Building strength and managing stress are both important components of a healthy lifestyle. With Xen Strength Yoga, you can roll out a mat and take care of both at the same time.
Superstar yogi (and graduate of The Nutritious Life Certification!) Danielle Diamond created Xen Strength Yoga to combine yoga and meditation with muscle building for major mind-body benefits.
Using both weights and warrior poses, Diamond applies the practice to all different goals, and we’ve been sharing them one by one. For example, you may prefer to tackle a full-body sequence in half an hour, or maybe you only have ten minutes and want to make sure you’re maintaining that (super important) core strength or stretch out hamstrings that are super tight from race training.
We’ve compiled all of her Xen Strength routines, here, so you can choose whichever applies to your current yogic need day to day. No matter how you decide to flow and flex, you’ll be getting stronger and calmer. Oh, and did we mention you can do them anywhere?
5 Yoga Routines for Strength
1. Alcohol
Okay, this one is obvious, but I’ve still got to say it. When you drink, so does your developing baby. While some physicians these days tell their patients it’s okay to have half a glass of wine at certain points during your pregnancy (talk to your doctor!), the CDC still says that according to research, there’s no “known safe amount” and “no safe time” for booze when you’re carrying. Just think about how great that celebratory glass of Prosecco is going to safe after the little one’s born.
2. Unpasteurized juice
If you’re a fan of green juice, you might normally pick a fresh, unpasteurized version since pasteurization can destroy nutrients. But when you’re pregnant, you’ve got to prioritize destroying pathogens in a major way. Pregnant women are much more susceptible to listeria, and listeria is really dangerous for a fetus. Most bottled, cold-pressed juices sold at national grocery chains are pasteurized or high-pressure processed, which means they’re fine. If they’re labeled “raw,” (like Juice Press juices, for example) it’s best to avoid. It’s also safest to skip the fresh ones made in front of you at juice bars. It’s fine to make them at home, as long as you’re washing the produce thoroughly (put some elbow grease into it!) and drinking the juice right away.
3. Unpasteurized cheeses and raw milk
Which brings me to raw milk (which again, you may choose to drink for health reasons) and unpasteurized cheeses. How to tell which cheeses are pasteurized? Well, the good news is that most cheeses in the US now are pasteurized, even the soft ones that you used to have to avoid. I ate feta and goat cheese, for example, throughout my pregnancies. If you’re at a fancy cheese store with cheese from all over the world, you may encounter more made from raw milk. Most that are packaged will say whether they’re made from pasteurized milk on the label. Read through this detailed explanation if you’re a cheesehead and want to be fully caught up.
RELATED: A Top Physician’s Number One Tip for Getting Pregnant
4. Processed meats
Precooked meats like hot dogs, packaged sausages, and deli meats contain nitrates and nitrites, which can be carcinogenic. Ideally you’re mostly avoiding them already, but you should be extra careful when you’re preggers and maybe even skip the “organic, uncured hot dog” to be safe, especially since, again, processed meats are super susceptible to listeria. For non-processed meats that are ground (like burgers or meatballs), make sure you’re eating burgers, ground chicken, that the meat is seriously cooked through.
5. Raw fish
Are you sensing a pattern here? (Raw bad, cooked good!) We love a sushi dinner stacked with high-protein sashimi, miso soup, and seaweed salad, but save it for post-labor. Raw fish is one of the most susceptible foods when it comes to being contaminated with all manner of pathogens—bacterial, viral, and parasitic.
6. High-mercury fish
An important reminder: Eating fish while you’re pregnant is a good idea! Fish and shellfish are a great source of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for the development of the growing fetus’ brain. But in addition to making sure it’s cooked, you also want to steer clear of fish that’s high in mercury, since the metal can cause developmental problems in children. Low-mercury fish tend to be the smaller ones (think sardines and shellfish) while high-mercury fish to skip include shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel. To make it easy, the FDA provides this handy chart outlining fish that are off-limits, better, and the best.
7. Too much coffee
Notice how I said “too much coffee,” not just “coffee.” Higher intake of caffeine during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of having a low-birth weight baby, and new research suggests it also may lead to excess weight gain for children later in life (that’s confusing!). But almost everyone agrees you can have a little. Current recommendations say up to 200mg of caffeine per day is safe, which is equivalent to about one 12-ounce cup of coffee. If you usually go for the Grande, you’ll have to downsize.
The bottom line? Avoid the big no-nos on this list and lean towards “clean eating” in a new way. As in, practice more intense food hygiene during pregnancy, whether that means double washing your produce or making sure your fish is really, truly cooked.