5 things that happen to your body when you stop exercising

janet ndila

September 5, 2018 6:04 PM

Consistency is key.

Taking a break from exercising can lead to some pretty unpleasant consequences – just ask fitness guru Jane Mukami.

She recently revealed how her break from habitually visiting the gym took a toll on her body saying:

“The last 6 days have been hectic. Not enough sleep, 6 media appearances so super early mornings, meetings, barely eating, planning....and I can feel it and see the above effects on my body.Muscle tone is flattening out, low energy, I caught myself panting while lifting stuff on Friday....it’s funny how quickly the body notices a break in habit. This is why healthy living isn’t a start and stop thing but a lifestyle thing.”

And what she mentioned couldn’t be truer.

When you stop exercising for even a few days, your body responds to that break and not in the best way. Here are five things that happen to your body when you stop exercising.

1.Your blood pressure rises

Skipping exercise tends to make one’s blood pressure to rise. This is due to the fact that your body was already accustomed to a particular rate during exercise. Stopping could make it rise before it drops back to how it was when you weren’t exercising.

The rise and fall in your blood pressure isn’t great for your health.

2.Your muscles shrink

Your muscles tend to shrink when you skip physical activity which can in turn result to a sudden feeling of weakness in the body.

This could explain why when you get back into the gym, you tend to get tired faster.

3.Your bones weaken

Bones are more likely to become brittle when you take a break from the gym. This can put you at risk of diseases such as osteoporosis.

4.Your joints ache

There is a reason why people say you should continue exercising despite the pain you feel. Your joints ache whenever you stop working out because your ligaments and cartilage take time to recover from the exercise.

5.Your mood shifts

Exercising helps to relieve stress and stimulate feel-good hormones thus putting one in a good and energetic mood. Stopping can lead to a shift in moods.