best personal trainer bk

Baby, C Section: Will I Ever Look Good Again?

 

 

I have trained many women before, during, and after their pregnancies. I have to say this is one of my favorite special-training situations to work with. The whole process is so incredible to watch—and no matter how many times people witness the process of pregnancy and birth, we are always amazed by it.

 

The best part about being a professional exercise instructor and personal trainer is seeing the results of highly specialized training for pregnant women. When I get the clients back from their required exercise break of six weeks, they practically look as if nothing has happened after giving birth.

 

Recently, I was amazed at the triumphant return to exercise of one of my clients after her second C-section—just 19 months after her first C-section. I have been working with this client on and off for years. I trained her before, during, and after her second pregnancy.

 

This client worked out four times a week—doing everything from lifting light weights to Zumba and running until she was about eight months along — including an hour-long, weekly session with me. She was cleared for exercise about six weeks after the C-section, and at our first post-baby session, not only did she look amazing, but she had very little pain. This shows just how very powerful exercise is.

 

Most people who have a trainer during their pregnancies are total workout fanatics. Most of my job with clients like these is to make sure they are staying safe while exercising. It is super important to drink plenty of water, and not overdo it while working out during this time. (Read more about it in my blog posting Exercise and Pregnancy: What you should know.)

 

Some women are just looking to not have a totally destroyed body after having a baby. Pregnancy can be very hard on the body. Not exercising at all and eating too much can make things even harder. The average American woman gains 10 permanent pounds per childbirth. This doesn’t have to happen if you watch what you eat and keep active. Pregnancy and nursing require an extra 300 calories per day. That is one more healthy small meal or large snack per day than you were eating before you got pregnant.

 

C- section recovery is like any other surgery as far as exercise programming is concerned. When a client needs surgery I target the area that they are getting operated on (provided that the area is not injured and requiring repair through surgery). This is to make sure that the area is as strong as possible before getting cut and traumatized. I have learned through experience that everyone who’s trained this way before their operations heals at a very rapid rate.

 

Having all of the muscles as strong as possible and properly stretched means the area can better withstand trauma, and will be able to get enough circulation after the surgery. Proper circulation to an injured area brings the best amount of oxygen and nutrients to the injured area, facilitating faster healing.

 

To prepare for a C-section I do deep-core training, and lower back, gluteus (butt), and hip exercises. I recommend a lot of drawing-in maneuvers and bridges (bringing the belly button inward, toward the spine, and holding this pose as long as you can). I also recommend Kegel exercises for the pelvic floor, and tons of squats and 3-D lunges. I also train pregnant clients to do a lot of side kicks with and without resistance.

 

Now, let’s talk about the most important part of your pre-childbirth exercise program: Rest. If an exercise move hurts, don’t do it. End of story. Pain during exercising while pregnant and after childbirth is a sign to stop. “No pain, no gain” is not for the childbearing times. Even if it is your favorite workout, and you have done it a thousand times before, if it hurts when you are pregnant and/or just gave birth, STOP.

 

Here are a couple of other rules to keep in mind:

 

1. Never, ever work out before six to eight weeks after giving birth or having a C-section. Nothing, not a Kegel, not even a bicep curl with a light weight. DO NOT work out after a C-Section without a doctor’s approval. A C-section can take longer to heal depending on your age, having twins, complications from the surgery, etc. It is extremely dangerous to work out too early after having a baby. I met a woman who worked out two weeks after childbirth and destroyed her abdominal muscles permanently. She will never have her abs back due to the fact that she was obsessed with looking perfect after having a baby. It’s not worth it to work out even a month after childbirth even if you feel up to it.

 

2. Give yourself time. We all want to look great. You may look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if you will ever look the same after the baby comes. Several things need to happen in order to look the same again. Your uterus needs to shrink back to its original size. It expanded greatly during your pregnancy. This is the reason you can still look pregnant for a week or so after giving birth. Your uterus will shrink naturally, especially if you nurse (nursing helps release hormones that bring the uterus back to its normal size). Your muscles also stretched and need to shrink back. If you stay in shape and exercise during your pregnancy this will take a little less time. How long should it take? About six months. So, if you are still not happy with the way you look after six months, you can take another look at your exercise program and eating habits.

 

3. Don’t compare and despair. I often hear my post-baby clients say things like, “But such and such Hollywood celebrity looked amazing six weeks after giving birth…I saw it in a magazine.” Well, guess what? Such-and-such celebrity is Photoshopped and wearing Spanx. No one really looks the same after six weeks!

 

4. Consider nursing. If there weren’t already enough benefits to nursing your infant, consider this one: Nursing helps you take weight off more quickly. How fast, however, depends on your body type. For those of us who have a high metabolism and lose body fat quickly, the weight will come right off. For those of us who tend to collect body fat, the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy and nursing tell your body to keep a few extra pounds on. You may need to wait until you are done nursing to lose all of the body fat you want to lose.

 

5. Don’t be alarmed if your body looks different. “Oh no, my tits! They were so great and now look at them!!”If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Pregnancy and nursing can make your breasts look different, even saggy. The good news is that having a toned chest and good muscle tone in the chest can provide a little lift and good natural support for your breasts. I do the chest press, chest fly, and pushups to prevent any sagginess. I believe that good nutrition, and not gaining too much weight, can help keep your breasts in good shape.

 

6. Age can be a factor. I’m talking to you, 40-plus moms! Many of us are choosing to delay childbirth these days. In fact, the number of women having their first child at age 40 has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. So if you are a new mom in her 40s, it may take an entire year to get back into your original shape. As we age the cell-renewing process just takes longer. Exercise can help, but it will still take up to a year. Still, being older brings patience, so just try to be patient with getting back into pre-baby shape if you are an older mom.

 

In the end we may never look quite the same after having our babies, but we get to be moms and have wonderful families. Still, we can sure look great if we exercise, eat right, and give our bodies the proper time to recover, even with out Spanx and Photoshop!

Check out the great links from the March of dimes below:

 

 

Source: March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
Related MedlinePlus Page: Cesarean Section

 

Recipe: Hemp seed walnut chocolate cake

 

Although it’s not a low-fat or low-calorie dessert or snack, this hemp seed walnut chocolate cake certainly is a very nutrient-dense treat.

 

This cake has 5 grams of fiber per serving and is full of healthy omega 3 oils from the hemp seeds and walnuts.

 

I find walnuts kind of boring and run of the mill. But I have been studying all kinds of new information about how good walnuts are for you and your brain. See, they even look like a brain, and have all of those omega 3 oils everyone is talking about. I have been trying to find new ways to get them into my diet because they are not my favorite nut. I figured adding them to cake would get me to eat them.

 

And, well, as far as hemp seeds go, I am just adding them to everything these days. They are very nutrient dense. There are 3 grams of fiber, plus 20% of your intake for zinc, 110% of manganese, thiamin, folate, iron, and a bunch of other good-for-you things in just 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds. That is a lot of nutritional bang for your tablespoons.

 

I used my own carob slurry or pulp in the cake too. I make it out of fresh, real, dried carob beans.

 

I can find real carob beans in my Jewish neighborhood in my favorite Israeli store very year during the tree holiday.

 

I get all sentimental when I see them, the smell takes me back to my hippy childhood when I wasn’t allowed to have chocolate because it made your skin break out (a common myth in the 60s based on the latest research back then, which has since been debunked). However, I was allowed to have carob and I actually liked it. I remember the delight of having carob chips, being able to get a carob and peanut butter Tiger’s Milk bar at the health food store for a treat, and my babysitter mixing me a Tiger’s Milk carob milk (it was like Ovaltine with vitamins they don’t make it anymore but I wish they would). My little brother and I would squeal in delight while receiving out ultra-nutritious. Vitamin-enriched milk of human kindness… “Look at these real carob beans,” I think to myself when I see them, “they are so romantic, I am going to get them and process them myself…”

 

By the time I am done boiling them for hours until they are soft enough to pull apart, getting those tiny little seeds out of them, scraping the pulp off the skin and wondering if it’s the right thing to do because I can’t get any good information on how to process them, I figure out that my neighbors are probably just using these dried carob beans as a good-smelling decoration, like how I use dried corn in the fall. I am thoroughly aggravated by the time I get to dumping the pulp in the blender and exasperated by the time I put the pulp in the ice cube tray for lovely individual portions for my future of super-healthy baking. Then I promise myself I will put the pulp in my morning coffee as a sweetener and always forget to do it… Yeah, forget about real carob bean pulp, use a mashed banana instead.

 

I also used spelt flour, as it’s very rich in vitamins, fiber and minerals; spelt flour is tolerated by the wheat-sensitive and gluten-free crowd. It also tastes great.

 

The cake has a cup of coconut flour in it. Also great for gluten-free baking, this flour is my “Flava of the moment.” I found out about coconut flour through my favorite new cookbook ‘Cooking with Coconut flour” by Jennifer of the Hybrid Rasta Mama natural living website. This recipe is actually a version of the “Chocolate Quinoa Cake” from the book. Read about the book in one of my previous web postings.

 

The coconut flour needs some finesse to use, but I love it. It adds a great flavor to baking. I add some to my breakfast shakes. The very heavy fiber content keeps me full through a whole morning of training sessions.

 

And, yes this cake is gluten free. I have been experimenting with gluten-free eating not because I am intolerant to wheat or trendy (let’s call the gluten-free thing what it is: a trend), but because I just happen to be sharing my meals these days with someone who is genuinely allergic to wheat.

 

Do I feel better being more gluten free? No.

Do I think gluten free is the greatest nutritional breakthrough ever? No.

 

Have I lost weight eating less gluten? No.

 

Do I think wheat is evil? No. But I do think there is something to the new theory that the allergens are higher in the new breed of wheat that is prevalent today. Wheat can be good for you in small amounts – but only whole wheat please!

 

However, I do feel bad that some people have to live without chocolate cake! That’s awful … and part of the reason I came up with this recipe.

 

The cake uses 2 cups of cooked whole grains. The original recipe uses quinoa, but you can use any cooked whole grain. This is a great way to use that leftover grain that is just sitting in the refrigerator and is going to waste. Food recycling rocks! Waste not, want not!

 

Cocoa powder. I am choosing raw, organic, fair-trade cocoa powder these days for several reasons.

1)         No child labor is used in the productions of this cocoa powder. The larger chocolate companies are looking the other way when it comes to where their products come from. Fair Trade ensures fair labor practices and that real farmers get paid a fair wage.

2)         The taste and quality are superior.

3)         I feel the nutritional value of organic is better. Yes, cocoa powder has iron and fiber, and flavanols (antioxidants found in darker foods like coffee and cherries)

 

I added a cup of melted butter, yes BUTTER. Hey. it’s dessert. I added butter because it solidified the cake and it tastes good. I LIKE butter, in spite of its unhealthy reputation, and it added the best flavor. There — I said it! I am a personal trainer and I like butter and even eat it sometimes. If you want to be more health conscious you can add a cup of melted coconut oil instead of butter.

 

This cake does well with frosting, but there aren’t many healthy cake frostings with nutritional value … sorry!

 

All that being said, confessions about butter, childhood memories and opinions about gluten free and fair trade, here is the recipe:

 

HEMP SEED WALNUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup organic sugar (you can add Sucanat or dried cane crystals, but do not use honey or agave nectar, as these are too liquid for cake)

1 cup organic cocoa powder

1 1/2 table spoons baking powder

dash teaspoon of salt

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 cup of water

1egg

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup melted butter

dash of cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (almond extract would be good too)

 

Directions: Sift together in a bowl (this step is a must or your coconut flour will clump) the spelt flour, coconut flour, baking powder, coco powder, sugar and salt. Some fibers from the spelt flour will remain in the sifter — add that into the dry mix and stir thoroughly.

 

In a separate bowl mash the banana, then add the water, whisk in the eggs, then add this to the dry ingredients. Next, add the melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix and then fold in the hemp seeds, quinoa and walnuts.

 

I baked this for 45 minutes, at 350 degrees. I used a 9-inch spring-form pan. I greased and floured the cake pan (this is a must, as the cake is quite dense will stick to the pan). It’s not the end of the world if you don’t but you will lose your baking street cred if your cake cannot come out of the pan.

 

To see if the cake is done, make sure it is springy on the top and/or use the toothpick method (when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake).

 

This recipe can also make cupcakes — just make sure to use cupcake liners in your muffin tin. Baking time should be about 30 minutes.

 

Enjoy this cake – it’s is a winner and oh so hip, it’s got quinoa and is gluten free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About those colored cauliflowers.

 

Cauliflower is an amazing, versatile, and nutritious vegetable.

 

Traditional cauliflower is white, but you may have seen purple, yellow, and a light green, spiky cauliflower called Romanesque in your specialty store or farmers market. These vegetables are not only beautiful and can make a plain meal look extraordinary, but they also pack a huge nutritional punch.

 

Purple cauliflower is actually a relative of broccoli. It has a slightly different, sweeter taste than white cauliflower. This variety has a boost of anthocyanins or antioxidants, the same kind as berries. These nutrients are said to have anti-aging properties.

 

Yellow cauliflower has some wonderful carroty overtones in the flavor. It has 250 times the amount of beta carotene as white cauliflower. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A when digested, making this vegetable great for skin and eye health.

 

Both of these varieties of cauliflower are scientifically bred,* and came to market in the 1990s.

 

Romanesque cauliflower: a startling beauty of a vegetable. This breed of cauliflower looks like an MC Escher painting with a light green color and beautiful spiky spirals. The taste is a little leafy combined with traditional cauliflower taste. I cook it on holidays and to impress people at dinner parties. It can make the most simple meals look like 5-star restaurant dishes. Romanesque cauliflower is rich in Vitamins C and K.

 

Check out some great Romanesco recipes here.

 

Recipe ideas:

 

One can always make these cauliflowers in the traditional ways, sautéing or steaming a whole head for 15 to 20 minutes ( depending on the size). You can tell when the cauliflower is done when you stick a fork in it and the vegetable is tender. Remove the cauliflower from steaming and place in a roasting pan, cover with bread crumbs and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees until the bread crumbs are brown on top. Add a little Kerry Gold grass-fed cows butter to serve and viola— even the most ardent vegetable haters will eat this recipe.

 

You can also mash cauliflower and serve it instead of mashed potatoes. Just cut boil for 7 to10 minutes until tender and mash with a little milk or soy milk.

 

I ate a whole head of yellow cauliflower myself, it was so good when I roasted it! Here is the recipe:

Take one head of cauliflower and chop it into pieces that are one inch by one-half inch.

Next, put the chopped cauliflower in a bowl and toss with 3 to 5 tablespoons of olive oil (just enough to lightly coat all of the pieces),¾teaspoon of Himalayan Pink salt, and 3 tablespoons of curry powder. Toss the chopped cauliflower in the oil, curry, and salt mixture until evenly coated. Place the pieces on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly browned.

 

The curry is a wonderful compliment to the carroty flavor of the yellow cauliflower. The recipe is super easy and healthy.

 

So If you thought cauliflower was this run-of-the-mill flavorless vegetable that can only be tolerated when drowned in cheese sauce, these recipes and information can turn your cauliflower head around.

 

 

* different than genetic modification, scientific breeding of plants involves farmers cross-pollinating plants with desirable qualities together and helping nature along. Genetic modification involves a scientist going into cells of plants and animals and switching genes on and off and inserting genes into the cells; some combinations include splicing rice with bacterium and daffodil genes to create a rice rich in vitamin A.

 

There is some great information here. Pollan plays a little bit of the ‘blame game’ with corporations, and doesn’t take in to account that people do enjoy theses unhealthy foods, and some people hate to cook, but it’s a good  watch.

 

 

 

http://villagegreennetwork.com/watch-video-youll-never-eat-mcdonalds-french-fries/?utm_source=VGN+Weekly&utm_campaign=8fd0e1dfdf-Village_Green_Network_Weekly_Issue_1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5243b81b52-8fd0e1dfdf-307571857