Forced rest causes rapid deconditioning
Dear Dr. Donohue: I am forced to take a rest from my exercise program for about two months. How will this affect me? I have been actively training for the past 10 years and am in pretty good shape. — L.P.
Answer: Deconditioning occurs fairly rapidly. In the 1960s, exercise scientists conducted an experiment called The Rest and Training Study. They put young men, in their early 20s, to bed rest for three weeks. They tested the men’s strength and endurance before they were put to bed and again after the three weeks in bed.
As expected, the men’s fitness had regressed to levels way below the levels they had possessed at the beginning of the experiment. It took these young men eight weeks of rigorous training to get themselves to the state they had been in at the beginning of this experiment.
Thirty years later, the experimenters rounded up the same men, now in their 50s. During the 30 years, none had engaged in any physical training. They were mostly sedentary. Still, their level of fitness was greater than it had been after they spent those three weeks in bed rest when they were in their 20s.
The men were then put into a supervised exercise program. After six months, they had attained a state of fitness that was superior to their fitness when they were 20 and were first tested before bed rest.
Ask anyone who has had an arm or a leg in a cast. That person can tell you how much the muscles of the casted limb shrunk and how long it took to get those muscles back to their former size and strength.
The point is that inaction brings about a loss of fitness rapidly. Admittedly, most people aren’t forced to take weeks of bed rest. All the same, conditioning gains are lost quickly without maintaining an exercise schedule.
There is a bright side to all this. Well-trained men and women can maintain their gains by exercising only one day a week. They will not make any improvements, but they can stem the losses with one day of exercise.
The booklet on aerobics, fitness and abdominal exercises gives guidance on how stay fit and how to achieve a flat belly for both young and old. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 1301, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
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Dear Dr. Donohue: From time to time I have trouble with insomnia. My doctor says I can overcome it with exercise. I find this hard to believe. Is there any proof for this? When is the best time to exercise to get this effect? — C.B.
Answer: There’s lots of proof that exercise can help overcome insomnia. For one thing, it reduces anxiety, and an aroused mind is one cause of insomnia. Exercise burns energy, increases body temperature and slightly damages tissues. Sleep restores energy, lowers body temperature and facilitates tissue healing. The exercised body, therefore, pushes a person into sound sleep.
Exercise four to eight hours before bedtime.