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Exercising during pregnancy is something that no expectant mother should miss. Cycling is a low-impact exercise widely recommended for pregnant women, providing cardiovascular benefits and helping you to remain in great shape!

Do not forget to take in to consideration the fact that cycling (or indeed any exercise) burns more calories than resting. Pregnancy means that you will already need an extra 300 calories per day before adding on extra for exercising. Calorie counting computers are available, but your body should tell you when it is hungry, you may be surprised at how much extra you eat.

When pregnant your center of gravity can shift after the first trimester which can cause problems with balance. You may also feel a little forgetful and accident prone when pregnant so be sure to take all safety precautions and ride in a safe controlled manner, preferably in calmer areas. Try to stick to cycle routes rather than main roads!

Although your baby is well protected by the amniotic fluid you should try to avoid any potentially dangerous riding such as after rain when the roads may be wet, or riding off sealed roads on rough terrain. Also please be sure that your cycle has been inspected and that your braking system is in top condition - you are carrying more weight now than previously so it may take more effort to stop.

If you are concerned about the safety of riding a cycle when pregnant then why not consider a stationary exercise cycle. Exercising in this way will raise your heart rate and give you a good workout without the dangers that road riding can present.

Outdoors or indoors be sure to stay well hydrated. Drink plenty of water as gestation requires water to make amniotic fluids to protect your baby. You will notice that cycling will make you feel hot and you will produce more sweat than normal, so taking a bottle of water on the bike with you is very important.

When riding it would be ideal to wear a heart rate monitor. Try not to exceed 140 beats per minute pulse rate. Always be prepared to stop if you feel shortness of breath or dizziness.

Bicycling may become uncomfortable during the latter trimester of your pregnancy. At this time you may wish to consider other forms of exercise such as swimming or walking.

Always consult a medical practitioner before commencing any form of exercise program when pregnant.

Everybody wants a tight, firm midsection. You can tone your abs and get rid of that pot belly but there is one important point you first need to understand.

You cannot spot reduce anywhere on your body. You can spot tone your muscles in the area you are targeting, but you cannot spot reduce.

Here’s an example. Look at your belly in a relaxed mode. Now suck in your stomach muscles.

Your pot belly is pretty much gone. Did you suddenly lose weight in that area?

Of course not! The same thing happens when you begin to properly exercise your ab muscles. The muscles become stronger and pull in the unsightly girth. Your abs look tighter and you look better, but unless you have actually lost weight overall, you have not actually lost any fat in that area.

To lose fat in the abs, you must lose weight overall. To make your abs look slimmer and sexier, you must develop the ab muscles.

One of the best pieces of exercise equipment you can purchase is an exercise ball, also called a swiss ball. Every time you do exercises on this ball, your ab muscles come into play. The abs are working to keep the ball steady and to keep you from falling off.

You can easily do two of the following exercises on the ball and increase the effectiveness.

1. The Bicycle

This has been proven to be one of the most effective ab exercises you can do. You cannot do this one on the ball.

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Lift your legs off the ground and raise your shoulders a couple inches off the floor.

Do not pull your neck with your hands. Push your lower back tight to the floor. Bring your left leg towards your chest while rotating your right elbow to touch your left knee.

Don’t strain. As you return to the starting position, begin bringing your right knee in and rotate your left elbow to touch your right knee.

Work up to twenty repetitions each leg. Do them slowly.

2. Crunch

You are probably familiar with this one. Lay on your back with either your hands behind your head or on your chest. Legs are in a V-shape with your feet flat on the floor.

Once again push your lower back tight to the floor. Begin to raise your head and shoulders off the floor, tightening your ab muscles. Do not pull on your neck. You are only raising your shoulders a few inches off the ground.

At the top of the movement, hold for about one second, then return and repeat. Work to twenty repetitions. This is excellent on the exercise ball!

3. The Plank

Lie on your stomach. Feet are straight and close together. Push off the floor, raising up on your toes and your elbows. Keep your back straight and tighten your ab muscles. Hold for thirty seconds. Return and repeat for three to five repetitions.

Again, this exercise is excellent on the exercise ball.

Do these three exercises at least five days a week and the ab muscles will tighten up and you will look and feel great.

Picture perfect posture is something we all strive for, but it doesn’t exist. The reality today is that most people’s posture falls far short of the ideal. Poor posture is not only unflattering - it’s a little known health risk. Worse yet, the adverse effects of postural misalignment tend to slowly and silently accumulate over time until substantial pain and even disability occur.

Hunching over your desk to do computer work all day might not seem problematic, until the damage is done and you realize you can no longer straighten up! By adulthood, most of us have already fallen into some poor postural habits (of which we may or may not be aware). You can check for some asymmetries in your body by looking in a mirror.

As early as age 8, there is evidence of widespread postural changes associated with dominant hand use. A typical pattern for a right handed individual is as follows: right shoulder is lower than the left, Pelvis is deviated slightly toward the right, right hip is slightly higher, slight deviation of the spine to the left, and the left foot is more flat than the right. Some deviations may be only detectable by the trained eye of a professional such as a chiropractor, doctor, or physical therapist, while others may be quite obvious. Many of these postural deviations are thought to have developed because our society has become quite sedentary. (Can you say, “Couch Potato”?) Even young children are exhibiting signs of postural stress related for sitting for long periods of time in school or while playing computer games. It used to be unheard of for a child to complain of neck and back pain not related to trauma. A poor sitting position causes the entire back and pelvis to round out, as well as the head to come forward in a typical “slump” position.

The human body can be visualized as a kinetic chain. Our joints are linked together in such a way that the position of one joint affects the position of all the others. In other words, segments of the body cannot move in isolation. They are all interconnected. When our major joints are stacked appropriately, the human body can be maintained upright with little muscular effort, little stress to ligaments, and equally distributed compressive forces. However, when posture is less than optimal, imbalances cause increased stress to the muscles, bones and connective tissue which affects the whole kinetic chain.

Our modern day society seems to encourage faulty alignment through the repetitive and restrictive nature of certain work related and everyday activities. People who perform the same activity over and over again in the same position are overusing some muscles and underutilized others. Our bodies easily adapt to the demands we place on them. The dominant hand or leg may become very strong, while the non-dominant side weakens, creating widespread strength and flexibility imbalances. Other muscles attempt to compensate until they too become compromised.

Potential sources of pain include muscle spasms and fatigue, ligament strain, pinching of nerves and blood vessels, joint inflammation and arthritis. Individuals may seek medical attention as a result of the chronic pain, functional limitations and disability associated with postural dysfunction. It is unfortunate that we only tend to recognize that we have a problem when our body’s are “screaming” at us. Many postural issues go on ignored until the person experiences a traumatic event. The application of an acute stress, in addition to the chronic postural stress, can result in an injury that might otherwise have been very minor. For example, the victim of a rear-end auto collision at only 5 miles per hour is diagnosed with whiplash due to poor alignment of his/her head to their neck which predisposed them to substantial injury.

Neck pain is highly correlated with poor posture and a forward head position (FHP) is often implicated. Ideally, the ear should be vertically in line with the shoulder. The development of FHP is attributed to occupational or repetitive postures requiring prolonged sitting, forward leaning, habitual slouching and as a result poor vision. The best example of this is working in front of your computer. The extensor muscles in the back of the neck must contract excessively to hold the head up and keep the eyes level. The muscles in the front of the neck become overly stretched and weakened. FHP is frequently associated with Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, headaches, pinched nerves, and arthritis in the neck. The position of the head also affects the orientation of the shoulder, arm and hand. FHP may also be implicated in carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist.

Accompanying the adverse musculoskeletal changes is the loss of position sense. Over time, and individual with FHP loses the ability to position the head correctly on the cervical spine. Eventually poor posture progressively begins to feel like the body’s norm.

The good news is that correction of postural alignment has been shown to relieve pain and restore function, such as range of motion and strength. Through specific exercises, the joints and muscles can be retrained. You can improve your posture through simple stretching exercises or reorganizing your workspace. Taking frequent breaks can also help (at least 5 minutes every hour). Also, standing while you work when possible. Finally, remember those words from your mother… stop slouching and sit up straight in your chair! Now is the time to do it.