search slide
search slide
pages bottom
Currently Browsing: Fitness Basics

What Happens When You Stop Exercising

There are many reasons why we stop exercising, whether for a while or for good. We take a rest day, we get sick, we become too old, or we just get bored of exercising. No matter what the reason is, there will be changes in your body if you take time away from exercising. And the longer you go without exercise, the more obvious the effects will be. So, what are those changes? Let’s find out together.

You will likely gain fat and lose muscle mass

Although it will take a while—about 8 to 12 weeks without exercise—you will start seeing physical changes in your body. For one, you’ll start naturally losing muscle mass. As a result, your metabolism slows down, limiting the body’s potential to burn fat. In addition to that, because your physical activities are now cut from your routine, you won’t be able to burn as many calories as you would have.

Your strength might also be affected

Studies have found that strength can be maintained only up to four weeks without exercise. Any longer and you’ll start to slowly lose your muscle strength and power. Strength is at least the slowest to diminish over time though so there’s a bit of a silver lining still. Those who we can say are “genetically blessed” can even go for 3 months without exercising and still keep their strength in good condition.

Endurance will be the most affected

Just after 2 weeks of no exercise, you’ll start to notice your endurance drop. Walking up the stairs to the third floor wasn’t a problem before but now you find yourself breathing a bit harder than usual. This all has something to do with our VO2 max. To put it simply, VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen our body can effectively use. Multiple studies have shown that our VO2 max will drop even more up to 20% after just a month without exercise.

Is it really that bad?

If you consider the points mentioned above, it’s only bad if you take too long before getting exercise again. It doesn’t really mean that simply not exercising anymore will cause you to get sick more often. But you will lose all the benefits you get from actually exercising. If you do decide to exercise again, your body will easily adapt to the physical stress. This is because of “muscle memory” which points that it’s easier to regain lost muscle tissues than to actually build new ones. 

How to minimize these effects

Of course, there are also many ways to minimize the negative effects of taking a break from exercise. One is to just do lighter exercises compared to your usual. If you usually lift weights at the gym but decide to stop for a while, you can just do bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and etc. If you also want to avoid gaining fat, make sure to watch your diet and continue eating healthy.

What Will Happen When You Do Planks Daily?

Bodyweight exercises are gaining such a huge following because of its sense of practicality and simplicity. Bodyweight exercises are a forms of exercises that make use of a person’s own weight to get in shape. Doing planking is one of the most common ways to practice bodyweight exercises. It is effective, requires little time investment and guarantees results after a short time.

OneLegPlank

Strengthening the core is an important factor in an injury-free workout. Since abdominal muscles must be able to support the back and spinal column, a strengthened core through regular training is vital. This is where planks come in- an excellent way to train and strengthen the core muscles in order for it to be a better support for the spine.

When you start doing planks every day without fail, you:

 

  • Will have an improved core performance

In working out the abdominal muscles, planking is an ideal exercise because they train the major core muscles such as the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, glutes and external oblique muscle. Strengthening these major core muscles will result in an improved ability when it comes to lifting weights, higher sports performance, improved stability in bending and twisting, a stronger back and a shapely behind.

 

  • Will have a decreased rate of getting back and spinal column injuries

Doing planks daily allows for the building of muscles that offer support when doing spine and hip-focused workouts. In addition, regular plank exercises significantly decreases back pain and offers stronger back support, particularly the upper back area.

 

  • Will have an overall increase in metabolism boost

Daily planking workouts challenges the entire body because they lead to burning out more calories compared to more traditional abdominal workouts. The muscles strengthened in doing planks on a daily basis will result to burning more energy even when the body is at rest. This type of benefit is important for people who spend the majority of their daily hours sitting in front of their computer. In doing a 10-minute plank home exercise before or after getting back from work, an enhanced metabolism is observed even when sleeping.

c25a3738_Elbow-Plank.xxxlarge

  • Will have improved posture

Daily planking, like majority of abdominal workouts, help in your ability to stand straight and have a more stable posture. A strengthened core is key to maintaining proper posture at all times. This is because abdominal muscles tend to have an overall effect on the shoulders, neck and back, and chest area.

 

  • Will enjoy improved balance

Most of us have problems involving balance and this is usually because of low abdominal strength. Doing planks and side planks greatly enhance balance and consequently, boost overall sports and exercise performance.

 

  • Will be more flexible than ever

Strong abdominal muscles will yield a more flexible body. Planks expand your posterior muscles (collarbone and shoulders) and stretch the hamstrings, toes and feet. The side planks on the other hand, work out the oblique muscles, making them stronger. Stronger oblique muscles helps in the hyper-extension of toes, a crucial movement when it comes to supporting body weight.

ab-exercise-plank