Pregnancy Awareness » Exercise

Yoga for Two

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:21:34 +0000

We often hear during pregnancy that it is important to eat for two, it is also important to drink enough water for two and do exercise for two. Doing yoga during one’s pregnancy is a great way to stay limber, prepare for birth, gain strength and connect to your growing baby. Prenatal yoga is designed for pregnant women, it is low impact, a great workout and safe, geared specifically towards our changing bodies and hormones.

During my own pregnancy I was teaching and doing The Khalsa Way style of prenatal yoga which gets it’s roots from Kundalini Yoga, a style of yoga which focuses on the breath, meditation, Mantras(chanting) and Mudras (meditative hand postures). The yoga atmosphere is one of community, peace and connection. Anusara Prenatal Yoga is much more on flow, building strength but because there are quite a bit of inversions and if you are a beginner I suggest a lot of modification. It is a wonderful yoga to do during pregnancy. I have often seen pregnant women in Bikram’s sweltering hot classes. If your practice is Bikram (also known as the hot yoga) by all means if you have your doctor’s go ahead…go ahead but if you are new to yoga stick with a Hatha, Iyengar or Kundalini based prenatal yoga class. I tried them all and loved them all but ultimately found the one with which I connected to.

Google for great prenatal yoga classes near you or pick up one of the many DVDs out on the market. And I always must stress that no matter what exercise you consider doing during your pregnancy, you must get the okay from your prenatal care practitioner.

Anna Getty, Founder of Pregnancy Awareness Month, is also a certified prenatal yoga instructor and creator of The Divine Mother Prenatal Yoga DVD.

Share on Facebook

Pin it

CHOOSING YOUR HEALTH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUR FAMILY I remember after my first child, my OBGYN did a...
So the Baby is Here, Now What? By Alisa Donner, MSW, LCSW, Co-Founder P.A.M. Anna and I...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

CHOOSING YOUR HEALTH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUR FAMILY

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:50:49 +0000

I remember after my first child, my OBGYN did a post baby check up . She took a look down below and said “Well you sure look like you have had a baby now.” Well to be honest, everything seemed to change on my body, with that ‘look like I have had a baby’ look, and this momma wasn’t going down without a fight.

My oldest on will be turning ten this year and since his welcome into my world, I have moved 7 times, lived in China for 6 years, opened a café there, done a reality show and had two more children- all of that making my life, like yours, crazy. What has kept me sane? Choosing exercise and balanced eating for the benefit of myself, but also my whole family.

I can happily say that when I tell people that I have had three children that there is almost always a shock and awe factor. I have kept in shape, and it wasn’t genetics! I will also tell you my secret… it has been hard work! Sore muscles, smart shopping, and resourceful time used for workouts, that have brought me the post baby body that I am happy with.

Now I understand the demands of many stages of motherhood. Can I just say that they don’t always lessen, they just change. So it’s crucial for you to learn to take the time for yourself now, and choose to get back, or start a fit and healthy lifestyle. Yes the guilt will come, it will be hard to get out the front door at time, there may not be

THINK HABIT

If you are not already, you may need to start thinking of exercise as a daily choice. Once you establish a good resolve and see how daily exercise is beneficial, you will find it easier to make it a habit. People ask me how often I work out. That is a backwards way of thinking about exercise. It would be like me asking “how often do you brush your teeth?” We do it daily because we know we need to- for good healthy, and we also know what happens when we don’t- bad breath, rotten teeth, expensive dentist bills. Now you many not always feel like brushing your teeth, but you are always glad you did. That is the way your idea on daily exercise should be! You may not always feel like it, but you will always be glad you did, and there will always be days that exercise just doesn’t fit into the schedule, but make that the exception.

THINK VARIATIONS

I am an avid runner and weigh lifter, but I also love trying new fitness classes and sports to keep me interested and to keep my body challenged. Just this week I tried Pole Dancing and am in the middle of my Kite surfing lessons (which my boys think is soooo cool)! The Fitness industry is really coming up with the most crazy, fun and challenging classes to keep you interested! If you are on a budget, use the equipment at the park to try some push up, pull up and sprint combinations. Keep your eyes on the internet group deals where you can get dance classes, boot camps and memberships for crazy high discounts. Or go get that membership you need, grab another mom who needs an accountability partner and start

THINK OWNERSHIP

I love to exercise because of the energy, ownership and the strength it gives me. There are so many variables in life that we cannot control, but what we do to our body and how we treat it, is up to you. Sometimes I will say that exercise is my ‘vice’ and what a good vice to have. It is a tough job trying to schedule in that workout, when you have PTA meetings, appointments, work and dinner to figure out. Here are a few of my “time for me” strategies.

Always have in the car, or wear your workout clothes, so you will be ready to use that random free time slot in the day.
Schedule it in, like a doctors appointment, so that you plan your day accordingly.
Sign up for a race, or have a specific goal so that you can share with others, and they will be encouraged and want to enlist to help with what you are doing
Swap care time with another friend on trade or find places where your child is welcomed or has daycare.
Do it before the troops wake up or after the hit the hay. I prefer the latter.

THINK EXAMPLE

I believe much of our overweight issues really stem from the choices we make. Doesn’t everything stem from choices, and isn’t that the lesson we are teaching our kids daily. Obesity or the opposite, anorexia and bulimia are just the choices we make of something much deeper that needs to be addressed. We are becoming a culture that can’t restrain itself from our wants and desires, and that shows true with how we treat our bodies. When we choose to live a balanced lifestyle of healthy food and fitness choices, that is the best example that we can give our family and friends. And that will benefit you, and your adorable family in the long term!

So I hope you are ready to go grab a yoga mat, get your groove on with a dance class, or tie those running shoes on! Keep your daily exercise fun and interesting. Develop the personal empowerment that having ownership over you body will do. Then you will be an example to others that your HEALTHY CHOICES, have a created a HEALTHY YOU!

I would love to hear your stories of success and struggle. Please send me an email at fitchefkaty@gmail.com, follow my twitter tips @fitchefkaty or Join me on facebook at www.facebook.com/fit-chef-katy

Share on Facebook

Pin it

Yoga for Two We often hear during pregnancy that it is important to...
Celebrating Pregnancy Awareness Month Because Your Choices Do Matter All of us at Pregnancy Awareness Month® have been honored...
From One Mother’s Arms into Another New moms can be your best resource in transferring crucial...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Fertile and Fit: Best Prenatal Workout Tools

admin — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:38:21 +0000

Fertile and Fit: Best Prenatal Workout Tools

Originally posted by Amy Tara Koch on bumpitupstyle.com

Fudge, not fitness, is usually top of mind when you are pregnant.

But, let me tell you from experience, exercise makes a huge impact on how you gain the baby weight. I hardly exercised in my first pregnancy and the 42 preggo pounds were scattered generously from my rump to my chipmunk cheeks. But, by the time #2 came around, I was a Pilates addict. Pre-natal pilates kept my metabolism firing and my body toned. I gained the exact same amount but—drumroll—only in the bottom part of my bod (see pic). Can’t get to the gym? Here are a spate of excellent apps and DVDS to help you stay fit whilst fertile.

Amy eight months pregnant!

PRENATAL YOGA
$0.99
For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
For Blackberry ($2.99)
“The benefits of practicing prenatal yoga for pregnant women are endless. Yoga increases strength, flexibility and promotes relaxation. Prenatal Yoga is a great way to prepare for the birthing process as well as enjoy pregnancy term. Pregnancy yoga is divided into trimesters lasting three months each.”

PILATES FOR PREGNANCY—COMPLETE
$9.99
For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
” The Pilates for Pregnancy application is broken into 3 different workouts that have been modified to meet the needs and limitations of each trimester. This application is a tremendous value, giving you all 3 workouts in 1 app! You will be asked to enter your due date. Pilates and Pregnancy – Complete opens up the appropriate workout, notes and to do lists for your trimester of pregnancy. You will go from a more rigorous workout in your 1st trimester, to modifying the exercises with an easy to build incline in your 2nd trimester, to focusing on relaxation, leg, butt and arm strength in your 3rd trimester.”

WHAT TO EXPECT-PREGNANCY TRACKER
Free
For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
“Track your pregnancy week-by-week, and more, with this free app companion to What to Expect When You’re Expecting and WhatToExpect.com. It’s all here – everything you need, right now, at your fingertips:
* Due date calculator
* Week-by-week details on your baby’s amazing growth and development
* Weekly baby illustrations
* Updates on your changing body
* Slideshow of your belly pictures
* Countdown to your due date!”

GABBY REECE: THE COMPLETE FIT AND HEALTHY PREGNANCY
$60 (price varies)
“This DVD covers all 3 trimesters consisting of nine 15 minute exercises that are safe for women during their pregnancy as well as a warm up and cool down As a bonus, three- 15 minute exercises for women post- pregnancy complete with warm up and cool down have been included.”

Amy Tara Koch is the author of Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the Ultimate Style Statement

Share on Facebook

Pin it

Yoga for Two We often hear during pregnancy that it is important to...
Gourmet Meals Delivered to your Door If you are like me, you are a woman that...
Bump It Up Beauty Great skin requires a quality skin care regime that encourages...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Why Your Workout Should Change With Pregnancy

admin — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:11:31 +0000

Encouraging you to continue to move your body and step into maintaining health during your pregnancies. Here is a past newsletter article from Lisa Druxman on exercise during pregnancy from May 11TH of 2008.

Why Your Workout Should Change With Pregnancy

Whether you like it or not, your life will change after having a baby. Beyond that, your workout should change as well! Being a mom is simply not good on your body. As a mom, you have a weight (the baby) that you carry around everywhere you go. You’re sleep deprived, recovering from pregnancy and labor and doing all kinds of mommy movements that you have not done before. This combination can lead to all kinds of aches and pains and progressively poor posture. By teaching you how to move through motherhood and working out to address these new challenges, you will be stronger, healthier and happier.

Postural Changes – Many changes have happened to your body during pregnancy. The weight of your uterus, your baby and your growing breasts have probably pulled your posture out of alignment. Your hips have probably tilted forward (an anterior pelvic tilt) and your shoulders are probably rounded. Almost 80% of women complain of back pain during or after pregnancy. Much of that pain comes from this postural mal-alignment. Your workout should focus on strengthening your back muscles to pull and stretching your chest and hip flexors.

Your Pelvic Floor – The weight of the baby and uterus and childbirth have probably weakened your pelvic floor muscles. That is why kegels and other pelvic floor exercises are not only important during pregnancy but throughout your life after having a baby.

Your Tummy – Are your abs ever going to look the same again? Not without targeted work. You have lost great strength in your abs during pregnancy. And, most moms experience as diastesis (a separation of their abdominal wall). It’s important to find exercises that “knit” these muscles back together. Jumping in to your old ab workout may exacerbate the problem.

Why do I feel worse now than when I was pregnant?
There are many reasons for not feeling good after having a baby. Postpartum depression, a feeling of being overwhelmed and lack of sleep are just a few that you may think of. However, many of the movements of motherhood cause your body not to feel good.

• Pushing Stroller – Most moms hunch over when pushing a stroller. It’s important to use good posture and form.
• Carrying Baby – Make sure to balance baby on both sides. Holding baby on the hip and with one arm can cause muscular imbalances.
• Nursing / Feeding – Bring baby up to you using pillow / nursing props and a proper chair. Hunching over to baby will give you back and posture problems.
• Carrying car seat – Unfortunately, these indispensable items also wreak havoc on our bodies. Hold your car seat carrier like a laundry basket whenever possible so that your body is balanced. If you hold it with one arm, be careful to keep spine in neutral alignment.
• Front Pack Carrier – Worn correctly, this can be a great workout. Worn incorrectly it can be a postural pain. Keep spine in neutral and abs pulled in. Make sure to pull shoulders back and not round forward.

Share on Facebook

Pin it

Celebrating Pregnancy Awareness Month Because Your Choices Do Matter All of us at Pregnancy Awareness Month® have been honored...
A Letter from Ricki Lake I am thrilled to be involved with Pregnancy Awareness Month....
Gourmet Meals Delivered to your Door If you are like me, you are a woman that...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I ran the NYC Marathon as a 40th b-day present!

admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:27:21 +0000

Have you met PAM Advisory Team member Lisa Druxman? Lisa has been a PAM advisor since the beginning and has come to EVERY launch event! She is the founder and mastermind behind Strollerstrides and Fit for Baby, a wonderful exercise program for pregnant women and new mom’s that inspires self care. It is also a wonderful community for mom’s that offer mompreneur opportunities. Check it out.

Here Lisa shares her recent experiences in running the New York City marathon. What a role model!

“It’s hard to believe that three weeks have gone by since running the New York Marathon. You train for months and months and it is over in a handful of hours. For those of you who don’t know, the NY Marathon was on my bucket list. It was one of those things that I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it to commemorate my 40th birthday. It was a wonderful, amazing, powerful and moving experience. I was surrounded by 45,000 others who set this goal and went through the sacrifices to fulfill it. Looking around, I did not see elite athletes (let’s face it, they were far ahead of us). I saw men and women, young and old. I saw racers in wheel chairs and those who were blind and had guides to get them through 26.2 miles. I saw walkers and weekend warriors. I saw first time marathoners like myself, and those who proudly boasted running dozens. Even if you are not a runner, I encourage you to find something that challenges you and even scares you, and then set out to do it. The race is over but the memory will last a lifetime. The pain is temporary, but the pride is forever. Most importantly, I will remember that I didn’t give up and that the longest journey starts with just one small step.”

“I ran that race purposefully as I hope to live my life. I was present and wasn’t rushing it to be over. I paid attention to the sights, sounds and smells. I appreciated the effort of those around me and encouraged those who needed encouraging. I respected my body and appreciated that I wasn’t sick and I wasn’t injured, and that it wasn’t raining. I tried to appreciate the smallest thing like that my shoes stayed tied and that my bathroom needs weren’t an issue. I kept saying to myself, ‘I’m running because I can”. I won’t always be able to. But while I can, I will.’ What can you do? Are you doing it? Don’t waste your body, your potential, your opportunity. Each day, celebrate what you can do. And then, actually do it!”

Lisa Druxman is the Founder of Strollerstrides

Share on Facebook

Pin it

A Letter from Ricki Lake I am thrilled to be involved with Pregnancy Awareness Month....
From One Mother’s Arms into Another New moms can be your best resource in transferring crucial...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Exercise – Week Two: Good for You, Good for Your Baby

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:44:27 +0000

It was not long ago, just a few generations back when mother’s-to-be were told that exercising was not good for pregnant women. That in fact as little movement as possible was best. Unless a pregnant woman is high risk (and you must, must get your health care provider’s okay), we now know the opposite to be true. Daily, moderate exercise (about 30 minutes a day) has shown to reduce discomfort, nausea, increase strength and flexibility and curve the likelihood for gestational diabetes. Prenatal exercise has also shown to regulate fetal heart rate. A win-win.

So here are a few guidelines to implement when following a prenatal program whether you choose yoga, Pilates, swimming, walking or running.
*wear comfortable clothing that breathes.
*consider stretching before and after your exercise program
*stay hydrated
*forgo exercise in extremely hot weather conditions
*stop if you get dizzy or out of breath
*Keep a little high protein snack nearby if you get nauseous or hungry
*listen to your body and your baby

If you exercised regularly before your pregnancy continue your program but over time you may need to make modifications.
Exercise is a wonderful way to connect with and stay tuned to your changing body. Enjoy prenatal exercise. It may or may not make your birth easier but it may help you bounce back post-partum more easily.
What kind of exercise did you or do you enjoy during your pregnancy? Please share.

Share on Facebook

Pin it

Yoga for Two We often hear during pregnancy that it is important to...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Conventional Cleaners aren’t Kid Stuff

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:06:25 +0000

By Seventh Generation

The subject of conventional household chemicals looms largest where the smallest members of our families are concerned. Simply put, children are most susceptible to the dangers presented by the chemicals in consumer products. Compared to adults, they have a far greater chance of developing health problems as a result of exposure to the toxins hiding in everything from cleaning products to toys.

If we’re vigilant when it comes to our own health, we need to be hyperprotective when it comes to safeguarding our kids. That means understanding just how sensitive they are to synthetic chemicals and knowing how to keep the greatest risks away.

Learn more about how to keep kids safe from household chemicals

Share on Facebook

Pin it

Celebrating Pregnancy Awareness Month Because Your Choices Do Matter All of us at Pregnancy Awareness Month® have been honored...
From One Mother’s Arms into Another New moms can be your best resource in transferring crucial...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Week 2- Exercise: Yoga for You and Baby

admin — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:30:11 +0000

The most frequent question I am asked as a prenatal yoga teacher is whether it is safe to begin yoga during pregnancy even if one has never done yoga before. Yes, if one receives the thumbs up from their doctor or midwife that it is okay to do exercise while pregnant Prenatal Yoga is not only safe but a wonderful form of exercise throughout one’s pregnancy. It is a great way to strengthen and tone your body to prepare for childbirth, a great way to stay fit during your pregnancy, and a wonderful way to connect with your body and your growing baby inside you. If you are new to yoga stay away from non-prenatal yoga classes and if you have had a deep practice for years continue doing what feels comfortable for you, modifying the Asanas over time. Prenatal yoga is nurturing and a modality of exercise that has been designed for your changing body and getting into a class is a wonderful way to connect with other pregnant women who are going through similar changes as you. If you can’t find a class near you I encourage you to pick up my yoga dvd, Anna Getty’s Pre and Post Natal Yoga Workout. It includes a disc designed for all stages of your pregnancy and a second disc with 9 short post baby workouts. If yoga is not for you find something else that feels good like Pilates, swimming, pregnancy belly dancing, or hiking. The most important thing is to keep your body moving.

Share on Facebook

Pin it

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.