Table 3.
Physical Activity Matched Participants at Initial Time Point (8 weeks postpartum)
| Variable | Control (n=9) | Postpartum (n=9) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 23.3 ± 1.8 | 31.6 ± 4.9* |
| Weight (kg) | 63.9 ± 10.5 | 70.0 ± 12.3 |
| Body Fat % | 29.9 ± 4.3 | 36.7 ± 6.7* |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.5 ± 1.5 | 26.2 ± 5.1 |
| Rectus Abdominis muscle thickness (above umbilicus) (cm) | 1.1 ± 0.2 | 0.8 ± 0.2* |
| Rectus Abdominis muscle thickness (below umbilicus) (cm) | 1.1 ± 0.1 | 0.7 ± 0.2* |
| Sedentary time (average minutes/day) | 531.0 ± 118.9 | 494.8 ± 80.1 |
| Light physical activity (average minutes/day) | 240.0 ± 34.2 | 276.5 ± 52.4 |
| Moderate physical activity (average minutes/day) | 50.5 ± 25.9 | 24.3 ± 29.3 |
| Vigorous physical activity (average minutes/day) | 13.9 ± 7.0 | 7.5 ± 9.2 |
| Average Steps/day | 11509.0 ± 2850.5 | 6649.5 ± 4292.4 |
| Distance walked in six minutes (m) | 697.0 ± 39.9 | 657.6 ± 78.9 |
| Self-reported physical activity over the previous 12 months (MET·hours·week−1) | 57.3 ± 25.1 | 45.4 ± 13.5 |
| Time-to-task failure on the intermittent, isometric trunk flexion fatiguing exercise protocol (s) | 618.7 ± 332.1 | 195.2 ± 183.7* |
| Pre-exercise MVC (Nm) | 55.5 ± 28.9 | 26.9 ± 14.2* |
| CV of torque at beginning of fatigue task (%) | 5.2 ± 2.0% | 11.9 ± 6.6%* |
| CV of torque at end of fatigue task (%) | 8.4 ± 4.1 | 12.3 ± 4.5%* |
*
Indicates p<0.05. kg=kilograms; cm=centimeters; m=meters; MET=metabolic equivalents; MVC=maximal voluntary contraction; Nm= Newton meters