If you’re pregnant, whether you know it or not you need a pregnancy diet plan. Many moms-to-be think, “Oh, good, I’m pregnant;that means I can eat anything I want”. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A pregnancy diet plan is about ensuring you eat the right things for you and your baby to have a healthy pregnancy, it doesn’t mean “losing weight”.

While you do need SOME extra calories during pregnancy, you only need about 300 extra per day which really isn’t that much, it’s the equivalent of a small sandwich. You can have a treat every so often but, do not consume alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs during pregnancy, these can be harmful to your baby’s development.

Pregnancy and Weight…

It goes without saying that when you’re pregnant, you will gain some weight, for most women, that’s about 30 pounds (13-14kg) as long as you are of normal weight to start with, you should gain a little more if you were under weight when you became pregnant and a little less if you were overweight when you became pregnant. That weight gain, by the way, should come from healthy baby growth and good nutrition on your part, not because you ordered out from Domino’s Pizza every night.

Pregnancy Diet Plan

Your pregnancy diet plan should focus on good nutrition. When you’re pregnant, you need to make sure everything you eat gives you a good nutritional “bang for your buck,” so to speak. Food to include in your diet includes:

Lean meats, chicken and fish (avoid fish high in mercury

Dried beans and Lentils

Nuts and Seeds

Green Leafy Vegetables

Lots of: Fruit, Vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals

Medium amounts of: Low fat dairy foods and lean meats

Small Amounts of: Foods high in fat, sugar and salt

Eating small meals more often is best.

Especially in your first trimester, you may have difficulty eating because of nausea and morning sickness. Therefore, your pregnancy diet plan should include small meals eaten frequently instead of large meals eaten infrequently. In addition, you may have some digestive problems such as heartburn because of your pregnancy, and eating small meals will also help keep this at bay.

If you do suffer from morning sickness, make sure you eat something light and carbohydrate rich, like crackers or rice cakes, before you get out of bed. This should help negate the effects of morning sickness and perhaps even keep them under better control.

A pregnancy diet plan is one part of managing your pregnancy and weight. Proper nutritional diet needs to be combined with a well-structured exercise routine to help you keep your weight gain to a healthy level. Of course before you begin or continue any exercise during pregnancy you must get your doctor’s or your family’s health care provider’s approval.

Exercising when pregnant will also keep you healthier during your pregnancy,help make your labor easier and get you back in shape quicker after your pregnancy.

Finally if you keep to your pregnancy diet plan, avoid certain foods which could be potentially harmful to your baby and take exercise approved by your doctor you can look forward to a healthier pregnancy and weight under control.

Be healthy, look good, feel great and enjoy this wonderful time.

I am constantly being asked how I exercise regularly when its so boring. I hear you and I know how it is like, especially when you are starting out. Just to help all those who are facing this issue, I decided to discuss this matter here and how you can overcome it.

Imagine getting up in the morning in the weekend and then you suddenly remember that it is gym day! Do you fall back on that ever so soft pillow and doze off to sleep? Don’t feel guilty; you are not alone and I suppose most do this.

The gym is hardly the place you want to be on your day off. it is not just the gym – it can even be daunting to think of the home treadmill.

Most of the time, getting and staying motivated to exercise on a regular basis can be a challenge. I cannot deny that exercise can be boring and tiresome.

So, I hear you asking, how do I get motivated to exercise that you really need. Well, I do believe that if you make exercise more fun, it’s a starting point. How do you do that? Below you will some suggestions that you may find helpful and add a little spice to exercising.

1. Exercise with a friend. This not only adds the solidarity aspect of your goals, but it also removes the boredom away instantly. Try challenging each other, cheer on each other, keep each other inspired, make it a competition or some kind of a game. Get a got of laughs out of it. Wear outrageous exercise outfits that makes the other laugh. Oh my God, I can already feel the excitement!

2. Change the type of exercise, the venue, equipments, change the order of routines, even change the gym if that is possible. If you jogging, take another path. Change even the exercise mat!

3. At times, visit the park and fool around on the slides, the monkey bars, hang upside down – just have fun. Why not have a game of “catch” with your friend in the park. What’s wrong with that? All in the name of a good exercise. Go biking around your neighborhood.

4. Pick up a sports that you love or find challenging and competitive. Joining some sports club will not only help you with good exercise but also to meet new people who maybe facing same problems. Creating a network is really helpful.

5. It always helps to visualize yourself getting better and better. Picture yourself in a good figure that you would want to be or wearing the clothes you would like to see yourself in. Studies have shown that focusing on areas that one wants to improve, those areas of the body will respond better. So focus on your belly or your muscles if those are the areas you want to improve.

6. I left my own secret to the last for a reason! Well it is a SECRET and I am going to expose it. What I do is, I reward myself if I go through the entire program. This way, I push myself. Yes it is the carrot in front of me!

So you see, there are many ways you can make exercise more fun and interesting. Keep changing. Variety is the spice of life. Try to incorporate exercise in your daily life and make it a habit that will last a very long time.

You can get more ideas and suggestions in Motivational Guide – Weight Loss.

It’s a fact, America, is becoming FAT at a scary rate and the rest of the world is not behind.

We are eating more (and more of the wrong stuff) and exercising less or getting no exercise at all. We eat all the time, whether it is out of stress, enjoyment, having fun with friends or out of sheer boredom. Our health is in steep decline and doctor and hospital visits are at all time highs.

But all is not lost, guys – there is good news. The solution just may be a brisk 30-minute walk a day.

We are suffering from all kinds of ailments and we hear ever of often that it is getting worse. Heart and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, out of control blood sugar levels, diabetes, obesity, and more. The U.S. Surgeon General advises getting at least 20-30 minutes of moderate activity each day and many of us are falling far short of even that.

Studies show the average person takes about 3000 to 5000 steps a day, and some even much less….screech to a halt!!! …. Wait … what? Seriously?

Truth be told, we just do not get the exercise our ancestors did a hundred or so years ago and we tend to eat more refined foods or junk, frozen, inorganic foods. For some of us, most of steps we take are from the easy chair in front of the TV to the fridge so we can fill up on snacks. Hmmmm. For others, its sitting at a computer all day as part of our jobs.

Many fitness experts recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day to maintain our weight and overall good health. 10,000 steps are approximately 5 miles, give or take depending on the length of your pace. It would be good if you purchase and wear a pedometer to count how many steps you take each day. Follow the directions that usually come with the pedometer. Do this for a week or two and you will get a good average step count. Your goal is to reach 10,000 or more steps each day. There is nothing magical about 10,000, but it will put you in the right count.

Generally, a person will burn about 100 calories walking a mile, depending on age, size, and fitness level. The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn.

You can be creative and come up with different ways to increase your steps daily. At work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for walks at lunchtime. Go for walks with your spouse or children. Walk the dog. Walk to the store instead of driving, or park at the far end of the parking lot, walk for fun, walk, walk, walk and walk!

For me, I take brisk 2-mile walks around the neighborhood twice a day everyday (aerobic walking), I walk to the mall in the weekends which is about 25 minutes away ( cover up the week’s walking, I guess!). Just do whatever works best for you, but do it! You will need good walking shoes and socks to prevent injury when walking for exercise (like aerobic walking). Hey, walking bare foot on the grass is just as good and very enjoyable.

Since I cannot stress enough about walking for health, I feel I need to write more on this. Look out for it, friends. Until then – keep walking!

Sarah

This morning, I woke up thinking that it is the weekend – and I can sleep over. But when the alarm went off again, I realized that it was NOT the weekend!. Eeeeeeks! I jumped off the bed and then it hit me. My exercise routine! Oh!!!!! I was not in the mood at all for that! What to do, what to do!!!

 “No, you have to do it, you need to do it, you need it more than it needs you …”, I kept telling myself. Ok, I made myself get up and follow the routine and then while making breakfast, I thought to myself that I need to write a post on why we should exercise. So here I go pushing my motivation button.

 Many us need to follow an exercise program, in order to remain healthy and of course there are some who do it to lose weight. That is how I started out years ago.

 Now to motivate you, here are some good reasons why you should start exercising now.

 1.  Contributes to weight loss

It is well proven from scientific research that physical exercise contributes to weight loss.  If you burn more calories than you “devour” through nutrition, you’ll lose weight. Fat keeps collecting if you do not move. When you exercise, you burn more calories than when you don’t.  It’s really simple – the more you work out, the more weight or fat you’ll lose. Work produces desired result. I always say.

 2.  Put off disease

The chances of developing a range of diseases has been proven to decrease when exercising.  These diseases include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and the stroke.  I cannot stress enough on walking. Walking really works wonders for our bodies.

 Most deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to factors that include stress and lack of exercise.  What this means, is that many of the diseases are caused by not exercising and works towards damaging your health.  To prevent this from happening, start exercising. That is another motivator!

 3.  Improving disease

Exercise can help improve the condition of people already inflicted with certain types of disease. These even include the diseases I have mentioned above.  By following a regular plan, you can also decrease HDL cholesterol levels, decrease triglyceride levels, and decrease your blood pressure as well.

 Regular exercise will reduce the risk of prostate cancer for men, breast and uterine cancer for women.  These are not just words people, these are scientifically proven, which is why you should start exercising today!

 4.  Improve your state of mind

Regular exercise will lead to an increased release of endorphins in the body.  These chemicals will fight depression and make you feel happy.  The body releases these endorphins only 12 minutes into the workout. So it does not take long to be happy. Keep smiling J.

Serotonin, another chemical, is increased during and after a workout.  The increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system is linked with feelings of well being and decreased mental depression. Imagine a good night’s sleep. That is also what the increase in this chemical will help with. Zzzzz!

 5.  Improve your wellness

When you exercise on a regular basis, you will be in great form. This will give you more energy and you will experience a general over-all well being. The more energy will benefit you of course. You will notice that you will be able to stretch beyond your limit thus making you more productive and work with more efficiency.

 6.  Persistence

Exercising can help give your new goals a sense of purpose and give you something to focus on and aim for.  This can help you increase your determination and prevent you from going off track or lose focus while you aim for your goal.

 7.  Social capabilities

I have personally experienced a boost in my self esteem. And this oozes out in a person making one feel and look better and be more comfortable as well.  Exercise will help you to become more active and meet new people, which will prevent you from feeling isolated and unsupported.  It can even help you to improve your marriage or your partner relationship.

 Yes I have motivated myself once more! After knowing all of these tips and reasons to exercise, you too shouldn’t hesitate to get out there and exercise.  You can exercise at home or go out there and join a gym.  There are quite a few different ways that you can keep fit, all you have to do is select a few that you like.  Take a little bit of time out of your day and start exercising – you’ll feel much better and your body will thank you for it.

Hey, not motivated yet? Then get my bonus book Motivational Guide to Weight Loss. It will REALLY help you.

I will be posting on types of exercise soon.

Sarah

When I was just getting into fitness craze, I had wondered about aerobic exercises. Since then, I have gathered that there are two main types of exercise that you can do – aerobic and anaerobic.  Aerobic simply means with oxygen and the type of exercise has an important feature in that it burns fat as the main fuel. 

However, anaerobic exercise, burns sugar as the main source of fuel.  Both types of exercise seems like harsh ways to provide enormous benefits. That is false though. They do not have to be drastic at all. Light exercises still burn fat. Additionally, light exercises will clear wasteful substance called lactic acid and causes cells to regenerate.

It is beneficial to burn fat so we need to know why type of exercise will help do this. When you work out, be sure that you always breathe in deep into your belly through your nose, hold it your breathe for a few seconds and then breath our hard through your mouth. This is the first thing you need to remember and act on.

Secondly, make sure that you exercise comfortably, i.e., you should be able to hold a normal conversation while you are working out. Keep this up for about 45 minutes and you will notice how much energy you have!

I know that finding time to exercise is difficult – not because we don’t have time but some of us are just plain lazy! Think about it; we can find time to sleep or watch TV or even sit around doing nothing. Try to do some exercise instead of sleeping, you will find that you will need less sleep than before! By the way if you need motivation to get you  started, download my free book on Motivation Guide – Weight Loss. Excellent tips in there that will really make you want to do it.

If you have lunch break, why not use the time to do some light exercise. You will have an added advantage as you will be energized and this will increase in you overall productivity. Use any break you have at work to take on some type of movement and deep breathing.

Remember that any type of exercise certainly benefit your heart.  It will make it a stronger and thus more effective in its functions.  Deep breathing will help your lungs become stronger and larger as well.  There is study now that links exercise to helping benefit and almost prevent all types of disease or ailment. So please make sure you get plenty of it. A word of warning though; don’t get all excited and start over exercising. I will write soon about the dangers of too much exercise!

Movement of the joints will promote proper blood flow. If you are sitting down for hours on end, make sure to walk around every 45 minutes for about 10 minutes. This will get the circulation moving and promotes blood flow to brain, heart and other organs.

 Devote just a little bit of time to exercise and you will find yourself more energetic and healthier.

 I know, I know! Its that dreaded thing that everyone is preaching about. EXCERCISE! But, hey, you want to get rid of that fat, right? Nothing is achieved until we work for it. Yup! That’s what I always say. I hate work outs too. I tried several programs, only to start off with vigor and then slowly pale out of existence.

Regular excercise is important for our general health whether it is for losing weight or not. However if your intent is to lose fat, then the type of exercise you choose matters.

Mosty it also depends on you and what you like to do. Why is this so important? Mainly because, if you opt for something that you dislike then its most probable that you are not going to keep it going for a long period and excercise is something that we all should be doing daily. For example, if you do not like jogging, then you will find that getting up early in the morning and go running to be very burdensome and you are not going to enjoy it.

Give it some thought – and choose something that you are going to love doing. If you cannot come up with anything then think of what things you hate the least, which will normally be walking.

Now walking is not bad at all. It is great form of exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Even the laziest person can do it and start a program at any time. And walking is what inspired me actually.

If you are going for a walking type of excercise, then make sure that you start at a slower rate and work youself up. It’s normally the intensity and duration that differs as you progress over a period of weeks. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn’t difficult to find a training partner to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.

No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up. If you start
off too hard, you could end up with an injury which will require time off to get over and it might even put you off exercising.

You can start by walking 10 minutes a day – if you are in really in bad shape. Then, you can increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. Now what is it that they say? Variety is the spice of live? Sure is! To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days. Have a friend to walk with you; why you can go walking with different friends. I know this habit will have you walking every single day! Not much for the exercise but for the enjoyment of it all. For me, I love a long walk all by myself. It gives me time to ponder and contemplate on things that I usually do not have time for. I love walking in the parks, by the pond or lake or by the shores of the beach. Wonderful.

What I learnt is that you need to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. This really works for me.

Not everyone likes to walk, so if that is not your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center. A beginner may find that a center more suitabel as he/she will have trainers on hand to answer any questions they may have. When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service and they have the right type of equipments – and they are in good condition. It’s easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines. If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren’t being taken care of.

How about sports? If you do not like going to the gym either, then you can try golf or tennis. Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends. Tennis is great for fitness although it requires a lot of strain and exertion. It is not something that a beginner should jump into unless you start with a coach. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.

Whatever you choose make sure it is something that you enjoy because that is the only way, you will be able to keep it up. Keeping a diary of your progress and giving youself a treat once in a while will also motivate you in the right direction.

Sarah