateau. That is, they start cutting them out completely. It might work for a day or two, but it’s going to catch up with you. Your body is smart and it will give out the wrong signals and will instantly start slowing down your metabolic rate. This will make fat loss next to impossible, not to mention it’s way too tough following a zero carb diet…………..

A better strategy may be to cycle your carbs. It’s never a good idea to follow a food plan where you’re consuming the exact same number of calories every day. Again, that smart body of yours has to be fooled. An example of carb cycling you could have one day with a very low carb intake and the next you increase your carbs. This will keep the metabolism guessing as to what’s coming next and help keep it revved up higher than it ever was. What that means you lose fat and you have a better chance of holding on to your lean muscle. The added benefit…we enjoy good carbs and kill some of those cravings. As a general rule, have the higher carb intake on days you weight train, and a lower intake on cardio days or rest days. You should increase your fat intake when you reduce your carbs – your body still requires energy.

Often cycling your carbs is all that’s needed to reignite your metabolism and get your fat loss moving again. Now remember, think GOOD carbs, rice, whole grain pasta and quinoa and one of the best Sweet potatoes. If you want more information on carb cycling, a great read is by Chris Powell (ABC’s Extreme Make-over).  Choose to Lose

Cut down the long slow cardio or running and Add High Intensity Interval Training

 

If you’re not fighting injuries and you want to try something new.  That works! Try Interval Training.  Now I have to be honest, it’s not easy, but if fat loss is your goal. Interval training is the most effective form of cardio to boost your metabolism to see increased rates of fat loss. Plus, you’ll see accelerated fitness gains as well.

Intervals can be as easy as just alternating between a run and a walk for 30 minutes. The idea is to push yourself for 15 seconds to 1 minute then rest or SLOW walk for 1 minute. The rest is to allow your heart rate to get back to a normal rate, for exercise(120 beats. or so)

My favorite is sprinting at the High School track. But the options are limitless –any piece of equipment can be used. Just make sure you are still allowing time for sufficient recovery between workouts so that you don’t over train.  And more is not necessarily better. Allow yourself enough time to recover.

Here is an example of interval training Workout

 
So, we still have plenty of time to get ready for the Beach…..let’s go!!!!

Keep Training!!