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[G201]Get Your Body Busy

by Dustin Cannon, Dus

Even your obstetrician is not going to be able to give you a pregnancy due date calendar that's exact. That baby of yours has a mind of her or his own. A pregnancy calendar can help you make a fairly accurate guesstimate of your due date, however.

There are two ways in which you can use the due date calendar for your pregnancy schedule. You can enter the first day of your last menstrual period into the calendar and then calculate the delivery date forward. The results of working this due date calendar give you several important points of your pregnancy schedule. You'll know not only the probable date you conceived, but the end of your first trimester, the date by which you should be starting your birthing classes, the end of your pregnancy's second trimester, and the best estimate of your date of delivery.

Once your doctor is able to estimate your delivery date you can also use this due date information to let the calendar help you estimate your pregnancy conception date.

Once you've used the due date pregnancy calendar to determine where you are in your pregnancy, you'll be able to know what your baby is doing at each point. In your first month your baby develops a circulatory system that works, and her or his spinal cord closes. Motor activity develops the next month, and the baby develops her or his nervous system as well. At the same time the heart's four valves and the circulatory system starts its development. Once you're sure you're ending your first trimester, for instance, you'll know that your baby is able to jerk her or his body and flex her legs and arms. He'll also weigh about the same as a common letter size envelope - less than one ounce.

Once you know you're in your fourth month you'll know as well that your baby is about six inches long and has fingernails and toenails. His or her legs and feet are completely shaped and her hair has stared to grow.

By what your pregnancy due date calendar determines is the end of your second trimester your baby has grown to 12 inches long, has a working inner ear and can grasp with her thumb. One month later the baby's sense of taste has developed, and a month later the lungs are working. During these last two months the baby's weight triples. While the accurate calendar due date pregnancy is 40 weeks in length the common range is anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks after conception.

What could be more frustrating than the interruption of your creative flow by an uninvited headache, back spasm, dullness of mind or the "shakes"?

I once heard the expression that as a guitar player, I'm a "small muscle athlete" ? meaning I need to warm up those muscles and treat them well. Perhaps as artists we're ALL small muscle athletes. After all, we do need a good measure of physical endurance to get through our creative tasks.

Whether it's sitting hunched over an easel, the repetitive movements of playing a musical instrument, the stamina to stand and walk on stage throughout an entire show or sitting at a computer keyboard for most of the day, our creative tools all require the use of the body.

To keep that body strong and resilient takes daily attention.

Day-to-day self-care practices such as getting enough sleep, eating three healthy and balanced meals that are evenly timed throughout the day (plus healthy snacks if you need them), moving your body actively and drinking enough water are all essential for taking care of your body.

Taking care of the body also affects the mind. Fatigue, malnutrition, inactivity and dehydration will all have adverse effects on the mind and the ability to problem solve, concentrate and connect ideas.

The Creative Cycle and Self-Care

Touring with a band, rehearsing for a show or burning the midnight oil to finish a painting before a gallery opening, are all examples of extraordinary circumstances where we might relax our self-care discipline and adopt a whole new set of rules.

Then, when the show or tour is over or the piece is finished, we sometimes sink into an anti-climactic "low" or a period of transition before we get back into the creative flow again.

The daily practices you keep when things are "normal" will build resilience for the times when these extraordinary circumstances come up. They also build habits and healthy living skills that you can draw on when life gets more challenging.

Put it into play

One of the best practices for a healthy body, mind and spirit is to get enough sleep and rest. Tonight, end your evening activities a half hour early and spend that time winding down. Release the worries of the day by writing or speaking about them. Calm yourself with a bath, tea, massage, music or a good read that doesn't remind you of your work.

We can all come up with reasons why we can't exercise, we can't make different food choices and we can't focus more on our health.

You have a unique creative gift to share with the world, but your creativity relies on a sound mind and body.

So which of your reasons for not taking care of yourself are more important than that?

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for your complimentary copy of the popular e-course, "Roadblocks to Creativity" by visiting

Article Source : Am I Pregnant

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Both Dustin Cannon & Admin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Dustin Cannon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Work From Home, Marketing and Baby Shower. Dustin Cannon is owner of JustArticlesVIP.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Dustin recommends you visit: . Dustin Cannon's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.

Admin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Infidelity, Tax and Class Action. Linda Dessau. Admin's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.