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A Few Days Off? Overcoming Fitness Regression

By Spencer Boone           

There are a multitude of fitness junkies out there who seem to live at the gym and have their boiled chicken and veggies pre-portioned for every meal this week. Then there are the rest of us. We try as hard as we can to establish workout routines but are continuously interrupted by life. Between work, children, school, or just the normal day-to-day activities that keep us occupied, the gym soon becomes the last of our priorities. Many of us can get to the point in which we begin to see the benefits of exercise, but then some distraction gets in the way. How long does it take before you start gaining back the weight you lost?

Let's take a look at how quickly a fitness decrease can happen and also look at some tips to keep your workout going so the weight stays off.

Down the Drain

Sickness can be a primary derailment to our workout routines, but it often has to do with letting other activities take precedent in our lives. How long before noticeable deterioration occurs within the body? Two weeks of sitting around is enough to show a significant decrease in cardiovascular fitness and muscle size, according to physiologists. Naturally, the better shape you're in before you decide to skip the gym has a significant impact on the losses you will see. Someone who has just started his or her fitness journey will see a larger drop in stamina than someone who has been hitting the gym with frequency. Regularly challenging your body to new peaks is the only way to see significant gains with your overall health.

Preventing the Downward Spiral

There are ways to keep on top of your routine so that the two days you spent traveling do not stretch into a month of inactivity.

The first way to get on top of your fitness goals is to keep a journal and log everything you do that's fitness-related. This will help you be more aware of the gaps in your workouts and reduce their occurrence. You can also make sure that on the days you simply cannot make it you do something to get your heart rate accelerated. If that means dropping to the side of your desk to knock out a bunch of push-ups and sit-ups or going for a walk while you eat lunch, so be it. Doing any kind of physical activity is always better for your body than sitting around stagnant. 

Another trick is to change up your fitness routines. Many of us are creatures of habit, so the same workout becomes a comfort to us during the day. Once your body adapts to the same regimen you will start to see minimal gain. Change the workout, and also change the intensity. This will keep your muscle growth peaked and your brain happy as it seeks to overcome the new challenges placed in front of it.

In a perfect world we would all have plenty of spare time to hit the gym. However, in today's fast-moving world we must find unique and creative ways to stay on top of our fitness so that our lives stay enriched to their fullest capacity. 

To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Eagan, Minn.

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