Learn How to Stay Fit During Pregnancy

Staying fit during your pregnancy is considered a big ordeal. Whatever your weight was before pregnancy, once you see your belly protruding, the weight will and must go up. This weight gain is not unusual; it is a sign that all is well within. The increase in pressure could be because of water retained in your body, the growing fetus or because you are eating too much. Eating for two is only a myth, and that is the primary cause of unnecessary weight gain in pregnant women these days.

Gaining within the range of 25 to 30 pounds is average and isn't a reason for alarm. However, if the weight gain goes beyond the allowed range, that is when you will need to start acting. Staying healthy and being able to provide food to the growing baby is what you need to give utmost importance. To stay healthy, you need to remain in shape, eat healthily and exercise.

The intake of healthy foods ensures your baby will get all the nutrients required. Eat in moderation. It is not necessary to eat like you are eating for two, just eat around 200 calories extra per day. This number of calories is efficient enough to take care of you and your baby's food needs. Cravings during pregnancy can be a headache. However, it is okay and not a bad idea to give in to cravings sometimes. Satisfying that sweet tooth of yours once a while may help you to feel no longer the need to overeat. However, don't overdo it, too many sweets may cause a health risk for you and baby.

Keep exercise to a level that you can tolerate. Do not overdo exercises as there is a possibility of injury. Set a good workout program that suits you and your body requirement. Never start a new form of exercise while you are pregnant, it is ideal to continue with whatever exercise regimen you had before you got pregnant. If, at any point in time, you feel any discomfort, stop altogether and try to consult your doctor immediately. Before you start with an exercise plan, it is mandatory to consult your physician and get the green signal. A few other exercises for pregnant women are as follows

• Yoga: Something that you can start with during pregnancy. Do asanas that you are comfortable doing.

• Walking: This is a low impact exercise which can help you be healthy. In the final months of pregnancy, walking can aid in keeping water retention at bay.

• Swimming: This is a form of exercise that allows you to feel weightless, at least for a few minutes. Helps you sleep well and also helps keep you active, free from tiredness.

With leg and back aches, you get tired quickly, especially during pregnancy. Get a good night sleep. Taking short naps during the day can help rejuvenate you. Do not hesitate to seek help from your spouse or family member. Getting enough rest will help you stay energized and happy. Maintaining a healthily and fit body during pregnancy will do you and the baby that's sleeping within a lot of good.

Following pregnancy, a healthy diet along with a good exercise program performed regularly can help you keep the weight from getting beyond repair, thus doing good for the baby as well as for yourself.

Ladies, Your Health Is More Important Than Your Hair!

If you are like me then you love for your hair to look nice! I love wearing my hair down, but unfortunately when I started exercising diligently my hair didn't stand the sweat test lol. I had to make a decision to wear my hair in ways that could endure my new healthier lifestyle. That meant I had to find alternative hair styles that still looked nice but would not sweat out.

Now if your hair doesn't sweat out that is awesome! But for many of us women when our hair gets wet it doesn't hold up very well. When my hair gets wet it gets real kinky and it is very hard to manage. If you hair doesn't hold up well during workouts you can't let that stop you from working out. You have to make your health more important than your hair.

It is a great idea to find hairstyles that are still trendy but can endure your exercise regimen. You are a fabulous woman and you can probably ROCK any hairstyle and still look great! While it may not be your favorite hairstyle at the moment you can get used to it. And if you try a sweat resistant hairstyle and you don't like it, then just change it up and keep at it until you find amazing new and trendy styles that support your healthy lifestyle.

The key is to develop the mindset that nothing is going to block you from exercising... not even your hair. Changing your hairstyle might seem painful, but the health benefits from your physical activity program can be priceless. So make your health more important than your hair. You can do it!

Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez is a Certified Health Coach, Certified Weight Loss Coach and a Certified Weight Management Specialist. She is also the founder of The Weight Success Institute for Women, a holistic weight management organization.

Ladies, Unleash the Slimmer and Sexier Version Of Yourself and Live Happier!

Did you know that you can use the power of your mind to help boost your weight loss goals? It is imperative for your mind to be in alignment with your weight loss goals so that you can experience true transformation. You can't leave your mind out of the weight success equation.

Losing weight and keeping the weight off has to deal with more than the physical aspect. Yes, that is part of it, but what about what is going on in your mind? If your mindset isn't in alignment with what you desire to see on the scale it can mean unwanted and resistant pounds. And that is extremely discouraging and frustrating.

You can create an image of yourself in your mind and incorporate that image into your healthier eating plan and physical activity plan, and attract your slimmer and sexier body in a super phenomenal way! You have the power to consciously create the body that you dream of and desire. It is not up to anyone else... you yourself have what it takes.

Your mindset is what attracts weight success. Your weight desires will match your mindset. So you must have the right attitude and belief system. You can have the most amazing eating plan and exercise plan, but if your mindset is not right then you will probably go back to the same old habits that caused the weight gain in the first place. I had to learn that myself. When you transform your mind you can permanently transform your weight, body, and life.

Subconsciously you may be dealing with a way of thinking and believing that is blocking your ability to unleash the slimmer and sexier version of yourself. And until those blocks are released they will remain active in your life, and you may continue to struggle with losing the weight and keeping it off.

Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez is a Nurse, Certified Health Coach, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Certified Weight Management Specialist, and Certified Law of Attraction Practitioner. She is also the founder of The Weight Success Institute for Women, a holistic weight management organization for women.

Ladies, Get the Unwanted Weight Off and Keep It Off!

Are you sick and tired of going around the same mountain of losing weight and then gaining it back? Do you know that the reason unwanted weight keeps showing up on the scale may be due to hidden factors that you are not even aware of? Do you realize that you can control your weight instead of letting your weight control you?

As women sometimes we eat emotionally without even realizing the toll it's taking on our body. We eat when we are not hungry and let our emotions drive our eating habits. We eat when we are bored, lonely, hurting and for all other reasons in between. Consistently eating for any reason other than being physically hungry is not healthy. And it can affect you not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well.

You must make the conscious decision today that you are going to take control of your weight and your life. That is something that you deserve. You don't have to go through life feeling bullied and intimidated by food. You don't have to hide behind the mask any longer. And you can unleash the sexier and slimmer image of yourself that you have in your mind.

But it is not just about you losing weight; it is also about you managing the weight loss long-term. You have to learn what to do internally so that you can manifest results externally. Your thinking, behaviors and actions all play a critical role in you maintaining your ideal weight.

I have been there and I understand the weight loss struggle. I understand the reasons for emotional eating. I understand how unwanted weight robs you of your self-esteem and confidence, and I care. I have been blessed to not only lose weight but to also maintain my weight loss. I have also learned key strategies to unleash the right type of mindset to supporting weight management goals.

It is your moment to shine and become all that you desire to be. You don't have to continue to go through life feeling defeated by food. Take your power back and propel your weight and life in the right direction. With the right support, success strategies and faith, it is possible!

Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez is a Certified Health Coach and a Certified Weight Management Specialist. She is also the founder of The Weight Success Institute for Women. The Weight Success Institute for Women is a holistic weight management organization specifically for women. Dr. Shauntel Peak-Jimenez specializes in educating and empowering women to break through emotional eating and other inner obstacles that are blocking her from maintaining her ideal weight.

Knowing the Dos and Don'ts of the Alkaline Diet

Most of the diets we know are geared towards weight loss. After all, millions of people around the world are looking for diet tricks to get leaner and look better. The alkaline diet isn't different either, except that it also promotes a 'disease-free' life. Does it work? To know that, it is important to understand that the alkaline diet promotes eating alkaline food. As such, there are a few dos and don'ts in the diet, some of which are extreme, especially if you are someone who lives on meat and dairy. In this post, we will talk about the alkaline diet and some of these dos and don'ts in detail.

The Dos:

The alkaline diet can be called a natural diet, because it contains a considerable about of fruits and veggies. So, your diet should essentially consist of fruits and veggies, and most of the available options are allowed. You can also include some of the soy products, including tofu and soybeans. Other things that must be on your list include a few nut varieties, seeds, and some of the lentils and legumes. As for grains, there are a few restrictions, which you can find online. Some experts have promoted the use of vitamin enhanced water. Basically, this is high pH water that may benefit your body in the same way as these alkaline promoting foods.

The Don'ts:

If you intend to follow the alkaline diet, the don'ts probably matter more than the dos. First things first, cut down meat and dairy from your diet completely. You also need to get off eggs and all sorts of canned, processed and packaged food that you can think of, including your chips, ready meals and even popcorn. Just check a few books on the alkaline diet, and you will realize that alcohol is not allowed either. You also need to cut down tea and coffee from your diet and all other drinks that may contain caffeine.

Will I Lose Weight?

Now that's a question that most people ask, mainly because this is one of those high-effort diets. The alkaline diet isn't any magic. It doesn't promise rapid weight loss as the GM diet or others similar diets, but since you will be eating more fresh foods, your weight will drop considerably. Also, cutting down processed food makes a significant difference too. With processed and junk food, you are also limiting your sugar intake, which again impacts the weight loss process.

Do I have Help?

Yes, there are many books and cooking manuals that may help you in following the diet. However, this is not a plan for everyone because one must give up most of the good foods that they are used to. Also, whether you can stick with the diet is also a matter of concern.

Check online now to find more details on the alkaline diet, and before you start, make sure to focus on your exercise regime, because this form of dieting is silent on that aspect. You need both diet and exercise.