Posts Tagged ‘Women’

Most women can’t compete with the images we see all around us – from sexy, beautiful young models on magazine covers to gorgeous, hot middle aged housewives who call themselves desperate. This leads many of us to believe that these women have tools available to them that the rest of us don’t. To this I say “Not so, my friend.”

You see, so many women blame their weight on the fact that they’ve had children. Well, guess what – having babies doesn’t make you fat. Sure, you may gain some weight during pregnancy, and in some cases it can even be close to 100 pounds, but the majority of women have the ability to lose all of their “baby fat” within a year of giving birth.

If you’ve had children and have not lost all of your weight, or perhaps continue to gain weight, unless you have a medical condition contributing to your current size, there’s only one reason you may weigh more than you’d like, and it’s quite a simple explanation: You’re eating too much and moving too little – period. It’s that simple. You see, if you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume.

Depending on your age, you may be thinking that weight loss is impossible because you’re getting older and noticing a large amount of flab around your mid-section. If this is an accurate scenario in your case, I’ll cut you some slack because there’s a legitimate reason for women gaining weight as they get older. As you approach the menopausal years, your hormone levels decline, which will result in most women noticing a spare tire even if they’re not overeating. So, what’s the solution?

No matter what your age, if you’re overweight you must cut your caloric intake and get more physical activity. For more mature women – those approaching forty and beyond – it’s crucial to build muscle because as you approach menopause your body loses muscle mass, as well as bone density. We all need muscle to burn calories so it’s important to perform weight bearing exercises to achieve a lean and toned body.

If you’re a woman who wants to lose weight, please know that you can easily achieve this goal. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had several children or even if you’re getting older and approaching menopause. If you pay attention to what you’re eating and exercise regularly, you will have the body you desire and before you know it you’ll be excitedly slipping into that smaller size dress you’ve been dreaming about.

On average, a mother gains 25-35 pounds during maternity. During giving birth, mothers typically lose 12-14 pounds- so there are 12-21 pounds left. It pays to lose this weight permanently:

“It’s very critical that you do get the weight off, because if you don’t it has been associated with overweight and obesity 15 to 20 years later in life,” says Debra Krummel, PhD, RD (endowed professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences).

Many women want to get their pre-pregnancy weight back as soon as possible- and that’s understandable. However, don’t be too overeager. Life modifies after giving birth- a baby typically comes with new responsibilities and problems, making it tougher to follow through on your programs to lose weight. Your position can be really stressful. All your vitality might be needed. Allow yourself a 3-month recovery period after giving birth.

If you are a new mother, you might face a lot of problems when it comes to regular exercise. Some common issues are:

The schedule is erratic- The feeding schedule (including night time feeds) might vary always, making it difficult to plan anything.

You might get only a couple of minutes for yourself before you need to do something else. If you are used to do your exercise without interruption, you might have to rethink your approach: Several short-term bursts of physical activity can serve you too and are easier to squeeze into your schedule. Keep the exercise program easy. The most crucial thing is, that you really do what you plan to do.

You might go through emotional ups and downs, related to changes in the endocrine system. Just as a short reminder: Exercise will assist you to feel better. Even if you do not feel like exercising, try to do it as much as doable.

Guilt- You might concentrate all your attention on your child. But: You’ll be better able to care for your baby if you are strong and healthy. Try to get some time for yourself.

Different schedule of your support group- If you’re used to work out with a friend, it might be impossible to schedule now. What frequently helps is to find other mothers and exercise together.

Exhaustion and fatigue- particularly if you’re nursing, you might not feel as energetic as you’ve used to. Of course, since breast feeding needs about 500 additional calories per day, it helps you to lose weight after your pregnancy. Your energy might be lower. Assess your energy level and only do what you can do at a given moment.

Just remember: It needed 9 months to increase the weight; give yourself at least the identical time to lose weight after pregnancy.

I’m not pregnant myself, but I was just curious how women from older times [before pregnancy tests as we know them today existed] found out they were “expecting”??

Random question but I was just curious! Thanks