Finding time for exercise

Being a personal trainer gives me the opportunity to speak with many women about fitness. When I ask women why they are not more active, most of the time they reply, "I don't have time!"

However, the choices that you make during the course of your day can help you to become more active. If you alter your behavior and thinking just a little bit, you will be able to squeeze more physical activity into your life and become healthier because of it.

Here are three healthy choices that can help you to squeeze a little more activity into your day:

1) Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. You can burn a lot of calories this way. Take a break once an hour during the day to take a walk on the stairs.
2) When taking the bus or metro to and from work, get off a stop or two early and walk the rest of the way. If you drive, park far away from the building and walk the rest of the way. (This also applies to trips to the mall or grocery store.)
3) Schedule exercise time into your Blackberry like you would any other appointment. And be sure not to cancel!

These small changes to your thinking will help you to get more exercise during the day-even on days when you can not make it to the gym. And you are still keeping it simple!

Preparing your Abs for "The Main Event": Labor and Delivery

The single most important exercise you can do (ever) is the plank. Every client that I have, no matter what age or condition, does some variation of this exercise. It is the best exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Everyone wants to focus on crunches, but crunches are not that important. They are also not good to do if you have diastasis recti (the separation of the abs that sometimes occurs during pregnancy). When you think of your abdominal muscles, you are probably thinking about the muscles that you associate with having a six-pack. The plank strengthens the layer of abdominal muscles underneath those that are responsible for giving you good posture, protecting your internal organs, controling incontinence, pushing out a baby, giving you good balance, etc.

To do the plank:

1) Start on all fours with your forearms on the floor, elbows directly under the shoulders.
2) Engage your abs. This means to act as though you are pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
3) Extend one leg all the way out and then the other. This can be a very difficult position to hold. Feel free to bring both knees to the ground without changing any other body position-keeping your shoulders above your elbows. If your back starts to hurt, this is normal. That will go away with time. Bring your knees to the floor.
4) Hold for as long as you can. Take a break and repeat one or two more times.

**Make sure you are breathing the entire time!

Set a goal to hold the position for 30 seconds. After you have mastered that, work your way up to 45 seconds and then 60 seconds.

This is a great exercise! If you don't make time for any other exercise during the day, make time for this one. It will only take about 5 minutes out of your day (max).

The full version looks like this:



But this is something to work towards. Don't worry about doing that now.

(pictures courtesy of babyfit.com and all-about-abs.com)

F-KIS (Fitness-Keep It Simple)

F-KIS (Fitness-Keep It Simple)-I have decided to dedicate this blog to keeping fitness simple during your pregnancy and afterwards for the next few weeks.

Pregnancy is an exciting time, and you know that you should keep up with your fitness routine. But with all the sleepless nights, doctor's appointments and trips to the furniture store, it seems like it is hard to find the time. This blog will give you a few, important exercises that can be done in your own home to make your pregnancy, labor and delivery a little easier.

Finding time (and energy) for exercise after having the baby is no piece of cake either. This blog will also highlight exercises that you can sneak in while your baby is napping and exercises that you can do together.

Join our team for the March for Babies

The Hot Mama Fitness Studio has started a team to walk in the March of Dimes March for Babies.

Our team has joined thousands of compassionate teams across the country that support March for Babies. Won′t you please help us in this worthy cause? Join us in the walk that helps all moms and babies.


The money we raise for March for Babies will help:


...support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects

...educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby

...provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care

...push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children.

Please click on the icon on the side of this blog or go to the link below to join our team or donate to our team. We will be having fun fundraisers at The Studio to raise money for the March.

Thanks for your support!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?SeId=630300&si=

Exercise During Pregnancy Benefits Mother and Child

This is a very interesting article about the benefits of pre-natal exercise on both mom and the baby.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025261.html

Urinary Incontinence: Kegel Exercises for Pelvic Muscles

Kegels are very important for new and expectant mothers. Click here to read the WebMD article on Kegel Exercises or read below.

Urinary Incontinence: Kegel Exercises for Pelvic Muscles
Kegel exercises are one of the most effective ways of controlling urinary incontinence naturally.

Any woman who's had a baby has likely heard: remember your Kegels! The physician who invented these pelvic floor muscle exercises, Arnold Kegel, MD, first recommended them to his women patients who had just given birth and were leaking urine.

But Kegel exercises can help most women with urinary incontinence, regardless of cause or age. Kegel exercises aim to correct an underlying cause of urinary incontinence: the weakened pelvic floor muscles that can occur after childbirth or in overweight people. When the pelvic floor muscles are weak, urine can leak, especially if you have a form of urinary incontinence called stress incontinence. This is the type in which you leak urine when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or are engaged in physical activities such as jogging or sex. The value of improving urinary incontinence with Kegel exercises is now widely accepted.

Here's what you need to know:

Who can benefit from Kegel exercises? Anyone, at any age, who suffers urinary incontinence or leaks urine. While the exercise mainly helps those with stress urinary incontinence, it can also help those with another common type, urge incontinence, also called overactive bladder. With urge incontinence, you have a sudden urge to urinate and don't always make it to the bathroom. Men with urinary incontinence problems can do Kegel exercises, too.
How are Kegel exercises done? To exercise the pelvic floor muscle, pretend you are trying to stop the flow of urine. Pull in and squeeze those muscles. Hold the squeeze for about 10 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Try for three or four sets of 10 contractions every day.
How do Kegel exercises help? Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, an underlying cause of urinary stress incontinence. When these muscles are weak, it can cause you to leak urine.
When should I expect to see results from my Kegels? Just as it takes time to build your biceps and strengthen any other muscles, it takes time to strengthen muscles in the pelvic floor. Give the Kegel exercises six or even 12 weeks to work. And remember you must keep doing them, and you should do them daily.
When and where should I do Kegel exercises? The beauty of Kegels is that you can really do them just about anywhere, anytime. No one would know unless you tell them what you are doing. Try doing a few sets of Kegels when you are in your car, sitting at your desk, or watching TV. To be sure you are doing Kegels correctly, ask your doctor or the nurse to describe or demonstrate the proper form.
Do I need any equipment for Kegel exercises? Not for doing Kegels alone. But some doctors suggest you also use weighted cones as you do Kegel exercises. The idea is to insert these vaginal cones, available in various weights, and perform the Kegel exercises with the cones in place. You gradually increase the weight of the cone you insert. Sometimes, Kegel exercises are used in combination with biofeedback, a monitoring system that helps you gain control over bodily processes such as urinary control. And sometimes Kegels are done in combination with electrical stimulation, in which very brief doses stimulate muscles in the area. But you can choose to do Kegel exercises by themselves, with no equipment.
Are there any other benefits to Kegel exercises? Actually, yes. Kegel exercises aren't just good for improving urinary incontinence. The stronger your pelvic floor muscles, the more sexual pleasure you can expect. That was an accidental "side effect" discovered by Kegel. He heard back from his patients about these sexual benefits. The pelvic floor muscles contract more strongly during orgasm once they are strengthened.
WebMD Medical Reference

View Article Sources
SOURCES: American Academy of Family Physicians: "Urinary Incontinence: Kegel Exercises for Your Pelvic Muscles." National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: "Urinary Incontinence in Women." National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: "Urge Incontinence." WebMD Medical News: "Kegel Exercises Help Women With Urinary Incontinence." WebMD Medical News: "Kegel Exercises Ease Stress Incontinence." WebMD Health Guide: "Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Incontinence." WebMD Sex Matters: "What is a kegel and can it really help my sex life?

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on December 19, 2007

Fit in DC on NBC 4

I was featured on NBC 4 on Monday. Check it out!

http://www.nbcwashington.com/health/tips_info/Monkeysee__Monkey_Do___Holiday_Fitness_Tips_Washington_DC.html