The Fitness Cycle

Like many things in life, there is a rhythm to exercising. It’s an equation where rest and sleep are as important as putting in the work at the gym

- Syed Zulfadhli

Months of sequestering ourselves to avoid a nasty virus and operating remotely from our own homes have made us all kinds of restless. So when gyms and fitness studios reopened once social restrictions eased, we literally jumped up and punched the air. Many of us returned to our fitness regimes or embarked on new ones. Either way, we began working out in earnest to shed the weight we’ve gained, as well as to alleviate any adjustment-related stresses.

Our first instinct is likely to push ourselves hard and control our diet at the same time. Certainly, it feels good to sweat it out, whether we were lifting weights or punching a bag of sand. Observing our bodies transform for the better then motivates us to get active more frequently. However, after several weeks, the body hits a plateau, and we notice the paunch we’ve worked so hard to get rid of slowly returning. Additionally, we began feeling more and more hungover despite not having had a drop of alcohol since adjusting our diet to a more nutritious one. What exactly is going on here?

The Perks Of Exercising

Regular exercise and a balanced diet have their benefits, of course. If you’re looking to lose weight, you should include aerobic exercises such as jogging, shadow boxing and cycling into your fitness regime.

A 2018 study by the American Diabetes Association reported that weight loss and fat mass reduction occurred with aerobic training more significantly than with resistance training after an eight-month trial. A random group of 16 men observed an average weight loss of 7.5 kilograms over the course of three months after burning 700 calories a day. This is probably why we observe significant weight loss when we first introduce regular exercise into our routine.