Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Is It Safe To Exercise When You Are Breastfeeding

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Moderate exercise can be very beneficial to women, even nursing mothers. Once your doctor has given you the go ahead, begin exercising on a regular basis. You may need to start up gradually, depending on your level of fitness before your pregnancy. Depending on the healing process following the delivery of your baby, you should be able to resume exercising four to six weeks after the birth of your baby.

If you have some pregnancy weight to lose, you might be surprised to find that breastfeeding mothers lose weight much more rapidly than non-nursing mothers, even while consuming more calories.

  • Plan your exercise routine after nursing so your breasts won’t be full and uncomfortable. Wear a supportive sports bra.
  • Stay hydrated. Drink a glass of water before and immediately after exercising.
  • During hot weather, drink more.
  • If you regularly lift weights or do other exercises involving repetitive arm movement, start slowly.
  • Don’t over do when it comes to exercising while nursing. If you tire easily or the baby needs you, don’t despair, you can exercise again tomorrow. It’s best to take each day at a time.
  • Take walks with your baby. If you carry him in a backpack, his extra weight will use up even more calories.
  • Weather permitting, go for lots of walks – this counts as exercise and gets you out of the house as well.
  • With a mat and a towel, there’s no need to leave baby to get your exercise for the day. Just place baby nearby in a safe carrier or swing and put on some fun music
  • It the weather keeps you inside, try carrying your little one in a sling while you do housework – and try dancing with him. You may feel silly, but he’ll love it and so will you. Nobody will see you, and postpartum mothers are supposed to act a little bit goofy – the technical term is “baby brain”.

Moderate exercise is good for both you and your baby. Try to make it fun so that you’ll stick with your exercise program. Eat anything you want to in moderation, and remember that many mothers lose weight while lactating even without modifying their diet or exercise regimen. You will usually keep about three pounds of extra tissue in your breasts as long as you are nursing, so factor that into your weight loss goals. Enjoy nursing your baby, eat a healthy diet, and you most likely will lose weight while eating more food than you were used to eating before your little one arrived.

Enjoy breastfeeding your baby and take time to get to know your little one. Make exercise a regular part of your life and continue to stay active as your child grows. Not only will you lose weight quickly, you’ll create a healthy happy lifestyle for your family.

Tuna Steaks with Mango Peach Salsa

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These tuna steaks are the cat’s meow. Hopefully, if your cat is around, you can keep his paws off this tempting treat. The tuna is fabulous and the mango peach salsa adds the sweet tangy taste that will make you savor every bite. This recipe serves 4 people and maybe one kitty.

4 fresh tuna steaks
1 jar Paul Newman’s peach or mango salsa
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tbs. fresh lemon

Directions:

Lightly coat unheated broiler pan place fish in pan coat lightly with olive oil, salt & pepper, ground cumin, fresh lemon.
Cook 8 to 10 minutes.
Add salsa, till hot 2 to 4 minutes.
Serve with sweet corn.

Health Benefits:
High in protein and low in saturated fat, the tuna is a great choice for a main meal. The mango and peach are full of vitamins A, C and K and are excellent sources of antioxidants to protect the body from cancer causing free radicals. High in fiber, low in sugar and sodium, this meal is a healthy choice with a great taste.

Pick Parmesan Cheese for A Healthy Choice

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A superior cheese Parmesan contains all the great benefits of milk but in a more concentrated form. High in vitamins and minerals, Parmesan cheese is easily digestible. That’s because the high level of protein contained in this cheese has been pre-digested, making it readily available to the body without having to work so hard at digestion.

This is due to the long aging process required in making Parmesan. As it ages, Parmesan is broken down into peptones, peptides and free amino acids. Containing more protein than lean beef, Parmesan digests in about 45 minutes compared to a 4-hour digestion time for red meat.

Other benefits to the digestion include Parmesan’s ability to promote the development of Bacillus Bifidus, useful for the maintenance of a healthy tummy. It contains no lactose making it a good choice for women who are lactose intolerant or those with gastro-intestinal inflammation.

Many women are afraid to eat cheese because of the fat content. However, it’s fat is a fundamental part of nutrition. Muscular activity is dependent on fatty acids and because of the breakdown that occurs during the ageing of Parmesan, much of the fat is in the form of short-chain fatty acids. Easily absorbed, these compounds supply energy very quickly to the body, much the same way that sugar does.

Parmesan is a healthy choice when a woman is watching her cholesterol. The cholesterol content of Parmesan is only 80 – 85mg/100g, much lower than other full fat cheeses.

The nutritional values of Parmesan are numerous. High in protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B12, Parmesan provides 18%of the daily energy requirements for the average adult woman.

You can eat it shredded over vegetables, sprinkled on bread or popcorn, shave some and eat as an appetizer before your meal. It’s a great way to get your salivary glands working and keeps acid build up from occurring, which sometimes occurs when you get too hungry before a meal.

If you eat snacks during the day, Parmesan is an excellent alternative to other high fat cheese. It’s a good practice to eat a serving of protein at every meal, and because it is easily digestible it makes an excellent choice for a quick snack.

If you are looking for recipes that include the delicious taste of Parmesan see the Healthy Cooking section of Fitness4Her.com. You can get access to a treasure trove of recipes, exercises, an online journal and much much more. But you have to be a member in order to get access. The good news is the membership is free, quick and easy. So join now and get all the tools you need to lose weight and get in shape.

Skating Your Way To Health And Fitness

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Skating is a great way to get maximum benefits from your fitness program. An ideal aerobic activity, skating builds strength, endurance and burns body fat. It can be just as beneficial as running and just as much, if not more fun!

This cardio activity works the muscles in the hips, thighs and shins but can help to deliver fitness benefits to every part of your body. All you need is a pair of skates and someplace to skate. Because you cover a larger amount of ground in the same amount of time as other exercises like running, you might want to find different areas of interest to skate. Some cities have trails that make it easy to walk, jog, skate or cycle. Many of these trails are marked so you know how far you have gone.

Trails work best because they are usually long and move along on a somewhat straight path, crucial to resisting fatigue. Aim for the least amount of curves and turns.

One of the great things about skating is the low impact workout that it provides. Not nearly as hard on aging joints, like knees and ankles, makes it an excellent exercise for any age. It’s an excellent way to tone and tighten your core, as well as your inner and outer thigh muscles.

Choosing a pair of inline skates can be challenging since there are many styles to select from. Examine the top of the shoe and check the straps that keep it snug against your foot. Make sure the heel fits well and that your foot is not slipping around inside the shoe. You’ll want to have plenty of room in the toe box even with a thick sock, but you don’t want it to be too loose.

Check out the wheels, different sized wheels are for different applications. If you haven’t done your homework, ask a sales person to assist you in selecting the correct wheel for the type of skating that you want to do. Tall, skinny wheels are made for speed, while a short, fat wheel will give you more stability. If you are just starting off skating, you might find the short, fat wheel to work better in the beginning, then graduate to a faster wheel.

In addition to the size of the wheel, the bearings have a lot to do with how efficiently the wheel turns. The higher the grade bearing the quicker the wheel turns. Just don’t get fooled by being talked into something you really don’t need.

You’ll also want to consider your safety gear such as knee and elbow pads and a helmet. These can usually be purchased at the same time and place that you buy your skates. It will be an initial investment, but over time, it provides a relatively low-cost method of exercise that renders ultimate benefits.

Salmon, Spinach and Berry Salad

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I had a similar version of this recipe at a party, but could not get the original recipe. I went home and from memory created my own dish. I love to experiment and my family doesn’t mind playing the guinea pig. Use your imagination to make this dish, all yours.

2 Salmon fillets, cooked and chopped, skin removed.
8 cups fresh packed spinach
1 cup strawberries halved
1 cup blueberries
1 11oz. can Mandarin orange section, drained
Handful of walnuts

Directions:

Tear spinach and place in large bowl.
Add salmon pieces.
Add strawberries, blueberries, and Mandarin oranges.
Top with chopped walnuts.

Health Benefits:
Salmon is high in protein and the whole dish is low in saturated fat, calories and cholesterol. Spinach is nutrient rich and a great source of iron. The strawberries, blueberries and Mandarin oranges are full of antioxidants that boost the immune system and arm the body against free-radicals.