What is one of the biggest resolutions that the general public will be making right about the time the holidays come to an end? You guessed it: they plan to shed some of those pounds that have been added during the holiday season. For many the adding of additional pounds gets off to a great start at Thanksgiving time and runs right through the New Years Eve parties. It isn’t hard to figure out where the extra pounds come from when you start looking at the quantity of food that is available during this time of year, the types of foods that are being consumed and lastly add the fact that there is typically an above average amount of alcohol consumed during all the festivities.

Did you realize that for the average person starting on a new workout program they are looking at about a 6 week transition period? And further more, during this transition phase all of the things that you hear about feeling better, having more energy, reducing stress in your life, when engaged in a workout program simply isn’t true. The reasoning behind this is that your body simply doesn’t know what to do with all of this new activity. In many cases you have just transitioned from sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle and your body doesn’t like it because it is change. Not to mention that many people make the mistake of starting a diet at the same time they just engaged in a workout program at their local gym. In short you have been setup to fail before you even step into your first workout. As opposed to starting a diet in the typical sense that most people start a diet, try eating a little healthier at the start without necessarily limiting your calories. Once you have adjusted to your new exercise routine then you may want to look at your calories. Please don’t get me wrong, as I am not saying that you should eat like there is no tomorrow. Even too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Simply try cutting out the simple sugars that are found in your sodas, candies, and many processed foods. Stick with your vegetables, whole grains, meet, fish, poultry, and dairy products.

While there are a number of benefits to a consistent exercise program, in order to begin to experience these benefits you have to make it through the transition phase. First you need to understand that consistency in your exercise program is far more important than the intensity. Assuming that your goal is to burn fat, as a general rule you want to start of slowly and whatever the activity try to keep active for 30 minutes or more 4 to 5 days out of the week. The reasoning behind the 30 minutes plus is that it takes approximately 30 minutes for your body to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. As a result every minute beyond 30 minutes that you are able to exercise you are burning additional fat.

As your body starts to make the adjustments required to accommodate the increase in activity you will begin to notice that you have more energy throughout the day, that you are more invigorated after your workouts than you were before and as a bonus you will start to experience some appetite suppression. Remember: 6 weeks.

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