When you find out you're expecting, everything changes. You are charged with the tremendous responsibility of ensuring that you and your child grow together in good health. There will be vitamins to take, doctor's appointments to make, and of course, you'll have to watch what you eat.
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Babies have only a few needs -- food, shelter, sleep and, of course, lots of love. The essentials are basic, but parents often fret over their baby's eating habits. Fortunately, healthy babies are very good at communicating hunger.
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Most women have no trouble packing on pounds over the course of their pregnancy. Extra food and calories give your baby the nutrients he needs to grow and allow you to build fat stores for breast feeding.
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Adolescence is a time of rapid -- and often awkward and uncomfortable -- physical development. While many teens worry about gaining too much weight, a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2001 estimated that 17 percent to 37 percent of teenage males would like to bulk up.
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After nine months of stretchy waistbands and tent-like tops, you are eager to shed your pregnancy weight. It may take awhile to shift the numbers on the scale. Remember, your body is forever changed for having housed your little one. Give yourself nine months to a year to lose the baby weight.
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The Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT, is an assessment of general health and athleticism that a soldier must pass before he graduates from basic training and twice a year while he is an active service member.
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Where you'd have 16 to 20 slices a pound in a package of regular, thin-sliced bacon, you'd have half as many slices in a thick-sliced package. Thick-cut bacon is roughly one-eighth of an inch thick with 10 to 14 slices per pound. Needless to say, even one slice of thick-cut bacon will pack a lot of fat and calories.
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Three miles is nothing to a track star, but if you are a running novice, the distance may seem insurmountable. If you are an otherwise healthy person, you can run three miles if you commit to consistent training. Start with a short distance and work your way up to longer runs.
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A steaming cup of coffee in the morning, followed by a mid-day soda, a dark chocolate bar and several cups of tea in the afternoon may all add up to a stomachache and nausea. Caffeine is a stimulant found in a number of beverages and foods.
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Whether you gave birth weeks, months or years ago, you might harbor a little insecurity about your "mommy tummy." As your belly swells through pregnancy, the muscles of the abdominal wall and the skin on top are stretched to accommodate your growing child.
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Piping hot pork chops are not only tasty, they are also good for you. A 3-ounce serving contains almost 23 grams of protein, but be sure to trim away the fat or you'll add a lot of saturated fat to your meal. Instead of baking pork chops every time a craving strikes, make a large batch ahead of time.
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Most people are familiar with the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Another way to categorize food is by the type of nutrient it contains and its role in the body. A nutrient is a compound your body needs for energy, growth, basic physiological processes and overall health.
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A quick glance in the mirror is enough to confirm that your 50-year-old body is very different from its 20-year-old counterpart. Aging is associated with a lot of physical changes including muscle atrophy, a decreased number of muscle fibers and attachment sites and stiff muscles and tendons.
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Having a healthy diet and good nutrition is an important concern for many pregnant women. A maternal diet that is rich in vitamins and nutrients will aid in the prevention of birth defects and will provide the developing offspring with the resources he needs to grow.
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The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that wraps around the trachea at the front of the throat. Although small in size, its role in the human body is enormous. The thyroid secretes hormones that control the rate of metabolism or energy utilization in every cell in the body.
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The difference between alkaline, or basic, and acidic compounds is whether they dissociate into hydroxide or hydrogen ions in water. The strength of acids and bases is measured on the pH scale, but you can usually tell if a food item is acid, based on its taste.
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As part of the world's finest military, the United States Navy hold its sailors to very high standards of physical fitness. Getting in shape for the Navy will take time, dedication and hard work. Training in advance will make Navy basic training much less stressful and ease your transition into military life.
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Commercials for protein shakes are everywhere you look. Athletes with rippling abs and bulging biceps tout the benefits of protein for bulking up -- but the advertisements are misleading.
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If you play sports, you know an athlete's mantra is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. While dehydration is common, overhydration can cause a rare, but sometimes fatal, condition called hyponatremia. When you drink a lot of water, the ratio of sodium and fluid in your body becomes skewed. The imbalance causes cells to swell.
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Rest the index finger and middle finger of one hand on the inside of the opposite wrist and you'll feel an artery throbbing under your fingers. To measure your heart rate, or pulse, count the number of throbs in a minute.
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