FITNESS ZONE: If you don't use it, then will you lose it?

If you're considering taking a break from exercise during the summer break or you've been sidelined by an injury, you might wonder if you'll lose all your hard-earned strength and endurance.
Inevitably some loss of fitness will occur but there are ways to help minimise it. In fact sometimes the best thing for an overworked body is a good dose of "r and r". I have put together some of the things that happen to your body when you take a break from exercise.
Cardiovascular fitness will decline during a period of de-training, however, the degree of decline is dependant upon what kind of shape you were in to begin with. Extremely fit individuals such as highly trained athletes, experience a rapid drop in fitness during the first three weeks of detraining but this tapers off.
A significant level of fitness - higher than that of an untrained person - will be retained for about 12 weeks. Individuals with low-to-moderate fitness levels show little change in cardiovascular fitness within the first few weeks but their ability rapidly declines in the weeks immediately following.
This means for most of us we can afford the occasional break for 2-3 weeks but then we need to get back into it again. This could prompt you to set a date in the New Year to re-focus.
The ability to perform a given sport or activity, whether it involves connecting bat with ball in cricket or running 10km, invariably declines when the sport is neglected for any length of time.
One study found that marathoners experienced a 25 per cent decrease in endurance time during a maximal aerobic treadmill test after just 15 days of inactivity.
Another showed that a swimmer's arm strength declined by more than 13 per cent after just four weeks of missing their regular training regimen.
Another key factor in ongoing performance is how our mind handles the break; your self-efficacy (belief in you ability) can negatively decrease disproportionately. We need to try and stay positive about ourselves and believe that just because we're taking some time out, all is not lost.
Numerous variables come into play when analysing the ability to perform a particular sport-specific skill, making it difficult to analyse the effects of detraining. Some are like riding a bike - you never forget how - while others, such as the ability to deliver an accurate serve in tennis, for example, involve specific timing and well-trained muscles.
Speaking of muscles, there are few genetically blessed individuals who are the exception to the rule but generally we all have to work at building strength through formal or informal strength-training workouts. Again, well-trained athletes have the edge, because the positive effects of training remain evident weeks, sometimes even months, after ending training.
Lesser-trained individuals can expect to see their muscle strength and conditioning decline at a slightly faster rate, though not at the levels seen in sedentary individuals.
Experts agree that the best way to avoid losing much of the health and fitness benefits you've worked so hard to achieve is to do something. Cross training became popular because it is a viable means of maintaining, not just motivation, but also one's fitness level.
More than just a useful psychological tool, cross training can also be a physiological blessing. For example runners can give their knees a break by switching to cycling, swimmers can work their legs on a stair stepper and aerobics enthusiasts can take their workout outdoors by hiking through a local park or reserve.
If an injury keeps you from your favourite activities, take your worries to the pool or beach. Be sure to progress gradually.
If boredom is the problem, now is the time to try that sport you've been considering for so long. In-line skating, tai chi, windsurfing, boot-camp workouts - whatever interests you.
One thing's for sure, when Christmas Day rocks around and you are going from one enormous meal to another, spare a thought for your heart and your waistline.
Why not get out and walk on the beach or around Mauao in the afternoon, I'm sure you'll feel a lot better for it.
When taking a break from your usual routine, the key is to keep challenging your heart and other muscles in order to minimise the detraining effects.
* Paula Langridge is Director of TrainingZone Fitness Professionals based at BodyZone. For training enquiries, contact her at trainingzone@xtra.co.nz, 5714605 or 021657015. You can also hear her every Friday morning on Classic Hits 95BOP FM