Skipping Exercise Cramps Mood

Worse Moods, Dips In Fitness Seen After 2 Weeks On Sidelines

(WebMD)  Skipping exercise for a week or two may cramp your mood, says a study that turned regular exercisers into couch potatoes.

"We were able to measure negative results from withdrawal of exercise in just two weeks," says researcher Ali Berlin, MS, in a news release. Berlin works at the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She presented her findings in Nashville, Tenn., at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting.

Stick to It

The take-home message: Once you start exercising, keep it up. That doesn't mean becoming a slave to the Stairmaster or a fanatic about any particular workout. Adjustments may be necessary from time to time.

For example, "if someone is a regular jogger or bicyclist and find they cannot do the activity for a short time, they need to do something else like walking until they can resume their preferred activity," says Berlin.

Forced to Take a Break

Berlin's study included 40 regular exercisers. "We were not looking at elite athletes; the study participants were people who are regularly active at a moderate level," says Berlin.