Are Saunas Good For Pregnancy?

Saunas are usually treated as relaxants and stress busters. women who are accustomed to using saunas before pregnancy are not sure whether or not to continue using saunas after they find that they are pregnant. During pregnancy, the safety of your baby has to be of utmost concern.

Most medical practitioners advise against using saunas during pregnancy. As per the advice of the ACOG (American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) saunas are not advisable during pregnancy for more than 15 minutes at a time and if you can do without it, all the better.

It is believed that the high temperatures in the environment of a sauna could interfere negatively with the development of the fetus, especially in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. High temperatures are particularly harmful during the first twelve weeks of development of the fetus and hence, any such exposure should be totally avoided during this time.

Doing anything that would cause a pregnant womans core temperature to rise is considered to have the potential harming the unborn baby. Even running a fever can result in harm to an unborn fetus, so deliberately raising body temperature is certainly ill-advised for a pregnant woman.

The potentially damaging impact of heat on your unborn child is not the only reason you should avoid using a sauna during pregnancy. Another reason why you should not use saunas during pregnancy is because it might induce dizziness and utter exhaustion, which are harmful for you and the baby.

Alternatives To Sauna If you are totally addicted to saunas, you will need to find alternative ways to enjoy the heat without risking the healthy development of your unborn child. For de-stressing, you could use body massages which would help your muscles unwind and relax. There are many professional massage parlors which you will find especially welcome during this time. There are even licensed massage therapists who specialize in pregnancy massage techniques. Alternatively, you could ask your partner to give you a massage every now and then when.

If what you really miss about the sauna is the heat, you could try taking a hot tub bath, of course taking care not to use very high temperatures and not to stay in the hot bath water for more than 15 minutes. Even a short warm bath can go a long way toward relaxing your body and your mind.

There are many other ways to relax and make you feel good. yoga can be an excellent means of relaxing. Additionally, practicing the breathing exercises that you need to learn for the birth of your baby anyway can be very relaxing. Taking long walks is also an excellent way to relax and destress without putting your unborn baby at risk. When it comes to saunas and pregnancy, it is much better to wait until after the baby is born. Instead of choosing to stick with your sauna habit, choose to be safe and avoid any risks to yourself or your baby.

Saunafin offers steam sauna and dry sauna accessories and products including, sauna kits, traditional prefab saunas, outdoor saunas. http://www.saunafin.com/

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Sarcopenia: As We Age Muscle Loss Occurs

In physically inactive people there is a loss of about [-0.5%] of lean muscle mass every year between age 25 and 60, and a corresponding decline in muscle strength. From age 60 on, the rate of loss doubles, to about 1%. It doubles again at age 70; again at age 80, and then again at age 90.

How does this translate to the human body? We are losing muscle mass, and that muscle mass is being replaced by fat cells. Typically an individual wonders why they develop a pouch gut, or why their thighs or buttocks are becoming larger. We realize we are not gaining muscle mass in these areas, but losing muscle mass and fat cells are gaining in size. most people can envision this process occurring in their body from the age of 30 on.

Inactive people normally have the most servere atrophy (loss of muscle mass), but active people also may experience atrophy of the muscle. The greatest loss is experienced with the fast twitch (FT) versus the slow twitch (ST) muscles. The FT muscles are used for high-intensity, anaerobic movements (weight lifting) while the ST are employed for activities such as running, dancing, biking, etc.

With aging and inactivity, the most atrophy is seen in the fast twitch (FT) fibers which are recruited during high-intensity, anaerobic movements. Although sarcopenia is mostly seen in physically inactive individuals, it is also evident in individuals who remain physically active throughout their lives. Present finding suggests that physical inactivity is not the only contributing factor to sarcopenia. Current research is finding that the development of sarcopenia is a multifactor process. Many factors, including physical inactivity, motor-unit remodeling, decreased hormone levels, and decreased protein synthesis, may all contribute to sarcopenia. Fortunately, sarcopenia is partly reversible with appropriate exercise interventions.

The purpose of this article is to focus on Sarcopenia and the importance of resistance training in preventing it and reversing its effect. The other important aspect is the decrease of hormones and the reduction of protein synthesis to build and maintain muscle mass. These are also an effect of the aging process that few people are aware of.

What causes Sarcopenia?

1. The aging process
2. Physical inactivity
3. Reduction of hormone production in the human body as we age
i. Testosterone - ii. human growth hormone
4. Decrease of protein synthesis ability within the human body as we age
5. Female estrogen levels may also play a role in the development of sarcopenia during and after menopause. This topic has limited research, but it does appear that many females develop a pouch after menopause.

I believe it is important to mention hormones and protein uptake, but I would like to keep the focus of this article on Sarcopenia. I will cover hormones and protein uptake for another article. Why is resistance or weight training mentioned so often with weight loss? We know weight training is considered anaerobic - The term anaerobic is defined as "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high levels of intensity and a high rate of work for a short time period. Anaerobic exercise (weight training) helps us increase our muscle strength and therefore increases muscle size. If your strength increases, then muscle cell must increase in size.

If we go back to where this article started Sarcopenia can be stopped and reversed with proper weight training. Moreover the muscle mass we are creating is also known as lean body mass. For every 10 pounds of lean body mass we carry on our bodies, 500 calories per day is consumed to maintain that body mass.

Yes, you may burn more calories by running or walking, but these activities will not increase muscle mass as weight training does.

If you consider weight training as curling 2 or 3 pound dumbbells as you watch TV, you should consult with a local weight lifting trainer or join a health club. These individuals or organizations will help you reach your goals in a safe and knowledgeable manner. It is extremely important that you learn the proper techniques and lifting form(s). Proper training will insure results, safety and help prevent unnecessary injuries.

Just Do It!

Richard Train has been involved with weight lifting and weight training for over 40 years. During this period of time he has competed in triathlons, canoe racing and cross country ski racing events. The complexities of the human body has led him to study human physiology as related to weight training and anti-aging using weight training. Presently he offers individual weight training. Additional information can be found at Weight Lifting Trainer Minneapolis

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