Tag: energy

Eating to Beat Pregnancy Fatigue

Ask any pregnant woman who is in her first or third trimester how they are feeling and the answer will almost always be “tired”. One of the first clues that many women have that they may be expecting a visit from the stork is the fact that they find themselves droopy eyed in the middle of the day for no reason.

You may find that doing a simply task as walking around the block leaves your desperate for an afternoon nap. The energy you use to have is now faced with the challenge of growing a baby and your body is hard at work. You are also producing more blood, using more water and nutrients and have a higher heart rate and metabolism when you are pregnant. While the best defensive against the tiredness you will face is to get more sleep. There are also some healthy foods choices you can make that will help you get through your day if you do not have the opportunities to take naps.

First, adjust the size of your meals. Anyone who eats a large meal is going to feel tired afterwards regardless of if they are pregnant or not. Being pregnant is going to make the effect of a big meal that much worse. Most of your energy is going to be used towards digesting the meal so of course you will feel sluggish and drained. Eat smaller meals and eat more often. Eating six small meals a day will help you combat fatigue.

Eating a good breakfast is the best way to start your day. You are refueling your body after a long foodless night with a good breakfast. A good breakfast is not a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. You want to stick to complex carbs and protein. Whole grain cereal and a banana for example. These foods will stay with you and keep your blood sugar and energy level up for quiet a while.

Do not skip lunch. There are many people who skip lunch thinking they will make up for it by having a big dinner. This is bad when you are not pregnant but it’s even worse when you are pregnant. You need that midday meal to help refuel your body. As with your breakfast, you should keep it filled with whole grains and protein. Have a whole grain pita and stuff it with chicken salad and add a side of grapes or an apple.

Plan to eat most of your calories during the day. A pregnant woman needs an extra 300 calories a day throughout their second and third trimester. The first trimester those are not needed yet. You should eat these extra calories through out the day in the form of healthy snacks such as nuts, cheese, veggies and dip. Do not save your biggest meal until the end of the day. Your body needs these calories to help you get through your day. Steer clear of the quick sugar fixes like candy and soda. In the end these will only make you more tired.

Lastly, make sure you are getting enough iron. Eat iron fortified food such as spinach and lean red meat to keep your energy up. There are times when extreme fatigue could be the symptom of an iron deficiency and you might need an iron supplement also.

Besides eating well, make sure you get plenty of rest even if this means pushing your bedtime up and giving up those late night TV talk shows. As any parents of newborns will tell you, get your rest while you still can.

A Typical Laser Hair Removal Treatment

When the day arrives for you to have your first laser hair removal treatment, it is normal to feel nervous and possibly a bit anxious. This is because it is something you have never done before and you are not sure what to expect. Try to relax and think of this visit as any other doctor visit.

If there is a wait once you arrive at the office, try to keep your mind busy so you will not worry about the upcoming procedure. Perhaps a friend could accompany you to your appointment, or, if you are alone, read a book or magazine. Having your payment ready will also help you to relax as it will be one less thing you need to worry about.

When it is your turn to enter the treatment room, you will be instructed to remove all necessary clothing and a gown will be provided. If photographs of the area to be treated with laser hair removal were not taken during the consultation, the nurse or assistant will take them now.

The area to be treated will be washed to cleanse it of any lotions, cosmetics, perfumes or deodorants. It will then be prepped with alcohol. Depending on the procedure, the area may, or may not, be shaved. Your skin may be cooled before treatment to help reduce any side effects from occurring. You, and everyone else in the room, will be given safety goggles to wear during the procedure.

The doctor, or technician, who is doing the laser hair removal procedure will preform a patch test. This will give him a chance to gauge your tolerance of the treatment and also select the correct fluence levels. It will also give you the opportunity to experience how the laser feels and hopefully relieve some of your anxiety. A single pulse will be sent to the test area, which will be near the area to be treated. It will be examined for any sings of damage to the skin such as blistering or separation.

When the doctor is ready to start the procedure, he will aim the laser at the hair follicles of the area to be treated. Because the hair follicles have a dark pigmentation, they will absorb the energy from the laser’s light. The time that is needed for the procedure will depend on the amount of hair to be removed, the spot size of the beam, and the scanning pattern of the hand piece that the doctor is using. Laser hair removal treatments can take anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes, depending upon the area treated.

Many people say that the laser feels like a rubber band being snapped on your skin. Others describe it as more intense than that. If you are feeling discomfort or pain, you will be given a topical anesthesia or cooling remedies.

Once the laser hair removal treatment is completed, you will be ready to get dressed and discuss post treatment care. You may experience some temporary side effects such as redness and swelling, which usually disappear within a day or two.

Once you have experienced your first laser hair removal treatment you will be much more relaxed if you require additional treatments.

Post Exercise Considerations

For those in the athletic field it is vital to ensure that while you are fully prepared for an athletic event you also take careful consideration to recover from an athletic event as well. This means you should take care of your body after the activity just as you would before the activity. In many situations it is even more important because you are tired, drained and are lacking some vital nutrients that your body really needs.

One of the biggest concerns that sports medicine professionals have is helping athletes restore fluids to the body. This is because most athletes disperse large amounts of fluid through sweating and creates a huge void that must be filled. It is very important that you weight yourself before engaging in any athletic activity and then again immediately afterwards. While you may be excited initially about the weight loss, it is important to realize that you have only lost fluids, and those fluids must be replaced quickly.

To rehydrate your body thoroughly it is recommended that you drink as much as 24 ounces of water for each pound of weight that you lost. This will help you to quickly recover the fluids that your body is missing, while still keeping your stomach light enough to handle a brief rest before eating. It is important to notice as well that water is the best liquid to consume; it is not advisable to use sports drinks when you are consuming such a large amount of liquid.

After your exercise is over, it is also important to consume some form of carbohydrate within 20 minutes. The best carbohydrates to look into are some form of fruit, or even a natural juice whether it is fruit juice or vegetable juice is entirely up to your and your medical team. Additionally, sports medicine professionals recommend combining carbohydrates with proteins to really speed the energy stores back into the body.

The best guideline to use is giving the body 4 carbohydrates for each protein that is consumed. It has been determined that this is the formula that allows the body to recover in the shortest amount of time, while still keeping the intake light enough to not cause any stomach problems. Whether you look towards a solid food or even a special drink that combined proteins and carbohydrates together is entirely up to your and your medical team as well.

Remember, consuming additional calories immediately after a workout may seem conflicting however, it is very important that the energy stores of the body be replaced to ensure that you are not causing more harm than good to your body. Lack of energy even following an exercise program can be very harmful to the body if not quickly treated and can also increase the risks of injury, which make it even more harmful.

Talking to your medical team can help you determine the exact amount you should be eating both before and after working out to ensure maximum energy supplies and the shortest recharging time possible. If you are concerned that you are still weak or tired after a workout it may be time to consult with your doctor and increase the amount of carbohydrates that you are consuming. The same may hold true if you are experiencing muscle weakness or fatigue following a workout for your protein levels.

Never assume that the exact amount of carbohydrate and protein intake levels that work for one person are going to work for you. It is best to instead discuss with your doctor and coach the exact needs that you specifically have so that you can ensure you are creating the best overall health situation possible. Avoiding conversations with your doctor about your health and nutrition needs can be destructive. You need to know exactly what your body requires based upon your individual needs and workout patterns. Taking care of your own individual needs is part of why you have a team of sports medicine professionals all working together. Use them to your benefit for your post workout nutrition.

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Yin and Yang and Acupuncture

The ancient Chinese considered harmony to be the goal of our lives as individuals, and also as a society. When harmony is disturbed in our physical or emotional lives, it is restored by the use of acupuncture. Harmony is a continual balancing act between opposites: opposites in color, in energy, in actions, etc. This idea of opposites is seen even in the west with such ideas as positive and negative ions in chemistry and physics. The Chinese denote the opposite ends of each idea as “yin” and “yang”. They are not opposed to each other, but are the ultimate in each direction. For example, rest is Yin and exercise is Yang, or Yin is cold winter and Yang is hot summer. Life would not be in balance if it were entirely exercise or entirely rest, and so balance of Yin and Yang produces harmony. Notice that Yang is the active, warm, excitable, aggressive side, whereas the corresponding opposite Yin is restful, cool, calming, and passive.

Acupuncture is concerned with the optimal flow of the energy Qi. Harmony is disturbed by a lack of balance, and a lack of balance will constrict or overemphasize the flow of Qi at various points in the body. The acupuncture practitioner has four sets of diagnostic features, each of which have a yin end and a yang end. Three of these are specific: hot and cold, interior and exterior, and excess and deficiency. So, for example, someone who spends all of their time inside eating sweets has at least two imbalances that can be noted by the acupuncture practitioner. There is also a fourth, general set, for any other features that should be noted in the acupuncture diagnosis that are not covered by the first three: for example, an unusually passive person. A harmonious personality should have a balance between aggressiveness and passivity, each at the appropriate times.

It may be surprising that the treatment of acupuncture takes mental and emotional states into account, but the goal of acupuncture is to restore harmony to the whole person. A number of imbalances may not have caused a physical health problem, but rather such symptoms as strife within the family, a tendency to cry easily, or other social or emotional symptom. These are strong indicators and also need to be addressed.

The goal of is to restore harmony and redirect Qi energy to its normal flow. This energy is active and always moving, and hence has Yang qualities. So, if you were an acupuncture practitioner and had a client who noticed they where being unusually aggressive and angry lately, you would suspect a buildup in energy at some organ in the body. Whereas, if someone were depressed and listless, that would be an indication of a deficiency of energy at some organ or organs in the body. This, along with a diagnosis of physical symptoms, would give the best acupuncture treatment to address this.

So, by organizing objects, actions, conditions, and other attributes of life into “Yin” and “Yang”, the acupuncture practitioner can more easily fit mental, social, and emotional issues into the overall treatment plan for each of the clients. The method of acupuncture is to restore the normal flow of Qi, which in turn will restore harmony and balance into the patient’s life.