The truth is that they’re both important in accomplish a healthier better looking body. While resistance training is more intense, and the results might be seen much faster, the downside of intensity is that many times it means less follow through. And the number one most important factor with exercise is this: consistency

Underweight (BMI less than 18.5) 28-40 pounds
Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9): 25-35 pounds
Overweight (BMI 25-29.9): 15-25 pounds
Obese (BMI over 30): no more than 15 pounds

A new study found that obese pregnant women who had gestational diabetes had better pregnancy outcomes if they exercised moderately and did not gain weight, or even lost a few pounds, during their pregnancy. This news is quite different than what we have heard in the past. We often hear that pregnancy is not a time to start an exercise program and that pregnant women should “take it easy.” Many women “eat for two” which promotes a significant weight gain above the recommended amounts listed above. The women in this study who exercised and did not gain weight had normal weight babies compared to other women who did not exercise, gained more weight, had larger babies, and also increased their odds of having a C-section.

The author of this study suggests that women who are obese pre-pregnancy can indeed exercise and can actually start exercising when becoming pregnant. He recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5-6 days per week at a moderate (comfortable) pace.

The long term benefits of not gaining too much weight, especially for someone who starts pregnancy already obese, include reduced risk of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and other potential health risks to the baby. A healthy diet, along with the exercise, is key to preventing significant weight gain. Visit a Registered Dietitian to learn how to eat during pregnancy, especially if you have diabetes.

Bottom line
It is always best to lose weight and start exercising well before considering pregnancy. However, if you do find yourself pregnant, obese, and not a regular exerciser, talk to your doctor about starting an exercise program. Make sure that you visit your doctor regularly when pregnant so he or she can monitor your progress. The health of the mother and the health of the baby are obviously very important. Moderate exercise appears to be beneficial to both mom and baby, but always check with your physician before starting an exercise program.

source: tara gides

To understand the value of the food you eat to your pregnancy, you need to look at the composition of the food. Basically, all foods provide you with differing quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water.

Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and should be the major part of total daily intake. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates (such as sugar or honey) or complex carbohydrates (such as grains, beans, peas, or potatoes). Complex carbohydrates are preferred because these foods are more nutritious yet have fewer calories per gram compared to fat and cause fewer problems with overeating than fat or sugar. Complex carbohydrates are also preferred over simple carbohydrates by diabetics because they allow better blood glucose control.

Proteins:
Protein supplies amino acids to build and maintain healthy body tissue. There are 20 amino acids considered essential because the body must have all of them in the right amounts to function properly. Twelve of these are manufactured in the body but the other eight amino acids must be provided by the diet. Foods from animal source such as milk or eggs often contain all these essential amino acids while a variety of plant products must be taken together to provide all these necessary protein components.

Fats:
Fat supplies energy and transports nutrients. There are two families of fatty acids considered essential for the body: the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are required by the body to function normally. They can be obtained from canola oil, flaxseed oil, cold-water fish, or fish oil, all of which contain omega-3 fatty acids, and primrose or black currant seed oil, which contains omega-6 fatty acids. The American diet often contains excess of omega-6 fatty acids and insufficient amount of omega-3 fats.

Vitamins and Minerals:
Vitamins are organic substances present in food and required by the body in a minute amount for regulation of metabolism and maintenance of normal growth and functioning. The most commonly known vitamins are A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cobalamin), C (ascorbic acid), D, E, and K. The B and C vitamins are water-soluble, excess amounts of which are excreted in the urine. The A, D, E, and K vitamins are fat-soluble and will be stored in the body fat.

Minerals are vital to our existence because they are the building blocks that make up muscles, tissues, and bones. They also are important components of many life-supporting systems, such as hormones, oxygen transport, and enzyme systems.

Fiber:
Fiber is the material that gives plant texture and support. Although it is primarily made up of carbohydrates, it does not have a lot of calories and usually is not broken down by the body for energy. Dietary fiber is found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, does not dissolve in water because it contains high amount of cellulose. Insoluble fiber can be found in the bran of grains, the pulp of fruit and the skin of vegetables. Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water. It can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables such as apples, oatmeal and oat bran, rye flour, and dried beans.

Although they share some common characteristics such as being partially digested in the stomach and intestines and have few calories, each type of fiber has its own specific health benefits. Insoluble fiber speeds up the transit of foods through the digestive system and adds bulk to the stools, therefore, it is the type of fiber that helps treat constipation or diarrhea and prevents colon cancer. On the other hand, only soluble fiber can lower blood cholesterol levels. This type of fiber works by attaching itself to the cholesterol so that it can be eliminated from the body. This prevents cholesterol from re-circulating and being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Water:
Water helps to regulate body temperature, transports nutrients to cells, and rids the body of waste materials.

The key to good pregnancy nutrition is getting the right mix of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber. This means you will need to eat a variety of foods so you can “balance” the nutrients in your diet. Dr. Tom Brewer, an expert on pregnancy nutrition, made recommendations on the quantities of food to eat to properly balance these nutrients.
source: birthing naturally

Getting pregnant is a game of statistics. Two very fertile people who have sex together regularly (more than twice a week or so) have about a thirty percent chance of getting pregnant within a month. So if three fertile couples start trying at the same time, on average one of them is going to luck out right away.

Some people are less fertile than others. Maybe the woman doesn’t release an egg every month or the man has a low sperm count. As a couple, they won’t be infertile, just subfertile — maybe they have a 10 percent chance of conceiving each month. And if by chance the man with the low sperm count is trying to have a baby with the woman who only ovulates twice a year, their chance per month of conceiving might be two percent, or something like that. But two percent isn’t zero, and they might by chance conceive the first time they try; they would never even know they had a “problem”!

When you are trying to get pregnant, you need to take the long view: Think of a window of several months in which you would like to conceive, and then have sex regularly. Eighty percent of couples will be pregnant within a year. Half of the remaining twenty percent will be pregnant in that next year. And ten percent of the original “tryers” will still be wishing for a baby at the end of two years, if they haven’t sought out fertility treatment.

Older women are less fertile than younger, even those in their thirties and forties who are ovulating every month. If you are over 35, most experts recommend seeking fertility care after six months of not conceiving; if you are over 40, after three months, because the window of opportunity is narrowing. You also may want to seek out help early on if you have a known reason for not getting pregnant, such as infrequent periods or polycystic ovarian syndrome. With medical help, most people can get pregnant-some just take longer than others. Good luck!

source: marjorie greenfield

After food enters your mouth, it gets digested in your stomach and intestine. Sugars, fatty acids (the building blocks of fats), amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), vitamins, and minerals are absorbed into your bloodstream and travel throughout your body.

As your blood flows across the placenta, molecules pass from your blood into the baby’s circulation. In other words, if you eat pickles and ice cream, the baby doesn’t get pickles and ice cream; he gets vitamins, minerals, sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids from the pickles and ice cream.
What does this mean for you? Food that isn’t particularly healthful, such as a candy bar, isn’t poison; it just substitutes for other fare that might provide more of what you and your baby need.

To gain the appropriate amount of weight and ensure good nutrition for you and your growing baby, most women should:

Eat when you are hungry
Eat small portions
Choose healthful snacks like vegetables and fruits
Stop eating when you are full
Exercise
(This works after pregnancy too.)

Some pregnant women crave substances that aren’t really food, like laundry starch, chalk or even dirt. This is called pica, and often coexists with anemia (low blood). Even if it is embarrassing, it is important to tell your doctor or midwife that you are having these urges.

Every single decision you make about what you eat isn’t critical, but most of what you eat in pregnancy should be healthful for you and your baby. Vegetables and fruits, sources of protein, and whole grains provide the basis for a healthy diet for you and your baby-to-be.

To know how long your cycles are, track the number of days on a calendar for 2 or 3 months or cycles. Your menstrual cycle begins with the day your period starts and ends the day before your next period starts.

If you do not know the number of days in your menstrual cycle, you can use 28 days. This is the average length of a menstrual cycle…….Women usually ovulate at day 15, but it’s also normal to ovulate well before or after the 15-day mark.

fertility

Identical twins or triplets come from a single egg that has been fertilized by one sperm. For unknown reasons, the fertilized egg splits into two or more embryos during the first stage of development. Some identical twins share the same placenta. But they usually grow within separate amniotic sacs in the uterus. In rare cases, identical twins share one amniotic sac.

Identical twins:

Are always the same sex and blood type.
Usually share the same physical features, such as skin, hair and eye color, and body build. But they do not always look exactly alike. They do not have the same fingerprints. Also, one may be right-handed while the other is left-handed.
Are thought to develop at random. They are not related to your age, race, or family history of twins.
Fraternal twins, triplets, or more develop when two or more eggs are fertilized by separate sperm. Fraternal fetuses have separate placentas and amniotic sacs.

Fraternal multiples:

Can be either gender (male or female) and can have different blood types.
May look very different from one another, with different-colored hair and eyes. They may also look alike, as siblings often do.
Tend to run in families.
Multiples that are conceived with infertility treatment are almost always fraternal, rather than identical.

What are common causes of multiple pregnancy?

Infertility treatment. Since 1980, infertility treatment has more than doubled the U.S. twin birth rate. The rate of triplet-or-more births is now nearly 5 times higher than before infertility treatment was used.

You are more likely to have a multiple pregnancy if you use fertility drugs or assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Fertility drugs stimulate your ovaries to release more than one egg, which can be fertilized at the same time. This may result in a multiple pregnancy.
ART is the transfer of multiple embryos directly into the uterus to increase your chances of pregnancy. Overall, 25% to 30% of pregnancies from ART are twins; 5% are triplets; less than 1% are quadruplets or more.
Other causes. Certain factors increase your risk for having a multiple pregnancy.

Age older than 35.

Race
Fraternal twins are most common among women of African descent, especially between ages 35 and 45. They are least common among Asian women.

Personal history
If you have already carried fraternal twins, you have double the usual risk of having twins.

Family history
If your family has a history of fraternal twins or triplets, you have an increased risk of multiple pregnancy. (A history on the father’s side of the family does not increase your risk of multiple pregnancy.)

Timing
You are more likely to conceive multiples soon after stopping birth control pills.

What are the risks of multiple pregnancy?

Carrying more than one fetus increases your risks during pregnancy and your fetuses’ risks of problems. Each additional fetus raises the chance of pregnancy problems and premature birth.

Multiple fetuses have a higher risk of birth defects and genetic disorders. Because they are usually born prematurely, multiples also have a higher-than-usual rate of problems after birth.

How can I tell if I am carrying more than one baby? What exams and tests am I likely to have?

If your pregnancy symptoms are severe and start very early in your pregnancy, you may be carrying a multiple pregnancy. But only a doctor can tell for sure with a fetal ultrasound. This is also used throughout a multiple pregnancy to monitor fetal well-being.

In the late first trimester to the early second trimester, you can have tests to check for genetic disorders and birth defects. Talk to your doctor about earlier or more specific testing if you already know that you have risk factors for birth defects. Risk factors include having a family history of birth defects or genetic disease on either side or being age 35 or older.

How is a multiple pregnancy treated?

All multiple pregnancies are considered high-risk. If you are carrying more than one fetus, you will have more frequent medical checks than you would with only one fetus. In all likelihood, you will deliver your babies early, so make sure you and your health professional review the signs of preterm labor (labor that begins early) and what you should do when you go into labor.

source: debbi golonka

Why not go back to playing for fitness?

Join a softball team, go to the beach with friends and play Frisbee or walk/run along the beach. Take a long hike in the hills and stop for a picnic along the way.
Make your exercise fun again.

A weekend workout doesn’t have to be a 30-minute run, 45 minutes on the treadmill or a spinning class. Go back to the days of getting, and staying fit “by accident” by incorporating it into your life, your family, your weekends.

Think of swimming and running races, and long adventurous bike rides. Include your kids (or someone else’s if you don’t have any of your own at home) – they’ll remind you how to have fun with exercise.

Go ‘vintage’ with your training – put on your PF Flyers and play athlete.

source: debbi rocker

1. Stay positive
Believe that transformation is possible even when you haven’t seen the changes that you want yet. I am sure that you can site many examples in your life where you didn’t expect something to happen and then whoa, there it was. If you don’t have enough evidence of your own, look around you. Do you know someone who thought they’d never get the job, meet that special person, or lose the weight, and then they did? Haven’t you read amazing stories about people overcoming obstacles and creating tremendous transformation in their lives, many against great odds? These are just people too, like you and me; anyone can overcome.

There is one thing that you can be sure of in life, and that is change. Make sure yours happens quickly, and in the way you want, by staying positive and then taking the steps that you know you should take.

2. Stay in the moment
If you think about your end results, the work becomes overwhelming. Just do what you know you can do today, and when tomorrow becomes today, you’ll deal with that.

3. Keep your expectations low
Don’t expect too much too soon, you’ll only get discouraged. Aiming high is nice to say but truly it is easier to stay positive if you set your sites on realistic, smaller goals.

4. Eliminate temptation
Remove distractions like foods that you don’t want to eat and people who have habits that you are trying to break. Surround yourself with people and materials that mirror the changes that you want for yourself. Hang out with happy, healthy people, read inspiring books, and listen to some great music that motivates you to get moving and take action.

5. Stop using excuses
There are always excuses; I am sure you have heard, or used, them all. When your desire to change becomes greater than your fear of changing, the excuses will go away — nothing will stop you from becoming the new you. Even though you may not be able to change the underlying reasons why you haven’t yet accomplished your goals, you can start by removing some of the actions and thought processes that encourage you to stay stuck. Enough with the excuses!

source:debbi rocker

Skip Out on Eating All the Bead

In most restaurants you will receive bread and butter while waiting for the main course. Try not to eat more than two slices.

Order Vegetable Salads with Dressing on the Side

Don’t order Greek salad with plenty of cheese or sauteed salad with plenty of oil, instead opt for a vegetable salad mix with dressing on the side. Use your fork to dip into the dressing and then onto your salad- you’ll notice that only half the dressing will be finished.

Skip Desert

If you still crave a finishing garnish, ask for a cup of sweet flavored tea at the end of the meal.