By Gabe Sanders PhD, NSCA-CSCS
Maintaining strong muscles before pregnancy is not just good for the mom-to-be but is also key for ensuring a smooth and healthy pregnancy journey. Starting with a fit body means you're better prepared for the physical changes and challenges that come with pregnancy.
Regular physical activity before and during these nine months brings a lot of perks for both the mom and the baby by essentially enhancing circulating blood flow. Exercise or regular activity helps keep the heart healthy, cuts down on discomforts often linked with pregnancy, and boosts mood and energy levels.
Complications may arise
But pregnancy isn't always straightforward. Sometimes, complications might arise, leading to hospital stays where movement is limited, either due to necessary rest or strict bed rest orders. This inactivity can lead to muscle loss, which can happen faster than you might think, especially during times when you're not moving much, like during long bed rests or if you're living a mostly sedentary lifestyle.
The speed at which muscles weaken depends on a few things: how much muscle you start with, your overall health, what you eat, and your age. Studies have shown that muscles can start to lose their strength after just a week of no activity.
Keep moving to prevent loss in muscle strength
In just seven days of doing nothing, healthy adults can see their muscle strength dip by about 3-4%. And if the inactivity continues, the situation gets worse, with muscle strength possibly dropping by 1-1.5% each day after that first week. This means you could be facing a significant loss in muscle strength and mass in just a short time, underlining why it's so important to keep moving as much as you can.
Weight training, protein and healthy eating keeps muscles strong
The problem of losing muscle strength is even more pronounced in pregnancies in older women. In general, our bodies aren't as good at making new protein, our hormones change to a greater extent, especially during pregnancy, and we generally move less. This is where things like weight training and making sure you're getting enough protein and vitamins and minerals can really make a difference in keeping muscles strong.
For those expecting moms who are confined to bed rest, finding safe ways to stay active, with a doctor's okay, is key. Something as simple as using resistance bands can be a great way to keep muscles engaged without having to leave the bed, helping maintain both physical and mental well-being during this special time.
Article’s Sources
Dirks, M. L., Wall, B. T., van de Valk, B., Holloway, T. M., Holloway, G. P., Chabowski, A., … & van Loon, L. J. (2016). One week of bed rest leads to substantial muscle atrophy and induces whole-body insulin resistance in the absence of skeletal muscle lipid accumulation. Diabetes, 65(10), 2862-2875.
Kortebein, P., Ferrando, A., Lombeida, J., Wolfe, R., & Evans, W. J. (2007). Effect of 10 days of bed rest on skeletal muscle in healthy older adults. Jama, 297(16), 1769-1774.
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