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PJ Wren: Would You Purposely Try to Lose Your Fitness?

By on July 30, 2013
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By PJ Wren of the Go Fit Gals.

It warms our hearts when we hear members tell us, as they prepare for their summer vacations, that they have their “Away Programs” printed, their runners and workout gear packed and our YouTube channel saved on their phones. That is precisely what we want to hear. That our people get it.

They understand that a trip and a vacation are no excuse to stop respecting their bodies; they will keep moving no matter what the circumstance and time of year it is.

So, it baffles us when we read tweets or blogs, or eavesdrop into conversations at the local Starbucks, and hear people proclaim that they have taken a break from their fitness for the summer.

While we will give them some credit because they always back it up with an, “I’ll get back to it in the fall,” we still don’t get it.

Why would you purposely lose the strength, flexibility and aerobic capacity that you have just spent the last 9 to 10 months working towards?

Because you will lose it.

In fact, the more deconditioned you were before your summer hiatus, the more you are going to lose.

Studies have followed new exercisers as they began an exercise program and then stopped it, and found that after two months of quitting their newfound fitness program, they had lost all of their original gains! They were back to square one again.

Fit people – your outcome is not as bad, but it is still worrisome. After 2 months off your program, it is estimated that you will lose about 30% of your gains.

The question then begs to be asked – how long will it take to get it all back then?

Researchers say that is hard to predict, but for athletes, it could take as much as three months to regain your previous fitness level. For new exercisers, it might be as much as 8-10 weeks.

If you allow us to do the math – a new exerciser who stops exercising for the summer and then starts up again say after the kids go back to school in September, will just be getting their original fitness back by the beginning of December.

And then guess what? It’s Christmas. Now there are parties to go to, schedules that are busy and well, what the heck “I will start up again in January”.

After Christmas comes winter holidays, because most people we know take off sometime in the January to March months. Then there is spring break and then guess what? It’s summer again.

It’s a vicious cycle, with no end in sight and no gains to be seen. That is, unless, you decide to break the habit of thinking that exercise is something that can be dropped from the schedule and put back in again when it suits you better.

Exercise is a necessity at maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is our only proven fountain of youth, disease-fighter and “I-feel-awesome” medicine all rolled into one. Why would you give all that up?

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Try these easy tips to keep exercising through the summer:

Try a new class.
Quite often fitness studios will run specials through the summer months, because it is their slow time. Use these savings to try something that you have never done before.

Check out our “3 Tips to Eating Clean While On Vacation“
We just posted a vlog a few weeks ago giving you some great tips to keep yourself fueled properly while traveling . These are tried, tested and easy tips that we use when travelling. Click here to watch it.

Use the great outdoors.
Go for a hike, do a mini-workout outside, play tag with the family. Get outside and enjoy both moving your body and the great outdoors all at the same time. Or, even better – try this workout that we developed specifically for travelling (uses no equipment, little space and is under 30 minutes) Holiday HIIT or our Opt for the Outdoors Workout.

When travelling, pack your fitness gear.
Always have a workout outfit and runners packed – no matter where you go. If you are flying, wear your runners on the plane (since they will take up most of the space in your suitcase) and then put them to use at the airport. Use your legs, not  motorized walkways or escalators.

Your phone.
If you go away, and have access to Wi-Fi, check out all the free workouts available to you on YouTube (including our channel www.youtube.com/gofitgals). You can also use apps to keep moving. We love the Nike Training Club and Pocket Yoga apps. Both will guide you through workouts and moves safely and effectively.

www.phoTobinphotography.com

PJ Wren is a certified personal trainer and the exercise half of the Go Fit Gals. The Go Fit Gals mission is to create fit and healthy bodies, one person at a time. Their online nutrition and fitness programs teach you how to eat clean and train dirty – for life. Subscribe to their YouTube channel (for free workouts, recipes and tips). Subscribe to their popular blog and receive a 1Day Sample Plan. www.gofitgals.com

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