During pregnancy, your body begins to secrete a hormone called relaxin. This hormone doesn’t exactly quell one’s nerves or reduce stress but it does relax muscles, tendons and ligaments. All muscles attach to bones via tendons which transmit the pull or contraction of your muscles to your skeleton, causing motion. Ligaments are very tough and inelastic and attach bones to bones – literally holding us together. Ligaments are not designed to stretch or contract, but to hold and stabilize our joints. Ideally, we want to stretch our muscles and tendons so that we have flexibility – without stretching our ligaments.

During pregnancy, this can be tricky because relaxin may make it possible for you to do poses that actually stretch ligaments. The danger of stretching ligaments is that they, unlike muscles and tendons will not regain their previous tone if overstretched or torn. Once stretched, they remain loose and create ‘double jointed’ phenomena or chronic sprains in the joint that’s been destabilized. Muscles can compensate and protect a joint that’s been overstretched, but as we age and lose muscle tone, this weakness has a tendency to show up as a back that ‘goes out’ easily or sacral joints that don’t stay in place causing symptoms like sciatica.

One of the challenges of doing yoga is that we all tend to enjoy certain postures more than others – usually the ones that are easier for us. On our own, we’re tempted to do the postures that we like and skip the ones that are harder or less appealing. A professional yoga instructor is trained to guide you through a series of postures that not only stretches, but tones, builds strength, balance, increases vitality through breath work and calms the nervous system for mental, emotional and spiritual benefits. That’s why it’s always important to do yoga with a qualified and attentive professional, but never more so than during the profound changes associated with pregnancy.

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Health & Fitness

Rather than focusing on a need to lose weight, make a mental adjustment to increase as many healthy habits as you can into your weekly routines.

* When shopping, shop from the outside in, getting most of your calories from fresh fruit, veggies, whole grains, meat and fish.

* Upgrade wherever you can to organic for higher quality food that is better for your body and better for the planet.

* Get with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They can be accessed online at www.dietaryguidelines.gov and make for interesting reading, even if you don’t agree with all recommendations.

* Reduce meals out in favor of simple favorites shared with friends. This trend builds intimacy and if you have 3 or 4 other family members or friends that you want to spend more time with, consider sharing dinners on a specific night where the goal is keeping the food simple, affordable and uniquely flavorful.

* Add a completely new exercise experience to jump start your excitement about staying fit. Try joining a Latin inspired dance class, swing dance, line dancing, martial arts, or rock climbing class at a gym. Whatever your fitness level allows you, find a way to add more play and include your spouse, kids, colleagues or friends to pump up the fun.

* If you’ve never used a personal trainer, sign up for a few sessions to get an overhaul on bad habits and more clear understanding of what your health goals should be.

* If you haven’t had a massage since a cruise 5 years ago, treat yourself to some deep tissue, shiatsu or even watsu (water massage) to shed stress all the way down to a cellular level.

Social Connections & Closeness

While many of the activities suggested in our Health category overlap with social time, nurturing your primary relationship is likely to give you the biggest boost for even a small investment. If your sex life with your partner has been withering under longer work hours and financial stress, then it may be time to create little romantic getaways, right in your own home, in your own town.

* Do something you just haven’t made time for in awhile, like going to a Borders and browsing the travel section fantasizing about places you’d like to go. Listen to music, searching out some favorite songs from way back and share them, along with a scrumptious desert.

* Visit an Irish Pub or local upscale bar that has live music and describe five things you really appreciate about each other over some new draft ales.

* Make time to talk in a stress free environment. Go for a walk beside running water. Pack an odd picnic of favorite snacks and visit a museum or historical site in your city that you’ve never been to before.

* Make an effort to say ‘thank you’ for all the little things that you’ve come to take for granted – and seal it with a kiss…

Make a Difference

I think the saddest thing is at the end of one’s life to look back and reflect that nothing you did made much of a difference. Of course, that’s never really true because our lives are part of an infinitely complex fabric where even a simple smile or word of kindness can provide the spark that changes a day in the life of someone you love dearly, or barely know. The great art of living that some people have, is simply knowing how to make those moments, how to seize opportunities – both big and small to make a difference.

* Reach out and speak to strangers, ask them about themselves and be interested in what they say.

* Choose a younger person in your life and make an effort to provide some guidance or inspiration that you wish you’d been given at their age.

* Break the mold of what you’re comfortable with and try volunteering at a homeless shelter or church where services are provided for the needy.

* Think of one thing that you could do to help someone elderly in your family or among your acquaintances. They may need help setting up a computer that’s been in a box for 3 years or getting leaves out of their drains, or just driven to a senior center once a week to get a hot meal and some fellowship.

No matter where you live, there’s someone in need near you. For the price of a sandwich and a coffee, you can be a hero in someone’s day and for the price of your time and caring, you can change a life. Do it today and you’ll discover that adage that ’tis more blessed to give than to receive, is really right on.

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