Pregnancy’s Marathon-Level Metabolic Demand

Growing a baby burns more calories than running a marathon daily for nine months straight.

Scientists measured the metabolic demands of pregnancy and discovered that sustaining a developing

fetus requires an astronomical amount of continuous energy expenditure. While marathon runners

hit their limit around two and a half times their resting metabolism, pregnant women maintain

nearly that same level for the entire duration of pregnancy without stopping. The human body during

pregnancy operates at near maximum capacity for 280 days consecutively. This means creating

life is literally one of the most physically demanding endurance events a human can experience.

Next time someone dismisses pregnancy as natural or easy, remember that women are essentially