6 Things That Will Happen When You Stop Working Out

From Prevention Magazine

 
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Woman On CouchPHOTO BY SERGE KROUGLIKOFF/GETTY IMAGES

Just as a good training program builds you up, falling off the workout wagon can have the opposite effect—sometimes almost immediately.

Experts call this phenomenon "detraining,” and its consequences can weigh even heavier than the gut you see in the mirror. Fortunately, the condition is fully reversible, as long as you get your butt back to the gym. 

Here's what happens when you swap your regular sweat sessions for never-ending Netflix nights—and how long it takes to re-flip the fitness switch.

1. Your Blood Pressure Soars

Blood Pressure( PHOTO BY ANTHONY HARVIE/GETTY IMAGES )

This effect is near-instant: Your blood pressure is higher on the days you don't exercise than the days you do. Your blood vessels adapt to the slower flow of a sedentary lifestyle after just 2 weeks, which clicks your readings up another couple of notches, according to a recent study in the journal PLoS. Within a month, stiffening arteries and veins send your BP back to where it would be if you'd never even left the couch, says study author Linda Pescatello, PhD, of the University of Connecticut. 

 

Reverse it: The whole scenario unfolds backward when you start sweating again. Your blood pressure drops a bit that day and your blood vessels begin to function more efficiently within a week. After a month or two, the stress from heart-pumping workouts makes your vasculature more flexible, causing lasting pressure-lowering effects, Pescatello says. (Want to check it out for yourself? Here's The Best Way to Take Your Own Blood Pressure.)

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