Resolution month (January) is behind us. In last months newsletter we ran an article that outlined a few tips on staying motivated after January's enthusiasm wears thin. (You'll remember we also stated that February is the most popular time of the year to quit an exercise program.) Here are things to consider when gauging the success of your first month of exercise.

Your body needs time to adjust – The first question I ask when people inquire about the rate of response to exercise is "How long did it take you to get into your current condition?" The average person gains approximately one pound per year after their 20's. This is an estimate, as some people don't gain any weight over their lifetime and others gain significant amounts. The main reason(s) for gaining – reduced physical activity and/or increased food intake. When you start an exercise and/or healthy eating program your body needs time to adjust to the "new you". Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so when you exercise you may gain more lean tissue (this is good weight gain) than fat loss. Don't despair – if you stick to your new program you'll eventually start losing the body fat.

Your body is still in Caveman mode – We are blessed with the genetic makeup to conserve energy and store body fat. In Caveman(woman) days this feature was a lifesaver, as whenever scavenging and scouring for grubs and berries came up short we could rely on our stored reserves of body fat to carry us over until the next "meal". In today's modern world of microwave ovens, fast and plentiful food, many of us could do without our body's fat storage mechanism. Alas, we're stuck with it, but there is no need to worry. Eating smaller meals, more often – is one way of adjusting your body fat storage mechanism. When satiated (not stuffed), our body is more apt to release stored body fat for fuel (i.e. when we exercise or are active). If we "starve" ourselves (i.e. miss meals, go on extreme diets, etc...) our body's response to the lack of food is "we're starving – conserve the energy". It's a mechanism that saved us between meals in Caveman days but wreaks havoc in today's overabundant world.

Give yourself a change – After a month of a new activity it's time to start making some modest adjustments. Remember that Caveman(woman) adjustment for body fat storage? There's a second part that's related to exercise expenditure. Since activity burns fuel, the less we burn to perform work, the better (for Caveman). Today, we want to be "gas guzzlers" – so in order to get our body to burn more fuel when we exercise we must change workouts - more often. The change doesn't have to be dramatic. It doesn't have to mean a longer or harder workout. Just a different one. For example, if you like to walk on the treadmill, try one workout a week on the Elliptical trainer. Or, include some intervals in your cardio workout. Change your reps and sets (either increase weights slightly and decrease reps; or increase reps and decrease weight. Or alternate). It doesn't matter – just add some ongoing variety and your body will have to respond in its "all for one" Caveman response – which is an effective way to burn calories.

Take a break – your body needs to rest and recover. Research shows that there is an optimal amount of activity that results in performance gains – and it's probably less than you would think. Without getting too scientific, it's called the law of diminishing return. Basically, everyone has an optimum amount of activity that we can tolerate before the activity takes its toll on the body. For instance, three days of running a week might give you fitness gains, but four days a week might make your knees hurt. The balance between knowing how much is enough depends on many factors, but the most important thing to consider is "Listen to your body", and take a break when it tells you to. (A good rule is to limit your workouts to 4-5 times per week – research tells us that 2-3 workouts will provide health benefits, and elite athletes work out multiple times per day – however all trainers concur that rest and rejuvenation is critical to success).