Reversing & Avoiding Muscle Deconditioning at FYZICAL Albuquerque
The stay-at-home orders in Albuquerque (and the rest of New Mexico) have made it extra challenging to maintain an active lifestyle, which can, unfortunately, lead to cardio-pulmonary & muscular deconditioning.
Pandemic & Deconditioning
The weather is cold and the days are short, it's dark when you leave, and it's dark when you get home. Not to mention, we're in the 10th month of a worldwide PANDEMIC! Surveys show that because of the necessity to shelter in place and work and communicate from home, people are spending 80% of their waking day sitting. Injury and illness are other common reasons for deconditioning as they can force you into a less active lifestyle.
Taking a day off from physical activity here and there is no problem. But if you've been consistently missing your regular run, bike ride, or gym session and notice some aches and pains showing up, you might have the beginnings of deconditioning.
Deconditioning explained
Exercise causes many changes in your body. Your heart muscle grows & begins to pump blood more easily, your muscles use oxygen more efficiently and contract in a more coordinated manner, and your body gets better at turning food into fuel, to name just a few. Deconditioning is the reversing of these changes. Exercise is a "use it or lose it" kind of thing, and deconditioning is the process by which we "lose it."
How long does it take for muscles to begin deconditioning?
As with most things related to a system as complex as the human body, it depends. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, two weeks without exercise can lead to a significant loss in cardiovascular fitness. Two to eight months without exercise can erase virtually all of your gains. As you become deconditioned, cardiovascular fitness tends to decline first, with muscle strength declining later. With a decline in muscle strength comes muscle atrophy or the physical loss of the muscles' bulk and size.
Other factors are age and your exercise history. If you're younger, you'll probably lose fitness at a slower rate than someone older. If you've been consistently exercising for a long time or at a high intensity, your losses will probably be slower than for someone who just started.
Reversing the losses of muscle deconditioning
If you're undergoing a period of increased time commitments at work or with family while quarantining at home, using a shortened exercise routine can help minimize your losses. Even one session a week will help you keep most of what you've gained. Other options are to use shorter but more intense interval training sessions or to break up your activity into multiple short chunks during the day. If your time away from physical activity has been longer, it may take just as much time to retrain as it did to make the gains initially.
If you're experiencing those aches and pains due to inactivity, previous injuries rearing their ugly heads, or need help designing a safe program to either maintain your fitness or gain it back after time off, a Physical Therapist can help. When it comes to inactivity due to illness or injury, Physical Therapy can help you recover faster, so you can get back into an active routine that will help avoid deconditioning. A physical therapist can also find activities that will help maintain your fitness while safely working around your injury or illness. So, make the decision to experience the impressive impact a Physical Therapist can make on your life.
For help with avoiding or reversing muscle deconditioning, call FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Albuquerque at (505) 292-3317 today!