2871: If Your Mind Needs A Holiday, Your Body Might Need A Break Too by Emma Hogan with Les Mills

[00:00:00] Überlass deine gesunde Ernährung und die Gains nicht nur deinem Bauchgefühl. Denn bei der Ernährung gaukelt uns unser innerer Schweinehund manchmal ganz schön was vor. Sag stattdessen Hallo zu deinem neuen Coach, Yasio. Yasio ist die meistgenutzte Ernährungs-App Europas, made in Germany. Egal ob Massephase oder ein bisschen Abnehmen, tracke Kalorien, Proteine, Carbs, Fette, Bewegung und Intervallfasten. Und mit den Tasty-Rezepten bist du ready für deine Ziele. Let's go! Lade die Yasio-App jetzt herunter.

[00:00:29] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

[00:00:54] So, press play on Good Sleep Tonight because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep. Just search for Good Sleep in your podcast app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily. If your mind needs a holiday, your body might need a break too. By Emma Hogan with lesmills.com. And I'm Dr. Neil Malik, reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there.

[00:01:23] With permission from the websites. And always with a bit of my commentary at the end. But for now, let's keep this intro nice and short and get right to today's post and start optimizing your life. If your mind needs a holiday, your body might need a break too. By Emma Hogan with lesmills.com.

[00:01:46] Dr. Ginger Gottschall is an expert in the development of sustainable and effective exercise regimens. And she says it's definitely okay to take a break from exercise. In fact, she recommends everyone have at least one day off a week. And that you enjoy a break from your regular exercise routine during vacations. Spending three or four non-consecutive weeks per year doing less training can be refreshing, she says. Quote,

[00:02:14] A break from exercise prevents injury by allowing the working muscles to rebuild and prepare for future training. It also gives you time to relax and refocus. And this can make you appreciate the positive feelings associated with training. End quote. Using periods of reduced activity to improve performance is something competitive athletes have been doing for decades.

[00:02:37] And while most of us are not professional athletes, paying heed to the idea of athletic periodization and sports tapering can pay off. Classic athletic periodization involves phases of exercise that shift between high volume, low intensity and low volume, high intensity. The aim is to maximize performance without the risk of overtraining. Sports tapering is something athletes do prior to a competition or event.

[00:03:07] This short reduction in training load is designed to limit fatigue for the big event while maintaining fitness effects. The internet is littered with myriad periodization formulas and tapering specifications. It's a complex science. And while there has been plenty of research in the area, it seems it's so highly individualized that there is no one recipe for success.

[00:03:30] What is clear though is that periods of reduced exercise load and intensity can be advantageous. However, as one of the critical factors in exercise adherence is consistency, It's not ideal to regularly take more than one day off per week. This is particularly important for novice exercisers. If you're new to exercise, it's a good idea to spend the first 10 to 12 weeks committed to regular exercise in order to develop a routine.

[00:04:00] Once you have a sound routine under your belt and you exercise between 4 and 6 times a week, taking a week off could be good for your mind. And it shouldn't affect your fitness either. How can I tell if I need a break from exercise? According to Dr. Gottschall, signs that indicate you may need a break from your exercise routine include

[00:04:21] A high resting heart rate, a low exercise heart rate, the inability to fall asleep, lack of energy, the inability to focus, and negative feelings about exercise. How long should an exercise holiday last? How quickly does your fitness go downhill? Detraining rates all depend on the individual.

[00:04:44] But as a general rule, you could expect to lose specific fitness skills more swiftly than basic core skills. Many believe you typically have around 2 weeks until your aerobic fitness starts to decline. A study of well-trained regular runners who had been training consistently over a 4-6 month period shows that for the first 10 days of inactivity, there is minimal decrease in cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by VO2max.

[00:05:12] But from there, it goes downhill as your heart's ability to efficiently pump blood decreases. How quickly your fitness will decline? Well, it varies from person to person, but you can expect to notice some changes within 2 weeks. One study shows that after 2 weeks of not running, VO2max decreases by 6%. By 11 weeks, it drops as low as 25.7%.

[00:05:37] This is backed up by another study of endurance athletes, showing a 20% decrease in VO2max after 4 weeks of inactivity. For a long time, we've thought strength is less likely to be affected by an exercise holiday. But recent research has called this into question. A 2015 Danish study showed you can lose muscle mass within 2 weeks, and the younger you are, the bigger the impact. The more muscle mass you have, the more you can lose.

[00:06:07] Where you are on your fitness journey can also affect how quickly your fitness drops off. Beginners, and those with a smaller base of fitness, will lose fitness at a faster rate than seasoned exercisers, who may lose peak fitness relatively swiftly, but then see a slower decline in base fitness. When we asked Bryce Hastings, Les Mills' head of research, about the value of exercise holidays, he said it all depends on the individual.

[00:06:35] But if you're hanging out for a holiday, chances are your body could probably do with some rest too. Regular, everyday exercisers are notorious for not taking breaks from endless exercise, he explains. Quote, They establish a routine which is great, and they religiously stick to it. Potentially adding to the load when a new fitness class or training innovation comes along. Chances are their body doesn't need a fresh new training innovation. It may well need a rest. End quote.

[00:07:06] Bryce says the holiday period can be a great time to take a break and then reset your regular exercise routine. But he advises against taking a break from physical activity altogether. You could factor in regular walks and even squeeze in the odd workout. If you find yourself really in need of those exercise endorphins while on vacation, Hastings suggests you try one of the easy-to-stream workouts available on Les Mills On Demand. A word of warning.

[00:07:33] While a week away from your regular workout schedule will have little detrimental effect on your fitness level, it might not feel that way. You could expect your first workout back to feel tougher than usual, but chances are it's all in your mind. So don't be put off. And whatever you do, be aware of holiday creep. Aim to get back into a regular workout regime as soon as your vacation finishes. No holiday on the horizon? Even if you're not planning a vacation,

[00:08:03] Gottschall says you still need to give your body the break it deserves. Quote, We rarely talk about the risks of too much exercise, because the majority of people do not do enough. But there's a fine line between exercise that produces health benefits and exercise that can actually cause health detriments. End quote. She believes everyone should employ one strict rule. Having one full day without planned exercise every week. No question. No short run.

[00:08:32] No yoga. No express class. You need two sleep cycles without training. Sure, you can still walk your dog or enjoy an evening stroll, but nothing that requires intensity above 65% or potential muscle soreness. According to Gottschall, you need this full day each week to recover both physically and mentally. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:09:00] If Your Mind Needs a Holiday, Your Body Might Need a Break Too, by Emma Hogan with lesmills.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. We write the story of our lives. And with every new chapter we hope we hope that the time doesn't go fast. But not everything lies in our hands. Most people infuse themselves throughout their lives with HPV. Often a HPV-infection is a person's life. If you don't have a infection, you can develop certain HPV-based diseases.

[00:09:29] But I want a happy end. The HPV-Impfing can also be useful for children. The HPV-Impfing can also be useful for children. Inform yourself now to prevent HIV-based diseases. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. It's easy to hear advice like, oh, it's okay to take time off to help your body repair and quickly convince ourselves that we automatically fall into this category. Let me repeat something super important that today's author, Emma, mentioned. If you're new to exercise,

[00:10:00] spend the first 10 to 12 weeks of this new exercise committed to performing it regularly. This will help you build a routine. Once you've built up a routine, and you are routinely exercising four to six times a week, well, now you might want to consider taking some time off. Remember, by this point, about three months into your workout routine, your level of fitness won't be hurt by some time off.

[00:10:26] But if you start taking breaks too early into your habit building, you may end up hurting your progress by breaking out of your habit or taking steps backward in some of the fitness gains you've already achieved. Remember, beginners lose their fitness faster than those that exercise regularly. And again, if you're young, you're not immune to this either. Now, of course, I'm not advocating for exercising when you're sick or pushing yourself to the point where you get sick.

[00:10:55] Of course, if you really and truly need the rest, take it. Just be sure you're not just using it as an excuse. All right, that'll do it for me for today. I hope you have a great weekend if you're listening in real time. And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.