What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Exercising?

The old expression “If you don’t use it, you will lose it” turns out to be very true.

If you stop working out, exactly how long does it take to start to lose your fitness?

A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggested that skipping workouts for just two weeks can significantly reduce your cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle mass, and insulin sensitivity.

Where do you start losing fitness first?

The answer is that the strength of your heart and lungs will start to fade first.

Are older individuals impacted more or less?

The unfortunate answer is yes! When comparing 20- to 30-year-olds with 65- to 75-year-olds, the older group lost strength nearly twice as fast during six months of inactivity.

Most exercisers skip a workout occasionally. You may be traveling, fall ill, or have an unusually heavy work deadline that keeps you from the gym. Those situations are all part of life. The lesson to be learned here is that after any short hiatus, you should return to an active workout schedule ASAP!

If you’ve taken a short or a long hiatus from the gym, you should ease back into your workouts gradually, to avoid injury If you’re a life-long exerciser, you’ll have an easier time getting back into shape than someone who only recently started.

If you are sedentary and want to start an exercise program, consult your physician to make sure that you don’t overdo it at the beginning. Starting a program with a gradual increased gradient will reduce the chances for any injuries or setbacks.

It is also important to give yourself enough recovery time between workouts. One key indicator that you need more recovery time, is if you are having setbacks in your strength and/or endurance.

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