It's A Baby

Recently my wife and I have been informing our friends and coworkers that we are expecting. This is obviously a very exciting time for us and we are really looking forward to parenthood.

Babies, however, are not my specialty. I have never really been around kids much and have no clue what I am doing, but I'm sure I will learn fast. Being the nerd that I am I always like to do research to see what types of things we should be doing. I have discovered, with pregnancy, there are some people that say some things are ok to do and others say to avoid certain things completely.

Just like in the fitness world, I have a hard time taking someone's word. I always hear claims that this supplement will melt fat away in days and that this exercise will give you a ripped stomach. I have grown to be a very skeptical person and need to do my own research before buying into something.

To help clear up my head with the whole pregnancy, I thought I should do some real research and see what peer reviewed journals have to say. Here are just some random results I found interesting. Pass this on to anyone you know who is pregnant or planning on it. Whether it is their first or fifth pregnancy this info will be helpful.

1. How many extra calories should you eat during pregnancy?

It depends on the mother's weight before conception. For those who fall in a normal body mass index (BMI) which is around 20-24 you can use this guide. The first trimester you can continue eating pretty much the same amount as before. Second Trimester increase to an extra 350 cal/day and Third Trimester you can increase to an extra 500 cal/day.

2. How much weight should you gain during a pregnancy?

Studies again are finding that it depends on your weight beforehand. Here are some more guidelines you can follow. If you underweight (BMI is <19.8) then you should gain around 12.5-18kgs (27.5-39.6lbs). If you are normal weight (BMI 19.9-24.9) you should gain around 11.5-16kg (25.3-35.2lbs). If you are overweight then you weight gain should be even less. This may seem backwards but the smaller you are the more weight you should be gaining.

3. Increasing vegetable intake during pregnancy is beneficial to fetal growth.

They are finding that women who consume more veggies during pregnancy will decrease the risk of small for gestation age (SGA) birth weight and size. Increasing vegetable intake will help the fetus growth better.

4. Increasing milk consumption is associated with increased birth weight.

Drinking 3 glasses of milk a day lead to increased birth weight and size. There was a decreased risk of SGA birth, but an increase in LGA birth. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your situation.

5. Prenatal Fish Oil supplementation is just a good idea.

Women have to be careful with how much fish they eat and what type but they NEED to make sure they are getting their Omega 3's somehow. I can't believe how much positive information I found with fish oil and pregnancy. Some of the main things were helping the development of the nervous system and improve cognitive development into childhood.

6. Siblings born at closer intervals have an increased risk of developing autism.

This one has nothing to do with nutrition but I found one study that should siblings who were born <1 year apart had a higher risk of autism.

Well that is it for now. I'm sure I will find some more pregnancy tips and facts to share in the future. Hopefully in a few weeks we will find out what we are having and then we can start the baby pool.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Free Protein Recipe Book

I just came across this awesome recipe book. And great news. It is healthier recipes and it is absolutely free!! These recipes come from Prograde Nutrition. Inside you will find delicious recipes for cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, sweet treats, breakfast recipes like peanut butter pancakes, and homemade protein bars.

That's right, you heard me correct. I am giving you book with 51 recipes for deserts and breakfast ideas. To check out these recipes plus much more just click on the picture below or right click the link and save it to your computer.

Right Click and Save File Here

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Four Keys To Live Longer

I think there are two reasons why people decide to start an exercise program and eating healthier. I have a hard time saying which one is perceived as more important surprisingly though. These two reasons are we want to look better and we want to live longer. You would think that living longer would be the most popular choice, but I definitely hear the goal of looking better naked more than living longer.

Let's focus on what should be the more important goal of living longer. Although living longer should not be the only thing we worry about. We want to live a longer, but High Quality of life. Obviously the earlier you start in life with an exercise program the easier it is and the more beneficial it can be. Sometimes when the effects of aging arise, it may be too late to get rid of them and the best you can do is manage them.

Before we go any further, I want to make the point that the keys we are going to discuss here may not make you look younger necessarily. I won't tell you I have a magic cream that will remove wrinkles or tighten your skin. Instead I am going to give you 4 things that if you do you will be more likely to live a longer life and be able to take care of yourself on your own.

These 4 keys came from a Danish study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They followed 120,852 men and women aged 55–69 who provided information on dietary and other lifestyle habits. Researchers found that those who stuck to these 4 habits lived longer:

1. Adhered to the Mediterranean Diet.
2. Did not smoke.
3. Stayed at a normal weight (BMI of 18-24).
4. Participated in regular physical activity.

It is as simple as that. These four easy habits resulted in years added to their life. In fact they found the mortality rate advancement period was 15 years for women and 8 years for men.

The last 3 habits are pretty self explanatory. Don't smoke, keep your body weight normal, and exercise. The first point may need to further explanation.

The Mediterranean Diet is essential a high fat diet. I know we were told for years that fat is the enemy. Then food products came out that were low fat and we became fatter. Now we are told carbs are the enemy and what happened? We are still getting fatter. (It is time we worry less about what macro nutrients we are getting, and focus on what foods we are eating.)

So I am not saying go out and eat fatty foods all day. In fact this diet is very low in saturated and trans fats. The Mediterranean Diet basically emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, and herbs and spices.

Here are some keys to following this diet:

• Eat primarily plant-based foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and nuts)
• Replace butter with healthy fats such as olive oil
• Use herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Limit red meat to no more than a few times per month
• Eat fish and poultry at least twice a week

So that is it. Follow these steps for a longer and healthy life.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator