When clients who are trying to lose weight hit a plateau, they come to me frustrated, upset and tired. They may be trying a popular weight loss program, only to find it doesn't work for them and they can't stick with it. Or they may be doing the same thing that brought success before, but the scale doesn't budge . Even more distressing is when it ends up at a higher number yet—yikes!
The worst part is when I see so many people give up . They think they might as well “enjoy" life versus go through all this effort just to stay the same weight. But, deep down, they are disappointed they couldn’t lose the weight —and gain better health.
Does this sound like you?
Fact is, what you have tried to do in the past might not have been all wrong. Maybe you were just missing a key component to really make it successful .
Say you want to stay in shape, so you start out running a mile a day. You will probably start to notice physical and mental changes that come with the increased exercise. Then the weight loss slows down— a mini plateau. So you go for two miles. The same positive results start to occur—and then another mini-plateau. So bump it up to 3, 4 and even 5 miles.
You continue to feel really, really good as you are doing cardio 45-50 minutes a day. But, then that same plateau starts to happen. What should you do now? If you keep adding miles at this pace, you’ll be running a marathon everyday!
Here’s the answer: challenge your body and metabolism every time you work out . In fact, you can actually work out less total time while achieving results faster .
Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. Incorporating interval training 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week is the secret weapon to achieving weight loss quickly .
Here’s a sample interval workout to get started. I can’t stress enough how much IT WORKS ! It can be used for any activity such as walking, jogging, riding a stationary bike, using a treadmill, etc.
SAMPLE INTERVAL WORKOUT . Start out warming up for 3 minutes. After completing the warm up, pick up your pace for 45 seconds. Continue increasing your pace every 45 seconds until you are completely out of breath. You should reach that point within five-45 second bursts.
Return to your warm-up pace for 45 seconds and then start increasing your intensity again. Repeat this sequence 4 times. During the last interval, try to maintain your high intensity as long as possible (make it a goal for 1-2 minutes). You know you are pushing hard enough if your body is saying, “STOP, STOP, STOP!" Then cool down for 3 minutes.
So, to summarize:
Warm up: 3 minutes
Pick up the pace for 45 seconds
Increase pace every 45 seconds until completely out of breath
Return to warm-up pace: 45 seconds
Repeat sequence 3 more times (4 total)
During last interval push yourself to the max for 1 minute
Cool down: 3 minutes
When you're done, congratulate yourself for your fantastic efforts and enjoy the extra surge of adrenaline you'll be feeling!
Remember, this is just one of dozens of ways to complete an interval workout.
The true key to achieving results is to push yourself so your breathing rate increases and you feel out of breath . This “out of breath" feeling sends a signal to your body that it doesn't have enough oxygen. The body responds by increasing oxygen delivery and leads to a faster metabolism. BONUS!
Not only will you have kick-started your weight loss , but, by creating a more efficient and effective workout, you will have created more energy, increased your cardio capacity and sped up your metabolism.
Let me know how it goes! I love hearing about your success!
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