In a plateau? Breakthrough your plateau and CRUSH your goals!

So many people come to me and say, "I was doing cardio 5 days per week for a minimum of 1 hour daily" OR my favorite "I am in a caloric deficit I am only taking in 800 calories per day". People want so desperately to drop the weight that they do crazy things to try and get there. First, let me tell you a caloric deficit will work but only taking in 800 calories a day will have THE OPPOSITE EFFECT you are looking for! As for the cardio, endless amounts of cardio will also not really get you the results you are looking for. 

I remember a time where I thought hours on end of cardio was the only thing that would get my body where I wanted it to be. I did hit my goal weight, but not only was I STUCK, but I was also flabby, had some serious loose skin, my cellulite was HORRIBLE, and I was honestly BURNT THE HECK OUT. I was tired. Tired of getting up at 5 am just to go do BORING old steady state cardio! So I switched things up to bust through my plateau and get the body I truly desired. 

So here are some quick tips to incorporate when you feel like you are not getting the results in your body that you are looking for:

1. Look at your overall EATING HABITS. There is no such thing as out training a poor diet! IT JUST WON'T HAPPEN. Unless you overtrain which is NOT realistic long term, it is not fun, and it increases your risk for injury and burnout. If you are being so restrictive on yourself where your caloric intake is under 1200 calories per day (for the vast majority of you), YOU ARE STARVING YOURSELF. Don't freak the heck out when you eat poorly once or twice. It is okay if you eat terrible even one day per week the most you will gain will be water weight. But if you become obsessive over your food, it is not always healthy mentally either! You need to learn balance and moderation. Figure out what your daily intake should look like caloric wise and make a plan that is made up of balanced protein, carb, and fat intake. Maybe you are having the opposite problem, and you are overeating! This is also super common. If you are undereating, you will suffer from loss of muscle, fatigue, body dysmorphia, unhappiness, and stalled progress. If you overeat, you will suffer from excessive body fat, fatigue, no control (in many different aspects life steaming from not having control over your eating habits and your body), body dysmorphia, and unhappiness. 

2. SHAKE THINGS UP A BIT! Change your workouts. Your body is super adaptive and will change almost immediately; it is usually your mind you have to convince! So if you have been doing the same thing for too long, your body will get used to the same movements. If you have the same workout schedule for too long, your body will recognize it. Switch it up to confuse your body and those muscles. This will help to keep that body ever-changing and aid in getting you stronger. 

3. STAY OFF YOUR PHONE at the gym! Unless you need to check it for your workout and to keep track of your lifts stay off of the phone. Have a preset workout playlist ready to play before getting into the gym. STAY OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA! I know, I know how could I say this 1 on a social media platform, and 2 its 2019 how can you go more than 3 minutes without checking your social media platforms! It's crazy how fast a 1-2 minute rests between exercises can turn into a 10-15 minute distraction when on social media. Thank you IG and Facebook feed! If you lose focus, you will not only lose motivation, but you will lose the mind-muscle connection! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF mind-muscle connection! If you merely go through the motions and your not in the zone when working out, you will not get the results you are looking for. This stems from not being able to push yourself and focus on what you are doing! So FOCUS and mind-muscle connection with the muscle you are working is super important! 

4. GYM BUDDY! This one is a hit or miss. Some of you may need to find a gym buddy while others may need to lose a gym buddy. If you are finding yourself lacking motivation and accountability, find a gym buddy. Someone who you can lean on, on the tough days and will hold you accountable to get there and get S**T done. Having a gym buddy might also give you someone to push you just that little bit harder to hit your goals! While others here might have that gym buddy that is the biggest freaking distraction. Doesn't push or motivate you, and honestly makes your workouts take 10 times longer! You need to find what works for you to get the best workout in possible! 

5. Lastly, GET A COACH! If you are still struggling and can't seem to figure it out, ASK FOR HELP! Even the best of the best have or have had coaches at one point or another! Sometimes someone else can see something that you can't! We ALL have blind spots, and THAT IS OKAY! Do not give up on yourself or inflict mental harm due to "not being able to figure out what the deal is." Sometimes you won't see massive changes, and that is OKAY! That does NOT mean that you CAN'T achieve big changes, or big changes are not to come! You are doing great! How much progress have you made? How far have you gotten? What is your WHY? Never forget that! 

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PEACE LOVE & HAPPINESS. LOVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN. #BBTE