Kourtney Kardashian passes out trying to lose baby weight

Oh Kourtney, silly girl.

Well, it wasn't so long ago that Kourtney Kardashian (KK) was banging on about how quickly she lost her baby weight in Life & Style mag. According to New York Daily News, if you watched Sunday's episode of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, you would have seen the physical costs associated with her extreme dieting.

In the episode, Kourtney is running and finds herself passed out, having eaten nothing for the day (in anticipation of the upcoming Life & Style photo shoot).

"I've been obsessing about this weight thing a little too much," she says. "I'm so embarrassed that I punished my body for a photo shoot."

Well, I guess we can all thank Kourney for admitting that her post-baby weight loss wasn't as easy as it is portrayed on the magazine. On the other hand, it makes me so sad that rational human beings can be forced into going to ridiculous lengths to look good for the media. All of the working out and dieting she did was probably for nothing considering so many of the images we see are airbrushed anyway!

If only actresses could get a clue..

Once upon a time, I used to really like Gwyneth Paltrow. She maintained some semblance of down-to-earthness in spite of her elite family and private school upbringing.

Then one day, the lovely actress who wore the bubblegum pink Ralph Lauren gown to the Oscars, had children and got married. The down-to-earth girl became this evil, warty Mother Superior. As if overnight, everything Gwyn did was better than everything else. She started an arrogant Martha Stewart wannabe website called GOOP with the goal of trying to 'enrich' the lives of everyday people (but let's face it, she's writing for women), most of whom don't have a clue what a macrobiotic diet is and buy their clothes at K-Mart.

Gwyn has been in cohoots with trainer to the stars, Tracy Anderson, herself under fire for her spouting her mouth about why being skinny is the only path to happiness. But that's another story for another day.

Today, Gwyn blabbed to the Associated Press about working out post-pregnancy. While she admits that getting the weight off was no small feat (back in my good books), she immediately says that women should 'make time' and have no excuse not to exercise (oh Gwyn, back in my bad books). Specifically:

"Every woman can make time - every woman - and you can do it with your baby in the room," she said. "There've been countless times where I've worked out with my kids crawling around all over the place. You just make it work, and if it's important to you, it'll be important to them."

Hmm. Gwyn, let's just focus on the fact that you had Tracy Anderson come to your house everyday to exercise with you. You did not have to actually go anywhere with your kids to exercise or find a gym with a childcare or a willing grandparent/friend to look after your kids so you could exercise. That's right. YOU HAVE A GYM IN YOUR HOUSE.

What pisses me off even more is that you undoubtedly have had a hand in the new Tracey Anderson Post-pregnancy workout DVD.

1) Tracy Anderson is hardly a role model for post-pregnant women who feel crap about their post-pregnancy bodies 2) Neither are you.

SHUT UP.

Paula Radcliffe: pregnant and running

As an avid runner, Paula Radcliffe has always been one of my running heroines. I've written about her and running during pregnancy a number of times in the last few years. Well, she's pregnant for the second time around and the Daily Mail recently did a feature on her as she prepares for London 2012.

My girl Paula is still running 14 miles per day in her 5th month of pregnancy:

"I've been running around seven miles in about 45 minutes twice a day, combined with altitude and gravity training on a specially designed treadmill."

American marathoner Kara Goucher is also pregnant and she has been getting tips from Paula on how to proceed with training.

It is generally accepted that running in pregnancy is safe as long as you don't start running when you become pregnant or get too overheated. If you are a seasoned runner, there is no problem with keeping up your normal routines.

What worries me, however, is that in publishing her training regimen (even though Radcliffe is an elite athlete) there are still surely some women out there (who are not elite athletes) that will think that they aren't exercising enough or that they need to keep up with one of the greatest female marathoners in recent history.

What do you think? Are you proud of Paula for being a running queen? Or is it unethical to tell the world about her pregnancy training regimen?

Pregalates: Tash talks about the importance of exercise

Welcome to the first of many articles covering the issues of exercise during your pregnancy. There’s heaps of information out there, some of which can be conflicting and if you’re a first time mum, it can also be extremely daunting.

In my experience, the first thing people do when they find out they’re pregnant is start to worry about all the things they can’t do.

I’m suggesting that you turn that way of thinking around and focus on all the things you CAN do. Being pregnant isn’t a disease, women have been doing it for years all over the world and coping quite nicely thank you very much!

To drag your arse up to do anything when you’re pregnant is hard enough, but to drag your arse up to do exercise – get outta here!! Pregnancy is a time for sitting comfortably on the sofa with your feet firmly OFF the ground and your hand firmly IN a bag of chocolates…is it not?

Well, I’m here to try and convince you otherwise. I’m happy to share with you that nowadays, it’s widely accepted by midwives and GPs that exercising while you’re pregnant is more than just a good idea. It’s a way to keep body and mind focused on the job at hand – first class baby baking.

Stress hormones (or cortisol levels if we’re being technical) are heightened during pregnancy and as soon as you do any form of exercise, they get cancelled out with happy hormones (which can only be a good thing!).

Not only does exercise make you feel better emotionally, it also helps to reduce the likelihood of injury or those common complaints we all read about like back ache, water retention, sciatica (pain down the sides of your legs), difficulty sleeping, losing balance, weight gain….should I go on?

The first myth to dispel is that exercising whilst pregnant puts you or your baby at risk. Rubbish! (PROVIDING of course that you aren’t jumping out of planes or climbing bare rock faces unaided). It’s perfectly ok to start a new form of exercise and most people opt for pilates or yoga, swimming and walking. These activities are gentler than running or spin but still extremely effective.

Why you should consider exercising throughout your pregnancy:

• During labour you can concentrate on enjoying the process with the knowledge that your body isn’t going to give up on you
• Your body’s going to bounce back a helluva lot more quickly after all the fun’s over with
• You won’t feel as uncomfortable in your new body 24/7
• Varicose veins will be kept at bay
• Back ache will not raise its ugly head
• Water retention around the ankles will be something you associate ‘other’ people with.

I know what you’re thinking. “When am I supposed to find time to fit exercise into my day? I’m at work for 10 hours, asleep for 8 – I need to eat, wind down and relax.” By my calculations, that still leaves you with at least an hour when you’ve done all those other things, at least three times a week to do some exercise. I promise you (and I don’t promise things lightly, let me tell you 1) that your body, your pregnancy, your labour and your mind will all thank you for it in the long run and if you think you have no time BEFORE the baby arrives…..boy, are you in for a shock when it does finally grace you with its presence!!

I would love to hear from you! Email your questions about pregnancy exercise or anything else to tasha[at]pregalates.com

xx Tasha

Pregalates DVD giveaway question:

What is the scientific name given to the stress hormone that is heightened during pregnancy?

Remember: First person to email me with the correct answer wins . You must be a fan of both Pregalates and The Baby Bump Project on Facebook in order to be eligible.

Pregalates comes to The Baby Bump Project

Hold on to your hats everyone...



The Baby Bump Project is proud to announce a partnership with Pregalates



Pregalates is the name given to series of world-first, trimester specific workouts devised, filmed and led by Tasha Lawton, widely known around the traps here in Australia and the UK as something of a pilates guru. Tash is a highly experienced pilates instructor, TV presenter and writer in the field of pregnancy exercise, health and wellbeing. She honed her pilates skills in Melbourne and filmed the DVDs when she was pregnant. She has appeared in national media in Australia and the UK. Tash has written exclusively for Midwives Online, appeared on television (most recently 9am with David and Kim), radio and has worked extensively with professional athletes.



I am absolutely chuffed to have Tash on board with The Baby Bump Project to bring her depth of experience to you, my lovely readers.



So what does this mean?



1) Tasha will be writing a monthly exercise column providing tips and support for exercise in pregnancy, postpartum and beyond. We are keen for you to write to Tash with your questions and hopefully with each column Tash can answer your queries. Drop Tasha a line at tasha[at]pregalates.com



2) As each of Tash's column will be chock full of useful information, you, dear reader, have the opportunity to WIN one of Tash's fantastic pregalates DVDs just by reading her post.



HOW?



After each column, Tash will include a question at the end of her post. The answer can be found in her column. The first reader that responds with the correct answer and emails me at babybumpproject[at]yahoo.com.au WINS.



Is there a catch?



1) The only provision of the contest is that in addition to being the first reader to answer the question correctly you also MUST be a FAN of both THE BABY BUMP PROJECT and PREGALATES on Facebook.



What if you don't win?



Have no fear. Even if you don't win, Tash is offering The Baby Bump Project readers a very special offer: an EXCLUSIVE 15% discount when you order online. Just enter the discount code: BBP0001.

Molly Ringwald chats about twin pregnancy

Aw. What's not to love about Molly Ringwald?

Pregnant at 41 with twins, Molly talks to Fit Pregnancy about the impending birth, working out and her growing family.

On carrying twins: "I find it difficult to be restricted in my movements and to feel vulnerable all the time," she says. "I am used to feeling very strong and active."

On working out: She has stopped weightlifting but has remained active, instead using yoga and walking to stay in shape. "The priority for me has been resting," she says. “I try to eat right and be sane about it. I know my body will come back.”

On cravings: "Interestingly, when I was pregnant with Mathilda, I wanted Mexican food all the time. This time around I want Japanese food, which is a lot better. It’s kept my weight down and is definitely a better craving to have. I also want anything with water in it like cucumbers, watermelon and orange juice. The only thing that I can’t stand is the smell of eggs. It’s hard because eggs are one of my daughter’s culinary staples and she is a picky eater, so I am making scrambled eggs all the time. [She laughs.]"

Advice to other mums: “It’s important to eat right and take care of yourself. You don’t need to run a marathon but don’t stop working out if it feels good. You have to listen to your own body. And trust that you can give birth.”

Weight-lifting for two?

The Daily Mail is shocked that British mum-to-be Sarah Jane Cousins is still lifting weights just 11 days before her she is due to give birth:

'I feel fantastic. I have no stretch marks and have kept my blood pressure where it should be. I haven't put on much fat, my muscles have stayed strong and I always feel so much better after going to the gym. My midwife is really pleased with how healthy I am.'

Women are not supposed to gain too much weight when they are pregnant but of course they have to gain some weight. You are supposed to exercise but not too much. Women can never women. This woman is exercising with a personal trainer and her midwife is happy with her health. Why shouldn't she continue to train? It annoys me that pregnant women who do look after themselves are made spectacles simply because they are breaking the mould.

Thoughts?

Source: http://tinyurl.com/4lnyj5