Jillian Michaels Understands Other Mom’s Weight Loss Struggles
Jillian Michaels is famous for being the tough personal trainer yelling at contestants on The Biggest Loser to help them reach their weight loss goals. Now, as a new mom to a newborn son and to an adopted two year old girl from Haiti, Jillian is finally realizing how hard it is to follow her own advice. Put Yourself First? “Telling moms ‘You need to put yourself first’?” Jillian Michaels said, rolling her eyes. “It’s impossible to put yourself first when your a mom.” Jillian admitted to the Daily Mail that she hasn’t been to the gym for two weeks, or since her newborn was born (which her partner gave birth to, not Jillian) . Jillian Understands… It’s safe to say that Jillian finally understands how difficult it may be for a new mom to hit the gym and lose weight...
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Beyoncé Lost 40 Lbs After Having Her Baby
It has been almost four months since Beyoncé gave birth to her little girl Blue Ivy (born January 7, 2012), and Beyoncé has lost almost all of the 50 pounds that she had gained during her pregnancy. In her latest interview with People, Beyoncé shares her strategy for losing the first 40 pounds. The best part about Beyoncé’s weight loss strategy is that there isn’t a specific company she is representing and trying to promote. That’s right! She’s not promoting Slim•Fast, Weight Watchers, NutraSlim, HCG, or any other “diet” out there. Basically, Beyoncé is promoting a healthy lifestyle that anyone can do! How refreshing is that?! Breastfeeding Benefits In the first ten weeks after Beyoncé had her daughter Blue Ivy, she lost the initial weight from breastfeeding. More specifically, she lost the first 14 pounds in just the first month after giving birth! I’m...
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Athletic Preparations for Childbirth
For what could be the most important athletic event of an expectant mom’s life, it’s worthwhile to do the research and prepare for delivery day as any athlete would. Doctors and other health providers will have their contributions to make, but it is ultimately up to mom to make the experience a positive one. Since certain conditions may require special precautions with exercising to ensure the safety and viability of pregnancy, all preparations should be approved by the primary health provider beforehand. Breathing A major step to keeping both the emotional and the physical stress of labor under control is to learn the beneficial breathing patterns taught by experts in childbirth, and yoga for pregnancy, classes. The research-based breathing techniques for pregnancy should be learned as early as possible, as they will be useful throughout pregnancy as well as...
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Important Nutrients During Pregnancy
Nutrition is always an important equation for your optimal health, and in Pregnancy, it’s can easily be argued that nutrition is more important than ever since it impacts both the mom and baby. Calcium for Strong Bones • Dairy Foods • Canned Sardines/Salmon • Fortified Cereals/Breads • Oatmeal • Orange Juice (fresh squeezed/juiced) • Collard Greens Carbohydrates for Energy • Whole Grains • Vegetables • Brown Rice Folate (Folic Acid) for Preventing Birth Defects • Lentils • Fortified Grain Foods • Dark-green leafy vegetables • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Green Peas • Oranges • Melons • Chickpeas • Spinach Healthy Fats for Boosting Baby’s Brain Function and Health • Fish • Olive Oil • Avocados • Wild Pacific Salmon (low in mercury) Vitamin A for Baby’s Skin, Eyesight and Bones • Liver • Eggs • Vegetables (green and yellow) • Milk B Vitamins for Baby’s Brain and Vital Organs • Beef • Nuts • Beets • Chicken • Potatoes • Spinach Fiber for Regularity • Whole Grains • Beans • Water •...
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Pregnancy Weight Gain: Not All Baby
Pregnancy Weight Gain When women get pregnant, they will typically gain anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds. It’s not all baby in there, so what exactly is all that extra weight gain for anyways? Here’s a look at what pregnancy weight gain entails: Baby: 6-8 lbs Placenta:1.5 lbs Amniotic fluid: 2 lbs Enlarged uterus: 2 lbs Increased body fluid: 4 lbs Increased blood: 3-4 lbs Breast growth: 1-2 lbs Maternal stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients: 7 lbs TOTAL: 26.5 – 30.5 lbs Something to Think About I think it’s interesting to note that there really isn’t a lot of fat that needs to be gained for a healthy (singleton) pregnancy. Just 7 pounds of fat. That’s it! So how is that possible? If you are already at a healthy weight before you become pregnant, you are only...
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Box of Candy or Box of Cereal?
We have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why are millions and millions of people buying and then consuming sugary cereal for ourselves and feeding it to our kids? Do We REALLY Believe Marketing Campaigns? We have been told by the big cereal companies such as Kellog’s, Post, and General Mills that their cold cereals are “part of a complete breakfast” and a great way to start the day. But are they really healthy for us? Just in case you weren’t sure, let me help you with the answer to that question. No, these sugary cereals are not healthy for you! I am starting to get these cereal’s nutrition labels confused with a box of candy! So why are these cereals advertised as a healthy breakfast choice? You might not like what I...
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Keeping Your Family and Children Active: The Foundation for a Healthy Lifestyle
Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States, and the main reason for this is that children are not nearly as active as they should be. Add to this the poor dietary habits and one can understand why between 16% to 33% of the children and adolescents are obese across the nation (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.) Thirty percent of the children in 30 out of the fifty American states are overweight or obese (Trust for America’s Health.) A large number of the children and adolescents do not fulfill the recommended physical activity requirements. According to experts, children should accumulate from a minimum of sixty minutes, up to several hours of physical activity each day. Since active behaviors have been replaced with more sedentary lifestyles over the last two decades, there is fewer energy expenditure...
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Make Healthy School Lunches
All kids should have a healthy school lunch, but many schools just won’t provide it for one reason or another. If your kids’ school won’t provide a healthy lunch, it’s up to the parents to come up with a healthy lunch from home. Since this is your kid’s health we are talking about, I believe packing a lunch is well worth the effort! The Sandwich There’s something special about the simple yet delicious taste of a sandwich. You can make it as healthy as you want, and it doesn’t need to be too complex. I suggest using whole wheat bread, using a brand that doesn’t use a lot of ingredients or any processed sugars. Avoid using white bread at all costs! Here’s some quick and easy sandwiches that you can make for your kids for their school lunches: • Deli – Get...
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Celebrities Who Breastfed Their Babies
August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month! I thought I would share with you a small list of celebrities that made the decision to breastfeed their baby. I’m not saying to follow suit just because of who they are, but I thought it was great to know that women in the “real world” aren’t the only ones who make breastfeeding a priority for their baby. Angelina Jolie Angelina isn’t shy about her choice to breastfeed her babies. Angelina allowed her partner, Brad Pitt, to take a picture of her nursing one of her twins (Knox and Vivienne were born in July of 2008), and even had it featured on the cover of W Magazine! It’s great to know that a women who is voted “Sexiest Women of the Year” is real enough and willing to breastfeed her babies. Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney...
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Jessica Alba uses HypnoBirthing
It was recently announced that Jessica Alba used hypnobirthing for her first pregnancy, and plans to use it again for her next child – apparently it works well! I have been investigating natural child births for a couple of years now, and when I first learned about HypnoBirthing used as a technique to reduce pain, I immediately began research. Anything that naturally reduces the pain during child birth has my attention! What is “HypnoBirthing” ? HypnoBirthing is a method that is typically used for natural childbirth, and it focus on relaxation by using self-hypnosis techniques. Another way to look at it is meditation. Jessica Alba, who is currently pregnant, was on the Ellen DeGeneres show and talked about her plans to use HypnoBirthing to help her remain calm during the labor. She used it with her first pregnancy and HypnoBirthing...
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