Whether you’re injured, sick, pregnant or just on summer vacation, you might find yourself unable to stick with your fitness routine. For beginners and experienced athletes alike, having to stop working out can make you depressed and worried… even with the mere thought of watching all your effort go to waste. Even if it’s on purpose, quitting all physical activity is never a good thing for your health. There are many consequences of not working out, but fortunately, there’s something you can do about them.
When you stop working out, you reduce your muscle mass, bone density and oxygen consumption. Once you get back into working out, your athletic performance isn’t as good and you tend to run out of breath much faster. A lack of exercise can have serious repercussions for both your body and mind, such as weight gain, the development of sleep problems, diabetes or high blood pressure, which were all previously kept in check through regular physical activity.
A prolonged lack of physical activity negatively impacts your cardiovascular system. Your heart rate increases, so even when you’re at rest, it seems like your heart is still working hard. Its response to exercise is weakened because it has to work harder in order to pump the blood through your arteries, leading to an increase in blood pressure.
With a weakened cardiovascular system, breathing also becomes more difficult. Even a small amount of physical exertion will require your body to use much more energy than before. Depending on who you are, you can feel these consequences after three to six weeks of inactivity.
There’s no denying the consequences of not working out for your muscles, since they lose their ability to take on physical demands after a prolonged period of time. They start to lose their strength and endurance. Because your muscles have stopped being used on a regular basis, your body reacts accordingly by using up your glycogen stores, which is vital fuel for your muscles. Your body is no longer able to respond to physical activity efficiently.
Over time, a muscle that stops being worked is a muscle that deteriorates. As people age, they lose an average of 20-40% of their muscle mass, not because of aging, but because of a significant drop in physical activity. As they deteriorate, your muscles stop protecting you against physical pain due to a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of physical activity. In addition to your illness or injury, you might start to experience back pain. You can even go so far as to feel like you’ve lost your balance.
As you can see, taking a break from a regular fitness routine causes your muscles to lose muscle mass, which leads to a slower metabolism: you burn fewer calories while at rest, which means that you might start gaining weight. The frustration of not being able to continue your workouts can even make you compensate with food.
Reading about the consequences of not working out might make you pass out, but luckily, they’re not inevitable. You can reduce the impact of inactivity on your body. Try these tips from the FizzUp trainer to help you avoid a difficult recovery, which can include an extremely high risk of relapse, injury, a lack of motivation and frustration.
Even when you’re injured, you can still stay physically active, although to a lesser extent, and this might pay off once you fully get back into exercise. Depending on your injury and doctor’s recommendations, you can modify or adapt certain exercises, which will help you to maintain a toned body and keep your muscles strong in the unaffected areas of your body. FizzUp fitness training can answer all your questions when you’re injured in order to help you better adapt your basic workout.
Got a broken arm? You can still work your legs. A few squats or lunges will help you stay in shape.
We know it’s hard, so hang in there and stay positive. The consequences of not working out aren’t irreversible, but you’ll need to be patient as you’re easing back into exercise. By looking at your break from exercise from an indifferent but positive standpoint, you’ll boost your peace of mind and get back into exercise with a better attitude. Positive thinking affects your physical fitness in ways you wouldn’t expect. Don’t cut corners while getting back into exercise, or else you might make the situation worse. Take your physical condition seriously and try the FizzUp trainer’s tips to get back into exercise after a long break.
The consequences of not working out might scare you, but if you’re happy and motivated, you’ll get back to your previous level of physical fitness. The FizzUp workout program is great for getting back into exercise because every workout is right for your fitness as it is right now.
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