ask alana

Q: I had a baby 6 months ago and my belly is still flabby. Is this just the price of having a baby? Will Pilates help?

Congrats on the birth of your baby! Remember that for approximatly 40 weeks the skin on your belly was stretching. It will take some time for the skin to regain its elasticity. Be patient! However, there are actions you can take to speed up the process of getting your pre-baby body back. 1.Have you lost all or most of your pregnancy weight? Make sure your diet is in tip top shape. If there are extra pounds to shed, incorporate cardiovascular activity into your schedule. 2. Strengthen your deepest abdominal muscle- the transversus abdominis. This is the muscle responsible for pulling the belly in. Beyond your Pilates workout, continue to work this muscle throughout your day by pulling your belly toward your spine.

Q: I have been doing Pilates for about 10 years. Currently I am 3.5 months pregnant. When I do my hundreds, I get a dull pain below my belly button. Do you know what I should do or what it could be?

You should speak to your Doctor about any pain or discomfort you have throughout your pregnancy.

Here are some other important tips:
1. Make sure that your Pilates instructor has had Pre-natal Pilates training. Preferably recently.
2. After your first trimester, your hundreds should be done with your head down.
3. The focus of the breathing can change during your hundreds while pregnant. Rather than focus on knitting your ribs, focus on opening or expanding your ribs. As your pregnancy progresses, your rectus abdominus and ribs will need to expand, not contract.

Q: I have Osteopenia. Which foods contain the most Calcium and Vitamin D?

I brought this question to Lisa Jubilee, Certified Dietician and Nutritionist at Living Proof NYC. Here's what she had to say:
"Most people need 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium per day. However, if you have Osteopenia, your goal should be 1,500 mg of calcium from both food and supplements combined. Here is a list of 14 calcium rich foods. They are listed in order of greatest to least amount of calcium:
Hijiki(black seaweed), collard greens (cooked), yogurt, chedder cheese, sardines, milk, fortified soy milk, tofu, turnip greens cooked, kale cooked, canned salmon, 1% cottage cheese, broccoli cooked and almonds.
There are not many dietary sources of Vitamin D. Your best source is the sun. Although too much sun exposure is harmful to us in many ways, 15-20 minutes of direct sunlight per day is all it takes. Since many of us don't get that, a daily supplement of 1,000 i.u. of D3 is recommended for most. Dietary sources of Vitamin D are: tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, cob liver oil and egg yolks."
To set up an appointment with Lisa, you can email her at: lisa@livingproofnyc.com