Monday, April 14, 2008

Maintaining Women's Fitness Through Pregnancy

When it comes to fitness, men and women often approach it in much the same way combining cardiovascular exercise with weight training and core work. For men, who often wish to build more muscle than their female counterparts, weight training may take a more prevalent role in their fitness routine. For women, who often wish to burn fat and create lean muscle, core work such as pilates or yoga may take a front seat. But the one way that womens fitness differs from mens fitness is the accommodation for pregnancy during a workout.

There are plenty of women who choose to continue their exercise regime after discovering they are pregnant. And while exercise during a healthy pregnancy is allowed and encouraged it should be modified to allow for the changes happening in the womans body. Womens fitness in this regard should be measured and thoughtful and always conducted under a doctors care.

First and foremost, you should not begin an exercise regime during pregnancy if you have not already been active. It is one thing to continue with a routine that you have been doing up until now but to jump into something with which youre not familiar at this vulnerable time is not advisable. If you are normally a sedentary person but wish to incorporate some physical fitness into your life during your pregnancy you may want to begin with a walking regime. Walking can get your heart pumping and you can do it at your own pace without putting undue stress on your joints.

For those who have been active in womens fitness up until this point, and are having a healthy pregnancy, you can safely continue your exercise regime with a few moderations. Work with your doctor at all times to ensure that you are in good enough health to continue this program and to help you determine what is enough or too much for your body.

Doctors will generally recommend low-impact exercise during pregnancy; in addition to walking, there is swimming, and stretching exercises such as pilates or modified yoga. The lifting of heavy weights is generally not advisable during pregnancy; nor is high impact exercise that puts stress on joints, abdominal muscles, and back muscles.

Ultimately, womens fitness during pregnancy is about determining what is beneficial to your lifestyle at this particular time to maximize your physical and emotional health, reduce stress, and prepare for healthy pregnancy and delivery.

For easy to understand, in depth information about womens fitness visit our ezGuide 2 Fitness.

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Dealing with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Are you having a difficult time dealing with anxiety and panic attacks? Perhaps it would ease your mind to know that you are not alone. Anxiety is a normal emotional and physiological response when you feel threatened, even if the threat is only imagined.

Your experience of anxiety might range from mild uneasiness or worry to severe panic. At normal levels, a small shot of anxiety can motivate you and enhance your performance, but if anxiety becomes too severe or goes on for long periods of time, it can become debilitating.

So how do you know if what youre experiencing is an actual panic attack? The symptoms are pretty east to spot. Your heart might start to race, perhaps you start to sweat, and you might have a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. Maybe you start to feel dizzy with a stuck feeling in your heart.

While anxiety has never killed anyone directly (no youre heart wont actually stop!), the stress of it can be pretty debilitating at times. In fact dealing with anxiety and panic attacks is exhausting. The stress of it can wear you out. You know you need to relax but when panic occurs relaxation seems impossible.

Well just how do you deal with anxiety and panic attacks? Obviously panic does not really attack. Panic and anxiety are emotional responses not physical attacks. There is no jiu-jitsu for anxiety. But you dont have to live your life in fear and anxiety either. There are many great techniques for dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. You could try yoga, massage, tai chi, or going for a good run. Many people use hobbies to reduce anxiety. For instance, my wife makes artist trading cards and quilts. Some people scrapbook. Anything you can use to take your mind off your problems, again real or imagined.

Some people take medication such as Imipramine or Doxepin. I have to admit, Im not a big fan of using prescription drugs for lifestyle issues. That said, your symptoms might be too severe for natural treatment. If not you might be more inclined to a natural herbal treatment such as L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea. Another one you might try is Valerian extract, a safe and effective natural sedative.

Its important to remember that while panic disorders wont really harm you, they are serious enough that you need to address them. If you go for months and cant get out of your funk, you just may want to consult your doctor. But before things get to that level try learning how to deal with anxiety and panic attacks in a more natural manner.

Stacy Martins is a writer and Mom. She's living anxiety free thanks to a bold new program she found online. For more information please come to http://www.squidoo.com/DealingWithAnxietyAndPanicAttack/ and see how you can rid yourself on your panic attacks.

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