Use It or Lose It!

“You need a consistent, year-round program in order to stay well, physically and psychologically. Regular exercise can positively impact mood, weight control, energy level, stress and sleep.   A 2010 study found that adults who worked out on a consistent basis had significantly lower rates of depression than those whose exercise regime was irregular. 

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is it so easy to lose what I’ve gained when I take a break from exercise and so quick to gain weight?”   Research has also shown that a hiatus from training can result in added pounds that are difficult to shed, even once you start exercising again.  “You will lose whatever advantages you’ve gained over time and be back down to couch potato status within three to six months, but the effect of inactivity starts within DAYS,” says exercise physiologist J.P. Hyatt, an associate professor in the Department of Human Science in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University. For starters, he points out that cardiopulmonary fitness can decrease by 20 % within three to eight weeks of stopping your workouts.

Brrr…It’s cold outside.  The warm side of this frigid weather,  As soon as you start exercising at a reasonably high level , about 40 percent of the energy you consume is lost as heat, and so your body very quickly warms up.