6 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Don't Stay Active

by N/A, 10 years ago | 1 min read

Whether you're into running intense marathons or prefer a more relaxing challenge like yoga, get and staying active is important. Staying engaged and motivated is just as hard as getting started. Here's what can happen when you decide to take too much of a break from breaking a sweat.Â

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1. Your body starts reacting to the lack of activity after three days.

You may not notice it, but according toÂ Cyc FitnessÂ Studio Director Stephanie Dietz, your muscle mass starts to decrease within three days withoutÂ moderate exercise. This happens at a relatively slow pace, so your quest for Misty Copeland legs isn't entirely lost.Â

2. The more time you take off from working out, the harder you'll have to work.

According to Dietz, it takes twice the amount of time that you took off to gain back the overall level of fitness you had before taking a break. So, if you take 2 days off, it'll take you 4 days to feel like your old, active self.

3. Your mood influences your nutritional choices.

Dietz says that you're a lot more likely to cheat on your diet, or eat foods that you normally wouldn't once you've fallen out of your fitness routine. This is because the cravings you get for comfort foods happen when you don't have the positive influence on motivation and stamina that you usually get from exercise.Â

4. You're more susceptible to stress.

Everyone knows that exercise releases endorphins in the body. When you get into a regular groove of exercise, your body is used to a certain level of endorphins, the feel good hormone that helps regulate mood and stress. During your gym hiatus you may be causing stress to your body since you no longer have that level of endorphins.Â

5. You won't sleep as well.

Exercising helps to release the stress of everyday life. Not spending that time releasing the nervous energy could keep you up at night with mundane worries.Â

6. You'll benefit from starting slow.

When getting back into your regular fitness routine, it's ok to take it slow and let your body tell you how far it wants to be pushed. Since your body can change after long periods without regular exercise, you might feel a little different when you start working out again.

Motivated yet?

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.