This is one of the many myths surrounding what happens to your body when you stop exercising – but is it really true? Weight loss can be a difficult feat for some, but once you’ve achieved it the key is to stay on top of your fitness as well as a healthy diet. But many people believe if they were to stop exercising, or if they don’t exercise at all, their muscle would turn to fat. However, is this really true?
Babylon Health have busted a number of health myths, including whether your muscles turn into fat when you don’t exercise.
They explained what really happens, saying muscles simply get smaller when you stop exercising.
“Muscle cells hypertrophy (grow large and multiply) when you exercise. If you stop exercising, the muscles will atrophy (get smaller) but they won’t convert to a different cell type and turn into fat,” they said.
However, not exercising will have other effects on your body.
“Within just two weeks of no exercise, you lose a significant amount of the fitness that took you so long to build up”, personal trainer Laura Williams told the Metro.
She said: “Muscle strength and stamina, and often flexibility, declines pretty quickly too, sometimes in as little as 10 to 14 days after you stop training – and the decline just continues from there.”
Exercise also plays a big part on combating stress, with one study on mice by Princeton University finding those who exercised were better equipped to deal with things causing stress.
While weight loss can be a difficult challenge, there are simple tips which can help shed the pounds.
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and that certainly seems to be true according to recent research.
The US study, Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index in Adventist Health Study 2, looked at whether the size, frequency, and timing of meals – as well as the changes in body mass index (BMI).
While your body mass index may not be representative for all body types – such as for some women – it can be used to build a semi-accurate representation of a person’s tissue mass.
The figure is calculated by dividing a person’s mass by their height in metres squared, which can then be categorised into sections such as underweight, healthy, overweight, and obese.
The 2017 research analysed 50,660 adults from North America, who are considered relatively healthy.
It analysed the number of meals eaten per day, the length of their overnight fast, the timing on their largest meal, and the consumption of breakfast.
So, what did the results of the study show?
From the research, it seems that for relatively healthy adults, there are a number of ways to prevent long-term weight gain.
Consuming breakfast was revealed to be a top method, as was eating the largest meal in the morning.
As such, it could be suggested that having a big – but healthy – breakfast each day, could help you to stay slim.
Babylon Health busted 50 health myths to finally separate myth from medicine – see them all here.