There is no sugar coating it. There is no nicey-nice way to put it. When you feel you’ve been doing everything right, logging hours of exercise each week and you’re still not seeing results – it just sucks.

It’s demotivating. It makes you want to throw in the towel and just say “forget it.”

I know all too well about plateaus…

I’m smack in the middle of one right now myself. I step on that scale and the number goes down… then it goes up… then it doesn’t move… then it goes up again. UGH!

When this happens, I agonize, I stress. I tell myself “I’m doing everything RIGHT – what is going on?!?” I rehash every workout I’ve done for the past few weeks. I search for any possible reason why I’m not seeing the results I want to see.

It’s so damn frustrating.

And then I get real with myself.

There is always a reason for the plateau.

My reason for this particular plateau? Long. Cold. Winter.

We’ve seen 3 blizzards in the past month where I live in PA. Talk about carb-craving weather. And unfortunately, I gave in…

In the last three weeks, I’ve eaten more pizza and pasta then I will admit to. And I don’t even wanna talk about how much sugary junk has passed my lips.

Because  of all that horrid eating, my motivation for my workouts diminished. I’ve managed to justify adding another rest day into my schedule. And the other day, I caught myself talking myself into taking away 1 of the 2 heavy days I do… OY!

As a result of all of that – I’m gaining weight, and I’m even more demotivated.

How to flip the switch back to ultra-motivation:

Getting yourself re-motivated isn’t always easy. When I step on that scale and I see a number I don’t like, the first thing my mind immediately shouts is something like “AW FORGET IT!” And for a split second… or maybe an hour… I think “why am I doing all this stuff to supposedly take care of myself when it isn’t working anyway?!?”

And in those moments, it would be soooo easy for me to just cave – order a pizza, grab a soda, down a gallon of ice cream and go back to my old habits.

But then I remember where my old habits got me. I remember what it felt like to be 30 lbs. heavier. Depressed. Hidden under my layers.

I remember how far I’ve come. The progress I’ve made. How great I actually DO feel.

And then, it’s ON. I think “I’m not letting all this hard work, energy, and feeling-wonderfully-terrific about my life” go. Not  that easily.

But what if you’re just starting on the journey?

Just by making the decision to take back your life, and honor yourself is a HUGE step. Do you remember what it took mentally and emotionally for you to just get to that point? It’s hard work, I know it all too well.

There is no such thing as “just starting.” You’re taking your life in your hands one step, one meal, one workout at a time. And that’s brave, and courageous, and just an awesome thing to do.

When your switch is flipped to “off”, here’s how to turn back “on.”

– As stated above – remember how far you’ve come. Do you really want to chuck it all and go back to where you were?

– Remember that there is always a reason for your plateau. Your body responds to everything. Look back over your diet, and your exercise. See where you may need to make another small change. And if you need a hand to hold, expertise, or a good swift kick, contact me and we’ll set up a Jump Start Session (45 minutes; Me, you, the phone, or Skype, and a good talk about what’s going on for you).

– YOU have the power. It’s in YOUR hands. No excuses, take no prisoners, make the choice to break the plateau today.

For me, I’m determined to feel awesome in a bathing suit this summer. That is my A #1 motivation right now. I don’t want to go back to feeling self-conscious in my bathing suit or my clothes.

My commitment for the next few weeks is to honor myself, listen to my body, and remember how far I’ve come. I’ll let ya know how it goes :)

**For more great info on taking care of yourself, Check out Prevention not Prescriptions This is an excellent collection of informative articles that offer insight, and information on how to get healthy, stay healthy, and live better!