Eating Right. Sweating Hard. Little Results?

After sweating hard and eating right for a couple of months you may find that you are getting less results.
Don't be discouraged we all experience it. Your body has plateaued so take it up a notch!


To mix up my workout I am training for a 10k (6.1 mile marathon). So starting today I am running longer distances with a partner. I'm also going to start running outside because I am bored with the treadmill.

Use these tips from Heart & Soul to mix up your workout:


Make it a double. “Whenever you do something with a partner, you feed off each other,’ says Kathy Merritt Murray, a triathlete and owner of Fit Bodies in Atlanta. Pick a friend or group and chat the workout away. Or partner with someone at the gym who is a little fitter than you—and work on keeping up.

Mix it up! Throw your body a curve, says Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist of myexerciseplan.com and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Instead of slogging through 30 minute on the treadmill, do 10 minutes on the bike, 10 on the rower and 10 on the elliptical machine.

Take it outside. Hitting the trail can breath fresh air into your workouts, but be sure your feet are prepared, Murray says. Visit shops like Fleet Feet and New Balance, where pros help you find the right show and let you take shoes for a test run.

Get fit for race day. Yes, you can walk or run a marathon. Sign up for a three-day charity walk. Check out active.com for races and events near you. Take a class at the local recreation center to get ready for a summer tennis league. Or try a triathlon just for us: Visit Team Dream (teamdream.us), which offers women of color race and training information. Danskin sponsors a newbie-friendly triathlon series (danskintriathlon.com).

Use your mind and your muscles. Don’t just go through the motions when lifting weights. “Engage your spine, pelvis, knees. Keeping them aligned with your feet while slowing down your moves burns more calories,” says Carl J. Powell Jr., owner of The Body Magnificent Body fitness studio in Laurel, Maryland.

Blast more calories in less time. Murray suggests throwing high-intensity bursts into your aerobic workout. “Work out at 75 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate—about a seven or eight on a scale of one to 10—for four minutes, bump it up to the next level for a minute, then go back to 75 to 80 percent. Repeat for 20 to 45 minutes; cool down as usual.”

Take care of your body. Athletes pamper their bodies to prevent and treat injuries; so should you. “Listen to your body, stretch, take time off between workouts—and keep a chiropractor’s number on hand just in case,” Murray says.

Tow dumbbells and 15 minutes. That’s all you need to get your strength-training program started. Do eight to 10 reps, one to two sets, and build from there. And if you’ve never worked with weights, don’t let it sway you. “The key is to learn as many different exercises as you can for each muscle group,” Cotton says.

Be kind—and unwind. “If dealing with an injury, back off the intensity,” Murray says. If you’re a six-mile runner, do half the mileage—or take a few days off. Take rest days and stretch or do Pilates or yoga. Swimming is a perfect, impact-free exercise.

Love yourself fit. Love yourself as you are, Cotton says. “Exercise as a celebration of yourself. You’re more likely to exercise and get the body you desire if you accept yourself in the shape you’re in now.”



More suggestions? Please Share!