How to Cut Back on Exercise

Ever been tempted to take a little hiatus from your exercise routine? Well, here's an unsettling fact that may help you stick with it -- even if you go with an abridged version.

Light exercisers who quit cold turkey for a bit -- rather than just scaling back -- have a much harder time dropping the weight they gain during the break.

Better Than Nothing
Lighten up on exercise and you may gain a bit. But do nothing, or close to it, and things get much worse. When exercisers in a recent study slacked off, they gained exponentially more weight the closer they got to zero exercise. And here's the kicker: The research also suggested that a prolonged hiatus produces weight gain that can't be reversed by simply going back to your old routine. You have to do more. Yikes. So even if it feels strange to do less -- like walking 1 mile instead of 3 or 4 -- remind yourself that it's infinitely better than doing nothing. Use the six simple steps in this article to get the most out of your walking program.

More Ways to Get Movin'
What's got you ready to throw in the towel?

• Bored? Mix it up with dancing, swimming, biking, leaf raking, and a new exercise class or two. Here's how this approach helps your brain.
• Short on time? Try this whole-body workout that takes just 20 minutes.
• Totally out of shape? Watch this video for the beginner version of the YOU: On a Diet workout.

How fit are you? Test your fitness level with this online calculator.

Asymmetric weight gain and loss from increasing and decreasing exercise. Williams, P. T., Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2008 Feb;40(2):296-302.