https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Imagine this: your client is training consistently five to six times a week; they meet with you as their coach, diligently note their workouts in their training log, and send your their weekly updates. They never (OK, almost never) skip their warm-up — even the breathing drills! And yet, week after week, they are lifting less weight, moving slower, and feeling more out of breath. This is the training reality for many physically active pregnant women as they progress from first to second to third trimester.

Historically, the guidelines for physical activity during pregnancy have focused on demonstrating safety. However, in recent years, the cumulative body of evidence suggests that exercise is not only safe during pregnancy, but is recommended as a way to reduce pregnancy complications and optimize health. For example, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada prescribes at least 150 minutes of low to moderate intensity physical activity over a minimum of three days each week.

For those who have been physically active before getting pregnant, meeting these guidelines may not be difficult. However, this group of women — from avid exercisers to recreational and competitive athletes — may struggle with setting appropriate fitness goals during this period, as the focus shifts away from specific athletic benchmarks to preparing and supporting the body through pregnancy.

Athletic identity takes a back seat during the nine months of gestation. While some women cruise through the pregnancy, others find themselves struggling with the newly-imposed limitations on the type and intensity level of the physical activity, compared to their regular baseline.

How much a pregnant woman’s day-to-day life will change will depend on the type of activities she usually enjoys, as well as how well she is feeling throughout the pregnancy.

Compare a woman who loves hiking to a woman who loves soccer. The first will be able to continue hiking well into her pregnancy — while the distance and the intensity of her hikes may decrease, she can continue engaging in the activity she most enjoys.

Meanwhile, pregnant soccer players will often be advised to cease playing, due to risk of being hit in the abdomen. Similar guidelines will apply to any high-impact sports, or sports with higher risk of falling — think water skiing, mountain biking and others.

What can be difficult is finding the middle ground between the regular levels of activity and intensity that your client is used to, and being completely sedentary. The all-or-nothing mindset is all too familiar to the human species, so as the energy levels, the body shape, and physical fitness in general of your client start to change, and she is no longer able to be active in a way that she is used to, it is can be tempting for her to throw in the towel, and simply “wait it out.”

To help your client set appropriate training goals as she is growing a human, you can adopt the following strategies:

Keep the Frequency

How often can a pregnant woman exercise? The good news is that this is one of the things that can stay the same up until the very end of the pregnancy, barring any complications.

For healthy low-risk pregnancies, women can exercise as frequently as they have before getting pregnant (few exceptions may apply to competitive athletes who are used to training multiple times a day).

While older guidelines used to prescribe specific heart rate ranges for pregnant women, most medical professionals no longer use those. Perceived rate of exertion may be a better indicator of effort here. Keep in mind that what might have been a “light” physical activity in the past, may now rate as “moderate” or even “hard.”

Your pregnant client can use her energy levels, and take into account possible symptoms, like nausea, to guide her workout frequency and intensity throughout the nine months.

Adjust the Timeline

In pregnancy, energy and general well-being can fluctuate significantly from week to week, so longer training cycles (four to six weeks) are less meaningful. For example, walking uphill may have been possible at eighteen weeks, but is uncomfortable at twenty weeks, because of increased pelvic discomfort, so shifting to a stationary bicycle may be in order.

Consider shifting the setting of fitness goals to a daily or a weekly cycle, and use the following questions to guide you:

• Has your client engaged in any intentional physical activity today?
• Has your client done any strength training this week?
• Has your client gone out for a walk this week?
• How many days has your client been able to exercise this week?

Maintaining regular schedule for physical activity — and aiming for consistency, rather than specific exercises — will be helpful.

Reframe the Mindset

Higher level of physical fitness before pregnancy can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, a healthy low-risk pregnancy is more likely, and the likelihood of negative health outcomes is diminished.

On the other hand, putting on shoes or getting out of bed have likely never been a struggle for your client. Whereas before, she would fall asleep quickly, and could sleep through a tornado, now she might toss and turn, struggle to get comfortable, wake up multiple times to pee, inexplicably wake up at 3 a.m. and stare at the ceiling for an hour before giving up and crawling out of bed for snack, only to fall asleep again on the couch for another hour or two.

Athletic women are used to their bodies functioning a certain way. Pregnancy, with its ever-changing aches, pains and symptoms, presents a significant challenge to how these women view themselves.

At the same time, while it is customary to train for months for an upcoming athletic event, we do not usually approach pregnancy the same way. This is not surprising, as athletics and motherhood are often portrayed as being at odds with each other.

If childbirth was an endurance event — which it is! — how might you approach pregnancy differently?

• How would you train?
• How would you taper?
• What nutrition strategies might you employ?
• What about stress management and self-care? How will you use your support network in your preparations for the big day?
• What will your recovery look like?

For a pregnant athlete, reframing labor and childbirth as a type of athletic event can be crucial not just for setting appropriate fitness goals during pregnancy, but also for reconciling both identities.

Women who engage in competitive athletics before pregnancy may struggle with setting appropriate fitness goals during pregnancy. As a health and fitness professional, you can assist your clients to remain active by keeping the frequency of their workouts, adjusting the timeline of training goals, as well as helping her reframe her mindset to view labor and childbirth as a form of athletic event.

References

1. Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy. Available at: https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.literatumonline.com/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/jogc/JOGC908_LR-1539864964137.pdf
2. McGannon K, Gonsalves C, Schinke R, Busanich R: Negotiating motherhood and athletic identity: a qualitative analysis of Olympic athlete mother representations in media narratives. Psychol. Sport Exerc. 2015, 20:51-59 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2015.04.010.

The post How to Help Your Active Client Set Training Goals During Pregnancy appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Good morning, folks. After a awesome week (and weekend) taking over the Whole30® Recipes Instagram (you can still check out all the great videos, tips and recipes I shared here), my team and I are taking a breather. Look for a success story later in the week. In the meantime, we have some practical ideas for your Monday morning. We’re shaking things up with a movement guide you can put into action at work today. Thanks to Jessica Gouthro of PaleoHacks for these awesome suggestions, and let us know which you’ll be adding to your routine. 

Working at your desk all day doesn’t have to mean poor posture and an achy body. Whether you sit or stand at work, remaining sedentary for hours takes its toll on the body. After just a few hours, your body will begin to stiffen, your lower back will ache, and you’ll grow sluggish.

But you can free yourself from common aches and pains associated with desk work in just a few minutes with these easy stretches to release the lower back and hips. You don’t have to do all 13 of these stretches at once. Instead, use this list as a guide and choose two or three stretches you think your body needs. Perhaps you’re looking for a nice stretch through your shoulders, or maybe you could really benefit from moves that help open up your hips. Every little bit of movement adds up when you’re sitting for long periods of time, and doing just one of these stretches every day will help you look and feel better, and avoid pain.

Try each of these 13 functional workspace stretches to relieve aches and pains and instantly improve your posture.

1) Standing Overhead Reach | 5 Breaths, 3x

Stand up from your chair with your feet about hip-width apart and toes pointed forward.

Clasp your fingers together and turn your palms facing up toward the ceiling.

Reach your clasped hands overhead, and press your palms upward while keeping your shoulders and core engaged.

Hold for five deep breaths and enjoy the stretch. Release. Repeat three times.

2) Butterfly Elbows | 4 Reps

Sit tall in your chair and place your fingertips gently behind your ears. Do not interlock fingers or apply any pressure to your neck.

Lift your chest and ribs up as you stretch your elbows back to feel a lengthening across your chest. Breathe in deep to fill your lungs. On the exhale, round your back, drop your chin and bring your elbows to meet in front of you. Gently press your elbows forward to feel a stretch across your upper back and shoulder blades.

Inhale to return to the starting position. Continue alternating one movement per breath until you have completed four reps.

3) Chair Chest Opener | 5 Breaths, 2x

Scoot towards the front of your chair, and sit on the very edge. Reach your hands back with thumbs pointing down and grasp onto the sides of your chair.

Lift your chest and roll your shoulders back and down. Elongate your neck by imagining you can press into the ceiling with the top of your head.

Lean deeper into the stretch to feel the opening across your chest.

Take five deep breaths, then rest. Repeat a second time.

4) Standing Chair Lat Stretch | 5 Breaths, 2x

Stand facing your chair, about three feet away.

Keep a slight bend in your knees, then hinge at your hips and reach your arms long to grasp onto the back of the chair. Make sure your arms are straight.

Lengthen your shoulders and flatten your lower back, forming a straight line from hands to hips. Align your head in between your arms and take five deep breaths.

Release, then repeat a second set.

5) Standing Chair Lat Twist | 3 Reps Per Side

In the same position as the stretch above, reach your right hand down to your left foot to create a twist in your upper body.

Hold for two breaths, then return to the starting position with both hands on the chair and switch to twist in the other direction. Maintain a flat lower back and slightly bent knees the whole time.

Repeat three times per side.

6) Mirrored Chair Pose | 3 Reps

Stand facing your chair with your feet together.

Hinge at the hips to squat down, aiming to mimic the height of the chair with the top of your thighs.

Keep your spine straight. Reach your arms up overhead with palms facing each other.

Hold for five full breaths, then release.

Repeat three times.

7) Seated Figure 4 Hip Stretch | 3 Breaths, 2x Per Side

Sit on your chair with both feet flat on the ground.

Lift your right leg and place your ankle across your left knee. Keep your right foot flexed.

Sit up nice and tall, then lean slightly forward as you gently press down on your right knee—just enough to feel a stretch in the hips.

Hold for three breaths, then release and switch sides.

Repeat two times per side.

8) Seated Spinal Twist | 2 Breaths, 3x Per Side

Sit on your chair with both feet flat on the ground.

Reach your left hand to your right knee and your right hand to the back edge of the chair.

Press gently with both hands as you look over your shoulder and rotate your torso. Lean slightly forward to allow more space for the twist.

Take two deep breaths, then switch to the other side.

Repeat three times per side.

9) Bound Neck Stretch | 2 Breaths, 3x Per Side

Sit up tall in your chair and reach your right arm straight down by your side.

Reach your left hand behind your back to clasp your right wrist, then tilt your neck to the right.

To increase the stretch, gently press your arm away from your torso.

Hold for two deep breaths, then release and switch to do the other side.

Repeat three times per side.

10) Alternating Fingers Wrist Stretch | 2 Breaths, 3x Per Side

Sit up tall in your chair. Reach your right arm straight out in front of you with fingers pointing down towards the ground.

Use your left hand to gently pull on the back of your right hand to stretch the top of your wrist. Hold for two breaths.

Flip your right hand up so that your palm is facing out, and pull back with your left hand to stretch the bottom of your wrist. Hold for two breaths.

Alternate between stretching the top and bottom of your right wrist three times, then switch to the other side.

11) Hamstring Stretch | 3 Breaths, 2x Per Side

Stand up and face your chair. Step back about two feet.

Raise your right foot and place the heel on the middle of the chair with your foot flexed.

Place your hands on your hips and hinge forward, until you feel a stretch through your hamstring. Keep a slight bend in both knees to maintain muscular engagement.

Take three deep breaths, then switch to the left leg.

Repeat two times per side.

12) Chair Pigeon Pose | 3 Breaths, 2x Per Side

Stand facing your chair.

Place your right shin across the front of the chair, with your knee on the chair and foot off the edge. Keep your foot flexed.

Grasp onto the edges of the chair with both hands and step your other leg back to straighten out the knee and hip. You can control the depth of this hip stretch by bending or straightening your elbows.

Take three deep breaths, then switch to the other leg.

Repeat two times per side.

13) Single Leg Toe Pull | 2 Breaths, 3x Per Side

Stand facing your chair. Hinge forward at the hips and place your hands on the chair.

Grab your right toes with your right hand. Keep your left hand on the chair and a microbend in your left leg.

Pull slightly upward on your right toes until you feel a stretch in your calf and hamstring. Make sure to keep your hips square and your lower back as flat as possible.

Hold for two breaths, then switch sides.

Complete three sets per side.

Thanks again to Jessica Guethro of Paleohacks. Questions or other ideas for staying relaxed and limber at work? Shoot me a line in the comments below. Have a great week, everyone. 

The post 13 Functional Exercises You Can Do At Work appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

So you fell off the wagon already.

Welcome to the club.

It’s called “being human!”

There are like 7 billion of us.

So how did I know you probably fell off the fitness wagon already?

Because statistically speaking, MOST people have already abandoned or missed out on a lot of the resolutions they’ve set for 2019. Seriously.

As somebody who has fallen off the wagon many a time in the past, but managed to stay ON the wagon this time…

Here’s my step-by-step guide for you to get back on track.

STEP 1: FORGIVE YOURSELF.

I heard a podcast interview recently about a man who had made a huge realization through seeing a therapist.

Specifically, their therapist asked them “Would you talk to somebody the way you talk to yourself?”

I bet the answer is a RESOUNDING “No.”

Nobody deserves that kind of abuse.

We’re often our own worst critic, and our own worst enemy:

You know that voice in your head, that one calling you a loser or a failure? Treat it like a different person. You’re under no obligation to listen to it! It’s not you.

“Oh you think I’m a piece of s** and that’s why I can’t stick with a workout routine? I disagree strongly. I might have some faults, but I’m here, and I’m still trying. So shut up and get out of my way.”

You’re reading this, which means you’re trying. Forgive yourself. And move on.

STEP 2: RECOGNIZE YOUR SCIENCE EXPERIMENT FAILED. MOVE ON.

Your goal of hitting the gym 2 hours a day and only eating Keto failed after three weeks.

Congratulations!

You conducted an experiment that did not have the results you expected.

That’s neither a good nor a bad thing. Like any other experiment, it just… IS.

So write down specifically what your experiment entailed. What did you try to do?

• I was going to exercise every day.
• I was going to run a mile each morning.
• I was going to eat strictly Paleo every day.

Look at your list: this is a combination of variables that doesn’t work for your lifestyle.

SIDENOTE: Learning from the millions of people that have come through Nerd Fitness over the past decade, my guess is that your experiment didn’t work out for one of two reasons:

• Your goals were too vague: “I should exercise more this year” – For how long? How often? What kind of exercise?
• You tried to change ALL the things: eat 1,800 calories a day (instead of your normal 3,000), go to CrossFit 5 days a week (when you don’t exercise at all now), and get 8 hours of sleep a night (normally you get 5).

STEP 3: CHANGE A VARIABLE IN YOUR EXPERIMENT.

You’re reading this email, which would lead me to believe you’re interested in trying again to lose weight and get in shape.

To avoid getting the same results, we need to change the variables in the experiment to try and get different results. You know, science.

For your next attempt consider adjusting one of the following variables. And remember, any good experiment has accurate measurements for their changing factors! You don’t just put “some uranium” in a nuclear reactor. You know the exact amount.

So be exact with your variables.

Let me give you some suggestions:

1. Change the exercise variable: Did you actually enjoy the exercise you attempted? If you discovered that you hate running or bootcamps, great! Never ever do those things again. “Exercise sucks,” so I would pick something you actually enjoy.
2. Try a substitution rather than addition: ADDING a brand new exercise routine into a busy schedule can be really challenging. Fortunately, you can focus on substituting or adding in a way that doesn’t take up more time: nutrition! How you eat is 80-90% of the weight loss equation, and you’re already eating every day. So focus on substituting a vegetable for fries once a week, or swapping sparkling water for soda. Keeping a food journal and change up your breakfast twice a week.
3. Adjust your “win scenario”: I get it. You were able to hit the gym 4 days a week for the first few weeks of this year, going for at least an hour. But THEN…your kid got sick. And you only had 30 minutes, which wasn’t enough time to get a workout in. And then YOU got sick. So why not set the win scenario at “30 minutes,” or “15 minutes,” or just “1 exercise”? Lower the bar!

This is a 10-year journey we’re on here, so the exercise itself is not nearly as important as building a routine of working out that fits into your life. So lower the bar for what a “win” scenario is for you.

Example: if you walk into the gym and do 1 set of 1 exercise, it counts as a win. Doesn’t matter if you’re there for an hour or for 5 minutes to do a set of push-ups and then leave. It all counts.

STEP 4: RESPAWN, GET BACK IN THE FIGHT.

When you play a challenging video game, you’re going to die. A lot. (I died literally thousands of times while playing my two favorite games of the past year – Hollow Knight and Celeste).

What happens after you die in a game?

You respawn, and try again!

You’ve learned a new tactic or pattern. You have a new technique. You’ve uncovered a secret. Or you’ve just gotten better. So you try, again.

And again.

And again.

And when you finally succeed?

Nirvana. Adulation. Pure joy.

There’s no shame in failing when it comes to weight loss. We have hundreds of stories of people who kept failing, but kept reading and trying, and then finally – something clicked.

And that next attempt is the one that changed their life’s path. Like Joe, who made like a dozen weight loss attempt until he changed the right variable and got results:

So try again today. And keep these things in mind:

• Change your nutrition variable: try calorie counting instead of Paleo or vice versa.
• Change your workout variable: try strength training instead of running.
• Focus on building the routine by making the ‘win scenario’ super small.

Write down your plan, and start executing.

STEP 5: SUPERCHARGE YOUR RESULTS

I know hacking your experiments to get better data isn’t exactly “scientifically smart” or “morally responsible,” but I’m the one writing this email and I have more important stuff to say so you’re just gonna have to deal with it.

Once you start your new experiment, here’s how you can stack the deck in your favor:

Write everything down. Write down your workouts. Write down what you eat. Treat it like a science experiment, and you’re collecting data! Plan ahead. Be PRO-active (“I will do Strength Training Workout A at 4pm and tonight I’ll have roasted chicken and bacon wrapped asparagus) instead of RE-active (“What should I do for exercise right now?” and “Ah, what’s for dinner? Oooh, Burger King!”)

Recruit allies to your team. Don’t go this alone, as you’re more likely to succeed based on the people you spend time with and hang around. So recruit allies. Start spending more time with healthy people that empower you, rather than unhealthy people that enable you and drag you down. Join a running club. Find a lifting buddy. Somebody you can check in with.

Hire a professional. There are two types of coaches worth the investment:

• An in-person trainer if you are looking to supercharge your form on specific exercises like Olympic lifts, squats, deadlifts, etc. An in-person trainer can be good for people that need the accountability of somebody they’ve paid to meet them in the gym.
• An online coach that represents mobile, worldwide accountability. I’ve had a coach for 4 years and it’s changed my life. Knowing that I have a workout and nutrition strategy to follow each day is game-changing.

GET BACK IN THE FIGHT

An old baboon named Rafiki once taught me: “Yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.”

Okay maybe he taught that to Simba in The Lion King, but I too learned the same lesson:

TO RECAP:

Forgive yourself. You wouldn’t talk to somebody else the way you talk to yourself, so have some freaking compassion. You’re trying.

Identify what experiment you JUST tried. Write down what you believe went wrong over the past few weeks. Congrats – you found a strategy that doesn’t work.

Pick a new path, try a different variable. A good scientist meticulously tracks their data and writes down their hypothesis. I would change one of the following:

• Exercise: do less – focus on building the routine and doing it consistently.
• Nutrition: change less. If you couldn’t stick with a diet for 3 weeks, it was too restrictive. Try a different path.
• Win scenario: don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “good.”

And then try again.

Recruit allies, hire a coach, plan ahead. But start.

-Steve

PS: If you’re overwhelmed and came to the realization you can’t do this on your own, you’re not alone!

I hired an online coach because I wanted better results and it’s been the best investment I’ve made. If you want step-by-step instruction and accountability, our coaches are ready to help you with every step of this process!

###

Photo Citation: Oh My Goodness! Shut Me Down

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

I’ve never been to Australia, but I have a pretty good sense of how they serve their eggs. That’s because Australian all-day cafes have been popping up all over New York City, and each one offers some rendition of a “folded egg”: a large, circular, scramble-omelet hybrid with ruffles that sort of resemble a rose. It’s often plated atop a piece of avocado toast, or served alongside sliced avocado and veggies.

It’s not just the interesting shape that appeals to me, though — I’ve truly found this folded style to be my new favorite way to eat eggs. It holds together better than a scramble (which easily slips off my toast every time I try to take a bite), but it’s much softer and more custardy than an omelet, which is so often overcooked and rubbery.

After a bit of research (a lot of what I learned came from this Good Food recipe) and a lot of egg-eating, I came up with the best method for making folded eggs at home.

READ MORE »

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

It is an accepted fact around the world that everyone ages. No matter how much tightening skin cream you apply to your face or how healthy your lifestyle and diet, you too will be subject to the perils of time. Everyone eventually faces wrinkles and deteriorating motor function, but could worms be the key to […]

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Truth be told, when it comes to meal planning, I’ve long taken the old-school pen-and-paper approach. In part because I’m a list maker at heart who loves a good notebook and colored pens, and also because I believed it to be the simplest approach. But turns out I might have really been missing something along the way.

Until now I’ve been resistant to move to a meal planning app (of which there are so many!), for no other reason than I’m a creature of habit. But the tide has turned, and I’ve learned that using a meal planning app might just be the easiest, most efficient and streamlined way to approach meal planning.

I’ve weeded through many of the meal planning apps out there to find the ones that are truly helpful, and for some, even worth the $5 price tag. Here are the three you should know about.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Few sides are cozier than roasted vegetables. This high-temperature oven cooking method condenses sweetness in whole vegetables and caramelizes chopped or halved produce. While you can roast any time of year, we think October to March is prime roasting time because you won’t overheat your kitchen to make these delicious vegetables, well, more delicious. Here are 10 of our most popular roasted vegetable recipes.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Mastering the essential ways to cook an egg will serve you well time and time again. On mornings (or evenings) when you don’t feel like digging up a recipe, knowing how to poach, scramble, soft-boil, and more means you can whip up a meal in next to no time at all. Spend a few weeks trying them all — you might just discover you have a new favorite way to prepare your eggs.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

It’s a universal fact that Mondays are tough. We’re not going to say they’re the worst because you can master them, but it’s a safe assumption that the first day of the work week causes you some stress. Maybe a lot of stress. And maybe you start worrying about Mondays on Sunday, so then your Sundays start to become stressful too.

Well, we’re here to help you ward off those Sunday scaries with a few kitchen coping mechanisms. After all, Sundays are 50 percent of your weekend and you don’t want to spend that precious time in a state of anxiety, do you? No, we didn’t think so.

READ MORE »

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Recently I was inspired by one of my clients, Jovanni. He had originally had a goal to lose weight and maintain his health, but after a three month program of about three sessions per week Jovanni hit a personal record of 143.2kg (about 315lbs) on his back squat, 61.4 kg (135lbs) on his overhead press, and 111.4 kg (245lbs) on his deadlift. Enthused by his progress, he expressed his desire compete in USA Weightlifting. In a bustling gym, I gave him a hug and lifted him off his feet. He’d been battling high blood pressure and type II diabetes before meeting me.

read more