Perils of taking exercise break

Friday January 2nd, 2015

The Christmas holiday may have led to many people taking extended breaks from keeping fit – but just five days of inactivity is enough to trigger damage to blood vessels, researchers say.

The damage from “skipping” five days can take a long period to repair, according to the latest study.

Researchers studied healthy volunteers and examined the effects of them moving from 10,000 or more steps a day to fewer than 5,000 steps a day. 5,000 steps a day is thought to be the average in developed economies whilst the researchers say 10,000 steps can be achieved in 30 minutes of moderate exercise.

They found that after five days the inner lining of blood vessels in the legs suffered decreased function.

Researcher Professor Paul Fadel, of the University of Missouri Medical School, USA, said: "The impairment we saw in just five days was quite striking. It shows just how susceptible the vascular system is to physical inactivity."

He added: "The best treatment is to become more active, and our research lends proof to that concept. If you do not realise how harmful sitting around all day and not doing any activity is to your health, this proves it."

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise September 2014

Tags: Fitness | Heart Health | North America

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