No Plateaus Here!

Ever heard someone say: "I'm just a creature of habit" ? Though certain parts of that person's life may be okay done in habit (such as diet, if not poor), some (such as exercise) may lead to diminishing returns. What I mean by diminishing returns is this: The more one does the exact same exercise from day-to-day, the more the body learns to get used to such exercises and the LESS the body will respond and thus show a person results.

An easy way to combat this concept of diminishing returns with exercises is to constantly VARY what you do from day-to-day. Shock your muscles, step out of your comfort zone, and try something NEW! In any regular gym (or in your home, etc.), there are plenty of different workouts that will target similar areas. Legs day? Instead of squats like you usually do, try lunges, jumping squats, squat cleans (with weight), etc. There are also many exercises for the rest of the body as well. I guarantee if you constantly switch up your routine you will not only feel better, but you will see RESULTS on a REGULAR basis.

Another way of switching up your routine is to try something new! Run around the lake, go rowing, attend yoga classes from time to time, run sprints, go biking, etc.! I constantly vary the routines I give to my clients; our CrossFit gym does the same as well, along with providing ways for clients to try something new: rowing classes, races, etc. Do it!

Illness, Consistency, and Performance

We all start feeling ill at some point during the year, regardless of season. When the illness comes along, there are two extremes and reasonings that people will resort to:

1) I'm sick, but that can't stop me from working out as much as I usually did, working out won't affect my illness recovery.

2) I'm sick, I won't workout until I feel 100% better, and I either a) won't eat unless it involves Sprite and soda crackers or b) will eat, but the diet goes out the window. It's not like my body will accept it anyway, right?

Resorting to either of these extremes is a bad move when you're feeling ill. Your immune system (and thus your whole body) is already run-down as it is; intense workouts will only exacerbate the issue, extending your recovery period. Also, throwing your prior-to-illness diet will only make your post-illness comeback period more difficult. You will feel sluggish, tired, and won't be able to perform (run, lift, etc.) as well as you were able to before.

Sometimes when I get sick, I fall victim to extreme #1. Not participating in a workout at least 4 times a week messes with my head; I start to feel tired, lazy, sad, and as if my life is out of order. Working out, for me, not only helps with my external appearance, but it helps keep my life on track. That being said, I have in the past justified continuing to workout just as hard as I did prior to my illness when I'm actually sick. Noticing that my illness too a lot longer to get over from when I resorted to these extremes, I modified my approach to my consistency and performance while sick.

If you're the type of person that feels the need to workout to maintain sanity (among other things, like myself), then tone down the workouts in terms of frequency and intensity - don't over-do it!! Instead of a 1 mile sprint, go for a light jog. Instead of a timed workout, go for something that works on your skill-set, at your own pace.

And, in addition to STAYING with your current diet (Paleo, Zone?), make sure to get plenty of REST and FLUIDS (water!).

Once you're completely over your illness, you won't notice as much of a decline in your performance throughout your workouts had you followed this advice rather than one of the two extremes presented. Hope this helps!

"Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fail" -Shakespeare

We all experience this when going on vacation or for a weekend getaway to see friends or family, and I'm not talking about what you think. You go on vacation/getaway and the diet goes out the window. Dependent upon the duration of your stay and how well you stuck to your diet for the weeks prior to your vacation, you might be o.k. to slip up a couple times throughout your stay without much consequence. However, don't let everything go out the window; it will be much harder to get back on your diet and exercise regime when you get back, trust me!

If you find that you give in to temptation quite easily (like myself), here's a couple tricks: either bring some food with you from home (that's diet approved) or go to the grocery store! That way, you won't have the excuse of "...that's all there was in the pantry, I had to eat it!"