I was a dancer for 17 years before I quit when I was 21. After I quit dance, I suddenly stopped exercising. My body had stopped having random soreness and was truly able to relax...in the beginning. Now that it’s been three years, ever since I stopped, my body is not my own. I used to be able to do things on a regular basis that I had counted on doing on my own. My endurance to run and my excitement about life decreased; to me, this was terrifying, and is unhealthy mentally and physically. Things change when you stop moving your body, and it’s not a good thing at all. The body changes restrict yourself greatly and cause your body to decrease your gains and increase your losses.

I used to be able to do a fast and hard combination in a dance class without having heavy breaths and needing to take a break. Now I can barely do an easy hip-hop combination without experiencing pain and breathlessness. I love to dance, but now I’m embarrassed to do it in public because my body isn’t what it used to be. With my work in the entertainment industry, I am required to be physically active and on my toes the majority of the day. Now that I’ve quit being super active, I lose focus. Studies have shown that when you quit being active, your focus goes. Is that why (the majority of the time) successful people tend to be healthy and in shape (not just being skinny because skinny doesn’t guarantee that you are healthy)? My chest becomes tighter on a regular basis due to my lack of cardio and my increase of stress. Depression is also a side-effect of not getting enough exercise. Moving your body in a way where it’s healthy increases your focus and tends to lessen stress and depressed feelings due to your increased focus.

Health problems arise when you stop moving your body. According to Business Insider, the first week when you stop exercising, you lose 5% of your oxygen flow to your muscles and other organs. I would breathe harder after an intense dance combination with me not going to the gym that week, and you can feel after it one week of inactivity. It is recommended that adults get from 30 minutes to two hours of moderate intensity exercise per day for 2 or more days during a 7 day week. The second to third week, you your muscle cells become smaller whereas your fat cells become larger. Losing 12% oxygen flow to my muscles killed my swimming game. I lost a swimming race against my brother at the pool. When you hit two months, you lose 26% of oxygen flow to your muscles. These past few weeks, I lost my ability to run more than 2 minutes and speed-walking made me breathless. This shows that one should continue to move their body at a healthy pace.

Quitting dancing after 17 years was one of my bigger mistakes, because my body after almost three years is something I’m not proud of. I used to be happy and full of life, but now I am the not the best version of myself. Dancing and exercising can lead to happiness. The changes that my body went through as I quit dancing and exercising are scary. My endurance to run and my excitement about life decreased. I have restarted dancing and exercising after saying enough is enough, and I am beginning to reap the benefits they give me already.