Use it or Lose it

This week was a lesson in use it or lose it. As most of you know, I had Covid last week. I finally tested negative on Monday, but seeing that sweet single line show up wasn’t the end of it. I’ve felt great for the last few days, have had basically no symptoms and good energy. I felt great Monday morning, so I decided I would go from no physical activity to maximum physical activity. Morning exercise, go to Jiu Jitsu, then teach all night. This was not the best decision. After exercising, I could tell I was not as full of energy as I am used to. After Jiu Jitsu, I had to just lay on the mats for a few minutes. I was tired. I have heard that this is a common experience after Covid and even other sickness. This is the most pronounced it’s ever been for me. Must be getting old.

I remember my Sifu saying all the time that we do all this great work in class. That we push ourselves and reach new heights with our cardio strength, etc. It only takes a few weeks of being lazy to lose that. Before this week I had never experienced such an obvious “use it or lose it” scenario, but I had noticed some ebb and flow with my physical ability. Maybe I got sick in the past or went on a trip for a week and came back to feel like I had been knocked back a bit in my progress. I have heard other students complain of this effect, usually after missing classes for a few weeks or a month or two. If you think it can’t happen to you, watch out!

Lose it then Use it

The scientific consensus is you won’t lose much muscle mass if you skip lifting weights for a few weeks. However, it may only take a few days before you start to backslide with cardio strength. If you are a beginner in the Kung Fu class, you may find that after less than a month of missing class you’ll have lost most or all of your cardio progress. The good news is that you can gain it back relatively quickly. Of course the longer you practice, the longer it will take for you to completely lose your cardiovascular strength. Don’t let that initial shock of returning to class after an illness or an extended break throw you off. I’ve seen that so many times in the past. You may take a month or two to get back to where you were, so just try to enjoy the process. 

There will be many opportunities in practice to deal with ups and downs. If we are able to ride the waves in peace and know that this too shall pass, we can enjoy the ride. Losing your cardio strength or forgetting some of your Tai Chi form should never make us afraid to get to class. Ideally we treat that as a challenge to take on and a lesson to learn from. Don’t get sick and don’t skip class!