Hey Mamas, This Trainer Says You Should Not Do These Workouts While Pregnant
http://ift.tt/2HU5h7u Pregnancy exercise recommendations continue to change and adapt as more research becomes available, and in the 12 years since I first got certified as a prenatal exercise instructor, I've seen a greater push on exercise for the majority of pregnant women. There are, however, a few exercises to absolutely skip while pregnant, as they can be potentially dangerous to you and your baby. Always speak to your medical professional before beginning an exercise program, and pay attention to our workouts below so you know what to avoid at the gym and outside. Hot YogaOverheating and dehydration are dangerous during pregnancy, and women need to pay extra attention to their fluid intake, especially during the hot Summer months or when exercising. Hot yoga typically takes place in a room heated around 100ºF, and even with an abundance of fluid and breaks outside of the room, it leads to unnecessary strain for the mom and baby. Relaxin, a hormone that loosens ligaments to help the body prepare for labor, increases throughout pregnancy, making moms more susceptible to joint injury. Relaxin adds to your flexibility, making it difficult to gauge how far you should reach on certain poses and stretches. Hot yoga will only confuse the body by making your already-looser-than-normal joints more pliable and raising your injury risk to new levels. Another thing to consider is many hot yoga instructors may not be trained in pregnancy-specific modifications necessary to ensure a safe practice. Bottom line is hot yoga adds no benefits to pregnancy exercise you can't find in a specific prenatal yoga or Pilates class. Scuba DivingAlthough there is limited research on scuba diving while pregnant with humans, the Divers Alert Network rounded up some studies on animals, and the conclusion falls in line with previous recommendations to avoid scuba diving during this time in your life. This doesn't mean you should avoid the water completely when there are so many alternatives to scuba diving! Snorkeling, water aerobics, swimming, and water walking are water-based activities providing a reduction in swelling and increased cardiovascular health while putting little to no strain on the mother and baby. Contact SportsAny sport with a risk of being hit in the abdomen should be avoided during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists list includes basketball, soccer, ice hockey, and boxing. This doesn't mean you can't kick a soccer ball around with a friend or shoot some casual hoops, but steer clear of any intense games that involve slide tackling or fighting for the ball with other team members. When it comes to a boxing gym or kickboxing class, as long as your instructor/sparring partner knows you are pregnant and adjusts the workout as needed, you should be able to continue with your training. Make sure to pay attention to your joints and muscles, as high-impact exercises should be limited in the second and third trimester due to elevated levels of relaxin in the body. Skiing, Skating, and SurfingSports with a high risk of falling should be avoided during pregnancy, especially during the second and third trimesters. It's not the sport itself that's dangerous, but landing hard or incorrectly can cause serious trauma to the mom and baby. Even professional athletes land incorrectly sometimes, so the average woman should proceed with extreme caution if attempting a sport like skiing, water skiing, skating, or surfing. According to the Mayo Clinic, you could experience contractions, the loss of amniotic fluid, placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the inner wall of the uterus), or a fetomaternal hemorrhage. What Should You Do Instead?I always recommend that my clients stay active once cleared for exercise and aim for a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training. Prenatal yoga, ellipticals, resistance-band training, walking, and swimming offer women the ability to stay in great shape and keep their babies healthy through the entire pregnancy. Keep in touch with your medical professional, and always cease exercise if you experience bleeding, dizziness, dehydration, or unusual symptoms before or immediately after completing a workout. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 28, 2018 at 12:00PM
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Kristen Bell Can't Live Without This Protein-Packed Chickpea Pasta, and Neither Can We!
http://ift.tt/2FDrtBV Ever wonder what the inside of Kristen Bell's pantry looks like? We've got a sneaking suspicion that it's packed to the brim with boxes of our personal favorite gluten-free pasta brand, Banza. The actress and longtime vegetarian recently took to Instagram to profess her love for the chickpea pasta company, thus confirming our previous claim that Banza (and its mac 'n' cheese, specifically) reigns supreme in the seemingly oversaturated world of healthy pasta offerings. Now that you know Banza has Kristen's seal of approval, allow us to further prove why it's totally worth the hype. For starters, each 3.5-ounce, 340-calorie serving is jam-packed with protein - 25 grams, to be exact. On top of that, one serving offers 13 grams of fiber and just 43 grams of net carbs, compared to the usual three grams of fiber and 71 grams of net carbs in other average pastas. The chickpea-based noodles come in all sorts of fun shapes, including shells, elbows, spaghetti, penne, and rotini, if you're feeling extra fancy. The best part? It actually tastes amazing, as opposed to other gluten-free pastas that resemble squishy pieces of cardboard. As POPSUGAR Fitness Staff Writer Dominique Astorino put it in her review of Banza's cavatappi pasta, "The cooked texture is that of a perfectly al dente pasta and the taste is quite similar to actual pasta as well - it's an excellent vehicle for whatever sauce or toppings your heart desires." Banza has gotten pretty effing popular during the past few months, as exhibited by the fact that many of the pasta choices are sold out on the brand's website. But luckily, a handful of grocers like Target, Costco, and Whole Foods, as well as online retailers like Amazon, sell the nutritious noodles. Score! Consider this your motivation to finally pick up a few boxes and give the trendy pasta a try sometime soon. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 28, 2018 at 11:38AM
Important Dos and Don'ts of Understanding Your BMI
http://ift.tt/2GTyH4r Body mass index, or BMI for short, is a measure of your body fat based on your weight and height. In general, the higher the BMI, the more at risk a person is of being considered overweight or obese. In fact, BMI is the number one indicator used to measure obesity around the world. But BMI has faced a lot of backlash in the past for not being an accurate representation of a person's health or fitness level. BMI is simple to understand, and you can see how to calculate yours here. You take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters squared. Based on the number you get, you can fall into any of the four categories below for both men and women:
BMI just tells you that the number on the scale matches what is expected of your height. Nothing else is taken into consideration like age, sex, muscle mass, or body fat percentage. A pound of fat takes up a lot more space in your body than a pound of muscle, so it's important to not rely on the scale or BMI too much. If you are on a new fitness or health journey, I encourage you to take progress pictures and use the reflection of your body in the mirror to showcase the changes happening. Also, where your body stores its fat is another key factor that BMI cannot tell you. Some people pack fat in central areas of their body like the chest and stomach, which is more risky compared to fat packed in the thighs or arms. BMI can be misleading for both thin-looking and thick-looking people. Although BMI has its cons, it still does a pretty good job of predicting if someone is at risk of disease. Especially for children who have not developed much muscle mass yet in comparison to adults, BMI is a very useful tool. If you're on a weight-loss journey or weight-gain journey or you simply want to assess your health, there are scales that measure your BMI along with your bone density, muscle mass, and body fat percentage. Your mental attitude toward your body is just as important as its physical state. This is why it is so important to take your BMI with a grain of salt. A person who falls into the underweight or normal weight category can still be considered skinny fat, and a person who falls into the overweight category may actually look very lean and slim but just has more muscle. Sometimes when people are trying to lose weight in extreme ways, they see the number on the scale go down and get excited. In reality, though, your body might just be in survival mode where it's going to break down muscle to get energy all while holding onto fat tighter. On the other hand, if you see your BMI or weight go up but body fat percentage go down, celebrate because you're on the right track. Don't forget muscle weighs more than fat. Strong is beautiful! Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 28, 2018 at 11:38AM
Diesel Exhaust Might Raise Truckers' Odds for ALS
http://ift.tt/2oxx2uF TUESDAY, Feb. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Truckers and others who are routinely exposed to diesel fumes while on the job might face a greater chance of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests. The increased risk hit a high of 40 percent when compared against men with no such exposure, said study author Aisha Dickerson. She's a postdoctoral research fellow with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "The strongest association we saw was for occupations that were held at least for 10 years prior to their ALS diagnosis," Dickerson said. "Someone could have been exposed years earlier, before they showed any symptoms of ALS, but the damage would have been done long ago." Jobs with a lot of diesel exhaust exposure include truck drivers, police officers, shipyard hands, construction workers, farm laborers and tool operators, as well as many people who work in an industrial setting, Dickerson said. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative condition in which the nerve cells responsible for controlling muscle movement wither and die. Patients eventually lose their strength and their ability to walk, move, speak, eat and even breathe. There is no cure, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Prior studies have suggested a higher risk of ALS in specific jobs that are commonly exposed to diesel fumes, such as truck and bus drivers, construction workers and military personnel, Dickerson said. To further test this association, Dickerson and her colleagues reviewed three decades of records from the Danish National Patient Registry. The research team identified 1,639 people diagnosed with ALS between 1982 and 2013, and calculated their estimated diesel exhaust exposure based on their employment history. The researchers then compared each ALS patient against 100 other people of the same age and sex who did not have ALS. Any exposure to diesel exhaust at all increased a worker's odds of developing ALS by about 20 percent, the research team found. Further, the more exposure workers got, the more their ALS risk increased. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 28, 2018 at 10:50AM
These Are the 5 Absolute Easiest Yet Effective Ways to Get In Your Cardio
http://ift.tt/2HUa6xp You're gearing up to take on cardio training, but diving off the deep end sounds about as much fun as the last season of The Bachelor, am I right? Smart move; easing into the shallow end first is always best for anything exercise related. You've probably heard that cardio is a great way to burn calories, fight off nasty chronic diseases, and of course be fit enough to survive the zombie apocalypse with as much grace and abs as Lauren Cohan. When you think of cardio, though, some other images probably pop into your head like drenched sweatbands, a screaming cycle instructor, or even marathons. Cardio really doesn't have to be those things. Cardio is just about moving your body, and we've got the five easiest ways for you to move and get your cardio going. You're in good hands with these workouts. We reached out to Youfit Health Club's national director of fitness, Raphael Konforti, to curate your five cardio workouts. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 28, 2018 at 10:19AM
How I Get in 8 Cups of Water Without Actually Drinking Regular Water
http://ift.tt/2CPafyw Drinking water has basically become a competitive sport, with everyone from athletes to models to medical professionals telling us we'd have superpowers if only we could get in our eight glasses per day. All this hydration hype is pretty guilt-inducing, especially considering the fact that I spend my days like regular person, not a superhero: hunched over a computer clenching a coffee cup. Luckily, that eight-glasses-per-day rule is bogus. It stems from a 1945 study by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board recommending that people drink 2.5 liters of water per day, or around 84 ounces. But what most people leave out is the sentence that immediately follows the recommendation: "Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods." But even though all the water we need is generally in the fridge, most of us still aren't getting enough. According to a study by the American Public Health Association, over half of American children are chronically dehydrated, and the numbers for adults are even more dismal. Some reports say that as many as 75 percent of us are at least a little dehydrated. But it's definitely possible to eat and drink your way to better health and hydration. Here are some of the best ways I've found to stay hydrated without constantly chugging boring old water. Cup One: Yogurt with berriesStarting the morning with a cup of yogurt and berries is the key to feeling great all day. Since yogurt is 85 percent water, it's a more hydrating alternative to say, a muffin, since both sugar and flour don't have very high water content. Strawberries and blueberries are high in both water and fiber, so they're great for hydration and general gut health. Cup Two: Flavored—not sweetened—waterHitting the juice bar every once in a while isn't a bad way to stay hydrated, but even the freshly squeezed stuff comes with a lot of added sugar and calories. Switching out your morning glass of juice for a 16-ounce bottle of naturally flavored water is a great way to get hydration without the sugar rush. Hint is a good option because it packs the bright flavor of a fruit juice, minus all the stuff (sugar, diet sweeteners) you're better off without. Cup Three: A regular cup of coffeeCoffee is amazing, and I won't hear a word against it. But seriously, after years of hearing about the dehydrating effects of caffeine, it was comforting to discover recent studies have found that normal amounts of coffee and caffeinated tea (two or three cups per day) generally had no adverse effects on hydration—so my morning cup of coffee absolutely counts toward my eight a day. Cups Four and Five: Soup and saladOne of the easiest ways to stay hydrated is to swap a bag of salty chips at lunch with a cup of soup made from water-rich vegetables such as tomatoes and celery. However, I try to stick with homemade or low-sodium canned soups, since the prepared variety can contain too much salt for me. A bright green salad of lettuce, cucumbers, and radishes is basically the same thing as drinking a glass of water—plus it contains tons of vitamins and fiber. All these veggies are made up of over 90 percent water, so not only do they provide tons of the vitamins, but they also go a long way toward your water count. Cup Seven: Red grapes and red teaRed seedless grapes make for a great, satisfying, and hydrating snack, and also contain resveratrol, an antioxidant that's been shown to promote heart health. Rooibos, also called red tea, hails from South Africa and is packed full of antioxidants, tastes delicious, and is caffeine free. Cup Eight: Chamomile teaI generally don't touch caffeine after 3:30 since it disrupts sleep. Chamomile is one the most ancient herbs around, and a cup of warm chamomile tea at the end of the day is a comforting way to relax and de-stress—plus, it's been shown to help with everything from anxiety to diabetes. A cup just before bedtime is a calming way to wake up hydrated. Health via Greatist RSS https://greatist.com/ February 28, 2018 at 09:13AM
Why I Think Porn Is (Extra) Important for Women of Color
http://ift.tt/2oDqnyc It's 2018, and most progressive-thinking people recognize that porn can be great. But it might be even better than we thought—especially for women of color hoping to figure out some stuff. New research published in the Journal of Sexuality and Culture found that porn is useful in helping women explore their sexual interests. According to the study, women who watched porn were more likely to embrace sex, and in addition to being more in touch with their sexuality (no pun intended—OK, maybe some pun intended), women who watched porn were more likely to use the internet to find community with other women who did the same. The benefits of these actions can't be overstated: We live in a society that predominantly discourages sexual expression unless it's for the benefit of male partners. But finding community with other women who embrace their sexuality can allow women to develop sexual relationships in which they can present their authentic selves, instead of bending to fit into narrow categories of acceptable expression. This can be especially true for women of color. But why is this issue connected to race? Limitations on women's sexuality aren't limited exclusively to Black women: For generations, women have been bound to others' sexual expectations. This struggle affects all women—but as usual, our statuses affect how these expectations are expressed, and women of color, especially Black women, still face disproportionately greater restrictions on their sexuality. Alicia Wallace, a gender rights activist and public educator, explains that the history of misogynoir—or misogyny directed toward Black women—has negatively impacted Black women's sexual expression. Wallace notes that our sexual identities are further complicated by the fact that we are aware of how our past has led to the struggles we continue to contend with today. "We're fully aware of the ways our bodies have been used for the gratification of others—for example, as sex slaves and wet nurses," Wallace says. "It often feels as though we have only two options: The first is to actively fight against sexual objectification by hiding our bodies, refusing to talk about sex, and putting other parts of our humanity and personalities in the center of our beings and presentations of ourselves, often to the exclusion—and possible detriment—of our sexuality." Alternatively, she says, the other option is to take control of our own sexual image and define it for ourselves before anyone else has the chance to. "We're in a complicated situation, fighting for the right and the comfort to do what we want today while acknowledging the distance we've covered and the oppression we still face," Wallace says. "This is true in online dating—where racism masquerades as a fetish—as well as in the artists we love putting people like us on display specifically for the male gaze." So what can porn and sexual exploration mean for women of color?Is it possible that porn might offer the same—or even greater—benefits to those of us burdened by chronic racism? According to the experts, the answer is yes—this expression of sexuality might even be exceptionally important for women of color. "Porn can be a great way to safely explore and normalize sexual behaviors that you're interested in," says Cameron Glover, sex columnist and sex educator. "A lot of people can be turned on by visuals, and porn is one of the most accessible means of being stimulated in that way. I think for WOC and non-binary folks, porn is another tool that you can add to your sexuality arsenal." Black women need the space to explore and normalize sexual behaviors, and porn is a safe place to do this. Black women, in particular, are often limited from discussing wants and desires in social spaces, especially concerning more taboo sexual topics. Sexual repression—especially when compounded with the pressure of systemic oppression—can become exhausting. In 2016, feminist studies scholar Mireille Miller-Young made a study of the history of African-American women in pornography, delving into archives of pornographic material and interviewing porn stars. She argues that despite the history of oppression, pornography has also been a resistance tool against both the racist and sexist views that hold down Black female sexuality. Porn can help women of color explore their own desires.Patrice Thomas, 28, started using porn to explore her sexuality at the age of 18 when her aunt suggested she use it to learn more about sex. "I didn't have sex education in school or at home, but I was curious about sex. I wanted to know what it looked like and how it worked." Watching porn helped her discover that she didn't fit into the fundamentalist religious household she was brought up in. "I grew up under the assumption that I'm heterosexual and was startled to find myself aroused by the female form and get off on watching female pleasure. I don't claim a bisexual identity, but I don't consider myself entirely straight, either," she says. In the Black community, religion and spirituality are very important. While that cultural custom might be a wonderful coping mechanism when searching for the strength to deal with systemic oppression, it often conflicts with healthy sexual development. Traditional Christian doctrine has conservative views on sexual expression, exploration, and sexual orientation—especially for women. This can discourage many Black women, like Thomas, from prioritizing sexuality. Watching sex online gives us the chance to explore topics we might not be comfortable discussing in public—even with friends. This is particularly important for women of color because expectations about who we are and how we are allowed to express sexuality limit our access to exploration in real life. If you are like Thomas and hail from a background that gives specific instructions for how you are expected to perform Black womanhood, there is relief in porn. Porn can be a form of self-care.Day after day, Black women experience racialized sexism that weighs heavily on both our mental and physical health. For us, there is often no refuge from the oppression of the patriarchy or the stress associated with racism, and these experiences lead to a heightened need for self-care and self-love. At times, the pressure of living life as a marginalized individual becomes so much that checking in this way can be extremely important. For Monica Smith, 26, porn has been an outlet to explore her sexuality and promote self-acceptance. "I think giving myself space, time, and love to do this on my own terms—without judgment—has been emotionally, physically, and mentally freeing," she says. "It's helped me accept myself, my identity, and my sexuality, and I've grown to accept and love myself so much more. I never realized how important it is, but it's vital—especially if you want to be intimate with others." "I think porn can open a new world," Wallace says. "It can make imagination possible, especially for people who have had limited sexual experience. It's a means to consider other ways of being sexual and intimate without having to practice, or feeling vulnerable with someone else." However, many WOC are unsure about the best way to ease into porn. If you're thinking about it, consider starting small. "I started out watching GIFs on Tumblr and slowly graduated to videos. I keep a bookmark file of my favorites called 'petit mort,'" Thomas jokes. Finding porn that doesn't suck for women—especially women of color—can be difficult.Once we overcome the pre-conditioned guilt associated with watching porn, women may find another barrier: A lot of pornographic content is aimed pretty exclusively at a male audience. "There are so many different types of porn, and many interpretations and understandings of the material. Much of it seems to subjugate women, even when we seem to be in power—the performance aspect of porn feeds masculinity, from the positions to the sounds," Wallace says. Thankfully, there are subcategories and communities to provide women with more direct access to better-tailored content. Terms like the quickly-multiplying "Porn for Women" tag lead the way to videos that tend to be less male-centered. "When the only videos I could find were anal or incest/rape, I spent a lot of time googling 'free ethical porn' and found a subreddit of links that women vet and share with descriptions and reviews," Thomas says. Of course, there are downsides to porn when it comes to the sexual identity development for women of color. The phrasing of porn categories can be reflective of stereotypes that are harmful: Just like in the real world, the pornography industry limits the range of acceptable scenes of individuals of color. "In mainstream porn, fetishization is still how many people of color are allowed space," Glover says. "You see a similar overlay with how trans bodies are hyper-consumed when they are allowed to exist in porn, and representation for gender nonconforming individuals is still largely nonexistent. But I think this is definitely improving as more independent porn options, like CrashPadSeries, are becoming more available," says Glover, referring to a porn site that offers porn for queer individuals of all genders and orientation. They prioritize ethical consumption and dissemination of material along with advocating safe sex, ethnic diversity, equal pay, and comfort for their contributors. While these kinds of sites are few and far between, they can provide a framework for prioritizing sexual identity development for individuals overlooked in traditional porn. But it's worth it—for developing your own sexual identity (and sex with your partner too).For many WOC, porn has been the only tool available to explore what we do and don't like sexually in a safe way. Black women have often been portrayed as insatiable, hypersexual beings. In an attempt to help us, our families often restricted sexual expression through messages about good Black girls not being "fast." Those messages about the strict boxes Black women must fit into remove our ability to connect with those around us without shame, but when seen in private, porn offers a bit of refuge from the stigma of sexuality for Black women. There are many obstacles on the path to healthy sexual identities for women of color. Some of them are common to all women and taught through cultural influencers like religion; others are personalized through oppressive histories and exclusion. Unfortunately, the world isn't going to change so we can accept ourselves—but many Black women have decided that we aren't going to be limited by the metaphorical chains others apply to our sexuality. The good news is, women are watching more porn than ever. According to PornHub's 2017 end of the year review, the term "Porn for Women," saw a 359 percent increase over the last year. And when porn is helping, it can help show us what we might be open to—and what we would absolutely not consider in real life. Porn is also a great place to explore possibilities that we may want to attempt in real life with our partners, such as kinks, fetishes, positions, accessories, and additional people, Thomas says. In order to ensure sexual education considers the struggles and cultural concerns we face, Black women are founding their own sexual curriculums and networks, and becoming sex educators, which is helping create more conversation around sex—and porn—in our community. Despite being a nonconventional tool, porn shows a lot of promise as we choose how we will portray our sexual identities. It provides an unrivaled opportunity for women of color to test the boundaries of sex and interest with risks. And once we have established those boundaries and found empowerment, no one will ever remove our freedom again. A. Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez is a diversity content specialist who produces materials relating to mental and physical health, sociology, and parenting. Her work can be seen on several national platforms. Check her out on Facebook and Twitter. Health via Greatist RSS https://greatist.com/ February 28, 2018 at 08:47AM
One Key Factor Raises LGBT Teens' Suicide Risk
http://ift.tt/2EXzwZj Researchers looked at responses from 6,800 U.S. students in grades 9 through 12 who'd become sexually active, according to a CDC survey. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 28, 2018 at 07:39AM
Strong Tobacco Laws May Weed Out Vapers, Too
http://ift.tt/2FzVUJp New York University researchers found that states with anti-tobacco regulations -- such as smoke-free air laws and cigarette taxes -- had fewer vapers as well as fewer cigarette smokers. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 28, 2018 at 07:39AM
Why the Flu Makes You Feel So Miserable
http://ift.tt/2ETacHQ Most of influenza's misery is caused by the human body itself, or more precisely the immune system's response to the virus. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 28, 2018 at 07:39AM |
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