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There are many benefits to living a healthy lifestyle that includes adequate amounts of physical activity. One of the biggest benefits is improved cardiovascular health. Other benefits are reductions in the occurrence of diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancers. There is also a decrease in anxiety and depression in physically active individuals. Among women at various ages throughout the lifespan, it has been shown that physical activity positively influences general health, mental health, reduction in the rate of obesity, and overall vitality.1 These same benefits apply to postpartum women particularly improved psychosocial well-being and cardiovascular fitness. Return to physical activity is also associated with decreased anxiety, depression, lactation-induced bone loss, and stress urinary incontinence.2 There is a fairly large amount of women in the general population that don’t participate in regular physical activities for exercise, and the available data is conflicting on the physical activity level of women with and without children or pre- and post-pregnancy.1 Retained pregnancy weight can lead to higher risks and occurrences of obesity and obesity related diseases and health problems. As for any individual, physical activity and exercise seems to be a good approach to reducing postpartum weight retention and obesity.1,2
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) physical activity guidelines recommend that adults participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity 5 day per week or vigorous intensity for a minimum of 20 minutes 3 days per week.1 The ACSM guidelines recommend for postpartum women to start exercising again ...
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...lready have a stroller. It also eliminates other barriers such as the issues with childcare while providing personal and health benefits to the mother. There are probably benefits for the baby as well since being outside will provide a different type of stimulation. Mothers would just have to watch out for any over stimulation during their walks if their babies are younger. The baby tends to be the focus of the postpartum period, but it could be beneficial to dedicating a little more focus to the mother in order to promote optimal health and recovery to pre-pregnancy state.
Works Cited
1. Greany JF and Greany KA. The fitness benefits of pushing a baby stroller. J Women’s Health Phys Therap. 2013;37(3):103-107.
2. Evenson KR, Aytur SA, Borodulin K. Physical activity beliefs, barriers, and enablers among postpartum women. J Women’s Health. 2009;18:1925-1934.
When an expectant mother walks before giving birth, the gravity placed upon the baby helps move them toward the birth canal. The movement also impacts the muscles in the pelvis, getting them ready to deal with contractions. For first time mothers, and any woman who is anxious about their upcoming birth, walking helps to curb their anxiety, as the physical exercise helps to release endorphins into the
With the help of my doctor, diet and exercise I fought and overcome my postpartum anxiety. I now make it a point to talk about postpartum issues to any women that will listen; I want them to know that they are not alone. I want them to know that just because they may feel crazy, doesn’t mean they are crazy, reach out to the people around and you and ask for help. There is no reason to struggle with postpartum issues alone or in silence. It was a long hard fight to feel like myself again, my life was changed forever, but I am a stronger person because of
Pate et al. (1995) stated that physical activity is needed for health promotion and disease prevention. They also stated that every adult should do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise everyday if possible. Moderate intensity exercising includes activities such as brisk walking and cycling as stated by the Department of Health (2011). They also state that regular physical activity will improve a person’s mental health as it will increase self esteem and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Physical wellbeing is also enhanced by an increase in physical activity. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (2002) found that in developed countries 20% of heart disease and 10% of strokes are due to physical inactivity. Furthermore a lack of physical activity is found to cause 3% of all diseases.
In conclusion, postpartum depression is now widely recognized as distinct from short-term “baby blues” anxiety. Rather than hiding their symptoms from embarrassment and shame, women can now confidently seek treatment, especially important since postpartum depression have a negative effect on both mother and infant. For this reason, it is so important to identify risk factors, and provide prompt treatment to mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Treatment options that include therapy, and occasionally antidepressants or herbal supplements, are successful in treating this disorder. For mothers who want to approach treatment in a more natural way, breastfeeding combined with exercise has been proven to reduce the effects of postpartum depression.
Routine physical activity may be difficult for those with low income to achieve. Firstly, people who have low income generally must work longer and laborious hours than people in the high and middle income rankings in order to have enough money to get by. Low-class Americans simply do not have the time or energy to exercise their bodies. Also, an individual’s economic status can be the cause for several obstacles of achieving physical fitness. For instance, the lack of transportation to and from the gym could be a major problem, as well as being able to pay gym membership fees or gym equipment. It is further explained, “A lack of good transportation choices is the most important single issue that limits routine activities such as walking, biking, and transit use by low income people.” (Squibb 2) Poor economy is only one of the ways low-income individuals are limited to physical fitness.
Breastfeeding is best for mom too. Increased levels of oxytocin stimulate postpartum uterine contractions, reducing blood loss and encouraging uterine contractions. From 3 months to 12 months postpartum, breastfeeding increases the rate of weight loss in most nursing mothers. Breastfeeding has even been found to lessen the severity of postpartum depression by keeping the hormonal levels more balanced. Breastfeeding also reduces the mother’s risk for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and osteoporosis, (Shinskie and Lauwers, 2002). It is important that the lactation consultant collaborate with the mother shortly after delivery to eliminate frustration and prevent the abandonment of br...
Although most studies have shown that physical activity prevent morbidity and mortality independent of weight, the range of benefits vary for among various groups stratified according to age, sex, race and BMI. Also, different dose of physical ...
Roca, Catherine. "Depression During and After Pregnancy." April 2005. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Online. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/postpartum.htm. (17 Nov. 2005)
Watson, P. & McDonald, B. (2007) Activity levels in pregnant New Zealand women: relationship with socioeconomic factors, well-being, anthropometric measures, and birth outcome. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism 32 (4), 733-742.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Participation in sport, particularly in adults is shown to be rapidly decreasing. In The general Household Survey (2002, cited in National statistics) it was discovered that with the exclusion of walking, only 43% of the population had participated in some form of exercise in the four weeks prior to the research interview. It is accepted with recent statistics that participation rates in the UK are not adhering to the advised five times a week from the Department of Health, the author feels this is a worrying reality as there are many health implications resulting from a national neglect towards exercise.
Each year, 21,300 infants visit hospital emergency room to treated injuries linked with baby walkers for children that are under fifteen months of age. Out of that 21,300 emergency room visits, two children die from the use baby walkers every year. Many people don’t realize how harmful a baby walker is to a child. Parents think it is an excellent tool that will benefit both them and their child. To them, baby walkers are a product that can be bought in the store, thinking it will entertain their child and help him/her learn how to walk faster. Oh boy, are they wrong. Baby walkers do not help a child learn how to walker faster. Baby walkers are not superb tools for any child to use. According to Dr. Baum, a local Pediatrician on Maui, “baby walkers are the number one thing Pediatricians hate.” Therefore, baby walkers should be banned in the United States because it slows down motor skills development, it is very dangerous to use, and parents end up spending less time interacting with their child.
Healthy adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. That doesn 't have to be all at one time, though. Aerobic exercise can even be done in 10-minute increments.There are significant health benefits from interval training, which means exercising at your near maximal intensity for short periods of 60 to 90 seconds. Regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. After all, aerobic exercise reduces health risks, keeps excess pounds at bay, strengthens your heart and boosts your mood.
According to the Healthy Lifestyle Index Report, I am lacking in getting the weekly recommended amount of physical activity. As listed in Figure 2 below, this increases the chances of weight gain, high blood sugar, and breast
Exercising is a popular activity for people around the world, but many people exercise indoors when they should be going outdoors for added benefits. Exercising outdoors can make people more committed to a workout program than an indoor workout plan, and their motivation levels increase (Lacharite-Lemieux, Brunelle, & Dionne, 2015). Working out outdoors will improve a person’s overall psychological (mental) health, more so than normally exercising, which already has psychological and physiological benefits (Hug, Hartig, Hansmann, Seeland, & Hornung, 2009). Obesity rates in America are high and getting people to stick to an exercise program would help fight unhealthy obesity (Gladwell, Brown, Wood, Sandercock, & Barton, 2013). Finally, if a