Posts Tagged ‘fitness workout’

Five friendly Fitness Workouts for Moms

Five friendly Fitness Workouts for Moms

Once your baby is born you are filled with so much joy at the blessed event. Unfortunately, this blessed event also comes with a few extras – weight gain and flaccid muscles for a start. Here are five workouts moms can do inside and outside the home to get their pre-baby shape back.

When you first bring your baby home, the trick is how to get sleep and tend to your baby at the same time. The last thing you are thinking about is weight loss. After the first few months when baby begins to settle into a routine, you’ll have more time to think about your body. If you breastfeed, good news. Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract and return to its normal shape a lot faster that for mothers who do not.

Moms say that they don’t have time to think about fitness even after baby learns to sleep – when baby sleeps, they clean up and get a bath. However, baby has changed his or her schedule and changing yours will benefit you and baby.

Now that baby is on a schedule, are you ready to lose that baby weight? Here are five ideas to use when baby is sleep or awake to get some exercise every day.

1. Go for a walk. Everyone needs fresh air. For a newborn, use a Snuggly to carry him if he is awake. You can talk to him while you walk. If baby is asleep or on the edge of sleep, bundle him up in a stroller and hit the pavement. Jog strollers allow more ambitious moms who would rather run to do so along with baby.

2. Do some baby weightlifting. Who needs barbells when you have a new baby in the house? If baby is awake, use him to strengthen those muscles. Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor for birth but also help get those out-of-position muscles back in shape. Place baby on your abdomen when doing crunches. Use him as your weight for bicep curls, military presses (carefully), and chest presses.

3. Put in a DVD. The great thing about DVDs is that they can be stopped and started with the touch of a button. Starting slow with your workouts will ensure you will stay with them. Try a twenty-minute program if that is all you have time for. As baby sleeps longer, increase the length of your workout.

4. Choose a gym with child care. Some women enjoy taking fitness classes. Getting out with others makes you feel like a real person again. A gym that has child care allows you to exercise without worrying that baby will wake up and interrupt.

5. Try water aerobics. You and your baby can take a water class. Babies live in water for nine months so they are used to it. Keep them in the water with you as you kick, twist and jog off the pounds. You might not sweat, but working the body in the water is a great resistance workout.

What are The Pros and Cons of using a Personal Trainer?

What are The Pros and Cons of using a Personal Trainer?

Personal trainers can be very handy when you are trying to make improvements in your physical fitness level and health. However, at times it’s hard to know if you’re really getting what you paid for, or if you ever really needed a personal trainer in the first place.

There are many determining factors behind a decision like this. It’s one of those things which if not properly thought out, could potentially leave you with regrets one way or the other. Sometimes it’s best to look at it from both sides of the coin so to speak.

PROS

1) Having a professional there to assist you by demonstrating proper technique is an important and essential part of any training program. Not only is this the first step towards working the proper muscles in an appropriate manner, it can also prevent injury.

2) Motivation can be hard to come by some days. You know those days where you say to yourself “If it were up to me…” Those days happen to everyone, and a good personal trainer is one who can easily lift your mood. You’ll have your workout hour done with in no time, and will probably have a better perspective on things as well.

3) Signing a contract and paying in advance can be one huge motivational aspect of its own. That type of commitment isn’t normally something you can afford to just let sit there being unused. Most personal trainers don’t accept monthly payments based on how often you go or don’t go either.

4) Personal trainers give you the opportunity to have an hour of guaranteed time with no distractions, no waiting for a particular piece of equipment or being caught with idle chit chat. Having that time devoted directly to you means your trainer is going to be sure you get to the point. It all comes down to making the most of your workout time, and your personal trainer is there for that purpose.

5) Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else tell you what your next step is. With all the choices and decisions you have to make every minute of the day, having someone do the thinking for you can be a well-needed reprieve, if only for an hour.

CONS

1) You may find yourself becoming too reliant on your personal trainer. This could become problematic, since you need to be able to learn how and why you are doing each particular exercise.

2) It is possible you may have a bad experience with a personal trainer. This does not mean they are all going to be the same. You may have to try more than one before you find one who ‘fits’.

3) Personal trainers can be an extremely costly expense. However if you feel it’s a necessity for your overall health and wellness, you may find ways to cut back on other non-essential items to permit yourself this little luxury without burden or guilt.

Working with a trainer can help you develop and keep your fitness goals. Your personal trainer is there to help you stay focused and motivated, all while helping you learn new fitness routines. Instead of investing in a full-time personal trainer, you may wish to consider consultations once a month or so, to enhance your home workouts and monitor your progress.

There is also the option of having a personal trainer whom you never have to meet face to face. There are a great many DVDs with a professional fitness expert teaching you the exercises in the comfort of your own home, and it can be just as effective. It may even be a better option for you, depending on your schedule and commitments. After all, you are getting fit and healthy for yourself, so why not do it on your own time and schedule as well?