Effects of Yoga after Pregnancy

Yoga addresses physical, mental, and emotional health, and that’s why it is one of the best forms of exercise for new mothers. Yoga is gentle in that it doesn’t require fast, jarring movements like other exercise programs, and it can be adapted to people of any age, and any stage of physical fitness. A new mother whose body is still recovering from pregnancy and childbirth benefits greatly from the calm and nurturing environment of the yoga class. Having a brand new baby can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, and the breathing and meditation techniques used in yoga classes improve mental resilience and can be used at any time when stress seems to get out of control. Yoga’s effects on the body are also noteworthy. It not only improves the flexibility of the body, but also strengthens muscles, many of which may have relaxed or atrophied during latter stages of pregnancy. Many poses specifically improve the strength of the pelvic floor muscles, which are severely taxed during pregnancy and childbirth. Becoming attuned to a post-pregnancy body makes the new mother aware of what her strengths and weaknesses are, and helps empower her for this new and exciting stage of life. As yoga helps a new mother regain her figure, it also helps her have the emotional tools to gain confidence in her role as a mother. Yoga is not about competitiveness or trying to be “the best” at something, and that makes yoga classes a peaceful, supportive environment in which the new mother may regain her strength and fitness.

Bikram Yoga after Pregnancy

Once a new mother has been cleared by her physician to engage in physical activities again, she may want to try Bikram yoga as a way to get back into shape after childbirth. Bikram yoga takes place in a studio heated to 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat helps the muscles regain flexibility, and it also causes the student to perspire heavily. For this reason, it is vital that Bikram yoga participants remain well hydrated before, during, and after class. This is particularly true for nursing mothers, who must ensure they take in enough water. Even with proper hydration, however, new mothers may find that they lose weight quicker, as the body gets rid of excess water weight and bloating. Bikram yoga is one of the more intensive yoga workouts, so if a new mother is unfamiliar with yoga, she may want to spend time participating in gentler forms of yoga before stepping up to the demands of Bikram yoga. Once a woman feels ready to do the hard work of regaining her strength and shape, however, Bikram yoga is an excellent choice. Those who are put off by the thought of exercising in the heated conditions Bikram yoga uses may want to try another intense form of yoga, such as Power yoga or Ashtang yoga.

Tips for Getting Back into Shape after Pregnancy

New mothers who are anxious about leaving their newborn while they exercise may be able to find yoga classes specifically designed for new mothers, where they can actually bring their babies with them to class. Many new mothers find these classes to be very supportive and encouraging. Regardless of the type of yoga class a new mother chooses, she will have the best results attending at least two to three times per week. This will allow her to improve fitness and lose excess weight in a healthy manner, without overtaxing her body. Many yoga poses can be adapted for use at home, so that when the new mom finds a few minutes of precious free time, she can use them to relax and rejuvenate. Mothers who practices yoga before giving birth should not be discouraged if they cannot immediately undertake the poses and exercises they were doing before having a baby. Childbirth has major effects on the body, and it takes time for the postpartum body to regain all its abilities. By doing the best she can, a new mother will gradually improve her fitness and will eventually find herself to be physically fit once again. The human body is capable of amazing things, and nobody knows this better than a woman who has brought a new life into the world!

Visit HolisticYoga.Info to find out how to improve your life whether you would like to know how to get started with yoga or have been doing for years.

Photo Credit

Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a powerful anti-microbial fatty acid that protects the immune system of the fetus and newborn. Pregnant and nursing mothers should eat coconut oil to increase the quality of the womb environment and breast milk.

There has been a lot of research lately discussing how the environment of the womb can affect the long term health of the baby with respect to autism, allergies, asthma, food sensitivities and other chronic conditions. In past blogs we have talked about the health benefits of coconut oil but not specifically its protective properties for pregnant and nursing mothers.

A healthy diet contains mixtures of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The unique composition of human breast milk contains about 45 to 50 % saturated fat, about 35% unsaturated and 15-20%polyunsaturated.  Lauric acid and capric acid comprise about 20% of total saturated fatty acids found in breast milk. Lauric and capric acid have potent antiviral, antibacterial, and parasiticidal (kills parasites) properties that support the immune system. These fatty acids offer the nursing infant protection from illnesses, viruses such as herpes and HIV, protozoa such as giardia lamblia, and bacteria such as chlamydia and heliocobater.

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat (but not cholesterol since it is from a plant) containing about 50% lauric acid. Other components of coconut oil include capric acid, caprylic acid, tocopherols and tocotrienols. (Vitamin E lipids that act as potent anti-oxidants that can help maintain healthy cell structure and function). A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk, creating milk rich in health promoting nutrients. Coconut oil is easy for an infant’s immature digestive system to absorb and utilize. It also provides energy in the form of medium chain fatty acids to help the baby grow and develop properly.

According to the research, when a lactating woman adds foods rich in lauric acid to her diet, the amount of lauric acid available in her breast milk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid. A single meal of coconut oil can significantly affect the breast milk fatty acid compositions for 1 to 3 days with the maximum increase occurring during the first 10 hours. This data supports the hypothesis that diet directly affects the quality of human milk and possibly the womb environment.

Pregnant females store fat to assure successful lactation. Any lauric acid and capric acid in the diet becomes part of the adipose stores. The milk fat of a lactating mother is made up of these stores as well as her current diet. Therefore it is so important for pregnant and nursing women to eat a healthy diet- one based on whole foods: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, lean protein and raw coconut oil!

How accurate is the screening questionnaire?

Research has concluded that the questionnaire is 87% effective in identifying children at high risk for celiac disease. However, the questionnaire results are not a medical diagnosis and the screening program does not replace a comprehensive exam by a trained physician.

Does the questionnaire recommend treatment?

No, the celiac disease screening questionnaire only identifies children who are at high risk for the disease.  If a child is identified at high risk it is recommended you consult a local and knowledgeable health care professional for further medical evaluation and testing.

Questionnaire for Celiac Disease Screening

Age: _____

Sex: _____

Please tell us how often your child has any of the following by circling the best answer.

Does your child have …?

Total Score:____________

Scoring: Never=1; Seldom= 2; Frequent=3; A Lot=4; Don’t Know=0; No=1; Yes=2

1. Abdominal pain, gas or bloating? (STOMACH)

Never        Seldom           Frequent          A Lot        Don’t Know

2. Diarrhea, constipation, vomiting or nausea? (INTESTINAL)

Never        Seldom            Frequent          A Lot      Don’t Know

3. Allergies or asthma? (ALLERGIES)

Never        Seldom            Frequent          A Lot       Don’t Know

4. Short stature, growth delay, or weight loss? (GROWTH)

Never        Seldom           Frequent          A Lot       Don’t Know

5. Fatigue, weakness, anemia or other nutrient deficiencies? (ANEMIA)

Never          Seldom          Frequent          A Lot       Don’t Know

6. Unexplained mood swings, depression, anxiety or stress? (MENTAL)

Never          Seldom         Frequent          A Lot         Don’t Know

7. Unexplained headaches, joint aches or body aches? (ACHES)

Never         Seldom          Frequent            A Lot          Don’t Know

8. Dental enamel defects (vertical or horizontal grooves in permanent teeth that are chalky white) or recurring canker sores in mouth? (MOUTH)

Never         Seldom          Frequent           A Lot         Don’t Know

9. Skin rashes such as eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis herpetiformis (itchy, blistering skin) (SKIN)

Never      Seldom           Frequent          A Lot           Don’t Know

10. Any autoimmune syndrome such as IgA deficiency or autoimmune thyroiditis (AUTOIMMUNE)

No                   Yes                  Don’t Know

11. Type I diabetes  (DIABETES)

No                   Yes                  Don’t Know

12. Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, or William’s syndrome (SYNDROME)

No                   Yes                  Don’t Know

13. Autism, hyperactivity, learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder (COGNITIVE)

No                 Yes                  Don’t Know

14. A first degree relative with diagnosed celiac disease (RELATIVE)

No                  Yes                  Don’t Know

15. Higher than normal absenteeism due to sickness (more than 15 days)  (ABSENTEEISM)

No                   Yes                  Don’t Know

Scoring:

A score greater than 24 indicates a child at high risk for celiac disease.

>24 indicates a child at high risk for celiac disease

Categories in parentheses indicates factors for risk. For example abdominal pain, gas or bloating correlate to stomach symptoms.

- Your life isn’t over.

When I first found out we were having Grace, a million thoughts raced through my mind. I basically hit every spectrum of the feelings chart in a matter of minutes. I remember looking at the card my wife gave me basically saying we were having a kid. I knew what it said, but with the overwhelming feeling of emotion that overcame me, I was confused. I kept looking at the card and looked at Victoria, then at the card again, then at Victoria asking, “Really?” While this probably took a matter of seconds, I felt like I was in a loop for a few minutes.

After we told our family, we told all of our friends, co-workers and anyone that would care to listen. While everyone was excited, the response I got from some people (from parents and non-parents alike) was “Dude, your life is over.” That seems to be the joking response from many parents as I probably would have said the same thing to someone about to have their first kid. I had a minute to think about it and while it may be over for some people, as cliché as it sounds, our life was just starting.

What got me through the whole pregnancy process and everything afterwards was my mentality. For some people, they often view the glass half empty. I looked at it as half full and in dire need for a refill. Whenever you start anything new, you may think it’s the end of something but its really not. A positive mindset can set the groundwork for positive results. Did you decide to start working out and eating right? If you look at it as something that will change your life and you understand that you will have to make sacrifices and changes, the road bumps along the way will be very minor. If you look at it as something negative that you just dread, then the journey will be very tough and you will tend to stop before you get started.

Take a second and look at the positive change that is about to happen to you. Understand that you will have to make some changes and hit some roadblocks. I knew what to expect when we had Grace. Sit down and know what to expect when starting anything new, both positive and negative. It will get your mentality right and help you realize it’s not the end of your life as you know it.

- Adapt, adapt, adapt.

Grace was born on January 25th at 10:32 pm (I think any parent will remember the exact time and date their kid was born). When our new family came home a few days later, we had a situation in which my wife had to go back to the hospital almost as soon as we got home. Our second day as a family and my wife is back in the hospital and I’m at home with a 2 oz. bottle of formula, a syringe, a crying new born and a confused dog. Overwhelming to say the least. In my head I was thinking that this is one of those speed bumps that is supposed to happen. I just wished it happened a little later.

Normally I would look to my wife for help but she wasn’t there. Given the situation, I had to adapt to this dad thing VERY quickly. I didn’t turn into McGuyver and make a bottle out of a paper clip and a coffee mug though. I just realized that I had to get my mind right (see the first bullet point) and quickly control the reigns while the wife was gone. A little scary, yes, but I didn’t have a choice but to adapt.

In any new situation, you will be faced with some overwhelming dilemmas in which you will have to adjust accordingly. Adapt to the situation or you won’t thrive as much as you would want to. When adapting a new fitness routine, you have to adapt to the life that you want to live. It can be as easy as an adaptation of your mindset or adapting your workout routine to fit your time schedule. Adapt to your new surroundings. Adapt to your new role in life. Adapt to the changes and challenges that are always bound to happen. As the old saying goes, “When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.”

- Take what is useful, discard the rest.

Bruce Lee once said to take what is useful and discard the rest. He took different martial arts and blended them together while ignoring the other aspects he felt were unnecessary. One thing I realized about being a parent is that all parents have advice on how to be a parent. Some advice is good, others are not so good. Everyone has something to say about the “correct” way to raise their child, how to prevent spit up, how to make sure the baby sleeps through the night, how to burp them etc. Take what is useful and discard the rest.

The same rule applies for any training you are doing. The fitness world has blown up since the invention of the internet and everyone has something to say (myself included). With all of the information that is out there, use what you think is useful for you. There is no correct way to train and hit your goals. You have to use what works for you. In life you can never stop learning from other people. You can never stop talking to people and taking their advice to become a better person. Just remember: Some advice will be helpful and useful, others will not.

- Patience

Since Grace has been here, I feel like my patience has gone to an all new high. I am a pretty patient person, but a baby will test that. There are times when Grace is crying and I don’t know why. She can’t talk yet and I wish she would just tell us that her tummy hurts, or she’s hungry, or she’s bored with playing on her blanket. Knowing that she can’t just point to her stomach and say it hurts, I have to be patient enough to sooth her and try and understand the problem. So until she can actually sit me down and tell me something is bothering her, I have to do everything in my power to fix the problem: carrying her, rocking her, singing badly, making silly faces, walks, making silly hand puppets, watch Baby Einstein videos, make silly robot noises, feed her, blow bubbles (raspberries) on her cheeks and stomach etc.

In any fitness routine, there is a level of patience that you need to have. You can’t lose 20 pounds in a day (safely). You need to understand that things take time. Don’t get frustrated and know that the goals that you want will eventually happen. You just need a little patience.

- Celebrate and document. Everything.

From day one, our camera and our cell phones are littered with pictures and videos of Grace. I don’t want to miss anything so I take a picture at every cute moment I can capture. I do the same thing with videos. Even though she’s just staring at the camera, I’m hoping to catch lightning in a bottle of cuteness. My wife and I celebrate everything Grace does from big too small. When she rolled over for the first time, we happened to catch it on video. Twice. We took tons of pictures of her smiling and showed them to all of our friends. When she discovered her feet for the first time and tried to eat them, we laughed and then went to tell our family. Grace is starting to form her first tooth. We celebrated. Every accomplishment big and small we cheered and celebrated. We actually have a little calendar on the fridge that marks all of her accomplishments.

When it comes to fitness, celebrate all of your accomplishments. You don’t have to do it to the scale of how we celebrate our little girl though. From losing 10 pounds in a month to doing 10 pushups instead of five, to not feeling tired all day, celebrate it. It can be something as small as buying a new shirt when you’ve lost a couple of pounds or telling your friends you were able to run a mile and not get tired. Celebrate all of those accomplishments, big and small, because you don’t get those accomplishments and feelings back. At the least, acknowledge something good happened. Write it down if you have to. In life, look at the glass as half full and celebrate everything good that happens to you. Celebrate in the way you see fit. Learn from the mistakes you make, document it, and celebrate when you thrive from not making that mistake again.

If you haven’t considered exercising, now is a great time to start. First of all, you will need your strength back to perform your duties as mom such as lifting, carrying and holding the little one. And don’t forget about carrying that stroller up and down the stairs and also, in and out of the car. Energy along with strength is something you will need for those back to back late nights and early mornings. Exercise will give you that.

Other benefits of postpartum exercise are:

• Improved immune function
• Injury prevention by protecting your joints
• Lastly, who wouldn’t want to be a new mom with a rocking body?

With exercise you are better able to maintain your lean body mass.

Among the common questions asked in regards to dropping the baby weight are, can I workout right after baby is born? Are there any exercises that I should avoid? Can I start to train my abs? And how intense should I keep my workout sessions? While you are in a hurry to get your body back to where it was pre-pregnancy, remember this which is very important, every “body” is different. What works for one new mother may not work for the other. This is why it is important to consult your doctor for clearance. The advice given to you from your doctor may and will be different than the advice your fellow new mommies receive.

Furthermore, you should ease back into a workout routine. Depending on your previous fitness level you can do modified versions of exercises that you are used to doing.   If you are new to exercise you have different options. There are group classes for new moms, DVDs, books and personal trainers. If going the personal training route, be sure to hire someone with a specialized certification in prenatal and postpartum exercise training.

Here are some suggested activities to help keep the weight off:

• Walk girl!
• A great way to ease back into things is to start walking until you feel up to more vigorous exercise. Grab your comfy sneakers and the baby and start out with shorter distances such as just around the block, then eventually build up to touring your neighborhood.
• Dance baby!
• Throw a baby tunes CD into your stereo system and boogie down with your new born.
• Create your mommy circle
• Start or find a circle of moms to take exercise classes with. This is fun and motivational at the same time. Ask your gym, doctor or search the internet for other exercising new mothers.
• Eat Right
• Stock up on healthy snacks. Keep the junk snacks to a minimum in the house
• Keep hydrated
• Drink plenty of water
• Rest is important

Alongside exercise and good eating, rest is needed for any weight loss program. It may be hard at first as a new mom, but create time to rest up.

Photo Credit

Keeping fit is so important; not only for a great body, but also for daily life. For new parents you’d want to be able to pick your baby up and carry him or her around with ease. You’ll not only have to carry a baby around, but I’m sure you’ll have a stroller and other luggage as well. Exercise helps with that. You have many options whether you have all the time in the world or no time at all.

Also, whether you are a gym member, or don’t have a gym membership. There are so many exercises you can do at home, at the desk, or in your hotel room. One great exercise to help with the picking up and carrying is the front raise. You can use dumbbells, a medicine ball, any equipment you have at home such as gallon water bottle with sand or you can start with the water (a weight that is manageable where you can still feel resistance).

Front Raise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Both arms straight out in front of you holding your equipment.
3. While your arms are kept extended and straight, raise the equipment over your head and back down to starting position which is about chest level, and extended out.

To your family’s health!

My husband and I want to explore naturopathic medicine (we don’t want to try IVF) as a way to help with our infertility issues. Can naturopathy help?”

Naturopathic medicine offers fertility treatments as alternatives to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and fertility medications.  Before starting treatment, it is important that both you and your husband be assessed for causes that may be contributing to why you are not getting pregnant.  Both partners should have basic blood work done, as well as modify their diet and lifestyle to ensure they are producing the healthiest possible egg and sperm.

For men, a semen analysis can be done to see if there are problems with the number, motility, and normal morphology of the sperm.  For women, a pelvic ultrasound and hysterosalpingogram should be conducted to rule out structural abnormalities that may be causing infertility.

Once the patency of your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus have been confirmed, it is important to find out if you are ovulating and if the length of your luteal phase is long enough to sustain implantation.  An easy way to find this out is to start charting your monthly cycles.  Your naturopathic doctor can explain to you how taking your waking temperature on a daily basis and assessing for other signs of ovulation can help you track when you are most fertile.  By charting your cycle, you can find out if lack of ovulation or a luteal phase defect are factors preventing you from becoming pregnant.

Most naturopathic doctors offer salivary female hormone testing.  Estrogen and progesterone levels can be measured over the course of your monthly cycle to assess for sufficient levels of these hormones at different times throughout the cycle.  Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and lutenizing hormone (LH) can also be measured to monitor for ovulation.

If a problem exists with ovulation or hormone levels, hormone balancing herbal medicines such as Vitex agnus castus, Mitchella repens, and Chameleirium luteum can be used, depending on whether there is insufficient estrogen or progesterone.  ND’s who are licensed to prescribe medications can also offer bio-identical hormone therapy to balance a hormone defect.  Male hormone testing can also be conducted if indicated.

If an underlying condition such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, or uterine fibroids exists, estrogen-lowering treatments such as ground flax seeds, indole-3-carbinol, and calcium-d-glucarate can remove excess estrogen burden.

If all lab testing points to normal hormone cycling and normal ovulation, testing can be done to check for heavy metal accumulation in your body.  Heavy metals may include mercury, lead, and cadmium, and can accumulate even without overt exposure.  Metals are difficult for the body to excrete, and they cause excessive oxidative stress.  Oxidation forms free radicals that can damage DNA, especially the fragile genetic information within your egg or your husband’s sperm.  Damaged DNA can lead to a non-viable embryo.  Heavy metals can be removed by a process called chelation.  An appropriate chelator is chosen by your ND, depending on which metals are found in your body.  Usually chelation is administered orally or intravenously.  Natural chelators such as chlorella powder may also be recommended.

It is important that before starting any herbal medications, supplements, chelators, or hormone therapy that you consult your naturopathic doctor.  Please be advised that most treatments are contraindicated during pregnancy and should be discontinued immediately after you become pregnant, or if you think you may be pregnant.

Have a question for Ask the Expert? You can send it to us via info@fitnessgoop.com and we will forward it to the appropriate expert.

What are T cells?

T cells are a type of white blood cell that carry out the functions of the immune system.

T helper 1 cells identify pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and stimulate the activity of macrophages, another type of white blood cell, to digest the pathogenic material and cellular debris. In this way, Th-1 cells, when functioning optimally, help us from contracting infections and getting sick.

T helper 2 cells stimulate B cells, another type of white blood cell, to produce antibodies and mount an immune response. When Th-2 cells recognize a foreign substance/pathogen, the B cells are told to generate antibodies which attack the virus, bacteria or allergen.

What is Th-2 dominance?

Also known as Th-2 skewing, this term characterizes a state of immune imbalance where the Th-2 cells are overactive. Th-1 and Th-2 cells work together, so when they are out of balance, the consequences are numerous.

Hyperactive Th-2 cells stimulate antibody production not just to foreign substances such as viruses, fungi or bacteria, but also to benign substances like allergens and even the body’s own tissues and organs.

The result of Th-2 dominance can include seasonal/environmental/food allergies, asthma, autoimmune conditions, and severe and debilitating anaphylactic reactions.

What causes Th-2 dominance?

The causes of Th-2 dominance are varied and multifactorial. The single most important factor is presence of toxins. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum promote Th-2 skewing which creates a hyperactive immune system. This leads not only to allergies and asthma, but also to low immune function and development of autoimmune disease (when overactive Th-2 cells stimulate antibody production against the body’s own tissues).

Other potential factors that cause or aggravate Th-2 dominance are yeast overgrowth (Candida infection), stress, and inflammation.

If my immune system is hyperactive, why am I always getting sick?

When Th-2 cells are dominant in the case of Th-2 skewing, the activity of Th-1 cells is deficient. Th-1 cells stimulate macrophages (white blood cells) to ingest and destroy viruses, bacteria and fungi and prevent infections like colds, flus, skin infections, gastrointestinal infections, and Candida overgrowth (gut, mouth (thrush), skin, vagina).

If Th-1 cells are not functioning optimally, the immune system is at risk of being easily overwhelmed by pathogens, resulting in more frequent and more severe infections. Often with people who suffer from asthma or allergies, and especially in children with the 4A disorders (Asthma, Allergies, ADHD and Autism), recurrent colds and infections are a common complaint.

What conditions are commonly associated with Th-2 Dominance?

Asthma
Allergies
Autoimmune conditions (lupus, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, ALS, ankylosing spondylitis, interstitial cystitis, Grave’s disease, type I diabetes mellitus, etc)
ADHD
Autism
Fibromyalgia syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic ear infections
Digestive disorders and IBS
Eczema, acne, hives
Migraines and headaches
Hayfever
Sinusitis

Why have I never heard of Th-2 Dominance before?

Conventional treatments for allergies and asthma do not address the T cell imbalance. Instead of treating the underlying cause, asthma and allergy medications address the symptoms. Standard treatments do not reverse allergies or asthma, but reversal is possible when T cell skewing is corrected.

Photo credit: Flickr user jfl1066

It is not just the elderly that have aging skin, there are young with skin that is lacking in vitality and so these tips are useful no matter what your age.

What to do, to care for our skin and body, as we grow older?

Smell the flowers. Enjoy life. Happiness is a state of mind. Youth is not an age but a sensation and choice. Be grateful for yourself. Don’t hate yourself, you are precious, wonderfully made and unique. You ROCK!

Avoid sugar. The US seems to have a love affair with sugar and sweeteners, yet ironically Botox and face lifts are on the increase! Sugar disrupts the collagen in the skin and a study reported in 2007 that the spike in our blood sugar, when eating sugar creates havoc, and a process called glycation, which is when the sugar reacts with our skin’s collagen and can make the skin tough and inflexible.

Eat Fat. We need fat for cell communication, thus we need to eat healthy fats; coconut oil, butter, olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lard and dripping. If we eat a ‘low fat diet’ often one will be deficient in fats that our body, so desperately, needs.  According to Dr. Mary Enig in her book “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” and Bruce Fife in his book “The Coconut Oil Miracle”, coconut oil topically applied helps minimize wrinkles.

Avoid Trans fats. While saturated fats help prevent wrinkles, unsaturated actually contribute to wrinkles and trans fats are thought to be a cause of all manner of other detrimental health conditions. Unsaturated fats (vegetable oils) are, very often, rancid (deodorizing removes the rancid smell!) and contain free-radicals which can do a lot of damage in the body, including promoting wrinkles.

Sleep! My number one beauty tip is get some sleep!

Sleep is vital for rejuvenation of the skin and cell renewal of the whole body.  Bed is not wasted time, it is vital to relax, renew and restore.  Benjamin Franklin was right when he said “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Avoid synthetic chemical skincare. Many conventional skin care ranges contain toxic ingredients which are thought to promote wrinkles. Using organic plants and oils, which feed and nourish the skin, has been a nurturing practice used for centuries. Rose essential oil, rosehip oil and olive oil are all great to nourish the skin, at night.  Nettle is thought to darken the hair naturally, and apple cider vinegar is a natural hair tonic.

So here is to loving life, sleeping more and enjoying real butter!

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5

Photo credit: Flickr user tommerton2010

As you can imagine, with this mindset it’s been challenging for me to put a plan into place for getting physically fit before I become pregnant. Here are some of the areas that I’ve been exploring for the past month:

Motivation

I finally have motivation on my side. I am highly motivated to get in shape before becoming pregnant because I want to feel strong and continue to be physically active through my pregnancy. I’m deeply inspired by other pregnant women who are out in the world, doing the things that I’d like to do when I’m pregnant. The other thing that motivates me is FUN. It’s imperative that I find an activity that I enjoy and the fact that it can also be considered exercise is just an added bonus. More on that below.

Language

I decided to take a closer look at the language I was using when thinking or speaking about exercise. The power behind ones choice of words is often underestimated. I quickly realized that I was using dis-empowering language. I always coupled any form of exercise (even the ones I enjoyed) with words like: should, have to, or need to. While these words might motivate some people, I find them completely dis-empowering. I decided to make a conscious effort to use more empowering language and started to use words like: want, could, can. Think about it for a minute… what sentence do you find more motivating? “I should go for a walk” or “I want to go for a walk.”

Activity

If you’re wanting to stay active and physically strengthen your body it’s so important that you find an activity that you truly enjoy. When you do, it’s so much easier to choose empowering language and keep your motivation high. I’ve come to the conclusion that for the most part I don’t like to do things that are classified as exercise. Upon some further exploration I realized a few things about myself that will impact my choice in activity:

1. I get bored easily. Workout DVD’s are great for the first week or two but I quickly lose interest because it’s the same routine and I know exactly what’s coming next.

2. I like to explore new things and I love adventure.

3. I love being outdoors, especially when I’m in harmony with nature.

This might seem like a really simple list but I had a few “ah-ha” moments.