Life in the modern world is full of immediate gratification. You want your favorite restaurant meal? It’s can be at your door in 30 minutes. Looking for a new mattress to help you sleep? Ikea can have it in your bedroom the next day. Miss last weeks best episode? You can stream it from your couch whenever you like. So anytime we look in the mirror and don’t like what we see, it’s hard not to think “Wow I wish there was an app for this”.

The best things in life don’t come easy. Self improvement and breaking old habits can be arduous when you don’t see the end in sight. I’m sorry to say 5 minute abs aren’t going to cut it if you’re looking to make lasting healthy changes. The silver lining is your body and mind loves exercise, and it’s going to wake up and respond quickly when you take action. Here’s a timeline of how your body will respond over the first month.

The First Workout

Within the first 10 minutes of your workout, your body is going to stimulate a variety of hormones and chemicals to give you greater awareness, quicker reaction time, a faster heart rate, and heavier breathing. At the same time it will work to inhibit pain signals and slow digestion.  After the workout your body will try to recover back to its normal resting rate as fast as possible. This might result in your blood pressure being elevated temporarily, but after a while and depending on your fitness level it will reside quickly. The next day you will likely experience some soreness usually in the form of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Make sure to stretch, drink a lot of water, and rotate ice and heat if it persists.

One Week Later

Your brain now understands that this is the new normal, and activates a lot of different processes to compensate. This is where your going to get your first results, not necessarily on the scale, but in both mental and physical health.  Mitochondrial cells increase giving you higher energy levels, while blood cells also increase to bring your body more oxygen increasing your stamina.

You may also find a decrease in stress levels coupled with better sleep, as your brain releases natural endorphins and your body naturally craves more rest to recover. As your metabolism increases and you expend more energy, your hunger will increase. Make sure to replenish yourself with lots of proteins and complex carbohydrates to keep your levels up.

Two Weeks Later

Your stamina has increased quite a bit, and you feel more in control of your body and movement. You may have noticed less muscle soreness as your body is learning to repair itself faster, and conserve energy more efficiently during exercise. Proper nutrition and hydration only increases this effect.

The challenging thing at two weeks is that you may not visibly see a lot of change, but under the surface your body has increased metabolism, your fat cells are now being expended to make up for the additional energy needed. So don’t give up just yet, the visible results are on their way. Endorphins are running wild now and you may feel happier and less stressed than usual.

One Month Later

This is the morning you wake up look in the mirror and see your hard work is coming together. You might notice a real difference in your body composition. You’ve adapted to expend more energy, and can workout longer and harder than ever before. You’re maximizing your results from the first few weeks and the compound effect is really showing. Increases in muscle fiber size and density, energy levels, and bone density from your repetitions mean your stronger and less prone to injury.

The best part is your energy levels are higher than ever helping you go through your daily activities without feeling as sluggish. Your confidence, sleep and waking patterns all improve from these changes.

How To Get Started

Velocity can help you make your month count with our new unlimited credit package for the month of August. For only 390 CHF or less than 13 CHF per day, you get access to all of our studios and classes anytime you want. It’s a great opportunity to benefit from our expert coaches and try new classes. It only takes one month to improve your health, mentality, and start changing your physique. We look forward to helping you meet all your goals and unlocking your potential!

References:
https://aaptiv.com/magazine/body-responds-one-month-of-exercise