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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ready to Start Building Muscle? Follow These Top Tips From a Trainer and Dietitian
When it comes to our fitness routine, summer can throw a wrench in even the best-laid plans. Erratic schedules make it more difficult to consistently prioritize workouts, hot weather can make exercising outdoors uncomfortable and let's be honest, most of us are in vacation mode and focused on fun and sun, not spending hours in the gym. That's why finding a workout that can be done anywhere in under 30 minutes is key to keeping your health a priority this season. Enter: Bodyweight strength training. You may think you need to hit the weight rack, but Start TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour says your body is all you need to start building muscle. 'Bodyweight strength workouts are just as effective at building muscle and toning as weighted exercises are because you're engaging the same muscles regardless of the way you're working them,' she says. 'I would argue that using bodyweight instead of additional equipment can help reduce your risk of injury or overdoing an exercise because you're challenged to use proper form without distraction of holding a dumbbell or using a piece of equipment.' Because of this, she actually prefers bodyweight exercises for beginners. 'In addition to allowing you to master proper form, your body weight doesn't require workout gear. You literally only need your body! So the barrier to entry, like needing to commute to a gym or buying special equipment, is eliminated,' Mansour adds. Bodyweight exercises also allow you to squeeze in a workout anywhere — whether you're on vacation or at home soaking in the air conditioning — making it the go-to workout of the summer. For the full 31-day plan, including daily bodyweight-strength, yoga and stretching routines — plus meal plans, walking podcasts and inspiration — download the Start TODAY app! >>Download the calendar here Mansour designed this one-month plan to help you jumpstart your fitness routine (or stay committed to one during the hectic summer months). The schedule is designed with muscle building in mind, maximizing your workout time with targeted routines and proper recovery. 'Use this as a template to enjoy your workouts and trust that you're getting in a well-rounded workout when you follow this plan!' she says. In addition to strength workouts and recovery days with stretching and yoga, walk as much as possible — every day if you're able! While this plan is focused on strength training, cardiovascular exercise is an important part of a well-rounded fitness routine. Find fun ways to add more steps into your summer schedule: Ask your co-worker to do a walking meeting outside, walk to a local coffee shop or walk the farmers market on the weekend, and make lots of time for walking, biking and swimming on vacation. By strategically incorporating these movements into a fitness plan, you may be surprised at the progress you see in just a month. 'The pillars of a well-rounded workout routine include targeting the upper and lower body as well as the front and back of the body with core and flexibility exercises,' says Mansour. 'By including yoga and stretching, we are lengthening the muscles and loosening the joints in all areas of the body. And by including walking as often as you can, we are improving mobility and loosening up the body after strength training!' 'Bodyweight strength training exercises help to build lean muscle mass in the body, which makes your body stronger and more balanced as well as speeds up your metabolism, and improves your posture, flexibility and coordination,' says Mansour. 'By using just your body weight, your focus goes directly to muscular engagement without being distracted by a piece of equipment. Paying attention to the way your body moves through strength-training exercises also improves your body's ability to do functional, everyday movements like carrying groceries or getting up and down from the ground or couch.' Training bodyweight-style also allows for a lot of modifications so you can master form and work your way up to more challenging progressions. 'I always recommend that people do an exercise halfway or at least slowly when they get started,' says Mansour. 'Modify bodyweight exercises by not lowering all the way down toward the ground for a pushup, for example. Lower down halfway, or even better start from a modified pushup position on your knees. You can also modify exercises by going slower and really working through the range of motion of each exercise. Finally, I recommend trying to exercise in front of a mirror to check yourself out and see your form!' To test your strength, and see progress over just one month, Mansour says you can do a number of things: Exercise progression. 'You can see how much strength you've gained by starting with the modified version of an exercise and building up to the full version,' she says. 'For example, if you start with a modified pushup on your knees and bending your elbows lowering down an inch, you'll see an increase in strength if you do this exercise every other day (leaving a day off in between for the muscle fibers to repair), and eventually you'll be doing a full pushup by the end of 31 days!' Set a timer. 'You can see how much strength you've gained by seeing how long you can hold a specific exercise,' she says. 'For example, if you get into a plank position on day one and hold it for 1-5 seconds, as you continue doing this exercise throughout the month you'll build up to possibly being able to hold the plank for 60 seconds by the end of 31 days!' Count reps. 'You can see how much strength you've gained by seeing how many repetitions you can perform of a specific exercise,' she says. 'For example, if you're doing calf raises or squats you may start off by doing 3 sets of 10 repetitions in your workout. You can build up to 3 sets of 12 then 3 sets of 15 by the end of the month!' It's impossible to talk about building muscle without addressing your diet. 'If you're new to fitness or just getting back into the swing of things, you definitely want to consider how your nutrition is helping or hindering your fitness routine,' says TODAY nutrition editor and Start TODAY dietitian Natalie Rizzo. Here are her top tips for eating to support your strength goals: 'Specifically, post-workout protein plays a pivotal role in muscle repair and growth. When you exercise, the muscles experience tiny tears, and eating post-workout protein helps repair those tears and enhances muscle growth and strength,' says Rizzo. 'Plus, post-workout protein reduces hunger and fatigue, reducing the likelihood of overeating later in the day.' She recommends aiming for 10-20 grams of protein within 1 hour after a workout. Her go-to post workout snacks include: A smoothie made with Greek yogurt Edamame with some fruit A few slices of chicken or turkey with veggies Two hard boiled eggs with a side of fruit 'It's also important to consume enough protein throughout the day — ideally at least 20 grams at each meal — to ensure muscle growth,' she adds. For snack ideas and smoothie recipes — plus weekly meal plans — download the Start TODAY app! 'It's also very hard to build muscle in an extreme calorie deficit, so maintain your calorie range or reduce it only slightly if you're trying to lose weight,' says Rizzo. 'Drastic calorie or carb cutting can hinder muscle growth.' 'Eating a simple carb-rich pre-workout snack can boost your energy levels for a workout,' she says. 'Believe it or not, carbs are the primary energy source for activity. Something as simple as a banana or a handful of raisins or a graham cracker or two can provide an energy boost that can enhance your workout.' If you're having a snack within an hour of your workout, Rizzo says to opt for something that is primarily carbs and 100-200 calories to quickly boost energy levels. Some examples are: Dates or raisins Applesauce Fruit, like a banana, apple, peach, watermelon A handful of pretzels 2-3 graham crackers Unsweetened cereal, like Corn Flakes or Cheerios Crunchy granola bars (like Nature's Valley) If you have more time to digest food before your workout (i.e. you're eating 2-3 hours before), Rizzo says to opt for a more balanced meal that has some carbs and protein, such as: Bowl of oatmeal with fruit and nuts Omelet with a side of toast and fruit Turkey wrap with a side of carrots Quinoa bowl with roasted veggies and chickpeas 'Don't worry about the extra calories these snacks have, as your body is utilizing that energy during a workout to grow stronger!' Rizzo says. 'The absolute easiest nutrition hack you can make to enhance your workout is to make sure you are properly hydrated before and during exercise,' says Rizzo. 'Hydration plays a pivotal role in keeping energy levels high, and being dehydrated can cause fatigue, headaches and more. Drink plenty of water before a workout, so you start exercise in a hydrated state.' If you're not sure if you are drinking enough water, an easy way to assess is to take a look in the toilet. 'Your urine should be a light yellow color before and after exercise. If it's not, then you need to drink more!' Rizzo says. 'Most people don't need extra electrolytes unless they workout in very hot or humid climates or for prolonged periods of time (60+ minutes).' On full-body days, this short and sweet routine will provide a full-body strength and cardiovascular workout, no equipment needed! It mixes cardio with traditional strength exercises like squats and lunges to get your heart rate up while building muscle. Perform 10 reps of each exercise, take a 30-second rest and then repeat the whole circuit for a total of 3 times though. Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart. Pull in your abs to activate your core. Sit your glutes down and back like you are sitting into a chair, keeping your chest proud. Make sure your knees track over your toes, without going past them. Hold at the bottom of the squat and punch your arms straight out in front of you four times. Push down through the heels to stand back up. Repeat. Start standing with your feet hips-width apart. Lift one foot off the ground pulling the knee toward the chest. Set your foot back down and pick the opposite foot up, marching in place. Continue for 20 steps total. For a higher-impact option, increase the speed to a jog. Start standing tall with your feet hips-width apart and your hands on your hips. Shifting the weight to your left foot, step back a few feet with your right foot. Sink down toward the ground until you have formed a 90-degree angle at both knee joints. Push through the front heel to come back to standing. Perform 10 reps and then repeat on the left side. Lie on your back with both legs straight up toward the sky. Engage the abdominals. As you lower the right leg toward the ground to a 45-degree angle, crunch up, reaching both hands toward your left toes. (It is OK if you cannot touch them.) As you crunch, make sure to keep a space between your chin and your chest (like you are holding an egg). As you switch legs (bringing the right leg back up toward the ceiling and lowering the left leg to a 45-degree angle), lower your back to the ground before crunching up again and reaching your fingertips toward your right toes. Continue alternating for 20 reps total. Start seated on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your palms on the ground behind you with your fingertips pointing toward your butt. Push through the palms, engaging the triceps to push your body straight up off of the ground. This is your starting position. Bend the elbows to lower your body until your butt is hovering just above the ground in a crab-walk position. Straighten the arms to push your body back up to the starting position. Repeat. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dietitian Tip of the Day: I Always Keep This 1 Anti-Inflammatory Fruit in My Freezer
You've likely heard about the benefits of a well-rounded diet packed with healthy fruits. Not only do they provide fiber, carbs and important micronutrients, they can also boost gut health and, depending on the fruit, improve a wide variety of functions in the body. Like vegetables, fruit, of course, is seasonal, which means that certain types pack in the most nutrients during specific times of year. But if you don't have access to fresh produce year-round, the good news is that eating frozen fruit actually has as many health benefits — plus you don't have the same time crunch for eating it. One fruit in particular has an especially short period where it's in season but is versatile with powerful health-boosting compounds. That's why registered dietitian and TODAY nutrition editor Natalie Rizzo always has it in her freezer. For more on meal planning — plus fitness challenges, walking podcasts and inspiration — download the Start TODAY app! "I always keep my freezer stocked with an underutilized frozen fruit: cherries," Rizzo explains. "Many people don't realize that frozen fruits and veggies are actually just as nutritious as fresh. They are frozen at the peak of freshness, locking in all the nutrients." One cup of cherries has 25% of your daily vitamin C, an anti-inflammatory nutrient that aids in immune function. Cherries also have anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that give cherries their red color and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer. Cherries can also boost skin health, sleep and exercise recovery. "I always add cherries to my smoothies to add natural sweetness and fight inflammation," Rizzo says. "They are especially nice in a post-workout smoothie to ease inflammation in the joints. Plus, cherries are only in season for a short amount of time, so keeping my freezer stocked with them means I can eat them all year round." Workout Recovery Smoothie by Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN TODAY's Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The No. 1 sign you have 'dead butt syndrome' — and the best exercise to fix it
Sitting all day comes with health risks, such as obesity, high blood pressure and blood sugar, and increased cholesterol levels. It may also be linked to death from heart disease and cancer, according to Mayo Clinic. But a lesser known side effect of sitting all day is that it can impact the muscles throughout your body almost immediately. One example is a change to your glutes known colloquially as "dead butt syndrome." Dead butt syndrome, also known as lower cross syndrome, gluteal amnesia or gluteus medius tendinosis, is when the gluteus medius muscle — one of the three main muscles in the buttocks — becomes weaker due to sitting for prolonged periods. Your glutes are crucial to numerous every day activities, so it's worthwhile to fight dead butt syndrome as much as you can. "You may have even felt (dead butt syndrome) happening: After a few hours in a seated position, you stand up and feel a pain or numbness in your backside. It can even advance further causing hip and back pain," TODAY contributor and personal trainer Steph Mansour said. To combat dead butt syndrome, it's important to stand up and walk throughout the day and to perform movements that activate the glute muscles, such as glute bridges, crab walks and donkey kicks. The glute muscles are important to many every day movements, like hip extensions, standing upright, walking and climbing stairs, Mansour explained. The gluteus medius in particular helps stabilize the hip joint and facilitates pelvic rotation. Without sufficiently using this muscle, you can develop dead butt syndrome, leading to weaker glutes and a smaller range of motion in the hips. It can also make squats and other exercises targeting your glutes less effective. Try getting up and walking around once every hour or going up and down a flight of stairs. Some other exercises to combat dead butt syndrome include: Glute bridges Crab walks Squats with a side leg lift Clams Fire hydrant Donkey kick TODAY's Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more. For more glute exercises — plus meal plans, fitness challenges, walking podcasts and inspiration — download the Start TODAY app! This article was originally published on
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Woman loses 50 lbs with these super simple micro habits
Looking to jumpstart your health journey? Download the new Start TODAY app for fitness challenges, meal plans and daily inspiration! For most of her life, Michelle Kloese, 41, never had to worry about her weight. But around age 35, she started to notice some weight gain. She had back pain and stiffness too, plus foot pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Her cholesterol and blood-sugar levels were high, too. She felt sluggish and her clothes weren't fitting well. 'Things just didn't feel like me anymore. My body wasn't used to carrying all that weight,' she tells TODAY. The turning point for her came in January 2023 when she travelled to Ireland with friends and family for her 40th birthday. When she got home and saw photos from the trip she thought, 'Is this what my 40s are going to look like and feel like?' She weighed herself after the trip — something she wasn't in the habit of doing. Her weight had climbed 38 pounds from the last time she had checked, to 177.3 pounds. She felt shocked: 'I decided that day was the day I needed to do something different in my life.' Today, she's 50 pounds lighter and her life is centered around healthy habits. All of her health issues are gone, and she's feeling better in her 40s than she has in years. Here's how she did it. A medical condition meant Kloese reached menopause earlier than most women. 'I started researching what women who were going through menopause in their 40s could do to help lose weight,' she says. She also looked for first-hand information. 'I have a good network of other strong women in my life, and my husband has always been a great supporter. I talked to them, and I talked to my doctor, because I wanted to lose weight in a healthy way,' she says. Kloese knew structure and routine were most likely to work for her. 'If I have a checklist to follow or something I write down, I know I can commit to it,' she says. She downloaded a habit-tracking app called Me+ Daily Routine Planner and she: Decided what her healthy habits would be Listed them in a structured way Stayed committed and checked them off even when she didn't want to She had to play around with her checklist to figure out whether it would work better to get up and start the day working on it or wait until the end of the day. 'I had to be flexible with myself,' she says. 'I didn't want to be too rigid — I took it day by day. I would be a little stricter on the weekdays, and then on the weekends I might just walk and drink water instead of doing everything on my list. That gave me a little bit of reprieve and celebration.' 'One of my healthy habits I had to check off was getting strength training in every day,' she says. She used the Kickstart Training app's structured workouts for guidance at first: 'I knew exactly what exercises I was going to be doing.' Over time, she felt confident enough to design her own workouts. 'I realized which ones I felt more comfortable with and which ones made me feel stronger,' she says. She uses 5- to 10-pound dumbbells and adds bodyweight exercises like planks for core strength — she now holds a plank for three minutes every day. Kloese had been drinking less than 8 ounces of water a day. 'I was getting a lot of headaches,' she says. 'I learned a lot about drinking water, and now I'm up to 72 ounces a day.' Building up her water intake wasn't easy. It took her about two months: 'I was overwhelmed by how much 72 ounces was.' She started drinking 8 ounces at a time but tracking it felt complicated. 'Now I start my day with a glass of water and then have steady sips throughout the day. I have a water bottle that helps me stay on track, and I keep it with me at all times,' she says. Kloese used to be a teacher, and she naturally moved around a lot. Now she has a desk job for an education technology company, so she set a goal to walk for 15 minutes a day. 'Getting in my steps was a huge piece,' she says. She started walking her dog, which helped, but she ran into a roadblock — the afternoon thunderstorms that often strike where she lives in Florida. 'I could have the best of intentions, and then the downpour comes,' she says. She recently bought a walking pad, and she walks on it when it's raining outside or during work meetings. 'That has been a game-changer for me,' she says. Once she started using it, her daily step average climbed from about 4,000 to almost 9,000. 'And I feel like I'm doing less because of the flexibility,' she says. When she checks her work calendar for the day, she commits to walking during her off-screen meetings. 'If I have a meeting, I can walk for the whole hour,' she says. She also walks for 15 minutes at the beginning and end of each workday: 'Even if I don't have any meetings, I know I'm getting that 30 minutes in.' She now walks for 45 minutes most days, and she recently walked 13.1 miles — the distance of a half-marathon. Kloese started intermittent fasting, which cut late-night snacks out of her diet. She doesn't drink soda, and she switched to mostly black coffee. She started making small changes, like only having a half of a bun with a burger or swapping sweet potato fries for regular fries. As she started to lose weight, she got more excited about healthier foods and began to plan her lunches instead of ordering GrubHub and eat more foods like overnight oats and avocado toast. 'My husband and I were going out to eat three times a week, so we swapped out some of the restaurant nights with premade meals. Now we only go out once or twice a week,' she says. For more healthy recipes and easy-to-follow meal plans, download the Start TODAY app! Kloese switched her habit tracking app to Personify Health, which her workplace provides, so she can connect with her coworkers. 'I have a remote job, and I work with people from all over Florida. We can all see each other's steps. The friendly competition is really fun for me,' she says. She shared her goals with her friends, and discovered that some of them were also thinking about making changes. 'It helps that my friend group knows what my goals are, because they can honor and respect them. If you surround yourself with people you trust, who you can be open and honest with, they're your best supporters,' she says. 'My goals sparked a conversation among our group. Now, instead of going out for drinks at night, we go on a weekly walk together,' she says. And instead of going to a mimosa bar, they walk, take a yoga class or hike in a nearby state park. She says she and her friends still enjoy a drink once in a while, but it's a lot less often. And she often drinks flavored water instead of alcohol in social situations. Kloese lost the weight over a year and nine months. 'It took a while. Mentally, I started to feel better in a month or so, because I knew I was doing something to make a change and I felt motivated working toward my goal. But physically, I probably felt defeated for about six months.' It wasn't until she had been checking off her new habits for four or five months when she noticed a difference in how her clothes fit. After that, she started to lose two to five pounds a month, but she would still hit plateaus. During one of those plateaus, she joined the Start TODAY Facebook group. 'It was great to have another community of people from all walks of life and different areas, working to overcome their struggles, being vulnerable and sharing what their challenges are,' she says. Once Kloese hit her 38-pound goal, she thought about getting her weight into the 120s, because she knew she felt her best when her weight was in that range and she could run and walk a lot. She reached that goal — she now weighs 123.2 pounds. She doesn't intend to lose more weight, but she's determined to stick with her checklist: 'I don't want to ruin any of my habits. I worked so hard to make them habits, and the hard work is paying off,' she says. She loves to travel, and she's building activity into her trips: 'I just want to stay active. I'll try anything. Keeping that healthy lifestyle is what I want. I don't want to go back to where I was.' Along with her more-than-50-pound weight loss, one of her friends lost over 100 pounds, and her husband lost 30 pounds: 'We're all feeling our best in our 40s.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pregnancy workouts to build strength, boost energy and relieve pain during every trimester
For more low-impact workouts and walking podcasts — plus meal plans and inspiration — download the Start TODAY app! For those cleared by their doctor to exercise, strength and cardio workouts during all four trimesters of pregnancy are not only safe, they are healthy for you and your baby. I know firsthand that finding the energy and motivation to exercise when pregnant can sometimes be difficult, but the benefits make it worthwhile to maintain or start a fitness routine during pregnancy. Always consult your doctor before starting a fitness routine. And listen to your body: There will be days when rest is what your body needs, so give yourself permission to take it easy! Regular physical activity during pregnancy can help manage weight gain, reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and improve overall cardiovascular health. It also helps in maintaining muscle tone, strength and endurance, which can be especially helpful during labor and delivery. Exercise can alleviate common pregnancy discomforts such as back pain, constipation and bloating, contributing to a happier, healthier pregnancy experience. Beyond the physical benefits, working out during pregnancy also offers mental and emotional benefits. Exercise is known to boost mood and energy levels, thanks to the release of endorphins, which can help combat the fatigue and mood swings often associated with pregnancy. It can also improve sleep quality, reduce stress and enhance overall mental well-being. By maintaining a regular exercise routine, expectant mothers can foster a sense of control and empowerment, promoting a positive outlook and better preparation for the demands of motherhood. The first trimester can come with nausea and fatigue that can make working out a struggle. Personally, nausea was made even worse by doing exercises that had me going up and down, or a lot of movement forward and back. As you progress through your pregnancy and your belly grows, aches and pains and a changing center of gravity may make some exercises more difficult to perform. That's what I suggest walking as a go-to exercise for all those who are expecting. Walking is a safe cardio activity that you can do throughout your entire pregnancy if you are cleared to exercise. It's low-impact, great for cardiovascular health and will help you maintain strength and mobility. On days when I wasn't feeling well or had very little energy, a walk around the block was my go-to exercise, and it often left me feeling better. Regular walking may help prepare the body for labor by promoting optimal positioning of the baby and enhancing pelvic-floor strength. Walking can also alleviate common pregnancy discomforts such as back pain and swelling in the legs. On days when you can't get outside for a walk, incorporate laps around the house throughout the day or opt for an indoor walking routine. For fun indoor walking routines from Stephanie Mansour and Al Roker, check out the Start TODAY app! When you are craving more of a workout, here are my favorite exercises to do during each trimester. These are some of my favorite pregnancy-safe exercises to build strength and improve mobility in the first trimester. Bonus: many of them help relieve back pain and improve stability in the low back. Pelvic floor exercises are so important during your entire pregnancy. Starting in the first trimester, make it a habit to do kegels a few minutes each day. You can do them anywhere — sitting on the couch, driving in the car or lying in bed. The pelvic floor muscles are the muscles you use to stop your urine flow midstream. Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds. Make sure you are just using your pelvic floor muscles and not tightening your abs, thighs or glutes. Relax the muscles for 3-5 seconds. Repeat for 10 reps. During pregnancy, syncing your breath with your movement helps regulate the nervous system and combat stress. Keeping the spine limber and flexible also helps as your torso prepares to grow with your baby! Start on all fours with your hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips. Breathe in while lifting your head up toward the ceiling. Arch your back as you breathe in, moving your stomach toward the ground. Then, exhale while pulling your chin to your chest and pulling your abs in so that you arch your back toward the ceiling. Continue alternating back and forth for about one minute. Focusing on upper-body strength (to prepare you to hold your baby and all that gear!) has been a big initiative for me while being pregnant. Using modifications takes pressure off of your wrists and low back as your belly grows. Start in a pushup position with your wrists directly below your shoulders and your palms pressing into the mat. Instead of being on your toes like in a standard pushup, rest your knees on the mat. Pull your navel in toward your spine, and ensure you maintain a straight spine from your neck to your tailbone. Begin bending your elbows slowly out to the sides, lowering your chest until your chin touches or almost touches the mat. Return to the starting position and repeat. With the support of the wall, you will take some pressure off of your joints while putting your muscles to work. This is an especially great modification if you feel off balance during pregnancy. Strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and quads while pregnant is great for maintaining strength and stability as our belly grows. Lean against a wall with your back straight and your feet hip-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides as you slide down the wall, bending at the knees. Bend until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your feet should be far enough from the wall that you form a 90-degree angle at the knee joint. Squeeze your abs and glutes and hold for a few seconds before sliding your back up the wall to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. I did this exercise in bed during my first trimester. Lying flat is still safe during this time, so this exercise is a great way to work the glutes and legs (and who doesn't appreciate an exercise done lying down?). Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your knees should be hip-distance apart. Raise your hips by squeezing your glutes to create a straight line from your neck to your knees, being careful not to hyperextend your hips. Clasp your hands underneath your back for a deeper stretch or keep the arms extended on the floor, fingers pointing toward your feet. Hold the pose for 5 seconds. Don't let your knees splay out to the side or collapse inward. Slowly lower down. Repeat 10 times. This exercise is a effective and safe way to build upper-body muscle throughout your entire pregnancy. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Engage your core, so that you're balanced throughout the move, and softly bend your knees. Holding one dumbbell in each hand (I recommend starting with 5-pound weights), relax your arms so that they hang at the sides of your body. Make sure your palms are facing forward. Keep your shoulders back and down. Bend at your elbow to curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Make sure to keep your elbows hugging the sides of your body. Lower both weights back down slowly. Exhale while lifting the weights, and inhale when you lower them down. Repeat for 10 repetitions. Strengthening the core muscles in a safe way during pregnancy is always recommended. Pelvic tilts are a great move to do daily to train your body to activate the core properly and they will help improve lower-back stability. These are another one you can do in bed! Lying on your back with your feet on the floor, open your feet as wide as your hips. Reach your arms toward your heels. Take a deep breath in through your nose and fill your stomach up with air. Then, exhale through your mouth and pull your naval in toward your spine. To exaggerate this, as you breathe in slowly arch your low back up off of the ground, keeping your tailbone planted. Then, as you exhale press your low back into the ground as you tilt your pelvis toward your ribs. Repeat these pelvic tilts forward and back 10 times. After my nausea subsided, I felt like I had a new lease on life in my second trimester! I also found myself with more energy to do different movements. Here are some of my favorite strength exercises for the second trimester: This exercise definitely proved to be more of a balance challenge as my belly grew! Calf raises also improve knee and ankle stability, while strengthening the lower body. Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart and your core engaged. Squeezing your calf muscles, slowly raise your body, lifting your heels until you're on your toes. Make sure to stand tall and straight. Then lower your heels back to the floor with control. Repeat. Standing lateral lunges can be safe for some during pregnancy. However, due to the increase in the hormone relaxin, you may have a larger range of motion, and controlling the movement by performing it lying down can be a safer and more comfortable option. Lie down on one side with legs straight out at a slight angle from your torso and your feet stacked on top of each other. Prop your torso up with your forearm. Lift your top leg toward the ceiling in a slow and controlled movement. Point your toes to fully engage the leg. Lower it back down. Repeat 10 times and then repeat on the other side. Find a steady chair and take a seat. Place your hands on the chair, on either side of your hips. Grip the front of the chair, with fingers pointed toward your feet. Straighten your legs out in front of you with your heels on the ground. Keep your upper body in a straight line with your head up toward the ceiling. Move your body forward slightly so that your butt is off the chair and you are relying on your arms to hold your body weight. Lower your body down, bending your elbows at an angle somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees. Push yourself up to the starting position. Make sure to engage your core and use your triceps to move your body up and down. Perform 10 reps. This is a great move that strengthens the entire core. Be sure to focus on maintaining a neutral pelvis here as your center of gravity shifts due to the growing belly. Start on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists and hips stacked above the knees. Straighten your left arm out in front of you and your right leg out behind you, balancing on the opposite hand and knee. Hold for a few breaths. Switch sides and repeat using your right arm and left leg. Continue alternating, performing 10 reps on each side. The standing pelvic tilt can be performed while standing against a wall, which is a great way to master the correct form, or without the wall. Lean against the wall and bend your knees slightly. As you breathe out, tilt your pelvis up and forward, away from the wall. Your low back should press gently into the wall. Engage your abdominals to maintain proper form. Release and repeat 10 times. During the final trimester of pregnancy you may feel yourself slowing down as your bump grows. I definitely felt my energy dip again during this time. Here are some of my favorite stretches to relieve pain and tension and exercises to maintain strength in the upper body, lower body and core. This is a great stretch to release tension in the hips and low back. Kneel on the floor so that your shins and tops of your feet are on the ground. Bend at your hips, moving your hands forward and your butt back. Inch your hands out in front of you until your stomach is resting on your thighs and your arms are stretched straight out in front of you, palms on the floor. Focus on your breathing, and take it slow. Hold for as long as feels good for you. Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders and your toes turned out slightly. Reach the arms up into a goal-post position. Bend the knees out toward the sides of the room, lowering the body toward the ground, and keep your back straight. Keep your pelvis tucked under by engaging your core. Ultimately, work to lower down so much that your thighs are parallel with the floor. Then press down through the heels and come back up to standing. Repeat 10 times. Slowly move through this to maintain proper alignment and core engagement. During my third trimester, I did not go as deep into this pose because it felt like I was going past my range of motion. Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Hinge forward at your waist so that your torso is on a diagonal and pull your abs in. Let the weights dangle down by. Then, hug your elbows in toward your sides and pull the weights up toward your chest. Tighten your upper back and the area in between your shoulder blades. Then, lower the arms down keeping the elbows hugging in toward your sides. Repeat 10 times. When performing exercises in a hinge position, it is important to gently pull your in abs to protect your low back. But be careful not to over-contract. Focus on tucking your pelvis and gently squeezing your abs to maintain a neutral spine. This standing move will help you stretch your obliques and entire side body. Standing with your feet hips-width apart, lift your right arm straight up into the air. Keep your left arm at your side or on your hip. Bend at the waist toward your left so that you feel a stretch in the right side of your waist. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Stand with your feet hips-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one weight in each hand and let your arms hang down at your sides. Hinge at the hips so that your chest is tilted down toward the ground. Hug your elbows into your sides and pull your elbows up into a row. From here, keep the elbows stationary and extend the forearms back into a tricep kickback. Come back to the row position and then repeat the kickback 10 times. Planks are a great way to work not just the core, but the entire body as they engage the abdominals, legs and shoulders. As your belly grows, modifying the plank by performing it on your knees will relieve some stress from the low back and wrists. Start on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders. walk your knees back a few inches and shift your weight into your hands, making sure to tuck the pelvis and engage the core. If you feel too much pressure on your back, walk your knees in a bit. Hold here for 30 seconds. As I progressed later into my third trimester, I broke this into three, 10-second planks. Listen to your body and do what feels right for you. Women are typically cleared for exercise around six weeks postpartum, but listen to your doctor and your body. Until you are ready to ease back into a strength and cardio routine, here are some gentle exercises that can aid in recovery. Belly breathing can help you start to reconnect to your deep core muscles and is a great way to release stress and tension. And you can even do it while holding your baby! Start in a comfortable position either lying on the floor or sitting in a chair. Place one hand on your chest while placing the other just below the rib cage so that you can feel the movement of your diaphragm. Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of five. Feel the air move in your body as your stomach rises. Then exhale the air through your mouth for a count of five, feeling your stomach relax inward. Release tension in the back of the body, especially the low back and hamstrings. Begin in a standing position. Reach the arms out to the sides and up, and then dive forward hinging at your hips. Hanging forward with a slight bend in your knees, allow your chin to rest toward your chest. Let your arms dangle. If you're able to, try to touch your palms or fingertips to the floor on either side of your feet. Hold this for five deep breaths. Finding a few minutes to center yourself and clear your mind is much-needed during the fourth trimester! Lie down on your back with your legs and arms extended. Place the back of your hands on the mat so that your palms are facing upward. You can also place one hand on your stomach and one on your heart. Slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, feeling the air rise up from your stomach into your chest, and then release. Repeat for 10 breaths. This is a great way to ease back into lower-body exercises, activate the quads and glutes, and re-train your body for proper squat form if you haven't been performing them. (Not to mention that it will be a movement you are doing quite a lot responding to the demands of baby!). Begin sitting in a chair with your back straight and arms extended straight in front of you. Without using your arms or hands, pull your body into a standing position. Once you are steady on your feet, lower back down into a seated position. Perform 10 reps. Yes, kegels are back! They are just as important as a part of your post-natal routine as your prenatal routine! Doing kegels consistently can help repair and strengthen your pelvic floor after birth. Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds. Make sure you are just using your pelvic floor muscles and not tightening your abs, thighs, or glutes. Relax the muscles for 3-5 seconds. Repeat for 10 reps. This article was originally published on
