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Get Out of Your Fitness Slump
7 Strategies for Sticking With It

By Kathy Summers

Top competitors, recreational athletes and the average person who works out to stay in shape share this in common — they all fall into fitness slumps. What's the difference? Athletes have experts to coach them out of the slump. Here's how they do it.

Slump No 1: boredom
"People often adopt a program they read about in a magazine and they never change it. So, they get bored" says Kathy Zawadzki, a Carmichael Training Systems coach and co-author of Chris Carmichael's Food for Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right (Berkley Books, 2005).

Strategy: 'periodize' your training year. Varying your program (aka periodization) will help maximize fitness gains. Start your fitness year by focusing on aerobic development. Then, depending on your goals, work on speed. Later in the year, concentrate on your race strategy — all while maintaining what you worked on earlier, Zawadzki says.

Slump No. 2: plateaus
Fitness plateaus result from repeating the same old routine. For example, running 3 miles is a challenge at first. But after your body adapts, you stop making fitness gains. "Once people hit a plateau, they stop losing weight and seeing changes, so their motivation goes out the window," Zawadzki says.

Strategy: progressive overloadGradually increase the stress on your body so that you continue to improve. Add intervals to your 3 miles — or better yet, run 3 ½ miles. "This allows your body to continually adapt and get stronger, faster or leaner throughout the year, depending on your goals," Zawadski says.

Slump No. 3: injuries
If you try to jump back into your fitness routine after an injury, you may be headed for a setback. Getting back in shape could take up to a year — a long time to stay motivated.

Strategy: start slow and build up over time. Set that goal for a year. Then set intermediate goals for 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months out, modifying your goals as necessary, Zawadzki says. For the first 6 weeks, do something 3 days a week. Then add a structured weight training program, or do yoga 3 days a week.

Slump No. 4: impossible schedule
Irregular work hours and holidays can interfere with a regular fitness schedule. You may have trouble thinking of ways to fit in a workout.

Strategy: keep it simple. "If you need to change your routine around completely, do it," says Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and author of The 12-Week Triathlete: How to Train For a Triathlon in Just 3 Months (Fair Winds, 2005). If you're in a slump, just get on a treadmill or go to the gym, regardless of how long you exercise. "Just get out the door," Holland says.

Slump No. 5: false starts
It's easy to start a fitness routine, but it's much harder to keep at it. If your goals are too challenging or not challenging enough, you may quit.

Strategy: set clearly defined goals. Keep an exercise log, hire a personal trainer to keep you committed, or train with a group to stay motivated, Holland says. "This is one reason events like a 5k walk for charity, half marathon or organized bike ride make such great fitness goals. You have something to work toward, a reason to exercise every day and a sense of accomplishment when you achieve it."

Slump No. 6: mind games
Psychological factors are intimately linked to key components of peak performance in competitive sports, says Roland Carlstedt, Ph.D., chairman of the American Board of Sport Psychology (ABSP) and author of Critical Moments During Competition: A Mind-Body Model of Sport Performance When It Counts the Most (Psychology Press, 2004). Likewise, negative intrusive thoughts may interfere with your ability to meet fitness goals.

Strategy: work with, not against, your personality. Pay attention to your self-talk during fitness activities. For a sophisticated assessment of your "athlete's profile," visit the ABSP Athlete Test Center at americanboardofsportpsychology.org, or consult a sports psychologist.

Slump No. 7: post-competition blues
After you've achieved a major goal, you'll want to set new goals. But do too much too soon and you may not want to get out of bed a month from now.

Strategy: take a short break to enjoy your success. You've worked hard, Zawadzki says. Now, go out and have some fun. Give yourself the chance to do things you didn't get to do when you were on a very structured program. "Go out and play, ride your mountain bike or go hiking with your kids."

--Kathy Summers is a health, fitness and nutrition writer in Cave Creek, AZ.