Happy New Year to you All. I have found that, despite my best intentions, I do not update my blog as often as I had hoped. As a result, I resolve this new year to do better & write more.

To that end, I was inspired by the ladies in my class today (thank you Amanda!) to repeat here what we speak so often about in class- yes, our least favorite subject, painful hips and cramping legs. Hooray for the new normal!

I give you now the beginning of a series Top Tips for Pregnancy & Beyond.

Perhaps not the most inspiring title, but truthful nonetheless. These babies are the real deal and will help to get you through some tricky spots and perhaps have you feel better at the same time. Oh, and if some of these ideas inspire you to come up with more & even better ones? SHARE them. I always look to pass on the good info.

A to B Calm- This Calcium/ Magnesium supplement is a blessing. Taken as a small spoonful dissolved in hot water, add to your juice or tea before bed and you will not only sleep like a baby, but say goodbye to leg & hip cramping as well. You can buy it here.

During Pregnancy you need more calcium than you can absorb from just drinking milk & as much as you love your dark, leafy greens, you probably just can’t eat one more salad. I like mine Juiced for that reason. Skip the fruit altogether unless you are a real newbie to juicing.

If you just can’t swallow it without a bit of the sweet stuff, add a small amount of carrots, or 1/4 beet or apple. Your body & your baby do NOT need the sugar and your taste buds will adapt to the new flavors pretty quickly.

However, have someone who really drinks juice to make it for you in the beginning. The difference between delicious and disgusting is a pretty thin line. Too much ginger or parsley can ruin the whole balance. And I’m not a big one for a lot of pulp either. Eeeww.

Try a light one to start off- some cucumber, spinach, carrot and a tiny bit of beet. Work up to the kale and parsley with wheatgrass & ginger number. They take a bit more tolerance, and the goal here is to add some yummy vitamin & minerals to your diet that are easy to assimilate in your body and are less trouble to digest than all that roughage. Your body will begin to feel as if it is really absorbing the nutrients from these drinks. That’s because, it really is.

Leg cramps will go bye- bye if you add more of the Cal/ Mag to your diet as well as some Potassium. Add a banana to your daily diet too and you’ll feel better. Also recommended is a bit of Tonic water, you know the one with Quinine in it? Quinine, in addition as an aid for Malaria, can also help with the cramping and I’ve even used it for my boy and his growing pains.

I have lots more where this came from, and I promise to share.

I really do appreciate your feedback & experiences. Let me know what you need & if I don't know the answer, I swear I will try to find out.

Be well, feel better & do YOGA!

Sat Nam- Kristen