Health, Fitness And Fun 47
Best time to exercise?
Wait an hour after a big meal before engaging in any physical activity. After eating, blood flow to the stomach and intestines increases to help the body digest the food. Working-out right after eating makes the blood flow toward the heart and muscles, instead of moving to the digestive system. Since the strength of the gut’s muscle contractions directly relate to the quantity of blood flowing in the area, less blood in the gastrointestinal tract means weaker intestinal contractions, fewer digestive enzymes, and the food waste moving sluggishly through the intestine. This can lead to bloating, excess gas, and constipation.
Tackling Heartburn
Pregnancy relaxes your muscles including the ring of muscles above your stomach. So time and again acid makes its way up your aesophagus, which causes a burning sensation around the middle of your chest area up to your lower throat. That’s heartburn. To evade it:
– Take many small meals instead of the regular three large ones.
– Avoid foods that are known to aggravate heartburn. These include citrus fruits, chocolate, coffee and spicy foods.
– Avoid lying flat on your back. Use pillows to prop yourself. Lie on your right. This way, gravity will help empty your stomach.
– Wear comfortable clothing that keeps your belly free.
When it’s more than nausea
The harshest nausea in pregnancy is known as hyperemesis gravidarum. It brings about persistent nausea and extreme vomiting – not being able to keep food and liquids down; and often goes past the first trimester.
This can result in dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance in the mother, causing dangerous weight loss. See your doctor if you feel your nausea has gotten out of hand.
Catching your elusive beauty sleep
A compressed bladder, a bigger belly, hormonal changes and anxiety about the
EDD can result in sleeplessness at night. Here’s how to counter that:
■ Eat a light healthy snack before sleeping to avoid waking up from hunger. This is after eating healthy and sufficiently during the day.
■ Communicate your anxieties to your partner, close well-informed friends or your medical practitioner. They will help allay your fears – which tense up your body, denying you sleep.
■ Enjoy your morning or evening walks. Walking exercises relaxe your muscles and mind allowing you some beauty rest at night.
■ A hot bath in the evening will as well soothe your nerves relaxing your body, giving you off to sleep.
■ Total darkness and total silence is also good for quality sleep.
Beating nausea
The Triggers
■ Fragrances, smells of fuel, food, and body odours
■ Oily and spicy foods
■ Damp un-fresh air
■ Exhaustion from sleepless nights
■ Accumulated acid in your stomach.
Remedies
■ In case of sleepless nights, take plenty of naps during the day to catch up with your rest.
■ Eat small frequent meals that are high in fibre and protein. Avoid oily foods as fat takes longer to digest.
■ Avoid spicy foods.
■ Have snacks in your car, desk and bag to munch on whenever you feel like eating. That will help put your stomach at ease.
■ Take anti-acids when nauseated or after throwing up. They help balance out the risen acidity in your stomach – making you less nauseated.
No sex
Placenta praevia (the placenta is lying over the cervix), is one of the very few reasons you should NOT have intercourse while expectant. The thrusting involved may cause harm to the pregnancy.
Yes sex
Sexual health therapists say a supportive partner, who can barely keep his hands off you and keeps telling you how ‘HOT’ you look, is likely to soar your sex drive.
END:PG47/20-21