What changes happen to your body when you stop exercising

Don't worry—your body won't change much physiologically. In fact, taking a few days off can be just the thing for your mental health, says personal trainer Adrienne Herbert, author of "Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love." "If you're feeling emotionally stressed and exercise isn't working, a week off might be just what you need," Herbert says. "Sometimes taking a break allows your body to recover, and you'll feel much better when you return to your workouts."

After a week of not exercising, the body starts to show signs of inactivity. Studies, including a recent one at Northwestern University’s Department of Neurology on people with chronic insomnia, show that exercise improves sleep; conversely, inactivity can disrupt circadian rhythms. “Physical activity increases the amount of deep sleep, the ideal restorative phase for the body,” confirms sleep expert Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, who works with elite athletes. Deep sleep helps strengthen the immune system, supports cardiovascular health, and helps manage stress and anxiety.”

In addition, our mood can decline when we lack the “dose” of endorphins that regular exercise provides. Physical activities stimulate the production of hormones such as endorphins, which help improve mood and inhibit chemicals in the brain that cause stress and depression. When we stop exercising, the body loses this positive source of energy, easily falling into a state of fatigue and lethargy.

A recent study at the University of Liverpool, UK, has shown that the body begins to experience negative changes after just 14 days of not exercising. The study was conducted on two age groups: 20-30 and 60+, with 26 young adults and 21 older adults participating. They reduced their physical activity levels, participating in only about 36 minutes of light exercise per day and walking less than 1,500 steps. Results from health tests using X-rays, CT scans, and weight measurements showed a decrease in cardiopulmonary health, an increase in body fat, and especially, fat concentrated in the abdominal area in the older group.

Stopping exercise can also make us less focused and forgetful. Researchers from the University of Maryland scanned the brains of healthy older athletes and found that after 10 days of not exercising, blood flow to the brain – especially the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and memory – was significantly reduced.

According to Dr. Farah Hameed, a sports medicine specialist at ColumbiaDoctors, after about six weeks of not exercising, many people start to see changes in their physique, whether in the mirror or on the scale. Even elite athletes aren’t immune. A 2012 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that swimmers who took a five-week break from training had a 12 percent increase in body fat, as well as an increase in weight and waist circumference, despite maintaining light activity. Similarly, a 2016 study found that professional Taekwondo athletes who stopped training for eight weeks had increased body fat and lost muscle mass.

Especially as we age, the aging process increases muscle loss and recovery becomes more difficult if we stop exercising for too long. If you find it difficult to get back into it, try setting small goals, rather than trying to get back to your old level right away. No need for strenuous exercise, just maintaining light activities such as working out at home with light weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises are enough to help the body stay flexible, maintain muscle, and stabilize the mind. Exercise, at any level, is always the easiest and most effective way to maintain both physical and mental health, regardless of age.

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