Plateaus and Hidden Benefits
Well, we’ve been working out regularly for a little over 6 months now. We’ve had our ups and downs but in all we’ve seen great success in our lifestyle changes. On average we make it to the gym about 5 days per week and manage to eat healthy about 5.5 days per week. Those fridays before our freeday can be killer. Your tired after a killer week and don’t feel like making dinner sometimes. We usually get to the gym in the morning about half of the time and the rest is after work. Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning can be downright impossible … especially when your up until to midnight … lol.
One great thing that we didn’t think about when we started was the amount of money we’d save doing this. We’ve managed to save a lot of money by not eating out all the time. I know a lot of cities have different rates but in Chicago lunch usually runs $5 – $8 and dinner $8 – $12. If you do a simple calculation 6 months * ~4 weeks per month * 7 days per week * $20 per day * 2 people you get ~$6,720. A typical week (5 meals per day * 6 days for 2 people) of food usually runs us around $120 which comes to ~$2,880 for 6 months. That’s a $3,800 savings in 6 months … even if you factor in gym dues ~$720 your still saving $3,000. This is one of the huge advantages people don’t always think about when they start eating healthy. It’s cheaper to eat healthy than it is to eat bad.
The past few weeks have we’ve both been hitting plateaus in terms of our progress. I know we’ve been gaining muscle along the way and bodies react differently over time but sometimes you want to see the scale move. We’re teetering on some goals that we both want to get past but are struggling to get over that hump. One of the important things we’ve been guilty of not doing is changing up our routine regularly. I find that we can do the same exercises for a few months before we realize we’re in a rut. You have to try to regularly review not only your weights but also the cardio exercises your performing. Make it interesting, throw some variety in there. Continuously stimulating your body to get that adaptation response that changes your body isn’t easy and requires attention to details like variety.
I’m planning on starting out completely different this upcoming week. We’re throwing in all different workouts for weights and cardio. Out with the old, in with the new … since we’re halfway through the year there’s no better time than the present to clean house. Are you stuck in a rut? Try challenging yourself in different ways to hit new highs.
