Jun
13
Posted under
female workout
Congratulations on your new role as a mother! You are faced with many responsibilities to think about such as when to feed your baby, how to soothe your baby’s cries and how to lose extra weight you put on during your pregnancy.Here are ways to lose post pregnancy safer than you know.
When you started on a normal weight during pregnancy and only gained 25 to 35 pounds based on your doctor’s advice, it may take you no more than a couple of months to return to your pre pregnancy weight by watching what you eat and regular exercise.
On the contrary, if you went beyond the weight gain recommended by your doctor’s advise then weight loss may take much longer up to a year to get rid of excess weight. It is especially critical to take any baby weight off or it could stick with you for a long time. If you don’t then you increase your chances of being overweight and obese 15 to 20 years in life.
Every new mom is more than willing to look like her old self again. One of the most essential attitudes to possess is to be patient with yourself. Don’t compare yourself to celebrities who gave birth and went straight from delivery room into her size 0 jeans. Chances are she may not have chosen the healthy way to gradually lose the baby weight. A gradual approach to weight loss is a healthier way to go. New mothers should have a certain amount of patience with their body. Nine months were allotted for a full term pregnancy so it should take at least the same amount of time to get back to their usual weight. Here are some tips to guide you on losing weight after pregnancy and dress in your usual size jeans.
No to diets
Putting yourself on a strict diet where you deprive yourself of your favorite foods can sabotage your post pregnancy weight loss goals. You are stressed enough by your new role as a mother which could actually cause you to gain more weight. Most women find that the weight easily comes off following healthy and eating when hungry.
Try not to eat less than 1800 calories a day especially if you’re a breastfeeding mother. Rather than subjecting yourself on “diets”, aim to eat a well balanced variety of foods. Keep a regular stock of healthy snacks high in fiber to energize you throughout the day.
Meet and eat “super foods”
All mothers who are nursing their babies need all the nutrition they can get. Make wise food choices by selecting only foods high in nutrient but light in calories and fat.
Meet one of the super foods that are packed with DHA. Fish contains the essential omega-3 fatty acid that nourishes your newborn for the development of a healthy brain and nervous system. The best sources of DHA are cold water fish such as tuna, sardines, and salmon.
Enrich your diet with milk and yogurt as super foods that are high in calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth. Don’t skip on super foods rich in protein. The best sources are lean meat, chicken, and beans that are low in fat and high in fiber and protein. Fiber plays an integral role on keeping you full for longer period of time.
Breastfeed
Some studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding can help you go back to your pre pregnancy weight faster. Contradicting studies find no substantial difference in weight loss between women who breastfeed from those who bottle feed.
The only thing that is certain is that breastfeeding is good for your baby. It boosts immunity and supplies a number of other important health benefits. Exclusively breastfeeding your baby enables you to increase 300 calories a day to your intake. A word of precaution is to make sure not to think of this extra calorie allowance as an excuse to overeat on junk foods and processed foods high in salt, fats or sugar.
Hydrate
You should avoid getting dehydrated. Drinking more water helps you fuller that make you eat lesser. Some research has concluded that drinking more water may boost your metabolism. Don’t rely on the eight glass of water a day recommendation. Use your observation of the color of your urine and how often you need to go to bathroom as guides. Your urine should be relatively clear when you drink the adequate amount of water. The frequency of urinating should be about every three to four hours a day.
Get moving
What you eat and how much are only a part of the over all post pregnancy weight loss plan. You need to integrate aerobic and strength training exercises after pregnancy to burn calories and keep your muscles and bones strong. Exercise does help in your weight loss goals but provides many other benefits to new mothers. It helps mothers to cope with depression, sleeplessness issue, and stress reliever.
New mothers don’t need to enroll in gym classes to whip yourselves back into shape. You can take a brisk walk with your baby in the stroller to get your heart pumping and muscles working. You can start slowly until you can complete the recommended 150 minutes a week cardiovascular forms of exercise. It may overwhelm given the demands of nursing your baby thus you can divide the time into 10 minutes increments until you work your way up to 20-minute or 30-minute sessions.
Firm up your muscles by incorporating strength training with the use of soup cans, for example, as resistance. Make sure to consult and seek your doctor’s approval especially for mother who delivered via C-section before embarking any exercise programs.
Sleep
When your baby calls on you throughout the night, it is impossible to sleep for a full eight hours. However, sleep deprivation could make it harder for you to shed off the excess weight. A study had new mothers slept for seven hours or less a night who retained extra pregnancy weight longer than mothers who slept for seven hours. A tired body actually releases cortisol and other stress hormones that encourage weight gain. In addition to, you tend to make poor food choices or neglecting self care when tired.
It is a best advice to sleep when your baby sleeps. Try to catch as many naps as you can during daytime and go to bed early or at least try to do that until your baby begins to sleep at night.
Enlist help
When you think you have done your best but the stubborn excess weight just won’t go away then you can enlist the expertise of your doctor and dietitian. A doctor can guide you on how much weight you need to lose and when you can begin exercising while a dietitian can design an eating plan that will help you lose weight safely.
Technorati Tags: health, how to lose weight, post pregnancy weight, pregnancy issues, woman fitness
May
26
Posted under
female workout
The center of power of your body is your abdominal muscles or simply called abs. It provides core strength, balance, help prevent lower back injuries, an promote good posture, When you regularly perform abs workout for an average of 10 to 15 minutes thrice or four times a week reaps benefits when done correctly. This type of exercises not only improves your physical well-being but also makes you feel and look good.
Secrets on sculpting your abs
We spill the beans on how to make the most out of sculpting your mid section. The long lasting secret to achieve the benefits on doing abs exercises is to treat your body as a complete unit. Don’t fall into a belief that hundreds of repetitions of abdominal exercises will guarantee a flat abdominal region. The truth of the matter is that abdominal muscles are not the largest muscles in the body. To put it simply, it means that your body does not burn too many calories from abdominal exercises. It does firm and tone the muscles but does not efficiently burn and target the abdominal muscles. The fact that you perform hundreds of repetitions of sit ups does not mean you will have abs worthy enough to be shown off by wearing a midrib top. Another secret is to lower body fat to show off your toned and sculpted abs. Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, cycling, swimming and jogging are most effective on reducing lower body fat. The suggested cardio exercises targets the gluteal muscles, quadriceps and calves. The largest muscle is known to be the gluteus maximus or buttocks thus it burns a lot of calories. The more calories you burn, the lower the body fat. Strength training of the back and shoulders also improve and boost the rate of metabolism. Whenever the metabolism is boosted, it enables your body to burn stored fat. In short, your tight abdominal muscles can only be recognized and visible when no layer of fat covers them. This is why you need a routine consisting of exercise for lower abdominal muscles to give you that chiseled and “to-envy” look.
A recent study showed that the classic sit-up is not the most recommended exercise for stronger, flatter abdominals. This exercise is only limited to the use of hip muscles instead of the abdominals. In most cases, strains your neck and lower back. That is why the ‘crunch’ is a better option.
The top three best abdominal exercises are bicycle maneuver, captain’s chair, and crunch on exercise ball. Follow these easy steps on how to firm up and tone your abdominal muscles. Make sure to complement these routines with cardio exercises to maximize your fitness program.
Bicycle Maneuver
• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place your fingers on the side of your head just behind your ears.
• Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold.
• Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion.
• Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee in a slow and controlled manner and with full extension of each leg on every repetition.
• Breathe evenly throughout the exercise.
• Perform 20-30 repetitions (up to three sets).
Captain’s Chair
The second most effective move that targets the rectus abdominis and obliques is the Captain’s Chair Aim to perform this exercise properly or you can increase your risk of developing injuries.
Instructions:
photo credit to good housekeeping
• Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
• Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
• Don’t arch the back and remember to breathe smoothly.
• Slowly lower back down and repeat for 12-16 reps.
Crunch on exercise ball
Last but not the least is the crunch on exercise ball. The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and works out your rectus abdominis.
Instructions:
• Lie face-up with the ball resting under your mid/lower back. 
• Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
• Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
• As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn’t roll).
• Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps.
Complement these three abdominal muscle exercises by eating a healthy diet along with regular aerobic exercise thrice a week. Watch what you feed your body and lose that extra body fat. The best abdominal muscles in the world may all be hidden under a stubborn layer of body fat.
Technorati Tags: abs work out, best abdominal exercises, bicycle maneuver, captain's chair, crunch ball, woman fitness
May
08
Posted under
female workout
photo credit to muse tracks
Whether you are the type of person who eats to live or lives to eat, the basic knowledge of nutrition will go a long way to improve your quality of living. No matter how intense and regular your work outs could be, it wouldn’t be complete without regarding nutrition.
Muscles, by nature, repair themselves during resting periods. Thus, it is necessary to feed your muscles the much needed nutrients especially protein that it needs to give rise to a reshaped and toner muscles in your body.
The human body consumes energy 24/7 even at resting state like when we are asleep. Energy is provided from the foods we eat and the process of “burn-out” of muscles. When the body is in the breakdown mode, it is considered to be in catabolic (break down) state. The only phase to gain healthy muscle mass after work out is during the anabolic or built up state. The anabolic phase is a critical period to have a scheduled intake of balanced meals.
Post work out drink
After exercising, it is the first nutritional priority to replace any fluid lost during exercise. The best way to determine how much to drink (either plain water or sports drink) is to weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace lost fluids by drinking 20 to 24 fluid ounces for every pound lost.
During a moderate to intense session of work out, the body depletes its glycogen stores requiring a post work out drink to promote protein synthesis and decrease the rate of protein breakdown. By the time you are done working out, your body would have now lost lots of water and essential electrolytes.
Proteins
Protein comes in a variety of types and levels. Out of the 20 amino acids, 9 are considered “essential” since these proteins cannot be synthesized therefore need to be consumed regularly. The biological value of a source of protein is known by the amount and proportion of the essential amino acids. If one or more of these amino acids is not present or is present in disproportionate amounts, the efficiency of protein synthesis goes down.
Animal sources are the best source of protein including meat, fish, dairy and poultry which are more “complete” than plant sources as they contain all the essential amino acids. Plant sources, on the other hand, when eaten in right combinations can also measure up to protein requirements. Soya protein ranks as the highest among plant sources. It is comparable to animal sources of protein. Vegetarian can select whey protein and soy as protein supplementation.
Eating after Exercise
Most athletes are aware of the importance of eating before exercise which is equally important to what and when you eat after exercise. Exercising before a meal can ensure sufficient glycogen stores available for optimal performance. Glycogen is the source of energy primarily used for exercise thus a meal after exercise is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently.
It is recommended to consume carbohydrate such as juice or fruit within 15 minutes after work out to help restore glycogen. In fact, research has shown that eating 100 to 200 grams of carbohydrates within a couple of hours of endurance exercise is vital to building sufficient glycogen stores for continued training. Refraining from any carbohydrate consumption results to 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, in turn aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage possibly can reach a plateau.
Carbs and protein speeds recovery
Studies have concluded that the combination of protein and carbohydrate consumed in the two hours following exercises nearly doubles the insulin response leading to more stored glycogen. The right ratio to achieve this effect is 4:1 translating to four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein. Be mindful that eating more protein has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.
Protein needs post exercise
Muscles after exercise requires intake of protein to supply the amino acids necessary to rebuild damaged muscle tissue resulting from intense, prolonged exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, enabling you to become more resistant to colds and other infections.
If you are looking for the best way to refuel your body after long, strenuous endurance exercise, a 4:1 combo of carbohydrate and protein seems to be your best choice. While solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest make it easier to get the right ratio and meet the 2-hour window.
Time for protein intake
Post work out is the best time for protein intake as absorption and possibly assimilation levels are the highest. It is not a good idea to fast after a work out which can undo all the work you have exerted. The key is to schedule your meals into smaller but frequent portions.
You don’t need to work out every single day believing that it will speed the muscle building process of your body. Resting at intervals is equally important to allow muscle gain to take place. When the body is continuously involved in activity coupled with inadequate rest then catabolic state results. In the catabolic state, substantial gains in muscle mass is next to impossible. Studies have also proven that erratic sleep patterns and eating habits result to unhealthy weight gain. If you compromise diet and nutrition but manage to work out regularly, all of your efforts are useless and wasted.
The first hour after work out is the body’s golden hour when stored glycogen are used up and enzyme responsible of converting glucose into glycogen are in a phase when sugar or glucose can be consumed and rushed directly to the muscles to immediately replace lost glycogen stores.
You should have a post work out meal or drink to help your body recover quickly form the result of physical activity. You might think of resisting carbohydrates in your meal after working out to avoid weight gain. Carbs part of your post work out meal won’t add fat as calories are continuously burn even after work out. A simple balanced work out along with 10 to 15% of energy coming from protein should do the trick. Be smart and feed your body the nutrition it needs. Starving or restricting food intake after work out will do your body more harm than good.
Technorati Tags: female work out, health, nutrition, what to eat post after work out, woman fitness
