Bounce Back from Muscle Weakness

18th June 2020

Persistent muscle weakness can be caused by a variety of different factors including a lack of exercise or lack of sleep, health conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer and side effects of certain treatments including hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Muscle weakness can be incredibly debilitating and lead to a significantly reduced quality of life.

Exercise and a healthy balanced diet can help reduce and manage muscle weakness. Below are some exercise and dietary recommendations to support you.

Exercise recommendations:

• Take part in strength training exercises on at least two days of the week.
• You may find doing 30+ minutes of exercise is difficult. You could try breaking your strength training into three 10 minute sessions.
• Focus on functional exercises. These are exercises that allow you to effectively perform your day to day tasks such as a push and pull.
• Progress your training by increasing the intensity and frequency to avoid your progress reaching a plateau.
• Target large muscle groups through compound movements e.g. squat or push up.
• Focus on weight bearing cardio exercises e.g. walking, climbing stairs, sports or dancing.
• Include rest days in between strengthening days.
• And remember… something is always better than nothing!

Click here to try a Bounce Back workout, perfect for anyone experiencing muscle weakness.

Dietary recommendations:

• Aim for around 90g of protein each day to help preserve muscle mass and repair muscle fibres. E.g. lean chicken, fish, beans, milk, eggs and nuts.
• Increase your potassium intake with fruits and vegetables such as apricots, bananas, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, avocados and tomatoes. Potassium is important to aid the synthesis of proteins that impact tissue regeneration.
• Choose foods high in vitamin D to keep your bones teeth and muscles strong. E.g. oily fish, red meat, egg yolks and mushrooms.
• Stay hydrated. Aim to drink 2 litres of water each to prevent shrinking of muscle cells and maintaining good protein synthesis.

Healthy recipe –Roasted vegetable salad

Ingredients

Potatoes, sliced mushrooms, peppers, egg, spinach, avocado, cherry tomatoes., boiled egg, chicken breast (optional). 

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°c
2. Chop the potatoes and peppers. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs of your choice before placing the mix in an oven tray and roast for in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
3. Prepare the spinach and slice the avocado.
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to the oven mix. Roast for another 10 minutes.
5. Mix the chicken breasts with olive oil, lemon juice and thyme. Season, then cook on a heated griddle or a barbecue for 4-5 minutes each side (optional).
6. Add the roasted vegetables, chicken and egg to the spinach and avocado.
7. Enjoy!

Get in touch today to find out more about recieving Bounce Back Exercise support