Why You Should Never Press “Pause” on your Health & Fitness!
I stole this idea from our friends at Precision Nutrition, but I thought it was really important to share. They put together a really in depth, detailed infographic (check it out here) with the details about how you can successfully continue your health & fitness goals, even when you feel like you should “press pause”.
When life gets crazy (let’s be honest- when is it NOT crazy?!), one of the first things to get put on the back burner is exercise and healthy eating. Often times, people do this because it’s “an extra expense”, or it “takes too much time” or they have some sort of ache or pain somewhere in their body, and they believe that means they shouldn’t work out at all.
This isn’t the case for you, though, if consistent exercise has been a habit of yours, week in and week out, for a long time. If it has been a consistent habit of yours for a while, you couldn’t imagine going without!
Don’t let a planned day of rest turn into several weeks of debauchery! It’s alright to take some time off here and there, but there are several physiological changes that will take place if you let it go for too long. Our bodies were designed to move and we thrive on exercise!
According to “outsideonline.com“, there are 4 things that happen to your body when you stop exercising:
1) Your Blood Pressure Can Rise
2) Your Skeletal Muscle Starts Resisting Insulin
3) Your Muscles Shrink
4) Depression Can Kick In
So what should you do, if you feel like you need a break or a rest?
1) Make exercise and healthy eating a consistent part of your life. Even if your exercise is simply walking, or doing some body weight movement (jumping jacks, squats, push ups, etc) 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes at a time, your body AND your brain will thank you for it.
2) Make quality REST part of your routine too!! As a pregnant person with a 1 year old that doesn’t like to sleep in her crib, this Is something I’ve been struggling with naturally, but I’ve noticed a big difference in the quality of my life when I can throw a nap in here or there! Most people know about how much sleep they need per night in order to feel good the next day, but most studies show that you should get around 7-8 hours.
3) Eat whole foods! Just like our last Monday Motivator discussed, the less processed foods and junk that you consume, the better you will feel. Chaos and curveballs in life shouldn’t be an excuse to start eating Cheetos and ice cream for dinner!
4) Start small. I have a really great audio book from Jim Rohn, where he discusses how just doing the right, small things daily will make a huge impact in your life. He refers to the infamous quote “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, and reminds his audience that it also has the opposite effect if you eat an ice cream a day! Keep it simple, and start with daily habits that you can repeat consistently, such as packing a healthy lunch every day, or drinking half your body weight in ounces of water.
If you’re reading this and realizing “wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done any exercise at all”, the good news is that “muscle memory” is a real thing! Essentially, your muscles have special cells in your muscle fibers that “remember” previous training movements so that when you get back to working out after an extended layoff, you are able regain lost muscle quicker.
Again, check out the infographic HERE from our friends at Precision Nutrition for more guidance!
Thank you for taking the time to read this!- Mandy Webb, KW Fitness Co-Owner