photo credit: paris_corrupted

It’s a question many people ask and I have some ideas to share so you might be able to overcome or even avoid the dreaded weight loss plateau!

Let me first start by recommending that you STOP focusing so much on the scale.  The numbers on the scale might not be moving but your body is still changing if you are exercising and following a healthy lifestyle!  You are most likely building muscle as you workout which could cause the numbers on the scale to go up but don’t worry about that, it’s normal.  The scale can really tear you down and the more time you spend sweating bullets over whether you have gained or stayed the same, every week or for some every day the more frustrating it gets and leaves you less excited about your new healthy lifestyle.  Every month at the gym I do a weigh in and get measurements taken. I highly recommend that you keep tabs on your measurements because THAT in the long run will show you how much you have accomplished.

One thing that could be happening to cause you to hit a weight loss plateau is that you might be working the same body parts and not changing up your workouts enough.  Your body gets used to you doing the same things over and over.  If you are only walking right now you might want to add in some quick jogs or sprints or if you take classes at the gym, try a new one for a while.  Maybe you prefer to use the treadmill so you could hop on do a quick 2 minute fast walk/run, hop off, do some jumping jacks, maybe a few stretch band exercises for your legs and then hop back on the treadmill for more running or bump up the incline and walk a higher incline for a few minutes. Another thing you could do is start using hand weights on your treadmill walks.  The goal is to change things up!

The thing that recently got me over the hump was signing up for personal training and focusing a lot on strength training.  It doesn’t matter if you have a personal trainer or not because you can still add strength training to your daily activity.  And you’ll be glad you did!

Now don’t get me wrong, it IS possible to exercise too much and that could also play a big part in a plateau as well so just be cautious of this.

Now on to food:  When it comes to eating, you really want to focus on portion control and what types of foods you eat and beware of the little things that sneak in there like that little taste here and there. Be sure to drink a good amount of water so you stay hydrated throughout the day.  You want to make sure that you are taking in enough calories each day. I have heard many people say it’s OK to eat under 1000 calories a day and I do not agree with that. Everyone is definitely different and it really depends on your body and how much you should personally consume.  Don’t skip any meals and don’t go too long between meals and snacks.  Doing so can really hinder your weight loss and you’ll be sure to hit that weight loss plateau.  Keeping a food journal in the past helped me so you might want to think about that option.

I know it’s frustrating when things don’t seem to be moving in the direction you feel they should be but don’t give up.  Mix things up and keep going!

Have you ever hit a weight loss plateau and if so what is your #1 tip for avoiding them?

Side note:  If you have hit a weight loss plateau and can’t seem to break through, it is possible that there could be a potential health issue so you’ll want to check with your physician.

I was traveling a bit this week and am very impressed that I kept up with some workouts while I was gone.  I’m home now and I think I did a bit too much on Sat. as my calves are hurting really bad but hopefully I can get the pain to lessen in a few days.  On to my workouts for last week…..

Monday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.
Miles: .75

*Personal training (upper body/core/abs)
Time: 30 min.

Today was a rockin’ workout.  The Bosu ball is my friend.  I never really knew how much you could do on this thing and my favorite is a mix of squats and weights all while on the Bosu ball.  It’s an amazing workout!  I can’t believe our gym only has ONE of these for the trainers and members to use.  I need one at home there is no doubt about it.

Tuesday- Day off (traveling unless you want to count airport walking)

Wednesday-

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: 1.53 miles

*Abs/Weights
Time: 15 min.

Very impressed that these workouts were done while I’m on a business trip.  Had a good time at the local gym and they have a woman’s room for those who might not feel comfortable working out in the main part of the gym.  I think that is a great addition although I probably wouldn’t use it if our gym had it because I don’t mind working out with everyone else around.

Thursday-

*Body Sculpt class
Time: 60 min.

Holy cow!  This was a great class.  Sweated our butts off and I’m sure burned a TON of calories.

Friday- Day off

Saturday-

*Treadmill
Time: 10 min.
Miles: .60

*Elliptical
Time: 20 min.
Miles: 1.83

*Weights plus other cool stuff
Time: 30 min. +

Fun time at USA Gym in TN.  I love this gym, it’s got a nice home town feel and everyone is so kind. Plus they have some great equipment!  I think my favorite was the Classic Parallel Carver & All Mountain Master. This thing is AMAZING.

Sunday- Day off (more airport walking)

How were your workouts this week?

P.S. If you’re interested in checking out the Bosu ball, Amazon has them.  I’m adding this to my fitness wish list!  Boy that list is getting long ha ha

The TRX Suspension trainer ROCKS! Check it out!

I have definitely put this on my fitness wish list.  Have you ever seen or tried the TRX?

Oh and I had my 2nd weigh in and measurements taken since starting personal training and I have lost more weight AND more inches.  Very excited about that and know that personal training has really made a difference.  So if you have the opportunity to ever work with a personal trainer, I highly recommend it.

OK, on to my workouts…

Monday-

*Treadmill
Time: 15 min.

Today I changed it up a bit because I had an appointment to get weighed and measured but the gym changed things without informing me so I had some extra time and thought I would try to get a bit of running in because I was not going to run after personal training today.  I did two 2 minute running intervals and did OK.

*Personal training (a mix, upper/lower body & abs)
Time: 30 min.

Used the TRX suspension trainer today and it rocked my world.  Must.Have.One!  It was a total sweat fest but it was so much fun.  Gosh I love how my trainer makes every session fun and changes things up so I don’t get bored.  Karen you’re the BEST!

*Mowed lawn
Time: 1.5 hours

Tuesday- Day off

Wednesday-

*Abs
Time: 20 min.

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Elliptical
Time: 7 min.
Miles: .60

*Personal training (upper body/core/abs)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: 1.45

I did 4 two minute run three minute walk intervals.  Not bad but still struggling.  I have to really push it to make it through that 2nd minute.  Less than 5 months until the 1/2 marathon and it’s not looking promising.

Saturday- Day off

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

*Abs/core work
Time: 20 min.

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

Yes TWO spin classes today with some ab work in between.  Hubby really lives for these double spin classes and wanted me to go so out of LOVE I did ha ha.  It was great! We took some snacks to consume in between classes and of course we had enough water to get us through.  I’m not sure if this is something I’ll do with him every Sunday BUT I might take a weight/abs class and then a spin class. We’ll see!

How did your workouts go last week and what are your goals for this week?

Had a pretty good week although I definitely could have worked out more.  I think I need to start planning out my workouts again instead of just going with the flow.  And I think Kev and I are going to start meal planning again soon.  I might even start keeping a food journal although a very limited one just to get myself on track with eating better.  That is my biggest hurdle.  Anyway, had a great Sunday at a charity volleyball tournament which I wrote a bit about below.

Monday- Day off

Tuesday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.
Miles: .80

*Personal training (lower body)
Time: 30 min.

Wednesday-

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Personal training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: 1.81

Really tried to talk myself out of going to the gym today because I had a migraine however I didn’t skip and after my personal training the migraine was gone. Thank goodness!  I did 4 running intervals all at 2 minutes.  Not too shabby but breathing was a struggle at times.

Saturday- Day off

Sunday-

*Charity volleyball tournament
Time: 7+ hours

Crazy day of volleyball.  A lot of fun but muscles are burning and we are totally exhausted.  Although we had to skip spin today I’m sure we burned way more calories than we would have in class.  It was fun and for a great cause.  The weather was perfect, not too hot although hubby and I did get quite a bit of sun even though we applied sunscreen.  I’m glowing RED LOL

How did your workouts go this past week?

Today I just wanted to quickly share some of my favorite living healthy blog posts and sites that I found this week.  If you have come across any blog posts you would like to share feel free to link to them in your comments.

Jumpstart your Fitness

Great post that will get you thinking.  I have answered the 3 questions, what about you?

Q #1- I’m pretty much doing all I enjoy except running.  That I just haven’t been able to get into yet probably because of all the breathing issues I’m having but I’m still trying.  I am pretty sure that running won’t be MY THING but you never know.

Q #2- Best time a day for me to work out is in the afternoon and/or evening.

Q #3- I’m usually pretty good about this except for this past holiday weekend. Had good intentions of running but it never happened.  BUT got right back into working out when we returned home even though totally exhausted.

Let’s Move website

Just came across this website and it has a lot of great info on it. Check out the PSA’s too!

“Let’s Move will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country.”

One of my favorite fitness/foodie bloggers is Gina from The Fitnessista.  She got the new Turbo Fire workout that I have been looking at getting and did a quick video post to show some of the moves.  I definitely think I’ll be buying this one.  It seems to have some similar if not the same moves as Turbo Jam and we all know I LOVE Turbo Jam.

So there you have it, just a few links to share and I’m in the process of clearing out my Google reader of outdated blogs so I’m looking for new and fresh blogs about living healthy.  If you have any to recommend don’t forget to share in the comments.

Have a great weekend,

According to Web MD, the blueberry is celebrated in July because it’s at peak harvest.  Most farmer’s markets have them for sale along with raspberries and blackberries (my favorite).

Blueberries are low in calories, have a great amount of vitamins and antioxidants plus fiber. Blueberries are listed as one of the ten super-duper superfoods in the Superfoods for Dummies book. A nice healthy snack!

It’s best to store blueberries in a covered container in the fridge but I just learned that you are not supposed to pre-wash them as they have a bloom that protects the skin of the blueberry. You can also freeze them if you don’t think you’ll eat them all before they would go bad which is usually within a week or less.

I personally like to use fresh or frozen blueberries in fruit smoothies, on top of cooked oatmeal,  in cold cereal and in Greek yogurt.

Learn How Blueberries Grow

And here is a yummy recipe for you.

Lemon and Blueberry Pancakes

4 ounces whole wheat plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Zest of one lemon
4 ounces natural yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter
3 ounces blueberries

Place the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.  Add the sugar and lemon rind.  Add the yogurt, milk, melted butter and beaten eggs.  Mix everything together well.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Heat a non-stick skillet and drop a couple of tablespoons of mixtures into the pan to form a pancake.  Leave until you see small bubbles appear on the pancake and the mixture appears to be set.  At this point flip the pancake over and cook approximately one more minute.  Remove from heat and keep in a warm place until ready to serve.  Repeat with remaining mixture.

Do you like blueberries?

*images from Blueberry Council

Monday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 30 min.
Miles: 2.03

Did pretty good on the treadmill today, 6 two minute run/two minute walk intervals.  And oops forgot to stretch.

Tuesday- Day off

Wednesday-

*Elliptical
Time: 7 min.

*Personal training (upper/lower body/core)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: 1.45

Today’s run/walk was all over the place!  I did a total of 6 running intervals (only two @ 2 minutes and four @ 1 minute intervals).  It was a struggle to run today but I made it.

*Mow lawn
Time: 1 hr.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Personal training (upper body/core/lower body)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 20 min.
Miles: 1.15

I did 1 two minute run, 3 running intervals at 1:15 and 1 one minute.  I had a real good personal training session and I was really tired plus exhausted from not much sleep last night.  Definitely struggled with the run today.

Saturday & Sunday- Off

Kev and I went away to visit my parent’s in Indiana for the holiday and workouts just didn’t happen.  I had full intentions of running but I didn’t make it happen.  I am ready to get back to the gym and will be heading back for personal training and running on Tuesday.  I feel I had a pretty good week although I did struggle a bit with running.  Soon it will be time for my 2nd weigh in and measurements at the gym so I hope to see more success.

How did your workouts go this week?  We want to hear all about them!

*photo credit

Monday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill (run/walk)
Time: 20 min.
Miles: 1.16

Did three 2 minute running intervals.  Moving up in the world ha ha

Tuesday-

*Pilates class
Time: 60 min.

Wednesday-

*Weights
Time: 20 min.

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

Not happy with the gym at this time because once again they have an issue with the air in the spin class room.  And the issue was there is NO AIR!  Geesh…not fun at all.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Treadmill w/hand weights (warm up)
Time: 12 min.

*Personal training (upper body/abs/core)
Time: 30 min.

Absolutely awesome workout!  I asked Karen if we could work on some ab stuff and although it was tough, it was a fabulous workout and I can’t wait to do more.

Saturday- Day off

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr.

Once again, NO AIR in the spin class and I’m just a tad irritated with L.A. Fitness.  I mean I love the gym overall but this stuff seems to happen too often. Plus they have bikes, treadmills, etc. that need fixing and for the price we pay I expect these things to be taken care of and not left for weeks and even MONTHS at a time.

Exhausting week but I feel good and I’m ready to start a new week.  I have a few personal training sessions this week so I’m excited about that but I’m not sure how other workouts will go.  I do know that I’m not going to go back to Pilates but am going to look at the gym class schedule  to see what else I might try in July.  We’ll see!

How did your workouts go this week?  Please share!

But I’m happy to say that I am starting to feel better although there are some things that I’m struggling with when it comes to running.  My cardiac numbers are apparently too high and I need to get some things checked.  I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to run the 1/2 marathon at this point BUT I am going to see if I can walk it.  If not, I might have to ultimately downgrade to the 10K.  I’m not sure how I feel about this because I committed to doing it but I guess if there are health issues I can’t push it.  I’ll keep you updated!

So below you’ll see all recent workouts.

Monday-

*Personal training (cardio, abs, upper body)
Time: 30 min.
Calories burned: 297

Karen’s workout with me today was awesome even if I did have an ear ache.  Just as hubby always said, I just have to suck it up LOL  She had me do various inclines on the treadmill, walking,then back down to normal to  run then off to do abs, arm work, balance, etc.  Did quite a few of those circuits.  It was a sweat fest and I loved every minute of it.

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: 1.54
Calories burned: 300

Another 5 running interval day at 1:15 each.  Nice!  I’m only running at about a 4.5 right now but Karen says it’s good.  I have got to get this breathing under control.  Today wasn’t bad at all but I felt it coming on so I keep imagining what 13.1 miles is going to be like because I’m not even running a full two minutes at a time yet.  Oh boy I am in for it!

*Stretching
Time: 5 min.

Tuesday-

*Elliptical (warm up)
Time: 10 min.

*Personal training (upper body and core)
Time: 30 min.

*Treadmill
Time: 25 min.
Miles: approx. 1.55
Calories burned: approx. 300

5 running intervals at 1:15 again.  Wasn’t feeling it today but did it anyway.  My heart rate monitor pooped out on me.  We need to send our straps in to Polar get replaced but I’ll be buying a Garmin foot pod soon so I can just start using my Garmin all the time.

*Stretching
Time: 7 min.

Wednesday-

We were set to go to spin this night but life had other plans for us.  My cat of 18 years went to Heaven.  It was sad the choice we had to make but there was no other option, she was sick.  So obviously we missed spin class and I spent the night crying (she has been by my side since I was 19 and first moved out on my own) but I know she’s in a better place so everything will be fine.  We still have two pets we need to give our full attention to (a Blue and Gold Macaw and turtle) so onward we go.

RIP my sweet princess

Thursday- Day Off

Friday-

*Elliptical
Time: 15 min.
Miles: 1.08
Calories burned: 178

*Personal training (lower body, boxing, core and stretching)
Time: 30 min.
Calories burned: 286

Saturday & Sunday- nothing

OK, on to this past week…..

Monday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

Had my 1st weight in/measurements since I started personal training and I’m excited at how things are going.  Lost 8 lbs AND quite a few inches all around.  Nice!  Personal training is totally worth it and I’m so fortunate that I’m able to do it.

Wednesday-

*Run/Walk outside
Time: 46 min.
Miles: 2.61
Calories burned: 394

Thursday-

*Elliptical
Time: 7 min.

*Personal training
Time: 30 min.

*Spinning (no class)
Time: 35 min.
Calories burned: 354

Friday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10 min.

*Personal training (lower body)
Time: 30 min.

Sunday-

*Weights
Time: 20 min.

*Spin class
Time: 1 hr

So I think I’m back to working out on a good schedule.  I missed a few days and I have had to take it easy with this condition but I’m feeling good now so hopefully it stays that way.  Ready to start a new week!

Goals for this week:

2 personal training sessions, try new pilates class with hubby, 2 spin classes and at least 2 days of running.

How are your workouts going and what are your goals for the week?

I was sent a complimentary copy of Dara’s new book, Gold Medal Fitness.  I chose which section of the book I wanted to review and discuss and it’s titled Your Inner Athlete.  I wonder if you can guess WHY I chose to focus on that section….hmmm maybe the upcoming 1/2 marathon that hubby and I signed up for?  I truly need to find my inner athlete and after reading this section of Dara’s book I am on the right path.

I know you might be thinking that you may not be as competitive as Dara nor am I but like she mentions in her book we are all alike because we all strive to reach for a goal.  All of our goals are usually going to be different but as long as we go after them we will feel better about ourselves.  We need to create our own plan and establish our own goals.  I love to keep a journal for my workouts but now I need to grab another journal so I can journal my overall experience.  Also, Dara has some questions in the section I reviewed  which I still need to reflect on and answer so the journal is perfect for that.

Part of this section really spoke to me because Dara talks about how it is so important to respect the message your body sends you.  For instance, lately I have been dealing with some health issues that have really affected my workout plan.  It’s hard for me to take it easy right now especially since all I can think about is how much time of training I’m losing for this 1/2 marathon.  BUT I am respecting the message my body is sending.  I knew this was the right section of the book to review!

Dara also thinks it’s really important to create a winning team!  I’m very lucky that I have a wonderful hubby to workout with a lot and I am also hoping to find someone who is at the same place I am with running so we can share our experiences and take this challenge together.  I truly have a great group of online friends who keep me going as well.  Training at the gym has made a big difference in just over a month and I feel really good about the support I get there too.  Boy, I’m really lucky!

Lastly, I got to ask Dara a question….

Dara, what are your Top 5 healthy snacks for before and after workouts?

Dara replied:

1. A Living Fuel shake (made with low fat milk) before workouts
2. A banana before workouts
3. Oatmeal before workouts
4. Chocolate milk after my workout
5. Fitness Nutrition Aminos before and after

Thank you Dara, that really helps because I struggle with what to eat/drink before and after my workouts.  It was really an honor to have you stop by my blog on your tour.

Be sure to watch some of Dara’s media clips.  I enjoyed the few I have been able to watch this week although they were from her previous book promotion.  I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Gold Medal Fitness book because it looks and sounds great.

And my question for my readers…..

Who inspires you when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle?

P.S. Dara has also written the book Age Is Just a Number which I also would like to read sometime.