Have you been working out really hard and following a strict eating plan and find yourself ‘stuck,’ not able to shed the weight you are wanting to? It’s possible that you have hit a plateau and it may not be for the reasons you think.
Why Have You Hit a Plateau
So what are the possible obvious reasons? It could be your lack of compliance. I know no one wants to hear that, but maybe you are unaware of how you are sabotaging yourself. Could it be: your portion sizes have increased or decreased too much, your cardio frequency or intensity has dropped off, your body has adapted to your workout routine or you are drinking more alcohol, etc…
Well now for what you want to hear, it could have nothing to do with your exercise or nutrition! It could have to do with 2 completely separate factors that contribute to your health. Are you ready for them? Ok, the culprits could be sleep or specifically a lack of it and stress!
Can Sleep or Stress Causes You Plateau?
Now I’m sure you have heard of both sleep and stress as impactors on your health but do you know why? When we don’t get the 8ish hours of sleep we require on a regular basis we physically place stress on our bodies. We are not able to recover from our workouts as well and we alter a very important hormonal balance. This balance is between the two hormones ghrelin and leptin, responsible for our body signaling to us when we are hungry and full. This is the reason why when we are sleep deprived we also crave more carbohydrates and sugars…all a recipe for our bodies to undermine our efforts during our waking hours!
Similarly, when we are really stressed out our bodies increase our cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for the fight or flight response. The problem is when we have chronic or especially high levels of stress for a prolonged period, elevated cortisol levels lead to an increase in fat storage, particularly the most unhealthy kind around the abdomen.
How Do You Overcome a Plateau?
So this leads to the next question, what to do? Often when people are able to decrease their stress levels, improved sleep follows. But stress management is the tough barrier for most to overcome. You may want to try some techniques and see what makes a difference for you. For example, yoga, mild exercise, massages, baths, listening to soft music, writing in a gratitude journal, talking to a life coach, or partaking in an activity that makes you happy are just a few ideas. Also, you may consider some supplements that have adaptagens (help your body combat stress and help with sleep) to further aid your efforts.
Lastly, if sleep or stress are not the problem you might consider seeing a physician for medical issues that can hinder you from achieving your goals. And, do not be discouraged if you have some medical factors working against you…they can be managed, as I speak from personal experience.
Good luck on overcoming your plateaus!
Anu Morgan
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