August 30, 2024 6 min read

We all know that staying active is vital to keeping healthy, but what happens when life gets in the way and you miss workouts? It might be tempting to take a break, but letting go of your exercise routine can lead to severe setbacks. Here's why you should keep moving, even when life gets busy, and how you can bounce back if you take some time off.

The Slippery Slope of Stopping Exercise

It's no secret that regular exercise is good for you. It keeps your heart strong, muscles toned, and your mind sharp. But when you stop, even for short periods, your body starts to lose those hard earned benefits. This process of 'going backwards' is known as 'detraining' and can happen much quicker than you might think.

When you stop exercising, the physical changes that made you fitter—like improved cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and flexibility—start to reverse. And unfortunately, the longer you're body is inactive, the more you lose. Research shows that significant declines in strength and functional capacity can occur after just a few weeks of detraining, especially in older adults. However, the good news is that these losses can often be regained over time with consistent effort.

Cardiovascular Fitness: The First to Go

Your cardiovascular fitness, or how well your heart and lungs work during exercise, is one of the first things to decline when you stop being active. This decline islargely due to reduced blood volume and the heart's reduced capacity to pump blood effectively. Here's how it typically progresses:

Within 2 weeks: Your VO2 max, which measures how efficiently your body uses oxygen, can drop by as much as 10%.This means your endurance levels start dropping, and you might get puffed more easily.
After 4 weeks: The decline becomes more noticeable, with VO2 max potentially dropping by up to 15%. You may start to feel sluggish, and activities that once felt easy might now leave you feelingknackered.
After 12 weeks: At this point, your cardiovascular fitness could have declined by up to 20%. You might notice that your heart rate increases more quickly during physical activity, and your stamina for longer workouts significantly drops.
After 3 months: By now your cardiovascular fitness could have declined by up to 50%. You might notice difficulty walking up hills or stairs and major energy drops in daily tasks.

The takeaway? Cardiovascular fitness fades quickly, but the good news is that regular, even moderate exercise can help maintain your heart health during periods of lower activity. Understanding the timeline of these changes can help you stay on track or get back to your best quickly.

Muscular Strength: A Slower, But Steady Decline

While your heart might struggle after just a couple of weeks without exercise, your muscles are slightly more resilient to detraining than cardiovascular fitness—but not by much. Here's what you can expect if you hit pause on strength building:

Within 2 weeks: You might not notice much change right away, but your body is already starting to lose its neural adaptations—the fine-tuned connections between your brain and muscles that help you lift more weight or perform more reps.
After 4 weeks: Strength losses become more apparent, with research showingup to a 10% decrease in your one-rep max—the most weight you can lift for one repetition. This loss is due to a combination of reduced muscle mass and the diminishing efficiency of your nervous system.
After 8-12 weeks: Your muscles have started shrinking, leading to a noticeable decrease in strength and performance. Studies, particularly in older adults, show that after 16 weeks, the decline can be significant, and it may take even longer to regain what'sbeen lost.

While muscle loss takes a bit longer to kick in, it is significant and still crucial to stay active.

Older Age: A Critical Factor in Detraining

As we get older, the effects of detraining become more pronounced.Older adults tend to lose muscle mass more quickly (a condition known as sarcopenia) and have a more challenging time bouncing back after a break.

Research indicates that older adults can lose up to 50% of their physical fitness gains in just a few weeks of inactivity.This makes it even more critical for seniors to keep moving. Regaining lost strength can be a slower process for older adults, and it can take longer to recover. However, don't be discouraged; consistent effort,even after detraining, can help you regain.

The Risks of Taking a Break

Letting your exercise routine slide doesn't just affect your physical appearance or how strong you feel. It has more profound implications for your overall health and well-being:

Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: As your cardiovascular fitness declines, your risk of heart disease and other related conditions can increase, especially if you're already at risk.

Loss of Functional Independence: For older adults, the loss of strength and endurance can decrease their ability to perform everyday tasks independently, increasing the risk of falls and injuries.

Mental Health Setbacks: Exercise is a powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. Stopping your regular workouts can lead to a resurgence of these symptoms, impacting your overall quality of life. You may not realise it at first. It will start with slight changes of mood then gradually creep back.

How to Minimise the Effects of Detraining

Life happens, and sometimes you can't stick to your regular exercise routine. Whether it's due to an injury, a busy schedule, or simply needing a holiday, there are ways to minimise the impact:

Over Plan Classes: If you plan four workouts but get busy and miss two you still have two and 130 minutes of exercise. If you only plan one and get caught at work and miss it you will have no physical activity in your week.
Turn Holiday Fun into a Workout: Most hotels and locations have pools, which are great places to workout in a fun way while on holiday. Even splashing a friend or treading water holding a cocktail has cardio benefits. A RiderBand is a great option to take with you on holidays. It fits in the palm of your hand and can easily slip into your carry-on.
Don't stop during Winter: Stoping exercise for 3 months over winter is one of the most common mistakes and a long period of detraining. Shift your workout to a heated pool so you can continue to work out.
Use Modifications if Injured: If you have a shoulder injury, water cycle and swap out the arm movements for legs. If you have a lower limb injury, choose boxing instead and swap out the leg movements for arms. This approach will maintain cardiovascular fitness and strength in other body parts, preventing complete deterioration.
Return as soon as Medically Able: Return to physical activity as soon as a medical expert has advised your wounds have healed. The many modifications and even non-weight-bearing options available in water make returning to some form of exercise earlier more possible in water than on land.
Focus on Flexibility: Stretching and mobility exercises can prevent stiffness and keep your joints healthy, which is particularly important if you've had to scale back on more intense activities due to an injury or illness. Again, a RiderBand can assist here.

Bouncing Back

The good news is that while detraining can lead to fitness losses, these can often be regained with consistent effort. Your body is incredibly adaptable, and with patience and perseverance, you can return to where you were—or even surpass your previous fitness levels.

A study on older adults demonstrated that although strength and functional capacity decline after detraining, a retraining program can help recover these gains within a shorter period than the initial training required.

The Bottom Line: Don't Stop Moving

Stopping exercise can significantly decline cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength, often within just a few weeks. These declines can profoundly affect your health, functional independence, and quality of life, especially as you age.

But here's the thing: the key is to keep moving even if life gets in the way. If you must, cut down if busy, but don't stop completely. And if you've been sidelined due to an illness or injury, don't be too hard on yourself—get back to it as soon as you possibly can and are medically cleared to do so and use exercise modifications. Your body will thank you for it!

Next Steps

If you or a loved one struggles to prioritise their health, speak with a member of the Water Resist team who can help you implement a program that works for you. They are able to assist you to stay motivated and accountable to your goals.

Remember what's at stake next time you're tempted to skip an exercise class or workout. Keep moving, stay strong, and prioritise your health—because, in the long run, it's worth it.