3 important tips to keep in mind!

1. Rest. In addition to getting enough sleep, it is important to take some rest days. Working out too much for too long can lead to overtraining syndrome.
2. Cross Train.In addition to helping reduce workout boredom, cross-training allows you to get a full body workout without overstressing certain muscle groups.
3. Dress properly.This includes using appropriate safety equipment for your sports, choosing proper footwear, and clothing that wicks sweat and helps keep you cool and dry. Read more about how to layer clothing for cold weather exercise.

Keep these 5 tips in mind for a good workout!

1. A few initial sessions may be all you need.
2. Warm up slowly.A proper, gradual warm up goes a long way to prevent injuries. The warm up can consist of walking, jogging or simply doing your regular activity at a snail’s pace.
3. Don’t workout on empty.While you don’t want to exercise immediately after eating a large meal, eating about 2 hours before exercise can help fuel your exercise and help you avoid bonking during your workout.
4. Drink before you exercise.Dehydration can kill your performance, so stay well hydrated. Try to drink 16 oz. of water in the two hours before your workout and then take in water during your workout to replace any lost fluids.
5. Listen to your body.If you experience any sharp pain, weakness or light-headedness during exercise, pay attention. This is your body’s signal that something is wrong and you should stop exercise. Pushing through acute pain is the fastest way to develop a severe or chronic injury. If you don’t feel well, you should take some time off until your body heals.

Aggressive Efforts Needed To Curb Maternal Obesity, Expert Urges

Most women get it - smoking and drinking don't mix with pregnancy, but not so with excess weight before and during pregnancy. Physicians need to be aggressively counseling women about the importance of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight, according to Temple University obstetrician-gynecologist, Vani Dandolu, M.D.

In a recent analysis, Dandolu and colleagues found that obesity, increasingly common in pregnant women, raises the risks to mother and baby. Overweight and obese pregnant women are at higher risk of C-Section, and less likely to breastfeed, while their children are at higher risk of high birth weight and childhood obesity. Specifically, over half of the overweight and obese women gained excessive weight during pregnancy. Further over half of the obese women had a C-section, almost twice the rates of women who were normal BMI (body mass index) before pregnancy.

"While public education campaigns have increased the awareness of adverse effects of smoking and alcohol during pregnancy, there is limited public awareness regarding the harmful effects of high BMI during pregnancy," Dandolu said.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that pregnancy weight gain be modified according to pre-pregnancy weight. But Dandolu and colleagues go further recommending that both pre-pregnancy weight and weight gain during pregnancy need to be controlled, stating, "Maternal obesity is a well known risk factor for obesity and chronic disease in childhood and starting pregnancy at ideal body weight will have far reaching benefits."

The researchers offer the following recommendations:
Body mass index should be measured as part of vital signs at routine annual check-ups and all women of child bearing age should be counseled to achieve and maintain optimal BMI.
Preconception counseling programs should include education regarding the poor maternal and perinatal outcomes among the obese and overweight.

Women with high BMI planning a pregnancy should be counseled to participate in intensive nutrition programs aimed to achieve optimum BMI prior to conception.
Encouraging breastfeeding can partially help to decrease childhood obesity and also help mother to return quickly to pre-pregnancy weight.
The Institute of Medicine recommends the following range of weight gain for pregnancy based on pre-pregnancy BMI:

For underweight women with a BMI of less than 19.8, a weight gain during pregnancy of 28-40 pounds is recommended.
For normal weight women with a BMI between 19.8 and 26 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 25-35 pounds.
For overweight women with a BMI between 26.1 and 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 15-25 pounds.

For obese women with a BMI greater than 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is about 15 pounds.

In the study, published in the May 2007 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology, Dandolu and colleagues analyzed information from a sample of 7660 women using the New Jersey state Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System database: 18 percent of mothers were obese, 13 percent were overweight and 16 percent were underweight. Black non-Hispanic mothers were more likely to be obese and overweight than white non-Hispanic mothers. U.S.-born mothers were more likely to be obese and overweight than foreign-born mothers. And older women who'd previously given birth were more likely to be obese than younger women who had not.

The study is among the first to show a correlation between high pre-pregnancy weight, excessive pregnancy weight gain and post-partum consequences.
"Maternal obesity: Can pregnancy weight gain modify risk of selected adverse pregnancy outcomes?" by *Neetu J. Jaina, BHMS MPH, Charles E. Denka, PHD Lakota K. Kruse, MD MPH, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, MCH Epidemiology Program, Vani Dandolu, MD., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital, appears in American Journal of Perinatology, 2007

Is it safe to lose wiight while breastfeeding?

You can breastfeed and lose weight at the same time if you do it slowly. Don't expect any miracle cures; plan on it taking at least 10 months to a year to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight.Losing weight gradually through healthy, low-fat eating and moderate exercise is important. Losing weight too quickly releases toxins (PCBs and pesticides) that are stored in your body fat into the bloodstream, which, in turn, increases the amount in the milk supply.Don't think that you must wean your baby in order to lose weight. In fact, breastfeeding makes it easier to lose the excess weight because your body uses the stored energy in fat to make milk.

Help with postpartum weight loss

Postpregnancy weight loss is such a tough one! Many women encounter the same problems as you have. Not only do they have extra weight to deal with, it is not so easy to get exercise or to eat right because of the additional demands on them. That just seems to compound the problem.
The first thing you need to do is to try to deal with this positively. You have every right to be proud of that extra weight, it was there for a reason. Losing it will take time. In fact, the slower the weight loss, the healthier you will be -- and the more apt the weight is to stay off. So, think positive! And, decide that you may have to adapt to a different body image, even when your weight does come back down.

The main battle you are fighting right now is one of metabolism. The human body is amazingly adaptable to many conditions in order to survive. In times of calorie deprivation, it will slow down its metabolic rate in order to conserve energy. By reducing your calories to as low as 1,000, you have sent your body into this mode. Exercise should help counter that effect to a certain extent.

You did not mention how much, or what type of exercise you are doing, but it is my guess that it is not intensive enough to offset the "starvation mode" you have gone into.
It sounds a little counterintuitive, but what you need to do is increase your calorie consumption (to at least 1,500 calories, if not more) while simultaneously increasing the intensity and duration of your exercise. You also need to add some weight training to your program in order to build muscle.

Muscle operates at a much higher metabolic rate than fat and so burns calories all day long. Not only that, it makes you feel terrific and helps to firm up those body parts that may have become a little lax during the past few months. Your exercise should consist of 30 to 60 minutes of sweat-producing, heart-pounding, deep-breathing aerobic activity as many days a week as possible (but at least four) and should include weight-lifting exercises for all major muscle groups at least three times a week.

I recognize that finding that kind of time can be very difficult. Perhaps you can have a neighborhood teen come into your home after school for an hour to keep an eye on the baby while you go out for a run or work out on a stationary bike. If your budget isn't too tight, one of those baby strollers that you can push while running may be a good way for you to get out with your baby. Perhaps there are other moms who you can do some baby-sitting trades with. Of course, if you are at work full-time, you are even under more constraints. Perhaps you can get out at lunch hour? Whatever efforts you make, you will be well-rewarded for. Expect change to be gradual, but it will probably be permanent.

I'll bet that after a few months of an invigorating exercise program you will wonder how you ever did without it, both physically and mentally.

Increasing your calories will not only help to lift your metabolism, it will better ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you need. If you are just starting your family, and this is baby number one, and you are planning on having another, it is important that you keep your nutritional health in top-notch shape.

Although vitamin supplements should never be an excuse for not eating properly, they are a good idea to augment the diet of a women who is in her active, childbearing years. A one-per-day multiple vitamin supplement that meets 100 percent of your daily requirements would be a good addition to your weight-loss program.

Weight gain during pregnancy

The average weight gain during pregnancy is between 25 to 35 pounds. During the birth, new moms shed about 12.5 to 14 pounds, leaving about 12 to 21 pounds of excess weight to be lost during the postpartum period. In addition, some new moms may gain an extra 10-12 pounds during pregnancy, due to various medical conditions, in which case there will be more postpartum weight for them to lose in order to regain their pre-pregnancy figure.

What to Expect in the First Few Weeks

Urinary or fecal incontinence. The stretching of your muscles during delivery can cause you to inadvertently pass urine when you cough, laugh, or strain or may make it difficult to control your bowel movements, especially if a lengthy labor preceded a vaginal delivery.
"After pains." The shrinking of your uterus can cause contractions that worsen when your baby nurses or when you take medication to reduce bleeding.

Vaginal discharge (lochia). Heavier than your period and often containing clots (sometimes golf-ball sized), vaginal discharge gradually fades to white or yellow and stops within 2 months.

Weight. Your postpartum weight will probably be about 10 pounds (the weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid) below your full-term weight, before additional water weight drops off within the first week as your body regains its sodium balance.

3 tips to a safe workout!
Have a routine physical.Visit you doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Any new activity can stress your body. If you have undiagnosed heart disease or other conditions, you should modify your exercise accordingly. Your doctor can let you know what your limits might be and suggest an appropriate amount of exercise for you.
Gradually increase time and intensity.When starting an exercise program, many people have lots of enthusiasm initially, and go too hard, too soon. Begin with moderate exercise of about 20 minutes, 3 times a week and gradually build upon this.
Visit a personal trainer.If you just don’t know what to do or where to begin, a good trainer will get you started safely and help you learn enough to work out on your own if you choose

Look for this!

Here's what the American College of Sports Medicine says to look for when selecting a stair stepper:
• Rails: Your stepper should have side rails, a rail in the front, and/or moving posts on the sides to help you keep your balance.
• Smooth, independent stepping action: Pushing one step down shouldn't push the other up. Dependent step platforms (pushing one step down moves the other up) don't work both legs as well.
• Safety: Solid construction and a stable frame are important, so the unit won't tip over. • Electronic display: Your stair-stepper's computer console should, at minimum, display heart rate, calories burned, distance climbed, rate of speed, and intensity level. You can buy stair steppers with more sophisticated training programs, but you don't really need those for a basic exercise routine.