IS YOUR BODY IN A “STEADY STATE?”

Not making progress towards your health and fitness goals? Are you putting in the time, but not seeing results as quickly as you would like? Have you stopped seeing results at all? Or worse, is your progress sliding backwards?

In a world of immediate gratification it’s shocking for most people to hear that they may not get exactly what they want when they want it.

I’m not judging this as right or wrong, but rather pointing out that this way of thinking may sabotage your long-term, permanent results when it comes to your personal health and weight loss.

If you have been putting in the time but are not seeing the results of your efforts, you may be in a “steady state” of exercising – doing the same thing day after day; exercising the same amount of time with the same intensity; eating the same foods; putting the same number of miles on the treadmill; maintaining the same mental focus and outlook on achieving your goals.

You may be in “maintenance mode.” Maintaining your current level of health and fitness and weight (healthy or not!).

Ignore what you do for a living. Some of you may be construction workers, desk jockeys, teachers, and others stay-at-home moms. We all have a baseline level of daily activity.

Here’s the secret…you must boost your intensity ABOVE whatever your daily activity level is to make progress. It’s all relative to your lifestyle. That means that the on-the-go mom still needs to put in bouts of intense training to push herself to reach her goals.

Keep in mind, very few people don’t have setbacks on their path to total health, wellness, and weight loss. It’s just the nature of the journey. You have to embrace the challenge and have fun, don’t fight it!

However, when we view these temporary setbacks as learning experiences and remember not to repeat them in the future, then they are well worth the aggravation they may bring us.

Especially when you look at it as part of your education in what your body will or won’t tolerate.

For example, there is an ideal exercise volume and intensity for each of us to increase lean muscle mass, boost our metabolism, and achieve a desired body transformation. This equation CHANGES as we progress. It’s what I like to call the “Unsteady State of Health and Fitness”

To find that specific volume and intensity equation for you, it will take some “trial and error”. With the right professional by your side you can navigate through that path of trial and error much more quickly to find the best balance for you to get the results you desire.

Too much volume may cause joint and muscle pain or tissue breakdown. Pre and post nutrition must be adequate to enhance recovery and prevent muscle breakdown. On the flip side, too little intensity may keep you right where you are. Either scenario can be frustrating, especially if you are putting in the time to exercise.

Tweaking your program as you go is the best option to maximize results and keep your body challenged and improving.

What I recommend is beginning a body transformation program with the knowledge ahead of time that there will be some bumps along the way. The reason is that although a quality and proven body transformation program will work for EVERYONE, you may need to tweak some components to adjust it to your fitness level and dietary needs.

The truth is that no “plan” is meant to be perfect for everyone right out of the box; you just need the commitment and focus to make changes when necessary.

But I caution you, don’t change something simply because you don’t like it…sometimes working through the exercises that are the toughest or eating new foods is EXACTLY what our bodies need. They are craving for CHANGE.

So in the end, I believe that the best mindset to have for ultimate weight loss success and health is to adopt a philosophy that allows you to continually learn from your ups and downs and to be flexible and open to change.

Welcome and seek out variety, challenges, and change. View setbacks as opportunities to succeed again instead of as mistakes.

And by all means don’t get down on yourself for difficulties or stagnant periods with weight loss – that should be your signal to mix it up a little and try something new. Remember, avoid the “steady state”… same foods, same exercise, same intensity, same distance, same amount of time, same motivation or effort level…and

Get UNSTEADY!!

I hope this article was helpful in providing an alternative view on a successful weight loss mentality and how to avoid the pitfalls of a steady state routine which can be less than rewarding when trying to reach your goals. Please forward or share this with someone who you know that might be struggling with their fitness or fat loss goals.