Why shouldn't you stop playing sports?
There are many factors that can make it impossible for you to continue your sports activity. An injury, a lack of time, fatigue, a drop in motivation may mean that you have to put aside your physical activity.
What can this mean for you?
Stopping training has its consequences. The physical condition can deteriorate more or less quickly. Depending on the level of fitness when you stop training, the benefits of exercise may disappear completely or partially. Most individuals will notice a difference depending on the length of time they have been de-training.
A break of 4 weeks is considered a short break. When one stops practicing a sport activity, muscle mass, bone density and oxygen consumption decrease. Physiological changes are felt: loss of muscle mass, decrease in endurance... The most trained athletes will notice the decrease in their performance more than amateur athletes. If strength, flexibility and muscle size can decrease after a few weeks, they are easy to recover quickly.
In terms of endurance, a regular runner who has been training for several years will see his running time decrease. After 2 weeks of stopping, it will take you 1 minute longer to run the 7 km you used to run in 31 minutes.
To measure the quantity of oxygen consumed by the body and therefore the level of physical condition, we use the maximum oxygen consumption, the VO2 max. With this measurement, we can establish the aerobic capacity of an individual, i.e. the time he can sustain an effort at the highest possible percentage of VO2 max. VO2 max is initially lost when you stop doing sports. It can be controlled by continuing to practice an activity at low intensity. When you start again, your body is less efficient, you tend to get out of breath more quickly and feel tired.
After 4 weeks, the changes can take on greater proportions. Indeed, endurance can drop and return to the level you had when you started running. VO2 max decreases by 6% after two weeks of not running, and by 25.7% after 11 weeks compared to the optimal starting condition. After a long training break, there is a loss of muscle mass. In terms of muscle strength, the changes are relative to the individual and to the number of years of training. Muscle memory allows the most trained to regain their capacities even after a long period of time without sporting activity. Hang in there, you will regain your performance after the first few weeks.
If the period lasts, you should beware of the problems that you had previously mastered thanks to regular sports practice: muscle wasting, weight gain and sleep disorders for example.
How to limit these changes?
If you have to take a break from exercise, it is better to reduce the amount of training you do than to stop it completely. This will keep you in shape and make it easier to get back into the sport! Even if you are injured, opt for half as much training but increase the intensity. Work the opposite limb to the injured one. This will keep it strong and healthy. Take every opportunity to move: walk, take the stairs, exercise! At the same time, pay attention to your diet. Eat vegetables and proteins at every meal.
The consequences of stopping sport are not irreversible. However, don't rush into resuming your sport at the risk of injuring yourself and prolonging your break. Be motivated, patient and listen to your body.