Women Affairs

Post natal flab is something that all new mothers are anxious to shed as soon as they give birth and is a challenge for many women. Given that the body goes through many changes and hormonal challenges for nine months, it is no wonder that trying to lose weight after giving birth takes time, determination and patience. Some women never got back their shape and weight of pre-pregnancy days. Doctors recommend that in the first 6 weeks after delivery, new mothers should focus on getting the necessary rest and bonding with baby. According to doctors, in most cases, a return to pre-pregnancy body composition may take anywhere between nine months to a year. There are many ways to shed off post natal flab and postpartum exercise is most often a better option than trying to diet. Dieting is not sensible at this time, especially if you are breastfeeding. Your body also needs the necessary nutrients to repair itself. Your readiness to exercise is a function of pre-pregnancy fitness level and pos...

Since the dawn of time, people have looked toward elixirs and potions to improve their sex lives. Why else, after all, would one consume ground tiger penis, horny goat weed and Spanish Fly? Perhaps because nearly one in five men in the U.S. suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine. Some researchers have estimated that as many as 40% of U.S. women have low libido or inability to reach orgasm. Most quick fixes simply don't work, and some, like Spanish Fly, a supposed aphrodisiac derived from beetles that can cause kidney damage, are harmful. But modern medicine has found ways--both proven and experimental--to improve your sex life. One place to start: old-fashioned remedies, which some say work best. Regular exercise can actually improve erectile function in most men, says Andrew McCullough, a urologist at New York University Medical Center--and we're talking jogging, not the acrobatic feats found in the back of a magazine...

Harry Jackson Jr. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) ST. LOUIS - Andrea Riggs was ready to take on the competition when she opened her personal training studio in Black Jack, Mo. The niche for Body Beautiful was to help black women get into shape, be healthy and look good. The competition she ran into, however, wasn't Bally or Gold's or 24 Hour Fitness. Instead, her greatest competition came from attitudes about exercise and diet from the people she wanted for her clients: black women. "They told me they didn't want to lose weight," Riggs said, recalling her efforts to recruit clients. "It's cultural expectations and pressures. African-American women seem to say, `We want meat on our bones, and we all want to be bootylicious and appeal to African-American men.'" People who battle health disparities in African-Americans agree with Riggs. But they admit the topic rarely is broached because of fear of political incorrectness. Still, th...