Anyone who used to live an active lifestyle, and now has a much more relaxed life has felt the affects of inactivity. Either you were in a bunch of sports in high school, or you got into fitness a little later in your life, the fact is that at some point, your body got used to being stretched, pulled, and pushed to its' limits. Our creator designed the human body to absorb all that activity, and even get used to it.
After so long, the body remembers what certain activities feel like and remembers what it takes to endure and complete that activity. It's called muscle memory. If you decided today to try increase your bench press, after about a week or two you would notice that your body has gotten stronger. It's gotten used to the stress of heavy weights and high reps. Isn't that amazing?
If the body can endure the demands of a new challenge and then grow to the point where those demands become, in a sense, easy then imagine how that same body reacts when the challenges disappear. How long do the muscles remember? How long of a break until the body forgets what it takes to execute the exercise? Or even more so, how long until the body can successfully complete it?
Eventually the body gets used to doing less, just as it got used to doing more. Muscle memory works both ways. Instead of the body remembering what it takes to push a barbell off of your chest, because you have become sedentary, the body now remembers what it takes to walk to the kitchen, or to sit on the couch for several hours. After years of inactivity the body no longer needs to exert as much energy, and the muscles don't need as much power.
Most people equate the difficulty of moving and lifting with old age, but that's not the case. A Kenyan marathon runner by the name of John Ruengo Gituchi ran well into his 80's. If what they say is true, that old age limits your abilities, endurance, and strength, then Mr. Gituchi should not have been able to complete one race let alone compete since the year 2000 where he would have been 70 years old.
It's not the simple fact that someone is old that makes it their body slower and weaker. The cause of this is due to years of inactivity. Because of the body's ability to remember what it takes to execute exercises, if you never stop doing them the body will always remember what it takes to do it. The muscles will be used to giving the amount of strength necessary to complete the challenge, no matter the age. When you reach a certain age and have limited the challenges that your body faces on a regular basis, then that is when you feel the affects of inactivity.
Stay active, and continue to challenge yourself. Your body will respond with just what you need. If you are already active, then don't stop. If you're already feeling the affects of years of inactivity then it is time to get your body to remember some new movements and exercises. You are never too old challenge yourself. Try it for yourself. You'll be surprised by how your body responds over a time.
Finding the motivation to stay active is a challenge in itself. If you're looking for someone to help you stay active then please consider using my services. Team Get Fit offers expert training for all ages and fitness levels. In fitness and in life, it's always better to do thing with someone instead of doing it alone. Let's get started.
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