Guest Post: How to Stay Healthy Through Pregnancy

About our guest blogger:

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26

How to Stay Healthy Through Pregnancy

Staying healthy through pregnancy can be challenging. As an expecting mother, you may encounter complications if you don’t adopt a healthy diet, exercise frequently, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water.  Make sure to discuss your pregnancy plan with your doctor.  I was able to discuss everything with my OBGYN including breastfeeding tips, the value of cord blood, delivery techniques and more.  With proper attention, you can remain healthy throughout your pregnancy- and beyond!  Let’s take a look at how you can ensure that you and your baby remain safe.

Eat Healthy
Not only should you consume five servings of fruits and vegetables through pregnancy, you should also eat small meals through the day to manage the symptoms of the morning sickness. Small meals will also keep energy levels up. Physicians also recommend taking vitamins at night to avoid losing the effectiveness.

When I had my child, I grew my own vegetables. I thought that gardening was therapeutic, and I knew the vegetables were fresh grown without pesticides. I often used the vegetables to make soups because of easy ingestion. Staying hydrated during pregnancy is also important. Drink, at least, eight, eight-ounce glasses of water daily.  

Exercise is Not an Option
Pregnancy is no time to slack off and stop exercising. In fact, unless doctors advise against it, or you have an iron deficiency, you can exercise up until the moment of delivery. Swimming is recommended to keep the strain off the back. Walking and low-impact jogging are other popular exercises with expecting mothers.

Get Plenty of Sleep
Many women have iron deficiencies during pregnancy. This condition requires eating iron-rich foods, limited exercise, and plenty of sleep. Having the proper linens and pillows can also aid with sleep. Pregnancy pillows are recommended. These pillows may be more expensive than body pillows, which can be substituted if it is out of the budget. Pregnant women can get plenty of rest even when their nights are interrupted by frequent bathroom trips.

Eating properly is also a part of getting enough sleep at night. Edamame hummus with pita chips can help expecting women gain enough iron, calcium, folic acid, and protein. When the proper nutrients are consumed, women will sleep better at night and feel energized during the day.

You can stay healthy during pregnancy if you follow these simple tips. If you are like me, you want to ensure you do what’s best for your child. Eating healthy, exercising, getting sleep, and drinking enough water is recommended. When the tips are followed, most women have a healthy pregnancy.

thank you Katie for this wonderful post!

Guest Post: Paula from Fitting In To Fitness Wear

Hi, I’m Paula from Cricklade, a small town in the south west of England on the border of The Cotswolds.  I love chocolate, (don’t we all) but I also love exercise and keeping fit.  I’m a working mum, have a full time job, two really active kids, Laura and Tom, and my own small business We Fit In.  I’m dedicated to providing women who are UK size 12 to 24, with stylish performance fitness wear and great fitness accessories.  I also have a blog, Fitting In To Fitness Wear, which is all about healthy lifestyles and looking after yourself.  It includes the latest products, exercise reviews, healthy recipes and more.  Why not take a look?  Thank you so much to Lindsey for allowing me to add a little bit England to her fabulous looking blog.

Le Whif started as an experiment with the French chef Thierry Marx and aims to deliver all of the taste but none of the calories courtesy of a lipstick style inhaler.  Unlike an asthma inhaler, Le Whif delivers particles of taste directly into the mouth via a cleverly designed tube, rather than the back of the throat like an asthma inhaler.  Whilst they claim their chocolate flavour is so chocolatey, you get all the taste without the calories, the coffee variety is said to contain the same amount of caffeine as a shot of espresso.  The Breathable Food Company has not stopped at coffee and chocolate, they’ve introduced vitamins too.  

Unfortunately, the real formula for successful weight loss does not come from a lipstick inhaler, or from consuming homemade cabbage soup, downing gallons of maple syrup or enduring a detox programme consisting of colonic irrigation.  It comes simply from eating healthier foods, exercising more as well as a healthy dose of portion control.  It’s not as difficult as you may think, and change can be introduced easily and with little impact in your life.  For example, swap full fat milk for semi-skimmed or skimmed, cut out the biscuit you would normally have for elevenses, replace fizzy drinks with squash or cordial, reduce your portion sizes, try to give up sugar in tea or coffee and say no to that extra glass of wine.  By increase the amount of exercise, even if it is just a short 20-minute walk every day, you’ll find that your body shape will begin to change. 

This method is certainly not a quick fix, nor will it have you looking like a stick insect in two weeks.  What it will do is guarantee a healthy lifestyle and a longer and more fulfilling life.  And once you’ve achieved your target weight loss, (or even if you’ve reached the point where you’re happy with the way you look), you’ll find that you won’t go back, you’ll be stepping forward all the way.  Good luck!

Paula