Hi, all! First off, I've been working out with Fitness Blender for about 13 years now and I love the versatility and being able to get a great workout in at home!
In early March of last year, I started having health problems. Stomach issues. Unintentional weight loss. Elevated heart rate when standing and doing ANYTHING. The stomach issues were severe esophagitis and gastritis, discovered post-EGD. These were treated. I still had the elevated heart rate, low blood pressure, decreased strength/stamina, horrible fatigue, brain fog. It took until April 2025 to get a diagnosis, finally: POTS. Suddenly, it all made sense.
I have remained consistent with working out five days per week and walking, also, for ~2 miles, 4-5 days per week. But POTS changed me. I started to lose muscle, had to modify exercises/routines. I became so mad at myself and at what this condition has done to my body. Medications can only help so much.
In July, I was very (happily) surprised to find out I had become pregnant. After years of trying and getting nowhere, it happened when we weren't trying, and we did not expect this, but we are overjoyed. I have still done my working out and walking, five days per week, lifting within limits (40lbs) set by my team of midwives. Honestly, pregnancy has done more for POTS than medicine ever did! I feel so much better!
Except! It seems like I'm continuing to lose muscle mass. I used to have very defined triceps and biceps, and now I feel they are not nearly as defined as they were. I also can't lift what I used to, and have to lower my weight at times. I have read that this is normal, especially in pregnancy, but I was hoping to at least maintain and not lose any further mass/definition. POTS has already taken so much from me. It feels like I cannot even maintain my strength and definition, and as silly as it sounds, I'm struggling with this. I worked for years to obtain a healthy, strong body that I am proud of, and it all seems to be crumbling. Is there nothing I can do? Am I doing something wrong?
Thank you for your listening ear (so to speak).
Editing to add: I don't really notice the same loss of strength and muscle in my lower body as I do my upper body.
Feeling Like I'm Losing Strength/Muscle
Hi, all! First off, I've been working out with Fitness Blender for about 13 years now and I love the versatility and being able to get a great workout in at home!
In early March of last year, I started having health problems. Stomach issues. Unintentional weight loss. Elevated heart rate when standing and doing ANYTHING. The stomach issues were severe esophagitis and gastritis, discovered post-EGD. These were treated. I still had the elevated heart rate, low blood pressure, decreased strength/stamina, horrible fatigue, brain fog. It took until April 2025 to get a diagnosis, finally: POTS. Suddenly, it all made sense.
I have remained consistent with working out five days per week and walking, also, for ~2 miles, 4-5 days per week. But POTS changed me. I started to lose muscle, had to modify exercises/routines. I became so mad at myself and at what this condition has done to my body. Medications can only help so much.
In July, I was very (happily) surprised to find out I had become pregnant. After years of trying and getting nowhere, it happened when we weren't trying, and we did not expect this, but we are overjoyed. I have still done my working out and walking, five days per week, lifting within limits (40lbs) set by my team of midwives. Honestly, pregnancy has done more for POTS than medicine ever did! I feel so much better!
Except! It seems like I'm continuing to lose muscle mass. I used to have very defined triceps and biceps, and now I feel they are not nearly as defined as they were. I also can't lift what I used to, and have to lower my weight at times. I have read that this is normal, especially in pregnancy, but I was hoping to at least maintain and not lose any further mass/definition. POTS has already taken so much from me. It feels like I cannot even maintain my strength and definition, and as silly as it sounds, I'm struggling with this. I worked for years to obtain a healthy, strong body that I am proud of, and it all seems to be crumbling. Is there nothing I can do? Am I doing something wrong?
Thank you for your listening ear (so to speak).
Editing to add: I don't really notice the same loss of strength and muscle in my lower body as I do my upper body.