The Exercise Enigma - both genders

[atomic sagebrush]

Updated 1-2-18

Exercise while swaying is a complex and confusing issue. But when used wisely, it is an invaluable weapon in your swaying arsenal.

:celebrate: THE EXERCISE ENIGMA

Exercise can sway pink OR blue, depending on your body type and metabolism, your diet, how much and what type of exercise you do, and how it affects your body (both your genetics and your life history can change the way exercise affects you). You cannot just look at one type of exercise and say, yes, this sways pink for everyone all the time, or another type of exercise and say, this sways blue 100%.

If you read on any websites that "cardio sways pink" and "weightlifting sways blue", this is WRONG. This info originally came from me and even though I tried to explain it more thoroughly, I think people felt like they had to simplify it and came up with that blanket prescription. But it doesn't work that way and just following those directions may hurt your sway or even your health!

ANYTHING that grows muscle mass sways blue. ANYTHING that shrinks it, sways pink. Cardio plus weight gain on a high protein diet can totally improve your muscle mass and excessive weightlifting especically while losing weight will shrink it (this is called overtraining and it's the reason why weightlifters only lift twice a week). Even not exercising at all can affect your muscle mass in a positive or negative way!

:celebrate:HOW IT WORKS -

Your growing or shrinking muscle mass sends a signal to your body that times are good for producing one gender or another...if you are physically dominant, fighting and winning, and gaining weight and have access to lots of good food, your testosterone levels (or whatever it is that is swaying; we are no longer certain it even IS testosterone) will be on the increase and you'll be more likely to conceive a boy. If your body believes you are not physically dominant and/or are having to fight constantly just to survive and are losing those fights (your body interprets intense physical activity WITHOUT an increase in food intake as losing a competition for resources), if you're losing muscle mass and eating a lower protein, lower calorie, lower nutrient diet, your testosterone levels (or whatever) will drop and you'll be more likely to conceive a girl.

Aside from raising testosterone, exercising A LOT also can acidify you (we doubt the pH stuff actually works any more.) This is because when you exercise, your body first burns off all available carbohydrates in your body, then after the carbs are gone, it begins to burn fat, then after 45- 60 minutes, muscle. The byproducts of burning muscle are said to be highly acidic although this is biologically improbable. More probable, is the effect of exercising a lot on blood sugar levels. If you exercise longer than 45 minutes or so, your body stops burning carbs in your blood and starts burning stores of fat as fuel and eventually muscle. It's most likely that this has an effect on blood sugar and insulin response that sways, not anything to do with acidity.

Also, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) are lost through sweat and so swayers may end up further reducing their levels of these minerals by exercise. (We no longer believe this to be a thing, but it is what some believe.)

:celebrate:EXERCISE FOR A BOY -

:xy:Moderate exercise with emphasis on muscle building. 45 minutes of cardio OR weight training OR both, 4-5 days a week. OR, you can split your exercise up into 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night (that can be a way to fit in more exercise without running the risk of burning of fat/muscle for fuel, that you get by exercising longer than 45 minutes).

Great exercise videos for blue include Tae Bo and the Firm - they focus on building muscle and cardio fitness at the same time. Tae Bo is a 60minute workout but part of that is warmup and cooldown and so it doesn't really "count" as a full 60 minute workout. Walking steps/doing step exercise programs are good because they provide cardio and the stepping works the large muscles of your lower body.

Also please check out Blogilates and PopSugar Fitness on YouTube for great, FREE workouts. (Seriously, I do these myself and they rule - gave up TaeBo totally in favor of Blogilates and PopSugar)

:xy:Diet tips - High protein, high calorie, high nutrient, high intake of GOOD fats will help build that muscle mass. Aim for 2000 calories a day or more - the more you exercise, the lower weight you were to start with, the more you should be eating

:xy:Weight gain/loss -

If you are on the thin side, you will need to gain weight. Even just 3-5 pounds of muscle in the months before swaying will make a difference.

If you are very heavy, try to maintain your weight (don't lose weight) while building muscle mass. It is TOTALLY possible to gain muscle without losing a pound.

NO ONE should gain more than 10-15 lbs absolute max while swaying blue. Huge weight gains are not more effective than moderate weight gains are and in fact for some people, may cause PCOS flares and possibly even sway pink. Many of our sway opposites have been in people who really gained a lot of weight quickly while swaying.

The good news is that exercise can help prevent that rapid weight gain.

:xy:The benefits of doing nothing - if you are a person who has a lot of girls and have always exercised to excess, it is time to give your body a break. Exercise much less and at much less intensity, or if that is difficult for you (you have exercise bulimia), stop all together. You should STILL try and gain 3-5 pounds and eat a high-protein, high nutrient, high calorie, high good fat diet, because this will help your muscles heal and recover. If it takes you several months to get pregnant, you SHOULD resume moderate exercise after a brief (no longer than 6 weeks) recovery period or you risk losing muscle mass.

:xy: For hubby: Moderate exercise such as weight lifting may help sway blue but please take caution since "heating up the jewels" doing exercise, particularly jogging and biking, has been proven to sway pink in scientific studies. http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/62485-family-jewels-faq-blue-pink.html

:celebrate:EXERCISE FOR A GIRL -

:XX: Option One - Excessive exercise. MINIMUM of 60 minutes a day, 6-7 days a week (and yes, it does need to be in one block if at all possible so you stop burning carbs and begin burning fat/muscle for at least part of the workout). Push yourself. Straight cardio without weights is best but if you need to add some light weights in order to get a really taxing workout, you should. Use the lightest weight needed to achieve the results.

Option two - do nothing. In 3 days without exercise, your muscle begins to shrink. In 6 weeks without exercise, you can lose up to 60% of muscle mass. Please note we have seen very much inferior results with no exercise than we have with excessive.

If you are very very fit and muscular to begin with, while we once thought that you should do nothing, we have seen such stellar results with the exercise that you now should continue exercising.

If you can't get up to the 60 6-7 we have still seen acceptable results with as few as 4 days. It is still best to get up to 60 minutes if at all possible.

If you find that you can't really stick to exercise at least 4 days a week, STOP exercising right away and do nothing (unless you have PCOS, insulin resistance, or more than 30-50 lbs to spare) Be honest with yourself about your diet, though, because moderate exercise plus weight gain on a higher protein diet WILL sway blue.

If you do have PCOS/IR or have a fair bit of weight to spare, please exercise even if you can't get up to the full 60-6-7. The benefits to you for blood sugar control and weight loss for you are so huge that you should exercise even if it's moderate.

:XX: Diet tips - Most swayers: low calorie, low protein, low nutrient, emphasis on carbs. Aim for 1500-1800 calories, 30-60 g fat, 40-50 grams of protein.

PCOS/IR, those with poor egg quality, and those with more than 30-50 lbs to spare: 1500-1800 cals a day, 50-60 g fat, 50-60 g protein

:XX: Weight gain/loss - if you are at all able to, LOSE weight. Even just a few pounds will help. You will ensure you actually have lost muscle mass that way. If you weigh 85 lbs obviously do not lose weight, but be honest with yourself - even at 110, most people can drop one or two pounds and it will help your sway. DO NOT GO OVERBOARD.

:XX: The benefits of doing nothing - as mentioned above, your muscle will begin to shrink in just 3 days and you can lose a lot of muscle mass in 6 weeks. But keep in mind that just day to day things like walking, lifting children, etc. do give your muscles somewhat of a workout. This does NOT mean you should therefore stop doing normal day to day activities and huddle in a dark closet staring at your computer obsessing about swaying. I only mention it to urge you guys to exercise if at all possible because that will get you best results.

We know the excessive, intense exercise is ~best~ for pink but no exercise is much better than moderate exercise plus gaining weight on a higher protein diet. So be honest with yourself and if you aren't able to exercise 60 minutes a day, 6-7 days a week, stop exercising. Also, if you know that you are losing too much weight or that you WILL lose too much if you do this level of exercise, it's better to do no exercise. Overexercise with weight loss can suppress your ovulation too far and make it stop all together (and it doesn't take much).

Regardless of the amount you exercise, if you are losing weight on a low protein diet, your muscle will be shrinking. No one should stop going for walks with their children or anything so extreme! Remember, swaying needs to fit into your life and not the other way around.

:celebrate: An interesting observation - When I was swaying with DS 4, I lost a lot of weight but I still had a great deal of muscle mass in my arms and legs. I then gained a bunch of weight when I was pregnant with him and I lost it all over again. I found that my arms and legs are much flabbier and less muscular than before. Then (about 6 months after I wrote this essay, as a matter of fact) I conceived my daughter. You can see that if you have had a failed sway, all is not lost. It may be that your body will act differently the second time around.

:XX:For your hubby: Jogging and biking have both been proven to sway pink. If he can incorporate these things into your sway, it will only help. If he has sperm health issues, he should skip this tactic since they can lower sperm health too far.

ETA - here's an interesting article I read about exercise and DH for swaying. http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0076.htm

[babydust]

This is great info! :) So, lets say you already work out moderately about 5 times a week (or more depending), doing cardio and light weights. Enough to definitely be sweating like crazy. In addition to that you have two little kids and are always going for walks and running around and playing with them. How would you go about the exercise during swaying? Best to stop exercising at the gym? (obviously wouldn't stop the walks or playing with kids). Or better to try and increase the cardio intensity of the exercise at the gym just drop the weights. My instinct would be to cut out going to the gym, because it would be hard to increase the intensity, but my kids love going to the playcenter at the gym, so it would be a tough call. I could always replace it with something else though, like having them take a class or going to the park more often. Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

I would increase the cardio and drop the weights if at all possible.

If you can't do that, then I would drop it all together.

That having been said, regardless, if you are losing weight and shrinking muscle mass, THAT is what sways. Less muscle. So if you do nothing any different but drop 10 lbs, you will still be swaying pink.

[babydust]

gotcha, thanks! :) So what if all cardio (and obviously weights) were dropped, but still running around with kids, taking walks, playing with the kids, ect. ect. Like you said, I think it would be better to add more cardio at the time of swaying since in my daily life I do moderate cardio activity anyway.

But like you said, even if I drop the gym workouts completely, and obviously still go about my day to day activities with the kids... as long as I'm losing weight, that will shrink muscle mass regardless, so either way should be fine...I doubt that it would sway boy, as long as I'm losing weight.

[atomic sagebrush]

Exactly. Losing weight sways pink because you lose muscle along with the fat.

We're just trying to use the optimal strategy that will help lower your testosterone the most.

[babydust]

yeah, I agree, thanks! :)

[Lilian78]

Exactly. Losing weight sways pink because you lose muscle along with the fat.

We're just trying to use the optimal strategy that will help lower your testosterone the most.

Do you think there's any value to overexcercising (not weights) without necessarily losing muscle? I've been a daily excerciser since high school and have quite a bit of muscle--and don't really want to part with any of it LOL. I'd definitely rather go the extra exercise route than stopping altogether though even if the goal is to lose muscle either way. . .

[atomic sagebrush]

Muscle and exercise both boost testosterone so I sort of doubt it, although there is the possibility that you are acidifying yourself. Plus, I think if you're overexercising/overtraining, you're shrinking muscle mass by definition.

If you don't want to stop exercising, then don't! Swaying has to fit into your life and not the other way around. But you may have to really bump it up to get to the overexercise zone (because you're already very fit) and you WILL need to lose at least a little weight.

[Lilian78]

But you may have to really bump it up to get to the overexercise zone (because you're already very fit) and you WILL need to lose at least a little weight.

LOL, no problem with losing weight, but can't I just lose fat instead? Just kidding, I get it, it's just another one of those swaying things I don't like :D

[begonia]

Muscle and exercise both boost testosterone so I sort of doubt it, although there is the possibility that you are acidifying yourself. Plus, I think if you're overexercising/overtraining, you're shrinking muscle mass by definition.

If you don't want to stop exercising, then don't! Swaying has to fit into your life and not the other way around. But you may have to really bump it up to get to the overexercise zone (because you're already very fit) and you WILL need to lose at least a little weight.

OK this is where I get confused ... because I would say I was very fit when I got pg with both of my girls, in terms of muscle tone. 6 pack abs, super strong legs, all just from running (no weights) and that was (depending on the DD) 40-60 miles a week. I have always been a lean but somewhat muscular person. Wouldn't that have been a high testosterone indicator? I think for me personally I wonder whether the "increasing testosterone for a boy" thing will do much for me. Based on things like being a go-getter personality, highly competitive, and physical indicators (acne prone, easily build muscle, gross body hair!) I would think I do have high testosterone already. But I have girls. So this is where I start thinking that swaying is a waste of my time since IF I already have high T and already have girls, there isn't much I can do.

So I'm just operating under the whole "opposite of what I did before" approach and have cut cardio and added strength... but I don't know if that will increase my T levels or not. I'm not sure I can handle much more body hair anyway ...thank goodness for laser hair removal :-)

[mmsgirlie22]

Great read Atomic!!

I feel like right now I'm def not gaining any muscle mass as most days are spent sitting at my computer working 8hrs a day. I'm thinking tomorrow(even though I'm technically not supposed to do any exercising til Friday) i'm going to get started on some sort of routine.

[hollyberry7]

I currently work out 1-2 times per week (each session is an hour). Since I'm swaying pink this summer, I assume I should start taking a break for the next few months? Not good timing with bathing suit season upon us!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

I currently work out 1-2 times per week (each session is an hour). Since I'm swaying pink this summer, I assume I should start taking a break for the next few months? Not good timing with bathing suit season upon us!!!

Either increase frequency or cut it out entirely. I know it sucks!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Great read Atomic!!

I feel like right now I'm def not gaining any muscle mass as most days are spent sitting at my computer working 8hrs a day. I'm thinking tomorrow(even though I'm technically not supposed to do any exercising til Friday) i'm going to get started on some sort of routine.

That's great!!! Good luck!

[hollyberry7]

Either increase frequency or cut it out entirely. I know it sucks!!

It sure does! I don't have the time to work out 1-2 hrs per day...since I already have a full-time desk job, I might as well cut it out entirely. Hope to get a BFP quickly so I can go back. Here's a question, would yoga be ok???

[atomic sagebrush]

I don't know if yoga is ok. Power yoga is NOT ok because it is intense and builds muscle, but I strongly suspect that stretch/relaxation yoga would sway pink, even if you could only do it one day a week.

[Hobbermittens]

Okay, so I am a little heavy (about 20lb over weight) and am TTC blue. Is it a bad idea to start doing a lot of cardio right now (I am not planning on TTC until Oct.)? I wouldn't mind losing weight, but I know that is a bad idea...OR can I lose some right away, and then gain some muscle back? I still have 6 months before we conceive.

[TTC5]

Atomic, am after advice.. We try in around 6 to 7 weeks and i stopped my excersize all tigether. What would u recommend i do or is it too late now?? Will type more later when im
Home this iphone drives me nuts lol

[atomic sagebrush]

Okay, so I am a little heavy (about 20lb over weight) and am TTC blue. Is it a bad idea to start doing a lot of cardio right now (I am not planning on TTC until Oct.)? I wouldn't mind losing weight, but I know that is a bad idea...OR can I lose some right away, and then gain some muscle back? I still have 6 months before we conceive.

Since you have until Oct. I think it is ok for you to try and lose a bit, but I would def. focus more on exercises like The Firm and TaeBo where you are building muscle while losing weight.

[atomic sagebrush]

Atomic, am after advice.. We try in around 6 to 7 weeks and i stopped my excersize all tigether. What would u recommend i do or is it too late now?? Will type more later when im
Home this iphone drives me nuts lol

It's never too late, just start lifting weights now and try to be gaining or holding steady when you do.

[TTC5]

Ok how often should i do this? We have barbell weights would that be sufficient! What about gentle walking would that b ok?

[TTC5]

Oh and i am def gaining lol i have been gaining around half a kilo little bit less a week :0

[atomic sagebrush]

Ok how often should i do this? We have barbell weights would that be sufficient! What about gentle walking would that b ok?

Barbells are great! Work your arms 2 times a week and legs 2 times a week.

The gentle walking is absolutely fine!

Actually I think that is a great level of weight gain - not too much!!

[Flava]

"Moderate exercise with emphasis on muscle building. 45 minutes of cardio OR weight training OR both, 4-5 days a week. OR, you can split your exercise up into 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night (that can be a way to fit in more exercise without running the risk of the acidity that you get by exercising longer than 45 minutes)."

I just don't have the time! I do like 25 min 4-5-6 time /week ( mostly 5 times) and even this is hard to find a time my baby is all over me when i do it! So is this good enough ?? I think I still build some muscle ...

[Flava]

begonia I very interested what atomic can say about your Q !

[TTC5]

Thanks Atomic, ok I will use the bar bells but what should I do for my legs?

[TTC5]

Sorry they are dumbells not bar bells lol

[TTC5]

Found a great site here Atomic!
http://www.fitnessbliss.com/

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks Atomic, ok I will use the bar bells but what should I do for my legs?

Squats and plies, and/or going up steps are all great!

[atomic sagebrush]

begonia I very interested what atomic can say about your Q !

Flava, I did not see that Q by Begonia until you pointed it out to me, THANK YOU. I want to get caught up and then I will pop back to answer it, I want to give it enough time to answer properly.

In terms of your exercise, I think 25 min 5 times a week will be enough. ANYTHING is better than nothing (Only for blue! For pink swayers, if you can't do a lot of exercise you are better off not exercising at all.) Do the doable!

[Flava]

tnx atomic!
TTC5 I also use the dumbells every time I have a Gunnar Peterson workout dvd is it good.

[indigoviolet]

Thanks K, really helpful as usual. I remember on Ig there was a whole discussion about how much DH should do exercise wise. Can you remember? It was about running I think and there were different distances mentioned....over certain number of Km a week to sway one way or the other....anyway, if you remember I'd love to hear. We are swaying pink, how much should he do? He is training for a marathon at the moment so I hope your answer is 'a lot' lol.

[atomic sagebrush]

I vaguely remember that but my opinion is as it has always been, that to make a blanket statement that running X number of km sways pink and Y number sways blue, is kinda silly. Some people can train a lot and their diet/body type is such that it doesn't sway much, whereas others maybe eat differently or have a different body type and they train less and yet it sways harder. So the answer is, if you run enough while eating low protein, so it reduces your muscle mass and lowers testosterone while also reducing sperm count (which is a side effect of running for men), then it sways pink, and if your running raises your testosterone because you're eating high protein and building muscle, then it sways blue.

Marathon runners have been proven to have more girls - this is an awesome thread that should be revived anyway because I don't think a lot of people have seen it. http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?606-Gender-swaying-and-Running I hope everyone reads it!!!!!

[indigoviolet]

thanks atomic! :heart:

[Another princess]

Thanks for that link Atomic. Searched for this 2 wks ago and couldnt find it anywhere.

[atomic sagebrush]

Here's a great thread about losing electrolytes via exercise - it seems to me that this could benefit both pink and blue swayers because if you're not eating as much of certain minerals, exercise further lowers your levels.

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?3122-Exercising-and-Sodium-Output-of-your-Body-(Girl-Diet)

[atomic sagebrush]

atomic I can do the cardio now 60-70 minutes, but would still like to do some light toning. My friend and I were having this discussion and she thinks maybe light pilates might be good to not build muscle. What do you think? I was doing Jillian 30 day shred, but I think it targets muscles as my friend told me. What about doing 2-3 pound weights on the arms twice a week. I should probably do these exercises before I go on my run/walk right? Thanks!

Honestly, I don't recommend it, I just feel that it's too risky BUT if you have to, I would use very light weights with high reps and just as you suggest, do it before you go on your run.

[Indira]

Atomic, I have a question. I have been on the low everything-diet for about 6 weeks now, lost 11 pounds and decided to not exercise at all.
But I notice that I still have a lot of muscle mass, we have stairs in the house and I ride bike with my little one behind me on the bike once or twice a week (there are some hills here).
At this point would it be better for me to do cardio 6-7 times a week or would that make my muscles grow more? I eat low protein, no meat and fish and some milk and yoghurt. Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Atomic, I have a question. I have been on the low everything-diet for about 6 weeks now, lost 11 pounds and decided to not exercise at all.
But I notice that I still have a lot of muscle mass, we have stairs in the house and I ride bike with my little one behind me on the bike once or twice a week (there are some hills here).
At this point would it be better for me to do cardio 6-7 times a week or would that make my muscles grow more? I eat low protein, no meat and fish and some milk and yoghurt. Thanks!

No, you've done so well with the weight loss and diet thus far, that I think changing anything just has the potential to send you in the opposite direction. Looks like you're getting ready to TTC soon and I don't think starting up an exercise program now is the right idea - your testosterone will probably go up before it goes back down.

Everyone has SOME muscle mass and does some exercise, that's normal and not really what sways. Just keep on keeping on, doing what you're doing and enjoy biking with your little one!!

[cocos-mum]

hi i was wondering if you should give me some advice on whether to exercise or not. i sit down most of the day my job is a desk job but we do alot of walking i don't have a car so i walk everywhere and we do a big walk aleast once a week its not fast pace. do i need to add exercise in or leave it out and would something like wii fit or just dance be enough?

[atomic sagebrush]

I would not exercise unless you can do intense exercise 60 min a day, 6-7 days a week. Walking (esp. if you're already used to the amount of walking you're doing) is perfectly fine and you should just keep doing what you're doing while losing a couple of pounds on a low cal, low fat, low protein diet.

[cocos-mum]

thanks hun i'm pleased to hear that.

[fourunderfour]

could we work out for a few weeks to gain some muscle and then do nothing (making it easier to lose)? ((doing the former before even ttc?))
or does it have to be less muscle mass than i have now?
I cannot commit to 60-min/day for 6-7 days/week... but i have enjoyed getting out w my twins in the jogging stroller (in attempt to get more 'in shape'). would this be considered a no-no to sway pink?
how about diets like HCG and the atkins fast fat to help the weight fall off quickly (then switching over to the LE diet - feeling like it might be easier to switch up the foods while dieting) before ttc?

[atomic sagebrush]

No, it's best not to do that because you end up raising yoru T and E levels, and then even if you do lose weight, you're just going to end up back where you started from. You need to start from your baseline and go down from there.

Four - you have PCOS, right?? Exercise is really beneficial to your blood sugar levels and I'm starting to think it's SO beneficial, that for people with Insulin resistance or PCOS, it might be worth the risks to do moderate exercise if you really can't do the extreme exercise (just be sure you're losing weight on a lower protein diet). Basically - extreme exercise is best for all pink swayers, and then for people with PCOS/IR moderate exercise is ok and may be better than no exercise, and for peopel without PCOS/IR, no exercise is better than moderate exercise.

DO NOT DO HCG diet, it raises testosterone!!! I also think it's a bad idea to do Atkins because you give your body lots of cholesterol and sat. fat to store up, and cholesterol and sat. fat is what your body makes into T and E and also protein to build muscle with.

[fourunderfour]

gosh, i really appreciate this response...i was about to load up this weekend. phewf!
can i ask...how are people on the LE diet finding ENERGY to work out so much? with blood sugar levels very low, wouldn't it be dangerous to work out that much with such restrictions food-wise?
is running the best option?
...i can certainly try to get that much exercise in - i just have 4 boys, ages 1-5.
only 2 can fit in my double jogger....and the twins are lighter... ;)

[fourunderfour]

I've been trying to wrack my brain to figure out how I could possibly get that much exercise in (especially when DH is at work for long hours)....
Would walking briskly pushing a triple stroller be a good alternative to running (cannot push the triple while jogging - it is a BEAST).
The stroller weighs over 50 lbs and each of my riders weigh between 21-28 lbs.
What do you think? Yay or nay?
Any other suggestions for at home exercise...I think I may have seen jumping rope? Any DVDs that I could purchase that are pink friendly? DH and I decided to cut cable to save $ so we don't have On Demand anymore...
Would LOVE suggestions!!
Thanks,
Katie
4 boys - Cale, Megersa, Thaddeus & Shepherd.
would love to see a "Poppy" join the family. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

gosh, i really appreciate this response...i was about to load up this weekend. phewf!
can i ask...how are people on the LE diet finding ENERGY to work out so much? with blood sugar levels very low, wouldn't it be dangerous to work out that much with such restrictions food-wise?
is running the best option?
...i can certainly try to get that much exercise in - i just have 4 boys, ages 1-5.
only 2 can fit in my double jogger....and the twins are lighter... ;)

Some people are already quite fit and they can handle it easily.

You may need to eat something before exercise and that's just fine.

Your blood sugar should NEVER be so low that you actually are in danger of fainting...if you're THAT hungry, eat.

Running is ok. Personally I can't run because it hurts my ankles and i've never had any success runnign with a stroller anyway. Do a different sort of exercise, such as Zumba, Walk away the POunds, or other "dance" type cardio instead. The only thing to avoid is kickboxing, because the kicking/punching movements may raise testosterone.

[pink carol]

Atomic, you said you were not sure with yoga. To be honest, I'm a yoga rat and I have hated cardio all my life. There's a type of yoga which is called Yin Yoga. You mostly relax in the different asanas (about ten asanas) for a few minutes. It's mostly stretching, no chance of muscle building, no strength training...
Would that be okay to add to a cardio routine or should I give up yoga altogether? Thank you

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that sort of yoga SHOULD be ok, but without a study I can't totally say for sure.

[pink carol]

Atomic, I know I read it already in some post but it slipped my mind. When are we supposed to launch our crazy-mode cardio 60-minute routine before attempt?

[atomic sagebrush]

It depends on how much weight you have to lose. If you need to take quite a bit off, sooner is better. Otherwise, 6-8 weeks should ensure that you're losing some muscle before you sway.

[Callmecrazy]

I have a question about Pilates. I need to lose weight but don't feel that I can jump into an extreme cardio workout. Would Pilates hurt my girl sway?

[janie]

atomic, what about losing muscle? how long should i not be exercising before i am comfortable swaying and not have it be useless? i have been a hard core exerciser for 10 years now, but i dont know how long until i am flabby enough to lose the testosterone:worry:
thanks!!

[pink carol]

Doesn't Pilates build muscle? It certainly works your core muscles and legs! Besides, Pilates isn't cardio.
What about elliptical machines? Should we drop the arm work with the row? Would that arm workout build muscle?

[atomic sagebrush]

I have a question about Pilates. I need to lose weight but don't feel that I can jump into an extreme cardio workout. Would Pilates hurt my girl sway?

Pilates can build muscle and so I don't recommend it.

[atomic sagebrush]

Doesn't Pilates build muscle? It certainly works your core muscles and legs! Besides, Pilates isn't cardio.
What about elliptical machines? Should we drop the arm work with the row? Would that arm workout build muscle?

As long as you're losing weight, it's hard to be building muscle per se, but you CAN be preserving more muscle than you'd be losing otherwise.

I actually think an elliptical might be an option for those who are SUPER fit and may have to add in some arm motions (when I was in my best shape, I had to do something with arms or I didnt' get enough of a workout.) Just be sure you're losing weight.

[atomic sagebrush]

atomic, what about losing muscle? how long should i not be exercising before i am comfortable swaying and not have it be useless? i have been a hard core exerciser for 10 years now, but i dont know how long until i am flabby enough to lose the testosterone:worry:
thanks!!

There's no way for me to know, for certain, but as long as you've lost at least a little weight and stopped exercising, your T will be lower than it was. Your muscle mass starts shrinking almost right away once you stop exercising, and weight loss will only speed up the process.

[pink carol]

As to the cardio thing, is it better to do, let's say 60 minutes of elliptical at the same pace, or could we also alternate with one of the cardio dance dvds which are so much fun but, of course, problem is that the 60 minutes include warming-up and cooling-down, that is the pace is not so steady? I hate cardio!!

[atomic sagebrush]

You need to be exercising hard for the full 60 minutes. What I used to do when I was an insane exerciser (was not TTC at this time) was that I would have two DVD's at the ready, and then pop in the second DVD when the cooldown started on the first one and skip the second warmup, so I could get in the full 60 minutes of intense exercise before I cooled down.

[pink carol]

Atomic, I definitely hate cardio. Can't quite consider the option. Some girls have swayed pink successfully as couch potatoes. But I am not quite the sedentary type. I walk ten minutes to take my boy to school, ten minutes back home, sometimes twice if another mum doesn't pick him up. I walk up and down stairs all day as I go about the homework. I do my yoga routine (about one hour), trying to stick to yin yoga (mostly stretching) and avoiding kundalini which works the muscles (especially abs). I do my shopping on foot, and walk about town with my boy now and then. Is all that some sort of moderate activity or would you call that couch potato?
Also, if I lose a lot of weight with the diet alone, should I include the crazy cardio routine or do they sort of exclude each other in case of important weight loss?

[atomic sagebrush]

Walking around doing your normal day to day activities is fine and counts as couch potato. We're taking about exercise in terms of its potential to grow/shrink your muscle. Walking an average amount, that you're already used to, is totally allowed!!!

The point is losing muscle, so if you do that with weight loss on a low protein diet OR with extreme exercise, both options will help shrink that muscle.

[pink carol]

I feel very relieved to hear that! Yet, you know that since I lost my little baby boy, I'm considering a lite sway because priority for me at my age is another healthy baby regardless of its sex.
In the "Fertility Diet," this book based on the Nurses Health Study results, which by the way was my bible when trying to conceive my little boy, they advise you to do some intense cardio activity in half-hour or fifteen-minute bouts every day or at least three times a week. That would totally go against the activity geared to sway pink, wouldn't it?
Atomic, like I tell you, I'm not dying to sway girl that strongly anymore. I just want a healthy baby. But then, this schedule does not quite apply to pink swaying, I suppose...

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, that would fit in more with TTC a boy - that's geared at optimizing health and fertility. That having been said, for those of us ladies "of a certain age" it may very well be that we NEED to improve health/fertility just to conceive because our age has naturally reduced our health and fertility to some extent. So we may actually have to improve just to get to the pink zone, if that makes any sense.

I love the Nurse's Health Study, I'll have to buy that book! Thanks for letting me know about it! :)

[Zivic-Bubac]

for those of us ladies "of a certain age" it may very well be that we NEED to improve health/fertility just to conceive because our age has naturally reduced our health and fertility to some extent. So we may actually have to improve just to get to the pink zone
Oh nooooo!!!!! I don't want to improve my fertility to be AGAIN in the pink zone.

[atomic sagebrush]

Zivic, I only mean that as something for the poster to consider! Remember, there are still TONS of boys conceived to women in their late 30's-40's!! I know a lady who had a baby boy after 6 girls at 42 and my great-grandma had 2 boys after 6 girls and she had to be at least in her late 30's if not older.

[pink carol]

Zivic: A friend of mine had her fifth child at 45 and it was a boy.

[Zivic-Bubac]

Zivic: A friend of mine had her fifth child at 45 and it was a boy.:bighug:

[thinkingpink3]

Im swaying pink, i normally do 3 intervals and 3 resistence(weights and body weight) trainings pew week of 20 minutes each time. should i stop??
If i was too do cardio would xbox kinect be considered cardio lol ?

[atomic sagebrush]

I would either stop or else increase. 20 min. is def. moderate exercise.

I've never done Xbox Kinect so I can't say for sure.

[LacePrincess]

I have a question about when to have a pre-workout snack. I'm a runner, so I've opted for the 'intense cardio' pink-sway. I can force myself to workout to a dvd on an empty stomach (Did that yesterday morning but it was really hard!!!) but there's no way I can do an hour long run on an empty stomach without wanting to pass out.

So I wanted to know *when* to eat before a run? And what to eat? I usually have a bowl of cereal but that's got protein and fats in addition to carbs. I do also have energy gels which are pretty much straight up HFCS and pure sugar. Should I just use a gel, and if I do would that mean my entire run would only burn the carbs from the gel and not the muscle in my body?

What to do, what to do, so confusing......but no way can I try to run for an hour on an empty stomach. Even if it made for a better sway option I'd feel absolutely rotten throughout, and that's not fun, sustainable, OR stress relieving!

Also, I'm curious too.....I've only become a serious exerciser/runner SINCE having DS3. So my bodyfat is, like, less than half what it was when I conceived my 3 sons. Does this mean, really, that I've pretty much swayed pink for the last few years after having DS3? I have a lot of muscle, but that's also because I have very low bodyfat so I can SEE the muscles. I hardly ever do weight training, not my thing, so hopefully that would have swayed pink in the past few years too?

[atomic sagebrush]

You have to eat something before a workout, that's just how it goes. Make it pure carbs, a gel is fine or a banana or something like that. You will burn the cals from the gel first but then after awhile you will start to burn off the muscle/fat too and if you're losing a bit of weight at the same time, you'll lose muscle. Be warned, your blood sugar will crash and you may end up feeling worse than if you had eaten nothing. One of the worst crashes I ever had was when I ate a banana and worked out and made it 30 min in and literally could not continue and could barely even function to get myself anything to eat.

I suspect that yes, you've ~probably~ swayed pink to some extent with your exercise habits but exercise is only part of the puzzle, your diet while you exercise is part of it too. If you have low bodyfat you probably DON'T have a lot of muscle (esp. in your arms) it's just that your muscle is more visible, just as you say. i would feel good about proceeding with a sway at this point and continuing doing the same amount of exercise in the same pattern you are doing.

[Atsaukina1]

so just read the boy plan and that is what i have been doing for 5 days but I'm swaying GIRL! ahhh lol. I never exercise, am very out of shape and the tae bo videos I found I thought were 100% cardio/no weights and had me sweating but are only 45 min. long. I can't really go much longer than that. What if I walked for an hour does that count? Or not intense enough. I def. cannot RUn for an hour lol. Any cardio hour long videos to recommend??
I really wanted to do the exercise route as I never exercised w/ any of my boys so tryign to do it differently:)

[atomic sagebrush]

so just read the boy plan and that is what i have been doing for 5 days but I'm swaying GIRL! ahhh lol. I never exercise, am very out of shape and the tae bo videos I found I thought were 100% cardio/no weights and had me sweating but are only 45 min. long. I can't really go much longer than that. What if I walked for an hour does that count? Or not intense enough. I def. cannot RUn for an hour lol. Any cardio hour long videos to recommend??
I really wanted to do the exercise route as I never exercised w/ any of my boys so tryign to do it differently:)

Well, they're cardio but the type of cardio with the squats and kicking builds muscle mass - you ARE lifting weights, it's just that you're lifting your own body if that makes any kind of sense.

What you have to understand aobut the exercise recommendations is they're just guidelines. THere is NO WAY I can make a blanket prescription for exercise - that's just what I think will sway pink for most of the people most of the time. If you're super out of shape and losing weight while eating a low protein diet, that level of exercise may sway pink for you.

The one thing I would for sure have you discontinue is the Tae Bo. The punching and kicking moves may send some signal to your body that you are fighting for survival. I recommend "Walk away the pounds" and this will also be easier for you to get thru at your present fitness level. You can always do more than one tape, that's what I used to do back when I was in good shape and 45 min was not enough exercise.

[Atsaukina1]

thanks that is what I did today and just rewound the tape and did anotehr half of it to get my full hour. I also jogged during some of it instead of the walking. I think I will continue with that since it is on the safe side and I love seeing the miles I walked:)
thanks:) I left a question on the "review my sway" section about my diet:)

[butterfly girl]

Would the stair climber and arc trainer for an hour considered to be intense?

[atomic sagebrush]

Would the stair climber and arc trainer for an hour considered to be intense?

yes!!!

[woca]

Great topic. I'm trying to ttc a girl. When ttc'ing my first son I Sid competitive ballroom dancing, but also a boys diet without knowing. Second and third no exercise and boy diet without knowing again. So this time trying to follow the LE diet.

I do zumba once a week for an hour and running twice a week for 40 minutes. Twice a week I ride my bike for half an hour to get to work and the same going back. Would you recommend to up my exercise refine or cut it all out? I just started two months ago on this regime thinking cardio would be enough but reading here makes me think I'm still not doing enough... Than you for your advice. It's highly appreciated :)

[atomic sagebrush]

competitive ballroom dancing is def. exercise!!

how much weight do you have to lose?

[woca]

Thanks Atomic. "Unfortunately" for the diet I can't lose more than 8kg. 4 more and I would be underweight.

I haven't done any ballroom dancing or other exercise since my first pregnancy in 2007 until I started zumba last year and running last September.

[atomic sagebrush]

8 kg is PLENTY. I only lost 3 lbs with my successful sway.

Since you don't have much to spare, my inclination would be for you to do the couch potato route but if you're already used to the exercise, you might not lose as much weight as someone just starting out, would.

[woca]

Thank you Atomic! In that case I prefer to keep doing the exercise. If I do the couch potato route I'm afraid I will start eating too much again.
So I will keep doing the exercise and when I lost enough weight (somewhere around 4kg I think) I will try to maintain the weight, but still follow the diet as much as possible. Right?

[atomic sagebrush]

:agree: right! just increase cals at that point, without inc. protien and fat intake if possible.

[Deux Bleus]

I was just reading that link about DH & their offspring that you posted.

My DH is a very hard worker (runs companies), works in the yard/garden every weekend but does not excercise or play sport AT ALL!
He is considering starting to train at a gym in the new year. This would include bulking up muscle mass & taking proteins & supps. Will this sway blue & ruin my attempt? :(

[atomic sagebrush]

Have him wear tight underwear when he works out and if he is willing, have him hold off on the supps until baby is on board!

The LR may slow down the rate he adds muscle mass (no need to tell him that.) ;)

[Deux Bleus]

Thank you AS!

[Princess of Pink]

So if I never really exercised at all and have 5 girls....I should start exercising and weight training of some sort.

[Cinss]

So if I never really exercised at all and have 5 girls....I should start exercising and weight training of some sort.

Hi POP, yep i highly recommend the weight training, i was into yoga and aerobics when DD came along, then circuit training and weight lifting when DS was hatched :)

[atomic sagebrush]

So if I never really exercised at all and have 5 girls....I should start exercising and weight training of some sort.

I highly recommend weight training for blue!!

[Tree]

I was wondering what exercise would be good for me? We are wanting to try for a girl in March... I weigh about 10st. I'm don't have much muscle and the extra weight I am carrying is baby weight.

[LilithWiser1979]

This makes a lot of sense to me. I was working out HARD, weightlifting plus intense cardio 4 or 5 days a week when ttc DS2. I ate a very nutritious vegetable, fruit, nut, lean meats and occasional dairy diet. I had the ideal boy sway without even knowing it :(

[atomic sagebrush]

I was wondering what exercise would be good for me? We are wanting to try for a girl in March... I weigh about 10st. I'm don't have much muscle and the extra weight I am carrying is baby weight.

if you don't have much muscle then I'd probably go couch potato, providing you can lose weight with out exercise.

[Tree]

Thank you! I have actually been trying to loose weight just by diet (not The Diet, I still need to find info on that?). Anyway I don't seem to be shifting weight. I am still breast feeding so I don't know if my body is just holding on to the food that I am eating... I would like to exercise but won't if it will ruin my chances of a little girl.

[atomic sagebrush]

Info about LE Diet is in these two threads

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/trying-conceive-girl/16780-low-everything-diet-nutshell-version.html
http://genderdreaming.com/forum/trying-conceive-girl/24628-le-diet-faq.html

[bunnywabbit]

So thankful I found this topic. I have joined a gym and lost 50lb since July, but because of holidays, ill health and work commitments, I hadn't been able to attend since mid December. I still have a load of weight to shift and am hoping to get back to the gym within the next couple of weeks.

I usually do mainly cardio at the gym for 1-1.5 hours (exercise bike and eliptical trainer), previously did dumbells to tone my horrible upper arms and do leg presses, but will stop for now - they can wait! :happy: My problem is I normally go 4-5 days each week. Can simple, everyday things like taking the stairs at work rather than elevator work? I walk daily to get to the station for work (brisk, 15-20 minutes) and should be able to haul myself back up the hill in the evening (another 15-20 minutes), plus whatever walking around I do on the weekends, so can I add these bits into my 'exercise plan', or is it not enough? At the moment while I'm at the gym, I have no problem shifting weight at all, just need to get back into it. I'm not planning to start my sway for a girl until March/April.

Thanks for your help!

[atomic sagebrush]

will answer from desktop

also I will include this in your custom plan, bunny.

[1adorablebabyboymom]

Would this take place following a long period of no exercise, or just intensifying an everyday hour somewhat intense walk? thanks!



Atomic, I know I read it already in some post but it slipped my mind. When are we supposed to launch our crazy-mode cardio 60-minute routine before attempt?

[1adorablebabyboymom]

Would the opposite of this work also? I exercise a lot, but have conceived two boys. So, could I continue that up until 6-8 weeks prior to bd for my sway? thanx!!
It depends on how much weight you have to lose. If you need to take quite a bit off, sooner is better. Otherwise, 6-8 weeks should ensure that you're losing some muscle before you sway.

[atomic sagebrush]

Whoa not sure how I missed these posts, sorry. This is the drawback of trying to answer q's from my Kindle. :(

[atomic sagebrush]

So thankful I found this topic. I have joined a gym and lost 50lb since July, but because of holidays, ill health and work commitments, I hadn't been able to attend since mid December. I still have a load of weight to shift and am hoping to get back to the gym within the next couple of weeks.

I usually do mainly cardio at the gym for 1-1.5 hours (exercise bike and eliptical trainer), previously did dumbells to tone my horrible upper arms and do leg presses, but will stop for now - they can wait! :happy: My problem is I normally go 4-5 days each week. Can simple, everyday things like taking the stairs at work rather than elevator work? I walk daily to get to the station for work (brisk, 15-20 minutes) and should be able to haul myself back up the hill in the evening (another 15-20 minutes), plus whatever walking around I do on the weekends, so can I add these bits into my 'exercise plan', or is it not enough? At the moment while I'm at the gym, I have no problem shifting weight at all, just need to get back into it. I'm not planning to start my sway for a girl until March/April.

Thanks for your help!

It is best to get in at least 60 min. straight exercise at least once a day. Along with that you can def. take the stairs and stuff like that and it will only help, but there does need to be one 60 min. block.

If you are doing intense exercise 5 days a week, that is ~probably~ going to be enough. The 60 6/7 recommendation is just what I think will work for most people most of the time, but it's not a light switch solution, 60 min. 5 days a week is still pretty darn good and if you were able to do more those 5 days, even better.

[atomic sagebrush]

Would this take place following a long period of no exercise, or just intensifying an everyday hour somewhat intense walk? thanks!

I'm sorry I am not quite grasping the question here.

[atomic sagebrush]

Would the opposite of this work also? I exercise a lot, but have conceived two boys. So, could I continue that up until 6-8 weeks prior to bd for my sway? thanx!!

It's not just the exercise though, it's the whole package. It's your diet and other lifestyle things as well. I am wary of someone who exercises a lot, suddenly dropping exercise because I think that could be interpreted by your body as an improvement in condition/social status. I think it would be best for you to alter your diet and continue or even increase the exercise.

Most recent stats have put exercise at 14 of 14 for pink. I hate to see you drop exercise when we're getting that type of results with it.

[Mrs.tinkerbell]

Wow now exercise! With my boy I was hitting the gym loads and lost quite abit of weight before my wedding then concieved on honeymoon. I now work and when I'm not at work I don't have time to go to gym etc. so I'm kinda thinking its best to stay as I am and not exercise. I am prob a couple pounds heavier but don't have as much muscle on legs etc although my arms are tonned from lifting my boy. I just ate super healthy was underweight when I concived him only put on 1 stone and he was nearly 10 pound so I'm doing something wrong when it comes to nutrients as clearly I gave him loads. Do you think if I do LE diet and don't exercise is best?

[julie1224]

So I plan to TTC for a boy at the end of this year or the next. I don't exercise and I don't think I need to lose weight. (5'2" 114lbs). I've always had a hard time gaining weight. I was alway under 100 lbs until the girls. I think it's because of high metabolism. I snack/eat a lot and have asthma....was told that the inhaler was part of high metabolism.

I have never exercise, so I think it will be very difficult to start with such an intense and heavy routine. Can I start by running or jogging? How much weights should I be lifting?

If the point is to build muscle mass, can running/jogging be sufficient? I need baby steps. :) I've been reading about the boy diet...very daunting for a southerner! My sweet teas and pies have to be fazed out. :(

[Bean]

I'd like to start TTC girl in 3 cycles. I've been a couch potato for 4 years and I joined a gym 2 months ago. I've been working out with a personal trainer 3 times a week, doing cardio & weights. I'm going to drop the personal training and opt for running instead 4 times a week for an hour. I have 3 stone to loose. Working full-time & having 2 small boys I can only commit to cardio sessions 4times a week. I'm hoping with the LE diet and cardio 4times weekly my body will be shocked into thinking times are tough and a girl would survive better!

[onebigwish]

question to Atomic :

I am very small build, i dont have much muscle at all and i never exercise too.
My weight 53 Kilograms (1.68 M.)

Should i add exercise to my sway or doing Couch potato:P? when yes, what sort of exercise?
And i it safe losing weight during my sway ? i am alreay very thin?

[atomic sagebrush]

Wow now exercise! With my boy I was hitting the gym loads and lost quite abit of weight before my wedding then concieved on honeymoon. I now work and when I'm not at work I don't have time to go to gym etc. so I'm kinda thinking its best to stay as I am and not exercise. I am prob a couple pounds heavier but don't have as much muscle on legs etc although my arms are tonned from lifting my boy. I just ate super healthy was underweight when I concived him only put on 1 stone and he was nearly 10 pound so I'm doing something wrong when it comes to nutrients as clearly I gave him loads. Do you think if I do LE diet and don't exercise is best?

Wow not sure what happened here, I do try to answer most questions (exception is the buddy groups which are too long for me to keep up with) so please if you don't hear back from me in a timely manner within a week or two please bump the post. Sometimes I start to reply and then get interrupted by my kids and have to close the page, then the thread is no longer illuminated.

Anyway, I know we've talked about this more in your private forum Mrs. T but for anyone else wondering, we have seen such awesome results with the exercise (now running 17 of 18 pink) that I think it may be worth it to up calories (in form of empty cals) in order to do the exercise. Do we KNOW that will work, no not yet because no one has tried it but I do think it's worth a try. Even if you had to eat up to 2000 cals, as long as you kept protein and fat low, that exercise really seems to be yielding great results.

[atomic sagebrush]

So I plan to TTC for a boy at the end of this year or the next. I don't exercise and I don't think I need to lose weight. (5'2" 114lbs). I've always had a hard time gaining weight. I was alway under 100 lbs until the girls. I think it's because of high metabolism. I snack/eat a lot and have asthma....was told that the inhaler was part of high metabolism.

I have never exercise, so I think it will be very difficult to start with such an intense and heavy routine. Can I start by running or jogging? How much weights should I be lifting?

If the point is to build muscle mass, can running/jogging be sufficient? I need baby steps. :) I've been reading about the boy diet...very daunting for a southerner! My sweet teas and pies have to be fazed out. :(

I am so sorry that I did not see this sooner!!! If you are TTC a boy, you should do weight lifting and NOT the running/jogging. That is for TTC a girl, not a boy. You want to gain a few lbs (3-5 up to 10-15) for a boy. Now some people who are TTC blue, gain too much weight and they may need to do a little bit of cardio to help slow down that weight gain, but if you just have a superfast metabolism then you wouldn't need to do that anyway.

PS - you don't necessarily have to give up sweet tea and pie to TTC a boy??? I'm confused by that statement. I ate sweets and drink tea with all 4 of my boys. You just have to make sure you are getting protein WITH your sweets instead of eating just sweet stuff.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'd like to start TTC girl in 3 cycles. I've been a couch potato for 4 years and I joined a gym 2 months ago. I've been working out with a personal trainer 3 times a week, doing cardio & weights. I'm going to drop the personal training and opt for running instead 4 times a week for an hour. I have 3 stone to loose. Working full-time & having 2 small boys I can only commit to cardio sessions 4times a week. I'm hoping with the LE diet and cardio 4times weekly my body will be shocked into thinking times are tough and a girl would survive better!

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner.

The 60 6/7 recommendation is just what I think will work for most people most of the time. It doesn't mean you can't do less and still get a girl (and in fact we may discover over time that we can.) Since we have literally no info to go off of, I am being super conservative with the exercise recomendation and erring on the side of more.

[atomic sagebrush]

question to Atomic :

I am very small build, i dont have much muscle at all and i never exercise too.
My weight 53 Kilograms (1.68 M.)

Should i add exercise to my sway or doing Couch potato:P? when yes, what sort of exercise?
And i it safe losing weight during my sway ? i am alreay very thin?

My crystal ball is in the shop this week and so I can't tell you what will work for you. We;ve seen great results with the exercise, but at the same time I believe that people who have started off too strict, ended up stopping ovulation and then had to basically sway blue just to get pg at all.

three options are:

Exercise while eating more calories and trying to hold steady on weight (stick to limits on protein and fat, just eat more empty cals)

Stick to diet and do not do exercise

Do exercise and diet but drop all other sway tactics and try to get pg the first month of trying and the first month on diet.

[Peppermint]

Does exercise on an empty stomach naturally burn muscle?

I currenty exercise 45 mins, aprox 4 x a week. I can't up it anymore for personal reasons. However, I'm hesitant to stop exercising altogether if at all possible.

I always exercise on an empty stomach and am wondering if this will help my sway by burning muscle and lowering blood sugar, or if I would be best just to drop it and do nothing if its swaying blue instead of pink.

[atomic sagebrush]

Unsatisfying answer - I don't know.

I do think it may help because you simply won't have any carbs for your body to need to burn off, so maybe it will go right for the fat/muscle.

We have seen such great results with exercise that I hate to see people drop it unless they're literally like stick insects - altho we don't yet have the data to say, it seems like it may be better to up calories and keep exercise.

I don't know that you hAVE to do the full 60 6-7 recommendatioin, that's just what I think will work for most people most of the time.

[black&gold]

Re-reading this I feel like I was doomed from the get go! Even with a BMI of high 16's, low 17 I am so muscular. I always have had big bicep muscles even though my arms are sticks. I never worked out, and if I did it was a quick jog on the treadmill for max 10 mins maybe twice a week. I think I'm one of those girls that will never have a girl simply because of my body type. *sigh* I guess we'll find out for sure what this baby is in December.. but I doubt there's any hope! Holding on to my late ovulation/short LP to pull through for me lol!!

[Lizzie Lizard]

Is this the place to say how unreliable I personally believe BMI to be as your fat indicator? I am athletic and muscular. When I enter my BMI (just by height and weight) it says I am borderline overweight. I really am not though. I think the only reliable methods are the under water measurement, etc. Anyway, it's not that important I just felt like voicing it somewhere. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

Re-reading this I feel like I was doomed from the get go! Even with a BMI of high 16's, low 17 I am so muscular. I always have had big bicep muscles even though my arms are sticks. I never worked out, and if I did it was a quick jog on the treadmill for max 10 mins maybe twice a week. I think I'm one of those girls that will never have a girl simply because of my body type. *sigh* I guess we'll find out for sure what this baby is in December.. but I doubt there's any hope! Holding on to my late ovulation/short LP to pull through for me lol!!

the interesting thing was that even tho i lost a lot of weight with DS 4, I was still quite muscular, then I gained a lot during that pg and lost it all again and I was a lot more mush and a lot less muscle when I conceived DD, even tho I was the exact same weight.

[atomic sagebrush]

Is this the place to say how unreliable I personally believe BMI to be as your fat indicator? I am athletic and muscular. When I enter my BMI (just by height and weight) it says I am borderline overweight. I really am not though. I think the only reliable methods are the under water measurement, etc. Anyway, it's not that important I just felt like voicing it somewhere. :)

I agree, it's terribly imprecise. I ahve a way higher BMI than what I look like.

[pickle_mom]

Hi! New here but full of questions!
I'm the mother of 4 sons, want to conceive a daughter in the next three cycles :pray:
I've been doing the LE diet for about a month now, but I know that I have a lot more weight to lose.
I'm not a complete couch potato (I mean, how could I with 4 sons anyway?!) but I don't intentionally exercice either, and honestly, I really don't think that I could stick to the 60 minutes 6-7 times a week...
So my question is, should I exercice as much as I can or avoid it entirely because the on-off could sway blue?
Thanks to all of you lovely ladies who take the time to read and post here, it's really a great place to be!

[atomic sagebrush]

We just don't know. The reason I recommend the 60 6-7 is because I think that is what is going to work for most of the people most of the time and I have to make a general recommendation. it doesn't mean you can't get a girl doing less exercise, esp. if you are losing a bit of weight on a lower protein diet. The stats have been so great that it seems to support the idea that less exercise can still sway pink provided that one is following a diet and losing some weight, but I just don't have as high a level of confidence in that.

If you're cheating a lot on diet or NOT dieting, then I would not do the mod. exercise no matter what. Stick with the 60 6-7 if you are not solid with diet.

[pickle_mom]

Thank you for your reply!
I really am sticking to the diet, in fact, I build my menu for 1300 calories, so if I go over inadvertantly I won't freak out. I rarely feel hungry, even without snacks, so I think it's a great, great diet that I will surely follow after my pregancy!
Is there a minimal amount of weight to lose or any pound lost is a good thing?

[atomic sagebrush]

Any weight is good, I only lost 3 lbs before I got my daughter (I had lost more but it had been quite a few months earlier, then I held steady before losing those last 3 lbs right before I got pg). You actually need to be careful not to lose too much too quickly! I really prefer people stick to 1500-1800 unless they have a whole big bunch to lose.

[Peebell85]

Ok so my DH just bought me a bike so we can ride together as a family during summer. Should I worry about the occasional leisurely ride and just make sure it is really low intensity, or should I try to ride for an hour everyday at least 5 times a week?

[atomic sagebrush]

If you're using it as a sway tactic I would try to make it 5 days a week if possible!! If you're jsut wanting to use it for fun, I would not worry about occasionally having a leisurely ride with the kiddos as long s you are ok on diet.

[cpsvlc08]

I'm really confused about what would actually work for me with DS1 I wasn't exercising barely at all but with DS2 I actually was at the lowest weight I had been since high school due to running 5-6 days a week pretty long distances (at least I think so)... I was running about 8-10km and sometimes up to 15-16kms. I didn't do any weights at all. Right now, I run between 7-10 km 5 days/week and this usually takes 45mins (give or take depending on the distance). I am soaked with sweat (I know gross! )afterwards as it's usually inside on the treadmill. I really don't want to give my running up as I find it a huge stress reliever for me. I just don't know what I should do as I've done the couch potato route and then the other extreme. It would be hard for me to be more intense on a daily basis.... ugggh I'm so confused on what I should do and wondering if I can get suggestions on exercising and swaying pink.

[atomic sagebrush]

exercise does not exist in a vaccuum; it is the whole package with diet, exercise, and other lifestyle things that sway (and even then not anywhere near 100%). I think the stats show clearly that exercise is the way to go and so I recommend it to anyone who is able to do it, even if you got a boy before. You got a boy in SPITE of the exercise, not because of it, whether it was down to luck or the other things in your life that were swaying blue or both. It would be a step in the wrong direction to leave it out because of some need to "do the opposite" when that wasn't even why you got a boy to begin with.

[maidentomother]

Is this the place to say how unreliable I personally believe BMI to be as your fat indicator? I am athletic and muscular. When I enter my BMI (just by height and weight) it says I am borderline overweight. I really am not though. I think the only reliable methods are the under water measurement, etc. Anyway, it's not that important I just felt like voicing it somewhere. :)

I agree and I'm at the opposite end. Even with a BMI of 16 (my all time 'high' is 18), I have more body fat by % than many of my 'heavier' friends who are very fit & muscular. I'm hoping that will help me sway pink...

I'm so naturally un-muscular that I think not exercising will be better for me, as I'm inevitably more muscular whenever I'm exercising, even with long distance running. But I have seen very muscular women lose major muscle with the same type of running, so I do believe it would probably help them sway.

[atomic sagebrush]

It is literally impossible for women to add muscle without gaining (significant) amounts of weight. When people start exercise, they often worry that they are becoming more muscular when in reality they are simply losing body fat that was covering muscle. So the msucles may appear more defined but if you've lost weight, you've lost muscle.

All that having been said, anyone with BMI of 16-18 shoudl not be doing exercise anyway and I totally agree that you should not include it in your plan.

[maidentomother]

True, but if you are burning more fat than muscle, you lower your overall body fat % so really you are becoming more muscular, even without gaining actual new muscle (which really IS difficult for women and would require much more protein intake than the LE diet allows).

[atomic sagebrush]

You may be increasing the % of your body that is muscle in proportion to fat, but you aren't gaining muscle, at lower weights you will have LESS muscle. Since muscle (in a very roundabout way) helps to raise testosterone levels, when you lose muscle, you will have lower testosterone levels, even if a higher proportion of your body is muscle.

There are a lot of very skinny men who have a high % muscle to fat ratio, but as a general rule they are going to be lower in testosterone than a guy who weighs 250 lbs even if he does have a higher % body fat.

[Dutchgirl]

Hi Atomic,

I started dieting for TTC a girl jan 6, so 9 days now. I allready lost nearly 3 kg.
I can't exercise for 6 days for 60min. Is it ok to do now just my usual exercise like walking the dogs, and start with the exercise from AF-O when we are trying to conceive?

[atomic sagebrush]

I just honestly can't say what is ok and what isn't. I don't have the level of data I would need to pin it down any closer than I already have.

We have seen people on here who have done much less exercise and gotten girls.

If the weight is coming off very quickly, I would probably not even do exercise. You are going to end up stopping ovulation.

[deb]

Hi all, I will be trying to sway pink this year. Have about 40 lbs to loose and have never exercised on a regular basis. Should I try to do the 60 minutes a day 6 days a week exercising or just continue not exercising? I work 12 hr shifts so I am a bit worried about working out on the days I work. I can work out 4 days in a row for sure because I always have at least 4 days off after I work my set of shifts. Also, I am worried I won't be able to keep up high intensity cardio for a full 60 minutes. Would walking/jogging on the treadmill for 60 minutes be good enough for a couch potato type like me or is it better to not work out at all?
Any opinions appreciated

[Rainbow baby]

Atomic.... question.. I know that cardio will build and tone my muscles it has before so for my sway plan what are your thoughts on 4 weeks on an hour a day cardio and then the two weeks leading up to ovulation off then after ovulation back on again?? and so forth. Maybe even having to skip the month in between off and on??

[dreamingofwin]

Right few questions pls!!

I do an hour a day on the exercise bike (id like to go running but with the uk weather of darkness and rain I cant at the moment as its not safe after I finish work) So bike it is for now.

So far in 9 days I have lost 2kg. My Bmi is now 23.8. I am sticking to LE strictly.

I weighed myself this morning and I had gained!! Only a tiny amount but its the first gain since I started LE/exercise 9 days ago. I paniced!! My hubby said muscle weighs more than fat (which I know is true) But I thought I was supposed to be loosing muscle so know I am on a panic on if I should stop the exercise???? HELP!!!

[Gidgetbeach]

Hello,

I've been a member for several months and while I've stalked I've never posted but as my girl sway approaches (this month) I will start clarifying some things that I'm not sure of. I joined a gym 4 months ago and have been doing four classes of body pump, spinning and aerobics (these always include light weights) weekly. I'm naturally thin but have very little muscle so I've really grown my muscles in these months though I'm still very slight. Should I just switch to spinning classes (not sure what they're known as in the US but perhaps group cycle classes?) or just run on the treadmill and elliptical? Plus I also do clinical Pilates with a physiotherapist weekly. There was a run on babies in my classes and all the girls had baby girls except me!

I have two boys conceived when I did 3 half hour runs a week.

In addition my husband has just begun running for twenty minutes, four times a week.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated on what I could do to improve my chances of a girl. I'm happy to exercise 6-7 times a week.

[dreamingofwin]

Bump

[Rosie85]

From what I am hearing from others is runners--marathoners get girls! I think a 30 minute run isn't good enough to really get your heart rate high and keep it there. Part of cardio is to have that elevated heart rate for a decent amount of time. I am going to start doing the treadmill. walking at a brisk pace is considered cardio as long as your heart rate elevates and stays that ways for at least 20 minutes. Treadmills don't build up muscle either.

On my bike i was using I saw zones for fat burning and cardio. For a 30 year old it said a heart rate of 159 or higher was considered the target rate for cardio.

[Rosie85]

I am so out of shape right now I have to stay around 30 minutes...I need to progress to that 1 hour time! It is such hard work to get back into shape. For me I want to make sure I am doing the 1 hr cardio for the 2 weeks before ovulation and the week after for sure too. Hoping that is good enough!

[dreamingofwin]

I have the exercise bug now! I think even if I don't get my girl at least Im getting fit in the process!!x

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi all, I will be trying to sway pink this year. Have about 40 lbs to loose and have never exercised on a regular basis. Should I try to do the 60 minutes a day 6 days a week exercising or just continue not exercising? I work 12 hr shifts so I am a bit worried about working out on the days I work. I can work out 4 days in a row for sure because I always have at least 4 days off after I work my set of shifts. Also, I am worried I won't be able to keep up high intensity cardio for a full 60 minutes. Would walking/jogging on the treadmill for 60 minutes be good enough for a couch potato type like me or is it better to not work out at all?
Any opinions appreciated

We have gotten such great results with exercise that I feel like I have to recommend it for anyone who is able to include it. So far it's our best sway tactic by a good 15% percentage points and even though I know it's really tough, best sway means including it for anyone who won't waste away to nothing while doing it.

All it has to be is intense for YOU (walking is fine, meandering prob. isn't LOL) and if you can't make it the full 60 6-7 recommendation, we have bene having success even doing less than that. I would just have you stick with the 4 days a week 60 min. a day and let it go on the 12 hour days because I can't even imagine doing exercise after that!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Atomic.... question.. I know that cardio will build and tone my muscles it has before so for my sway plan what are your thoughts on 4 weeks on an hour a day cardio and then the two weeks leading up to ovulation off then after ovulation back on again?? and so forth. Maybe even having to skip the month in between off and on??

Cardio really doesn't build muscle for ladies, without your eating a pretty nutrient-dense diet (and taking some pretty heavy hitting supps.) YOu may think you're getting more muscle but really all that's happening is that the fat melts away and reveals what was already there.

I think we see best results with consistent exercise. Taking 2 weeks off will only give your muscle time to rest and repair themselves and that is not what we're going for here.

[atomic sagebrush]

Right few questions pls!!

I do an hour a day on the exercise bike (id like to go running but with the uk weather of darkness and rain I cant at the moment as its not safe after I finish work) So bike it is for now.

So far in 9 days I have lost 2kg. My Bmi is now 23.8. I am sticking to LE strictly.

I weighed myself this morning and I had gained!! Only a tiny amount but its the first gain since I started LE/exercise 9 days ago. I paniced!! My hubby said muscle weighs more than fat (which I know is true) But I thought I was supposed to be loosing muscle so know I am on a panic on if I should stop the exercise???? HELP!!!

I answered this in your other thread but it's totaly normal to have fluctuations in weight evne as much as 5 lbs with water and food in your stomach. It has nothing to do with adding muscle, it is impossible for women to add muscle unless they are eating very very nutrient dense diets.

[atomic sagebrush]

Hello,

I've been a member for several months and while I've stalked I've never posted but as my girl sway approaches (this month) I will start clarifying some things that I'm not sure of. I joined a gym 4 months ago and have been doing four classes of body pump, spinning and aerobics (these always include light weights) weekly. I'm naturally thin but have very little muscle so I've really grown my muscles in these months though I'm still very slight. Should I just switch to spinning classes (not sure what they're known as in the US but perhaps group cycle classes?) or just run on the treadmill and elliptical? Plus I also do clinical Pilates with a physiotherapist weekly. There was a run on babies in my classes and all the girls had baby girls except me!

I have two boys conceived when I did 3 half hour runs a week.

In addition my husband has just begun running for twenty minutes, four times a week.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated on what I could do to improve my chances of a girl. I'm happy to exercise 6-7 times a week.

You ahve not added muscle unless you've gained weight and particularly on a higher protein diet. What happens is that you lose body fat (losing body fat sways pink as well BTW) and it makes it look as if your muscles have really grown but it's just that they['ve been revealed under the padding LOL.

That having been said I do think that straight cardio is better for pink than cardio + weights is, because using your muscle may raise T to some extent as well (regardless of whether you've gained). But I do see many gals who use light weights in exercising, getting girls so I know it's not a dealbreaker

agree that 3 half-hour runs is mod exercise that woudl swya blue.

Running for hubby is one thing shown in studies to sway pink so good for him.

[atomic sagebrush]

From what I am hearing from others is runners--marathoners get girls! I think a 30 minute run isn't good enough to really get your heart rate high and keep it there. Part of cardio is to have that elevated heart rate for a decent amount of time. I am going to start doing the treadmill. walking at a brisk pace is considered cardio as long as your heart rate elevates and stays that ways for at least 20 minutes. Treadmills don't build up muscle either.

On my bike i was using I saw zones for fat burning and cardio. For a 30 year old it said a heart rate of 159 or higher was considered the target rate for cardio.

agree totally about runners and like I mentioned where men are concerned, it is one thing that's been even proven in studies - male long distance runners and bikers have way more daughters than the population as a whole.

I don't wnat you guys to get too into tracking the heart rate. Fro swaying pink we're finding that a lot of attention to detail and monitoring tangible things involving numbers etc. can harm the sway. For pink you want to go with the flow as much as is possible, and trying to get your heart rate into some particular zone is precisely the type of thing that may sway blue.

[atomic sagebrush]

I am so out of shape right now I have to stay around 30 minutes...I need to progress to that 1 hour time! It is such hard work to get back into shape. For me I want to make sure I am doing the 1 hr cardio for the 2 weeks before ovulation and the week after for sure too. Hoping that is good enough!

You don't have to do super difficult exercise if that doesn't work for you, even walking for an hour can help.

[Rosie85]

agree totally about runners and like I mentioned where men are concerned, it is one thing that's been even proven in studies - male long distance runners and bikers have way more daughters than the population as a whole.

I don't wnat you guys to get too into tracking the heart rate. Fro swaying pink we're finding that a lot of attention to detail and monitoring tangible things involving numbers etc. can harm the sway. For pink you want to go with the flow as much as is possible, and trying to get your heart rate into some particular zone is precisely the type of thing that may sway blue.


hahahahaha! Here I was just looking at heart rate monitor watches. whoa. Totally NOT buying one now! Gah!!!

[dreamingofwin]

See makes me nervous as I am naturally a stress head always have been :(

Hubby has started cycling to work add back 4 days a week so that's positive! X

[atomic sagebrush]

We ALL are tho. That's the thing about all this. Almost to a one, the boy moms are control-freaks and perfectionists, it's not that we like stress, but it's that we inadvertently create stress for ourselves by trying to get everything to this unattainable level that we feel will make everythign "ok" - like, getting our heart rate to a perfect zone for a pink sway, KWIM??? - and it is very difficult to acknowledge that there are things out of our control.

But despite this, we are still getting girls. So it isn't hopeless!!!

[TeacherMom]

OK I have a question about this. I am 29 years old, ran cross country and track (long distance) through middle school, junior high, high school, college, and then I did 2 marathons in a year recently. My last marathon was in October 2013. Obviously I was training hard, running a lot of miles (20 mile runs on Sundays). Since my body has been a runner for all of my life, is it best for my pink sway to not exercise at all? I am also very petite (about 5 foot 1, 100 lbs). When I am running a lot, I am skinny but muscly "runner" legs if that makes sense. I have not run since the marathon, maybe just a few times, and my weight is the same, but my legs are not as toned, just thin. Does that make sense? So for me, running 60 minutes per day is something I have always done so I feel like that would not sway for me because it's what I do! Anyway, do you think it is best for me to just not exercise? Thanks!!

[atomic sagebrush]

This is a crystal ball question that I just don't have enough info to say, and when that is the case it is a decision I must leave to you, I'm sorry!

[lovemy2blessings]

I just wanted to add some info for the new pink swayers. When I first started off my TTC journey I started off with strict LE & cardio little did I know I would stop Ov. I was already small to begin with (5'3 & 116lbs). My extremity and strictness on both got my down to 105lbs & a size 0 in clothes. I looked so anorexic and I was ok with it because that was what I though would be a great sway. As time passed I got frustrated with no Ov and my doctor told me I was underweight and that if I wanted to Ov needed to gain weight and be at a minimum of 115lbs. I slowly loosened up on LE but not exercise till recently that I was put on Clomid I was walking on the treadmill, but just now dropped all my exercise due to feeling fatigued. I'm now at 114lbs and probably swaying blue since dropping my intense cardio. With all this said PLEASE I advise you to not include intense cardio if you have nothing to spare, unless you want to waste to nothing. You will stop Ov I'm a great example of this . Just my 2 cents of advice;)

[atomic sagebrush]

thank you lovemy2 - I still think you have lots of hope for pink!!

[carmella_marie]

This is what I'm concerned about. I have always been about 120 lbs at 5'4" I don't have much to lose. I think I can lose 15 lb max, since 105 lbs would put me at a BMI of18.5. I really want to incorporate 8 weeks cardio before my attempt but I think that coupled with LE diet would lose too much too fast, what can I do?

[atomic sagebrush]

eat upper level of cals and aim to hold steady on weight instead of lose.

[odd]

I have a q. Does the dat n protein limit change when you add an hour of intense workout??

I am finding it nearly impossible to stay under. I'm usually under 1200 calories if I choose not to go over fat n protein limits. I hope that made sense

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[1morebaby]

Ooo... I like the look of the link about male runners. My OH started running about 3 years ago just after we concieve d our son he is now running 30-50 miles a week with this upping soon as he is going to train for his ultra trial run. I'm happy to see it helps sway pink.

[atomic sagebrush]

I have a q. Does the dat n protein limit change when you add an hour of intense workout??

I am finding it nearly impossible to stay under. I'm usually under 1200 calories if I choose not to go over fat n protein limits. I hope that made sense

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you need to tell me more about the types of things you are eating because something isn't right. It's not difficult to hit 1200 cals and if you can't, you are misunderstanding some fundamental premise of LE Diet.

[Angelin2]

Atomic, I am a physical therapist and I do pilates lessons 3-4 hours a week. I also walk with baby/stroller 45 minutes every day. I would like to TTC pink in september, but I am not sure what to do. BMI is 18.4. I have to continue pilates for sure (my job)... :think: Should I up my daily walk, to power walking and add some extra cardio to get the full 60 mins? Any help would be appreciated, thanks

One more thing, can somebody guide me to the study made on biking and pink sway for DH? Thanks

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes that is exactly what I would do. I would continue your work of course, and then add exercise so you are doing 60 min a day.

Distance running & testosterone (http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0076.htm)

[flowerlily]

Hi Atomic..are we supposed to keep the exercise during the 2ww? I'm still keeping the diet and folic acid and I'm 3dpo. I was doing walk away the pounds 5 mile on YouTube for an hour for the past 7 weeks 6 days a week..thanks.

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[Angelin2]

Thanks Atomic!

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi Atomic..are we supposed to keep the exercise during the 2ww? I'm still keeping the diet and folic acid and I'm 3dpo. I was doing walk away the pounds 5 mile on YouTube for an hour for the past 7 weeks 6 days a week..thanks.

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Yes, I still think you guys should continue int he 2ww and I believe this is perfectly safe to do.

[foxymrsg]

Hi atomic everything you put on here is great!
Wondered if I can ask you something please? I'm trying to get my sway together to start soon and ttc in a few months time for a girl and my DH has decided to start doing weight training again, nothing major just a few light weights in the morning before we all get up and I just wondered if this will effect the sway at all? He was into running but has stopped recently due to a foot injury and the fact he never gets time to go anymore! Lol thanks in advance :)

[atomic sagebrush]

I think running is better for DH but I don't think a little light weight training for DH will hurt anything. You should avoid it tho.

[foxymrsg]

Brill thanks! I'll tell DH to keep it light! I've just got to convince him to do the tighty whiteys lol I know that's what he's going to hate the most! Lol

[Hopingforaprincess]

Does going on a brisk walk for an hour everyday count? Or does it have to be exercise like spinning?? We normally do a 2 mile walk almost every day but we are done in less than an hour.

[atomic sagebrush]

walking is fine as long as you can stretch it to 60 min. After 45 minutes, your body stops burning carbs and starts burning fat/muscle, which seems to sway pink for reasons we can only guess at.

[loobylue]

Ok, I can't actually believe I'm now looking at incorporating exercise but I think I should maybe try. What I want to check is what is considered the minimum amount of exercise to do. Length of time and how many days a week. I have a hectic life, work full time, long journey to and from work, 2 kids to feed, put to bed etc etc so it's going to be tricky but want to explore whether I could somehow manage it.

Walking and swimming are my preferred methods of exercising. How intense do these need to be?

[Rosie85]

Enough to make you sweat and get your heart rate up. 5 to 7 days a week. 60 minutes each time. Walking is fine as long as you power walk or at least walk briskly..like I said enough to sweat and get your heart.going but you don't need to go crazy the entire hour.

[atomic sagebrush]

Intense for YOU and no one else.

We really don't have the answers and they are prob. different for everyone anyway. i came up with the 60 6-7 recommendation just because it is the amount I thought would work for most people, most of the time. But that doesnt' mean you can't get a girl doing less, it's just that I don't think it's as sure a thing.

I don't recommend dropping below 4 days a week exercise and I think going for hte 60 min. is important. If you CAN, start exercise at least 6 weeks before. But these aren't set in stone, just what I think will work.

[daydrmbelievr]

I'm confused - I was at the gym today and I did 33 minutes on the recumbent bike thing that has arm handles that also move (full-body workout), then I moved to the treadmill for 37 more minutes (total of 1:10).
I was at or around my max HR for the majority of the workout.
The HR I used was calculated on the machines based on my age (33), weight (126), time of workout, and the fat loss program selection. It calculated 122 for my target HR.
Is this the right way to train for TTC a girl? I was definitely sweating but not exhausted/overwhelmed my any means. I had the bike at a level 5 and I was switching between jogging and briskly walking on the treadmill (4- 4.7 mph, so not fast).

On another note, are note stroller walks a good TTC pink workout? We live in a very hilly neighborhood, so walks are a great workout (especially when my 3yo wants to get out and run, :giggle:)

[atomic sagebrush]

Don't worry about things like heart rate and how many minutes of this and that you did. Just do some exercise that is intense for you and if possible, enjoyable to you, for 60 minutes. the rest of it is just that obsessive attention to detail type stuff that may sway blue.

Yes yes stroller walks are GREAT. Much better than sitting there worryign about how many mph you are going!!!

[Juultje]

Hi Atomic, is it also a good idea to cycle 4 or 5 times a week for 60 min (at a speed of 25-30 km per hour)? Or should I try to increase the speed and do it at least 6 or 7 times a week? Thank you for answering my question!

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that the exercise needs to be a level that you can sustain without injury or misery for 60 minutes, 6-7 days if you can, 4-5 days is still ok but may not be as much of a sure thing. It doesn't need to be very strenuous, just has to last 60 minutes as many days a week as you can.

[Inforthree]

Hi Atomic - I am a ways out from my girl sway, pretty much a year. But i have a friend who just got a GD with your plan. So I'm very inspired! I'll get a custom plan once I'm closer but I'm wondering about exercise. I am a low to moderate exerciser now, I have two DS. It seems to me that ideally I should start working out moderately and then increasing exercise at the time of my sway. But I am concerned about being able to keep up with the exercise. Either way though, whether I do intense exercise or nothing for my girl sway, is it a good idea to go into the sway with a moderate exercise routine that I change for the sway? Also, how early do you recommend signing up for the plan? Thanks!

[Laurenk1424]

What if you are losing weight regularly anyway? Ive been going to the gym and doing an hour of cardio with 15 mins weights for 6 months now. I still want to lose 20-25 more pounds. Can I continue to go and do my hour of cardio like crazy and drop the weights? Being overweight hasn't been mentioned much and Im curious to how it plays a role. Im 5'9 and wear a size 12/14.

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi Atomic - I am a ways out from my girl sway, pretty much a year. But i have a friend who just got a GD with your plan. So I'm very inspired! I'll get a custom plan once I'm closer but I'm wondering about exercise. I am a low to moderate exerciser now, I have two DS. It seems to me that ideally I should start working out moderately and then increasing exercise at the time of my sway. But I am concerned about being able to keep up with the exercise. Either way though, whether I do intense exercise or nothing for my girl sway, is it a good idea to go into the sway with a moderate exercise routine that I change for the sway? Also, how early do you recommend signing up for the plan? Thanks!

Hi and welcome!

Yes we are having best results easing into exercise so my advice would be to start off whenever you feel it is appropriate and do moderate exercise for now and see how it goes. YOu may hate it at which point you'd just drop it. OR, you may find you enjoy it and increase from there. 6 weeks before you'd need to be prepared to make your decision.

[atomic sagebrush]

What if you are losing weight regularly anyway? Ive been going to the gym and doing an hour of cardio with 15 mins weights for 6 months now. I still want to lose 20-25 more pounds. Can I continue to go and do my hour of cardio like crazy and drop the weights? Being overweight hasn't been mentioned much and Im curious to how it plays a role. Im 5'9 and wear a size 12/14.

IT's mentioned elsewhere like in this thread - big girls, little girls, and baby girls (and boys!!) (http://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/3187-big-girls-little-girls-baby-girls-boys.html)

I think it is less about your weight and more about the weight you lose, your diet, exercise, etc.

YOu are really in the ideal position, Lauren, with a bit of weight to spare but not more than 30 lbs. would keep doing what you're doing but drop the weights (either now or 6 weks before your first planned attempt). I do want you to eat more food than the average becasue you're tall and with the exercise, you may end up stopping ovulation even at a higher weight. WE see this sometimes with taller gals. :)

[Laurenk1424]

Ahhh that makes me smile just to read it may be in my favor! I plan on purchasing my sway pack tonight. We want to ttc in June, is it okay to only do the diet the 21 days prior? I want to lose weight the right way until then. I know the personalized pack will answer lots of these questions. I want to stay healthy to also get the VBAC I want.


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[atomic sagebrush]

NO, you need to be on diet 6 weeks minimum and we re getting best results with 12+ weeks. We have other, more healthful options than the high carb "crash and burn" style LE Diet and many of us have found it's quite easy (almost too easy) to lose weight on them. YOu can find a couple options in this thread, even though it's for PCOS the diets work for anyone and have had quite good results for us too. :)

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/9052-swaying-under-special-circumstances-part-3-pcos.html

[Laurenk1424]

Perfect! Thanks so much. When I purchase my plan later today, will it be customized to me? The meals etc will reflect the info I'm giving you?


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[atomic sagebrush]

If you buy the custom plans then it's customized. We also have the general plans for the same price, but those are for people who just want to get something and be done with it.

We don't do personalized meal plans though. The custom plans are everything BUT meals and then they come with the 6 months of coaching where I work with you every day, as much as need be to get your diet ironed out. Personalized diet plans, we quickly realized, would have to be very expensive and would really limit the number of people I am able to help.

YOu can get the 21 day diet plan and the OPK book as addons for an additional $20 if you want to.

[Laurenk1424]

Im going to get the custom plan... And It says the diet plan is included, is that the same as the 21 diet add on? Sorry for all the questions, I just really want to get this right :)
I'm sure we will be messaging a lot for the next few months haha


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[atomic sagebrush]

No, the diet plan that comes with the sway plan is minimal. the 21 day diet plan is like 80 pages long and has tons of diet info in it.

[Laurenk1424]

Ahh gotcha. I'll see what comes w the plan I bought and if I can figure it out from there lol if not I'll buy the add on. So excited to see what you plan out for me! Thanks Atomic


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[Bluebooties]

Atomic. Is 30 min of weights 4 days a week good enough for blue sway ? And can DH do the same exercises with me ? It will be good to have company to keep me motivated. What should the husbands exercise be like on blue sway ?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes it's perfect!!!

Weight training can be good for DH but he does need to take some care not to gain or lose more than a few lbs as that may affect testosterone negatively.

He also needs to take care to not get his "boys" too hot while he's exercising - no tight fitting jocks and he should stay out of hot tubs and steam saunas afterwards!

[Bluebooties]

And how about 30min in the morning and 30min in the evening of same day ?
I am trying to avoid excersise on weekdays for fear of getting insomnia so i can do two 30 min sessions on sat/sun

[atomic sagebrush]

It is ok (for BLUE, not for pink), but less good than spacing it out a bit more.

Allowing the muscles to rest and repair is an important part of the blue sway. It is not "exercising 4 times in a week" that matters, it's exercising the right way to build muscle and 4 workouts in 2 days is not going to be best.

Would rather see you do just the 30 min. on weekends and nothing during the week than 4x in 2 days. :)

[True Blue]

Bluebooties I started doing weights last year as a practice - I went in giving it too much and overdid it. Gained no real muscle and burned out to the point I stopped doing them.
I started again 8 weeks ago and this time I decided to do what I could and push myself a little further (maybe 10 mins more) and I have gained lots of muscle doing 30 mins weights every other day with a 40 min brisk walk every day inbetween.
It's so much more sustainable :)

[Bluebooties]

Thanks atomic and true blue
I actually did my first day of blue diet ( and i do not like avocados :worry:) and 30min of weights yesterday and i think i can do 4 separate days a week. I like the idea of every other day. That would be nice to give muscles a break

[dreamingofsecondpink]

I have a question on exercise please :)

I have one DD aged 4 and would like to TTC another daughter later in year

My question is with exercise as I am a dancing teacher I teach dancing 6 days a week. Does this count as Cardio? Its very on an off in moderation depending on what we are doing in the lesson, sometimes its just standing there and sometimes its moving whole half hour and sweating. I teach usually 4-5 hours in a row without a break

Yet I am also overweight have always been so not sure my body counts this as exercise?

Recently I have been walking 6 nights a week for 40 minutes on the teadmill which concerns me as is that only counted as 40 minutes or does my dancing teaching count also and therefore put me over the hour?

When I conceived DD I was at my heaviest at that stage in life was about to start dieting but was doing lots of teaching and no additional exercise, do I just go with that again? or stick with my nightly treadmill too?

I am again at my new heaviest point but trying to lose weight through additional treadmill at moment not losing (4 weeks later) so thinking Im actually building muscle?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, it absolutely does count as exercise BUT what we find is that we get best results with at least one round of exercise lasting 60 min. straight if at all possible. But that having been said given that you got your daughter just doing the dancing, I can understand if you would prefer to just do what you're doing! That is a lot of work to have a child, work 6 days a week and exercise on top of that. While I can't say with 100% because I don't see what you're doing, I think you are absolutely fine to continue exactly what you are doing right now.

If you are losing at least a little weight on a lower protein diet, you literally cannot be adding muscle. It's difficult for women to add muscle, it takes a lot of food and weight gain or at the least, holding steady to build muscle.

WHat are you doing on diet?? WE have a couple optional diets that may help you lose some weight (our standard sway diet may make you gain it)

[dpike00]

Hi, Im new. Hubby decided last week he was ready to try for #3-a girl sway. Im 5'4", 117 pounds and all lean muscle. We have 2 boys-ages 3 and 5. I have always worked out for as long as I can rember. I also just got certified and applied to be a group fitness instructor. After DS2 i got into cycling and triathlons. I cant not work out so for my girl sway im thinkng of doing intense cardio. With kids activities this summer i havent worked out as much as usual but still do. Ive started the LE diet, which is such a change since i eat high protien and healthy. In 1.5 weeks i get my IUD removed and in 2 weeks one child starts kindergarten and the other will be in mothers day out 2 days a week. Im thinking i could start training for a half marathon and extend some of my cycling feom 20 miles to 30. But if i get the group exercise insteuctor job ill have to prob. Do some strength teaining and am worried about what to do. I will def. Go down in weights and up my cardio along with the diet and try to lose weight/muscle. I havent lookes at supplements and timing methods but will also try whatever foe the strongest sways there also to offset the workouts.

[atomic sagebrush]

You literally cannot be adding muscle or swaying blue at that level of exercise unless you were eating like 5000 cals a day. It is fine for you to continue doing your job as long as you're on LE Diet and doing cardio every day. :)

[Babywillmake6]

Haven't managed to read the whole thread but have a question atomic, I'm not currently ttc but am starting to prepare myself to, we have 3 boys and will be trying to sway pink. I am wanting to lose a bit of weight and tone up a bit but am reading that isn't progressive to swaying pink so my question is, how long after working my butt off should I leave it before ttc so my testosterone levels have dropped? Thanks ��

[atomic sagebrush]

If you're losing weight it's unlikely that you'll be gaining muscle even with a bit of toning exercise and as long as you're getting up to 60 min a day 6-7 days a week, the toning is fine (unless you're gianing weight and eating tons of protein and cals)

[Babywillmake6]

I'm only managing 30mins at this stage and not sure I could commit to 60mins so I should cut exercise completely right but how long before trying should I? (Could be 12-18months until we start trying)
Thanks :)

[atomic sagebrush]

12-18 months before you start trying, it is irrelevant and doing exercise now is good for overall health. I'd continue with that and see where you are closer to attempt.

Boy moms tend to be planners. Overplanners. It's very unlikely what you are doing 18 months ahead of time is really going to matter much so please just stick with what you enjoy.

[Throwaway_panther]

For anyone reading: I have been lifting heavy weights for 3+ years and am generally stronger than the average woman. I was lifting 4x a week at 30-45 minutes each session when I conceived my daughter.

However, during this time (as it was summer), I was biking a minimum of 60 minutes of intense cycling a week, often 120 minutes of cycling, and also playing wallyball or volleyball for 2-4 hours a week. I was, looking back (since I tracked), exercising 300 or more minutes a week, all on top of minimal calorie intake (sometimes as low as... nothing a day; average of 800-1500 calories otherwise, not including calories burned). Note in all of this that I was struggling with a relapse of my eating disorder. I also only ate, generally, one meal a day (at night), so blood sugar I'm sure was at play.

So, just adding that lifting weights didn't stop me from having a girl, but I had also been doing excessive cardio and eating very minimally!

[atomic sagebrush]

I agree that weight alone cannot "make boys" but diet and exercise work in concert, along with a healthy dose of luck!!!

at LEAST 20% of our boy sways make opposites, and at least 25% of pink sways do. I don't want anyone to look too strongly at one tactic because you very easily may have done everything "right" but still gotten an opposite.

if swaying worked 100% of the time, the clever old wives would have figured it out a long time ago.

[Throwaway_panther]

I agree that weight alone cannot "make boys" but diet and exercise work in concert, along with a healthy dose of luck!!!

at LEAST 20% of our boy sways make opposites, and at least 25% of pink sways do. I don't want anyone to look too strongly at one tactic because you very easily may have done everything "right" but still gotten an opposite.

if swaying worked 100% of the time, the clever old wives would have figured it out a long time ago.

I agree -- I'm just saying that I think everything I did really pointed to a girl sway (that I didn't even realize I was doing!). SO much exercise -- I forgot to add on the hour of mowing the lawn I was doing once a week, too, and my 1-2 mile walks a day... ALL on top of all of that!

TTC blue will actually be a break for me, I'm thinking, haha. I get to eat and work out less? How will I ever deal?!

[Aelyana]

Hi Atomic,

Another boy mom planner here haha. We are ttc in July of next year and I am a complete couch potatoe with little muscle to speak of (except possibly in my arms from lifting my kids which I can't stop doing of course<3). So I am inclined to try exercise for my girl sway (tho honestly not sure how realistic it is given all of my other commitments I am considering to tough it out somehow).

But I was wondering if I try it when I should start to have the most effect?

I was planning on doing LE diet for 12 weeks prior to first attempt. Should I start exercising at the same time? And, also not irrelevant, I would likely need some weeks to work my way up to six-seven days of at least an hour if I want to continue being alive! Do I do that before the 12 weeks?

Thanks for the advice in advance! I am so not sure what I am doing atm tbh

[Scurlys]

We are going to TTC a girl once DS2 is born in April. Running is my general form of exercise I enjoy and after DS1 was born I began training for a half marathon while nursing and lost a lot of weight. I wouldn't say I did intense cardio 6 days a week however. Would walking for an hour 3 days a week (some days pushing double stroller) and running 3 days a week be enough intense cardio? Or should I be doing aerobic DVDs or something else instead?

Also if I am nursing while exercising and swaying what should I do regarding foods?

[atomic sagebrush]

Anyone who can do exercise, should do it. The results over the course of time (since I wrote this essay originally) have been overwhelmingly good.

WE honestly don't know how long you have to exercise for best results. Just don't have the data to say that. I think 6 weeks is enough because that is how long it generally takes to see changes in muscle mass from exercise. But if you're starting off and only have 2 weeks, I STILL think you should do exercise (this bit is new) that is because the results have been so strong that they are worth the "risk" - which has never been proven to be a risk, just something I imagined could be a risk. I would be very cautious with doing the full exercise for 12 long weeks unless you have a fair amount of weight to lose.

[atomic sagebrush]

We are going to TTC a girl once DS2 is born in April. Running is my general form of exercise I enjoy and after DS1 was born I began training for a half marathon while nursing and lost a lot of weight. I wouldn't say I did intense cardio 6 days a week however. Would walking for an hour 3 days a week (some days pushing double stroller) and running 3 days a week be enough intense cardio? Or should I be doing aerobic DVDs or something else instead?

Also if I am nursing while exercising and swaying what should I do regarding foods?

Hi and welcome!

Walking is a fine form of exercise. I want you guys to be really cautious about running right after you have a baby. The relaxin hormone is still in your system (this is what enables your ligaments to stretch to give birth) and it can make you way more likely to get injured. I would probably have you stick to walking unless you are super fit for at least the first 6 months. Beyond that just do what you enjoy and works for you.

I want you at absolute max calories - 1800-2000, 50-60 g protein, 50-60 g fat (and increase cals if weight flies off)

[Aelyana]

Thanks atomic! I will incorporate exercise. One more question: would an hour of brisk walking with a stroller count? I do that quite a bit and that would be doable. It doesn't necessarily make me break a swear tho.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes that is actually my preference. :agree: no worries about breaking a sweat, that is not necessary

[Inhope]

I have some worries about exercise -
I want to do the perfect pink sway (of course:) ) I'm a typical control freak type, who wants to do everything perfect and get very stressed when things don't become like I want them to be.

I'm going to start the LE-diet about a month (12 weeks before the first attempt). My BMI is about 18 so I don't have any weight to loose. I have already done some changes in my diet. I have also increased my exercise to 1 h brisk walk about 6 days a week, and starting to realise that the exercise part going to be the hardest part in my sway.


I'm so focused on doing everything right, and I know that it's sways blue...
I think that I could manage the diet without to much stress and control-freak-iness but to make time and energy to walk 1 h 6 or 7 days a week I'm afraid is going to give me a lot of stress. If I manage to do it (and I will if I decide to) I probably going to be very stressed about it and my desire to do it right. And it will also make me very satisfied with myself that I really do everything I can (swaycess?). If I don't do the exercise I will be stressed about not doing the sway optimal, do you know how I mean?

So either way it's a problem, right?! What do you think it's the best/worst option? If it's ok to be stressed and a controll freak about the exercise (and swaycessing afterwards) and it still going to make my sway better then leaving it out I'm really going to give it a try! Is it anyone else who feel like this?

(I hope you understand my English, it's not my first language)

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, the worst thing you can do is start stressing about having stress. Do you see how that just makes matters worse?

The exercise has been great. There's no denying it. We can debate about who had failed sways because of this, that, the other thing, being a control freak, or whatever, but exercise has had darn good results. So as a general rule it's best to do the exercise if you can. You'll get used to it over time and it will become a lifestyle thing.

Your weight is by far and away more a reason to not exercise than stress. YOu will need to up cals accordingly and I'd probably start off with 4 days a week on the exercise and see how it goes. If weight flies off anyway, it's ok to drop it.

All that having been said I did not exercise and still got a girl. not I nor anyone can tell you what would give you the best odds, all I can do is look back at what has worked the most often for others, and that is exercising. But that doesn't mean you have to do it or even that you should. :)

Good luck and pink dust!!

[Marileigh]

So, I thoug I had the exercise figured out and now I'm confused?? I'm 5'4, 115lbs, almost no muscle and pretty out of shape. I've been aiming to ride bike 30 min a day, 4-5 days per week. Is this a good idea or should I just drop it altogether??

So sorry for all the questions today!

[Throwaway_panther]

I have some worries about exercise -
I want to do the perfect pink sway (of course:) ) I'm a typical control freak type, who wants to do everything perfect and get very stressed when things don't become like I want them to be.

I'm going to start the LE-diet about a month (12 weeks before the first attempt). My BMI is about 18 so I don't have any weight to loose. I have already done some changes in my diet. I have also increased my exercise to 1 h brisk walk about 6 days a week, and starting to realise that the exercise part going to be the hardest part in my sway.


I'm so focused on doing everything right, and I know that it's sways blue...
I think that I could manage the diet without to much stress and control-freak-iness but to make time and energy to walk 1 h 6 or 7 days a week I'm afraid is going to give me a lot of stress. If I manage to do it (and I will if I decide to) I probably going to be very stressed about it and my desire to do it right. And it will also make me very satisfied with myself that I really do everything I can (swaycess?). If I don't do the exercise I will be stressed about not doing the sway optimal, do you know how I mean?

So either way it's a problem, right?! What do you think it's the best/worst option? If it's ok to be stressed and a controll freak about the exercise (and swaycessing afterwards) and it still going to make my sway better then leaving it out I'm really going to give it a try! Is it anyone else who feel like this?

(I hope you understand my English, it's not my first language)

So take what I say with a grain of salt, but for fellow crazy Type A stress-mongers like myself: I got a girl. I had all that sort of stress right before conceiving my DD, but not with swaying (since I didn't know about it). I was OBSESSED with getting pregnant, obsessed with getting to the lowest weight I could before gaining weight with pregnancy (I have an ED). I had to control everything. My SIL had literally just told me she was pregnant again right around when I was ovulating, and I don't think I can accurately convey how competitive and determined I was to GET THAT EGG, haha.

So what I'm saying is: I have all the personality markers for having a boy. The stress, the perfectionism, the focus on doing everything right. There's some quiz based on Travers study* (I know I'm misremembering this) on here somewhere that predicts what the sex of your child would be on how your personality was around conception: I took it and I had a 95% chance of a boy based on just that, haha.

But I had a very LE lifestyle and exercised a ton. I think those factors trump personality and stress dramatically.

The real issue for you would be less stress and more not losing weight, imo. Like atomic said, the cardio seems like a big girl sway tactic, and I have to agree.

[Scurlys]

Thank you so much!
How far in advance should I start the exercise program before TTC and sway pink? I'm remaining active this pregnancy and once I get clearance will start exercising after delivery but when should I start aiming for 6x a week for an hour?

Also I'm most likely going to buy a plan to conceive this time. But I have questions regarding them and what might be the best fit for me considering I'll be nursing and just have had a baby and a vegetarian. Is there a way to submit questions to you to see what would be a best fit?

[Inhope]

Well, the worst thing you can do is start stressing about having stress. Do you see how that just makes matters worse?

The exercise has been great. There's no denying it. We can debate about who had failed sways because of this, that, the other thing, being a control freak, or whatever, but exercise has had darn good results. So as a general rule it's best to do the exercise if you can. You'll get used to it over time and it will become a lifestyle thing.

Your weight is by far and away more a reason to not exercise than stress. YOu will need to up cals accordingly and I'd probably start off with 4 days a week on the exercise and see how it goes. If weight flies off anyway, it's ok to drop it.

All that having been said I did not exercise and still got a girl. not I nor anyone can tell you what would give you the best odds, all I can do is look back at what has worked the most often for others, and that is exercising. But that doesn't mean you have to do it or even that you should. :)

Good luck and pink dust!!

Thanks! I'm already feeling less stressed about it after reading this! I'm really going to give it a try and keep up with my 1 h brisk walking at least 5 or 6 times a week, as long I don't loose to much weight, if I do I happily just eat some more candy :) wouldn't that be enough to prevent further weight loss?

I have always walked a lot, but more like 30 minutes here and there. I always try to walk or take the bike instead of taking the car when I'm going somewhere.

[Inhope]

So take what I say with a grain of salt, but for fellow crazy Type A stress-mongers like myself: I got a girl. I had all that sort of stress right before conceiving my DD, but not with swaying (since I didn't know about it). I was OBSESSED with getting pregnant, obsessed with getting to the lowest weight I could before gaining weight with pregnancy (I have an ED). I had to control everything. My SIL had literally just told me she was pregnant again right around when I was ovulating, and I don't think I can accurately convey how competitive and determined I was to GET THAT EGG, haha.

So what I'm saying is: I have all the personality markers for having a boy. The stress, the perfectionism, the focus on doing everything right. There's some quiz based on Travers study* (I know I'm misremembering this) on here somewhere that predicts what the sex of your child would be on how your personality was around conception: I took it and I had a 95% chance of a boy based on just that, haha.

But I had a very LE lifestyle and exercised a ton. I think those factors trump personality and stress dramatically.

The real issue for you would be less stress and more not losing weight, imo. Like atomic said, the cardio seems like a big girl sway tactic, and I have to agree.

Thanks for sharing this, I really appreciate it! It's really good to hear that I'm not alone with my type of personality ;) Like I wrote earlier I already feel less stressed about it, just by reading what you wrote! I'm really going to give it a try and keep up with 1 h brisk walk, 5-7 days a week.

What kind of ED did you have? if you don't mind I'm asking?! Did you recover from it when you get pg?

[atomic sagebrush]

So, I thoug I had the exercise figured out and now I'm confused?? I'm 5'4, 115lbs, almost no muscle and pretty out of shape. I've been aiming to ride bike 30 min a day, 4-5 days per week. Is this a good idea or should I just drop it altogether??

So sorry for all the questions today!

If you have PCOS or insulin resistance or more than 30-50 lbs to lose, this amount of exercise is ok. Everyone else it is best to do 60 min. at least 4 times a week.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you so much!
How far in advance should I start the exercise program before TTC and sway pink? I'm remaining active this pregnancy and once I get clearance will start exercising after delivery but when should I start aiming for 6x a week for an hour?

Also I'm most likely going to buy a plan to conceive this time. But I have questions regarding them and what might be the best fit for me considering I'll be nursing and just have had a baby and a vegetarian. Is there a way to submit questions to you to see what would be a best fit?

You just need the personalized plan. That's all. there's really only two options, the personalized plan and the plan that isn't personalized for people who just want to buy something right away. then you can decide if you want the diet and books too or not. :) With a personalized plan I'd then make your plan to take into account your nursing and stuff.

I would want you to wait at least 3 months before starting the intense exercise.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks! I'm already feeling less stressed about it after reading this! I'm really going to give it a try and keep up with my 1 h brisk walking at least 5 or 6 times a week, as long I don't loose to much weight, if I do I happily just eat some more candy :) wouldn't that be enough to prevent further weight loss?

I have always walked a lot, but more like 30 minutes here and there. I always try to walk or take the bike instead of taking the car when I'm going somewhere.

Yes just eat more if you lose weight. Not just candy, eat good foods too. :)

Usually when people get into trouble with exercise, they are running and eating very low cals too.

[Throwaway_panther]

Thanks for sharing this, I really appreciate it! It's really good to hear that I'm not alone with my type of personality ;) Like I wrote earlier I already feel less stressed about it, just by reading what you wrote! I'm really going to give it a try and keep up with 1 h brisk walk, 5-7 days a week.

What kind of ED did you have? if you don't mind I'm asking?! Did you recover from it when you get pg?

I had anorexia nervosa; I was at my worst in my teens, including a brief stint in a juvenile psychiatric ward, but it had been more or less managed for several years. I started to relapse in the spring before we conceived my DD (I conceived her in the fall) because I knew we were going to start trying in the summer and quickly became obsessed with getting to a low weight through unhealthy means because I was so scared of the pregnancy weight gain.

I more or less was forced to recover in pregnancy, because that weight gain happened no matter how much I ate :P

Now the real struggle is keeping those unhealthy thoughts and habits at bay postpartum, since I want to have a boy!

[Inhope]

I had anorexia nervosa; I was at my worst in my teens, including a brief stint in a juvenile psychiatric ward, but it had been more or less managed for several years. I started to relapse in the spring before we conceived my DD (I conceived her in the fall) because I knew we were going to start trying in the summer and quickly became obsessed with getting to a low weight through unhealthy means because I was so scared of the pregnancy weight gain.

I more or less was forced to recover in pregnancy, because that weight gain happened no matter how much I ate :P

Now the real struggle is keeping those unhealthy thoughts and habits at bay postpartum, since I want to have a boy!

Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your blue sway :)

[Inhope]

Would it be ok if I walk, let say 15 minutes, then stop by at the grocery store to quickly buy some food etc for about 10 minutes, (I will continue to walk in the store, but not so fast though :) ) and then continue with 45 minutes brisk walk. I would in other words be active for 1 hour and 10 minutes but only do the brisk walk for 1 h. I guess that what I'm wondering is if it ok to take a 10 minutes (active) shopping at the start or the end of the exercise, and then continue the exercise (brisk walk)? Do you understand how I mean?

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that's fine provided you aren't having a snack in the middle of the exercise. :)

[Scurlys]

You just need the personalized plan. That's all. there's really only two options, the personalized plan and the plan that isn't personalized for people who just want to buy something right away. then you can decide if you want the diet and books too or not. :) With a personalized plan I'd then make your plan to take into account your nursing and stuff.

I would want you to wait at least 3 months before starting the intense exercise.



Thank you! So I know I'm buying the right plan, how much is the personalized plan? And also if I'm due at the end of April when should I buy the plan to try to start to conceive again? We would like our next baby close in age to the second so should I wait 3mo to even buy the plan or buy it a little earlier and start the plan after 3mo after delivery since then I know it's a few weeks before TTC on the plan?

[atomic sagebrush]

All the plans are $79. You need to look for the one that says "personalized" or "custom".

It's up to you when to buy, most people want to give it 3 months before TTC and then 3 months WHILE TTC (with my coaching). But some people have bought it quite far in advance of TTC to get everything ironed out when it's easier for them. Totally up to you. no right or wrong way to do it.

[beverlyjune]

What's the thoughts on yoga? This thread is so long. I don't exercise often. Walk about 10,000 steps at work but that's not a daily basis because I don't work every day since I'm a nurse. I love yoga and I could really stand to lose weight but I don't wanna sway boy. I wonder if I just do yoga and then stop before TTC and do no exercise. I'm so confused!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yoga for stretching and relaxation is fine. I'd avoid the musclebuilding kinds though.

[Scurlys]

All the plans are $79. You need to look for the one that says "personalized" or "custom".

It's up to you when to buy, most people want to give it 3 months before TTC and then 3 months WHILE TTC (with my coaching). But some people have bought it quite far in advance of TTC to get everything ironed out when it's easier for them. Totally up to you. no right or wrong way to do it.


Thank you. Two last questions:
1. My son is due the end of April. How long should the LE diet, supplements etc be taken BEFORE TTC? I think that would help me determine how far in advance to purchase the plan. Also how long do you do intense exercise before TTC?

2. If the plan is a 6mo plan and 3mo of it is what needs to be done before TTC (assuming you need 12 weeks before TTC) that only leaves 3mo of the plan while actually trying to conceive. If it takes longer than 3mo to actually conceive would it be safe to assume that what was outlined in the plan (in my case foods to eat etc while nursing, exercise program, supplements) would be the same after and it's just taking longer than 3mo to conceive?

[atomic sagebrush]

1) 12 weeks if you can. I prefer that you guys not start swaying immediately after birth though (especially if breastfeeding) Both for your sake and for your nursing baby.

2)I nearly always have people drop stuff over time (so yes, I'd change things after 3 months) but remember I"m still available even if you don't want to renew the coaching. You always have the option of asking questions in the free forums or via PM even if your coaching has run out. I'm still here for you, just that it may sometimes take me a day or two longer.

[Scurlys]

1) 12 weeks if you can. I prefer that you guys not start swaying immediately after birth though (especially if breastfeeding) Both for your sake and for your nursing baby.

2)I nearly always have people drop stuff over time (so yes, I'd change things after 3 months) but remember I"m still available even if you don't want to renew the coaching. You always have the option of asking questions in the free forums or via PM even if your coaching has run out. I'm still here for you, just that it may sometimes take me a day or two longer.

Thank you! If my baby is due end of April, how long do you recommend until we start trying again? Or I guess I should ask how long should we wait until we begin the 12 weeks prep before swaying? We ideally want our next two babies close in age like less than 2 years apart.

[atomic sagebrush]

6-9 months at the earliest. If you're not nursing you can start earlier. If you are nursing, hitting it too hard, too soon with diet is not only not great for your milk supply/quality but also backfires for your sway because it makes it take longer for your cycle to come back.

[Scurlys]

6-9 months at the earliest. If you're not nursing you can start earlier. If you are nursing, hitting it too hard, too soon with diet is not only not great for your milk supply/quality but also backfires for your sway because it makes it take longer for your cycle to come back.

Oh yes I forgot about my period haha. That would be useful to get back before TTC again. Is it true I can take Vitex to help get my period back sooner? Then I could start the 12 week process before TTC?

[Scurlys]

6-9 months at the earliest. If you're not nursing you can start earlier. If you are nursing, hitting it too hard, too soon with diet is not only not great for your milk supply/quality but also backfires for your sway because it makes it take longer for your cycle to come back.


In addition to my Vitex question, should I basically start the 12 week plan as soon a second my period starts back for best chances to have my next kid close in age? After my first son I didn't get my period for 9mo but I was also running a LOT (training for a half marathon) and lost a lot of weight fast. As soon as my race was over and I decreased running my period came back. I'm HOPING my period comes back sooner because I heard nursing helps sway pink and I wanted to use that to my advantage as this third baby will be our last and we really really really want a girl.

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh yes I forgot about my period haha. That would be useful to get back before TTC again. Is it true I can take Vitex to help get my period back sooner? Then I could start the 12 week process before TTC?

Mixed results. Some people have tried it (myself included) but if your period isn't about to come back then it won't work anyway. I'd wait to try it til you've had some signs that your body is thinking about it, if then even. Some people, it's been as if the vitex actually made it take even longer.

Doing LE Diet and exercise may make it take longer too (just like training for a marathon). I'd not even try the vitex before 6-9 month mark and be very sure you're getting 50-60 g fat!!

[chocolate]

Im 6 weeks out from my attempt. I have been doing 60 mins of cardio sometimes 3 times a week, sometimes 5 days a week. It can be very random. The machine at the gym does show I have been loosing muscle mass when I loose weight. I still feel quite toned in my legs and bum though as I dont have much fat there at all and even the stepper machine and bike makes them toned. I do have Pcos tendencies of some sort. The week or 2 before my attempt I can try to increase my exercise to 5 or 6 times a week. I actually was eating more on my work out days too so Ill stop that. Does it sound ok to continue doing an hour of cardio if only just a few times a week still?

[Scurlys]

Mixed results. Some people have tried it (myself included) but if your period isn't about to come back then it won't work anyway. I'd wait to try it til you've had some signs that your body is thinking about it, if then even. Some people, it's been as if the vitex actually made it take even longer.

Doing LE Diet and exercise may make it take longer too (just like training for a marathon). I'd not even try the vitex before 6-9 month mark and be very sure you're getting 50-60 g fat!!



Thank you. So would it be recommended to have baby and wait until I get my period and THEN buy a plan (I feel like my period will take at least 6-9mo to come back cause it did last time)? Be on LE diet that's prescribed to me for 12 weeks before TTC?(so I would basically start trying to have another baby the EARLIEST at 9mo ppd but looks more like a year) And pray and have faith we conceive haha.
Does that sound like a safe, reasonable plan considering I will be nursing as well?

And once I'm cleared by my Dr to exercise again is it ok to do normal exercises with weights to build muscle or should I not at all since I want to sway pink? And just stick with cardio? Yoga? Pilates? Running? Body-weight training?

[atomic sagebrush]

AS long as you're losing weight (or even holding steady) it's really hard for women to be adding muscle (some say impossible). You will look toned but it's because you've lost fat.

Keep doing what you're doing, choc!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you. So would it be recommended to have baby and wait until I get my period and THEN buy a plan (I feel like my period will take at least 6-9mo to come back cause it did last time)? Be on LE diet that's prescribed to me for 12 weeks before TTC?(so I would basically start trying to have another baby the EARLIEST at 9mo ppd but looks more like a year) And pray and have faith we conceive haha.
Does that sound like a safe, reasonable plan considering I will be nursing as well?

And once I'm cleared by my Dr to exercise again is it ok to do normal exercises with weights to build muscle or should I not at all since I want to sway pink? And just stick with cardio? Yoga? Pilates? Running? Body-weight training?

It's totally up to you. I have people buy plans when pregnant and others wait. Totally about what will work better for you. But yes no matter what I'd want you to hold off to start diet until 6-9 months because it's better for your body and your nursing baby!

RE weights - as a general rule I have pink swayers avoid weights, with one exception...if you need to use light weights to get your heartrate up. Some people who are very fit or have a history of athletics may need to use light weights to actually work themselves in an exercise zone they feel comfortable with But if you don't need the weights, skip it and walk or do other cardio.

[Scurlys]

It's totally up to you. I have people buy plans when pregnant and others wait. Totally about what will work better for you. But yes no matter what I'd want you to hold off to start diet until 6-9 months because it's better for your body and your nursing baby!

RE weights - as a general rule I have pink swayers avoid weights, with one exception...if you need to use light weights to get your heartrate up. Some people who are very fit or have a history of athletics may need to use light weights to actually work themselves in an exercise zone they feel comfortable with But if you don't need the weights, skip it and walk or do other cardio.


Thank you. My husband and I talked and after the information you gave us we won't start trying to have another baby until our second is a year old. Before we start trying would it be ok to do my regular exercise routine (running, weights, yoga) and then just drop down to cardio once we are doing the sway?

Also regarding workouts ok with swaying, is kickboxing acceptable or does that encourage building too much muscle? I'm trying to find DVDs that I could use for an hour when I can't get outside to run or walk for an hour when swaying. What about step aerobics programs?

[atomic sagebrush]

I'd avoid kickboxing just because of the "testosterone" idea, that your body thinks it's fighting and may raise T levels accordingly.

I think it's fine to do your normal exercise at first and then stop and go to cardio. I don't KNOW that as fact, that is just my gut instinct.


Step can build some muscle but the thing is as long s you're losing a bit of weight, you can't be building muscle. I know some people did stepping and got girls, others got boys, so no real vibe for how it sways.

[blessedmama2]

I'm a big exerciser, but definitely more of a boy sway. I know I can't get that much time at the gym needed to sway girl, so I'm going to go the couch potato route. What about fast walking 30 mins a day? Does that still count as couch potato?


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[atomic sagebrush]

Here's the thing though blessedmama - exercise has gotten SUCH better results than couch potato that I just HAVE to urge everyone to exercise now. Even if you can't get up to the full amount, the results are just so clear that I think it's worth the risk of doing less than optimal exercise.

I picked the 60 6-7 recommendation to some extent arbitrarily as an amount of exercise that would work for everyone all the time (even those not good on diet, or not even DOING diet.) I have no evidence that less exercise will wreck a sway, esp. along with diet. I just don't like to see anyone who has been exercising, stop exercising, since for all we know that could even be worse. (BUT anyone who is not doing anything, I would not have you START doing only mod. exercise, this advice is only for people who are already exercising) I would have you continue doing what you're doing and then just try your best to get as much in as you can.

[blessedmama2]

Ok great, because I really have to exercise for sanity[emoji6] I do pretty intense DVDs (circuit training with very small weights about 3 days a week-only 20 to 30 mins though) and power walk with a double stroller 2-3 days a week. I will try to get the duration of my workouts up. Thank you!


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[Scurlys]

I'd avoid kickboxing just because of the "testosterone" idea, that your body thinks it's fighting and may raise T levels accordingly.

I think it's fine to do your normal exercise at first and then stop and go to cardio. I don't KNOW that as fact, that is just my gut instinct.


Step can build some muscle but the thing is as long s you're losing a bit of weight, you can't be building muscle. I know some people did stepping and got girls, others got boys, so no real vibe for how it sways.


Hmmm I don't want to do anything that is a maybe or controversial haha. I want to make sure I do my best. So besides walking and running outside with or without a stroller what cardio workout can I do at home on a DVD when I need to do it because of bad weather or cause I can't get outside? We might also buy an elliptical - is an elliptical girl safe?

I think since we won't be trying for a year I'll do my usual workouts until at least 12 weeks before with the sway, maybe even further out to have some cushion, but once I sway I'll drop ALL weights, Pilates and yoga. Is that pretty safe?

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, it's all maybes. Sorry, I know it sucks, but it's the truth. :/ I just don't have the info to tell you because unless I'd been able to run experiments with lots of different people doing lots of different things, I'd just be making it up.

A lot of people did Zumba or other dancy-type things like that. They have some dancy workouts on Youtube, Blogilates has some that are more dance ones and less musclebuilding.

If you get an elliptical and set it on lowest setting so you aren't building muscle.

I think that's fine, I can't say about what is "best" since I just don't have the data to say.

[plasticserenity]

Hopefully this is the right place to ask this!

I started LE diet and loooads of exercise at the beginning of March and I did 3 weeks of doing awesome! I did 60 mins of cardio for 20 out of 21 days, went full veggie and stuck to the low protein and fat, and honestly I felt pretty good (it's kind of a great diet even without the swaying aspect!).

But on Friday I fell off the wagon hard. It's now Wednesday and I haven't done any exercise for almost a week (and the diet flew out of the window too, I mean it really hasn't been pretty!). I'm not even sure why - I didn't feel too deprived and was quite enjoying it!

Anyway - I planned to do 12 weeks of LE diet and loads of exercise before we thought about TTC. And I know that a day off here and there wouldn't have hurt TOO much. But with it being 5 days off the wagon, have I completely undone the hard work I did for those 3 great weeks?

I have thought about swapping from loads of exercise to zero exercise, but I would still inevitably do a little (I love some of the classes and walks I do!) and I would probably end up swaying blue anyway by moderate exercise.

According to the scales my weight didn't change much (might have gone up by half a pound ish) but I don't know if I'm better off saying my 12 weeks starts now, or just counting this past week as a bit of a blip.

I suspect the answer is going to be "the longer the better" and I know shorter times on the LE lifestyle still get okay results. But even if somebody just throws me a "hang in there" then I could use the internet-support from you awesome folks <3

[atomic sagebrush]

NO, you haven't undone it, just pick it up and start again. Do just hang in there, you are doing better than you think.

Question - are you in your LP by any chance?? Many of us find a sudden waning in willpower during this time period and it is totally normal for that to happen. Scientists have tested it and found that we even do things like spend more money during our LP!! Progesterone makes your willpower lessen! Weird, huh?

[plasticserenity]

Thanks for the boost Atomic, I know I can get back on the wagon. Just frustrating that I sabotage myself when I actually WANT to do it, you know?

That is so interesting about willpower and LP! You have some awesome knowledge :) I wish I actually knew if I was in my LP - I have the Mirena and so no AF for over a year now (not having it taken out until we're ready to TTC around June time). I've been using OPKs but unfortunately missed a few days when I was "off the wagon" so not sure if I have missed ovulation. Just started temping so will soon have more data there and trying to take notice of CM more. From what I've read, most women who have Mirena will still ovulate but without AF I'm finding it really difficult to identify my cycle!

It does sound like a very plausible reason for my willpower issue though, it did seem to come from nowhere!

[blessedmama2]

I have a somewhat complicated question...

I've always been a big exerciser. I was in really good shape when I conceived DS1, and had not worked out for about 9 mos when I conceived DS2(DS1 was 6 mo old.) I had finally gotten back to the shape I was in before my first one. Well I have had to stop working out this month due to pelvic/IT band issues. I'm planning on TTC in June. Should I continue couch potato now that I'm out of shape (already[emoji57]), or should I try again when I get better, knowing I might have to stop again (this is a recurring issue)? Would the starting/stopping sway blue?


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[atomic sagebrush]

I'm sorry, this is one of those things that I really just don't have an answer to. I wish I did.

My gut instinct, because exercise has gotten such stellar and consistent results for us, is to have you pick it back up again. It's just been so much better than couch potato that I think it's worth it to try and include even when it doesn't work out quite according to plan.

[blessedmama2]

I'm sorry, this is one of those things that I really just don't have an answer to. I wish I did.

My gut instinct, because exercise has gotten such stellar and consistent results for us, is to have you pick it back up again. It's just been so much better than couch potato that I think it's worth it to try and include even when it doesn't work out quite according to plan.

Thank you so much...I think it's amazing that you take the time to answer everyone's question!!


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[atomic sagebrush]

You're welcome! I really want you guys to get your dream babies!

[Happy Mom]

Hi ladies,

I have been creeping a lot of these chats and I have to say that you are all such amazing people. The support and encouragement has made me come out of my shell and decide to buy the diet plan and jump on the pink sway.

Now, a quick question. I am planning on conceiving starting in August. I have started over the past 2 weeks the LE diet (getting my plan soon) and doing 60-70 min a day on the treadmill. I wear my fit bit when running and in 60 min or so I tend to burn 450-500 calories, get 4.5-5 miles in and my heart rate ranges from 125-155 (i have to take some fast pace walking breaks because I am not at the run for 60 min a day yet... I may never get there. Lol)

So do you think that is enough or should I push a little harder. I am very use to doing a 'blue' style workout.. about 45 min with weighs And cardio mixed. So I just want to make sure this is more on the pink scale.

Also, the calories that you burn, should you be adding that much extra food to your day. (To reach the 1,500-1,800) or do you eat that required calories and not add the burned calories?

Thanks again everyone for all the encouragement! I'm excited to try this pink sway thing! [emoji5]


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