The Dreaded Plateau

Depositphotos_5679955_m resizedWe all reach plateaus in life, and the most common plateaus are in the areas of weight loss and exercise.  Plateaus, however, can happen in every area of your life. It can sometimes feel like you are climbing the highest mountain just to break a plateau, but if you make some changes you can be successful. Applying these methods below will help you break any plateau whether it be physical, spiritual, or even financial.

The weight loss plateau occurs often when we are exercising and trying to lose weight and everything is going well and then it just stops. So what happens and why do we plateau?  According to the Mayo Clinic excerpt, a weight-loss plateau occurs when you no longer lose weight despite continuing with your exercise and healthy-eating habits. Being stuck at a weight-loss plateau eventually happens to everyone who is trying to lose weight. A plateau occurs because your metabolism — the process of burning calories for energy — slows as you lose muscle. You burn fewer calories than you did at your heavier weight even doing the same activities. Your weight-loss efforts result in a new equilibrium with your now slower metabolism. At this new equilibrium, calories eaten equals calories expended. This means that to lose more weight, you need to increase activity or decrease the calories you eat. Using the same approach that worked initially may maintain your weight loss, but it won’t lead to additional weight loss.

One way you can break a weight plateau is by mixing things up and doing something different to shock your body to respond. Check out the suggestions in the article regarding Calorie Confusion.

How’s your spiritual journey? Are you losing or gaining? Have you hit a plateau there as well? It’s so easy to get up each morning to pray a morning prayer and read a devotional. Maybe it’s become so routine that you are not even growing spiritually anymore.  Click here to learn more about breaking your spiritual plateau.

Last, but certainly not least, is financial plateaus. There are many things we can do to break financial woes-stalemate. We can spend less and save more. We can also look for ways to cut expenses and ways to increase revenue. Remember “Little Choices Matter” in decisions we make daily. Below are some links to help you break the piggy bank and get things moving- hopefully in the right direction.

Healthy SavingsBreaking the Chains of Debt

The key to breaking any plateau is to do something different and spice things up. If you feel there are areas that you have peaked in your life, look for creative ways to break the patterns and you will see a victorious breakthrough.

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,rivers in the badlands.” Isaiah 43:19 (MSG)