You Do Have Muscle Memory
by Alexandra Allred
Chances are excellent that you were once a runner. It could have been decades ago but you may have once climbed a tree to a dangerous height, pulling and straining as you climbed. Maybe you ran all day long, seemingly gravity-free and fully oxygenated or you swam like a fish all summer. Whatever it is you do, however long ago you did it, thank goodness for muscle memory!
Recently, I told a client we were going to start running two miles. She looked at me as though I was speaking Swahili. I knew three things about her when I suggested this. One, she is really out of shape. Two, we would be walking more than we would be running -- but it's a start. And three, she has muscle memory.
"Muscle memory?" she quipped. "I don't remember having any muscle!"
She's 50 pounds overweight with a bad knee and ankle and has tried a variety of diets. She's tried low-carb, no carb, low-calories, no sugar, all veggies, 3-a-day apples, and more. Nothing has worked and her weight and joints continue to plague her. Somewhere along the way, she gave up on the idea of burning calories. It's easy to do when your knee screams and your ankle groans each time you run. And it's easy to do when you're embarrassed about the idea of working out.
"I kept thinking that if I could be a certain weight or size," says Gwen, 42, "then it wouldn't be so bad to work out. But I just didn't want anyone to see me at the weight I was before working out."
Then, she came to realize that a diet is just a band-aid. Working out, sweating, burning calories, pumping the heart, and getting the blood flowing is the true answer to permanent weight loss. Still, she had been suspicious. What is muscle memory and how in the world was it going to help Gwen?
Muscle memory is a term many athletes use when talking about coming back from a pregnancy. But the idea isn't new, nor is it limited to elite athletes. During the 1960s and 70s, the Russians held the philosophy that female athletes once having had a baby, came back stronger because they endured childbirth. The Russians believed that becoming a mother made athletes more dedicated and responsible about training time, but also gave them better endurance and power. The United States did not adopt this philosophy until the late 1980s but is was not until the mid-1990s that the idea of muscle memory applied to everyday moms.
Your body remembers and retains the "how-to" information on running, leaping, swinging, swimming, biking, reaching, and jumping. While you may get tired, and your leaps may not be quite the leaps they once were, your body knows what to do and will regain the form you once had with practice.
No, it won't be pretty. Yes, you will be sore. But the great news is, you can do it. And as your muscle memory is put to the test and you repeat the physical activity, your muscles will adapt, making you less sore, more powerful, and more efficient as a calorie burning machine. So, don't be afraid to move as you once did. Eternal youth is just a hop, stretch, and leap away.
Alexandra Powe Allred, former member of the US Women's Bobsled team, took part in a study with the renowned Dr. James Clapp III on how extreme exercise affects the placenta during her second pregnancyi. She earned her second black belt while pregnant with her third child and continued to teach bootcamp style kickboxing throughout that pregnancy.
Allred received her B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1991. She has worked with U.N. officials to incorporate "Games for Girls," was nominated Mom of the Year by iParenting.com for her contributions to research in obstetrics and gynecology, named Author of the Month by Qcircuit.com, and has been featured in numerous national publications and radio shows.
Today, Allred serves as the fitness/nutrition expert for www.pregnancy.org and as an expert in court trials on Title IX. She continues to teach kickboxing and talk to youth groups about the importance of health, happiness and proper nutrition. Allred lives in Midlothian, Texas with her husband, Robb. Together, they are raising their three children and large array of animals. Alex is the author of 17 books, including Athletic Scholarships for Dummies, Entering the Mother Zone: Balancing Self, Health & Family.
