Inactivity

Haven’t been to the gym lately? Get moving, stat! The health risks of not exercising can show up in as little as two weeks of inactivity. Maybe you were having an especially tough time at work, or you caught the cold going around your child’s daycare. Whatever the specifics, you haven’t laced up your sneakers in weeks. I know it’s easy to fall off the exercise wagon — and it can be hard to climb back on. But here’s why you should make every effort to skedaddle: Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a sedentary lifestyle can cause several chronic diseases — and being inactive for as little as two weeks can boost one’s risk. When physically active volunteers were asked to stop exercising for 14 days, they showed increased belly fat and elevated cholesterol — a sign of pre-Diabetes and heart disease. That’s why fitness, like a healthy diet, needs to be a lifelong pursuit. Instead of looking at it as a means to a lighter, slimmer physique, think of it as beneficial in and of itself. Every time you exercise, you’re doing your body good.