Whangaparaoa Personal Training - Fitness Training - Improved

Lose the Baby Weight

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Having a baby is life changing. Not only will it change your world when the baby arrives, but it also changes your body. It can be quite hard to adapt to your new body shape when pregnant, but can have a much bigger impact on you once the baby is born. You are most likely bigger than you have ever been and it can come as a real shock – your belly takes ages to settle down and shrink and you don’t know how to go about losing baby weight. You wonder if your body will ever be the same again, or you are destined to have to the left-over scars and sagginess of pregnancy.

First of all, you need to take it slow. Enjoy the first month or so with your new baby and worry about your weight later on. When you feel up to exercising, start! Start very lightly – low impact exercise being the best way to start. This can involve going for walks (with your baby in a sling or stroller) or some light yoga. It is very easy to get back into exercise if you take it slowly. If you don’t, you can overdo it hurting your health and leaving you frustrated. You need to be easy on your body – not only has it just carried a baby for 9 months, you have also given birth! Your body needs time to heal.

Nutrition is also important when losing baby weight, especially if you are breastfeeding. You need to make sure you are getting enough calories to have a good milk supply and a quality milk supply. Breastfeeding will definitely help you in losing your baby weight too, as your body expels an additional 500 calories a day for it! If you are not breastfeeding, you will make it just a little harder to shift that baby weight, but you can still with ease. The important thing to remember is to have nutritious meals. This can be difficult if you have no clue about nutrition, or simply don’t have the time .

Tips for Losing Pregnancy Weight

New mothers trying to lose weight after pregnancy may sometimes feel they are fighting an uphill battle. Despite this, losing pregnancy weight is an achievable goal.

Set an Achievable Goal

The first thing new moms should keep in mind when trying to lose weight after pregnancy is that it can take time. Fitness levels, lifestyles and personal metabolisms can make a different time table for everyone. A new mom, who was on bed rest and as a result has a poor fitness level, is going to take longer to get back in shape than a woman who was able to power walk four miles a day until she gave birth.

Take into account how much weight needs to be lost, current fitness levels and how easy or difficult it was to lose weight in the past before setting a timeline to lose the weight. It can be helpful to keep a goal in mind for fitting back into pre-pregnancy pants, but make sure that it’s a goal that can be easily reached, not one that will lead to a sense of failure.

Walk With the Baby

As soon as physically able, begin walking with the baby. If the weather is nice, put the baby in a stroller for a short time each day and get some fresh air and exercise. If the weather is poor, try taking the baby to a mall, museum or other large indoor area. Wearing the baby in a carrier while walking inside public places can be beneficial in these cases as it discourages strangers from touching the baby, adds the baby’s weight to the mom’s, making the walk more strenuous, and avoids the challenge of maneuvering a stroller through crowds.

Try to walk a little more each week, stretching fitness levels gently. Athletically inclined moms can begin running as soon as they are physically able, and all moms and babies can benefit from some fresh air and time spent together outside.

How to Eliminate Muscle Cramps

Fri, 21 May 2010 22:32:00 +0000

You Can Prevent this Problem

Muscle cramps can be a very painful side effect of exercise. You work out to benefit your body and overall health, and are punished with a sharp pain in your muscles. It’s easy to get frustrated and even apprehensive when a "charley horse" occurs, but they are usually harmless and there are several tricks to help alleviate the pain.

Cramps occur when a muscle contracts and doesn’t relax. They are involuntary and you can often see or feel your muscle twitching. Even after the muscle does relax, it will remain fatigued and possibly sore. Cramps can last anywhere from a few seconds to 25 minutes or more. While some people experience cramps during exercise, they can also happen while sitting or even sleeping. They most commonly occur in the leg, especially in the calf, hamstring and quadricep.

Why me?

There are many reasons why cramps may occur. Inadequate stretching and overexertion might lead to a build up of lactic acid in your muscles. Muscle fatigue and dehydration may also contribute. Cramps are also more likely to happen in hot weather since you tend to lose more fluids.

Make it stop!:ohmy:

When cramps do strike, instead of grimacing in pain, try a few tricks to help the muscle relax. Start by gently stretching the area. Don’t reach too far; just lightly push the muscle until you feel a stretch. Learn specific stretches to use. Another way to reduce the pain is to delicately massage the cramped muscle, without rubbing too hard. You might also try to ice the affected area for 15 minutes at a time. This will increase the circulation to the muscle.

All the best!

Mariana:)

Post-Baby Ab Rehab Workout

Mon, 17 May 2010 04:34:00 +0000

Almost every mom dreams about getting her abs back in shape after giving birth .

Do this super-quick workout three times a week and you'll see firmer abs in no time!

Single-Leg Circles

Lie faceup on the floor with your arms at your sides, palms down. Scoop your belly in (imagine you're pulling your belly button toward your spine) and extend your right leg toward the ceiling, toes pointed and turned slightly outward. Inhale and imagine that you're tracing a circle about the size of a dinner plate with your right leg, tightening your abs to keep hips still on the floor throughout the movement. Circle 10 times clockwise, then repeat in a counter-clockwise direction. Switch legs and repeat.

Single-Leg Plank

Come into upper push-up position with your hands beneath your shoulders, feet together. Curl your toes so that some of your weight is on the back of them. Keeping abs tight and tailbone straight, lift one leg a few inches off the floor and point your toes; hold for five seconds and release. Repeat with the opposite leg to complete the set. Do 5 to 8 sets.

Quarter Curls

Lie on your back with your knees bent and shoulder-width apart, feet flat on the floor, and your hands behind your head (or ears, if you tend to pull on your neck). Scoop your belly in and curl your shoulders off the mat. Hold there for 5 counts, then exhale as you slowly lower yourself back down onto the floor. Do 5 to 10 reps.

Toe Taps

Lie faceup on the floor with your legs in tabletop position (knees bent at a 90-degree angle with feet off the floor), palms facedown by your sides. Tighten your abs and exhale as you lower your right foot to the floor, keeping knee bent. Inhale, then exhale as you return your right leg to starting position in 4 counts. Tap 5 times with each leg.

Scrabble Ball

What you'll need: A stability ball, a pair of 2- to 5-pound dumbbells, and a mat.

Get into plank position with hands under shoulders, legs extended, back straight, and feet on top of a stability ball, forming a line from head to heels.

Keeping abs tight, roll ball under feet to spell out the letters of the alphabet.

Aim to spell up to O.

As you advance, try to make it all the way to Z.

Horizontal Plank

Get into plank position on mat (hands under shoulders, legs extended, feet hip-width apart, back straight, abs engaged), holding a dumbbell in left hand.

Slowly lift left arm straight out to side at shoulder height, keeping hips and core still.

Lower arm.

Do 10 reps, staying in plank.

Switch arms; repeat.

Enjoy!

Mariana

Tone Up with No Equipment

Fri, 14 May 2010 21:31:00 +0000

BOOTY SQUEEZE

Grab a couple of hand towels from your linen closet. That's all you need to sculpt from head to toe!

Before: Booty Squeeze

Targets: Abs, lower back, butt, and legs

Lie faceup with legs extended, a towel under each heel, and arms out to sides so that hands are in line with hips, palms down.

Contract abs, squeeze glutes, and slowly lift hips and legs a few inches off floor while pressing heels into towels. Slide feet out to sides as wide as possible, then slide them together again without lowering hips.

BEFORE

AB SWEEP

Targets: Abs, obliques, butt, and legs

Lie faceup on floor with legs extended, feet together, a single towel under both heels, and arms out to sides at shoulder level, palms down.

Keeping abs contracted, upper body still and legs together, slide feet as far left as possible.

Slide feet back through center and as far right as possible to complete 1 rep.

Do 12 reps.

Coming soon with........THREE WEEKS TO DROP FIVE KILOS!

All the Best!

Mariana

www.fitness-together.net