Stuck in a Fitness Rut? Here's How to Break Out

We’ve all been there at one time or another, when we seem to be working hard toward a goal but not getting anywhere. However, it’s usually because we’re not doing the right things to get there. Here are some complaints I hear as a personal trainer from people before I start working with them.

• “The scale won’t budge.” If you’re not losing weight, or gaining when you want to maintain, it means you’re consuming too many calories and not expending enough. First, find out your total daily energy expenditure (here’s a calculator to get an estimate). These are the calories you need daily for your activity level. To lose weight, you have to decide whether to cut calories, increase your activity, or both. Another thing that will help is to build more muscle so your metabolic rate will be higher at rest.

• “I can’t lose fat.” The average healthy body composition for men is about 15% body fat, and for women, 25%. If you’re above 20% as a male or 30% as a female, and you’re having trouble changing it, you need to make more drastic changes. Besides storing excess calories as fat, your body could also be exposed to too many toxic substances in the food you eat or products you use, which get stored in fat. The best way to make a change is do a dietary cleanse (here’s one that works for me), and replace household products and personal care products with those that are safer.

• “Working out is painful!” Your body works harder at exercise if your muscles are stiff and tight. Be sure to foam roll and stretch before exercise, don’t overdo your workouts, and give your body time to relax and recover if you’re feeling sore. Movement will be more efficient and you’ll experience less pain if your body is more flexible. This foam rolling warm up takes 10 minutes and targets typically tight areas, helping you stretch and move better.