SUNG GOON L.

ACOSTA
BioSc – 1B

"Lack of activity destroys every good condition of human being, while movement
and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it." –Plato

I am a Philippine National Wushu athlete and had already competed in one

international competition, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-Northern
Territories East Asia Games Association (BIMPNT EAGA) friendly championships,
where I landed in fourth place in the Taijiquan and Taijijian category. I'm saying that
because I want to prove that I have the idea of having a body that is in good condition
since, as an athlete, I should have and did have a body with a good condition; in a
sense that, I have great cardiovascular endurance, I have great muscular strength and
endurance, I have great power, speed, and agility, and I am highly flexible. Basically, I
am substantially above average in terms of measurement regarding health and skill-
related components during my athlete period. However, when the pandemic hit, our
training sessions were discontinued since no competitions are planned to be held. With
our training already discontinued, I was not able to train myself due to several factors,
and because of that, I have lost the good condition of my body. I am usually catching
my breath, I can't stretch well anymore, I can't hold a plank for more than a minute, and
many more. That is why Plato's physical education quote hits me the most.
With that, I will be mainly focusing on detraining because it is already understood
that if you do not exercise in the first place, you will never be in good condition, even if
you look fit (Ledford, 2017). The question now is, "What happens if you stop
exercising?". That question could be answered if we tackle detraining.
Your body is quite adept at distributing resources. This is why, at its most basic
level, training makes you better. The stress of frequent exercises throws off the body's
internal equilibrium, often known as homeostasis. Adaptation happens as resources are
automatically assigned to alter in response. A new equilibrium condition is achieved with
increased physical capabilities—in other words, fitness improves. Homeostasis is
delicate, and any change, such as reducing or eliminating training throws the balance
off. Because fitness adaptations need energy and resources to sustain, the body diverts
these resources to other uses when they aren't required. Stop training, and your body
will ultimately find a new equilibrium with a reduced degree of physical capacity. This is
called detraining, and it causes you to become slower and in bad condition. (Hurley,
2021)
Moreover, detraining is the polar opposite of training since all of the performance-
enhancing changes resulting from being more used to exercise progressively reverse
themselves. Detraining's varied consequences occur at different speeds and to varying
degrees. One consequence of detraining is the loss of cardio conditioning. According to
Donaldson (2016), "When you stop exercising for a few weeks, you fail to strengthen
your heart and lungs, which casts you into a serious sedentary lifestyle." Detraining
causes your cardio to weaken like what happened to me, and it also causes your body
to gain additional fat. Another consequence of detraining is when your strength outlasts
your physical endurance after you quit exercising. It is what you call strength loss. After
two and a half to three weeks of idleness, the majority of people lose strength. Their
muscular strength, which they have worked so hard to build up, will erode at an
alarming rate.
Additionally, detraining also affects you psychologically. When people exercise
vigorously every day and use it to relieve stress or, for recuperation, ceases training,
they may experience withdrawal symptoms. They may experience changes in their
sleep habits, performance, energy levels, and capacity to focus, as well as achy and
painful muscles; they may also acquire symptoms such as restlessness, frustration, and
guilt. It's similar to alcoholism, in which withdrawal symptoms significantly impact the
addict's social, familial, and professional lives. (Donaldson, 2016)
Therefore, evidently, if you stop exercising, you will notice a reduction in your
coordination, endurance, power, and strength, as well as your stamina, flexibility, and
vitality. These are critical components of physical fitness, and losing this is significant
because it affects you immensely in different aspects of life. This puts your
cardiovascular system in jeopardy, in addition to muscular loss. I realized that I am
incredibly wrong for not maintaining my good body condition, and I regret that I
detrained from the good body condition that I once have, but it doesn't mean I couldn't
get it back again. Even if there is no training for a competition, I will get off the sofa and
resume a regular workout program. Even if it is just thirty minutes of aerobic activity
each day, I know it will strengthen my heart while also improving my overall body and
core mobility. If you want to improve your health and well-being via exercise, you must
make the intentional decision to start and maintain an organized exercise regimen.
Failure to exercise can be a life-threatening decision, especially if you quit suddenly.
And that is why Plato's statement, "Lack of activity destroys every good condition of
human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and
preserve it," is indeed definitely true.
References

Donaldson, G. (2016, May 10). What Will Happen To Your Body When You Stop

Exercising. Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/323427/what-will-happen-your-

body-when-you-stop-exercising

Hurley, S. (2021, February 11). Detraining: What Happens When You Lose Fitness?

TrainerRoad. https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/detraining-what-happens-when-

you-lose-fitness/

Ledford, B. (2017, August 28). What happens to your body when you don't exercise

enough. TheList.Com. https://www.thelist.com/31206/really-happens-body-dont-

exercise-enough/