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Entropy, the Gym, and You

Let’s say you’ve been taking some time off from the gym. Maybe you reached the end of your 12-week training cycle and you’re taking a week off. It’s possible that one week turns into two or even three or four weeks. Life happens, you need to attend to some pressing matters, and going to the gym starts to take a back seat. Before you know it, two or three months have passed by. Suddenly, you’re no longer a person who goes to the gym, but a person who needs to figure out a way to get back to the gym on a regular basis. “What happened to me?” you wonder. “Where did the time go?” Now you have to actually exert effort to fit “workout time” into your schedule. You scratch your head and ponder. “I thought I had this all covered,” you think, not for the first time.

What happened to you and your well-made plans was entropy, that insidious force in the universe that turns order into disorder. The basic rule is that any organized system, left unattended, will immediately begin to break down. As a mundane example, those piles of papers on your desk keep reaccumulating as a result of entropy. The weeds in your garden? Entropy. The dust bunnies in your attic and basement? Entropy. The collapse of your plan for doing regular workouts? Entropy.

What’s worse, entropy takes a serious toll on your physical fitness.1,2 If you miss enough time from the gym, all your fitness gains begin to melt away. First, your muscles begin to lose their stores of energy. Glycogen, the complex sugar that supplies energy for muscle work, is broken down for use elsewhere. Arterioles and capillaries, small blood vessels that were needed to supply nutrients to your growing muscles, are no longer required and rapidly disappear. Muscle fibers that were continually added to support your exercise activities are cannibalized, so that their constituent parts may be used for other physiological processes. Entropy launches a process of randomization that breaks down your carefully built-up muscular structure. Your body, being very smart, metaphorically swoops in and moves all those metabolic components to other structures and systems for more efficient use.

The superficial result is loss of muscle definition. The deeper result is loss of muscle tone.3 Your cardiorespiratory system (heart and lungs), digestive system, and metabolism are all affected, as these physiologic systems are no longer required to be functioning at peak to support a regular vigorous exercise program. Entropy sets in to all these systems, as well. The overall result is a profound impact on your health and well-being.

The good news is we can help keep entropy at bay. But doing so requires attention and determination. We want to attend to our bodies as carefully and regularly as we attend to the environment of our home, office, and garden. Just as our cars, motorcycles, and bicycles require periodic maintenance, our bodies require much more frequent care, care on a daily and weekly basis. It’s fine to occasionally skip a week or two, or even a month if needed, of exercise. But we must make sure we get right back on schedule to ensure benefits to our short-term and long-term health.

1Barwais FA, et al: Physical activity, sedentary behavior and total wellness changes among sedentary adults: a 4-week randomized controlled trial. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2013 Oct 29;11:183. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-11-183

2Loprinzi PD, Lee H: Rationale for promoting physical activity among cancer survivors: literature review and epidemiologic examination. Oncol Nurs Forum 2014 Mar 1;41(2):117-25. doi: 10.1188/14.ONF.117-125.

3Ricci-VItor AL, et al: Influence of the resistance training on heart rate variability, functional capacity and muscle strength in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 49(6):793-801, 2013

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  • "I love it there so polite and right to the point never pushy or rude vet respectful. I wouldn’t go anyplace else. Love them all!!"
    Kandice Desalvo V.
  • "Dr. Ho and Dr. Q are caring and compassionate doctors. Their goal is to make you feel great. They take the time to listen to your concerns and address them. I would definitely recommend these doctors!"
    Sandra E.
  • "I got refer from a Dear good friend Jennifer which ive been having problems with my neck n knees. I would definitely recommend Pinnacle Wellness they have a great friendly staff n Doctors are great! I've learned a lot about our bodies n etc. I will continue seeing them again !!! My adjustments are great!"
    Cynthia T.
  • "We have been going to Pinnacle Wellness for over 3 months now, back pain has stopped 100%. We are still blown away by how amazing Dr. Q and Dr. Ho are. We are blessed they came into our lives and have truly added so much to our knowledge about our bodies and even personal growth and development. Pinnacle Wellness is nothing short of a breath of fresh air. Isabelle at the front desk always makes our day. If you are looking for a chiropractor that truly cares for your well being, my family would definitely recommend you to look no further and make Pinnacle Wellness your destination. I had just learned to live with and accept my daily back pain. Thanks to Pinnacle Wellness our lives have been forever changed and look forward to seeing the happy faces of the staff and will be enjoying a pain free life thanks to our journey with Pinnacle Wellness."
    Cara C.
  • "If you have back and/or neck trouble and have never been to a chiropractor before, then this is the place for you. I was referred here by my wife who has been seeing the doctors for several years. Since starting my adjustments I sleep better and feel better all around, and no it doesn't hurt. Currently I am recovering from tennis elbow and bursitis which the doctors are helping me recover by using a massager on my arm when I visit, even my physical therapist was glad they were helping out."
    Royce S.
  • "I have been a patient of Pinnacle Wellness for many years. They have a great, friendly staff and Doctors who truly care about there patients. I would recommend this place to anyone with back or neck pain."
    James S.
  • "The staff is extremely friendly and personable when you enter the facility. They make you feel like you are a part of the family. Our kiddos get adjusted too and for our infant it helped him to crawl properly when he was having difficulties or crawling abnormally. It is a vital part of our healthiness and we would recommend them to everyone!"
    Jennifer C.