5 Things That Happen When You Stop Exercising to Lose Weight

You probably wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but I work out all the time. Pilates classes four times a week, weightlifting another four times, and running or boxing on other days. I must be ripped with a huge following on Instagram, right? Nope. Not even close. I do have plenty of muscle, but I’m not what many think of when it comes to “fit”. And I’m totally fine with that.

The reason: I changed my mindset about exercise. Now, it’s not only a means to an end, it’s something I truly enjoy and never get sick of doing. Alright, so maybe I do get sick of it sometimes. But when that happens, I take a few days off and… boom, I’m back to enthusiastically hugging up on my boyfriend of choice: the iron barbell.

Switching your mindset about exercise is a game-changer. You might lose weight—you might not—but I guarantee that life will get a whole lot better.

I’ve signed up for beaucoup boot camps, yoga classes and HIIT classes with one goal: weight loss. I never stuck with any of it for very long because I didn’t get the “bikini body in 30 days” that so many workout plans promise. I hated every second of it.

Eventually, I started doing reformer Pilates—basically because celebrities all credit their killer bodies to it—and found it was the only workout that I actually liked. Pilates eventually inspired me to discover other workouts that energized me instead of killed me. Who knew that you don’t have to end every workout dry-heaving on the ground in a pool of your own sweat?

I get stressed easily, so anxiety is my regular companion. Before exercise, it was easy to hole up in my bedroom and stress-eat ice cream and chips before taking a nap. But—no surprise—I woke up feeling worse than I did before.

Now, I take my stress into the weight room or on the trail. Focusing on something else—something I can control—helps me put my problems into perspective. Plus, exercise is proven to release endorphins and increases the brain’s concentration of norepinephrine, a chemical that helps manage stress.

I used to take a nap every day, even though I did nothing but stare at a computer screen. Not anymore. Exercise has a reputation for being exhausting—and it can be—but it’s also been proven to make you more productive and give you better rest at night. The reason: your body is in a better circadian rhythm with the exercise.

A funny thing happened when I started exercising regularly—I made new friends to go with my new outlook on wellness. I had more in common with my exercise-loving classmates than I did with my social drinking pals, so we naturally gravitated together and now some of my best friends are ones I’ve met in the gym.

I used to measure progress by the number on the scale; now, I measure it by the number on the weights. I find I get stronger by the session, and I love achieving something new each week that I couldn’t do the week before—lift more weight, do more reps, perform that move I never thought I could do.

That appreciation translates to everyday life, too. No longer do I need someone else to hoist 37 bags of groceries up the stairs—I can do it myself. I can also put together a dresser and open a jar of pasta sauce like a boss. It might not sound like a lot, but knowing I can take care of myself in any situation makes me feel a million times better than losing a few pounds ever could.