Y’all know I’m not big on posting selfies because working out to me is about taking care of your body, feeling strong, and having the energy to keep up with your people!
In case you are new to my blog, I suffered from severe eating disorders as a teen and tried to be “healthy” in the most unhealthiest of ways. I spent a long time only focused on looks and the number on a scale, and guess where that left me? Broken, empty, and completely unfulfilled. Because when you spend your life focused on not satisfying your hunger, it leaves you unsatisfied in every sense of the word.
So why am I posting this? Because I can TELL you about why I workout – to feel strong and have the energy to keep up with my kids- but sometimes seeing is believing… and see that little bicep muscle popping up? Well I’ve been working extra hard on it and wanted to address the claims that “you can’t build muscle while breastfeeding,” “it is difficult to lose weight while breastfeeding,” and “you shouldn’t workout while breastfeeding.”
I have been breastfeeding or pumping for the last 4 years. No joke. During that time I have noticed two things: one, working out has helped me keep my sanity. On days when I struggle to get anything “done”, moving my body, even for 15 minutes, has made all the difference between tears and smiles (for everyone). And two, yes, it is more difficult to build muscle and lose weight while breastfeeding, but again, you should make every effort to move your body! Why? Because according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, being active during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can:
- Help reduce backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling
- Help prevent or treat gestational diabetes (a type of diabetes that starts during pregnancy)
- Increase energy
- Improve mood
- Improve posture
- Promote muscle tone, strength, and endurance
- Help you sleep better
And my personal favorite, help you feel strong. So that when the challenges of motherhood arise (which they will sweetheart), you know you can overcome “hard things” and have the mental and emotional strength to push through late nights and early mornings, and so you can better navigate the emotional ups and downs that are a natural part of motherhood. Something extraordinary happens to our bodies, not just physically, when we challenge them in a physical way; there is a point where your heart and your mind are in it and push you to overcome. We need this skill every single day as mothers. Physical challenges strengthen our tenacity, endurance, and dedication in a way that nothing else can.
So, on to our topic of the day….
Why is it hard to lose weight while breastfeeding?
Short answer… darn hormones. Breastfeeding mothers experience a drop in estrogen & testosterone (both fat burning hormones) and an increase in prolactin (lactating or the “milk making” hormone). Prolactin is linked to fat storage, and because we are perfectly and wonderfully made, prolactin is our bodies’ natural “safeguard” to protect baby’s milk supply, and helps nursing mamas from mobilizing fat stores – so there’s always an energy reserve in case of famine. And let’s not forget lack of sleep, crazy hormones, stress, and exhaustion we all have working against us as new moms – and all factors known to lead to weight gain or at least making it more difficult to lose weight, post baby.
Now let’s talk about gaining muscle while breastfeeding…..
Building muscle while breastfeeding can be just as difficult as losing weight while breastfeeding, and for the same reasons: darn hormones! That same decrease in estrogen and testosterone we talked about earlier also limits your ability and the speed in which you can build muscle (which is why I was so excited when this little baby bicep made an appearance). And because muscle is more “active” tissue, when you have less of it, your body burns calories less effectively. But don’t lose hope! While hormones may not be in your favor as far as weight loss and strength building are concerned, I have several tips and their benefits that hopefully encourage you to keep moving!
First, if you don’t use it, you lose it! Although it may be more difficult to build muscle during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, if you stop working your muscles altogether, you undoubtedly will lose the strength you previously had. If you continue to move and strengthen your body while breastfeeding, you will find it far easier to “lose the baby weight” without having to resort to strict dieting techniques which could put your milk supply in jeopardy.
Which leads me to my next point… My mother always said “nursing women don’t need to diet.” That’s true (in a sense), but that does not mean we should have a field day on junk food, every day. Rather than focus on “restrictive eating” I encourage my clients to focus on filling their bodies with as many “nutrients” as possible daily!
Moms are no stranger to sacrifice and putting their needs behind those of their children and families. And getting nutrients to your breastfed baby is no different. Your baby will get the “first” of your fruits – as in the best of what you eat will go towards making breastmilk, and you, your body will get the “leftovers.” This is why good, quality nutrition is of utmost importance while you are pregnant and breastfeeding. If you are not getting the nourishment you need, yes your milk supply could suffer, but your body could suffer even more. And maybe you won’t feel the repercussions of that immediately but 5, 10, 20 years down the road you will. For example, studies have shown that women often lose 3 to 5 percent of their bone mass during breastfeeding, although they recover it rapidly after weaning. This bone loss may be caused by the growing baby’s increased need for calcium, which is drawn from the mother’s bones. The amount of calcium the mother needs depends on the amount of breast milk produced and how long breastfeeding continues. Women also may lose bone mass during breastfeeding because they’re producing less estrogen, which is the hormone that protects bones. The good news is that, like bone lost during pregnancy, bone lost during breastfeeding is usually recovered within 6 months after breastfeeding ends. And even better news is that just like muscles, bones respond to exercise by becoming stronger. Regular exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise that causes you to work against gravity, helps build and maintain strong bones. Examples of weight-bearing exercise include walking, climbing stairs, dancing, and weight training, or any other exercise using your own body weight as resistance (pilates, barre, and yoga).
So, let’s review shall we? We need nutrients to help support the hundreds of systems and processes vital to keeping us alive. Good nutrition can support a healthy and robust supply of breast milk that, in turn, supports similar life-sustaining systems in our babies we nurse (hey, just keeping another human alive, no big thing). And then we need nutrients to support all the activity associated with performing our responsibilities as wives, mothers, employees, employers, and still have something leftover between all-night nursing marathons, to rebuild bones, heal our bodies after labor and delivery, and exercise! Whew! So, focus on nutrients, as many as you can get your hands on! And, if you have no idea where to start, that’s where I come in.
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine can be one of the best things you can do for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally post-baby. But it must be paired with smart nutrition to protect your bones, functioning systems, cells, and your ability to produce breast milk. Like anything worthwhile, this takes effort, a willingness to learn, and dedication. If you are unsure even where to start and the words “nutrition” or “exercise” have you running for the hills, let’s chat. Sign up below for a free 20-minute phone consultation with me where we can discuss your current challenges and how to overcome them! Let’s do this together mamas!
Jen Thorn Fit 