To stay fit and firm during your pregnancy and banish wobbly fat and cellulite forever? 

To nurture a healthy and happy baby? 

To have an easy labour? 

To have an even better figure after pregnancy than before you started? 

OK, well that’s four, but hey, who’s counting?! Well, no sooner said than done, your wish is my command! Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your pregnancy fitness program and guarantee your pregnancy health and happiness: 

1) Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition! 

Good pregnancy nutrition really is the foundation of a successful Pregnancy Health & Fitness program. There is still the common belief that if you exercise properly you can eat pretty much what you like, but this is so wrong! Exercise only counts for 20%, your pregnancy diet is 80%. You really are what you eat and now, your baby is too! 

To keep the pregnancy pounds and cellulite at bay you should be eating from clean, wholesome, nutrient dense foods 90% of the time. This means avoiding processed foods like the plague and giving a wide berth to sugar, wheat and processed dairy. Base your pregnancy diet around fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh organic animal proteins (like corn fed chicken, grass fed beef and organic eggs) and whole non-wheat grains (like oats, rye, quinoa and buckwheat). 

2) We are 70% water! 

Water is essential for a healthy thriving baby and pregnant women are terrible at drinking enough of it, (probably something to do with having to pee every 2 seconds!). The volume of your amniotic fluid is completely dependent on how much water you drink. If you don’t drink enough (even if you are only 500ml short) your amniotic fluid will decrease. Amniotic fluid protects your baby from shock, nourishes him through the nutrients held in it, and develops your baby’s lungs – he must inhale and exhale the fluid for the tissues to form properly. 

Use this formula to work out what you should be drinking: Body Mass (lbs) / 50 = X litres water per day. 

3) Pregnancy Specific Exercise: Resistance Training 

Resistance training during pregnancy is a must! Your pregnant body is going to change dramatically over the next 9 months or so and to make sure you don’t suffer with nasty aches and pains like pregnancy back pain you need be strong enough to deal with the extra load your baby will put on you. 

Strength training also prepares your body for the intense physicality of labour. The stronger and fitter you are the eaiser your labour will be! 

Lastly, resistance training builds lean muscle and lean muscle is your metabolism. If you want to stay in shape and avoid piling on pregnancy pounds and losing your body to a mass of wobbly fat and saggy cellulite then strength training is the ONLY way to do it! 15 minutes of short burst resistance training 3 x per week is plenty to keep you fit and firm and ready to get beck into your skinny jeans just days after your baby is born! 

4) Pregnancy Specific Exercise: Interval Training 

The most effective way to do your cardio during pregnancy is to interval train. Long, boring cardio sessions that take 30 minutes or more are a waste of time and will leave you feeling overtired without any results! 

Interval training is short, sweet and to the point and will rev up your metabolism long after your 15 minutes is up. So to keep your metabolism working for the next 24 hours focus on 60 seconds of moderately-high intensity work followed by 60 seconds of very light activity and repeat for 6 complete rounds. 

Don’t forget to warm up and cool down! 

5) Get some sleep! 

Your body is going through some pretty intense activity right now as you create another human being inside of you, so make sure you are kind to yourself and you get enough rest. Your body undergoes physical repair and regeneration whilst you sleep and balances your hormones, so if you want to stay calm, happy and full of energy then take a nap in the middle of your day and get to bed by 1030pm at the latest every night. 

6) Bond with your baby 

Even if you are still in the very early stages of pregnancy your baby is part of you and no matter how small she is, she will know when you are thinking of her. Spend at least 10 minutes before bed every night connecting with your baby and telling her about your day, the people you met, the places you visited and the things you saw. 

7) Breathe! 

Spend 10 minutes a day doing your abdominal breathing. This will de-stress and relax your mind, increase your circulation and oxygen flow to your baby, stimulate the release of endorphins (feel-good hormones) and train your deep core abdominal muscles for an easy labour and a flat post-natal belly! 

So how many of your wishes are coming true now? 

If you got all 7 then great – you are probably looking and feeling great and loving every minute of your pregnancy! You got all your wishes! 

If you got 5 then you’re doing pretty good, but with just a couple of little tweaks and you could be feeling vibrant, glowing and gorgeous all the time!

You got just 2 of your wishes. 

If you got 3 or less, then it’s definitely time to do something about it! All the exhaustion, nausea, pregnancy acne and pregnancy aches and pains must be getting you down by now, so why not take action today? In just 7 simple steps you could have all your pregnancy dreams come true! 

About the Author:
Nisha Obaidullah is the UK’s leading Pregnancy Fitness and Lifestyle Conditioning Coach. To grab your place on her 14 Day Free Pregnancy Fitness Coaching Program which guarantees to get you in the best shape of your adult life whilst pregnant, go to ==> http://www.the9monthclub.com/start.

The first time you walk into a fitness gym it also can be very intimidating. There are so many decisions to make and the choices are many.  There is a full slate of fitness classes to choose from and there is a well-stocked gym with trainers at your disposal. It’s hard to know what to do to meet your needs. 

Let’s look at what most gyms offer and what is best for you.  Most gyms offer group exercise classes under a variety of categories. There’s fitness in a boot camp style, dance classes like aerobics, there’s mind/body (yoga, Pilates) and muscular conditioning where weights are used with the exercises. Usually the classes are 30 to 90 minutes long and offered two or three times a week and included in the price of your membership. Intensity varies depending on the instructor who demonstrates the exercises giving cues on proper execution. Exercisers follow along with their own intensity. 

The plus about this is that a group setting can be a motivating factor as can the instructor. This is also good for beginners who might not know the difference between certain exercises and how to perform them properly. There’s usually a wide variety of classes to choose from so the experienced exerciser can always find a new and fresh workout. 

The negative is that these group sessions are made up of mostly women and so men might feel out of place. These classes are designed for many and so individual needs might not be met. 

A new format is small groups of three to six people working out. This is similar to the large group in that there is an instructor but here the instructor will also spend some one-on-one time coaching during the actual session. Classes are usually 60 to 90 minutes long, two or three times a week and offer specialized exercise equipment like barbells and even treadmills. You might have to pay an extra fee to take this type of class. 

The positive about this group can be motivation from being pushed by those around you without getting lost in the crowd. There is more interaction with the instructor and so more control and probably better results as far as reaching your goals. 

The negatives are that it costs extra and there are fewer options as far as the type of class you take. Because the group is small you need to get along with the others in the group. 

There is personal training, which means one-on-one training with a personal trainer who sets up and individual routine for you based on your fitness level and goals. Working with a trainer lets you use more equipment and sessions are usually 60 minutes long. 

The positives of this type of training are that you are held accountable and your program is especially made to suit your fitness needs and goals. You will get to know your trainer personally and this can help you to achieve greater results faster. 

The negatives are that it can be costly ($50 to $100 per hour). There is also the risk that your trainer might not be as knowledgeable as they should be leaving exercisers feeling they did not get what they paid for. 

You could go solo as there are cardio machines, weight training machines and lots of free weights to choose from. You are left on your own to reach your fitness goals any way you want to. 

The positive here is that you can workout whenever you want and for as long as you want to. You can use your own workout and do it on your own timetable. Hook up your MP3 player and play your tunes to get you motivated. 

The negatives are that you need to be disciplined. There is no supervision and so poor technique is not usually corrected and can result in poor performance or injury. There are times when the gym is busy and so you might have to wait for that special piece of equipment you want to use. 

About the Author:
Walter Derksen. Exercise and fitness is something we all can do and we all can fit in if we just look for the proper program that will best suit our needs. There are many programs available to those who want to get fit with exercise and healthy eating. You can get started with a complete workout routine by clicking http://www.loseweightgetfitforcouples.com.

One method of increasing one’s ability to gain muscle is to implement H.I.T. This acronym represents high intensity training. This type of training favors low volume workouts done at a very high level of intensity. With this type of training a much fewer number of exercise sets is done when compared with typical bodybuilding workout routines. But the sets are done at a very high level of intensity. A typical bodybuilding chest routine would be as follows: 

Bench Press – four sets, ten reps

Incline Press – four sets, ten reps

Flyes – four sets, ten reps

Dips – four sets, ten reps 

No intensity building techniques would be added to this routine the sets would be done to an approximately ninety percent of failure level of intensity. An H.I.T. workout implemented by me would look like this: 

Incline Dumbbell Press – two sets, five to eight reps

Incline Dumbbell Fly – two sets, eight reps

Machine Fly – two sets, eight reps 

Each set of this workout would be extended using a technique called rest pause. Rest pause technique involves taking the initial set to momentary muscle failure and then pausing fifteen seconds and completing as many reps as possible with the same weight. This technique pushes each set well beyond momentary muscle failure and works the muscle in a more complete manner. 

I have found that using these techniques greatly increases the productiveness of each workout as far as creating greater muscle mass and improved shape. Less sets means shorter workouts which create superior results. 

Increasing protein intake to two grams of protein for each pound of body weight never fails to improve a trainee’s response to workouts. I have written a number of articles touting the benefits of high protein diets for weight loss and muscle gain. Many people do not know that if in adequate levels of protein are consumed, it is very possible for bodybuilding workouts to actually cause muscle mass loss. Many people who workout regularly make no progress specifically because they do not eat enough protein to repair the breakdown in muscle tissue that occurs from their workouts, thus their physiques do not improve. Ignoring adequate protein consumption causes many to spin their wheels at the gym. 

Utilizing nutritional supplements that can improve the rate of recovery from exercise is another way to improve training results. I will make only a few recommendations in this article with respect to supplements. One supplement I have found to really help with muscle recovery is creatine.

I have some of my clients take two to five grams of creatine twice per day with one creatine dose coming without fail immediately after the workout. I have seen excellent results from this simple, inexpensive supplement. Creatine is not for everybody however; its use would be contraindicated in those individuals whose primary goal is to lose weight. Creatine is more ideally suited to those individuals who are interested in increasing strength and muscle mass.

I also, without fail, always recommend to all trainees, multivitamin and multimineral supplements. Most people do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, and raw foods to cover their minimum daily requirements for vitamins and minerals, therefore use of these simple, inexpensive supplements almost always improve metabolic functioning and increases the rate of recovery from exercise. 

In closing, I hope the information given in this article helps readers to improve the productivity of their exercise programs. 

About the Author:
Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer Joe Kozma is a master trainer with over twenty years of experience. Joe is former national bodybuilding champion and college football player. Joe’s fitness and weight loss service provides body makeovers, body sculpting, strength gain, and more. See his

client’s results at his Fort Lauderdale Fitness website at http://www.joekozma.com.

So let’s take a closer look. 

What is plantar fasciitis? Simply stated, it is inflammation of the ligament that holds up your arch, also known as your plantar fascia. 

What causes heel pain or plantar fasciitis?  Most experts agree that plantar fasciitis is caused by too much stretching of the plantar fascia, usually because of excessive pronation or flattening of the arch of your foot while you walk. Some people just have excessive stretch because they have flat feet. Others have really high arches and their fascia is under a lot of stress in normal walking. Some are just too heavy. It can be triggered by an injury like simply falling off a curb, excessive stress by a new exercise program, poorly supporting shoes, and many other increases in stress like a new job or carrying heavy objects. There is even one theory that states that plantar fasciitis is caused by weakening of the muscles of our feet from wearing shoes all of our lives. Hmm. Will have to look at that a little closer in the biomechanics lab. 

Why does it afflict so many people? Let’s think…oh yeah…most of the United States is overweight. Most people choose absolutely awful shoes to wear due to their sense of fashion. Slaves to fashion usually have painful feet! And the flip flop phenomenon has accelerated the epidemic! Those that aren’t fat and in poor shoes are usually crazy obsessive exercise-aholics. 

Now that we know why it seems that everyone suffers from heel pain at some point in their lives, how can we treat it without breaking the bank? Let’s start simple. Better, more supportive shoes are the key to success. Arch supports if the shoes aren’t enough. You need to stop the stress that caused the arch to strain in the first place. Then treat the inflammation with over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, if you can tolerate them, and lots and lots of ice. Slow down. (That’s tough for more people) And gently stretch the arch of your foot and your Achilles tendon. 

When should you seek medical attention? If you have arch and heel pain for more than three or four weeks, and you have done the simple things to alleviate the pain; it’s time to see your podiatrist. Not time to go to the shoe store and spend a bizillion dollars on off-the-shelf inserts and funky “proven to work” shoes. Not time to go to the pharmacy for hundreds of dollars worth of gadgets and creams. Time to see your podiatrist, who is the expert in heel pain. 

How will your podiatrist treat your heel pain? Every case of plantar fasciitis is different, but some standards of care do exist for treatment protocols for heel pain. First order of business: You need to rule out anything else by taking an x-ray to make sure it’s not a stress fracture or tumor in your heel bone. A physical exam is also needed to assess why you have heel pain. 

Then your podiatrist will usually assess your shoes and possible prescribe arch supports or orthotics if your need them. An injection or two of an anti-inflammatory into the heel is often used to break the pain cycle. Physical therapy is also often helpful. A night splint or brace is sometimes used. And if all else fails, you may be put in a cast to rest the area. 

Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to suffer from plantar fasciitis forever. Most patients (>85%) will get better with aggressive conservative treatment. It is tedious and frustrating, but the diligence and consistency in the treatment protocol yields excellent results. 

Here is the bottom line: if you seek the attention of your podiatrist early, you will get better faster and your treatment will not break the bank. Procrastinators will end up spending a lot more money and the chance of needing surgery to alleviate your pain goes way up! 

About the Author:
Dr Marybeth Crane is a board certified podiatric foot and ankle surgeon specializing in sports medicine. Your feet should last a lifetime! For more foot health tips, a copy of her new book If Your Running Feet Could Talk and doctor-approved foot care products, visit http://www.faant.com%20/ or read her blog at http://www.myrundoc.com/blog.aspx Your body will thank you!

For people who live in chronically warmer states, such as we are in Houston, TX, it is essential to try and get your runs done in the early in the morning or later at night in order to avoid the heat of the day. However if you are stuck running in the hot weather, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the hotter it is the more your body must work to cool you down by producing sweat.

Sweating takes up energy, causing you to tire more quickly and lose fluids and electrolytes more rapidly, making it essential to replenish your fluid levels during and after runs. Increased heat also causes your feet to become moister in your shoes which can cause blisters. Make sure that on hot days you are wearing extra moisture-wicking socks to prevent your feet from blistering. 

Besides the temperature, another weather factor that can impact your performance is rain. How rain impacts performance really depends on the amount of rain. If there is a light drizzle coming down on you while you run then the cooling effect of the moisture on your body can actually help enhance your performance. If the precipitation is more extreme, leading to conditions where you are getting totally drenched, then your performance is going to be hindered for a couple of  reasons. First, your performance suffers during heavy rain because, whether consciously or not, you run more cautiously in order to prevent slipping on the wet surface that you are running on. Also, heavy rain can get your clothing so wet that you can develop blisters very quickly which can become painful. Some of the most common places to develop blisters from rain are on your feet, between your thighs, and around a woman’s sports bra. 

Although Mother Nature is not so kind as to provide 53 degrees cloudy running weather every day, there are some ways to make sure your run goes as smoothly as possible for the conditions that you face while running. The easiest way to make sure that the temperature does not negatively

impact your performance is to plan ahead and anticipate any obstacles that the weather may provide. 

About the Author:
Dr.Andrew Schneider is a podiatrist in private practice in Houston, TX. He is dedicated to maintaining the health and safety of the feet of athletes and to return them to their sport as soon as possible after injury. For more information about foot health in sports, informative videos, and to order Dr. Schneider’s FREE book, visit http://www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com/cond/spor.htm and his blog http://www.HoustonRunDoc.com.

Do you have arch or heel pain? Do you feel a sharp stabbing pain in your heel with the first step you take in the morning? Is it getting worse every day, especially the morning after a run? It may be plantar fasciitis or heel spur syndrome. 

It may not even hurt while you are running, but it hurts enough in the morning and at the end of the day to cause concern. What happens with this inflammatory condition is that it warms up quickly in the morning, but when you sit down for a while, it tightens up again. Then when you get back up and take that first step, the pain starts all over again. 

Does this sound familiar? It’s important to have your heel pain evaluated by a foot specialist to diagnose your problem correctly. Other conditions can have symptoms very similar to those of plantar fasciitis, such as a stress fracture, tarsal tunnel syndrome, a bone tumor, and sciatica. X-rays as well as a complete podiatric exam, including gait analysis and biomechanical measurements, will rule out most other diagnoses and confirm your diagnosis. 

What should you do now? Start simple. First, take a look at your running shoes. Are they worn out? Are they the right kind for your foot type? Are you running in cross-trainers or walking shoes? If you’re not sure, consult a foot specialist. Even if your shoes seem to fit well, you may still need help. A podiatrist can make custom made orthotics to place in your running shoes to give you that extra support that some foot types need to be pain-free. 

Next, apply ice or Biofreeze to the area for about fifteen minutes at least twice a day to decrease inflammation. Also, do not forget to do your stretching before every run. Stretch the arch of your foot and the Achilles tendon. Finally, decrease your running a little while you are healing from this condition. You can do any of the following: slow down, run shorter distances, take walk breaks, and run only on even surfaces. 

If you feel any sharp pains or tearing during running, stop immediately. It could be a plantar fascial tear which will really affect your running and may cause you to stop running altogether for at least two months. If these things don’t help, it’s time to see a podiatrist! 

Advanced podiatric treatments for plantar fasciitis combined with rest, night splints, anti-inflammatories, injections, physical therapy, and orthotics may be necessary to treat your heel pain effectively. Conservative treatment is usually all that is needed, with about 85% of the patients reporting relief of symptoms. Surgery is rarely indicated. The longer you wait to seek professional help, the more likely you will need invasive treatment or even surgery to control your heel pain. 

Don’t let heel pain slow you down! It is treatable, and you will be able to continue to run. The key is early effective treatment. 

About the Author:
This article was written by Dr. Michele S. Colon, DPM, MS, a graduate of UC Berkeley and Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Colon is located in El Monte, CA. Her website can be found at http://www.footdoc.moogo.com/. Her online store at can be found at http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/Colon. She has written a book Your Feet are NOT Supposed to Hurt! which can be found at http://www.footdoc.moogo.com/6.