What Happens to Your Body When You Skip The Gym?
We've all skipped a workout once and a while. Maybe you weren't feeling well one day, you were tired or you just said "f*ck it what's one day anyways?" Well, we investigate what happens to your body on those f*ck it days.
First off, we want to point out that resting and recuperating your body after a high intensity workout is not the same as skipping the gym. Your body needs time to recover and heal. But making a habit out of skipping workouts because you're just not really into it that day, now that is dangerous.
Research has shown that skipping your workout routine for just two weeks can cause your cardiovascular fitness and your muscle mass to plummet. It takes two months of not working out to sufficiently lose your fitness level and become "out of shape". However, after two weeks your body will show signs of slacking.
Skipping workouts causes your heart health and strength to fade first. It will be the organ that shows a reduction in it's endurance the fastest. Meanwhile, muscles will stick around for a bit, especially among strength training novices. If you've newly gained muscle mass, chances are it will stay with you for a few months of inactivity before gently degenerating.
If you are an exercising veteran, bouncing back at the gym will come easier to you. Studies show that those who are life-long exercisers will ease into a routine after a hiatus, more smoothly than exercising newbies who tend to drop on and off with their regimes.
If you habitually skip your workouts, ask yourself why. If it is because they are too hard to squeeze into your busy schedule, try upping the intensity of your workouts while lowering the time frame. For example, cut a 40 minute cardio session to 20 minutes and add in 30 second intervals of high speed running. This will give you results just as effectively and is good for your heart and blood sugar. As the saying goes, less is more!
When is it best that you skip your workout? If you're experiencing fatigue, coughing, congestion vomiting or intense muscle aches, then take a rest day. Listening to your body is key to keeping healthy and strong. If you're too sick for the gym but don't like sitting around the house waiting to feel better, try going for a light walk. Never stress your body because you're anxious to kill a workout. This could make you more sick or plateau your recovery time.
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