While exercise may be the last thing on the mind of many pregnant women, since they often feel more tired and achy than normal, there are many reasons to continue or begin a fitness program. As long as your doctor approves, moderate exercise can be incorporated into your routine most days of the week. The health benefits of swimming make it an excellent choice for those who are seeking to find the best way to stay active during pregnancy.
You can follow a healthy diet and exercise until you are blue in the face (please don’t do that though – it’s just an expression), and your body will never achieve that sinewy, conditioned look you see in the pages of fitness magazines. Before you assume those chiseled-looking bods of the men and women who grace the magazines’ pages is the result of Photo Shopped images, you should be aware that the look that you admire, and perhaps covet, comes from weight training.
“Oh… weight training” you say glumly. But… wait a minute – before you stop reading and go no further, because, although you know you’re interested in looking good and getting a primo workout to your muscles and lungs, you may shudder to think that you will end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Well this article will dispel that myth right now.
Not so long ago, the medical honchos told us that eating nuts was not good for our health. We believed them because they are, after all, the medical gurus, and we are just mortal men and women. Besides, if you think about it, what possible redeeming value could a peanut butter and jelly sandwich be, or, if you are really decadent and like swirling your tablespoon around in the Jif bottle and delivering yourself a big mouthful of that creamy or crunchy goodness? They shamed us into believing peanut butter was a no-no.
Living your life is like saving money in the bank – the more you contribute to the end goal, the better off you are.
Whether you are a young athlete or an older sedentary secretary, you can start today – right now – to live a longer and healthier life.
We don’t have to read the “New England Journal of Medicine” or be a doctor to know that moderate exercise and a good diet are fundamental principles for a healthy lifestyle. But interestingly, if we scan the headlines in the newspaper, or follow social media, the list of foods that are good for us seems to change all the time, as does other behaviors. For example, for years the public was told to drink skim milk, or very low-fat milk instead of whole milk. Obediently, most of us followed that suggestion, and eschewed the rich creamy taste of whole milk and opted for skim, which tastes like white water. Likewise, the consumption of more than a few eggs a week was considered bad for you for years. And everyone knows the expression “move it or lose it” which encourages us to exercise. But in the last few weeks, the media has informed us that dietary guidelines have changed… whole milk is being embraced one again and eggs are back on top, even on a daily basis, thanks to the trending protein diet. And in the last few days, experts tell us that a sedentary lifestyle won’t kill us… so you can feel free to be a couch potato… sometimes anyway.
