The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day on most if not all days of the week, unless you have a medical or obstetric complication.
Maintaining a regular exercise routine throughout your pregnancy can help you stay healthy and feel your best. It can also improve your posture and decrease some common discomforts like backaches and fatigue. There is evidence that it may prevent gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops during pregnancy), relieve stress, and build more stamina needed for labour and delivery.
Pregnancy Exercise Guidelines
1. If you are just starting an exercise program as a way of improving your health during your pregnancy, you should start very slowly and be careful not to over exert yourself. Consider a prenatal yoga class that is specifically designed for pregnant women.
2. Listen to your body. Your body will naturally give you signals that it is time to reduce the level of exercise you are performing.
3. Never exercise to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness. This is a sign that your baby and your body cannot get the oxygen they need.
4. Wear comfortable exercise footwear that gives strong ankle and arch support.
5. Take frequent breaks, and drink plenty of fluids during exercise.
6. Avoid exercising in extremely hot weather.
7. Avoid rocky terrain or unstable ground when running or cycling. Your joints are more lax in pregnancy, so ankle sprains and other injuries may occur.
8. Contact sports should be avoided during pregnancy.
9. Weight training should emphasize improving tone, especially in the upper body and abdominal area. Avoid lifting weights above your head and using weights that strain the lower back muscles.
10. During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves lying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to the uterus.
11. Include relaxation and stretching before and after your exercise program.
12. Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.
This is a simple squat exercise that offers benefits not just for young students, but also adults seeking brain wellness into their senior years and patients with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Down Syndrome, Alzheimer’s, or other development challenges and cognitive delays seeking normalcy and cures.
According to Dr. Jones, after doing the yoga exercise, an EEG scan shows the right and left hemispheres of the brain have synchronized.
HOW TO DO IT
To ensure you achieve maximum benefits:
1. Face East. For the elderly, face North.
2. Remove any jewelry and connect your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Leave it there throughout the exercise.
3. Take your left hand, cross your upper body to take hold of your right earlobe with thumb and forefinger. Make sure that the thumb is in front.
4. Now take your right hand across your upper body to take hold of your left earlobe. Again, make sure that the thumb is in front. At this point you’re pressing both earlobes simultaneously. Make sure your left arm is close to your chest and inside your right arm.
5. Inhale through your nose and slowly squat down to the ground.
6. Hold your breath and exhale as you start making your way back up to a standing position.
7. Repeat this squatting action 14 times. Remember to keep holding your earlobes and to keep your tongue touching the roof of your mouth throughout the entire exercise.
Our bodies are a sea of hormones which, although small in size, pack a mighty punch and run the entire show. For women, hormonal fluctuations are natural and do not necessarily cause major, debilitating problems. However, if someone is experiencing hormonal imbalances, chronic conditions are highly likely, including pain. Many people think about testing their hormones for ongoing symptoms such as low libido, hot flashes, or even fatigue, but chronic pain and inflammation can also be signs of imbalances in hormones including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol. Everyone needs to empower themselves with the knowledge necessary to recognize the warning signs of hormones gone astray. Oprah is leading the cause with her own testimonial about her hormonal imbalances that went unnoticed for some time. Women’s health and hormones are finally gaining the spotlight that they deserve. Please take the time to do your own investigation because you should never underestimate the power of health education or hormones!
