Before you get started on a pregnancy fitness program, talk to your doctor. Your physician will want to evaluate your fitness status in relation to your pregnancy.

Plenty of Benefits

Exercise during pregnancy offers many physical and emotional benefits. For example, a good exercise program may help relieve some of the common problems associated with pregnancy, such as excessive weight gain, swelling of your hands and feet, leg cramps, varicose veins, insomnia, fatigue and constipation.

You also can look forward to improved posture and circulation, reduced backaches, pelvic and rectal pressure and increased energy levels if you follow a well-designed exercise program while you’re pregnant. And you’ll feel better knowing you’re doing something good for yourself, which is, of course, good for your baby.

Keep Moving Every Other Day

Pregnant women can participate in low-impact aerobic activity three times per week, or as often as every other day, if your physician agrees. But don’t push it; if you’re feeling exhausted, don’t try to exercise. Walking is one of the best aerobic activities and, as long as your doctor says you can exercise and you’re comfortable, do it. Just be sure to take the time to gradually warm up, and don’t forget to stretch before and after your aerobic session.

Water Relief

The buoyancy effect of water may increase your comfort by supporting your weight and reducing any feelings of clumsiness or lack of balance. Swimming and other water exercises place muscles in a relaxed, non-weight-bearing position, providing relief to those who are carrying more pressure and stress as a result of pregnancy.

Understand Your Body

Exercise during pregnancy should take into account the changes you’re experiencing - new body alignment, different posture and reduced strength and endurance. Your program should begin with a series of warm-up exercises and stretches that concentrate on hip, neck and shoulder movement and lower back flexibility. Any abdominal exercises should be modified to reduce strain. Because of the risks associated with exercising on your back, your side is a good position for floor exercises.

Listen To Your Body

If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop exercising and call your physician:
increased uterine contractions
vaginal bleeding
amniotic fluid leakage
dizziness or faintness
shortness of breath
palpitations
persistent nausea or vomiting
back or hip pain
difficulty walking
general swelling or edema
numbness anywhere in your body

Check with the fitness centers in your area for exercise programs for pregnant women. Another good idea is to start a local group exercise group just for pregnant woman and then the group could hire a certified trainer for a few hours a week in the beginning to get the group on the right track.

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Artificial Sweeteners May Be Increasing Your Weight

Artificial sweeteners could impair the body’s natural ability to count calories and regulate body weight, a U.S. study reported has revealed.

Purdue University researchers said the study results could explain why a growing number of people in the United States lack the natural ability to limit their food intake and body weight as the consumption of artificially sweetened foods has dramatically increased in the past 25 years.

“The body’s natural ability to regulate food intake and body weight may be weakened when this natural relationship is impaired by artificial sweeteners,” Terry Davidson, an expert in behavioral neuroscience, said in a statement.

“Without thinking about it, the body learns that it can use food characteristics such as sweetness and viscosity to gauge its caloric intake. The body may use this information to determine how much food is required to meet its caloric needs,” he said.

The loss of the body’s ability to count calories could also lead to increased food intake and subsequent weight gain, especially among people who don’t count calories on their own, the researchers said.

Daily use of artificial sweeteners may fool you into believing that you can eat anything and everything you want. That idea is far from the truth and may, very well, start packing on unwanted weight. The best course is the old course of action: a balance diet, exercise and everything in moderation.

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Technorati Tags: Artificial Sweeteners, Eating Habits, Weight Gain

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