If you have ever wondered if taking it easy on your exercise program will make much of a difference, researchers now have an answer for you – and it may surprise you. They now know that the negative effects begin to be felt in just a couple of days. This means that it is just as important as ever to keep up with your exercise program.

The researchers discovered that your vascular health begins to experience measurable differences in the blood vessel linings of your legs after just a few days. This even happens to young people who are healthy in every way.

The one thing that amazed the researchers was just how much of a difference there was after only five days of inactivity. One of the researchers, Paul Fadel, pointed out that it reveals that our vascular system is very susceptible to being inactive. The results of the research were published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports &Exercise.

Although the changes may be slight at first, the important thing to know is that they can have lasting effects. If you skip as few as five days of physical activity, damage is occurring to your blood vessels that will take some time to heal, said Fadel.

Continued inactivity then leads to greater medical complications. Inactive people will usually start to gain weight and some of them will become obese. This condition can easily lead to Type 2 diabetes, or possibly cardiovascular disease.

There are a number of diseases or health problems that can happen to the vascular system. None of them are good. They may include peripheral artery disease, aneurysm, Raynaud’s Disease, Buerger’s Disease, varicose veins, blood clots, lymphedema, atherosclerosis, and more. Blood vessels can become stiff, clogged, or even burst.

Being inactive often causes noticeably poor health as an individual gets older. Poor vascular systems can lead to blockages in the arteries in the neck or leg, stroke and problems walking. More advanced cases may experience ulcers of the feet, gangrene, which may require amputation. Death is also a possibility.

Many deaths are attributed annually to a lack of physical activity. In the United States alone, there are as many as 250,000. The American Heart Association (AHA) reports that physical activity tends to offer a protective effect against a number of diseases and conditions.

Having an ongoing exercise program really is important at any age, says the AHA. In spite of this, the AHA reports that less than one-third of Americans have their own personal exercise program that meets the minimum requirements set by such agencies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the AHA.

An important message, Fadel points out, is that getting started with a physical exercise program at any age is highly beneficial. It can reverse the effects and problems that have already developed. He also said that you can start getting active at any age and actually prolong your life. Once you start, staying active is a must, and this means at least 30 minutes a day of physical exercise.