There comes a time in the life of almost every fitness lovers when considering throwing in the towel after a workout, both literally and figuratively. Blame it on your work deadlines approach, or a stubborn needle on the scale, or even just the old boredom.
This is normal. But here's why you should not go ahead with the temptation to leave alone: there are many benefits of exercise, but are not permanent. In fact, many of these gains earned begin to disappear in just two weeks, said Farah Hameed, MD, a doctor of sports medicine with ColumbiaDoctors.
For years, researchers have suspected that exercise is good for the brain, too, according to a 2013 study, you might be able to help offset memory loss related to age. Now a new study in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found that even a short training period could cause changes in the brain.
In the study, when a group of long-term resistance brokers took a break from the 10-day exercise, their MRI later showed reduced blood flow in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory and emotions. The researchers note that while brokers have experienced any cognitive change during the period, more long-term studies are needed.
After just 14 days, you may have more difficulty climbing stairs or follow with peers during the monthly kickball game. The reason this is so out of breath? Skipping workouts causes a drop in VO2 max, or maximum amount of oxygen the body can use. You can dive 10 percent after two weeks, says Dr. Hameed. It only gets worse from there: After four weeks, your VO2 max may drop 15 percent, and after three months may fall about 20 percent "and these are conservative estimates,
Stay active even slightly can help: A 2009 study found that men who took kayakers a break of five weeks of training experienced a 11.3 percent drop in VO2 max on average, while who worked on a handful of workouts for each week only saw a decline of 5.6 percent.
Even if you do not notice a change in the speed or strength, you may experience a sharp increase in glucose levels in the blood and blood pressure, which could be more serious for people with diabetes or high blood pressure.
South African researchers found that two weeks break exercise was sufficient to offset the benefits of blood pressure two weeks training with high intensity intervals; Another 2015 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, found that people who have a fight eight months of resistance and aerobic exercise saw improvement in glucose levels in the blood, but lost nearly half of these benefits after 14 days of inactivity.