Travelling can be pure bliss. Most people look forward to their vacations or staycations so that they can relax and de-stress. It’s also a time that most people forego their normal routine, which if it includes exercise and movement, most give it up in favour of laying on the sand or exploring new cities.
In preparation of my two-week trip to the Greece and England, half of my suitcase was packed with my gym clothes and running shoes. I was determined to make sure that no matter what, I would exercise at least 3 times per week and be consistently active each day. Was I crazy? Sure, to most people I was but fitness and movement is part of my lifestyle, it’s not just a trend or option. Had I gone away for only one week (like an all-inclusive resort), I would have rested and done a lot of walking or other water sports but two weeks was too long to be sedentary.
Two weeks without exercise will not change the physiological structure of my physique. I’ve been active for 10 years and my physical body has looked consistently the same for the past couple of years so two weeks without a high amount of activity wasn’t going to make me increase by two dress sizes or gain 20 lbs but I knew that if I didn’t stay active that the return to the gym would feel difficult while lifting the same weight or doing the same cardio prior to my vacation.
However, more than two weeks of no exercise can alter the following:
1. Loss of muscle mass.
If you exercise regularly, the muscles are used to building and maintaining its muscle mass. When the muscle fibres are not being regularly used, the fast-twitch muscle fibres adapt by shrinking and transforming, making it effort just to regain again.
2. Fat gain.
An active person that is muscle-dense will burn calories while doing nothing. Muscles burn calories. Fat doesn’t. If you lose the muscle mass, then less calories are burned and the body fat percentage increases as the metabolism slows down. The body requires a certain amount of calories (which most athletic individuals have calculated to factor in their active lifestyle). As soon as the activity stops, the amount of calories also has to be adjusted and slightly decreased.
3. Decrease in performance.
Endurance is one of the first things to being affected, hence why it feels 10x harder when going back to the gym. When the muscles aren’t being used, then the decrease in bone density, blood flow, and energy can affect our perceived exertion, thus affecting our cardiovascular capabilities.
4. Quality of brain functions, sleep, stress, etc.
Yes, exercise reaps tons of other benefits for the body by improving blood circulation, flow of oxygen, release of key hormones, which help our sleep, make us feel joyful, and adapt to daily stressors. The lack of consistent exercise can have the opposite effect, leading to feelings of fatigue, low energy, anxiety, and anxiousness.
While you don’t need to go all out and follow your high intensity interval training routines while on vacay, it’s good to stay active. You can do this by walking or running while exploring new places and/or doing push-ups and sit-ups in your hotel room or outside. Happy travelling!