If you're like most people, when you make the decision to get fit, you want results and you want them fast, right? Yeah, me too... The truth is, whether you're a fitness expert or a couch sloth, when you finally resolve to take aim at your bulging waistline, you want to see results right now. The good news is, innovations in the fitness industry have made it possible for virtually anyone to transform their physique in just a few short months. Take a look at some of the 12-Week transformations on my website at www.lovelivingfit.com and you will see what I mean. 
 
There is, however, a downside to this whole fast-and-furious trend. In your quest to say hello to your abs for the first time, you can easily fall victim to what I call the Harder-Heavier-Is-Better Syndrome. This mistaken mindset often leads to the belief that the longer you run, the harder you lift, the more agony, pain, and discomfort you inflict, the faster your body will change. The truth is, when it comes to swift results, speed is not always King. So, kick back and veg for awhile and take a look at five ways slowing down can actually shift your results into high gear.

1. SLOW DOWN YOUR APPROACH: "Staring Monday, I'll get up early, take a little run, pack my food for the day, start taking my vitamins, drink more water, hit the gym after work, go home, cook dinner, help with homework, get to bed early, and then do it all over again tomorrow." If this sounds familiar, keep reading. In the first few weeks of a new fitness program, making more than two significant changes per week is a sure-fire formula for disaster. Start instead with one or two changes at a time. The first week, try getting your eating plan down and up your water intake. The second week, add two or three days of interval cardio. The third week, include two days of strength training, add more drinking water, cleaner food, more sleep.
2. SLOW DOWN YOUR LIFTING: (or, to be more accurate, slow down your lowering) Lifting weights is unsurpassed in reshaping the body and shedding fat. However, simply lifting and lowering weight doesn't guarantee success. The key to effective strength training is proper form. The perfect technique is to raise the weight quickly, then control the weight as it slowly descends, taking twice the time to lower the weight as it took to lift it... two seconds up, four seconds down. If you are in doubt about your form, consider hiring a certified personal trainer. You'll get a great workout and come away with knowledge that will last a lifetime.
3. SLOW DOWN YOUR EATING: Try this fun little game. The next time you share a meal with friends, pick the slowest eater in the group. Try taking only one bite of food for every two bites they take. This is sure to slow down your eating and heighten your awareness of how often you continue to eat, even after you are full. By giving your brain time to catch up with your stomach, you're less likely to overindulge and you'll become better at distinguishing the difference between appetite (cravings) and true hunger.
4. SLOW DOWN YOUR CARDIO: By far, the best investment of your cardio dollar is to bank most of it in interval work - that is, aerobic activity that raises the heart rate, then lowers it, then raises it up again, then quiets it back down. This method is a much better choice than the old go-go-go-til-ya-can't-go-no-more method. Two advantages to doing interval cardio over straight-line cardio are: 1) It creates an after-burn of calories once you finish your workout; 2) It's much better at strengthening the most important muscle in your body, your heart!
5. SLOW DOWN YOUR MIND: The inevitable result of living on overload (which most of us do) is that ultimately, we end up moving at one of two speeds: All or Nothing. Unfortunately, our minds usually get stuck on the "all" setting, leaving us exhausted, edgy and wired. Stress has an ugly way of locking fat on the body, so consider taking a Tai Chi class, having a pedicure, lying on a blanket and watching the clouds go by, eating lunch in the park, or just take a few moments to sit and relax quietly. Spending 10 minutes of "you" time is likely to improve more than just your waistline!

Muscle soreness is a true double-edge sword. On one hand, too much can put a real strain on everyday activities like standing, walking, sitting, and sleeping - on the other, a lack of soreness can leave you feeling as though your workouts are less than effective. While there are no true absolutes when it comes to distinguishing the difference between productive and non-productive discomfort, here are a few guidelines to help you understand how your body grows stronger and leaner:

ONE HOUR AFTER YOUR WORKOUT:
Let's face it. A truly productive workout is far from easy. While you exercise, you will probably experience varying degrees of burning, aching and downright discomfort. Following an intense workout, your muscles should feel fatigued, shaky and tired and, depending on how many months you've been training, a little like an over-inflated balloon. That stiff, pumped up sensation (the feeling that the skin is stretched tight around your muscle) can last anywhere from five to 20 minutes and is one of several signs that you've hit the muscle dead on.
 
It's not unusual for muscles to ache on the way home, but any pronounced discomfort should subside within an hour post workout. If you're still aching when your head hits the pillow or you experience enough discomfort that you can't sleep, it could mean you've over done it. Keep in mind that "over reaching" on occasion is not necessarily a bad thing but, if you enlist the no-pain/no-gain mentality at every workout, it could very well lead to over-training, burnout, and possible injury.

24 HOURS LATER:
Feeling sore the morning after your workout is common, especially in the early months of training. As your body acclimates to your new routine, you will notice less soreness, less often. It's actually at this point that many people report missing the feeling. But, here's the catch. As you become better conditioned, you may go through longer periods of little or no residual muscle soreness. This is because with each workout your body gets stronger and smarter. So, lack of soreness does not necessarily mean that your workout didn't count or that it was less effective than a workout that did. Soreness or not, every workout has value!
 
SO, WHAT THEN?
Think of your muscles as a bunch of high school freshmen. A room full of new algebra students are going to complain and struggling a bit at first until they get the foundation stuff down. Once they do, it's best to stick with their current curriculum for a while until it's clear they are ready to move to the next lesson. Giving your muscles the same consideration is key to producing great results. A few sessions with no noticeable soreness, and it's time to crank up the intensity, mix things up, maybe bring in some new material.
 
THE 48 HOUR MARK:
When you are consistently working out at the proper intensity, the most pronounced soreness you will experience typically shows up, not the first day, but the second day after you train. (This is known as DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness.) Still, soreness in and of itself is not the only mark of a great workout. It's important to understand that your muscles exist in one of three phases - either they are adapting and growing stronger due to an overload (hypertrophy,) staying at the same level of strength (conditioning,) or wasting away from lack of use (atrophy.) Each cycle of change works in periods that can last anywhere from 4 to 10 weeks.

Of course, if you are blessed with the benefit of a great personal trainer (everybody needs a personal trainer) you really don't have to worry about why and when to change things up. When in doubt, just drop me a line at lovelivingfit@gmail.com or visit my website at www.lovelivingfit.com.