The Exercise Enigma - both genders
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/gend...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