Weight Loss After Pregnancy

Sarah is a pregnant mother of three who continues to breast-feed her 18-month-old. After each of her pregnancies, she has had difficulty losing weight. With all of her responsibilities, weight loss isn’t a priority. Still, she wishes that, once this pregnancy is over, she will be able to return to her pre-marriage weight.
The average woman gains more than 25 pounds during her pregnancy. The procedure of childbirth may result in a weight loss of up to 14 pounds, which means that new moms still have considerable weight to lose once they leave the hospital. However, some women simply assume that this “baby fat” will never go away. Yet, it is entirely possible to lose weight during the post-partum period.
A number of medical experts recommend easing into a weight loss program after the birth of your baby. This means that you will not start dieting until about three months following birth. You should combine a low-fat diet with moderate exercise in order to achieve weight loss.
Don’t expect instant results. It will take you a good nine months to get back to your weight prior to pregnancy. A go-slow approach is best because you need to give your body time to recover after childbirth. Certainly, you might be able to lose weight faster, but you might be sacrificing valuable nutrients as a result.
Interestingly enough, breastfeeding actually enhances weight loss. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has found that breastfeeding leads to the release of hormones which enable your uterus to return to its normal size. However, breastfeeding alone won’t bring down your weight. You need to combine it with a sensible diet and a moderate exercise program. Keep in mind that you need to have at least 1800 calories a day while breastfeeding in order to keep yourself and your baby healthy. Still, stay clear of junk food during this period. You should rely on food with high nutritional value to maintain the proper level of calories each day.
There are many good reasons to exercise during the post-partum period. In addition to helping to accelerate weight reduction, exercise can help alleviate post-partum depression, improve your mood, and boost your confidence. Exercise can also “clear your head” so that you’re better able to meet the demands of motherhood. You might consider joining a “Mommy and Me” exercise class so that your baby can exercise right along with you. Another helpful hint is to enlist the help of a friend or relative to act as your exercise buddy so that you’ll have some emotional support while exercising. An added bonus of exercise is that it should boost your energy level, which is quite important when battling the fatigue which comes from caring for a newborn.
Your diet should generally be low-fat but not fat-free; vitamin rich; and high-fiber. Under no circumstances should you go on a fad diet. Such a diet could be quite harmful to your health and could actually slow your recovery from childbirth. It’s a good idea to set weight-loss goals, but don’t go overboard. Recognize that there’s a limit to the amount of weight you can lose during a given period of time.
You may see a number of actress-moms gracing the covers of magazines shortly after the birth of their children. They appear svelte and elegant, totally devoid of baby fat. In the accompanying article, they may even talk about exercising right after childbirth. Such articles send new mothers a dangerous message: that you must do all you can to become thin as quickly as possible after your baby is born. Such a philosophy is not only ridiculous, it’s also unhealthy. As a result, you’ll need to “tune out” such messages from the media and stay the course with your own gradual weight loss plan.
The time right after the birth of a child can be quite challenging, taxing both your physical and emotional strength. While it is certainly a good idea to eat healthy, you’ll need to pace yourself as far as weight loss is concerned. Over time, you should be able to lose the weight you gained during your pregnancy. In fact, you might find that you’re actually healthier after your baby is born.
Summary:

The time right after the birth of a child can be quite challenging. While it is certainly a good idea to eat healthy, you’ll need to pace yourself as far as weight loss is concerned. Over time, you should be able to lose the weight you gained during your pregnancy. It’s a good idea to set weight-loss goals, but don’t go overboard.

by Nishanth

Wrong Sitting Posture Can Cause Back Pain

Sitting up straight? Relax, don't strain your spine
(Straits Times Interactive, 29 Nov)
LONDON - SITTING up straight at your desk may not be good for you.

A new study has found that it puts too much pressure on your spine and contributes to back pain, the BBC reported yesterday.

The best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning slightly back, at about 135 degrees, Scottish and Canadian researchers concluded after testing subjects with the help of a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The research - carried out at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland - involved the scanning of 22 volunteers with healthy backs.

The subjects assumed three different sitting positions: a slouching position, in which the body is hunched forward as if they were leaning over a desk or a video game console, an upright 90-degree sitting position; and a 'relaxed' position where they leaned back slightly, at about 135 degrees, while their feet remained on the floor.

The researchers then measured spinal-disc movements across the different positions. Such movements occur when weight-bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing the discs to move out of place.

Disc movement was found to be most pronounced with a 90-degree upright sitting posture and least with the 135-degree one.

Dr Waseem Bashir of the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, who led the study, said: 'We were not created to sit down for long hours, but somehow modern life requires the vast majority of the global population to work in a seated position.



'The best position for our backs is arguably lying down, but this is hardly practical.'

Heart Rate Monitor Gadget for Run

Runners used gizmos to help him run better. One of the item is the heart rate monitor.Running is a hi-tech sport.

Mr Murugiah Rameshon, 41, is a marathoner, he holds the SEA Games national record since 1995.
'I'm strongly for the use of technology,' says Mr Rameshon, who is introducing the use of heart rate monitors into the training programme of Hwa Chong distance runners next year.
'It allows you to gauge your fitness, your recovery, and most importantly the intensity of your exercise.'(from Digital Life, 5 Dec 06)

Heart rate monitors

It helps a lot if you are able to monitor your heart rate as you run, which gives an accurate measurement of the intensity of your exercise,' says Mr Rameshon.
'With that information, you can adjust your workout and get the most out of your running time.'
Top choice: the Polar F11, a top-grade, feature-loaded heart rate monitor. Apart from measuring your heart rate, it acts as a stopwatch, fitness diary and creates a tailored cardio workout program and guides you through it. It even has a compass (useful if you are the kind who can lose your way running on a treadmill).

Heart Rate Monitor, provided by Digital Life