So many women exercise because they feel they “have too”, but they really don’t enjoy it.  I always ask my clients what exercise they enjoy doing.  I had one client that said the last time she enjoyed any type of exercise was when she was doing ballet as a young child.  I said, “Great!  Join an adult ballet class.”  So she did and she absolutely loved it!  Soon she was taking up my yoga class which she loved even more.  When you do what you love its no longer a chore…plus you’ll love how you feel and the toning results!

There’s quite the misconception about pregnancy and food consumption.  Many women believe that once they’re pregnant they can eat anything they want.  The fact is when you’re pregnant it is more important than ever to eat healthy, and nourish yourself and your baby with healthy foods.  Eating for two will do NO good for either of you.  You’ll put on unnecessary weight that will be hard to lose after baby, plus it will make you feel sluggish while you’re pregnant.  It’s very easy to get the extra calories you need to support the growth of your baby.  Just listen to your body and eat the way you ate prior to pregnancy (well that’s assuming you ate pretty healthy before baby!).  If you’re craving sweets head for fruit or a smoothy first.  The key is to eat when you’re hungry and choose foods that will nourish both you and your baby!

Have you noticed that when your stressed or anxious you crave sweets?  There’s nothing wrong with eating sweets in moderation, but it becomes a problem is you’re eating sweets and you’re unaware of when you’re doing it.  Start keeping a journal and notice when and how often you crave sweets.  Is it when you’re low on energy?  frustrated? bored? Once you understand your pattern you can then chose a behavior that won’t pack on the pounds.  Call a girlfriend, go for a walk, read a book or magazine then ask yourself if you still want sweets.  Often we crave sweets to relieve stress or anxiety, so when you replace the behavior w/ a different one your craving will go away…and the result is a reduction in calorie intake and ultimately weight loss!

One thing I tell my clients that seems to have a big impact is “We are our children’s role models and they watch our habits”.  Eating healthy and exercising will have a strong impact on your children.  I’ve had clients tell me that once they started exercising that their children wanted to do what they were doing.  They said their children copied them! Ask yourself, “Do I want my children to grow up with similar habits and issues that I’m dealing with?”  If your answer is “no”, then it’s time to change.  Start today with one simple change…go for a 5 min. walk, drink a glass of water instead of soda.  Small changes, one step at a time will result in big results!

It’s very common to experience low back pain in your second and third trimester of pregnancy.  A simple low back stretch you can do in your shower is a modified cat and cow.  The heat from the shower along with the movement will relieve pain and discomfort in your low back.  See below to perform “modified Cat and Cow” in your shower.

Modified Cat and Cow: Standing under your shower bend over and place your hands on your upper thighs.  Inhale and sway your back and look up, exhale tuck your pelvis under and look down.  Repeat 8-10 breathes.

For more info about prenatal yoga DVD’s visit: http://fitbysara.com/single-products.php

If you want to lose weight, you need to make sure that your body is properly hydrated.  When our bodies are dehydrated we can mistake hunger for thirst.  To ensure that you REALLY are hungry, prior to eating your meal drink a whole glass of water.  After you’ve consumed your first portion have another glass of water before you have a second portion and ask yourself, “Am I hungry or am I eating because it tastes good?”

The yoga breath is a powerful tool to aid in decreasing muscle pain and discomfort caused by pregnancy.  As you work into a yoga posture imagine your breath going into the tight muscle creating space.  Imagine with each breath your muscles becoming more supple, longer, and agile.  See below to perform the yoga breath.

Yoga Breathing
The yoga breath is performed by inhaling in through your nose and exhaling out of your nose with your mouth closed.  As you exhale press your tongue on the roof of your mouth.  You should hear your breath loud in the back of your throat.  Begin practice by sitting comfortably.  Focus on your chest and belly expanding as you inhale, and notice your chest and belly compressing as you exhale.