Fitness
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How I Gained Only 17 Pounds In My Pregnancy Without A Perfect Diet
Because recovering from childbirth is much more than just losing pounds (i.e., hormones need to rebalance, bones, organs, and muscles and connective tissue must readjust), having less to lose will offer an advantage after delivering your baby. I, like so many new moms, was scared of what pregnancy might do to my body. I knew how good diet and exercise were but I was still nervous. Morning sickness plagued me for 24 hours which made healthy eating almost impossible. I stuck mainly to crackers, ginger tea, pop-tarts, some fruits, and snowballs. I still managed to take a prenatal vitamin but was not proud of my diet and was barely able…
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Should You Eat And Exercise According To Your DNA?
Perhaps you’ve seen new trends emerging that promise better results in weight loss and fitness when you eat and exercise according to your DNA. This might be especially enticing if you have struggled with managing your weight for many moons. You may believe that you will enjoy these types of foods more or will want to exercise regularly if they align with your genes. What about in pregnancy; can living a lifestyle that “honors” your DNA help impact the health profile of your child before birth? Rapidly developing technology gives humans more access to resources that are life-changing. For instance, genetic testing, that is relatively cheap and easy to get,…
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Achieve Lasting Results While Training Online
You have likely tried diets and exercise programs that haven’t worked well for you. Perhaps initially you lost some poundage, but not long after you put it all back on; maybe even more than what you started with. This is defeating and makes it easy to tune out preaching professionals concerning healthy lifestyle choices. What if it didn’t work because you didn’t truly understand what was best for YOUR body? It’s tempting to jump on the latest and greatest diet/fitness fad wagon. While they may produce results for some, it may not work for others and worse, might cause health issues. It’s exciting to dive into a new program but…
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Importance Of The Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a hot topic for pregnant women and women who have recently delivered but the fact is all women should understand and care about their pelvic floor. A dysfunctional pelvic floor can cause pain, discomfort, and embarrassment and can be either prevented or addressed and cured. In the United States alone, nearly 4 million babies are born each year. Across the world, the majority of women will have children at some point in their lives. Pelvic floor dysfunction is so common that many women are left thinking that nothing can be done about it so they suffer in silence, sometimes even many years after the birth of their…
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Challenges Of The Postnatal Woman
The majority of women will end up giving birth at some point in their life. Because pregnancy and delivery are so common, they aren’t often thought of as an extraordinary experience or accomplishment. Birthing a baby is a major physical event. With this awesome experience comes challenges and changes and the extent of these are directly impacted by the woman’s lifestyle choices and self-care routine. After delivery, there is a period of recovery that should include rest and strengthening of stretched and damaged muscles and connective tissue. If a new mom neglects caring for her body (although easily argued that she can’t or doesn’t have time), this can create muscle imbalances,…
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How Important Is Exercise During Pregnancy?
For many who grew up with a mostly sedentary lifestyle, the motivation to get active is often lacking and feels like a monumental task. The older we get, the more conditioned we become to continue doing what we have always done, which can make change hard. Fortunately, pregnancy is an amazing time to begin a new health and fitness routine. Many new moms are highly motivated to do what they can to positively shape their baby’s health and most will keep up the practice after they deliver, which can change the health of their entire family unit. In her book titled, The First 20 Minutes, Gretchen Reynolds said, “A baby’s time…
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3 Ways Pregnant Women Can Improve Birth Outcomes
The decision to become a parent is a big one. Whether you are contemplating parenthood or are already pregnant, you know the responsibility is enormous and want to take all appropriate steps to ensure your child is happy and healthy. The most rapid growth rate period in the human life cycle occurs during gestation and the lifestyle of the mother has an enormous impact on the baby. One way moms influence the health of their baby is through nutrition. It’s easy to get confused about what you should or shouldn’t eat, especially during pregnancy. You may decide to consult with a registered dietician or nutritionist who specializes in prenatal nutrition.…
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Self-Myofascial Release And Fitness
Fascia is often referred to as connective tissue that surrounds, protects, and supports the muscles in the body. Interestingly, there is no beginning or end to fascia, as it is web-like and extends and intertwines around all areas, including surrounding and protecting organs in the body. Fascia and skeletal muscles make up the myofascial system that helps keep muscle groups together. As we age, our fascia is always changing; its structure depends on the demands we place upon it and can become “bound” and thicken in some areas in response to poor posture, injury, and/or inflammation. This “binding” can stress other areas, creating more pain and limited range of motion.…
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How To Have Visible Abs After Delivery
The human body is so amazing and the changes the body undergoes during pregnancy are fascinating. Skin and tissues (including muscle) are elastic, much like rubber bands. When the integrity of a rubber band is solid and strong, it can be stretched for a period of time but will return back to its resting length once tension is no longer applied. If the rubber band is really old or has been kept in a stretched position for too long, the elasticity has been compromised and it will often remain stretched after there is no longer any tension being applied. Many times when one loses a lot of weight after years…
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Use Pregnancy To Improve Health And Fitness
It is common to give up on weight loss programs because they can be very demanding and hard to maintain. Although it may seem counterintuitive, pregnancy is a fantabulous opportunity to improve your health, increase comfort, and minimize time spent in labor. The best part is, your baby benefits from your efforts too. Charles Duhigg states in his book titled Smarter, Faster, Better, “Figure out how this task is connected to something you care about. Explain to yourself why this chore will help you get closer to a meaningful goal. Explain why this matters and then you’ll find it easier to start.” If you connect the importance of working out and eating…
