Making it past the first 30 days!

I initially posted this on my blog, but I found out it is easier for others to access this info here. It was starting to get some attention. If I can help one person, its worth it.
A bit about me, 43 yom, avid cyclist and a Male Nurse, yes, that is a title! And no, we are not all former hair dressers. I was in the Army for quite some time. I have been able to take what I have learned as an athelete and a nurse, put it together and make a little sense. It is not top 10 best seller book material, just "good to know" info.
2 years ago I was training for the police academy when my running came to a halt with a torn miniscus in my right knee. After talking to my ortho Dr. we decided to treat it medicaly with anti inflamitory meds and gentle exercise. So I did. I was off the bike for a season and a half. I went from 200+ miles a week training to 0. And I got fat!
The good news is I am now back on my bike and working on getting back to my 170lb self.
Now, here is where I tried to defeat myself. I just did 3 days of HARD training, hills wind and up to 40 mile rides. I figured I should have lost plenty of weight, Heck I should be looking like Lance Armstrong (except shorter)! 2 lbs....... :-/. Talk about underwhelming. While soaking my sore muscles in the hot tub it all came back to me. Its that damn sabre tooth tiger again. Ok , I bet you just started thinking i am nuts. Maybe so, but not in this case. See, in our DNA we have certain programs built in from WAY back. The one we are concerned about is the "fight or flight" response. That is the autonomic response our body initiates at the beginning of strenuous exercise. Our muscles are in need of fuel, right now! Our body thinks we are about to get eaten by a sabre tooth tiger, and since we probably can't fight it, RUN!!!! So our muscles get the fast, short burst of fuel from
-muscle fat-. that is where we get that energy to run real fast real quick. This leaves our muscles sore and us weak and tired after a short time. This is going to happen every time we start to work out, at first. Usually for the first 30 days of a workout and weight loss regimine this will come to be expected. Since we are burning muscle fat for extended periods, we end up with very little -stored fat- pulled off of us and plenty of sore muscles. This is also why so many people do not stick with the regimine they have set up. No response to speak of. Very frustrating, so they give up. Don't be that person!
What has got to happen now is we need to retrain our body to burn that stored fat. Sadly, there is no quick way to mak it happen, most all of us are going to have to go throught that initial 30 days, give or take some days to a week or more.. Incidentaly, thats how long it takes to form a habit in the mind, 30 days. After we have pushed our way through the first month things are going to start to happen. When we start that excercise regimine that we have been doing with no real changes our body is gonna say "AAAGGGGHHH! Sabre tooth tiger! RRRUUUUNNNNNNN!" and start burning that muscle fat, the good fat we need for sudden bursts of speed. Then the miracle happens! Our bodies will then say "Wait! I have been running frm this sabre tooth tiger for a whole month, I aint' seen no tiger! What we got happenin here must be EXERCISE! I get it, Im gonna burn this stored fat I got just lying around here." And now we will start to see the change occurr. We will begin to loose a bit more weight, our legs won't be quite as sore and we will start to notice our clothes not fitting like they have been.
Now, the fight or flight response still will happen, but it will be only for a short time. When I get on my bike for a training ride, the first 3 to 5 minutes I feel a burn in my legs, thats from the muscle fat being used, then my body recognizes that this is not a flee the hungry tiger, but part of that same routine that has been going on, and starts to burn the stored fat. I'm gonna have to be a bit more patient to get the body like Lance. We all are going to have to be patient. But don't give up! The rewards are coming. If you know this early on, it will help you make it throught those tough days and sore muscles.
Remember though, we are all different. For some, the results may happen quicker, but for the rest of us, we are going to have to wait at least a month before we start to notice a change. Again, don't give up! You can do it! I can't wait till I get that body back that my better half just cant keep her hands off! The same for you, when your special someone begins to look at you differently. That is a great compliment. It makes us feel good on the inside and that will shine through with confidence on the outside that all will see! So, get out there and go for it! Just remember, you have to push on through!