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Pregnancy is a time of change during which much is out of your control. Yes, you can eat healthful meals, take time to rest and follow your caregiver’s advice, but let’s face it: the baby grows and moves in ways that are quite unpredictable.

There is now evidence that you can make the whole nine months—and especially the last few weeks and even the birth—less stressful by practicing yoga during your pregnancy. Three recent studies show the benefits of yoga during pregnancy. Click the links for more details on each study.

In the first study, a group of women who received six one-hour yoga sessions were compared to a group of women who did not undergo yoga training. The yoga group had improved comfort during and after labor, the first stage of their labor was shorter as was their total labor time. There was no difference in the amount of pain medication that the women received, and both groups’ babies had similar Apgar scores (a test of reflexes, heart rate, activity, appearance and breathing given to all newborns).

Another study compared women who walked for 30 minutes a day to women who did yoga for an hour a day, starting between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. The women who practiced yoga had less preterm labor and pregnancy-induced hypertension, had no increase in complications, and their babies had better birth weights than the walking group.

Yet another study enrolled women who were between 12 and 32 weeks pregnant . For seven weeks, these women practiced mindfulness-based yoga, a combination of Iyengar yoga and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a relaxation and stress management program. Compared to a control group, the women who practiced yoga during their second trimester had significantly less physical pain, and those who practiced during their third trimester had greater reductions in stress and anxiety.

We are offering two 8-week prenatal yoga series starting in September 2010. In White Plains,  classes will be held on Sundays from 2:00 to 3:00pm, starting September 19. In Bedford Hills, classes will be held on Saturdays from 1:00 to 2:00pm, starting September 25. Click on the locations for more information.

Here is a collection of recent health news you can use.  We’re focusing on whole-body health. Click on the links to read more about each topic.

Keep on doing it: Women who were active for an average of an hour a day didn’t gain weight over a 15-year period. That’s a good reason to make movement a daily habit: Schedule an exercise class, take the stairs instead of the elevator, ride your bike to the store, or exit the bus early and walk to your destination. Another reason to spend more time on your feet: Women who walk reduce their risk of stroke.

Pilates keeps a pro in the game: How does a 37-year-old man stay competitive in professional basketball? Six-foot, four-inch Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd credits his long career to yoga and Pilates. The Mayo Clinic agrees: To prevent injury, Mayo researchers recommend a balanced fitness program that includes yoga and Pilates, especially for middle-aged Boomers.

Connect for your health: Yes, you can work out alone. But joining others—in a group exercise setting, for example—can boost your health in many ways. In this study, feeling lonely raised the blood pressure in those 50 and older. Connection with others is a key component of wellness.

What’s on your plate does matter: You know you’re supposed to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Now a study of half a million Europeans shows that high intake of fruits and vegetables reduced incidence of cancer cases by just 4 percent a year, not as much as experts expected. But there are so many other reasons to eat more plants: In another study, a Mediterranean diet (based on vegetables, fish, and healthy fats such as olive oil) cut risk of Alzheimer’s by nearly 40 percent in a group of New Yorkers. And don’t forget your heart: Research shows that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces risk of heart disease by 19 percent.

Your breakfast choice determines your day:  A new study shows that if you include fat in the first meal of your day, you set your metabolism to burn fat the rest of your waking hours. The sugary breakfast turned on carbohydrate metabolism. What’s the difference? You have unlimited fats stores in your body, but your supply of carbohydrates is scant. Just make sure your breakfast fats are healthy: Pass by the bacon, and reach for nuts, eggs, and fish. Another reason to quit the simple carbs: High glycemic index foods may raise risk of heart disease in women (Good-bye, plain bagel! So long, cornflakes!).

If you want to improve your golf game, you could spend more time on the fairways and greens, but that’s only part of the solution. Train your body and mind off the course, and you’ll have the tools you need to up your game when you’re standing at the tee.

Golf requires physical and mental strength, control, flexibility, and power. The swing itself is extraordinarily demanding, requiring strength and flexibility from the thighs to the wrists. A strong core is crucial. “Golfers often think they have to strengthen their upper body and legs so they can hit the ball harder, but the most important focus is the musculature around the pelvis,” says Lesly Levy, director of Pilates and Pilates programming at APOGEE.  With a strong, flexible center as a base, the spine and limbs can rotate with greater ease, producing a balanced and centered swing. 

Just as important as strength is the ability of the muscles to work together in a coordinated manner. While certain muscles are contracting, others need to lengthen. Specifically, golfers need flexibility in their spine, ribs, shoulder rotators, inner and outer thighs, forearms and wrists. They will also benefit from strength in the posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder), latissimus dorsi, hips and inner and outer thighs.

Pilates training will help prevent soreness, pain and injury. Lower back pain after 18 holes is most often due to weak abdominal and back muscles, tight hamstrings, chest muscles and deltoids and poor flexibility in the entire torso, says Levy. The swing itself can create physical problems. “Although golfers rotate in both directions to produce the swing, the force of the swing is only in one direction,” says Levy. “Over time, a golfer can develop asymmetrical muscles, creating pain and increasing risk of injury.”

Pilates is designed specifically to promote balanced rotation. Some exercises include the Criss-Cross and Saw on the mat; the Short Box, Snake and Twist on the Reformer; and Twist and Side Pull-Ups on the Wunda Chair. Work on the Barrel is a great way to stretch and open up tight areas. “All of these exercises demand that the body function as a whole unit and work all muscles simultaneously during the movements,” says Levy. Address the ball with these strengths and skills, and you’ll see the results when you swing.

Would you like to know more about fitness for golf? Attend one of our Golf From the Inside Out workshops: Monday, April 26 in Bedford Hills and Wednesday, April 28 in White Plains.

At 26 years old and a professional horseback rider, you’d think the last thing Jennifer Bliss would need is a workout—after all, on most days she’s training horses, carrying saddles and gear, teaching lessons and running Harris Hill Farm in North Salem, NY. It would seem her daily life is rigorous enough to keep her fit.

Not so, says Jennifer, a four-time national champion in the pony hunter division who is now wining ribbons in the professional hunter division. “I have a baseline level of fitness, but my body is so used to riding that I feel I don’t get fit from that alone,” she says. Jennifer had a cardio habit, but wondered what a total fitness regimen would do. So five years ago Jennifer began training twice a week with Jane Nielsen, fitness manager of APOGEE Bedford Hills. “Jane has me doing things I never would have thought of,” says Jennifer, “and I work so much harder than I would on my own.” The personal training paid off: Jennifer is stronger and has more energy and less back pain—even after hours in the saddle.

Jennifer’s personal training sessions focus on strength training with weights. In addition, the North Salem resident takes Pilates or Spinning class twice a week, for a total of four weekly visits to APOGEE. Jennifer has found that Pilates especially helps her on horseback. “You use your core muscles so much in riding,” she says. “They help you maintain your position in the saddle.” A rider’s back absorbs the shock of every hoof beat, and the core strength from Pilates has helped alleviate the lower back pain that can result. “It’s definitely not as bad,” Jennifer says.

The personal training has helped Jennifer take on new riding skills, too. “Last summer I started reining—a type of Western riding,” she says. “In English you use your inner thighs, but Western calls on your outer thighs—totally different muscles.” Jane helped Jennifer build the strength she needed, switching to different weight machines. “Jane opened my eyes to how creative you can be during a workout,” Jennifer says. “Adding strength training to my cardio has made a big difference in my day-to-day strength and energy.”

APOGEE instructors can create a personal training program just for you. Take advantage of our special pricing on personal training and private Pilates sessions.

by Woodson Merrell, M.D.
APOGEE’s Integrative Health Advisor

Environmental toxins can affect the way our bodies work. One recent study revealed a link between thyroid dysfunction and the chemicals used to coat non-stick pans and other manufactured goods. Toxins can enter your body in food and water—even in the air you breathe. The Centers for Disease Control found 148 man-made chemicals in the average American blood sample.

So, the question becomes, how do we de-tox, or rid our bodies of these chemicals? Colonics, enemas, and other drastic measures don’t help your body process or eliminate toxins. Instead, use lifestyle changes and foods to support your body’s natural ability to neutralize and remove chemicals.

Reduce your toxic load. Obviously, if you smoke, quit, and reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke and other air pollutants. But also eat foods with the USDA organic label as much as possible to avoid ingesting pesticides. If organic isn’t an option, choose natural over processed foods, which can contain synthetic stabilizers, colors and preservatives. Chemicals in cosmetics, soaps, detergents can also increase the toxic load on your body. Consider switching to natural products.

Support your body’s natural detox process: Fruits and vegetables contain compounds that help turn toxins into free radicals (Phase I detox) and then neutralize those destructive molecules (Phase II detox). Many of these are foods you may already eat—try to include them every day to help your body’s detox systems. Especially powerful are vegetables in the Brassica family, including broccoli and kale, and the Allium family, including onions, garlic, and leeks. Fruits such as citrus and red grapes and berries contain enzymes that help with Phase II detox. Also helpful are fresh herbs, incuding parsley, oregano and rosemary and spices, especially ginger and tumeric. Green tea helps with both Phase I and Phase II detox.

Create a healthy gut: A healthy stomach and intestine act like a barrier to keep chemicals from food out of your body. The keys are probiotics, fiber and clean water. Naturally fermented food such as yogurt contain probiotics in the form of healthy bacteria—be sure the label indicates living bacteria. Unprocessed fruits, vegetables and whole grains will give you the fiber you need so toxins are excreted. And drinking eight to 12 ounces ounces of clean water every three hours helps all of the body’s cleansing processes.

Sweat: Sweating has also been shown to help the body remove toxins, which to a limited amount it can through the sweat and oil glands. Saunas are great for this, but so is sweating from a good old-fashioned aerobic work-out.

There’s a lot more to say about detox, but knowing these basics can make you aware of how you can help your body with a natural on-going process of cleansing itself.