Having a Baby? Exercise For an Easier Pregnancy

If you've come to this article, it's more than likely you or a loved one will be expecting a baby. Exercise should not be out of your regimen. Exercising while pregnant was always looked down upon in the past. Still to this day, my pregnant clients will get evil stares from older women in the gym. Don't let these looks turn you away from exercise. You'll only be helping your baby. Exercise isn't just for athletes.

It is recommended to exercise while pregnant as long as you're healthy and your doctor approves it. Exercising while pregnant has many benefits such as:

• feeling better physically and emotionally
• prevents excess weight gain, allowing you to get to your pre-pregnancy weight much easier
• builds stronger muscles, bones, and joints which helps when carrying the extra person
• helps prevent gestational diabetes
• relieves stress
• builds stamina needed for labor

Pregnant women who have been involved in an exercise program can continue with their regular exercise programs, providing they have no health problems. If you haven't been involved in an exercise program, now is a good time to start. The exercise regimen will be easier during pregnancy so it will be a good transition to full effort exercise after the arrival of the baby. Exercise can fatigue a pregnant women more easily. This is common even early in pregnancy.

Make sure to eat properly and get enough fluids while pregnant with an exercise regimen or not. You should be eating small meals throughout the day. A sedentary pregnant women requires around 3,000 calories per day after the first trimester. Her caloric requirements will be higher if she is active. You have to eat more to supply the baby. Exercise will cause you to require even more calories.

There are precautions when exercising while pregnancy. Exercise intensity should never be higher than it was before becoming pregnant. Yoga, walking, the stationary bike, and aquatic exercises are all great ways to exercise while pregnant. A low impact aerobics class is also very beneficial. Stay away from any form of exercise that causes changes in weight-distribution, balance, or coordination. An example of this is outdoor biking. You don't want to increase your risk of falling while pregnant. First and foremost think of the baby. Exercise done properly is always best.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends:

• Stay well hydrated before, during, and after exercise
• During the first trimester especially, avoid heat and humidity. This is when the fetus is undergoing its most important growth.
• Avoid heavy lifting
• Stop exercise if you're feeling fatigued

You want to be able to hold a normal conversation during cardio. Any more intense than this is too much. I also recommend sitting while lifting. If you stand, blood can pool in your legs and cause dizziness. Also avoid lying flat on your back or stomach after the first trimester. By lying down, you can restrict the blood flow to the uterus and endanger the baby. Exercise the recommended way and you won't have to worry about these conditions.

Here are some warning signs to keep in mind when exercising while pregnant. If you experience any of these, stop exercising:

• pain in lower pack or pelvic region
• excessive fatigue
• dizziness
• shortness of breath
• vaginal bleeding
• difficulty walking
• contractions
• decreased fetal movement
• rapid heart rate at rest

Once again, Congratulations! Now get to work and stay fit. Remember, before beginning any exercise program, especially while pregnant, consult a physician first. Stay tuned for an upcoming article on a pregnancy routine!

There are many more important aspects of health to consider while being pregnant. Take a look at this article about the link between sleep and health. You can find even more articles at Go Healthy Fitness.

Why Gain Muscle? Female Worries Put to Rest

I was bombarded today by women who all had very similar questions about gaining muscle. Female clients have a fear of lifting weights. They were scared they would become bulky and too muscular. Since this question comes up quite often in my industry, I thought I would write an article discussing the benefits of muscle. Female worries put to rest.

First off, let's clarify that just by lifting weights you are not going to bulk up. This is especially the case for most women that consider resistance training 3 sets of 25 reps at light weight. Gaining muscle, female or male, to "bulk up" requires organized nutrition and training regiments. A well rounded weight lifting program can add a solid amount of lean body muscle which has many benefits.

So why is this muscle such a great thing to have. Muscle has a lot of benefits. For one, muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does. A pound of muscle will burn around 50 calories at rest. Let's think about that in a long term perspective. If you were to add 10 pounds of muscle this year, you would be burning 500 more calories at rest each day. If you consider one full week of this extra calorie burn, you will be burning 3500 calories more at rest. 3500 calories is equal to 1 pound. 10 extra pounds of muscle and a well balanced nutrition plan will have you burning up to 1 pound of fat per week.

Muscle is also a very attractive body part. A muscular, toned body is much more appealing to the opposite sex than a sedentary shape. The toned look is gained by lowering your body fat percentage, not just total weight.

Building muscle comes from resistance training. The benefits that comes along with the resistance training are also very appealing. The weighted stress put on your bones cause the bones to add calcium and make this makes the bones stronger. Your ligament and tendon strength will also be improved from resistance training. Studies have shown muscle to improve ones resistance to disease as well. withstanding stress, and the improved flexibility gained by strength training also reduces the likelihood of pulled muscles and back pain.

Get out there and start a weight training program if you haven't already. I will be posting some nice weight programs in the near future, so stay tuned and enjoy your body transformation. You should always be increasing muscle. Female clients still argue with me, but its well worth it.

You can determine how much muscle you have now with proper testing techniques. Check out my article on the different ways to test body fat percent. You can read more articles at Go Healthy Fitness.

The Proper Way to Warm Up - Exercise The Right Way

An important part of working out that is often overlooked is the warm up. Exercise can be dangerous without doing this correctly. I've been working with clients lately that have been experiencing some injuries. I have been focusing on repairing these injuries and it made me think about the importance of the warm up. Exercise longevity will be much higher if you start now.

A proper warm up exercise can increase your blood flow which will decrease your muscle stiffness, decrease risk of injury and improve performance. Your body temperature will increase. A warm muscle will contract more forcefully and relax more quickly. The chance of pulling a muscle is much lower as well.

Once you're warm, your blood vessels will dilate which in turn reduces the stress put on the heart. An article by Elizabeth Quinn states: "The temperature of blood increases as it travels through the muscles, and as blood temperature rises, the amount of oxygen it can hold becomes reduced. This means a slightly greater volume of oxygen is made available to the working muscles, enhancing endurance and performance."

So how should you warm up? Well warming up is best defined as gradually increasing intensity of a certain exercise until you are at your working intensity. When it comes to cardio, choose a nice steady slow pace to warm up with. A good method to use when warming up with weights is to have 3-4 warm up sets. Choose a very light weight to complete your first set. You should easily be able to complete 15 reps. This is usually around 50% of your working weight. On your second set, do 12 reps of 65% of your working weight. Your final set will be 8 reps at 80%. Once you have done this you are ready to start your workout.

Stretching is also a very important part of the warm up. Exercise can be much less painful with loose muscles. Stretch the muscles you will be using for the day. The best time to stretch before a workout is right after your warm up. This way the muscles will be nice and loose already from the increased blood flow. It will be less likely that you over stretch and accidentally pull a muscle.

Learn how to build that quality muscle, female or male, by checking out more articles from Go Healthy Fitness.

How to get the motivation to lose weight

I hope those bodies are shaping nicely. I was speaking to two clients of mine the other day. They were talking about the great progress they have made. Both of these ladies have a combined goal weight loss of 370 pounds, but man are they determined. In the month I've trained them, they have a combined weight loss of 32 lbs. These women are not quitters and they have set their mind to their goal. They can already see what they will look like in the mirror at their best. And they will reach their goal because of this. They didn't choose to do this alone. They found out how to get motivation to lose weight.

No matter what your goal is, decide now if you really want to reach it. Reaching any goal is going take some work. You can't slack off and expect to get good results. I speak with too many people that believe they will get results with little to no effort. Their exercise lifespan soon dwindles, and they never return to the gym. If your looking to lose 50 pounds, gain 20, or just tone up that butt, you're going to need to put effort into it. It's not hard to reach your goal, it just takes some time.

Many people don't know what steps to take to reach your goal. That's where this website and a personal trainer can help. Don't be afraid to approach a personal trainer with questions. The majority of trainers will gladly help you, most will even offer a free session or two. You might have to listen to a sales pitch at the end but you get can a lot of information by just asking. A personal trainer is perfect way to get the motivation to lose weight. If you're considering hiring a trainer, I would definitely recommend it. I am a trainer myself and I enjoy to have another person train me every once in a while. Just to see the training style they would have for the goals I'm trying to accomplish. Changing a routine up every once in a while is always a good thing.

To lose those unwanted pounds, you're going to need a diet plan to lose weight. Read more articles from Go Healthy Fitness.

Do You Have a Diet Plan to Lose Weight?

We all know the trouble of shaping our bodies to the figure we want. Getting those perfect abs, that rock hard chest, or those toned legs all take time and knowledge of what steps to take. Now I want to ask you, what steps are you taking toward your goals? Have you taken a step today? Do you have a diet plan to lose weight?

If your new to the fitness world and have found or been looking for the gym to help take you to the next level, remember it will take more than just a gym membership. ONLY 5% of people with gym memberships will obtain the results they desire. Why is this? Well, 95% of gym members don't have a set plan on what to do next. If you've attended a gym for years and still haven't seen the results your looking for, then it's time to take a look at what you've been doing and change it. A diet plan can usually push you to the next level.

Here are some quick tips to help you plan for your fitness goals. First, start writing down what you do each day. Keep a journal of your workouts as well as what your eating. If you can see what you've done in the past, then you can change it later if needed. Keep measurements of yourself. You always want to know where you were and where you are now. If you don't do this the mind will play tricks on you. Since changes do happen slowly, your own eyes have trouble actually seeing the results. That's why we require numbers to help us see what we've attained. Don't let your weight bring you down...a better number to pay attention to would be your body fat percentage. And lastly, do some research. It doesn't take but a few minutes to read a fitness article or have a small chat with a local personal trainer.

So don't wait till next week to plan your next step. Start right now. I want to know:

What's your strategy?

You can add different healthy foods to your diet plans to make things interesting. There are new weight loss noodles, Asian treats, which can help lower your weight. You can read more articles by Travis Petelle at Go Healthy Fitness.

The power of bean protein

Don't let the size of a bean make you underestimate its power. These little guys will pack a punch to a healthy diet. Beans are packed with a ton of benefits, as are many other legumes. You can see great results using bean protein. They can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, and prevent cancer. You can save some money with beans too. They are pretty cheap to buy.

So other than the common health reasons, how can beans help in your workouts? Well beans are full of fiber, protein, iron, and folate. All of these help with building muscle and burning fat.

Here are some tips on using beans:

• Always rinse canned beans. They are usually packaged in a high-sodium liquid. We don't need anymore salt.
• You can add beans to an entree to get the extra benefits. I like to add a handful to a salad to up my protein intake.
• Use beans with other foods. Lentils, peas, chickpeas, bean dip, and hummus are all great with beans.

For those using legumes as their main source of protein, legumes don't contain complete proteins like meat does. You should combine them with grain or dairy products throughout the day to meet your nutritional needs.

If you're not a big fan of beans right now, don't worry. They will grow on you. You can make any food taste good if you have the right recipe. Here is a good recipe for a 3 Bean Chili that will fill you with bean protein:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can chicken-broth(low sodium)
• 1 onion diced
• 3 diced jalapenos
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tbsp. cayenne

Using a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low. Saute the diced onion in the pot for 3-5 minutes. Add the turkey and let it brown, this takes around 5 minutes. Put in the rest of the ingredients and stir. Allow this to reaching boiling and turn the heat down to simmer. Let this cook for 20-25 minutes stirring randomly.

This will make 6 servings of a delicious 3 Bean Chili. Each serving has 295 calories, 5 grams of fat, 32 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber. Enjoy the power of bean protein.

Still trying to get your proper intake of protein? Then you should consider finding the best protein supplement for you. You can find more nutrition and fitness articles from my blog, Go Healthy Fitness.

Learn how to break past your weight plateau

Have your results come to an abrupt halt? You've hit a weight plateau in your training. Anyone who works out will hit a plateau eventually. But don't worry, plateaus can be broken through. Don't let them frustrate you and cause you to slack off your routine.

Whatever fitness level you are, you can change your body anyway you want. As your body transforms, your nutritional and exercise needs will transform as well. What you did when you started working out might not have the same results a few months later. Your body adapts to your workouts. It is trying to make the things you do daily easier for you.

A plateau in exercise is when you aren't getting results from your training. This is the point when your body has adapted to what you're doing. Most people find a weight plateau when they are trying to lose those last 10 pounds around the belly, but plateaus also happen often when building muscle. So what can you do to get past your weight plateau?

Switch up your exercise routine
You should be changing your routine every 8 to 12 weeks. The change of exercises or rep/set scheme will keep your muscles on their toes. And don't think because you've done a routine you can't come back to it later. Find 3 or 4 routines that give you great results and rotate them throughout the year.

Check your diet
After you've been training for over 6 months, the amount and type of food you eat will play the major role in your results. If you've hit the weight loss plateau, take a look at what your eating. Clean up some of the foods, eat more vegetables, or take an unneeded snack out and see what results you get. The opposite goes for trying to gain muscle or strength. If your lifts don't seem to be rising anymore, then up your calories by 250-500, and try that for a few weeks.

Listen to your body
No matter what it is you're doing, your body will tell you if it's working or not. We are all made to transform the way we stress our bodies. By running miles everyday, you're transforming your body into a long lean endurance machine and vice versa. Getting the results you want is mainly learning what your body reacts to best. And as your body transforms, so will the exercise and diet that gives you the best results.

Good luck on those results. And remember don't get discouraged because you aren't seeing overnight results. You will break past your weight plateau soon.

Some people try and help boost past their weight plateau with energy drinks. Before you do this, think about the effects of energy drinks. You can find more nutrition and fitness articles from my blog, Go Healthy Fitness.