Despite your daily gym routine, eating healthy foods and cutting back on alcohol, things just aren’t moving in terms of your weight loss goals.
But you just can’t figure out why.
Sound familiar?
If you’re tired of going to the gym and seeing nothing in return, there may be more to blame than simply your caloric intake or how many hours you are pounding out on the treadmill (dreadmill!).
Read on to learn about other common causes for lack of results:
- You do the same thing every time – Maybe you do it because it’s comfortable. Maybe you do it because you know how. Or maybe you do it because you are too nervous to try out anything else for fear it won’t go well or you won’t like it. Whatever the case, if you do the same type of exercise every time you go to the gym or do your training, sooner or later you will stop making progress. Your body will become used to what you are doing and become more efficient, hence burning fewer calories and requiring less muscle mass to do the same task. It’s the same reason you increase how much you are lifting overtime – eventually it’s too easy and there is no benefit. Try to mix up your routine at least once a week and don’t be afraid to try something new.
- You aren’t listening to your body – There’s a time to push and there is a time to rest. And your body is very good at telling you which one is right – as long as you listen. Rest and recovery is a key part of progress and success. Without giving you body adequate time to rebuild, recover and refresh itself, there is nothing left in the tank for you to draw on to push harder. Likewise, never pushing harder and testing your limits means you don’t reach your full potential of success to get the results you want. Start listening to your body and rest when you need to – and then push hard the rest of the time!
- You’re not pushing yourself for more – You only have to compete against yourself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing, or what the progress is that they have made, you do you. But that means that you do have to push yourself, you do have to compete against your times or your distance or your weight and try to push farther. Make up mini competitions for yourself, or mini challenges. And if you aren’t good at being your own competitor, enlist someone else to make up the competition, or even compete against them, only trying to improve your personal best.
- You’re fueling all wrong – You have probably heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen.” And while it’s not 100% accurate – you do need to go to the gym or do the right exercises – there is merit behind the fuel that you consume and the results that it gives. And it applies to your whole body. If you are active and regularly working out your calorie consumption will be higher than a sedentary individual. The composition o those calories will also vary, depending on whether you are trying to build muscle, lose fat or just get toned overall. Eat too much and you won’t see results; eat too little, and you won’t see the right results, because your body won’t be able to build up muscle. As you can see, there are lots of variables that play a part, so go talk to a sports nutritionist, or do some research and figure out how to meet your needs!
- Your goals are unrealistic – Take a minute and have a look at the goals you are trying to achieve. Maybe it is weight loss goals, maybe it is physique, or maybe it is just to be able to do a certain number of reps or run a certain distance. Whatever the case, ask yourself if they are realistic. They can be challenging and hard, but they need to be realistic – it needs to be possible and plausible for you to reach them, not something you are fighting for that is nearly impossible. When you consider this, remember the concepts of time and your genetics. Everyone’s body is built differently and sometimes our genes play a role in what we can and can’t achieve or how we can and can’t look. Likewise, set a reasonable timeline – doing things at an unhealthy rate (like weight loss) is rarely ever sustainable in the long term.
By: Laura Peill
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