Your workouts are dialed in, and your body is rapidly becoming leaner and more attractive. Friends and family notice, and you feel fantastic.Then, it stops.You are doing everything exactly the same as before except your body no longer responds. You have hit a plateau. It’s a frustrating place to be parked, so check out the following five steps to get your body back into results mode.Step No. 1: Reduce sugar. An effective way to restart results is to reel in your sugar intake. Inspect all food for added sugars and eliminate items that contain high-calorie sweeteners: no sugar, corn syrup, honey or maple syrup.If you’ve already eliminated processed sugars from your diet and have still hit a plateau, it’s time to dig a little deeper by eliminating some natural sugars. Limit your intake of sweet fruits and eliminate dried fruits.Step No. 2: Get more sleep. We are supposed to get an average of eight hours of sleep each night. If you’re not getting adequate amounts of rest, you’re more likely to be hungry, to overeat and gain weight.When you’re tired and don’t feel like cooking a healthy meal, you’re more likely to opt for fast (fattening) food. Then, you might skip workouts because of a lack of energy. Sleep deprivation causes metabolism to slow down, which slows or reverses your results. To beat your plateau, make sleep a priority.Step No. 3: Drink only water. To restart results, make some not-so-fun changes. If you’re one of the millions hooked on soda, alcohol or other sweetened beverages, your plateau will stay locked in place until you replace these drinks with water.Keep in mind that your brain often confuses thirst with hunger. So, at the first sign of hunger, don’t grab a snack or calorie-filled drinks. Instead, grab a glass of water.Step No. 4: Eat a healthy breakfast, but not just any breakfast. Your plateau-breaking breakfast should be low in carbs and high in protein. Try eggs, lean breakfast meats, a protein shake or a mini-muffin made with almond flour.Fitting breakfast into your busy morning could take some work, but research shows that the habit of eating a healthy breakfast is key to losing weight and keeping pounds off. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat breakfastStep No. 5: Increase exercise intensity. It’s time to start taking your workouts more seriously. It’s all-out for you. Toget back on track with your body transformation and keep the fat melting away, increase the amount and intensity of your exercise routine.For most people, this is the most difficult lifestyle change of all, but the benefits are enormous. Try to get 30 to 60 minutes of intense exercise on most days of the week. When exercise is a normal part of your everyday routine, you’re more likely to stick with it, and your body will become slimmer and more toned.The quickest and most permanent way to beat that plateau is through a combination of healthy eating and consistent, challenging workouts.Just one day at a timeMaking healthy lifestyle changes can be challenging. Chances are you’ll encounter an occasional setback, but don’t give up!Try this: Focus on the day at hand. Don’t allow dwell on the enormity of your goal, only specific lifestyle changes for today. Then, wake up and do it again. Before you know it, you will have made huge strides toward achieving your goal.RECIPE OF THE MONTHEasy baked halibutThis is a simple recipe: Combine the flavorful marinade ingredients, brush over the fillets and bake. That’s it! Add a side of veggies and a dark green salad for a delicious fitness-approved meal. Servings: 4Here’s what you need:4 halibut fillets1 tbsp. coconut aminosJuice from one lime2 garlic cloves, minced2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced1 tbsp. olive oil1 tsp. toasted sesame oil2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped1/4 tsp. sweet paprika1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil.2. Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Place in the prepared pan.3. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Brush over the fillets.4. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to broil for an additional 3 minutes.Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 201 calories, 7g fat, 250mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate, 1g fiber and 30g protein
