Have you wondered whether exercise during pregnancy really works ? If you’d like to finally avoid gaining excess pregnancy weight, get fit to deliver so you can enjoy an easy labor and lose your pregnancy weight quickly after delivery without all the drama of stretch marks, nausea, fatigue and misery then you need an effective exercise during pregnancy program.
As thorough as Ayurveda is on the subject of aging, there is something to be gained by looking to modern science. “In the classical textbooks, it says the lifespan of a healthy human is 120 years,” notes Chopra Center’s David Simon, M.D. “But I don’t think 5,000 years ago, anyone realized quite how much stress human beings are capable of experiencing in a lifetime.” Here are three ideas from experts for managing the aging process in modern times:
• Supplement your diet. Andrew Weil, M.D., founder of drweilonhealthyaging.com, says everyone should take a good multivitamin/multimineral and omega-3 fatty acid supplement every day. “These are not substitutes for real food but an insurance policy against gaps in your diet,” he says. Beyond that, he thinks a daily vitamin D supplement is worth serious consideration.
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One of your body’s most useful healing mechanisms is its ability to relax. Putting yourself at ease counteracts the harmful effects of stress, including pain, high blood pressure, mild and moderate depression, hot flashes, and insomnia, says Herbert Benson, M.D., cofounder of the Benson–Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
But relaxing isn’t a simple matter of slipping into a bubble bath (though that may help). Specific methods—breathing exercises, prayer, or guided imagery—help to trigger what Benson has coined the relaxation response, a physical state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress.
Ease stress
Focusing on your breath can be a kind of meditation, and like meditation, it can break the train of stressful thoughts. To do it, sit in a comfortable chair, take a few slow deep breaths and quietly repeat to yourself "I am" as you breathe in and "at peace" as you breathe out. Repeat slowly two or three times. Try this once or twice daily, or whenever you need the break.
An important part of a balanced health and wellness program is managing your body composition and understanding what is a healthy body weight for your body type. A consistent Yoga practice, Yoga diet, and observance of Yoga principles and lifestyle habits can help you find this balance in managing your body weight.
Obesity is correlated to numerous health problems and diseases like heart disease, diabetes, musculo-skeletal disorders, digestive disorders, and high blood pressure. Obesity often shortens one’s life span. Excess body weight physically drains the body of vitality and energy.
How Can Yoga Decrease Body Fat and Manage Body Weight? Click Here to read more.
Health Tip : Exercise to Quit Smoking
Some researchers at Rhode Island’s Miriam Hospital enrolled 281 women in a smoking-cessation program. Half also were assigned vigorous cardiovascular fitness routines.
At the end of the sessions, the exercise group had a higher rate of success and smaller weight gains, says study leader Dr. Bess Marcus. She says more research is needed, but she speculates that exercise enabled women to relax their fears of gaining weight and eased the depression that often accompanies quitting smoking. Other benefits included a boost in mood and energy levels, she said.
"I would recommend that anyone trying to quit smoking after consulting with a physician start exercising," she says. "It can only help."
Weight loss: Let’s make a meal
Sticking to a diet is tough, as everyone knows. Toss in a rumbling stomach and the 3 p.m. munchies, and the effort needed becomes almost superhuman.
But a new study suggests that sticking to your normal eating schedule (snacks included) and focusing instead on changing what you eat during those times could make the struggle a bit easier.
After putting 81 men on different eating schedules and diets, researchers in Ireland found that the men who continued to eat according to their traditional schedules had more success sticking with the plan.
These men selected lowfat foods and snacks, but kept eating at their regular times. Instructed to limit their food intake to three meals a day, the other men had a harder time sticking to their diets, showing that changing what you eat — not when — could be your key to diet success
Natural Treatments for PMS and Menopause
PMS
PMS affects 30-40% of menstruating women, peaking among women in their 30s and 40s. Common symptoms include depression, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, bloating, water retention, breast tenderness and food cravings. Most commonly, these symptoms occur during the second half of the menstrual cycle when estrogen and prolactin levels are high. Treatment is often directed at lowering estrogen levels to be more in balance with circulating progesterone.
Diet and lifestyle can heavily influence PMS symptoms. It has been well demonstrated that women who regularly exercise, drink alcohol and caffeine in limited quantities, eat lots of vegetables and fruits, and consume fatty fish (with omega 3 fatty acids), are less likely to suffer severe PMS-related symptoms.
Nutritional supplements such as B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium, calcium and vitamin E have all been shown to lessen PMS symptoms. B6 promotes healthy levels of neurotransmitters and endorphins that can reduce breast tenderness, irritability and water retention. Magnesium has been linked to reducing nervousness and breast tenderness. Calcium can improve mood and decrease water retention. Studies show that vitamin E is helpful in reducing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, low energy, fatigue and food cravings.
In summary, women who suffer from severe PMS can significantly improve their symptoms by combining regular exercise with a good diet and proper supplements.
Menopause
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 40 and 55. It can happen suddenly at any age as a result of the surgical removal of the ovaries. The onset of menopause is accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms as hormonal imbalances occur. Two thirds of American women suffer from hot flashes, especially in the two years after the onset of menopause. In addition, they may experience night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness and mood swings. After menopause, women are at increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the treatment of choice for most women for the relief of menopausal symptoms. Initially, estrogen replacement therapy was universally embraced until it was discovered that it quadrupled the chances of getting uterine cancer. Subsequently, progestin was added to estrogen to reduce the risk of cancer. The estrogen/progestin combination relieves hot flashes and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. The effect on the risk of heart disease is less clear, and the American Heart Association issued a statement in 2001 that said it should not be used in women with existing heart disease because it may actually increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Because of the risks and side effects of HRT, many women are choosing alternative approaches to dealing with their menopausal symptom, including diet, exercise, and nutritional supplements. For many women, the addition of soy to the diet or perhaps soy supplements could provide symptomatic relief. One recent study found a link between soy consumption and reduced hot flashes. Soy may provide long-term health benefits as well, as soy appears to protect against bone loss and provide cardiovascular protection. Soy contains Phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring estrogen-like compounds. These compounds are also found in other food sources such as legumes (pea family) and lignan containing foods such as cereals and grains.
Omega 3 fatty acids also help to alleviate symptoms such as dry skin and provide long-term protective cardiovascular effects. Natural sources of these omega 3 oils are salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines.
A variety of supplements offer both symptomatic and long term relief for menopausal women. Nutritional supplements such as folic acid and the B vitamins, along with calcium and vitamin D appear to provide long-term benefits to menopausal women by relieving symptoms and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Black cohosh is a Phytoestrogen containing herb that has been shown in some studies to reduce many menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, and anxiety.
Stay Fit and Healthy During Pregnancy
Ronna Edwards of Provo, Utah, found out she was pregnant mere weeks before the St. George Marathon after training for the event over the past six months. After a consultation with her doctor, where they both agreed that a marathon during her first trimester was not a good idea, Ronna had to cope with a nagging sense of disappointment after going from "feeling very active to feeling exhausted and nauseated all the time."
Now into her second trimester–when the chances of miscarrying are much slimmer and her bouts with morning sickness are a thing of the past–Ronna is ready to resume a fitness routine that will keep her and her unborn baby healthy.
The question is, what can she do that will allow her to stay fit, avoid unnecessary weight gain and bounce back physically after giving childbirth?
Initially I was reluctant to address this issue, possessing neither a degree in pre-natal care nor experience in personal training for pregnant women. I changed my mind after doing some research, consulting with my pediatrician mother (who specializes in newborn babies and works closely with obstetricians), and speaking with a few expectant mothers that are also very athletic.
First and foremost you should consult your health care practitioner if you are pregnant and eager to stay fit. As each pregnancy is unique and influenced by numerous factors ranging from hereditary conditions to eating habits to prior fitness experience and current state of health it is imperative that expectant mothers first consult their personal physician about what sort of exercises are safe for them.
I found a wealth of useful information in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway. This reference manual contains an entire chapter on physical fitness for expectant mothers. With over 10 million copies in print and a consistent best-seller on Amazon.com, it was a valuable resource in gathering some of the relevant information below.
Many women become less fit as their pregnancy wears on, understandably so because their weight increases rapidly. But with a carefully designed personal fitness program, most women can avoid this slump and enjoy the benefits that moderate physical activity provides.
These benefits include increased energy, improved sleep patterns, stronger muscles, better endurance (which can help ease labor), and a reduction of common pregnancy symptoms such as bloating, swelling of extremities and back pain.
Below is a partial list of sports and activities that are considered safe to do if you’re pregnant–but again, only after a consultation with your physician:
Indeed, given my own swimming background, I know several women who have swum up to 4,000 meters a day right until they were ready to deliver! They assured me that swimming not only kept them flexible, fit and happy during their term, but that the water’s buoyancy allowed them to relieve some of the back pain they were feeling while on land–especially during the third trimester.
Leilani Eickhoff, an avid triathlete and masters swimmer in Los Angeles, continued swimming, with her doctor’s blessing, three times a week throughout her pregnancy. In addition, she takes a weekly pre-natal yoga class.
"I am really happy I’ve continued swimming regularly throughout my pregnancy," Lani says.
"At first, it was really difficult just to get out bed to make the 5:45 a.m. workouts. Additionally, my competitive side really struggled with slowing down and having to move to slower lanes. But, now that my pregnancy is almost over, I can really see the benefits. I continue to have good energy, have not experienced any swelling or leg cramps, and I feel like the activity has helped with my overall weight gain."
She is also thankful for the benefits that the yoga class provides.
"It really helps alleviate lower-back pain, and the relaxation and breathing techniques I learned should come in handy during childbirth."
If you are a novice to the pool, and expecting a child, it’s probably not wise to start swimming at this point. But there are shallow-water exercises, such as aqua-aerobics classes, that are available at many health centers that can get your heart rate up and provide gentle aerobic conditioning.
In Ronna’s case, as a passionate runner, she should look into the possibility of aqua-jogging. It is easy on the joints, low-impact and effective in working the all-important quads. It is much safer than running on land for extended periods of time. Even experienced runners should avoid jogging over two miles when they are pregnant and many doctors will recommend not running at all.
Source : active.com
