Getting in shape feels great until you heat the dreaded plateau and can’t knock off those last few kilos. Fitness trainer Monica Nelson, writing for US News, suggests incorporating planned breaks into your routine so you don’t sabotage results.
Photo by Adrià Ariste Santacreu.
You’d be surprised at how many people are overworking their bodies, thinking they’ll lose more weight and become faster. Not the case. A great example is Olympic athletes. They incorporate a workout routine planned around several rest days. Our bodies need to recuperate and if the body doesn’t come out of continual practice, the system doesn’t have the time to catch up and start patching everything back up. Plus, your muscles grow on rest days, not when you’re working out. I highly recommend at least one rest day a week; depending on what you’re training for, aim for two. You’ll be thrilled at how much better you look and feel, and that plateau may soon be gone.
Of course, you’ll probably have to do a bit more than plan for breaks if you need to overcome an exercise plateau. Depending on your body, you might need to change things up with weights or cardio. Check out the full post over at US News for additional suggestions.
How to Overcome a Workout Rut [US News]
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