With Spring officially in full swing, its time to boost your workout and get your body in shape for summer. As summer vacations and barbecues fast approach, so does hot weather and swimming suits or lighter clothing.  It can take 6-10 weeks to start seeing real results from an exercise regimen, and most of those early changes aren’t even visible.  So the time to start is NOW!

Read the following pointers to help you look great (and feel great!) this summer:  

A new exercise regime takes time  While it is true that you can experience weight loss early on in your new routine, current research has shown that if you are untrained, as much as 85% of the performance gains you made in the first 2-6 weeks of your new training program are the result of changes to your nervous system. During this time period, regular training results in what can be seen as a “rewiring” where your body naturally increases the amount of nerves that control groups of muscle fibers. By doing this, your body can develop stronger, more efficient contractions.

Stick with it!  Within the first few weeks, not much has been done to change or build any biological tissues or processes.  While your body will tend to move easier, your muscle size, metabolism and body fat typically won’t change very much unless you are undergoing a vigorous training routine.  It is not until at least the 5th or 6th week of following a consistent training schedule that research has shown early alterations to processes like blood vessel growth, increased muscle metabolism, or fiber growth.

If you don’t use it, you lose it!  Did you know that going for one week without exercise can result in as much as a 50% loss of what you gained during the first five weeks?  And it can take anywhere from three to four weeks of consistent training to get back to your 5th and 6th week levels so don’t stop!  Of course taking a break for a day or two is fine, but try not to miss much more than that.  In this case, the adage stays true that “If you don’t use it, you lose it!”

Quick results are usually temporary. While some fad diets and cleanses might result in weight loss as quickly as two or three days, the majority of this weight is from water loss in the body and it rarely stays off. More importantly, if you stay in a “fasted” or calorically starved state for a long period of time, your body will actually go into a “starvation” mode and begin to retain fat mass in hopes of reversing the starvation state. Without medical supervision, the recommended rate of weight loss is a maximum of two pounds per week. If a high weight-loss rate is maintained for a long period of time, it is likely that such weight loss is coming at a risk to your health and could result in an illness and even hospitalization.  The ideal weight-management program will incorporate sound nutrition choices accompanied by a regular daily exercise program incorporating cardiovascular, resistance (weights), and flexibility training.

It is never too early to start with a renewed enthusiasm toward reaching your fitness or weight goal!  Summer will be here before we know it so start now to achieve the waistline you want to show off and to gain more confidence in a swimsuit or shorts.  Use the warmer weather to your advantage and get outdoors to change things up a little.

Thanks for reading!

Contributors: Kim Farmer and Terry Hackney of Mile High Fitness.  Mile High Fitness offers in-home personal training and corporate fitness solutions.  Visit  www.milehighfitness.com or email inquires@milehighfitness.com