When You Hit the Wall

We've all been in that place where we feel like we're not making progress. Maybe you're just starting out and making changes to your diet and fitness routine is harder than expected. Maybe you're a veteran, with your routine locked in, but just aren't seeing the progress you want. In either case, many people get discouraged, and either give up, or end up injuring themselves. Neither is a great option. I'm of the opinion that moving, and being active will always be better than not. Here's a list of suggestions that I work through with my clients who become discouraged.

• Define progress. Don't underestimate the importance of deciding what it is you want. The old adage of "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there" is perfect here. What kind of progress are you looking for, and how are you measuring it? Are you tracking your workouts in a notebook? Lots of CrossFit boxes are using Wodify, or another program like it to allow members to track their progress. Do you forget to enter your times and attendance? If you don't track what you've done, you'll never know how far you've come, and that leaves the door wide open for discouragement when you're feeling tired, or frustrated. Once you've decided what you want, come up with steps on how to get there. Come up with a plan, with short-term and long-term goals along the way.


• Consider your stress bucket. I love the analogy of a stress bucket, which was first introduced to me by weightlifting coach Sean Waxman, owner of Waxman's Gym, and I think the analogy has so much relevance not only to coaching, but to life. We all have stress in our lives. Our diet, sleep, work/school and relationships are what I think of as the common fundamental stressors in our lives. If we're eating badly, not enough or too much, our stress bucket is a little more full. Same thing with sleep. Those two things are the basic blocks for physical well-being. Do you have extra going on at school/work, or are things tense at home? After all of that, we can consider what's going on at the gym, which also adds stress. "But, I go to the gym to relieve stress," you remind me. Many of us do, and it does help to relieve stress. That endorphin rush is a very real thing. However, as you work, you're tearing down muscles, and generally fatiguing your body which adds stress to your bucket. Add on top of that the emotional importance many of us apply to how our workout goes, and we're piling on more. Now, if your fundamental stressors are already taking up an inordinate amount of your bucket, it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for gym stress, and we start to overflow. Overflow means things stop going well, you stop making progress, or you injure yourself. I know from experience that sooner or later, you cannot continue to make progress in the gym if your stress bucket is over-full. It will catch up with you. And it means you need to address the other stressors before you can expect to make more progress. Sometimes, its as simple as dialing in your nutrition, or getting an hour more of sleep at night. Sometimes, it's being a little gentler with yourself until things, which may be completely beyond your control, settle down at home. I can't tell you how many times I've reminded women at all stages (particularly during pregnancy, post-pregnancy) that there are times and seasons, and sometimes the gym and optimal fitness simply cannot be a priority. Trust me, I've learned this the hard way!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9329375