Sunday, March 4, 2012

Break Through That Plateau

Please don't ask me why I still have this... 


This issue may be from 1997, but some things still reign true, like "What to do when the scale is stuck".  I found this article that was written by Marisa Fox, here are her tips to beating plateaus.  


  1. Measure Your Portions
  2. Shortcut Portion Control- "Stock up on prepackaged low-fat meals", this is what she says, but an even healthier way to do this is prep meal ingredients ahead of time and throw in a freezer bag for a later date.  For example, remember that soup you love?  Chop up all the fruits, meat, etc. and store in a plastic baggie in the freezer so it's just a matter of thawing the ingredients and heating it up. 
  3. Try a Meal Substitute- This shouldn't be a long term or regular strategy, but when on the go grabbing a meal replacement drink is okay to curb hunger.  
  4. Full Up On Whole Foods- Feel more full on less food
  5. Drink Up- Put a liter of water on your desk and make sure you drink it before the end of the day, even better, make sure you refill is X number of times. 
  6. Limit Mealtimes- Do things that signal the end of the meal, like brushing your teeth.  
  7. Add a Minute- Extend the length of your workout by just a few minutes here and there. 
  8. Lift Some Weights- Muscle burns more calories than fat, so build up that muscle mass. 
  9. Try Something New- Your mind isn't the only things that gets bored in workouts, your muscles can too.  If you always work the same muscles in the same way they become very efficient and won't burn as many calories as when you first started the activity.  To shake it up work your muscles in a different way, like cross training.
  10. Add Some Intervals- Not only do intervals make your workout more exciting, they burn more calories. 
  11. Go the Long Way- You don't have to go to the gym to get exercise, trying taking the longer route to the copy machine or park in the farthest spot in the parking lot (provided the area is well lit). 
Even though this was written in 1997, they are all still efficient means to beating a plateau.  So if you've found yourself in a rut lately, try some of these tips.  

What plateau tips do you have?

2 comments:

  1. Looks like the advice is the same now as it was back then.

    ReplyDelete

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