You can get back on the fitness wagon, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes. It’s not impossible, but don’t expect to pick up where you left off when it comes to fitness. Every week you don’t workout, your level of fitness goes backward. A study at the University of Copenhagen tested not only how much muscle mass was lost by inactivity, but also how long it took to regain it. After having one leg immobilized for two weeks in a knee brace, men in their 20s lost between 22 percent and 34 percent of the muscle strength, while those in their 60s and 70s lost between 20 and 26 percent. It took six weeks of regular exercise to regain muscle mass, but their leg strength was still 5 percent to ten percent lower than when the study began.
It may take a little longer than planned but you can do it.
Don’t expect to hop of the couch and run a marathon, but do expect to see results quickly with the right program. As a personal trainer, I create programs that help people maximize the time they spend working out and get the most from each session at the gym. You’ll build muscle mass while you shed pounds. The longer you workout, the better your results will be.
Losing weight is easier with a program of regular exercise.
One of the reasons that exercise is so beneficial to weight loss is that it builds muscle tissue. Increasing muscle tissue not only tones your body, it also burns calories faster. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue does, so you’ll be boosting your metabolism and burning extra calories 24/7. You’ll look slimmer too, even if you never lost a pound. One cubic inch of muscle tissue weighs far more than a cubic inch of fat, so it takes up less space. It’s like comparing the container for a pound of metal to one for a pound of feathers. The feather container will be much larger.
Find out that working out can be fun.
You may start out dreading your new journey back to fitness, but you shouldn’t. It actually can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be all calisthenics and push-ups. There are many new ways of exercising that you’ll enjoy and even look forward to doing. Working out with a group also increases the fun and motivation. Everyone supports one another and cheers each other on to victory.
You’ll burn off the hormones created by stress. That clears your head and leaves you feeling far better. One of the hormones, cortisol, is associated with the accumulation of abdominal fat, so you’ll shed fat there too.
You’ll improve your posture quickly. That improved posture also makes you look thinner and more confident.
When you combine a healthy diet with regular exercise, you’ll see dramatic results quickly and watch pounds seem to fall away.
No matter when you start a fitness program, it can help you live longer and healthier. One study noted that for every minute you workout, you’ll get seven minutes more of healthy life.