Lack of Exercise got You Down? Breath Easy

Be honest: You have not exercised for several days, have you? For weeks? For months? Don't worry! Stick to the following pieces of advice and they will help you to get back to your exercise routine.

No matter what the reason for your break in training, these stops can cause a guilt complex and weakness within you. Such a state is called “lack of physical activity syndrome.” It happens when we become victims of our own procrastination. It seems to us that if something is not done today, it will get done tomorrow. But before you lie down on a comfortable sofa somewhere, think about whether it's worth losing your strong heart. After all, during those several weeks when your sneakers were getting dusty somewhere under your bed, your muscles hardly had time to get soft again. We hope our pieces of advice will help you to cope with this syndrome.

1. Resign yourself to the fact that you won't be able to exercise regularly
   Naturally, a healthy lifestyle implies every day exercise. But it's not the end of the world if you miss one session of aerobics just because you got stuck in a traffic jam. Next time something prevents you from exercising, grade the importance of the training on a scale of one to 10. These missed exercises will hardly get high mark. Knowing that everything won’t always go according to your plans is the first step in overcoming the syndrome.
2. When you're short on time, improvise!
   Treat obstacles as new opportunities and it will be much easier for you to successfully cope with any problem. You won't have time to practice yoga tomorrow, will you? But if you keep a bag of exercise clothes at work, you will be able to go work out in the evening. So you only have 20 minutes instead of the usual hour to work out. That's not bad. It'll be enough for you, and it’s better than nothing.
3. Don't be afraid of changes
   Changing your training regime will help you to not only avoid boredom, but it can also be very healthy. Instead of running for the third time this week, try another kind of sport or exercise that you never had time for before. Change the intensity of your work out sessions. For example, do more aerobic exercises one day and than do some weight training the next day.
4. Think about yourself!
   Your body is the most valuable thing you have. Physical activity is as important to your health as a sound night’s sleep. If you currently don’t have time for exercise, you should look at your schedule again and make a point to find some time (at least two to three hours a week) for exercise. Even psychologists recommend planning your exercise before. When you see the note on your calendar that says ‘Run after work!’ you won’t likely won't miss it.

Regress strategy

What happens when you stop your regular exercise routine?

After one week you won't notice any differences. Often such breaks are useful for muscles to adequately recover.

After a month it will become more difficult for you to run in the morning or to do your other exercises than it was before.

After three months you should be careful if you decide to start working out again. Don't be in a hurry to start exercising at the same level of intensity as before. Doing so can actually be quite damaging to your health.

After six months you will be out of shape as if you’ve never worked out before. Your muscles will lose their tone.