Fitness

Staying active has been beneficial for both me and my baby.  I am remaining healthy and fit.  Exercise has eased my back pain, boosted my energy, improved my mood, and helped with my sleep. I also feel less nauseous, especially in the first trimester.  And, of course, the more you exercise during pregnancy the more your body stays strong and toned. Here are some of the great benefits: Makes you feel better Improve your sleep It can reduce constipation and swelling Get your body back faster from childbirth Prepares your body for childbirth Less weight gain Minimize aches and pain Muscle tone, endurance and strength Staying active is an overall mood booster and body changer. Working out de-stresses the mind.  Exercise causes your brain to release endorphins-- those positive feelings that improves your mood and fight pregnancy...

I have a pretty physically intensive job. There are days where I don't stop from the moment I get there to the minute I leave. Between cleaning the gym, picking up behind big lugs who leave their weights laying around, & climbing on equipment to fix it, I can usually count a day's work as an extra work out. I should add that I'm also fiercely independent (read: headstrong and stubborn), and like to do things myself, thankyouverymuch. But when lower back and sciatic pain kicked in insanely early on in my pregnancy (like 12 weeks pregnant early) many of the normal things I did during my day became nearly impossible. And I was pissed. I was completely unprepared for...

I love free stuff and I enjoy trying new things. So when I heard about the Baton Rouge Fitness Crawl, I couldn’t contain my excitement! From July 15th -30th, several local, fitness centers opened their doors and offered free classes to those who registered with the crawl.  This opportunity to try unique, specialized classes for free was enough to get me out of my comfort zone. I am an active person, but I am more comfortable running the lakes than walking into a gym or fitness class. Actually I signed up for my first marathon before ever having the nerve to go to a fitness class alone! Crazy, right? The Fit Crawl offered a rare treat to try all...

Disclaimer: This is a guest post from Dr. Leanne Redman, associate professor of women’s health studies at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. You can get to know her more here and read her first post here. Her facts and opinions are based on her personal research. Red Stick Moms Blog was not paid to promote any specific medical viewpoints or studies. Always consult your physician with any medical questions. With technology at our fingertips, 21st century moms have evolved to be savvy readers on health and wellness topics important to their own health and the health of their family. Lucky for us that with the development of the internet, many important health and medical organizations developed educational and research materials that are...

Disclaimer: This is the first guest post from Dr. Leanne Redman, associate professor of women's health studies at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. You can get to know her more here. Her facts and opinions are based on her personal research.  Red Stick Moms Blog was not paid to promote any specific medical viewpoints or studies. Always consult your physician with any medical questions.  One of the most accepted wives tales for pregnant women is that pregnancy is a time to let go of any inhibitions related to nutrition, and to over-indulge in every food craving since we are now ‘eating for two’. While this dogma was probably true back in the 1950’s when only 1 in 10 women were dealing...