Myth of Maintenance

Have you ever gone into “maintenance mode” with your workouts?

If you’re not familiar with the concept, maintenance mode is basically going on autopilot. You do the same routine week in and week out because you’re just looking to maintain your current health and not make any real changes.

This sounds appealing right?! Once you’ve done the work and achieved a goal, then you have earned the right to coast.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Maintenance mode is a common myth in the health and fitness industry. Here’s why...

The first rule of human physiology is that you’re always adapting to exactly what you do. Your brain wants to minimize energy usage. So, it is always trying to habituate your activities into a routine. Your body wants to be efficient. So, it adapts to the stresses you put on it but no more than that.

This rule is very powerful! With the brain creating habits and the body becoming more efficient, there exists capacity for continued improvement. It’s why there is always the possibility to get better at what you love, no matter your age or skill level.

Now, did you notice the catch?  It’s subtle but it’s there. Because you’ve become more efficient, if you’re not taking advantage of this new capacity, you’re actually moving backwards.

Crazy, right?!

Here is a weight management example. Let’s say you’re doing a workout that nicely balances your calorie intake with expenditure. In other words, calories in equals calories out and your weight stays the same. 

As time goes by, you don’t change your workout. So, your body gets more efficient at the workout. That means, the workout burns fewer calories. But you’re still ingesting the same number of calories. 

That means calories in no longer equals calories out. Although you thought you were in maintenance mode, you’re now putting on a little weight very slowly.

While this may seem frustrating, it’s not that difficult to manage. By adapting, your brain and body creates more capacity for work. That means that the increased work you need to do will still feel very similar to what you were doing before. You just have to be willing to make the modification to your workout.

Your next step is to start making some small changes to your workout. Keep your brain and body guessing! But if that seems daunting then your next step is to respond to me and ask for help. I’d be happy to give you some suggestions to get you where you want to be.

All you have to do is ask :-)