Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenWhen you exercise long enough, it happens to you. You get close to your goal, just a few more pounds to go, and you hit a wall. The scale doesn’t even show an extra half pound off!
There’s a way to shed those last stubborn pounds without starving yourself or going crazy with training. By making a few small adjustments to your daily routine, you can easily get your body back into burning mode.
CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS
Refining your diet can help you shed those last stubborn pounds.
Instead of thinking about eating less food, think about replacing one thing with another.
A few examples include:
- Switch from semi-skimmed milk to skimmed milk
- Use light or fat-free mayonnaise instead of the full-fat version
- Read the labels of what you eat every day and look for versions with fewer calories
- Incorporate more fiber-rich foods into your diet to feel fuller after eating and consume fewer calories
- Stick to normal portion sizes
REVAMP YOUR CARDIO TRAINING
Adjusting your cardio training is a great way to burn more calories. Try out the following ideas:
- Try something new: Try a new machine at the gym or buy a new workout video for home
- Change the intensity of your training: If you normally walk at five kilometers per hour on the treadmill, increase it to six kilometers and raise the incline of the machine to burn more calories
- Adjust the duration: Do your usual workout, but add ten minutes of skipping or kickboxing at the end of one or two of your weekly workouts
- Try interval training or circuit training: If you train outdoors, throw in some short sprints during your normal running routine. Or do eight to ten exercises back-to-back without taking a rest, combining cardio and strength training
TRAIN WITH WEIGHTS
If you’re not doing weight training, starting a program can help give your weight loss a push in the right direction.
If you’re already weight training and you’ve hit a plateau, it’s time to shake up your routine. Make one or more of the following changes every six weeks:
- Change the exercises. For example, if you’re doing a barbell curl for your biceps, switch to dumbbells or a cable. If you’re doing push-ups, try doing them at a different angle to make them harder
- Use a different training method. For example, if you’re doing regular sets (e.g., 3 sets of 6 repetitions), try pyramid training or supersets
- Train with a different weight or number of repetitions. If you’ve been doing twelve repetitions for each exercise, increase the weight so you can only do eight repetitions. Or add repetitions every week until you can handle sixteen repetitions with the weight. Then increase the weight again
- Try doing yoga or Pilates to improve your flexibility, stability, and endurance
