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Questions and Answers
Fall / Winter 2003
- How important is stretching before and after a non-cardio workout?
- I gained so much weight in my last pregnancy. Is there anyway to ensure I won't gain as much this time around?
- Should I be taking supplements or can I get enough vitamins in regular food?
- What exercise can I do to strengthen my lower back?
- How important is stretching before and after a non-cardio workout?
Well, if it is non-cardio and you aren't stretching, I would assume you are doing weights. If that is the case, stretching is still very important. Even when you are doing non-cardio workouts and doing weight training, your body needs the attention to the muscles that have been exerted. We lose muscle mass each year after the age of 25 as we lose the ability to stretch. Stretching gives us the fundamental use of our body in an integral way. Our body will function much better when it has the ability to move in everyday ways and capabilities- that is what stretching provides. It also tones and conditions muscles in a way that weight training or cardio workouts can't.
- I gained so much weight in my last pregnancy. Is there anyway to ensure I won't gain as much this time around?
There are many factors that would ensure less weight gain during your next pregnancy. First of all, I don't know how often you worked out, and what your diet was like, since they are both crucial in determining weight gain. Were there were any complications during your pregnancy that caused an excessive weight gain? Since I don't know the answers to those questions, I will assume it was your first baby, everything went well, you just ate more than you needed to and didn't exercise. Eating healthy and exercising each day, even if it is just walking, are the two best things you can do for yourself and your unborn baby. You are starting habits that will hopefully carry through even after the baby is born. I know from experience that it is very easy to gain weight during pregnancy thinking it is 'okay, because you are pregnant.' The best way to keep your weight within the accepted standards (25-35 pounds), you need to really make sure you are eating enough green vegetables, drinking water, cutting back on simple carbs, sweets, and caffeine. Exercising each day will strengthen your body, and prepare you for childbirth. These very basic things make a big difference in your health, delivery and recovery, not to mention the well being of your baby!
- Should I be taking supplements or can I get enough vitamins in regular food?
That is a great question that I hear every day. The answer isn't so easy, since many people think they are eating healthy and they really aren't. If each of us ate 5-7 servings of fresh vegetables each day, then it would not be necessary to take supplements. But very few of us eat that many vegetables or the variety that our body needs. If you read my article, 'Good Cholesterol to the Rescue' in this month's newsletter, it will shed some light on how key our diet is to our health and what food groups make a difference in our health and why. I take supplements every day; because I know how much stress I put on my body and mind. Even with a great diet, extra help does a body good! I take the super greens that are listed in my catalog. The improvement in my health over the past 4 years of taking the products has helped me tremendously. I call the super greens the 'good fast food' in a bottle. Super greens are great for people who have a hard time eating the right amount of vegetables each day, or the variety.
- What exercise can I do to strengthen my lower back?
The super man stretch is a tried and true exercise that strengthens the lower back. To do this exercise you will lie down on the floor face down. Bring your legs together, arms out by your ears, reaching for the wall in front of you, palms down. Inhale and lift up your upper body off the floor while reaching your arms out as far as you can reach, while pushing your shoulders away from your ears. Lift your legs off the floor at the same time, reaching them out away from your torso as much as possible. Your stomach and pelvis will remain on the floor, but you lift your extremities as much as possible holding for the count of 5 and then relax back to the floor. Do this exercise 5 times, two to three times a week. It is important to stretch when finishing this exercise to relieve any pressure in the small of your back. The stretch can be lying on your back, bringing your knees into your chest and rolling your knees clockwise 5 times and then reversing the rotation 5 times, moving very slowly in both directions. When finished with the rotation exercises, let your knees rest together to one side and then to the other side. Take your time with the stretch and breathe slow and steady.
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