Five reasons your body isn’t changing

Editor’s note: This month’s column is written by Ashley Bird, who is originally from Charlottetown, where she graduated from the sport and leisure management program at Holland College. She now lives and works in Muskoka, Ont., as a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. She was just recently named one of Canada’s top 10 personal trainers of 2018

We’ve all been there … spinning our wheels and going nowhere (sometimes literally, on that boring stationary bike in the gym). Every spring we get serious, buy a gym membership, rip out our favourite exercises from the magazines and start eating healthier because summer is coming.

Three weeks go by, our motivation is waning and we’re getting frustrated because nothing is happening. Well, before I tell you why, let me start by saying that no matter what you’re doing you need to be patient.

Let’s make sure you’re doing the right things though because patience will only take you so far.

Here are five reasons your body isn’t changing and what to do to get the ball rolling.

1. You don’t pay attention to your calorie intake (or you have no idea what your intake should be). I know you don’t want to hear this, but when it comes to fat loss, calories matter. There is no way around that. Our bodies lose or gain weight based on energy balance (calories in vs calories spent). If you can’t afford a good nutrition coach…and good is really the key word because not all personal trainers know enough about nutrition to give you solid, sustainable advice, I recommend using an app to figure out your intake. My fitness Pal or My Macros +, are two great ones to try. Keep in mind that this will be more general and is being generated by a computer, not a person.

TIP: when entering your

activity level, be careful. Most people think they are more active than they really are...if you go to the gym three to four times per week but have a low impact job, you are only moderately active.

2. You don’t eat enough protein. As a general rule, you need to think about your approximate ideal body weight and eat about 1 g of protein per pound. So, if you’re 200 pounds but you’re about 40 pounds overweight, calculate that number based on your “goal weight”. Protein will usually account for about 40 per cent of your daily calorie intake if calculated properly. Why is this important? In short; protein is the most “thermogenic” type of food which will help with calorie burning. It is also essential for building muscle which keeps our metabolism going strong.

3. You do too much cardio and/or don’t lift heavy weights enough. Women, especially, are afraid of this because they don’t want to “get bulky”. Well, let me tell you, it is a lot harder than you think. It won’t happen if you pick up a dumbbell heavier than 10 pounds, I promise you that. Many women you see with large, ripped muscular figures have either been training specifically to get large, ripped muscles for many years consistently or they take enhancements products. Make strength training your focus and supplement with yoga and cardio. It’s important to stay flexible and mobile, but it shouldn’t be the staple in your training if you want to really see fat loss results. Make sure to take rest days.

4. You have an all or nothing mentality. You start a diet and you stick to it no matter what…. for six weeks. You’ve restricted yourself so much by cutting out sugar, bread, pasta, alcohol and anything else you “think” is unhealthy. Now what? You need to start taking an 80/20 (daily) approach to this or you will be stuck in the diet cycle forever. What do I mean by 80/20? It means that 80 per cent of the time you need to make healthy choices by eating whole foods rich in nutrients, drinking lots of water and by saying no most of the time to the extras. That means 20 per cent of the time you eat your treat, you drink that glass of wine (but not five glasses of wine) and you have that yummy pasta dish. Whatever you do most of the time will be what makes this stick for you. Cook most of your own food and only eat out on occasion but don’t deny yourself that simple pleasure just to follow a short term diet. I tell all my clients “if you don’t think it’s something you can stick to long term, then don’t start now”. Making small changes, achieving balance and being consistent is key.

5. You don’t stick to one thing for long enough. I know this sounds boring, but of any diet or program you will ever find, the good ol “diet and exercise” is the best one to follow. Forget all those diet trends and fads and just stick to paying attention to your calorie intake and incorporating strength training and doing it consistently.

Follow these points and be patient. Happy training!