FitSugar

Is Running While Pregnant Safe?

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:52 -0700

It's not every day that you see a pregnant woman going for a run, like Miss Kourtney Kardashian here. On her hour-long jog, I'm sure she got some stares and whispers. Not just because she's famous, but because she's got a big bun in the oven. They're probably wondering, is this safe for her baby, and safe for mom?

Regular exercise is encouraged by doctors for those expecting, because it can help a woman stay healthy, and alleviate some of the discomforts like stiffness, back pain, leg cramping, or constipation. Working out can also prevent unnecessary weight gain, relieve stress, and get a woman ready to endure the physical challenges of labor.

With that said, there are some guidelines a pregnant woman should follow when working out.

Don't make any big changes to your exercise program once you become pregnant. If you were running regularly before you conceived, then it's safe to keep it up, as long as it feels good and you don't overdo it. If you want to start a new type of exercise, talk to your doc first.
Be OK with modifying your routine, especially as your pregnancy progresses. If you used to run four miles a day, you may find that you'll need to cut down in the beginning of your pregnancy. And once you're in the end of your second trimester, or third, walking may be best.
Don't do any types of exercise that put you or the baby at risk, like extreme sports that require balance, speed, or could result in you falling. Your doctor will probably recommend you save the surfing, skiing, horseback riding, biking outdoors, and rock climbing for after delivery.

For the rest keep reading

LeeLee Sobieski's Laid Back Pregnancy

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:30:07 -0700

Here's a twist on pregnancy cravings: LeeLee Sobieski is eating less, not more, ice cream now that she's sporting a baby bump. The young actress, most recently seen alongside Johnny Depp in Public Enemies, tells Us magazine that she's craving stomach-soothing ginger and kid-friendly comfort foods like macaroni and cheese.

Though soul-satisfying, comfort foods are not known for their health benefits. To keep healthy while chowing down, Sobieski still meets with her personal trainer and also takes "nice long walks along the Hudson River." More than anything she's choosing to lay low during her pregnancy by staying relaxed and enjoying the feeling of being "so in love."

I love celebrities who stay uber-fit when pregnant, but I think Sobieski's idea of laying back creates a nice balance of fitness and wellness. And let's face it, there's no better reason than pregnancy to give into cravings like macaroni and cheese!

8 Ways to Prep Your Body For Pregnancy

FitSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:45:45 -0700

Labor Day makes me think of labor. No, not as in "work," but as in having a baby. Even if you are not trying to get pregnant, there are a few things you can do to help prepare your body for its journey to motherhood. Here are eight healthy habits to put into place to help you conceive and have a healthy pregnancy.

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Yoga Tips For Expectant Moms

FitSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:02:35 -0700

Whether you're new to yoga or an experienced yogini, practicing yoga is a wonderful way to take care of yourself and your growing little one. Not only will you experience peace and relaxation, but so will your babe. Many gentle types of yoga are appropriate and beneficial during pregnancy, but here are some things you should know if you are expecting . . .

When you become pregnant, talk to your obstetrician or midwife about yoga whether you've been practicing for years or are thinking of starting. They'll most likely give you an enthusiastic "thumbs up," but it's always a good idea to make sure you don't have any health restrictions.
If you've been practicing yoga for a while, it's safe to continue taking the same yoga classes. Just listen to you body, and don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, if you're new to both pregnancy and yoga, take a prenatal yoga class instead of a regular one. The instructor will give you more individualized attention, and explain ways to do poses that will be safe for you during pregnancy.
Prenatal yoga classes tend to focus on opening the hips, stretching the lower back, relaxation skills, and pranayama (breath exercises). So just be aware that you may not be moving a ton, but you'll definitely be breathing, and spending a lot of time in Wide Squat and Pigeon. By using and stretching the muscles you'll be needing during birth, you'll essentially be making labor easier.
Drink plenty of water and be sure to get the extra 300 to 500 calories you need during pregnancy.

To hear the other important tips keep reading

Five Health Changes to Make If You're Trying to Conceive

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:00:00 -0700

If the urge to become a mom is in your not-too-distant future, here are some healthy changes you should make before you even think about becoming pregnant.

Get at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily. This B vitamin helps prevent birth defects such as spina bifida. Great sources of folic acid include citrus fruits, asparagus, broccoli, beans, peas, peanuts, lentils, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables like spinach. Enriched foods such as cereals and pastas are also good sources. If you're having a hard time obtaining enough from your diet, then take a folic acid supplement.
Work on improving your overall health. Start watching what you eat, get enough sleep, ditch cigarettes if you smoke, and limit your alcohol consumption. Also make sure to start exercising regularly. Doctors don't recommend increasing your exercise routine too dramatically once you're preggers, so it's best to start before the baby is on its way. Regular exercise will strengthen your body and your immune system, and also help you maintain a healthy body weight during and after pregnancy.

To see the other healthy changes you should make read more.

Take steps to control the stress in your life. Stress can affect your menstrual cycle, so if you're having a work-related problem or an issue in your life, ovulation may be delayed or not happen at all, which will make pregnancy impossible. So figure out what you can and can't do so that you're not putting more on your plate than you can handle. Set limits with yourself and others, and remind yourself that it's OK to say no to requests for your time and energy. If you need to seek help in dealing with stress, make an appointment with a therapist or a life coach.
Get checked for hepatitis B and C and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some STIs can affect your ability to conceive, can cause miscarriages and other issues during pregnancy, or they can be passed on to your baby.
Discuss your meds you take with your doc. Go over all the prescription, over-the-counter medicine, and herbal supplements you take to make sure they're safe to use while you're trying to conceive or during pregnancy.

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Trans Fat Consumption Linked to Miscarriages

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Trans fat has become a naughty word in my house. I try to avoid it at all costs, and it looks like pregnant women should as well.

A new study shows that eating trans fat may increase the risk of fetal death during pregnancy. This study discovered that the risk of miscarriage increased 52 percent for women who consumed a diet high in trans fat, about 4.7 percent of their total calories. Women, who ate less trans fast, about 2.2 percent of their total calories, had a 30 percent risk. Further investigation is clearly needed to learn more about the connection between eating trans fat and fetal deaths, but the evidence to avoid this artery clogging fat so far seems pretty clear. I would like to add, if it's unhealthy for pregnant women, then it seems everyone should be ditching the trans fat in their diets too.

These fats are found in many processed foods like crackers, cookies, cake mixes, soups, fast food, and margarine. So check labels and if you see partially hydrogenated oil in the list of ingredients, it's best to put down the package and walk away.

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DVD Review: Fit and Healthy Prenatal Workouts With Gabrielle Reece

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

On the next stop in my Fit Momma series, I took on Fit and Healthy Prenatal Workouts With Gabrielle Reece. Let me start by saying I am a huge Gabby Reece fan. She's very inspiring so I was thrilled when she put out this video with trainer Mike Monroe.

All the exercises have been approved by a leading OB-GYN, so you know that you're not putting yourself (or your baby) in an unsafe situation. The DVD itself is broken down into the first and second trimester with workouts for each month of pregnancy up to the sixth month. That being said, if you're already in your second or third trimester, the workout is not going to be as appealing to you since you're already past half of the DVD.

Another point that is not made clear on the cover is the need for a lot of equipment to do the workout. You'll need: an exercise ball, a resistance band, a light set of dumbbells, a medium set of dumbbells, a towel, a mat, a chair, and a partner (if possible). I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about DVDs is that I can do them at home with minimal equipment; this is not the case here.

But what did my pregnant pal and I think of the workout? To find out, just read more.

The workouts were definitely challenging. Since my friend was too pregnant to do any of the first trimester exercises safely, I did them alone and they were pretty similar to regular exercises I do now, except there is a lot of focus on breathing. The second trimester exercises were still hard but definitely more modified for pregnancy. It was interesting to have ab work in the mix since most pregnancy workouts ditch the crunches. We were both sweating in the end, and we both felt like we got in a good workout. My pal had to stop every now and again to catch her breath but that's OK. You should never push yourself during exercise while expecting - always listen to your body. Drink plenty of water and take rests when needed.

Overall I was not blown away by the DVD. I don't like that it would have been hard to do the exercises without a partner and all the extra equipment. Plus, some of the resistance band moves are quite complicated and required us to pause the TV to figure out what to do. This is definitely not a beginner DVD so if you were a couch potato before getting pregnant, you'll want to start with something less advanced. Pregnancy is not the time to try any tests of endurance or strength.

Pregnancy Stress Could Cause Allergies and Asthma For Baby

FitSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

When I was growing up, my grandma always told me, "Worrying will make you sick," and according to new research, worrying can also make someone else sick. There seems to be a connection between a stressed-out mom, her growing baby, and the baby's developing immune system. It turns out that stress during pregnancy could make a fetus more susceptible to certain substances, which could potentially trigger asthma and allergies down the road.

Harvard Medical School tested this theory by taking blood samples from the umbilical cords of 373 infants. They measured the level of Immunoglobulin (IgE), a chemical found in the blood that's linked to allergies, and found higher levels of IgE in babies with stressed-out mothers. That means that those moms who were worried about money, relationships, or their jobs while pregnant could have influenced the baby's developing immune system.

Of course, more research needs to be done to test other factors besides stress that could affect a baby's risk for future asthma and allergies. It's definitely an interesting concept though and proves how important it is for a pregnant woman to be healthy and happy, both physically and emotionally.

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Exercise Beneficial for Mom, and Baby

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:00:00 -0700

We always put all this stress on how exercising while pregnant is really great for the mom, and makes it easier for her to get back to her pre-baby weight. However new research sort of brings us back down to earth on the most important benefit of exercising while pregnant: it's generally good for the baby too. Here are details from Dr. Linda E. May of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences:

"When the mom exercises during pregnancy, the unborn baby gets the same type of training effect that you would see in an adult - so you see the lower heart rate and also improved heart rate variability, which is evidence of improvements in the nervous system of the heart. Maternal exercise may be the earliest intervention to improve the heart of children and possibly the best," May concluded.

So if you're expecting like Jessica Alba or plan to be in the future, don't just exercise for yourself, do it for your baby.

Bauer Griffin Online

Men Need Folic Acid Too

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:10:00 -0700

While there has been a lot of focus on how women of childbearing age should make sure they are getting enough folic acid, there has been little talk about men and folate. Until now.

New research has found that men who are thinking about becoming fathers should also be sure they're getting enough folic acid, since the folates that prevent birth defects when consumed by women may also help keep men's sperm normal. Specifically, it was found that men with a higher folate intake had fewer abnormal sperm in which a chromosome had been lost or gained, known as aneuploidy that can cause failure to conceive, up to a third of miscarriages, and children to be born with Down syndrome and other rare chromosomal syndromes.

So if you're looking to conceive anytime soon then hopefully you and your man are getting at least 400 mg a day of folic acid. You can get your folic acid through a supplement or naturally in some foods.

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