Athletic Preparations for Childbirth

For what could be the most important athletic event of an expectant mom’s life, it’s worthwhile to do the research and prepare for delivery day as any athlete would. Doctors and other health providers will have their contributions to make, but it is ultimately up to mom to make the experience a positive one. Since certain conditions may require special precautions with exercising to ensure the safety and viability of pregnancy, all preparations should be approved by the primary health provider beforehand.

Breathing

A major step to keeping both the emotional and the physical stress of labor under control is to learn the beneficial breathing patterns taught by experts in childbirth, and yoga for pregnancy, classes. The research-based breathing techniques for pregnancy should be learned as early as possible, as they will be useful throughout pregnancy as well as on the big day.

General Fitness

General exercise routines tend to focus on increasing the heart, circulatory strength, building lean muscle, and pregnancy exercise programs tend to do the same. While experts do still warn of over-exertion, moderately strenuous exercise (such as walking for two miles) has been proven safe during pregnancy in several studies.

In fact, the benefits are so many that not exercising may possibly be a bigger threat to a healthy delivery. It has been found that an endurance exercise program during pregnancy can help reduce the rate of Cesarean delivery, decrease the number of delivery complications and lead to an average delivery time of five days earlier than non-exercising moms.

When to Start the Labor Diet

Athletes regularly use an endurance diet for three days prior to events to ensure optimum performance. This consists of a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats from seeds and nuts, and plenty of water. Research suggests that women can use this diet in preparation for labor. Of course, the problem comes in trying to predict when labor will begin. Though it may seem impossible, there are several signs of impending labor that are likely to give days or even weeks of advance notice.

The strategies outlined above will help ensure a greater supply of energy, not just for delivery but throughout the pregnancy.

There is so much more to learn, and expecting moms should consider attending pregnancy classes. This is a great way to become familiar with the facilities and procedures. Pregnancy experts can help answer questions about optional procedures such as cord blood banking where the umbilical cord blood is collected to potentially be used in the treatment of a future medical condition for the child or possibly a sibling. Other expecting mothers are also another great resource to turn to for sharing experiences and providing guidance.

“This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.  If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26.”

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Tags: Childbirth, exercise, Fitness, Pregnant

Why You Need The “B-Team”

Through the years we have heard a lot about the so-called “B Vitamins” and all of their wonderful health benefits.

To make this simple for everyone, I would like to break it down by listing the B Vitamins, listing the top sources where you can provide a bunch of B Vitamins into your body – naturally, and mention some key health benefits associate with B Vitamins.

Top Sources of B Vitamins

There are a lot of “B Vitamins” out there, with multiple names, too! I have listed them off as how they are numbered, plus how they are most commonly listed as in nutrition labels.

If you look at Vitamin B9, you’ll see that I have listed “folate” instead of “folic acid”. Folate is the natural form of Vitamin B9, found in whole food sources, while folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, or Vitamin B9. Depending on the source, that’s how it will be shown on the nutrition label.

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – Whole grains, beef, rice, and nuts.

• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – Raw milk, beef, spinach, yogurt, eggs, and whole grains.

• Vitamin B3 (niacin)  - Turkey, peanuts, codfish, lima beans, raw milk, and yogurt.

• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – Codfish, tuna, chicken, eggs, raw milk, yogurt, broccoli, lentils, avocados, and sweet potatoes.

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine) – chicken, pork, peanuts, black beans, whole grains, and almonds.

• Vitamin B7 (biotin) – Cooked eggs (I specify cooked since raw eggs contain a protein that will bind the biotin in the body; not what you are going after), wheat germ, peanuts, cottage cheese, and whole grains.

• Vitamin B9 (folate) – Liver, sunflower seeds, spinach, edamame, beans and bean sprouts, asparagus, and peanuts.

• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) – Liver, clams, trout, salmon, feef, yogurt, tuna, and raw milk.

Health Benefits of B Vitamins

• Natural Energy Boost – I keep seeing all sorts of energy drinks who tout the use of “B Vitamins”. I say, ditch the energy drinks (which are full of other junk) and indulge in some natural forms of B Vitamins,  specifically sources of Vitamin B1. With the help of Vitamin B1, the body is able to convert carbohydrates that we consume into the right amount of glucose to produce energy.

• Digestion – For proper digestion, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 play a vital role. The B Vitamins create an important hormone called Hydrochloric acid, which breaks down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

• Nervous System – The nervous system is beyond crucial for every day life. Thankfully, B Vitamins help your nervous system function properly. Vitamin B5 is important to the adrenal glands, creating certain hormones and regulating nerve function. Vitamins B1, B6, and B12 are essential for overall function of the nervous system, including the brain. Vitamin B9 (folate) has been proven to prevent neural tube related defects. For those women that are pregnant, these vitamins are a must-have!

• Beauty – The B Vitamins are an important part of synthesis of DNA, RNA, and for cell reproduction. This means that the B Vitamins are great for healthy hair, nails, and skin. Perhaps we can call these the “Vain Vitamins”?! ;)

Precautions

Eat your B Vitamins! They are good for you, but never overdose on them either! They are extremely important for your overall health, but like I have said before, “too much of a good thing can be bad”.

If you consume too much Vitamin B6 (500 mg or more), it can result in irreversible nerve damage. To prevent overdoing it, I suggest eating foods that naturally contain the vitamins rather than take them in pill form.  I also suggest consulting with a licensed professional to make sure your levels are safe (not too low or too high).

Image Credit: plibb.com

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Tags: B Vitamins

Hungry? Healthy and Filling Foods

If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to find the right kind of foods to keep yourself full. These include high-protein foods, high-fiber foods, and healthy fats. Here are five ideas that will keep you feeling full longer:

Eat your veggies

Vegetables are key to feeling full longer. They are low in calories, and high in fiber. Try adding extra veggies to your meals or start substituting a salad for those high calorie dishes. This is a great way to help you stay slender!

It’s time to go nuts!

Nuts are filling, and have plenty of healthy fats in them. They are also high in protein. Remember to keep the serving size reasonable because they are high in calories – healthy calories! Try making a trail mix with dried fruit or use them as a side dish.

Snack on prunes

Don’t judge a book by its cover. While prunes may not be the most appealing to the eye, they are a high-fiber food filled with healthy antioxidants. This sweet, satisfying snack will keep you feeling full longer.

Start with soup

Studies have shown that if you eat soup before a meal, you are more likely to eat less. This is important when you are trying to reach your weight loss goals and still enjoy eating out. Broth-based soups are full of high-fiber foods. Stay away from creamy soups; they are high in fat and sodium! If you have time, you can even make a homemade soup and then freeze it for a quick on-the-go meal when you need it.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is high in fiber and you can spruce it up by adding sliced fruit, rice milk, and sprinkling some nuts on top! This fiber rich food is easy to make and will help you feel full longer and manage your weight.

You don’t need to starve yourself to maintain or lose weight!

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Tags: Nutrition, Weight Loss

When Organic Isn’t Healthy

Having a product labeled as “USDA Organic” doesn’t mean that you should automatically consider the product to be “healthy”. You  need to take a deeper look…

Definition of Organic

That Organic label just means that the food is grown, processed, and packaged without the use of agricultural chemicals, artificial colors or flavors, genetic modification, irradiation, or other synthetic ingredients.

Simply put, the term “organic” doesn’t mean that a product is automatically “healthy” or good for your body.

Unhealthy Organic Products

There are a lot of unhealthy products out on the market today that are considered by many to be nutritious and healthy, partly due to marketing campaigns and an “All Natural” or “Organic” label on the front.

I have hand picked a couple of Organic products out on the market today that are about as guilty as the non-organic comparisons. I can’t say these are the “unhealthiest” organic products out on the market today, but they are just a few examples of products to avoid. These products just can’t be considered healthy, no matter how big that USDA Organic label is on the front of the package!

Organic Toaster Pastries

These can easily be compared to the popular Pop•Tart, nothing more than a sugary pastry. Yes, it’s made with “real fruit”, but it doesn’t quite make up for all of the other ingredients. The second ingredient is  evaporated cane juice invert (which is sugar) and the third ingredient is evaporated cane juice (sugar, again!), and dextrose (simple sugar).

Organic Cream Filled Cookies

Just like an Oreo cookie, these Newman-O’s are high in calories, fat, and sugar. The organic ingredients just don’t quite remove the side effects of eating junk food.

Organic Gummy Worms

These little gummy worms are organic and contain 100% daily vitamin C, so these must be really healthy for you, right? Wrong. There’s not enough vitamin C or natural fruit juice in this little bag of candy to compensate for the amount of sugar they put in these little gummy worms.

Organic Cereal

This organic cereal is marketed as a healthy cereal for kids, yet the second ingredient is sugar. Not only that, this cereal contains dextrose (fancy word for a simple sugar) and maltodextrin (which is a food additive, mostly found in soda and candy).

Organic Ice Cream

It’s “All Natural” and “Organic”, how could you go wrong? Even though this ice cream has been touted as different from other ice creams, it still contains key ingredients that keeps it on the naughty list: saturated fat and sugar.

Organic Tomato and Cheese Sauce

This organic canned meal is marketed towards kids, so it must be healthy, right? This product clearly misses the grade, primarily made with noodles made with semolina (processed wheat flour that removes the bran – and fiber), and evaporated cane juice (sugar).

Organic Cake Mix

You can make a healthy cake (organic or not), but this cake isn’t it. It’s loaded with 18 grams of sugar per serving (12 servings per box), and that’s not including the sugar and fat that will be in the frosting!

Organic Sugar is still…Sugar

If a product is full of unhealthy ingredients, whether it’s labeled as organic or not, it’s still going to be bad for your overall health. You can still gain weight or get sick by eating organic only ingredients. As I like to say, organic sugar is still…sugar. Organic doesn’t automatically make sugar and unhealthy fat (or any other unhealthy ingredient) magically become good for you.

If you would like do eat organic foods and are truly looking for healthy products for you and your family,  suggest buying fresh organic produce and organic products that don’t contain unnecessary ingredients. Check the list of ingredients thoroughly. Companies may try to deceive you by using fancy words, but ingredients will never lie. If you need to, look up the ingredient in the dictionary to decide whether an ingredient is healthy or not.

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Tags: Nutrition, Organic, Organic Products, USDA Organic

No Surprise: Heart Attack at Heart Attack Grill

An unidentified man (described as a “normal” guy in his 40′s) had a heart attack while he was eating a Triple Bypass burger at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas this last Saturday. Perhaps he was warned?

Heart Attack at the Heart Attack Grill. 

Oh, the Irony. Someone at the Heart Attack Grill gets a…(gasp!) Heart Attack. Sad? Yes. Surprised? No.

Every day we choose how we are going to eat, and every day those choices matter. Bad food choices on a regular basis have a negative affect on your overall health. An average 40-something doesn’t just get a heart attack! Those customers who weigh 350 pounds or more eat free at the Heart Attack Grill – perhaps this particular client (or as they call it, “patient”) was one of those who received a free meal?

Caution: This Establishment is Bad for Your Health

Everyone knows fast food is bad for you and can lead to poor health. The problem with those who eat at the Heart Attack Grill is that they have been fully warned about how bad the food is, yet they still willingly eat there.

Just as you enter the Heart Attack Grill, there is a sign on the front door that reads, “Caution: This Establishment is Bad for Your Health.” Probably the most honest advertising that I’ve ever seen.

The company slogan is, “taste…worth dying for”, which is sad and even ironic considering the last company spokesman for Heart Attack Grill was a morbidly obese man who died at the age of 29.

When are we going to wake up and actually do something about our health? What foods we put into our body matters. Act like it, please.

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Image Credit: Heart Attack Grill

Tags: Heart Attack Grill