9 Unexpected Things That Happen When You Abandon Your Workout Routine

by LINDA MELONE | Livestrong.com

It happens to the best of us: You get injured, find yourself working around the clock or are otherwise forced to put exercise on the back burner for a while. And when the holidays roll around, you’re also provided an incentive to eat and drink and skip your workouts until January. But a day or two can easily stretch into weeks or even months, and you’re right back to square one. In technical terms, you’ve become “deconditioned.” In fact, 25 to 35 percent of adult exercisers quit working out within two to five months of starting, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). How quickly your fitness level declines depends on several factors. Some may surprise you.

1. Cardiovascular Fitness Starts to Tank After One Week

Aerobic fitness is defined as the ability of the body to transport and utilize oxygen from your blood in your muscles. This measure, also known as VO2 max, decreases after as few as one to two weeks of inactivity, says Danielle Weis, doctor of physical therapy with Spring Forward Physical Therapy in New York City. “The functional capacity of the heart also decreases. After three to four weeks of bed rest, your resting heart rate increases by four to 15 beats, and blood volume decreases by five percent in 24 hours and 20 percent in two weeks.”

2. You Lose Cardiovascular Fitness More Slowly If You’re a Seasoned Exerciser

If you’re new to fitness and recently started working out (less than six months), you’ll lose fitness faster than someone who’s been exercising a year or longer, says Brad Thomas, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and UCLA chief of sports medicine. “You’ll lose up to 40 percent of your cardio fitness, but your fitness VO2 max will still be higher than someone who’s never exercised,” he says. For example, you take two people: one who’s exercised regularly for two years and the other for only two months. If both stop working out, they will both lose all their gains quickly — by about six weeks. “But the well-trained athlete will lose about 40 percent and then plateau,” says Thomas. So trained athletes lose less fitness than sedentary people who’ve only recently started exercising.

3. Flexibility Loss Occurs Quickly

You lose the benefits of flexibility quickly if you take any substantial time off from stretching, says Michele Olson, professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. “After a bout of flexibility exercise, the muscles and tendons begin to retract to their typical resting length — particularly if you sit during your commute regularly and/or sit at a desk at your job.” Olson notes that you’ll notice a loss of flexibility in as few as three days, with even more pronounced changes occurring at the two-week mark. “Stretching should be done at least three times a week — if not daily,” she says.

4. Strength Starts to Diminish After Two Weeks

When you quit strength training, changes in your muscles begin to occur within days, says exercise physiologist Michelle Olson. “Muscle, when not receiving its regular challenge, will start to lose protein, which is absorbed into your circulation and excreted via urination. Small but meaningful loss in muscle protein (the building block of the contractile units for each muscle fiber) can begin to occur in 72 hours.” Noticeable changes when attempting to lift your usual amount of weight show up in two to three weeks, adds Olson. And as with cardiovascular fitness, long-term exercisers will see a slower muscle loss than those new to exercise, says Dr. Brad Thomas.

5. You Lose Power Faster Than You Lose Strength

Power, defined as strength times distance over a period of time (e.g., how quickly you can hoist a weight or dash across the street to make the light), fades faster than strength, says physical therapist Danielle Weis. “Strength losses first occur due to a change in the nerve’s impulses to muscle fibers, shortly followed by actual muscle wasting.” During muscle wasting, protein breaks down at a faster rate and protein synthesis (building) drops. The time it takes for you to return to your original fitness level depends on the reason you stopped exercising in the first place — whether due to illness or simply lack of time.

6. Fitness Levels Decline Faster When You’re Sick

Someone who’s healthy and takes a break from exercise loses muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness more slowly than a person who stops exercising due to an illness or injury. The latter will lose fitness levels twice as fast, says Dr. Brad Thomas. The stress of an illness or injury takes a greater toll on the body than simply taking a break when you’re healthy. Whether you’re an athlete or recreational exerciser, if you’ve taken a few weeks off from your routine, your level of deconditioning will be pretty low, says physical therapist Danielle Weis. “If you are recovering from a fracture, surgery or have been on bed rest, it can take up to and longer than 12 to 24 months to fully recover.”

7. Maintenance Is Easier Than You Think

If you’re planning to take time off from your workout routine, keep in mind that staying in shape isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. In fact, you can maintain your fitness levels in a surprisingly small amount of time, says Dr. Brad Thomas. “In order to maintain both aerobic and strength levels, you need just 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) twice a week.” Thomas cautions that the work effort must be truly high-intensity, at between 80 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.

8. Aging Affects Fitness Loss

You lose strength and overall fitness twice as quickly as you age, says Dr. Brad Thomas. “It’s largely due to hormone levels. As we age, we have lower levels of human growth hormone (HGH), which makes it harder to recover.” We also lose our ability to handle stress and recover from the resulting stress hormones, such as cortisol. As we get older, this same mechanism results in greater fatigue after a workout. Older athletes take longer to recover from workouts in general, according to several studies, including a 2008 article published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

9. It Takes Three Weeks to Gain Back One Week Off

After a period of lying around, your nervous system loses its ability to fire up as it did before you took time off, says Irv Rubenstein, exercise physiologist and founder of STEPS, a science-based fitness facility in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s due to the fact that you lose the neural stimuli that enables you to lift heavy objects with the same amount of effort. “When you return to lifting, you may be able to lift the same weights, but you will be working above your normal capacity, which could put tissue at risk. It will take a greater effort to do what you used to do and will require more rest between sets and days in order to recover. ”A novice who’s taken time off during the holidays will need to start from scratch. The athlete or experienced lifter can start back to where they were in early November and give it a month to get back to speed.

reprinted from Livestrong.com

Why Foam Rolling Is Crucial For Building Muscle

By Alexa Tucker | Self.com

They see me rollin’, they hatin’.




Celebrity trainer Ashley Borden is a major proponent of foam rolling—for her clients, it’s a non-negotiable element of their fitness routine. That's because spending a little one-on-one time with a foam roller can help improve your mobility so every exercise is more efficient and effective, putting you closer to your goals, whether you’re looking to build lean muscle or burn fat.

But knowing how to use that cylindrical tool you see stacked up by the mats at the gym can be a little confusing. The name implies a rolling motion, but there's more to it than that. Here we have Borden share what you need to know about foam rolling, and how it can help you crush it at the gym.

Foam rolling means rolling out your muscles with a piece of hard foam, and it might feel a little painful.

Foam rolling is a way to help smooth out your fascia, the connective tissue that stretches over and through your muscles. “Inactivity, repetitive motion, and injuries can cause the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue to bind together. This causes ‘knots’ or ‘trigger points,’ that lead to tightness,” explains Borden. When you roll out, you release these knots, and this helps reduce muscle tightness and improve joint mobility.

This process is typically accomplished with a foam roller (aptly named, huh?), which is a cylindrical tool typically made of dense foam plastic. (There are other tools like massage sticks and therapy balls that are designed to help work out the knots, too.) “When you foam roll it’s like getting a mini massage before you train,” explains Borden. And while that sounds deliciously wonderful, foam rolling can actually feel a little painful, especially if your muscles are extra tight and sore, she adds. (If you feel sharp pains always stop and check in with your doctor.)

Relieving muscle tightness can directly improve the quality of your workouts.

Foam roll then work out. “When muscles are not restricted by tightness, the body has more range of motion and muscles can fire at peak efficiency during exercise,” explains Borden. Range of motion refers to how much you can move around a joint. For example, with better range of motion in your hips and knees, you’ll be able to get deeper into a squat.

By doing exercises correctly, and through your full range of motion (which, by the way, will improve as you get better), the moves become more effective which helps build lean muscle mass. Not only does this help with general strength goals, but also fat loss—having more muscle mass takes more energy for your body to maintain, which increases your basal metabolic rate (or BMR), or how many calories your body burns at rest.

Reducing tightness can also help minimize muscular imbalances in opposing muscle groups (the ones that work together to help you move in everyday life and in the gym, like your chest and back and biceps and triceps). Tightness in one of these muscle groups can interfere with your ability to engage the other—for example, if your quads are super tight, you’ll have a tough time engaging your glutes during a squat, which can lead to overdeveloped quads and underdeveloped glutes, Borden explains. Less tightness also cuts down on your risk for muscle and ligament strains, as well as general discomfort, she adds.

Think of foam rolling as an essential building block to your regular workout.

In the short term, foam rolling can provide immediate relief from body pain due to tightness. You may notice that your legs start to feel light and tingly because foam rolling also increases circulation, says Borden. It will also help you feel more connected to your body, she adds—and when your body and mind are in sync, your workout tends to be on point.

And there’s an obvious long-term payoff, too. Strength training is an essential part of a balanced workout program—and foam rolling plays a major part in making sure that tightness and knots don’t get in your way and kill your workout vibe. Reducing tightness can also help you perform your best during non-strength workouts, too, as mobility is essential for runners, bikers, dancers, and swimmers, too.

Ultimately, foam rolling can help make the time you spend training more efficient and effective. Here's how to do it the right way.

First, locate the foam rollers at your gym or buy one for yourself—for something that delivers big results, it’s relatively inexpensive and worth the investment. Most are under $25. Borden likes simple EVA high-density foam rollers, which is a basic type of foam roller made of dense EVA plastic. “They’re light, mobile, and sturdy,” she says.

Get in the habit of rolling out before every workout, explains Borden. “Give yourself five to 10 minutes and focus on the muscles you are using in that particular workout.” For example, spend extra time on your quads and calves before indoor cycling. For a full-body workout, she recommends focusing on muscles like your upper back and quads as these muscles are used in many compound exercises. Check in with your body and think about what needs attention—if you’re feeling a little sore or tight that’s a sign you might want to spend time foam rolling that muscle area. (Note, if you’re experience sharp pains or recovering from an injury or surgery, consult a doctor, not a foam roller.)

Here are a few moves to get you started:

• These three moves help with tight hips.
• Roll out your calves, quads, and thoracic spine with these moves.
• Here are six stress-relieving moves to do at home (or at the gym).
• Kayla Itsines demos some of her favorite foam-rolling moves here.
• Borden also has a guide on her website with some of her favorites.

Foam rolling helps even if you’re not about to work out, says Borden. “Wind down after your day by spending more time on areas of your body that feel tighter. I like to catch up on my mindless reality TV while I roll out,” says Borden.

Next time you’re at the gym, get your workout rolling with a foam roller. (I’m not even the least bit sorry about that joke.) Once you see how amazing you feel during your workout, you’ll be hooked.

Reprinted from self.com

This Woman's Gym Selfie Proves Being Healthy Isn't the Same for Everyone

"My point is, everyone gets judged. People don't bother to understand where you're coming from or why you do the things you do."

One woman's photo is going viral for its thought-provoking and powerful message against body shaming.

Stephanie Holdmeyer, a student at Missouri State University, shared a photo of herself after she was body shamed for wearing a weight belt at the gym that's since been shared more than 42,000 times on Facebook. She points out that after hitting the gym one day with her friend Chris, they were "judged hardcore." She also says someone at their gym reportedly went far as publishing a Facebook post criticizing them as thinking they were "hot s%&# because they wear their belts all the time." Holdmeyer went on to explain that she wears her weight belt because she had back surgery two months prior and needs it for support while exercising.

"My point is, everyone gets judged. People don't bother to understand where you're coming from or why you do the things you do," she writes. "That overweight guy? Someone judges him because of his weight, but little do they know he's already lost 100 pounds & has changed his entire life around. That guy with the skinny legs? He's had seven knee surgeries & he's currently trying to strengthen his legs. It's just a long hard process. That skinny girl you think "really needs to eat"? She's actually super self conscious about her thin figure & has been trying to gain weight, but her metabolism is super high."

Ultimately, her post highlights two important things: Health will look different to everyone — what's a healthy weight for one person might not be for another — and you never know what someone is going through or why they're at the gym. So before you body shame someone, take a step back and ask yourself if that's really the kind of person you want to be. "There's more to people than what you see. Instead of jumping to conclusions or making judgments, take a moment to consider someone else's perspective. Don't judge a book by its cover," she says.

Read her entire post below.

When Chris & I first started working out at the Rec, we were judged hardcore. Someone even posted on Facebook about the "buff couple" & how they "thought they're hot s&%# because they wear their belts all the time". This was about two months after my back surgery & I did indeed wear my lifting belt during almost all of my workouts for support.

My point is, everyone gets judged. People don't bother to understand where you're coming from or why you do the things you do.

That overweight guy? Someone judges him because of his weight, but little do they know he's already lost 100 pounds & has changed his entire life around.

That guy with the skinny legs? He's had seven knee surgeries & he's currently trying to strengthen his legs. It's just a long hard process.

That skinny girl you think "really needs to eat"? She's actually super self conscious about her thin figure & has been trying to gain weight, but her metabolism is super high.

That kid who follows you around & watches everything you do? He looks up to you and wants to learn your workouts, he's just scared to approach you.

That girl with really bad form? She had to mentally prepare to enter the weight room because she was terrified of people judging her. She second guesses every exercise, but she's too intimidated to ask anyone for advice.

That buff dude you think is cocky? He grew up in poverty and working out was his alternative to drugs or alcohol. He's not cocky-just focused.

That woman taking too long on the equipment you want? She's a single mom exhausted from working two jobs & raising three kids. She's trying to push herself to finish her workout, but she needs a little extra rest between sets.

That old man doing strange exercises and talking too much? He decided to get a gym membership to stay active & socialize after his wife passed away last year. Talking to you makes his day & has helped his depression.

There's more to people than what you see. Instead of jumping to conclusions or making judgements, take a moment to consider someone else's perspective.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Reprinted from fitnessmagazine.com