'I stopped exercising for 18 days, here's exactly what happened'
If you’re big into fitness, chances are you’re familiar with rest days and deload weeks. They’re essential for helping your muscles recover, replenishing energy stores and giving your nervous system a break from the stress that comes with training. Any longer than a week, though, and you’ll probably start to worry about losing those hard-won gains, right?
Well, fret not: if you're worried taking an extended exercise break this Christmas could eliminate any progress you've made, studies estimate that strength ‘is readily maintained for up to four weeks of inactivity’, with one proving that training in six-week cycles followed by a three-week break is just as effective for muscle growth (a.k.a., hypertrophy) as five and a half months of continuous graft. Athlete Keltie O’Connor experienced this for herself.
After 10 days traveling, then returning home to have her wisdom teeth removed, she went from a summer of ‘intense challenges, including training like an Olympic swimmer, running every day, and training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro’, to 18 days of no workouts.
‘As an athlete, fitness is a part of my identity. As someone with so much energy, it’s also hugely important for my mental health. But what happens when that’s all taken away?’ she says.
This marked the first time O’Connor took an extended break from exercise so, naturally, she was apprehensive to see what would go down. ‘In 30 days, I did five workouts, and 18 days of no exercise at all,’ she explains. ‘I’d usually do three or four workouts in two days. Before this break, I’d done four months of intense resistance training and gymnastics, so it was a big change.’
She documented the timeframe on her YouTube channel, where she breaks down how she felt, and changes she noticed in her body after doing absolutely nada for 18 days. Prepare to be surprised - here’s everything she learned, and all the proof you need that taking a break this festive period could do you good.
1.You won’t gain weight
‘At the end of the month, my weight is the same, I just look a little flatter,’ O’Connor says. ‘Because usually, I have a ton of carbs in me, as well as a lot of water and glycogen in my muscles after I’ve been working them.’
She’s referring to the process in which your muscles hold onto water and glycogen (i.e., energy) to help them recover after a hard workout, with research showing that the more you train, the more able your muscles are to store them, in order to improve performance.
In fact, studies found that muscles that have just been used in a workout store up to 135 mmol of glycogen and water per kilogram of body weight compared to non-trained muscles that only store about 80 mmol of glycogen and water per kilogram of body weight.
2. You may have a reduced appetite
‘Diet wise, I’ve been on soft food - infinity yoghurt bowls and cans of soup - because of having my wisdom teeth out,’ says O’Connor. ‘I’m being very conscious not to lose weight. I really made sure to get in enough calories because my hunger also wasn’t as high as normal since I wasn’t training. I made sure to eat at maintenance (i.e., enough calories to maintain my weight, which will be different for everyone, based on their height, gender, age and more).’
According to science, you likely won’t have as much of an appetite during a break as when you’re exercising, when your metabolism will be higher. One study showed that doing strength exercises for 11 minutes a day, three times per week, resulted in an average increase of 7.4% in resting metabolic rate after half a year, which equates to an additional 125 calories burned per day.
3. Your muscles won't lose strength
'18 days after my op and I’m so excited. I’ve been craving movement, so I’ve booked a Barry’s Bootcamp class,’ O'Connor says. ‘After this time off, I know I’ll come back stronger. Muscle memory means you’ll quickly return to normal, and I certainly don't feel like I have lost much strength or fitness. This time out has proven to me that I can afford to have time off and enjoy time with my friends and travel, and then come back to fitness – like seasons. Next up: it’s CrossFit season.’
The aforementioned studies corroborate O’Connor’s findings; that taking time off won’t mean you lose strength in your muscles. Better still, scientists at the University of Massachusetts revealed that the nuclei (our cells’ control centres) we gain during periods of regular exercise remain in place, even when our muscle cells shrink during some time off. Without getting too technical, these residual ‘myonuclei’ allow us to regrow our muscles bigger and faster when we return to training after a break.
Several of O’Connor’s subscribers took to the comments section to share similar experiences. One wrote: ‘I feel like my body performs better if every couple of months I take an extended break from an intensive workout program, but the difficulty is always getting that habit going strong again on my restart day. Having an upcoming, exciting workout helps with that. Glad you're back at it!’
O’Connor replied: ‘Lots of science behind that actually!! Why most professional athletes avoid the gym 1-3 months after a season. Also, deload weeks and even months do magical things. ️ Love that you found that out for yourself it’s true the hardest thing is just getting that habit again. Feels great to be back at it!’
Another added: ‘This happened to me recently! I’m a workout-6-days-a-week kind girl and had to stop for a month with only light walking and I was SO anxious to not be able to work out.
‘And what happened to my body? Nothing, really. I lost a little muscle and felt way less inflamed. And my mind? Well, it gave me time to reflect on what movement I really enjoy doing vs what’s “planned”. This video is a great reminder for athletes and very active individuals how it’s totally ok to take time off from fitness. Thanks for always being authentic in your journey, Keltie.’
4. There's room for more in life, besides fitness
As O’Connor brings the video to a close, she adds that taking time out has proven that while fitness is a big part of her life, there is more to enjoy. ‘When I wasn’t focussing on fitness, I enjoyed life. I love having fitness goals, but I enjoy travel and I loved getting to spend so much quality time with my friends. It’s just life that I had to have my wisdom teeth out, but now I know I won’t lose athletic progress with a little time off.’
You Might Also Like
