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So you’ve had a busy month at work. Maybe you had to cut back to once a week due to a muscle strain. You could have just moved away from your ultra-convenient local gym. Or, you’ve just fallen off the wagon, due to lack of motivation. Whatever happened, life got in the way, whether you liked it or not. What does this mean for your body?
Let’s say you skipped the gym for a week. No big deal right? Everyone skips sometimes. Unfortunately, a recent study shows that even five days of inactivity can lower your blood vessels’ ability to dilate, especially in your lower legs. This kind of blood vessel constriction can eventually lead to heart disease. Yikes! But not to worry, there’s no evidence that skipping one week will affect you forever. Get back in there next week and you’ll be just fine.
How about a month? Unfortunately, this will have a bit more of an effect on you. A month is plenty of time to lose some amount of muscle mass and endurance, and most likely gain some weight, especially if you were under a lot of stress while you were skipping the gym. However, going back to your workout will still be easier than if you had never been regularly active.
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What if life has forced you to really take a break? If for whatever reason you've been slacking on your personal fitness for a few years, there’s some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it’s never too late to start a workout plan that works for you. The bad news is that after a few years, you’re more likely to have worse endurance, slower metabolism, and less gray matter (the stuff in your brain responsible for…almost everything). Unsurprisingly, you're also at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. The sooner you can take control of your fitness, the better.
Have you ever taken an unexpected break? How did you get back in the groove?
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