You’ve been working out hard (or so you thought) at attempts to get in shape and get fit.  Yet, you still are not achieving the results you want of becoming stronger, faster or reaching a healthier weight.  What’s going on?  Take a step back, be honest and take a look at 5 possible reasons why you’re not seeing the gym results you are after and how to change that:

1.  You’re exercise routine is often hit and miss

Ask any person who is physically fit and they will tell you a secret to getting in better shape is you must exercise consistently most days of the week.  No working out 5 days one week and then the next 3 weeks you only get in maybe 2 workouts per week.  Exercise has to be a priority.    No more excuses.  Only in the most dire of situations should you allow yourself time off.  Your body will thank you and you will be in the best shape of your life.

2.  You’re not working as hard as you think

Anyone who is a beginner at working out should ease into exercise.  But if after 6 months or more and you are still walking 3 days a week for 30 minutes at a 3 mile per hour pace which is what you started out doing to begin with, you have not pushed yourself enough.  Once your body gets used to a certain routine, in order to challenge your muscles or to mobilize fat, you have to pick up the pace.  Push yourself gradually but steadily to where you are working out an extra day or two and a little longer, faster, and more intensely than what you have been.  That’s when you will begin to transform your body by losing some weight and firming up, building muscle in areas that need it.

3.  You’re rewarding yourself with food

After a tough, productive workout, all you want to do is go reward yourself with food.  But wait.  You’ve worked too hard and too long to simply indulge in a high-calorie food that will only replenish all the calories you just burned. Instead of rewarding yourself with something edible, how about rewarding yourself with something intangible.  Something that comes from within.  It might be the feeling of self-satisfaction, pride, self-confidence, or basking in the glorious feeling of the physical activity endorphin rush. 

It’s not to say you can’t have some food after a workout.  Foods filled with valuable nutrients such as a banana with nuts, or hummus and veggies, or yogurt with frozen berries, are great.  But don’t think of it as you’ve “earned it.” Rather, you’re allowed it.  You’ve worked too hard to fuel your body with high-calorie foods loaded with sugar or unhealthy fats.  Feed it what you really need and what your body really wants. 

4.  You need to mix it up more

If you started out running to get in shape and many months later, running is still the only thing you do for exercise, you’re stuck in a physical activity rut.  To get and see better results, mix up your exercise routine.  Your body welcomes new stimulus.  From your cardiovascular to your glutes, a change of pace will set you on the right path to seeing better results.  Make sure you are incorporating the 4 parts of a well-rounded fitness routine – aerobic, muscle strength and muscle endurance, flexibility, and weight training.  When you do this you’ll be amazed at how quickly you notice the difference.

5.  Learn to accept what you can’t change

One of the hardest things to accept is to know what you can and simply can’t do or change physically.  Set reasonable expectations.  If you know as a woman that other female family members get saggy upper arms by the time they reach forty, you may very well also.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t strengthen and tighten your triceps to prevent underarm sag.  If you are naturally have a stocky frame, you may never achieve a long, lean look, but you very likely will have a well-proportioned, healthy athletic build.  Once you accept that, you will stop fighting your body to be something it was never meant to be.  That is when you can focus instead on being the best you possible.