The weight loss chronicles: muscle memory

                  

(with some of my sisters, many moons ago. I'm second from the right, during my "health food" and early days of yoga, years) 

What on earth is "muscle memory"?

A study earlier this year, to do with athletes actually, found that muscle memory is to do with genes inside our muscles. A gene is for storing information. And in this case, the study was looking at periods of muscle growth when we were younger, and how the memories of that growth, are stored in muscle genes (phew!!), in relation to exercise. 

But, even more importantly, that those same genes can be reactivated, later in life, through exercise. Of course, not only genes are involved, but also our brains and nervous system. But the bottom line is that 

muscle memory is laid down during periods of learning and practising (in this case, to do with exercise)

What does this mean for us?

If we stop using our bodies in some form of movement, our muscles will atrophy. Which means that they gradually waste away. Once we get past thirty, our muscle to fat ratio changes, and if we are not doing some form of exercise regularly, we can look the same as we did when we were younger, but inside, on the muscular level, we are not. We have more fat and less muscle, and those ratios can keep altering to our detriment. We finally end up flabby.

So, keeping up with some form of regular exercise is important. Not just for how we look, but also for how our bodies function.

Can this be reversed? Studies have shown that yes, muscle atrophy can definitely be reversed. Those patterns of movement which we had done previously, that kept us trim and toned with good muscles, they are still inside of us. They can be kick-started.

Regenerate and rejuvenate

We can regenerate our muscles. Especially when we do the same patterns of exercise as we did when we were younger. Those memories are inside of our body, awaiting to be reactivated.

What does this mean? To put it simply:

what were you doing when you were in a good physical condition?

This is me:

• In my childhood I was a star athlete. I only was that way because I wanted to win races, and be good at netball. And win prizes. I've never been able to swim, by the way.
• In my High School years, I walked miles everyday. And played cricket (I was a fantastic bowler) and hockey (I was tiny and could run like the wind, and weave in and out of the bigger girls) during the week and weekends. I loved to move.
• When I became a young mum, I walked heaps, as we lived in a semi-rural area, and I had no car.
• In my early twenties I took up Hatha Yoga. Not Iyengar yoga, which is when poses are held for quite some time, with props, and which actually makes me anxious. No, it was more doable than that. I was useless at yoga when I first started. But because I hated being uncoordinated and unhealthy, I persevered. I became good at it. 
• Ironically, when I went to an Ashram to live where we we expected to hold poses in rigid positions for about three minutes each, I lost all of my gains from the previous years. I overheated and became stiff. I lost my flexibility. I hated that style of yoga. 

Looking at this, what shines out for me is: walking and Hatha Yoga. Those were the exercise forms which I most enjoyed, and which gave me muscle tone.


                   

            (Auckland's West Coast beaches are just so beautiful to walk)

What suits you best with muscle memory?

I've known quite a few women who learnt ballet, even if not for long, when they were children, and who love yoga for its precision. I could always tell if a new lady in yoga class had learnt ballet at some stage: they were so flexible, and moved differently.

I was talking with one of my sisters who taught in a gym, many years ago. She must have been like a fitness pioneer. For herself, she used light weights, and yoga stretches, for muscle tone.

So, what suits you? What were you doing when you were fit and healthy? Your body remembers it.

Have I used this? and what happened?

I started being more dedicated with some morning yoga. Now, I don't have much space to do it in, nor tons of time, so I just do the best that I can. I am not a "stretch and extend" type of yogini. I just do it. I have a basic system which suits me, and I just adjust it, when and how I need to. But, I did add some extra flexibility type movements to help deal with my natural stiffness and morning-sore back. So, I do it five to six mornings a week, no matter how tired I am. What with breathing practices and some meditation, it takes less than thirty minutes.  

Honestly, some of the moves in yoga are not at all easy. And many require strength to do, as well as also making us stronger. So that is what is happening. I'm getting stronger. I'm not trembling so much in the hard poses, but I'm still not good at holding them a long time. I never was good at that. And I'm more flexible. And less tired. My muscles are remembering lots of different movement. And surprisingly, the moves which I was never good at, I still am not that great at them. So, the muscles seem to be remembering that, too. 

As we go through life, we have various mishaps. I developed adult asthma from the virus from hell, about eighteen years ago. It flares up with vigorous exercise. And I had an accident to one foot. The bones in that foot still "slip" and make me suddenly limp. The opposite hip was damaged another time, and this can cause problems. My lower back was damaged as a child and at various other times. So, walking long distances is a bit daunting for me. It really can be an effort. So this is the area where muscle memory plays tricks. They are remembering those aches and pains as I trot around. I would dearly love to be able to walk long distances. I want to so much that I am sure that I shall do it. But at the moment, walking is gradual, little but often. And it hasn't taken too much effort for the body to respond, happily and favourably to frequent, quick walks. I was a quick walker, so that's the way I've resumed it.

So, I would say that my muscles, which are of considerable years, are remembering lots of movement, and are restoring themselves. I am really happy about this.