Core Workouts for New Moms

by Jenni Ross in

Goodness, it feels like all media has babies on the brain right now, and when it comes to all those celebrity babies being born, I am the same. Kim K and Kanye West just had their little baby girl, and we are less than a month away from having a new heir to the British throne. I am so crazy excited about the royal baby and have been obsessively hoarding any magazine with pictures of the Royal Baby Bump. Side note, Raising a Royal Baby by Us Magazine has some really cute pictures of Will and Kate when they were little wee ones. 

In honor of all those new baby Mommas out there, we have some core workouts that you will love! If you are not a baby Momma, do not fret, these core workouts are great for toning at tightening all the tums out there!

FitSugar Total Body Workout

This workout is guaranteed to melt those calories away and get some toning in at the same time. One of the best things about it is that the whole workout is about ten minutes long! I would completely recommend doing this after your usual workout or on one of those days when ten minutes is all you have. This workout is title the Victoria's Secret Model Workout, just to incentivize your new workout!

Amanda Russell Ab-Sessed

No ab workout guide is complete without some ab exercises by the poster-girl for abs, Amanda Russell. This workout is great, it is super short and most the moves are those you already know, plus some more unusual exercises. Amanda does some great exercises that can be changed up depending on your fitness level.

This workout would be great after a run, or even, after the FitSugar Total Body Workout above. If you would like to double up on your daily dose of Amanda, try this Fat Incinerator Workout before the Ab Routine.

 Tone It Up

The ladies over at Tone It Up created a super simple how-to for working the lower abs. The video is very short, only focusing on one exercise. If you want an insane ab workout, do these workouts in order. All three of these together should only take about 20 minutes to complete. The best part is that all of these workouts will also work the inner and outer thighs. Yay for a massive bonus in the toning department!

Dairy, Milk Sensitivity, and What You Need to Know

by Jenni Ross in

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I have recently reduced my dairy intake by massive proportions. This decision came from a few weeks of getting sick after almost every meal. For me, getting sick is a one time every three to five years deal, so getting sick multiple times in one week was odd, and the complete opposite of fun. I finally isolated what I was eating that made me feel sick, and what do you know, it was dairy. Since then, I have taken almost all milk products out of my diet. This means soy milk creamer in my coffee, no cheese on my salads, and no more pizza. The no more pizza deal is what I am most sad over since I was getting so close to disproving the pizza theory.  

Other than my pizza sadness, I have felt great. Over the past week I have noticed I feel far less bloated (to the point that it feels like I have lost weight), have had more energy, and the best part, I have not gotten sick. Serious reason to celebrate! These massive changes after less than a week led me to do some massive research on milk, lactose intolerance, and dairy sensitivities.

So, what have I learned about dairy since then? Let's start with some pretty important vocab. Most Americans these days know that drinking milk past the age of five is not good and that we have few of the  lactase enzymes that break down milk as we age. This reduced amount of lactase enzymes is what causes lactose intolerance. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar, lactose. Those with lactose intolerance have issues digesting the lactose sugar and feel discomfort once the undigested lactose enters their intestines. For this reason, those with lactose intolerance may feel bloated, have gas, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, vomiting, or feel discomfort in the abdomen after consuming dairy.

Most people past the age of five have some form of lactose intolerance, although people who drink milk regularly will have higher productions of the lactase enzyme. Those with lactose intolerance, generally, can eat dairy products such as yogurt and cheese without any side effects. This is not the case with milk allergies.

A milk allergy, on the other hand, is an immune response to the ingestion of dairy products. Like most other allergies, the body sees the milk substance as a foreign invader and mounts an attack against it. Those with a dairy allergy could exerpience the same symptoms as those with lactose intolerance, but much more extreme. Unlike lactose intolerance, those with milk allergies usually get them during infancy. Lactose intolerance can come at any age and is more commonly seen in older adults than during childhood.

New research has been conducted on milk and the effects it has on our bodies. One of the leading research institutes on milk is Harvard School of Public Health. If you are interested in reading a pretty interesting article on milk, read this one.  

We once thought that we needed to drink two glasses of milk a day to get strong bones and fit figures. That belief is either completely dis proven or on it's way. Milk is fattening, any dietitian would advise against drinking milk as a form of weight management.  Now, researchers are also finding that milk, not only, does not increase our bone density, but it can actually decrease it!

Milk turns acidic when we digest it, and to combat this new acid, our body releases calcium. Since we only keep about 1% of the body's calcium in the blood stream, most of the calcium used to fight milk's low pH is taken from the bones. What makes it worse is that we cannot digest enough calcium from cow's milk to make up for the calcium lost upon digesting milk.

New research is also starting to show a correlation between drinking milk and osteoporosis. Countries that have high rates of milk consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis (US, England, and Sweden), while those with the lowest milk consumption (Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. This new understanding of milk is leading people to wonder if we need it at all?

There are plenty of other methods to absorbing calcium, from leafy greens to supplements. Dieticians and researchers agree that calcium is absorbed into our bodies better when taken with vitamin D. There is new research concluding that shows vitamin D to be better at fighting osteoporosis than, are you read? Calcium supplements.

Other interesting reads can be found here, seperating milk facts from the myths. Here, where webmd goes into detail about lactose intolerance, and a sum-up from Harvard, here. 

 

Workout to Reduce Bloating

by Jenni Ross in

No one likes being bloated. That bloated feeling we get can be due to a few different factors. Those who have recently stopped exercising for more than a week are more likely to get bloated. Of course, the foods we eat also have a great deal to do with how bloated we get. Try this twenty-minute workout to reduce the bloat on those days when you feel like a bubble ready to pop! To really kick up the results, try adding a few of these foods into your diet.

This exercise works with cardio and core training. Cardio and core exercises are two of the best ways to reduce the bloat since cardio helps unneeded gas pass through our system and core strengthens our abdominal muscles.  

Warm up with 30 seconds of jumping jacks, followed by 30 seconds of knee-ups. Repeat this once. Then, do 12 reps of each exercise and 3-4 sets, total. Rest for ten seconds between sets. 

Standing Leg Lift

Begin standing straight up, legs hip width apart and the weight in your right hand. Extend your right hand over your head, giving your body a slight curve to the left and bring the right leg out so your toes can barely touch the ground. Then, lift the right leg in the air while bringing your right arm down towards the leg. Be sure to keep your knee and chest facing forward. Once the right hand and leg touch, lift the arm back up overhead and bring the leg back to the extended pose. Complete 12 per side. 

For advanced, use a resistance band or weight held in the moving hand.  

Jumping Lunges

These are a great leg and cardio workout! Begin by bringing the right leg back into lunge position. Hold this position, then jump up into the air, bringing the right leg forward and the left leg back. Complete one more lunge, then jump in the air again, alternating legs with each jump. Continue to complete 12 lunges per side.  

Three Way Crunches

Lay on your back with legs bent and feet on the floor. Place hands under your neck and lift off the ground so nothing above your shoulder blades is touching the ground. Contact your abdominal muscles so you are being lifted off the ground by your abdominal strength alone. Hold this position, then return to starting. Contract your right oblique abdominals so your right arms moves towards your right hip. Return to starting and complete the same crunch on the left side. Be sure that your shoulders do not touch the ground between each crunch. That is one rep, complete 12 reps, total before moving on to the next exercise.

Plank Jacks

Get into plank position with arms directly under your shoulders and a straight back. Begin by jumping legs out to the side, like a horizontal jumping jack, then jump legs back to starting. To really increase the workout, complete one plank jack, then jump legs up towards your arms and back to starting. Complete 12 plank jacks. 

Windshield Wipers

These are great for our abs! Lay on your back with legs together, straight up in the air at a 90 degree angle. Begin by lowing legs to the right, making sure to keep both hips on the floor. Hold this position, then bring legs back up and over to the left side, without pausing at the top. Hold this position, then bring legs back to starting. That is one rep. Complete twelve reps, total. For an advanced workout, contract your abs and lift your bum off the ground when you return to starting position.

For extra support, place you hands under your tailbone.  

Knee-Up Kicks

This is very similar to knee-ups, but you kick your foot straight out before binging it back down to the ground. Bring the right knee up like a usual knee-up, then kick the right leg straight out in front of you. Tuck it back in, and alternate bringing the left knee up and kicking the left leg out. Complete twelve per side, making sure to keep arms tucked and hips even the entire time.