I see you, girl, trying to get in all the movement. Tracking your steps on your smartwatch, hitting your spin class every day. OR you’ve gotten so frustrated you’ve moved to something more intense, throwing huge tires around, hitting things with sledgehammers, and running sprints for an hour every day. You are working so hard, and you aren’t seeing changes in the mirror. If you are honest with yourself, your pants are a bit tight, and you feel a little fluffy. What gives? Why all the hard work and no results?

As a FASTer Way Coach, one of the most frequent questions I get is this: “What am I doing wrong? I am working out, and I’m not seeing the results I want.”

The truth is exercise and movement are amazing for your body and health. The tricky part is: Seeing changes in your body requires more than just hitting the gym.

Reason #1 – You focus your attention on your time at the gym, but aren’t paying enough attention to what you are eating. 

You’ve heard it said, “Abs are made in the kitchen,” and I couldn’t agree more. If you truly want to see changes in your body composition, burn fat and feel your best, you have to focus on eating the right amount of the right things at the right times.

When it comes to changing your body composition, here are some VITAL things to remember:

• Whole food nutrition is key. If it comes from the ground or has a mother, it is fair game. Overly processed foods can cause inflammation that can keep you holding onto the body fat you are trying to get rid of.
• Plan your meals around protein. Protein helps us build and maintain the lean sexy muscles you want.
• “Eat less & exercise more” isn’t the best advice. Fueling your body properly is vital to seeing the results you are looking for.  Under-eating is detrimental to your health & successful fat loss.

Reason #2 – You aren’t strategic with your workouts.  

You show up to the gym, jump on the treadmill or stair-stepper, pop in your Air Pods, and watch the latest trash TV.  Zoning out until the machine tells you your hour is up. Then you wander around hitting a few machines. You can’t even remember which ones you did last time, and wait, how does this one work? Oh well, time to head home. You’ve been here long enough. 

When it comes to changing your body composition, remember:

• Cardio is excellent for your heart, but you need to incorporate strength training into your workout routine to really see changes in your body composition.
• Your body is amazing at adapting.  It is important to change things up and challenge your body to prevent hitting a plateau. 
• When you strategically pair your workouts with your nutrition you set yourself up to see incredible results when it comes to fat-burning! 

BOTTOM LINE … You need to work out smarter, not harder. A strategic plan for your workout routine paired with the proper fuel will get you seeing the results you are looking for- fast!

Reason #3 – You aren’t building in time to rest and recover. 

When it comes to working out, more isn’t always better. It is scientifically proven that if you are stressed out or struggling to sleep well, it’s nearly impossible to get your body to burn fat.  Here are some helpful strategies when it comes to rest & recovery.

• Build-in active recovery days. Active recovery days give your body the opportunity to recover and rebuild from your strategic exercise. 
• Do your best to get good quality sleep, at least 7-9 hours a night.  
• Find ways how to destress, unplug and work on a positive mindset around your wellness journey.  (Consider breathing exercises, yoga, limiting screen time)

Seeing the changes, you want to see in your body composition, especially as a woman, can feel impossible. But I assure you it’s not! When you focus on your nutrition, work out smarter, not harder, and begin to build in rest and recovery days, you’ll find yourself making progress! 

Like with anything in life, consistency it’s the key to seeing the results you are working towards!

If you are ready to start working out smarter, not harder, and ready for guidance, support, and accountability, I would love to invite you to join my next FASTer Way new client experience. I will teach you all that you need to know to start seeing those changes in the mirror! Find out more about Group Coaching HERE.

Resources: 

https://www.healthline.com/health/active-recovery

https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/sleep-disorders/stress-and-sleep-affect-weight