Whatever your overall goal, everyone has a stage where their progress seems to slow down. They step on the scale and notice it hasn’t moved for a few weeks, or they find that despite following their trainer’s instructions, their improvement has slowed down. It’s important to realise everyone hits a plateau now and again, and here are some ways to get through it.

1. Celebrate what you’ve achieved so far

When you weigh or measure yourself week to week, you may not notice a huge difference, but when you look at your starting point versus today, the transformation is no doubt amazing. You should take some before photos at the start of your journey, and print them out, so they’re not just hidden on your phone. When you’re having a bad day, look at how far you’ve come, or think about your first day at the gym compared to what you can do now.

2. Give yourself a makeover

If you’re feeling a lack of confidence due to your plateau, get yourself back on track by treating yourself to celebrate your progress. Whether it’s buying new clothes that flatter your new body, buying some supplies from Kent Express to whiten your teeth that you can use at home or get a Dentist in Bay Harbor Islands to administer, or simply getting a flattering new haircut, there are lots of non-food treats you can use to celebrate your progress. 

3. Book a couple of extra sessions with your personal trainer

A plateau is sometimes a sign that your body is getting too used to your new routine, so it may be worth switching things up. A personal trainer can help you by:

• Reassessing your routine and ensuring it works for you
• Giving you the extra push to get through tougher sessions
• Teaching you new exercises 
• Recommending different activities to hold your interest

If you feel you’re holding back a bit, then working with others can also be motivating. You might want to try some group sessions or a bootcamp to kickstart things, as it’s harder to slack off when others are around.

4. Track your food and exercise

Using an app to track your food or exercise can be an excellent way to stay on track. If you don’t weigh, measure and track what you eat, then it’s very easy to eat more than you thought or to subconsciously cheat. There are many food-tracking apps available, some of them free and others offering extra benefits for subscription, so it’s easy to see exactly what you’ve eaten in a day and adjust accordingly.

Fitness trackers are also great as they give you a realistic picture of how effective your workout has been. People often overestimate how many calories they’ve burned or how intense their workout has been, so seeing the numbers in black and white can be motivating. It doesn’t compare to the skills of a personal trainer but is handy for in-between sessions. 

Your fitness or weight loss journey is never going to be easy, especially when you aren’t seeing the results you want right away, but it’s important to stay motivated and look beyond the number on the scales to stay on track.