Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category
Don’t blame your baby…
I think that this card is kinda mean…or maybe it’s just that the truth can hurt sometimes.
…what do you think?
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Confessions Of A {Pregnant} Certified Personal Trainer
I am 28 weeks (7 months) pregnant now, and I’m officially in the third trimester! Since beginning my journey to becoming a first time momma, I thought I would share some of my “confessions” with you…
Confessions of a {Pregnant} Certified Personal Trainer
1. Before I became pregnant, I would always wonder why women didn’t exercise during their pregnancy. It’s an important time in life and exercise is still needed! Well, since becoming pregnant, I finally get it. During pregnancy, women are tired. Actually, exhausted is probably a better word to describe how tired women are during pregnancy. On top of that, many pregnant women experience nausea or other difficulties.
For me, I would start my workout, feel nauseous, keep working out anyways, and then I would experience some painful cramping in my side. After speaking with my Midwife regarding my concerns about the cramping, I learned that I just needed to “take it easy” during my workouts. This means that I wasn’t told to stop working out, but I needed to just lower the intensity of my workouts.
I can sympathize with women for not always being able to exercise during their pregnancy, but to never workout? No excuses for this unless your Doctor or Midwife advises you against working out! Slow down? Sure, but don’t just quit exercising completely! Go ahead and stop the intense interval training workouts you were doing, and go on the elliptical. Go for a walk. Go swimming. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Your body needs you to move before, during, and after pregnancy (once your Doctor or Midwife gives you the go ahead, of course). It’s healthy for the mom and the baby, and finding the time to exercise is more important than ever.
2. I will admit, I have felt a little self conscious about being a health nut with a bulging belly. I’m finally getting to the point where I am starting to look “pregnant” rather than “chubby in the middle”. Oh well. I’m pregnant, and a baby bump is part of the deal! I do know, however, that being “chubby in the middle” is a temporary thing, and I will get my body back after I have my little one. Why so confident? It’s not because I am a certified personal trainer; I have to workout just like anyone else to get my body back in shape. I have learned something that is key to getting back into shape after having a baby, and that’s knowing that having a baby doesn’t make you fat. Eating junk food and never exercising, well…that will make you keep that “baby weight” on forever.
3. Oh, the pregnancy cravings! I can’t even begin to describe how intense those cravings can be sometimes! Anyone who has been or is pregnant can totally relate to this. I have found that what you do about those cravings is very important. In my first trimester, all I wanted to do was eat anything that was totally fattening and unhealthy! I didn’t just give in, and I took a step back and logically thought “what does my body need?”. I knew that I didn’t need all the junk I was craving, but I soon concluded that I needed fat. My body needed HEALTHY fat. I went to the grocery store and bought myself an avocado and some mixed raw nuts. After eating healthy sources of fat, those cravings soon went away!
For those of you wondering how I could possibly have such amazing self control, I must first come out and admit that I have given in to a couple of my unhealthy cravings. Not all of them, and certainly not on a regular basis! But yes, I totally gave in now and again! For others who are pregnant, go ahead and give in every once in awhile, but don’t make a habit of it. During pregnancy, it is critical that you provide your body and your baby’s body with the essential nutrients that it needs! The best way you can provide your body with important nutrients is through the healthy food you eat every day. Prenatal vitamins are a very important part of making sure you get all the nutrients that you and your baby need during pregnancy, but you shouldn’t look at them as a reason or an excuse to eat junk food all of them time either. Moderation, sweetie. Moderation!
4. Cold water and air conditioning = my two new best friends. I’m one of the lucky women who gets to spend all Summer long pregnant. It’s hot and miserable, but I have found that cold water and air conditioning can make me the happiest woman in the world. Oh, the simple joys in life.
5. I’m learning that if you want a natural birth, you need to prepare for it mentally, emotionally, and physically. I have chosen to use the HypnoBirthing method to help me prepare for my natural water birth. I am excited for this experience that I have chosen to have. I have found so many people tell me that I won’t get a “gold star” for having a natural birth. I realize that I won’t receive that “gold star”, but that’s certainly not why I am having a natural birth. There are so many other important reasons for why I chose to have a natural birth, which is something I am not going to get into today. Just don’t let others discourage you from having a natural birth if that’s something you want – and seriously plan and prepare for it if you do!
6. Stretch marks are not genetic. I realize that Doctors and national magazines will tell you that stretch marks are completely unavoidable, but the more I do my own research on the topic, I am finding that stretch marks may not be so genetic after all. I have found testimonials where women who didn’t eat processed foods did not have stretch marks – even though they supposedly ran in the family. I have also heard of a women who used coconut oil on her skin every night and didn’t have a single stretch mark – when everyone else in her family has had them. I like what another Mom wrote on her blog: ”while genetics may predispose us to something, how we take care of ourselves is far more important than our genetic predisposition”. I have run across too many of these stories of women who defied genetics that I can’t simply conclude that stretch marks are only “genetic”. Of course, we’ll see ;)
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Jillian Michaels Understands Other Mom’s Weight Loss Struggles
Jillian Michaels is famous for being the tough personal trainer yelling at contestants on The Biggest Loser to help them reach their weight loss goals. Now, as a new mom to a newborn son and to an adopted two year old girl from Haiti, Jillian is finally realizing how hard it is to follow her own advice.
Put Yourself First?
“Telling moms ‘You need to put yourself first’?” Jillian Michaels said, rolling her eyes. “It’s impossible to put yourself first when your a mom.”
Jillian admitted to the Daily Mail that she hasn’t been to the gym for two weeks, or since her newborn was born (which her partner gave birth to, not Jillian) .
Jillian Understands…
It’s safe to say that Jillian finally understands how difficult it may be for a new mom to hit the gym and lose weight – which is something she just couldn’t grasp in the past. This is great, since she will be able to relate better to her clients that are parents.
Of course, we all know that Jillian will get back into an exercise routine sooner rather than later and she will now be able to say, “I’m a mom. If I can find time to exercise, so can you!”. Truth is, she’ll be right. It may take some major adjustments when you add a little one into your life, but that doesn’t mean you give up on exercising and eating healthy. Give yourself time to adjust to your new schedule, and just make it happen!
How do you think Jillian will change (if at all) as a trainer now that she is a new Mom of two?
Image Credit: dailymail.co.uk
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Tags: Celebrity, Fitness, Health, Jillian Michaels, New Mom, Parenting, Weight Loss
Beyoncé Lost 40 Lbs After Having Her Baby
It has been almost four months since Beyoncé gave birth to her little girl Blue Ivy (born January 7, 2012), and Beyoncé has lost almost all of the 50 pounds that she had gained during her pregnancy. In her latest interview with People, Beyoncé shares her strategy for losing the first 40 pounds.
The best part about Beyoncé’s weight loss strategy is that there isn’t a specific company she is representing and trying to promote. That’s right! She’s not promoting Slim•Fast, Weight Watchers, NutraSlim, HCG, or any other “diet” out there. Basically, Beyoncé is promoting a healthy lifestyle that anyone can do! How refreshing is that?!
Breastfeeding Benefits
In the first ten weeks after Beyoncé had her daughter Blue Ivy, she lost the initial weight from breastfeeding. More specifically, she lost the first 14 pounds in just the first month after giving birth!
I’m not surprised hearing this, considering that on average, women will burn about 300 calories a day from breastfeeding. If you eat healthy and don’t overdo it, it’s reasonable to expect weight loss from breastfeeding alone.
Exercise
The first ten weeks after giving birth, Beyoncé didn’t exercise, which is expected and ideal to allow the body time to heal.
After 10 weeks, Beyoncé was able to start up an exercise routine. She exercises three times a week for 90 minutes each session. The exercise routine consists of running, dancing (of course…it’s Beyoncé!) and abdominal exercises.
Nutrition
It’s all about eating healthy and portion control when you are trying to lose weight and keep it off! Thankfully, Beyoncé isn’t promoting a specific product and has shared an example of what she is eating throughout the day.
Breakfast: Egg Whites
Lunch: Shake or Turkey Slices
Dinner: Sashimi
Beyoncé didn’t share too much detail about her meal plan, such as portion sizes, but it’s safe to say that she has eliminated junk food and sweets! Beyoncé can easily be eating 10 egg whites with lots of veggies to make a healthy and filling breakfast, but one can only assume. Considering her 90 minute workout routine three times a week, she will need enough food to fuel her body to lose weight, which she has done quite well with in the last four months.
If you want to lose weight like Beyoncé did, it’s all about eating healthy and exercise. There’s no magic “diet” or diet pill…it’s just good ‘ol fashioned hard work that will pay off in the end.
Image Credits: starpulse.com
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Tags: Breastfeeding, exercise, Fitness, New Mom, Nutrition, portion control, Weight Loss
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
