I have read a lot about your body getting used to exercises and your body stops responding to them. Does anyone know if this is really true? Because I started exercising in Feb and lost weight, then all of a sudden I stopped losing. Could my body be used to the exercises that I have been doing in only 2 months. I have an elliptical that I use and I also do pilates , both I like doing very much and don't want to change. If this is true then how severe do you have to change your workout. Would I have to add more minutes to my routine or would I have to change everything?
I also have a question about the best time to exercise. I heard that the best time is in the morning, but I love exercising at night after my 3 small children lay down for bed. Should I be getting up really early in the morning to exercise?

I found an article about "the best time to workout" Here are a few pro's and con's from the article.

Working out in the morning:

Pros:
• The majority of people who exercise consistently do so early in the day. It is easier to form the exercise habit through morning exercise.
• Fewer distractions and schedule interruptions.
• Can make time for exercise by getting up a bit earlier.
• Raises your heart rate and metabolism to burn more calories earlier in the day.
• Gives a feeling of physical energy for hours.
• Improves your mental acuity for hours.
• Cooler temperatures in summer.
• Air pollution is lowest in the morning.
• The body adjusts to your exercise time, so if you are training for a morning sports event, train in the morning.

Cons:
• Body temperature is at its lowest 1-3 hours before awakening, making morning a time of naturally lower energy and blood flow.
• Cold, stiff muscles may be more prone to injury - be sure to warm up well before doing a higher intensity workout, and do gentle stretching.
• If you do not enjoy morning exercise, you won't easily form a habit by choosing a morning workout time.



Working out in the afternoon or after work:


Pros:
• For most people, body temperature and hormone levels peak at 6 pm. Exercising 3 hours before or after the peak will give your your best workout for both endurance and building muscle.
• Research shows lung function is best at 4-5 pm.
• Muscles are warm and flexible.
• Perceived exertion is lowest - how hard you feel yourself to be working at exercise. So you may be able to work out harder or faster by doing so in the afternoon.
• Can help regulate the amount of food you feel like eating for dinner.
• Stress relief after a day at work, school, or home.

Cons:
• Distractions and other commitments make keep you from walking and exercising at the appointed times.




*****I personally work out at about 3:00 in the afternoon

I'm a very erratic exerciser. I work part-time shift so I do it when I can. Today I'm waiting for the temperature to get above freezing before I go for a bike ride We need to move and we must do what we can, when we can.

As for getting used to your workouts? This is totally my uneducated opinion ... small changes can go a long way. Do you use a pilates video? Maybe you just need a new one. Do you sprint on the elliptical? Go fast then slow down, go backward. Ever tried any weight training?

The best time to exercise is when you can do it. Exercising in early morning is no good if you sleep in.

Your body does adapt to the exercises you do, but I think it takes a little more than 2 months. There are many factors when hitting a plateau. You may have to vary your routine and your calorie intake. You eventually reach a break even point between calories in and calories out.

On the elliptical, vary your routine between moderate longer duration and interval shorter duration. I don't know how many minutes you do on the elliptical, but you don't have to go over 45 minutes at a time. Increase the intensity. Try working in another activity or machine. You don't mention your schedule, but don't do the interval every single day. Alternate the two types of cardio exercise.

Pilates are good for core strength, coordination and balance, but not necessarily for weight loss. As much as they are important in a good fitness schedule, don't depend on pilates for weight loss. Resistance exercises contribute more in the long run.

Check your diet and nutrient balance. It may be time to revamp it.

Add more activity during the day- the old standbys, walk, park further away, take the stairs, etc.

Hope this helps...

I would try to do it whenever you can. I heard mornings are best so I tried getting up 1 hr earlier than everyone else (3:30 am mind you) -- this made me EVIL and exhausted. Didn't last long. Now I just get ready faster and use some of that day and spread my exercises throughout the day, I actually feel much better when I do it this way.

One thing that I also found that happens is that I find my self getting tired earlier and talked to my aunt who is a nurse about this. She said that exercising is getting rid of the toxins in my body and me being tired may last a couple of weeks but then I will start getting more energy.

I can't wait for that to happen because some days I just want to go home and take a nap instead of doing some activities!

I got a lot from the comments above too. I really LOVE THIS PLACE!

I can't really add anything to the 'best time to excercise' question of yours, but anytime is a good time!!! Just do it!!!

As for you're body becoming used to excercise? Absolutely!!! You've even identified as having 'stopped losing weight'....this is called a plateau. Your body (in its every adapting state) has become used to you're routine. Repeated excercise and foods are no longer affective. You need to shake things up abit. If you like the elliptical, then try for a different length of time, with varied speeds or level of difficulty. If you do the same ol' same ol' the body thinks it doesn't have to work any harder to do the same ol' thing. When a plateau occurs, you also should vary your calorie levels. If you normally have 1500 calories a day......vary it ........1300, 1600, 1400, 1800 etc etc..... Some people refer to this as the Wendy plan (if you follow ww's) but I just relate it to number of calories per day. You are still eating the same amount of calories per week, but just spread out differently every day. I hope this makes sense and good luck!!!

Thanks everybody! I'm so glad I found this site! Yesterday I tried to eat more calories because I've been eating way too little. I've also been using my elliptical everynight since Feb 1st for 40 mins at a steady pace. Last night I skipped the pilates and tried some different stomach exercises. I also went for 20 mins on my elliptical, but I tried to sprint for a minute then slow down and I also tried going backwards for a awhile. It's hard for me to sprint for too long because I'm still pretty heavy, but I do what I can. It kind of hurts my knees some to go backwards also.

I'm not giving up though because the weight will have to come off sometime!

Butterfly -- Sounds like you're on a "plateau" they really suck but they are part of the losing game unfortunately... The recommendation is that you should change your workouts every 4-6 weeks, I change my almost weekly because *I* personally get bored doing the same thing for 4-6 weeks, I have a short attention span The change doesn't have to be drastic but adding more activity during the day like someone said parking further, adding intensity or sprints, will ususally do the trick to to bring things up a notch... As for your food plan, change that too, your body is getting used to the same foods day in day out. It could be just introducing more veggies and a new fruit or adding another meal/snack or omitting some dressing or butter on veggies...

Oh and, as for the time of day you exercise, anytime is good as long as you DO IT!! If getting up too early will prevent you from exercising, well that's just not a good thing. I really think that those recommendations are for athletes and people who exercises for a living and not for the average person...

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes...