How to Carry A Baby Post Pregnancy

Why standing with poor posture whilst carrying a baby increases lower back pain and prevents diastasis recti from healing?

 

Me and my 3rd Daughter Beau

 

As a corrective exercise specialist and personal trainer I assess clients posture frequently. I do this by testing muscle length so I can see which muscles are long and weak or short and tight. The way we sit, stand, play and pregnancy effects our posture. If we continue to hold poor posture because of weakened core muscles it will cause problems. Poor posture and weak muscles generally equates to muscles aches and pain!

What we need to do

I try to stand level and balanced as often as I can when I'm holding my children. I know how standing on one hip and swaying forward leading from my abdominal muscles can cause back problems and prevent abdominal muscles from healing pre and post pregnancy.
I do know though as a busy mum myself just how hard it actually is to maintain good postural habits throughout the day. This is why I suggest that you aim to change a little each day and by doing this it will eventually start to make a difference.

Don't Sway your back sticking your stomach muscles forward 

You can do correct exercises post pregnancy but if you continually hold your baby with your stomach muscles pushing forward then your abdominal separation (diastasis recti: self test) caused by your pregnancy wont heal and you may even make it worse!
Have a think about what you are doing when you are standing with this poor posture: it stretches and puts strain on already weakened abdominal muscles and connective tissue potentially separating them further. You wont see the results you really want unless you change your posture and carrying technique.

Avoid Hip Hitching

If you continually stand on one hip whilst carrying baby or small children then you will weaken one side of your body whilst tightening the other causing asymmetrical imbalances. This can cause pain in your lower back, hip, knees and even shoulders!

You may even hold both these poor postures, standing on one hip and pushing your hips forward! You need to change this.

Pre and Post Natal Hormones

The pregnancy hormones relaxin and progesterone that weaken muscles and ligaments during pregnancy so that your body can adapt to a pregnancy are mostly to blame along with a growing uterus and baby!
Pregnancy hormones are still in your system 4-6 months post birth. It is these hormones that can accelerate muscle pain caused from poor posture. You may have been pain free before your pregnancy but now poor posture, muscle imbalances and pre and post pregnancy diastasis recti can cause pain. For more on Correct Posture: Click here

Try these corrective exercises:

Activate your transverse abdominal muscle (TVA) and pelvic floor muscles whilst you are lifting, changing and carrying your children. To make sure you can activate this important muscle correctly have a look at my video guide: TVA- Activate Correctly .

Stand as often as you can with your hip bones level. Place your hands on your pelvis to see if you can feel when your hips are level and see how the feel when they are not.

   Do specific exercises post birth but also make sure you think about the above points and by doing both you should recover quicker, have less pain and heal your diastasis recti!

Follow the above video and correct how you carry your babies from newborn to toddler.

 For a 12 week Post Pregnancy Exercise Program which covers ALL your post pregnancy exercise. Visit my website http://pregnancyexercise.co.nz

Running During Pregnancy

Can you do it, is it ok and is it safe?

Yes it is, you can run during your Pregnancy. You just have to follow a few guidelines and get to know your pregnant body.

This is by far one of the most common questions I get asked and even though it has now been proven that running is most definitely safe to do during a pregnancy. If you do choose to run during your pregnancy then you will probably have to put up with many strange looks and people telling you that you shouldn’t be doing it!

Just a couple of months ago my client at 26 weeks was running on the treadmill at the gym and another personal trainer and his client came up to me concerned that there was a pregnant women running on the treadmill. They were hoping I would walk up to her and tell her to walk but instead they got a lecture off me telling them how safe it is to run during pregnancy and the benefits of it!

It is only when someone may want to take running up for the first time that running is not advised but nor is any another new sport. So if you haven’t ran before you were pregnant then don’t start during your pregnancy. If however you are a regular runner and have just found out that you are pregnant then you don’t need to stop unless you have any medical complications or your LMC advises otherwise.  All you have to do to run safely during your pregnancy is listen to your body and make adjustments to you training routine.

Running during a pregnancy will not increase the chance of miscarriage, approx. 1 in 4 pregnancies will miscarry and there are many un-explained reasons for this, running does not increase this risk. You will also not over heat whilst running especially if you are running outside. Dress for the weather and run in the shade or at cooler times  in the early morning or evening during the summer months.

Let’s have a look at heart-rates first, many years ago in the eighties (1985) a study came out that women should not exercise above 140 beats per minute this has now been changed.  It was an overly cautious set of recommendations presented by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which suggested, among other things, that pregnant women keep their exercise intensity below a heart rate of 140 beats per minute.

This study has now been criticized for a lack of scientific evidence and for failing to differentiate between sedentary and physically fit women; the guidelines were modified in 1994 and again in 2002. The most recent guidelines (2008) from the Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans don't use heart rate as a measure of intensity. For intensity guidelines during pregnancy have a look at my youtube video: http://youtu.be/mjyE9I5sU6U 

Women who are fit and healthy as soon as they find out that they are pregnant their daily heart rate can increase by 10+ beats a minute almost overnight. If a pregnant women is exercising at a moderate intensity (aerobic) her heart rate can easily get above 140 beats per minute. If women stuck to the lower heart rate zones advised in 1985 some women wouldn’t even feel that they had exercised therefore reducing the benefits of cardio-vascular exercise. When I checked my running heart-rate during all 3 of my pregnancies it would generally be between 150-160 bpm.

There are many benefits to exercising during a pregnancy and you can read my 10 favourites here
One of the main benefits of cardio vascular fitness is that it improves blood flow,  a more efficient blood supply to mum also passes on to baby, a rich supply of healthy blood cells carrying vital nutrients.

What do you have to change when you are running during a pregnancy?

Time/Duration:

Now that you are pregnant your body is working up to 30% harder than before and it happens almost as soon as you see that positive pregnancy test. Last week’s 60minute runs are now the equivalent of 80 minutes. You need to reduce the duration of your runs by 10-20% and this percentage will increase during the pregnancy.

Pregnancy tiredness during the first Tri-mester is tough and running for periods longer than 50-60minutes may increase this fatigue so if you notice you are more tired after a 60min run just go for 35-45 min run instead and see how you feel after that. Everyone is different and each woman will start their pregnancy at a different fitness level. This is why it is important to listen to YOUR body and use that as a true guide.

Breast Changes:

 All women are different and breast size can change quite dramatically for some women during the first Tri-Mester. Breasts may also become heavier and quite painful, this in itself can stop a regular runner from continuing to run during her pregnancy.

Make sure you wear a very good supportive bra, wear two if you need to, along with a running vest over the top for extra support.

Hormones:

There are two pregnancy hormones which make muscle tendons and ligaments lengthen and weaken pre and post pregnancy these hormones are Progesterone and Relaxin. Relaxin is released in large doses from 20+ and 30+ weeks. This can make you more prone to injury as you are more likely to ‘go over’ on your ankle joints. I think it is best to avoid off road running from the start and be careful when you run downhill, try to think about your posture and watch your step! Carry your mobile with you at all times.

Perform one leg balance and core exercises at home or at the gym to increase your ankle stability and correct any muscular imbalances.  My on-line Pregnancy Exercise Program includes these types of exercises and address's correct pregnancy posture. A good physiotherapist or personal trainer should be able to assess your biomechanics during your pregnancy and prescribe the correct exercise’s to keep you running and be free of pain during your pregnancy. Pregnancy Posture

Round ligament pain (RLP):

RLP can increase from weeks 9-13 and again from weeks 18-25 it may be at its worse, running may increase this type of pain and discomfort, and you will need to manage this. If it is quite painful when you are running walk instead or change to a different exercise for a few weeks. I found that swimming would make it worse but run/walking and cycling was fine, avoid twisting movements, strength exercises can help ease RLP.

Baby’s Position:

From 20+ weeks baby’s position may cause you some discomfort. When I ran with my first she would often position herself with her head close to my lower right oblique causing a dull ache, some days I couldn’t run but on  other days when she had moved I would feel fine.

Your baby is completely supported by the amniotic fluid surrounding them, they are not getting bounced about! In fact it is believed you may even rock them to sleep. When running starts to feel uncomfortable then that is the time to stop.

 

Rest weeks:
I found that from weeks 10-12 and weeks 21-24 would be a little more challenging. During these weeks my runs felt more cardio-vascular challenging most probably due to all the changes that were occurring, the growth and demands of a growing baby.

Listen to your body,  if you feel more tired on some weeks take it easier,  reduce the duration of your runs, swap a run for a stationary bike ride or take a complete week off. Try to have one week off exercise every 8-10 weeks during your pregnancy.

Let your LMC know that you are running during your pregnancy as it’s a good idea to have extra blood tests to check your iron levels. I would get blood tests at the start of each pregnancy, 13wks, 24weeks then again at 30/32.  Your iron requirements increase during a pregnancy and exercise will demand even more. If you have any bleeding or cramps stop running and seek medical advice.

Strength Exercise

Keep on top of your stability and strength exercises as mentioned before. You are more prone to injury and you must maintain good biomechanics to have a pain free pregnancy. If you are not sure about what exercises to do and include have a look at the pregnancy program on my website as it includes exercises to maintain hip stability and strength.

Diet:
Make sure you eat adequate amounts of protein, fat and vegetables and you drink enough water. You need to drink at least 2 litres of water a day during a pregnancy more if you are exercising. If you eat well it will ensure you and your baby are getting the vital nutrients that are required and you will recover from your exercise.
 

I ran during all 3 of my pregnancies, listening to my body allowed me to enjoy running pregnant. With my first I was very fit and at 16 weeks I could still run 4 times a week for 40-50mins along with swimming and strength training. I continued to run/walk up until 36 weeks I felt great. Every time I had tried to walk up until this point (36 weeks) walking actually felt harder and more awkward on my body, jogging was much easier and natural for my body.

My second pregnancy I ran until 24/25 weeks and then swam and with my third I just ran until 20/21 weeks as I didn’t have the fitness base and was just too busy with my other two children. I concentrated on strength exercises for the rest of this pregnancy!

Enjoy running during your Pregnancy, any questions please post and visit my website for more great articles on pre and post pregnancy health and fitness and exercise programs for your pregnancy. http://pregnancyexercise.co.nz

Lorraine Scapens is a pre and post natal health and exercise specialist and has more than 20 years’ experience. She has created http://pregnancyexercise.co.nz  and http://turningbaby.com.  Mum to 3 young girls Lorraine lives in Auckland NZ .

Fit, Fab and Almost 40!

Post Pregnancy Fitness Goals

9 years ago I celebrated my 30^th birthday and had just qualified for the ‘World Triathlon Championships’ Queenstown 2003. This time 9 years ago I was 3 months out from the biggest race in my life. A training session mid-week would be a 40km TT bike followed by a 16km hilly run.  Now many years later and 5 months out from turning 40 I can just about manage a 20min run. I used to be able to run a 19min 5km off a 20km Bike and complete a Half Ironman!

Now wait a minute Lorraine are you complaining? No, I’m definitely not. My body has gone through 4 pregnancies and 3 births in just four and a half years. The time I had to train back then is now time spent with my kids and on my business, my priorities have definitely changed.  Triathlon training was once my number 1 priority.

You can’t be too hard on yourself post pregnancy. Sometimes we find it all too easy to forget what our bodies have been through and that we are still recovering.  It takes 2 years alone to recover from sleep deprivation never mind your pregnancy.

Many of us should and need to set fitness goals, achieving a goal gives a huge sense of personal achievement and can also make the journey of losing post baby weight and getting your pre baby shape back a little easier. It is also something and maybe the only thing you do for yourself!

My original goals were to have my children at school and get back into triathlon before I turned 40, that’s not going to happen but I don’t mind. The goal I am now setting myself however is to be able to run 10km and feel strong for my birthday now that should be achievable.

 

It’s best to set a main goal then to set several targets. By setting yourself small stepping stones you achieve things along the way helping to increase motivation.  Goals must be achievable if they are not then you will only set yourself up for failure and that does no one any good. It is also better for you if the goal is not centered around weight and body shape. I know as a mum I don't feel happy if I have a 'muffin top' but I try not to focus on losing weight , instead I focus on fitness and healthy eating and in turn I get rid of the 'muffin top'. Set goals such as running a 5km, Cycling for 60 minutes, perform 20 full press ups etc. Take the focus away from weight loss and you are much more likely to reach your goal and be happy with your shape.

The path to your fitness goal(s) is now not as straight forward as it was prior to you becoming a mum. The journey will be full of ups and downs; you now have to take in to account breast-feeding, sleepless nights, sick children and fluctuating hormones. All this can affect your training routine and how your body recovers and adapts to exercise.  Some weeks are better than others; I have learnt to let things go and ‘go with the flow’. This can be very difficult especially so for first time mums as they may think that things will never get any better/easier and that they won’t be able to exercise ever again! Now you may not be able to exercise like you once did but you will eventually find the time, you will get there.

Set yourself a goal, write it down, tell people about it and program several steps along the way, be patient and positive you will get there. Now go and plan your exercise for the week!

Post Pregnancy Hair Loss

As I write this I am experiencing this for the third time and sorry this is not an article telling you how to stop it. If you do find an answer let me know although I’m not planning on having any more children and going through this again.

This instead is an article to let you know that what you may find quite shocking and worrying losing your hair post pregnancy is absolutely normal. I have included  in this blog the things I have done this time to try to reduce post pregnancy hair loss.

Even though I had seen it happen to my clients I was horrified the first time I noticed I had bald spots 5 months post the birth of my first daughter and that I had receded- argh!  I can’t actually remember losing it first time but second time around I was prepared although it was still up-setting all the same.
Yes I know I have gorgeous children and I'm truly grateful but losing your hair can be really hard to deal with.

4 months post the birth of my second daughter Brooke the big fall out started, my brush was full of hair, my partner was complaining there was hair everywhere, and when I would blow- dry it you could see it falling out. I once caught my hair in a bag strap, I lifted my hair out from under the strap and half of it came out and was left on my jumper! Seems strange too I mean genetically and from a safety point of view why would this happen as your baby becomes littered with hair.

I searched on –line for answers but I knew there was no way to stop it. Can you imagine, most of the articles said try not to stress? Try not to stress, what when you can see yourself going bald erm yes that’s a tough one!

It can take around 2-3 years for your hair to recover from the post pregnancy hair loss. You lose minimum if any hair loss during a pregnancy hence why your hair looks so dam good. Then post pregnancy you lose it. For those very lucky women with thick hair they may not even notice or be glad of the natural thinning but for those of us with thin hair it can look absolutely awful and it takes time getting used to. My base-ball hat becomes my friend and I change the side of my parting.

Pregnancy hormones are to blame and you lose your hair regardless  if you breast-feed or not. Hair loss normally happens around 4-6 months post although everyone is different. So if you start seeing mounds of your hair falling out this is what I have tried third time around to try to reduce and help healthy hair grow back. I have found the extreme loss continues for approx 3-5 weeks.

• Avoid washing your hair regularly- the weight of the water pulls more out
• Avoid brushing too much and use a wide tooth comb when you do
• Get a cut around the 3 month mark as medium length hair has less chance of getting caught in bag straps and under clothes.
• Tie your hair up loosely at night to avoid it being pulled on the pillow
• I have used a caffeine hair serum this time to stimulate new growth. I have yet to see if this really works.
• Finally try not to worry, it is normal. Part your hair on the other side if it covers loss and by the time your baby is 2 your hair will be back to normal!

If you have any other tips to share on this subject please comment and help other readers going through this one downside for me anyway to pregnancy.
 

Pregnancy Care at Home

Many of the women, in their pregnancy stage will find it highly beneficial to know about the tips and facts related to pregnancy care at home. Apart from meeting a doctor, you also need to care yourself and your baby at home, who is still in your womb. The several facts associated with home pregnancy care will help you become a responsible parent and you will have a healthy baby. Often, women face several complexities during her pregnancy, due to some negligence on their health part or may be due to unawareness related to pregnancy complexities.

Some of the tips that will help you to take care of you and your unborn baby are as follows:

Exercises that strengthen your muscles: A mother carries additional weight at the time of pregnancy and so it is necessary to strengthen the muscles involved in such physical conditions. Exercises will help you to maintain the strength and elasticity of the connective tissues. First of all, one of the best cardiovascular exercises to keep your muscles strong is walking. It will help you avoid jarring of your ankles and knees. It will be highly beneficial to walk about 20 minutes daily at the time of pregnancy.

Know how to sit and stand: During pregnancy, try to maintain a proper posture, when you are sitting or standing, in order to maintain proper equilibrium that would not put an extra burden on your bones and muscles. It is common to experience an extra arch at the back, due to heavier portion of the stomach. Make sure you do not sit with your legs hanging in the air and try to give proper support to your legs.

Take healthy diet: Healthy diet is very important during pregnancy as you need to maintain a healthy body that would be beneficial for you and your unborn baby. Eat foods that are healthy in protein, carbohydrates and minerals. Avoid junk and oily food, because that may have an adverse effect on your and the health of your baby as well. Include variety of foods rich in fiber and protein, and consume at least 300 extra calories per day for your baby, as compared to the diet you used to take before getting pregnant.

Doing exercise and taking healthy diet will help you and your unborn baby to remain healthy. The pregnancy care tips at home will help you avoid the complexities that you might face during this beautiful stage.

How to Activate Transverse Abdominal

Every women needs to activate her T.V.A-Transverse abdominal muscle and pelvic floor muscles after giving birth. This is the exercise you need to do during the first 1-10 days post birth. If you have had a ‘C’ section it is better to wait for 5-14 days before you start.

Why is it Important? 

It is important to start activating your TVA along with your pelvic floor muscles as this is the first part in your rehabilitation from your pregnancy, labour and birth.  These muscles have been severely stretched and severed (after a ‘C’ section) during your pregnancy and you have lost or have minimal neural connection to them.

If you have strong TVA and pelvic floor muscles you can hold good posture whilst you are breastfeeding, carrying and lifting your baby. It will decrease the risk of back and hip pain and reduces possible post pregnancy incontinence.

Exercising the muscles sooner rather than later will help to start to correct a diastasis recti (post pregnancy abdominal separation) ultimately leading to a flatter stomach and if you want to eventually get back into a regular exercise routine activating these muscles daily is a must to prevent injury.

Where are these Important Muscles?

• The transverse abs run from our sides (lateral) to the front (anterior), its fibers running horizontally (transverse).
• The muscle runs transverse and is the deepest of the major abdominal muscles (the others being the rectus abdominis, and the internal and external obliques).
• It ends (the muscle insertion) by joining with the large vertical abdominal muscle in the middle (the linea alba), where the fibers begin to curve downward and upward depending on what direction it has to go to meet the linea alba, and below the sternum it combines with next most superficial muscle (the internal oblique). This insertion runs down by the belly button where it passes over the thick abdomen muscle (the "6/8-pack") and all the ab muscle fibers join together.

The transversus abdominis (TVA) helps to compress the ribs and viscera, providing torso and pelvic stability. The transversus abdominis also helps pregnant women deliver their baby.

Watch my video guide to Activate your TVA's correctly

.

Make sure this is the first Exercise you do after Giving Birth and do it sooner rather than later.

You don't have to engage the muscles lying down you can think about engaging your TVA and Pelvic Floor muscles during the day.

Have a look at your stomach when you are standing, sitting and when you are holding your baby and try to activate your T.V.A muscles. Draw your belly button in towards your spine, I think about either trying to zip up a pair of jeans or imagine you have a corset on and it is being pulled tighter. You should see your tummy draw in; if you can see this happening, you are activating the correct muscles. You could use a mirror to help, stand sideways and watch yourself activating these muscles.

From 1-14 days post birth this is the exercise you need to do try to think about activating your tummy muscles regularly when you are lifting, changing and carrying your baby. If you can concentrate on this for a couple of weeks post birth the connections will become stronger, the muscle strength will increase and activating these once weakened muscles will become second nature.

For a full Pre or Post Pregnancy Exercise Program have a look at my website. Pregnancy Exercise Program  and Post Pregnancy Exercise Program

Signs of Pregnancy

It happens in life that a curiosity arouses in your heart to know certain facts related to your life and functioning of your body. One of the most important facts that an every woman or a teen aged girl, will like to know are the signs of pregnancy. The early signs of pregnancy before a missed period will make you alert, to take proper precaution on time or plan your motherhood, beforehand. There are many symptoms that will help you realize that “you are pregnant’ and you just need to observe them carefully. Although a doctor is the best person to confirm your pregnancy, but the changes that occur in the body due to pregnancy can be observed minutely by a female, and thus they can easily confirm their pregnancy by themselves, even before meeting a doctor.

Pregnancy Signs

Let’s have a look at the signs of pregnancy that will help you know, whether you are pregnant. Some of the symptoms of pregnancy are as follows:

Missed Period: It is the most common sign that says that you are pregnant. If you are a sexually active female and you have a regular menstrual cycle, then missing a regular period in a month, is most probably, the obvious sign of pregnancy. If it happens, consult a doctor immediately.

Vomiting and Nausea: Nausea and vomiting, which is also popularly known as morning sickness is one of the symptoms of pregnancy. Often, it continues until the second trimester and it is possible that all women may or may not experience this sign during their pregnancy.

Changes in Breast: There will be few changes in the breast taking place, if you are pregnant such as breast tenderness, change in its size, increase in sensitivity, and darkening of areola.

Feel Urination Frequently: It is also one of the most common pregnancy sign and you might feel frequent urination during pregnancy. If it happens it is possible that you are pregnant.

Feeling Sleepy: Fatigue and sleepiness most often, can also be the sign confirming that you are pregnant.

There are many other signs of pregnancy too, but the few mentioned above are the most common symptoms of pregnancy. A doctor can tell you better after examining and carrying out some tests, whether you are pregnant, but it is possible that you might be pregnant, if you are facing the above pregnancy symptoms.

Know the Best Time to Get Pregnant or Avoid Pregnancy

Sex is something which is very natural among the male and female. All most all the species of the world whether land animals or sea animals, all reproduce by either sexually or asexually. People often try to know that when should they do sex, when there is less possibility of getting pregnant. For knowing the best time to avoid unwanted sex, you will first have to understand the menstrual cycle properly. There is a specific time when egg is not developed properly, and this is the time when you can do sex with your partner without ant fear of getting pregnant. Its normally assumed that seven days before the menstrual cycle starts and seven days after the menstrual cycle ends are the best time for safe sex but one thing should be noted that the menstrual cycle is regular. The other way of avoiding pregnancy is to wash all the sperms from the vagina properly.

When you do sex with your partner then you should leave the bed immediately after ejaculation and wash the vagina properly is one of the old sayings but its better to avoid sex between 15th to 28th of the 28 days menstrual cycle, as it is the most probable time to get pregnant. It has been scientifically proved that the sperm of a boy lives for 12 hours whereas the egg of a girl lives for 72 hours. And, 15th day is the most probable day of getting pregnant if you do sex without any protection. It means sex should be avoided for 72 hours before the 15th day of the 28 days menstrual cycle. Apart from these measures, it is better to use condoms or take pills for avoiding unwanted pregnancy.

Why is Sex Good for Health

A question still goes on in the mind of a person that whether regular sex is good for health or not. They also think that, why is sex good for health. People used to believe earlier that sex done regularly makes weakens a person. But, this is not the truth as per the recent research done by the scientists recently. The results which came out after the recent research differs from what people used to think in the olden days. The scientists have proved through their recent research that sex is very much beneficial for the health of a human being.

It might be amazing to note that sex gives the benefits which are not even possible by using the best medicines. Sex can give you a healthy body with shiny hair and glowing skin. There are lots of benefits of doing sex regularly and these benefits are not known by most of the people. It has been proved that sex combats diseases like asthma and keeps proper blood regulation in your heart.  Apart from these benefits, sex also helps to provide relief in headache, reducing depression, burning extra fats and calories, better metabolic rate, etc. When you do sex your partner, your body releases the hormones which helps your body in fighting with different diseases and keeps your body strong. This is the reason which answers the question why is sex good for health. You can get a healthy body and healthy mind by doing sex regularly. So, maintain a good relation with your partner, enjoy sex with your partner and keep your life happier and healthier.

Sex not only helps you in maintaining good health but also makes the bond stronger between you and your partner. It makes your relationship much better and long lasting. Apart from the physical attachment, it also attaches you emotionally to your partner. It boosts positive energy in you and makes you much stronger spiritually and psychologically which is essential for maintaining good health. This is the answer to the question why sex is good for health. At last it should be also remembered that sex should not be done more than thrice in a week because it may weaken your immune system and your body may not be able to prevent itself from certain infections.

Foods to Boost Sexual Power

There are various food which helps to enhance the sexual power in your body and mind. These foods contain different hormones which increases the blood circulation to the sexual organs of your body. The different food contains different hormones which is beneficial either for men or women or both. So, if you want to increase your sexual power you should be careful about the food you eat. You can eat such foods to boost sexual power. There are other ways too like exercise which will make you healthy and also increase you sex power.

List of Foods to boost Sexual Power

There are many foods to boost sexual power. The lists of food that will help you to increase your sexual power are as follows:

Fruits: Fruits contain different types of vitamins which help to enhance the sexual power in a person.

Pumpkin Seeds: The pumpkin seeds contain zinc which produces testosterone in the body of a man. It also helps to carry on sexual feeling in a woman.

Chocolate: Chocolate is known to contain phenylethylamine which stimulates a particular hormone that makes you feel that you are in love.

Saurkraut: It has been concluded through research that a man who takes sauerkraut has been found more active in the sex drive a compared to the one who does not take it.

Soy: Soy is more useful for a woman. It helps in binding estrogen and it keeps the vagina lubricated.

Cardamom: It is also very helpful in increasing sexual power. It contains high amount of cineole which increases the blood regualtion to the sexual organs.

Celery: Celery is known to have androsterone which is type of hormone which attracts the women towards men. This hormone is also found in the sweat of a person.

Bananas: It contains enzyme called “bromelain” which increases the sex power in a man. It also contains vitamin B and potassium which increases the energy of the body.

Basil: It is good for health and it also increases the blood circulation.

Eggs: Egg is rich in vitamin B5 and B6 which helps to reduce stress and also it is good for sex.

Almonds: It produces fatty acids in the body of a person and is healthy for production of hormones in a male.

Chilies: The spices like chilies also boost the sexual power. It releases capsaicin which increases the heart rate.

Oysters: Oysters contain zinc which enhances the sexual power but a pregnant woman is recommended not to eat raw oysters.

Garlic: Garlic is bad on the breath but it is very useful in sex drive. Garlic contains a compound called allicin which improves the flow of blood to the sexual organs.

The lists of food given above if taken properly will help you to increase your sexual power. You can take the above given foods to boost sexual power. You can choose your food and diet as per you choice or consult a health consultant about it.

Tips to Boost Sexual Relationship

A couple who has very good understanding between them lives happily and enjoys the life.  Love and relationship has become one of the most burning topics these days. A lot of divorces going on in the Unites States have made them think over it. A question arises in the mind of the people that how should they maintain their relation through their life with their partner. There are various tips which will make you understand the things essential in your life in order to maintain your relationship throughout your life. This will help you know how to romance.


 

Apart from these issues there are people who have lost their relationship with their partner due to weak sexual relationship. There are various methods with the help of which you can boost you sexual relationship and maintain healthy relationship with your partner. The boost in the sexual relationship satisfies you and your partner not only physically but mentally as well. It makes the bond of love and relationship stronger. The tips which boost sexual relationship and lets you know how to romance are as follows:

Food: There are some foods which boosts the sexual power in you. The foods like eggs, celery, oysters, chocolates, soy and fruits which enhance the sex power in you and change the mood as well. But, it is recommended not to eat raw oysters when a lady is pregnant.

Spend time: A girl always wants to spend some time with her partner. Also, spending some time alone will help you to understand each other better.

Go on a trip: Going on a trip in a weekend, a month, in a year or so will refresh your mood as well as your partner’s mood. It will also make more close to each other.

Take a bath together: Sometimes you and your partner can have a bath together which shows love between you and your partner.

Kissing: Try kissing your partner with different styles. It will get you attracted towards each other. You can try some chocolates while kissing which will help you better.

Try different Positions: You can also try different sex positions which will change the taste and there will be an excitement in your relationship.

Relaxing together: When you go through a sex drive try to relax together.

Start Exercise: Doing exercises daily will make you healthy and help you have better strength while doing sex.

Stop Smoking and taking Liquor above a limit: Smoking and taking liquor above a limit weakens the immune system as well as the sex power.

The tips given above will help you to have a better sexual relationship. These tips will also help you to have  better love and relationships between you and your partner.

How to Get Pregnant

A woman faces a lot of problems if she gets unwanted pregnancy. She gets mentally harassed and searches for the way to remove that unwanted pregnancy. This is the one side of the pregnancy cases and the other side is that some couple struggles a lot to get a child in their life. They often fail to find the way and struggle with question that how to get pregnant. They try different ways to get pregnant but they fail due to lack of proper knowledge. So, if a couple wants to get a child then they should be aware of the different tips which will be helpful for them.

Tips to get Pregnant

There are several ways which would be helpful if a woman wants to get pregnant. There are some tips which have been given below which will help you to get pregnant and you will know the different ways to get pregnant:

Regular Sex: This is the most successful way for a woman to get pregnant. Regular sex can be helpful because it can be helpful even if the menstrual cycle of a woman is irregular. The sperm of the male lives between 3 to 5 years and so chances of getting pregnant would be more. Moreover, one thing should be kept in mind that sex should be done in a position which would allow the sperm to be deposited into the uterus. The idea is to make the sperm swim up to the cervix of the female. This will increase the chances of getting pregnant for a woman.

Consult a Doctor: This will also help you a lot if you want to get pregnant. The doctor will do proper check up and he will let you know the about the problem which is lacking in you. The doctor will also help you to track the ovulation and will prescribe you proper vitamins needed for your body.

Healthy Food: The healthy food is also one of the essential factors in successful reproduction. A person who eats healthy food has better reproductive system. The diet of a woman should be balanced and he should eat all sorts of food which contains proper minerals and vitamins. Green vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat could be the good options. Moreover, among vitamins zinc plays an important part in maintaining the reproductive system. Zinc helps a person either men or women to maintain healthy reproductive system.

Fertility Tracking: This is a tool with the help of which ovulation is calculated and it works on the LH (Luteinizing Hormone).

Thus, the tips given above on how to get pregnant will help you know the different ways to get pregnant. Even then, if you fail to conceive pregnancy, then consult a doctor who can suggest you the best way after different check ups. Apart from the tips, it should be also kept in mind that a woman should avoid smoking and drinking because that would create difficulties in getting pregnant. Also, use of drugs or chocolates in excessive amount would reduce the fertility chances.

How to Avoid Pregnancy

It had been a burning topic from the years that how to avoid pregnancy. Many new couple or the young couples keep on searching for the ways to avoid pregnancy without taking any pills or any other medical drugs. The couples though try hard to avoid pregnancies without using any medical drugs but in reality there is no such technique or tool to minimize the chances of pregnancy. The only thumb rule to avoid pregnancy is to avoid sex. It means that if u do sex without precaution then there will be a chance of getting pregnant. So, it’s better to take some pills or use condoms when you don’t want your partner to get pregnant after sex tonight.

There are many pills and other contraceptive measures which can help you to avoid pregnancy. The myths and old wives stories do not work because these are only the myths which are being tried by the different people. The prevention taken in the form of condoms not only minimizes the chances of pregnancy but also protects you from the diseases like HIV and AIDS. So, it’s better to use condoms when you do sex, in order to minimize the chances of getting pregnant. Moreover, you can minimize the chances of getting pregnant by using contraceptive pills within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

Tips on how to avoid pregnancy

There are several ways which can be used to avoid pregnancy. Some of the ways have been given below which will help you to avoid pregnancy:

Condoms: The condoms are one of the best ways to avoid pregnancy. They not only save you from getting pregnant but also protect you from getting effected to the HIV/AIDS or STD (sexually Transmitted Disease). You can use condom when you don’t want your partner to get partner after doing the sex.

Pills: The contraceptive pills are also very helpful in avoiding the chances of pregnancy. Some pills can be taken within 72 years to avoid pregnancy whereas some are needed to be taken daily when you dos ex regularly with your partner.

Avoid Drinks: It is important to note that many of the teen agers get pregnant due to taking alcohol. This happens because they don’t pay proper attention or forgot to take precautions while doing sex and as a result get pregnant.

Check Ovulation Period: You can also avoid pregnancy by calculating the ovulation period of your partner. According to this theory, the mid time that is the 14^th or 15^th day is the time when there is most chances of getting pregnant if you do sex with your partner.

Consult a Doctor: The best way is to consult your doctor so that he could suggest you better options as per your situation.

Sex during Period: Sometimes people have confusion that sexes during periods are safe but this is not the truth. A woman ma get pregnant even during that period because you would never know that when the eggs get fertilized.

No Sex: The best way to avoid pregnancy is to avoid sex if you don’t want to get pregnant. You can try some oral ways with your partner to get satisfaction.

There are various tips given above which will help you to know that how to avoid pregnancy. The ways given above will be helpful to you but sometimes none of them is 100% safe. So, you should know about it properly or consult reputed medical practitioner who will suggest you the best ways to avoid pregnancy. The precautions could also safe you from STD's

What is Menstruation

Most of the girls wonder about the hormonal changes, which takes place in their body at the age of 12 or 13 years. They want the answer of the question that what is menstruation or what is menstrual cycle or what is period. It is a time when there is a bleeding from the vagina of a woman. The menstruation is most commonly known as period among the females. Apart from these two names, it is also known as menses, menstrual bleeding, menstrual cycle or catamenia. The age at which the menstrual cycle starts in a female is about 13 years on an average. There is hormonal change in a female at this stage of life and menstrual cycle is one of result of those hormonal changes. The menstrual cycle starts with vaginal bleeding normally in a time period of 28 days on average. The time period of the menstrual cycle may differ from one woman to another. The vaginal blood flow continues for 5 days in general but may also end in 2 to 3 days which is considered to be normal. The amount of blood released in an average woman is 10 to 80ml which is also considered as normal. This is the answer which will let you know what is menstrual cycle or what is period.

Why Menstruation

There is a question in the mind of many young girl that why menses. It starts in a woman as the result of the hormonal change which occurs at the age of 12 or 13 years in general. At this stage a girl gets the capability to pregnant as the egg starts developing. The egg which gets developed comes out after every 28 days and this accompanied by the process of the menstruation. The egg gets released from the vagina with the blood which comes out from the vagina. This process of the egg getting released is called as a process of ovulation and this answers the question why menstruation.

Effects of Menstruation

Menstrual cycle is result of the process which is called as Ovulation. There are many effects of menstruation or menstrual cycle. When it is about to start there is slight pain in the thigh, leg or back of a woman which is a symptom which could make them feel that the menstrual cycle is about to start the next day or the same day. There might be lack of iron in a woman due to the release of the 10 to 80 ml of blood every month.

Overall, it can be said that menstrual cycle is natural process which occurs in a girl at some particular age which can be normally from 12 to 13 years. There is nothing to worry about as it is a process which is related to the reproduction in a woman. So, it is a part of a woman’s life and every female should know that what is menstruation and understand the menstrual cycle properly.

What is Ovulation

It has been seen that most of the people don’t know actually that what is ovulation. In the process of ovulation the developed or matured egg gets released from the ovary and it gets released through the vagina with the flow of blood if does not found any sperm. Ovulation is the process which is accompanied with the process of menstruation. In the process of menstruation the egg gets released which is the result of the ovulation. The egg gets developed in the ovaries of the female. Each female has two ovaries and the egg gets developed in those ovaries. If both the ovaries release one egg each then it results with a fraternal twin if each egg meets a sperm. When the egg gets developed in the ovary then it takes about 3 days to reach to the embryo. The ovulation starts between 14^th to 16^th day of the menstrual cycle generally. The knowledge about ovulation can help you to get pregnant and avoid pregnancy.

If you talk biologically there are two ovaries in the reproductive system of a woman. Each ovary contains thousands of follicles and the immature eggs are found within these follicles. There are many follicles which start to develop but in a month there is only one follicle that reaches maturity. The slight concentrated study of the reproductive system will help you to know that what is ovulation.

How the egg gets released from ovary

The follicle gets developed in the ovary of the reproductive system of a female. The level of oestrogen rises in the blood when the egg gets developed. The increasing level of oestrogen in the blood signals the pituitary gland that the eggs are matured and are ready to be released. As, a result L.H. (“the L.H. surge”) hormone is released in the high amount by the pituitary gland and it bursts the follicle and the egg gets released. A hormone named progesterone is released when the egg gets released and it a hormone which is found only in a woman. When the egg gets released and the woman has an intercourse then there is a major chance to get pregnant and thus you can also avoid pregnancy by avoiding intercourse at these times.

Finally, it could be said that ovulation and menstruation is a complex process which involves the participation of hormones, reproductive system and brain even. It is true that it is a complex process but every man and woman should have at least the basic knowledge about these processes, so that he/she could understand that what is ovulation. The knowledge of these processes will help you to get pregnant and avoid pregnancy.

Teenagers and Drug Abuse Problem

Many people think that teenage and adolescence is a stage of people’s life during which they are very vulnerable to the bad influence of drug abuse activity. There are a number of reasons for that. When people start entering the teenage stage of their life, they are in a transitional stage between childhood and adulthood. Therefore, teenage is the stage where they no more receive total parental control and the stage where they enjoy several advantages of being adults, such as privacy. Teenagers who can cope with such responsibility perfectly will hardly experience disasters during their teenage; but for those who are not ready to hold such responsibility, teenage can be the most devastating stage of their life. When they aren’t ready to counter such threats as strong urge to abuse illegal drugs, they will eventually become drug abusers and they can hardly rescue themselves unless they get assistance from people who love them.

Because teenagers are more susceptible to abusing illegal drug, you have to watch your teenage son attentively so that he doesn’t fall to the brink of disaster and that he can continue to pursue better future. If your son inevitably becomes a drug abuser, you shouldn’t ever think that the end of the world is near because you still have a lot of chances to attempt at rescuing him. As a parent, you can start by passionately approaching him and talking with him about his problem. You have to make sure that your son always trusts you as his parent. Afterwards, you can take him to any nearby drug rehab for teens center so that he can get proper treatment for his addiction.

Finding a drug rehab center whose program is special for teens is not a difficult task. You only need to use your internet browser and to search for such center by using any search engine you are familiar with. Just make sure the center that you choose is reputable so that the treatment that your son will receive is a reliable one.