You may see your friends posting amazing progress pictures online, or notice that other members at your gym are getting new PR’s (personal records).

You’ve been going to the gym for a few weeks now maybe a few months and you’re not noticing any of these changes happening to you. Why are you not seeing results!?

You might think that those people are so lucky. You might think your current training program is not working so you’ll try something else. You think you need to do a juice cleanse or start a trendy diet that you saw on Good Morning America. Before you do anything, let’s look at some possible reasons why you might not be seeing results:

1. Proper Nutrition

You might be going to the gym 5 to 6 days a week but are not eating healthy food. You are fueling your body with over-processed foods with little to zero nutritional value. It’s possible that you might be taking in more food than you are burning.

Or maybe you are eating healthy and clean but still not seeing results. If that’s the case, you might not be eating enough. For example, you are not eating the right amount or ratios of carbohydrates, protein and fat that your body needs.

Challenge yourself to track your food in a journal for two weeks and you’ll be able to see how much you’re actually eating and you can make a decision from there.

2. Lack Of Strength Training

It’s great to find fitness passions like running, zumba class, indoor cycling and other high cardio activities. Cardio is a great addition to any training program but it shouldn’t be the only thing in your fitness program.

If your goal is to build muscle definition, you need to lift weights…and not just light weights. You need a program that balances heavy lifting days as well as lighter days.

Weight training allows you to strengthen the muscles you need and helps prevent injury when you participate in your running club, zumba class or spin class.

3. Lack Of Sleep

Without getting into too many details about sleep, we’ll just offer a few bullet points about getting proper, quality sleep:

• Sleep deprivation triggers your brain to release chemicals that induce hunger leading to poor food choices and over-consumption
• Being well rested, increases the likelihood that you will be motivated and energetic during your training session.
• Lack of sleep affects your reaction time, which is especially important if you take any martial arts classes.
• When we workout, we break down muscles. When we sleep, we are building muscle. If you want to get lean, toned and/or pack on muscle, get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep.
• Getting 7 to 9 hours reduces risks of adverse health conditions
• Sleep improves muscle memory. So if you put in the time to practice your technique, put in the 7 to 9 hours of sleep needed to make sure your lifts start to become “effortless” or “second nature”.

4. Lack Of Intensity

Just because we went to the gym doesn’t mean we got a great workout. You might have heard this saying before “You get out what you put in”.

Our bodies need to be challenged in order for them to change.

So what does intensity look like?

A simple way that you are challenging yourself is by sweat. We all sweat differently but if we notice that our face is starting to drip and our shirt is starting to get drenched, we’re working hard.

Now onto breathing…heavy breathing means we are working hard. If you are able to have a conversation while lifting weights or going for a run, you are not working hard enough.

Another way to tell if you are working at a good intensity level is by your heart rate. If you are sweating and you are breathing heavy, that means your heart rate increased and you are on your way to results.

Intensity doesn’t mean just a full sprint. It just means that you are challenging yourself. You are doing a new movement, heavier weight, more repetitions, or trying to take 3 seconds off your mile time.

5. Inconsistency

This one speaks for itself.

We need to be consistent with our training, nutrition and sleep in order for us to see change.

If you need help with staying consistent:

• Get a personal trainer or join a group class like CrossFit
• Sign up or schedule your session ahead of time
• Try nutrition counseling
• Create a support system with family and/or friends
• Hold yourself accountable

Consistency does not mean perfection. We’re not saying you have to follow any strict plans. We still want you to enjoy your life. Unless you are a competitive athlete, a good rule to follow is 80/20.

If you are making healthy decisions and going to the gym 80% of the time over the course of a month, you will see results. If you were to follow the 80/20 rule, you will see significant changes over the course of a year!

What we are trying to say is that we alone are in control of our own success!

If you need help with your workouts, with your nutrition or if you feel like you need some accountability, schedule a FREE consultation today ( Click Here ). We can discuss what your goals are and we’ll make a plan together on how we can achieve them.