Why does plateau happen and how can you push through it?

As we wrap up the most ah-mazing LSF challenge yet, I wanna make sure you girls keep the momentum going! You're all in great shape, making great choices and forming incredible, healthy habits. But what's next?

Welp. Unforunately, sometimeeeesthere's a plateau on the horizon.?I don't say this to scare you. I say it toprepareyou. We have literallyall been there, so I'm here to tell you how to push past the plateau and keep on crushin' it. Because trust me: plateaus are temporary if you follow these steps!

A Plateau? Why Tho??

You've been sailing along during the SSD, losing weight, gaining strength. Rockin' it! But plateaus happen… here's why!

Not taking Rest Days

I know you might feel way lazy going from full power to a slower pace next week, but you NEED to give your muscles a break. DO NOT go jumping into another intense week of workouts. After working all your muscles this hard for 5 weeks, the best thing you can do is take a week "off."

By this I don't mean sitting on your couch for 7 days. I mean listening to your body, avoiding another intense week of exercise, and focusing on lower intensity movement. I will still do a few HIIT sessions to make sure I don't lose any ground, but I keep them short and sweet. Otherwise it's more like yoga, some of those less intense workouts on youtube and LISS all the way. You will be shocked how taking a week of less workout time will reset your progress and help you jump over that plateau!

Slackin' and snackin'?

As the SSD winds down,sometimesssssthat means you loosen up your habits a little. Maybe you skip a workout (or three), or maybe you have been eating out a bit more than usual, or having a few more celebratory drinks than usual. Like maybe you're just not pushing yourself in the workouts as hard (slackin'!) or maybe you've made so much progress that they aren't as challenging as they once were, so you are phoning it in! Or else you're just tired of meal prepping or out of ideas… or eating out more.

Whatever it is, life happens! But so do plateaus… read on ?for Team LSF (and scientists!) tips on how to break that plateau!

Not enough sleep?

With how busy life is, I know sometimes we end up burning it at both ends. We wake up early to get in a workout or stay up late to finish our work. Whatever it is, we end up sacrificing sleep. No bueno, girlfriend!

There are legit studies (by University of Chicago) that confirm if you're trying to lose weight, you gotta get them?! Less than 6 hours of sleep per night means significantly less fat loss than if you were to get 8 hours. A doc on the study said, "If your goal is to lose fat, skipping sleep is like poking sticks in your bicycle wheels". In fact, less than 6 hours of shut eye per night reduced fat loss by as much as 55% in their study!!AKA plz don't!

Here's a great way to support your body and help you get some sleep:? Moon Milk!?

Stressin'?

You worry about the scale, which ups your cortisol level. Which causes your body to freak out and think it's in distress. So it holds onto the weight (aka FAT). Stress is harmful in so many ways to your body, including holding onto fat and causing a plateau. So just breatheeeee! Meditate. Do yoga! Whatever you gotta do to calm your mind and chillax, girl. (Here's a great smoothie for helpin' get your zen on.)

A Plateau? Aw Hells No!?

I've legit been there… multiple times. So IKNOWhow to break the plateau. Here's the best tips that I know will help you just like they helped me.

• Tighten up your eating. Clean it up. Meal prep. Do the things you know you need to be doing, but feel like it's too much work. Get it, been there. That's literally why I created the Hot Body Guidesand the Guitltess Nutrition Lifestyle & Recipe Book.I take all the thinking and planning off your plate. So you can keep your nutrition and workouts on lock! And you're in luck!This week only we're giving you 15% off the HBSG and Nutrition Plan. Check your email for the deets!
  
• HIIT it up! We dropped a brand new No Plateau HIIT workoutto help break the plateau. HIIT is the best way to get through those plateau seasons. High-Intensity Interval Training burns fat and produces more weigh-loss than plain ol' moderate-intensity aeroic exercise. Operating at ~90% of your max heart rate for 30 seconds on/30 seconds off for 10-30 minutes really cranks up both your workout and fat burning. It keeps burnin' all day long, even after the HIIT is over!? Quick note on how you girls calculate your target max heart rate: 211 minus 64% of your age. This newer formula means that you may have a higher target max heart rate than you thought, but that's actually a good thing! The harder you push, the better your results!
• Take those rest days? I know when you're feeling strong, you don't want to skip a workout. But it's scientifically necessary for your muscles to get a break if they're going to get stronger. It's better for weight loss, too. So, especially at the end of a big challenge, schedule a week to just take it a bit easier. I'll schedule some yoga during the week, with a few HIIT sessions mixed in to make sure I stay on track.

So say it with me, "Just say NO to a Plateau!"

Another great way to avoid the plateau is to keep checkin' in with your SSD accountability partner! Just because the challenge is wrapping up doesn't mean that you girls can't keep supporting each other and cheering on your other LSF boos!

If you didn't get paired up with an accountability partner, no worries, girl! Check out #TeamLSF, @teamlsfand @lovesweatfitnesson Insta and we'll getchu hooked UP! That's the beauty of our community. We're always here for you, babe!!