My Blog Has Moved!!

Hello everyone,

I have changed my blog address to blog.coreexpectations.com and blog.coreexpectations.ca.
Be sure you to read my blogs at my new site and update your book marks!

See you there!

Sam

DRINK DRINK DRINK!!

Ever wonder why sometimes you're regular and sometimes not? Well other than fibre, water is essential for regularity and can also help to manage weight loss. If like many, you probably don't drink enough water and if you do, it's not consistent, therefore, leading to irregularity and occasional bloating.

You know that ad on the radio - Ever Cleanse? Basically you lose those extra pounds from waste elimination. Water can do the same thing and keep you doing it on a regular basis so you don't have a build up that leads you to taking laxatives or other methods.

Water is natures best laxative! Not only does it keep things "moving" but it also helps with joint health, heat dissipation, and acts as a transporter of nutrients and oxygen throughout your body.
Your body is more than 60% water so keeping your intake up to atleast 8-10 cups daily will ensure that you replenish what you lose on a daily basis as well as keep all things functioning as they should.

This should be especially concerning to pregnant women. Although pregnancy allows you to dissipate heat more efficiently, constipation is a common annoyance. Increasing your fluid intake will ensure that not only your baby gets all the essential nutrients it needs, but you as well. Dehydration, if left untreated in the second and third trimesters, can lead to contractions and premature labour.

Proper nutrition with lots of water is a combination that's a win-win; pregnant or not.

Good Luck! (Blank....)

I just sent off an email to one of my clients, (blank), wishing her good luck tomorrow. She has a scheduled c-section in the morning and I'm sure she's a bit anxious, excited, but most of all looking forward to meeting her new baby boy.

I'm going to name my client Stacey, to protect her privacy. Stacey is a young and very attractive woman with a 2 1/2 year old at home. Her first pregnancy wasn't the greatest experience because after she suffered through 40+ hours of labor (who is this person that made her do that!), she ended up having an emergency c-section. So let's just say that her fondest memories aren't of her looking longingly in her daughter's eyes because she probably didn't have any energy to keep them open! With that in mind, her gynecologist gave her the option of going natural or a scheduled c-section with this pregnancy. Now some people may say that she opted out of going the full gammit, but in my opinion (and that's all it is), I think it was a smart move. If I had the choice of (possibly) having another traumatic birthing experience (she's terrified, understandably) or being alert, rested, but sore, I would take the latter. I guess this partially stems from the fact that both of mine were scheduled c-sections due to a myomectomy I had five years earlier.

But please don't get me wrong! I am not "pro-section". A cesarean section is major abdominal surgery and should be taken so. I am completely against people scheduling their baby's delivery for convenience and possibly missing the most beautiful experience of their lives but if your only memory is a very negative, traumatic one, there should be some understanding and empathy.

So with that I wish Stacey the very best tomorrow and can't wait to meet her little guy. This is the one small advantage about being "scheduled". You actually know when you're going to meet them!

Eating, Breastfeeding and Weight

It's difficult for some to practice the term "calories in - calories out" when it comes to weight loss. And it seems that the same is true for people to have to eat more when it come to breastfeeding, especially when they are also trying to return to their pre-pregnancy weight.

For the average woman, a daily consumption of 500 additional calories is required for milk production. Breast feeding requires alot of energy and this is why, for some (like myself, for example), while the baby is nursing, this over whelming feeling of thirst and starvation suddenly comes over you and you feel like you could eat an entire cow on a plate! It's like the baby is literally sucking the life out of you.

But this is also where the confusion sets in. I have had many women ask me "isn't breast feeding supposed to make me lose weight faster?". Well yes, and no. Initially, breast feeding helps to return your uterus back to it's original shape faster and this is why many women can actually feel it contracting while the baby is on the breast. On the other hand, like I said before, because your body uses up alot of energy (calories) for breast feeding, you need to replace them if you want your body to continue to produce milk, especially in the early months. So understandably, many women get confused and frustrated. They want to breast feed and provide optimal nutrition to their baby but they also want to get out of their maternity clothes and begin to feel like themselves again. It is very possible to eat well, produce enough milk for your baby and lose weight at a safe and steady rate. Remember, fat loss is tough and measured at approximately 1-2 per week if done properly. Anything more than that is water and muscle loss which you definitely can't afford when you need to be well hydrated, not only for milk production but also to carry that baby around that's only going to get bigger!

The trick is this, whether you just had a baby or not, you must fuel your body regularly and with proper food choices so stay fuller longer, your blood sugar doesn't plummet and you don't fall into the trap of grabbing something "quick", which usually means "garbage". I have seen it time and time again. Women who actually gain weight after the baby is born and they can't figure out why. Well when you are 100% focused on feeding, burping, changing, bouncing and not sleeping, it's not surprising that you fall into "survial mode", as I call it and stuff whatever is at close range into your mouth just so you can last the next few hours. If you find yourself in this trap, take a step back and look at what food you have available. If you find salty and sugary starchy carbs, pre packaged foods and empty calories, get rid of it! Because you can't eat it if it's not in the house.

The Importance of Core Strength During Pregnancy & Postpartum

I was at an annual fitness convention that comes to Toronto a few years back and was in a workshop that was about the importance of core stability postpartum. The instructor who was speaking is a fitness guru with certifications up the ying yang. She's in her late thirties/early fourties and at the time had a 1 year old boy/girl?? Anyway, what I remember the most was her own personal story of why she had since then received her pilates instructor training certificate.

After the birth of her baby, she returned back to work a few months later to teach step classes. She figured, like sooooo many of us; "I'm in good shape, feel good and should have no problems getting back to it." Well after about a week of teaching, during a class, she stepped down and felt something slip in her back. And for those of you who have had back problems, like myself, you know that the slipping feeling is never a good sign.

Now her husband is a Physiotherapist and took one look at her and said, "Well of course you injured your back. You just had a baby and your core is so unstable that it was just a matter of time before something was going to give." With all the pounding and the instability of her core and spine, she's lucky she didn't get a slipped disc or worse. And she's a fitness expert. So if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone.

So this is just something to take note of. Maintaining core stability during pregnancy and getting right back at it postpartum is crucial in ensuring that your spinal muscles are properly supported to avoid injury. This is exactly why every session I do with a client includes core and back strength so the added weight does not put more strain in these areas than necessary.

Exercise For Stress Relief

Regular physical activity has numerous benefits such as maintaining a healthy weight, heart health and increased immune function. What alot of people don't realize is that exercise can also help to reduce stress - which in my opinion, can manifest in amazing ways causing other health related concerns.

Becoming a new mom is quite overwhelming to say the least. But we're trained to believe that we just have to take it all in stride. Our mothers did it and their mothers and so on. They don't tell you that they used shock "therapy" to treat their depression or that alcohol was their best friend. All these things sound so taboo, but people didn't talk about postpartum depression or the stress related with being left home alone with one, two or three children while their husband's worked all day and expected a clean house, quiet children and a hot meal when they came home. As ridiculous as that all sounds and as far as we have come as far as equality in parenting, women still remain the primary caregivers of our children and unfortunately, husbands can't breast feed.

So how can we help ourselves cope with the endless stream of diapers, feeding, crying, and sleep deprivation? Regular exercise can help you more than you know. While hormonal changes continue to reak havoc on your mental health after the baby comes, exercise can help to make those changes have a positive affect. The stress hormone Cortisol is decreased with physical activity while the feel good hormone, Seratonin, is increased leaving you with a feeling of wellness and happiness. Enndorphines, otherwise known as the "runners high" is also excreted which leaves you feeling energized and in control. Did you know that the chemical changes that occur on the brain are similar to antidepressants? This is why starting an exercise routine is often perscribed for people with mild depression.

Having said all of this, don't feel compelled that you must start a structured routine and if you miss a day, you are a failure. Be realistic and start slow. Regular exercise should be part of your lifestyle, not a chore. If you're completely exhausted, give yourself a break, but when you're not, getting outside with a simple change of scenery can do wonders for not only your body, but your state of mind. Because you have to remember; a happy mom makes a great mom!

A Little Thing Can Be Alot!

I have a client who I've been with now for about 2 months. When we met she was only 8 weeks along and was complaining about abdominal pressure and pain. It had already been assessed that she had very tight hip flexors - which is sooo common in pregnancy but I was shocked when she told me that her last trainer never stretched her! Well I guess that's not too surprising as some may think that would be a waste of money, but he didn't even tell her to stretch on her own! Anyway, what's done is done. So now we focus on improving her flexibility, and thankfully her abdominal pain has started to subside as her body is adjusting better to her growing uterus.

This is the amazing thing about pregnancy that no one tells you. Your body is your body and it is used to being in a certain position all it's life. Whether it's poor posture or good posture, once pregnancy hits and relaxin starts moving things (even in the slightest) it can feel quite uncomfortable even at this early stage. And it's not just relaxin, your blood volume doubles and the increase in fluids can put pressure where it's not used to it.

I have another client who's tailbone shifted during labour and delivery and has since then been in excrutiating pain. Her MD told her is was "shattered" but the x-ray showed no fracture. Uh??
So I sent my chiropractor over to her home just to find out it's shifted to the right and that it cause alot of pain. After some acupuncture and a small adjustment, she was on the road to recovery.

I just find it facinating how I can see 4-5 women a day at all different stages of pregnancy and postpartum and their stories can be the same and so different at the same time. One thing is for sure for all of them. They are not going crazy and they are not alone. This is the advantage of my relationships. I can assure them that what they are experiencing is normal and sometimes, that's all they need to hear.

Pregnant, Beautiful and Strong

I just came back from a maternity fashion show and it was scary how I almost wanted to be pregnant again (ha ha) just to wear some of the great clothes they have available now! I mean, I feel jipped (is that a word?). All I could find during my first pregnancy were bows and flowers or extremely expensive alternatives! Geez...pregnant women these days can look sexy, hip; whatever you want!

One of my clients was a model in the show. I knew she would be amazing because she's so beautiful in and out and her wonderful personality shone through. She's about two months away from her due date and she's expecting a boy. I met her husband for the first time and he was beaming at his wife as she strutted the cat walk.

I also met a new mom who's daughter, Laila is 15 months old. We swapped stories and laughed at how every baby "thing" is atleast 20 bucks!! The one that sticks in my mind the most is Sophie, the toxic free giraffe. Really now...doesn't it look like a dollar store toy? And it's 20 bucks! Wow..I'm in the wrong business.

But no, that's wrong. I'm in the best business. Being there tonight just confirmed why I do this for a living. I love helping women connect with their bodies while there are so many times that they feel that they can't. But I think the best thing of all is meeting all those beautiful babies that I can honestly say I knew before they were born.

My goal is to create a strong healthy women during pregnancy which results in beautiful healthy babies. And when I get the call and get to meet "him", "her" or most recently "they", well, the proof is in the pudding.

Another Nice Story

Although research has come a long way with regards to exercise during pregnancy, there are still a lot of misconceptions as to what is allowed and what is too much. In some cultures it is still considered way too much of a risk to exercise while pregnant and they support the notion of protecting the growing fetus, by putting your feet up, eating a lot of hearty foods and getting plenty of “rest”. While I would never argue with protecting your baby, eating healthy foods and getting additional rest if needed, leading a sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy could just be the biggest risk for you and your little one. And so with this, I would like to tell you about my client who I shall call Sandra.

Sandra just recently gave birth to beautiful twins; a boy and a girl. We met when she was 18 weeks pregnant and she was lethargic and unmotivated. This was her third pregnancy as she had 2 girls back home in a country that supported the old fashioned custom of sitting, eating and “rest”. She did not exercise during her first two pregnancies and decided that she would change her attitude because if she was already feeling uncomfortable and tired at 18 weeks, what was she going to be in for during the long run? So at the advice of her doctor, she decided to take the plunge, get herself a personal trainer and make exercise a part of her weekly routine.

And what a trooper! Imagine being pregnant with twins and exercising up to her 36th week! Although some days were tougher than others, just like any other person trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, she persevered and stuck it out almost to the end. She delivered at 38 weeks. Sandra saw her doctor regularly as being pregnant with twins increases your risks, but continued to maintain that the exercise was the one thing that gave her the energy and stamina to endure the length of her pregnancy and gave her the strength for labour and delivery.

I recently went to visit her and her newborns and she looks fantastic! Alert and strong, she is the perfect example of what a pregnant woman can do if she puts her mind to it. It certainly wasn’t easy as I’m sure she would agree, but her dedication to stay healthy and strong throughout her pregnancy proved that you can work with mother nature and stay in control of your changing body even when sometimes you just want to give up.

Get outside!!

If you're human AT ALL, the first thing you wanted to do when you looked out the window, was go outside. Not so much to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, but more just to make sure it's real!

Well what a day!! It's been such a looooong and lousy winter that it almost seemed out of reach that it would ever get to this point again. And it's not that this winter was that bad, but I think most of us are still suffering from last winter's snow "hell" that the whole city seemed to be in a constant funk.

So now that it looks like the weather is on an upswing (and Spring is just around the corner), it's time to put away the boots, get the running shoes on and start getting active! Oh, and please do me a favour... if you have cute little Puma's or other trendy walking shoes with little or no support, they aint gonna cut it! If you are pregnant and the average woman gains anywhere from 20-40 lbs, what do you think that's doing to your feet, never mind the rest of your body.
And if you're pounding the sidewalk and each step is putting enormous stress on your joints because of the added weight, do you wonder why your back begins to ache, hips start to hurt and knees begin to feel like they belong to your grandmother?

Just think about it logically, then invest in some good running, walking or cross trainers, depending on what activity you are doing. And this goes for after baby comes as well. After you've delivered a baby, your body has gone through the biggest workout of it's life and it needs a long while to repair. Good support from the bottom up will only assist in making the recovery more manageable and not feel like you have been hit by a truck.

The feet are the foundation of your body. Like a house; if the foundation is off, so is everything else stacked on top. Treat your body right and start from the ground up.

The One Thing Every Pregnant Woman Must Do!

O.k..I feel obliged to talk about this one again - The Kegel. I am coming across too many women lately who can't jump, skip or run because of incontinence. I'm talking about young moms in their thirties who wet themselves if they sneeze, cough or laugh too much. This is disturbing to me because if it's an issue now, what do you think is going to happen when good ole' age gets on their side and they have lost even more control.

Other than a couple of delivery nightmare stories, the reason behind their loss of bladder control is they didn't do their kegels during pregnancy. And why would they?? At what other time in a woman's life does anyone say to kegel then when they are pregnant? We've gone all these years not even knowing what a kegel was (atleast I didn't) and now you want me to remember to do hundreds of these a day for the next 9 months? Please!! But unfortunately... you have to.

So what is a kegel anyway? A kegel is an exercise that stregthens the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a bunch of muscles that act as a sling to support your uterus and bladder. When you are pregnant, a growing fetus puts enormous pressure on your bladder which causes increased trips to the bathroom but also a loss of control. So because of this, kegels are essential whether you have a caesarean or vaginal delivery. Just like any other muscle in the body, the pelvic floor must be strengthened to ensure it can sustain the added weight and not "buckle" under pressure.

So how do you do a kegel? Well after you have emptied your bladder, pretend you are holding a $100 bill "down there" and you don't want to drop it in the toilet. Hold for 5-10 seconds and relax. If this is new to you (which it usually is for most), you wont really feel anything because nothing else should move. Don't squeeze your butt or hold your breath. Just imagine pulling up and in from the bottom and hold - just like you would if you were to hold your pee. But that's not allowed either. Holding it in can actually cause bladder infections. You just want to simulate the action.

Now be weary... it's recommended that you do ALOT of these every day. I mean 100's!! So why not start in the bathroom? You're there anyway. Every time after you have finished your business, do 10 kegels. Once that becomes habit, choose something else in addition; some other association that will help you remember to do your kegels. And don't worry if you're not doing it exactly right. It's way better than the alternative.

Just Do It!

Honestly, sometimes I have absolutely no idea how I do it - exercise that is. I constantly have people looking at me day to day like I am some super human because I exercise regularly and lead a fairly healthy lifestyle. As if it's like second nature. Right!

Today I drove myself halfway across the city in this ridiculous weather. (note the date - Jan 28, 2009). I left my client and practically skated in my car to get to the gym which is down the street from my house. As I'm sliding (with snow tires!), I'm asking myself is it worth risking my life to go back out and see another client in the afternoon just to make a few bucks? That's not my style and thankfully for me, I have wonderful clients who would like to see me again alive.

So as my ABS brakes save me more than once, I park across the street from the gym and go inside; just to see only a few others as crazy as me to leave their homes/offices/ whatever, to get in a workout. And let me tell you, there's nothing more de-motivating than an almost empty gym and a blizzard waiting for you on the outside. But I suck it up, put on my iPod and let the tunes take me anywhere but here and get my sweat on. Because I know that on days like today, when it seems like everything else is stacked up against me, that's when I need a good old fashioned workout the most. It's my one thing that I do for myself that gives me peace, space and something else to focus on other than lunches, homework and whatever else that hits me head on when I walk in the door. If I don't go burn off steam with some heavy weights and old school funk blasting in my ears, I can even notice my mood is lower and I just don't have the energy I need for my two girls.

Having said that, we are not all the same. Although sometimes I would rather have a root canal that workout, I'm pretty diligent about getting my ass in gear and doing what I need to do for my sanity and my health. It's part of my type A personality. Not only am I a personal trainer, but I am a mother and I know what could potentially happen in the long run if I did not get to the gym at least three times per week. Not only could if affect my health, but I would be one unhappy person. And that's no good when I'm trying to raise two beautiful girls.

Battle Scars

Now that the New Year is amongst us, the resolutions and good intensions are at an all time high. But especially for two women very close to me right now (they are clients and new moms), the ever hanging question in the air is…. “Will I ever get it back”? – Their body, that is. And my answer always is, well yes… and no.

You see during pregnancy, not only have you gained 20, 30 or 40+ lbs, but there have been physiological and hormonal changes as well. Things take time to get back to normal, or the “new” normal as only another fellow mom would understand.

Over the course of 9 months, your belly grew, but depending on your size, height and weight pre-pregnancy, the physical stress of carrying a person around in utero forces nature to adjust your skeletal frame to accommodate to the growth. There is a wonderful hormone called relaxin that attacks every joint in the pregnant woman’s body that makes them hyper mobile. This is why you want to be cautious during some degrees of physical activity. But relaxin also helps the pelvic girdle to widen in preparation for child birth as well as expand the rib cage to make room for the growing baby. For a lot of women, once the baby is born things never go back quite the same way; clothes fit differently and things are just, well, “different”.

The same can be said for feet. Have you ever heard women say that since giving birth, their feet grew? Well that’s not necessarily the case. In fact, what has happened is the added weight during pregnancy put additional strain on their feet, compressing the arch of the foot farther into the ground and making them wider and shoes tighter. And again, for most women, their arches don’t spring back postpartum causing them to now buy shoes ½ or 1 whole size bigger.

But my favorite one is… now my knees crack and my hips hurt. Ahhhh the glamour of motherhood. We have to remember that gaining a large amount of weight is going to reak some havoc on our bodies, similar to overweight people having aches and pains associated with extra weight load. This weight can cause wear and tear on joints and ligaments and destroy what little cartilage some women may have under their knees to start with.

But it doesn’t have to be all bad. While some things we can’t control, (like relaxin) weight gain during pregnancy can be managed with proper eating and regular physical activity. As for the other stuff we’re left with; just look at it as your battle scars. It’s a small price to pay for making such beautiful children!

Get ready, get set, GO!!

Well it's the new year! Isn't this the time when you're supposed to make all those resolutions about health, wealth and anything else you desire?

Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate New year's resolutions! It's almost guaranteed to fail because instead of making the choice based on the need to make a lifestyle change and invest in yourself, people fall in line with everyone else and use the New Year as an excuse to make a difference.

Year after year, personal trainers like me get overwhelmed with people making resolutions to lose weight and eat right. And with all my heart, I cross my fingers and support them to do the right thing and take the first step in improving their health. But what happens is after the thrill is gone and the hard work continues (it's a commitment, not a quick fix), clients fall off the wagon, get discouraged and quit.

It's tough to watch goals and dreams fall by the way side just to be replaced by old habits that do nothing but make you feel worse than before you started. Sound familiar?? We have all been there, but the trick is not to follow the flock of others who give in to defeat. The trick is to get right back on that wagon and not give up! Gyms all around the world love people who pay for a 1 year membership in January just to stop going 6 weeks later. Ever notice the gyms never seem crowded anymore by March?

Well it's easy for me to say, right? I mean, I'm a personal trainer and I must exercise all the time!! Hello... I'm also HUMAN!! Don't even ask me how much I worked out over the holidays (sshhh), but I was back at the gym today like I had never stopped.

I guess what I am saying is New Year's or not, when it's time to make the change.... MAKE THE CHANGE!! Be realistic in what you are asking from yourself and know that it's going to be hard work all the time! I love to work out yes, but I also like doing nothing (I have 2 kids remember?). I made a choice to make a lifestyle change a long time ago and for the most part, I have stuck with it. I love the rush I feel after a workout and for being a woman, it's very important for me to feel strong.

So let this be the year (at some point) that you take a good look at your life and make a decision to change it, if you so choose. Because if you do, you will only benefit from the endless results!

You can do it!