8 Ways to Amp Up Your Bodyweight Workout

Photo: Pond5

You’ve got squats down, you can lunge with the best of them, your push-ups are on point, and you’re a burpee pro. Bodyweight exercises are amazing at keeping you fit, but there comes a time when you need to kick it up a notch in order to continue to see results.

“If you’ve mastered standard movements, your heart rate won’t go up as much as when you first started. Your body won’t make the adaptations it needs to get stronger,” explains Daily Burn 365 trainer Dara Theodore, who also trains at The Fhitting Room in New York City. “You need to make sure the intensity is high to continue making those gains,” she says. Changing things up also beats boredom and jacks up the excitement factor.

RELATED: Is My Workout Too Easy? Here’s How to Tell

Follow these eight ways to switch up your bodyweight workout for better results—and more fun, too!

Amp Up Your Bodyweight Workout in 8 Steps

1. Reduce Rest
Keep the same circuit of moves you normally do—squats, push-ups, tricep dips—but reduce your rest time in between exercises. “Go straight from one [exercise] into the other,” advises Theodore. And don’t stop there, either. Decide that you’ll complete four rounds and then rest at the end. This is going to keep your heart rate up throughout your entire workout. (It counts as cardio, too!)

RELATED: 3 Fat-Blasting Circuit Training Workouts

2. Up Reps
You might organize your workout by, say, doing 45 seconds of squats and resting for 30 seconds; then 45 seconds of push-ups and resting for 30 seconds. Instead of focusing just on time, make time and number of reps your goal. So let’s say you know you can do 20 squats in 45 seconds. Aim to do 25 squats in 45 seconds (and so on with the other moves in your circuit). “If you have an open interval, you may hone it in, this way you work harder,” says Theodore.

3. Get Competitive
Against yourself. “This forces you mentally to push harder to get the work done,” says Theodore. You can add a little friendly competition it in two ways:

Option one: Plan out the moves and reps you’re going to do (e.g. 10 lunges, tuck jumps, mountain climbers, lateral lunges). Do as many rounds as possible in “X” amount of time. Then for your next workout, aim to do more reps or get further through the circuit than before.

Option two: Opt for a ladder or chipper workout. In this format, the moves are up to you. You might do 50 squats, 40 tricep dips, 30 bicycle crunches….and so on (chipper workout) or 10 push-ups, 20 squats, 30 jumping jacks…and so on (ladder workout). The goal here: Getting to the top of the ladder (whether that’s 50 or 100) without tapping out. Challenge accepted.

4. Add Weight
“Adding resistance with weights changes the stimulus entirely,” says Theodore. “It will call upon more muscles. And the more muscles you use, the higher your heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the more intense the exercise is—and the more calories you burn.” Simple as that! As long as it makes sense for the exercise (you may want to be careful doing something burpees with weights), you can hold one weight in both hands or a weight in each hand and complete the reps.

RELATED: 30 Reasons Women Should Strength Train

5. Make It an Incline/Decline
Sometimes flat is just…boring. That’s where changing levels comes in. Let’s take the example of a push-up. Doing an inverted push-up—either with your legs elevated or in a handstand position (with feet against a wall)—can mimic lifting a weight thanks to the added challenge of gravity, says Theodore. You can also use two stable boxes and, placing one hand on each box, to perform an incline push-up in between the boxes, which allows you to lower your chest even more. (Want more advanced push-up variations? Try these!)

6. Get Isometric
Want to feel more of the burn? Isometric exercises involve holding your body weight in a fixed position. The result is added stress on muscles, which can, in turn, help strengthen them. Try it: At the bottom of a move (like a squat or lunge), hold for one second before coming back up. Or, add a number of small pulses at the bottom.

7. Go Plyometric
Hello, hops! Adding some explosiveness will up the intensity of the movement and help you sneak in more cardio, too. Think: jumping split squats, jumping lunges, or plyometric push-ups. If this is too much of a challenge, start with a plyometric blast at the end of your reps. For example, do 10 weighted squats, drop your weights and do 10 explosive squat jumps. Or do 10 push-ups and finish with five plyometric push-ups.

RELATED: 6 Plyometric Moves for a Shorter, More Intense Workout

8. Reduce Stability
Go for one-legged or one-armed moves here. So rather than a traditional squat, do a pistol squat or Bulgarian split squat. Regular burpees can become single-leg burpees. A regular plank is now a single-arm plank. “This will recruit more muscle fibers, and work your core as well,” says Theodore. Sounds like a win to us!

This article originally appeared on DailyBurn.com.

More from Daily Burn: 

3 Fat-Blasting HIIT Workouts to Try Now

What Happens to Your Body When You Skip the Gym?

7 No-Crunch Exercises for Six-Pack Abs

Life by Daily Burn is dedicated to helping you live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength or de-stress, a better you is well within reach. Get more health and fitness tips at Life by Daily Burn.

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25 Million Americans Will Struggle With Vision Problems by 2050

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — As baby boomers age, the number of Americans with vision problems and blindness is expected to double over the next three decades, a new study suggests.

In 2015, slightly more than 12 million Americans had a vision problem. But by 2050, that number will rise to 25 million, the researchers predicted.

“This study gives us a GPS for our nation’s future eye health,” said lead researcher Dr. Rohit Varma, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

“Our group and others have shown in previous studies that those who suffer from vision loss not only have a decreased quality of life but can also experience both physical and mental health decline, including an increased risk for chronic health conditions such as diabetes, depression and even death,” he said.

The economic burden from vision loss and eye problems in the United States was estimated to be over $139 billion annually in 2013, Rohit said.

More education and screenings are critical for both younger and older Americans to prevent vision impairment that can dramatically affect quality of life, he added.

Regular eye exams, especially for those 40 and older, is an important tool for catching eye problems such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Routine screening also ensures your eyeglass prescription is up-to-date.

“The earlier we can diagnose and treat potentially blinding eye diseases, the greater the likelihood that more people will have the chance to live longer lives without the physical limitations and emotional challenges of vision loss,” Rohit said.

The study findings were published online May 19 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

For the study, Rohit and colleagues analyzed data on men and women aged 40 and older from six studies on vision loss and blindness. Then they estimated the prevalence of these problems through 2050. U.S. Census data was used to project vision impairment and blindness by age, sex, race and ethnicity and state.

In 2015, whites, women and older adults had the highest prevalence of vision problems, and that will still be the case in 2050, the researchers predicted.

By 2050, the highest prevalence of visual impairment among minorities will shift from blacks — 15 percent in 2015 to 16 percent in 2050 — to Hispanics — 10 percent in 2015 to 20 percent in 2050, according to the study.

The researchers also estimated that people in Florida and Hawaii will have the most vision problems, and people in Mississippi and Louisiana will have the highest prevalence of blindness.

Breaking it down by type of vision impairment, the researchers estimated that by 2050: 2 million Americans will struggle with blindness; 7 million will have glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve, or age-related macular degeneration, which destroys the retina; and 16 million will have the wrong eyeglasses.

“The biggest cause of the increasing vision problems in the U.S. is the growth and aging of the population,” said Dr. Alfred Sommer, a professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

“Most visual impairment is driven by people who don’t have the right pair of spectacles,” he said. About half of those over 40 don’t have the right glasses, he added.

The biggest causes of blindness are macular degeneration and glaucoma, Sommer added. “While we have some treatment for these two, they are not ideal by any means,” he said.

The other major cause of vision problems are cataracts, Sommer said. There’s a simple, quick procedure to replace the clouded lens in the eye with a plastic one and restore normal vision, he noted.

Sommer doesn’t think everyone needs an eye exam every year. However, blacks should start getting an annual exam at an earlier age than whites because blacks are at higher risk of glaucoma, he said.

“After age 40, whites should have a regular eye exam every other year,” he said.

More information

For more on aging and vision, visit the U.S. National Eye Institute.

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‘Sunscreen’ Gene May Guard Against Skin Cancer

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Scientists say they’ve identified a so-called “sunscreen” gene that may help protect against skin cancer.

They say the finding potentially could lead to new drugs to prevent the disease.

The investigators pinpointed the ultraviolet-resistant gene after analyzing data from 340 people with melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, and conducting laboratory experiments.

“If we understand how this UV-resistant gene functions and the processes by which cells repair themselves after ultraviolet damage, then we could find targets for drugs to revert a misguided mechanism back to normal conditions,” said study senior author Chengyu Liang.

Liang is an associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Cell damage from exposure to UV radiation causes more than 90 percent of melanoma skin cancers. Melanoma kills more than 10,000 people in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

“People who have the mutated UV-resistant gene or low levels of the UV-resistant gene may be at higher risk of melanoma or other skin cancers, especially if they go sunbathing or tanning frequently,” Liang said in a university news release.

“Our study suggests that the UV-resistant gene may serve as a biomarker for skin cancer prevention,” Liang added.

The investigators will conduct research with mice to learn more about how the UV-resistant gene functions.

“The UV-resistant gene may serve as a good target for drug development,” said study author Yongfei Yang, a research associate at Keck.

Perhaps one day a drug could stimulate the repair function of the UV-resistant gene to ensure swift and effective repair of UV-damaged skin cells, Yang said. “That would be a good treatment for people who are at high risk of developing skin cancer,” the researcher concluded.

The findings were published May 19 in the journal Molecular Cell.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on skin cancer.

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Melanoma Drug Boosting Survival for Many, Study Shows

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A new drug for advanced melanoma is dramatically shifting the odds in favor of patients, extending survival for many and even curing some.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) helped keep four in 10 patients with advanced melanoma alive three years after starting treatment, according to the results of a new clinical trial.

The drug also caused complete remission in 15 percent of patients, and many remained cancer-free even after they quit taking Keytruda, said Dr. Caroline Robert, head of the dermatology unit at the Institut Gustave-Roussy in Paris, France.

Keytruda already has scored one very high-profile success — it’s one of the drugs taken by former President Jimmy Carter, 91, in his successful battle last year against melanoma that had spread to his brain.

However, the drug comes with a hefty price tag — an estimated $12,500 a month.

Prior to the advent of targeted therapies like Keytruda, advanced melanoma patients had an average survival prognosis of less than one year, Robert said.

“Pembrolizumab provides long-term survival benefit in patients with advanced melanoma, with 41 percent of patients alive at three years, which is so different from what we’ve come from,” Robert said. “We have durable responses in one-third of the patients, and we have complete responses that are durable even after stopping the treatment.”

The latest clinical trial findings, which are the first long-term follow-up results for Keytruda, are to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago next month. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Cancer expert Dr. Don Dizon called the results “incredibly exciting.”

“I think it’s incredibly encouraging that we could see a potential cure in melanoma as evidenced by the very prolonged response rate and the durability of this response,” said Dizon. He is an ASCO spokesman and clinical co-director of gynecologic oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Keytruda helps the body’s immune system locate and destroy tumor cells by thwarting a genetic cloaking mechanism that cancer has developed to avoid immune detection.

“It teaches the body’s own immune system how to fight and control melanoma,” said Dr. Michael Postow, an oncologist specializing in immunotherapy with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Robert’s clinical trial involved 655 patients diagnosed with advanced melanoma. Three-fourths of the patients had received other treatments for their cancer prior to the study.

Participants received Keytruda either every two or three weeks. The drug is administered via IV.

Long-term follow-up showed that four out of 10 patients were alive three years after starting Keytruda, whether or not they had been previously treated.

Further, 95 patients went into complete remission after taking Keytruda, Robert said.

Of those patients, 61 stopped taking Keytruda after they were judged cancer-free, Robert said. Only two wound up relapsing.

About 8 percent of the patients dropped out of the study due to drug side effects, Robert said. The most common were fatigue (40 percent), itchiness (28 percent) and rash (23 percent).

But, Postow said, “Most patients get through the drug without any serious side effects.”

The main downside is the cost of the drug. The drug’s maker, Merck, has set the price at about $12,500 a month, or about $150,000 a year, according to The New York Times.

“It is pretty expensive, unfortunately,” Postow said.

The clinical trial received funding and support from Merck.

More information

For more on cancer immunotherapy, visit the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

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Sex, Breast Milk May Have Helped Spread Ebola in Africa

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The Ebola virus was transmitted by semen and breast milk during the latter stages of the outbreak in Sierra Leone, a new study shows.

Researchers from the United Kingdom identified several instances of unconventional transmission of the deadly disease, including a mother who may have passed it to her baby through breast-feeding. In another instance, an Ebola survivor sexually transmitted the virus a month after being released from quarantine.

“Close contact with an infected individual is still by far the most common way for Ebola to spread, but this study supports previous research suggesting that the virus can persist in bodily fluids for a long time after recovery,” said Jeremy Farrar, director of Britain’s Wellcome Trust, which funded the study.

“These unusual modes of transmission may have contributed to isolated flare-ups of infections towards the end of the epidemic,” said Farrar in a news release from the organization.

The recent West African outbreak of Ebola, the largest in history, killed more than 11,000 people and infected more than 28,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases were concentrated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The study does not suggest that unconventional transmission of Ebola was more common than previously believed.

However, the study authors said their findings suggest that rapid sequencing of viral genomes (determining a virus’ genetic code) during an epidemic could enable public health officials to quickly trace new cases back to their source. This could prove important in bringing future outbreaks under control, the researchers said.

The study “shows how important it is to carry out genome sequencing within the affected countries, and for the data to be shared in a rapid and open way as part of the epidemic response,” Farrar said. “Strengthening laboratory and surveillance facilities where they are currently lacking will also aid early detection, making the world better prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.”

The study was published May 18 in the journal Virus Evolution.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Ebola.

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U.S. Motorcycle Deaths Up 10 Percent in Last Year

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Motorcyclist deaths in the United States topped 5,000 last year — a 10 percent increase from 2014, according to a new report.

“These sobering findings provide a stark reminder of how susceptible motorcyclists are to fatal and life-threatening injuries,” said Richard Retting, co-author of the report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

“The risk of motorcycle crashes and fatalities is compounded by factors such as alcohol and drug use, increased speed limits, the repeal of state helmet laws, and a record number of vehicles on U.S. roads,” Retting said in an association news release. “Concerted efforts are needed to reduce this tragic loss of life.”

Preliminary statistics suggest there were 5,010 motorcyclist deaths in 2015, which is 450 more than the previous year. It’s only the third year in U.S. history and the first time since 2008 that the number of motorcyclist deaths was above 5,000, the report authors said.

Compared with 2014, motorcyclist deaths rose in 31 states, fell in 16 states and stayed the same in three states and the District of Columbia, the findings showed.

Restoring universal helmet use laws in the 32 states without them would be the most effective way to reduce motorcyclist deaths, according to the association. Only 19 states and the District of Columbia currently require all motorcyclists to wear helmets, while another 28 mandate helmets for riders younger than 18 or 21. Three states have no helmet laws.

The rate of helmet use is 89 percent in states with universal helmet laws, compared with 48 percent in all other states, a U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found in 2014.

Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the highway safety association, said state and national data illustrate that motorcyclists are far more likely to be injured or killed in a crash than drivers of motor vehicles or their passengers.

He said the association will continue to support “the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based motorcycle safety countermeasures to improve rider safety and, ultimately, save lives.”

Safety experts say motorcyclists can reduce their risk of being killed in a crash by always using a Department of Transportation-approved helmet; wearing bright-colored clothing; obeying speed limits; and never riding while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

When buying a motorcycle, riders should select one with antilock brakes, which prevent the wheels from locking and help maintain stability during braking, the association said.

More information

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more on motorcycle safety.

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Aspirin After Mini-Stroke May Help Prevent Full-Blown Stroke

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Taking aspirin immediately after a mini-stroke significantly reduces the risk of a major stroke, a new study suggests.

Right after a mini-stroke, people have a 1,000 times higher risk of major stroke than people in the general population, the researchers noted.

The new study included data from about 56,000 people. The researchers found that taking aspirin after a mini-stroke — also called a transient ischemic attack, or TIA — reduced the risk of a disabling or fatal stroke over the next few days and weeks by 70 percent to 80 percent.

The study was published May 18 in The Lancet.

“Our findings confirm the effectiveness of urgent treatment after TIA and minor stroke, and show that aspirin is the most important component. Immediate treatment with aspirin can substantially reduce the risk and severity of early recurrent stroke,” said lead researcher Peter Rothwell. He is a professor and stroke expert at the University of Oxford in England.

“This finding has implications for doctors, who should give aspirin immediately if a TIA or minor stroke is suspected, rather than waiting for specialist assessment and investigations,” he said in an Oxford news release.

Rothwell added that the study results have implications for public education. While public health education campaigns have helped to get people to seek help soon after a major stroke, they’re less likely to see a doctor after a mini-stroke, he said.

And, many people don’t seek medical attention at all, Rothwell noted. Others may delay getting help for a few days. Meanwhile, they’re at risk of a recurrent stroke, he said.

“Encouraging people to take aspirin if they think they may have had a TIA or minor stroke — experiencing sudden-onset unfamiliar neurological symptoms — could help to address this situation, particularly if urgent medical help is unavailable,” he concluded.

Dr. Dale Webb is director of research and information at England’s the Stroke Association. He said, “The findings suggest that anyone who has stroke symptoms, which are improving while they are awaiting urgent medical attention can, if they are able, take one dose of 300 milligram aspirin.”

Webb said in the news release that “the research findings are also timely, as the stroke community is currently working to develop a new set of national clinical guidelines on stroke.”

The symptoms of a mini-stroke and a major stroke are similar and include:

• Numbness or muscle weakness, usually on one side of the body.
• Difficulty speaking or understanding speech.
• Dizziness or loss of balance.
• Double vision or difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.

Symptoms of a mini-stroke usually last only a few minutes but may persist for up to 24 hours.

More information

Visit the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to learn more about mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack).

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Asian-Americans in Better Health Than Other U.S. Adults

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Asian-Americans are healthier than other U.S. adults.

So say federal health officials who added that, compared to other Americans, most Asian-Americans are less likely to report that they’re in fair or poor health, have multiple chronic conditions or serious psychological problems.

They’re also less likely to say they must limit work or social activities compared to others their age, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

Perhaps this report provides a window on the opportunities of health through heritage, “with a family’s culture defending them against a culture of fast food, soda, stress and insomnia,” said Dr. David Katz. Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, he wasn’t involved in the new study.

Asian-Americans make up about 5 percent of the U.S. population, according to the CDC.

For the report, researchers collected data on Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese Americans from the 2010-2014 National Health Interview Survey. The survey asked nearly 170,000 American adults about their health.

Chinese-Americans fared particularly well, according to the report.

“Chinese adults reported better health on all measures, compared to other U.S. adults. But, Vietnamese were more likely to be in fair or poor health compared with other Americans,” said lead author Barbara Bloom, a statistician with the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

The reasons why most Asians are in better health overall isn’t known and wasn’t something the researchers attempted to determine, Bloom said.

Katz noted that because health issues were self-reported for the study, it’s impossible to come to firm conclusions about the findings.

The differences between Asians and other Americans may be due to real differences, felt differences or both, said Katz, who is also president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

“There are known cultural differences in everything from pain tolerance to expressiveness,” he said.

“If to some extent the Asian cultures reflected in this report place a premium on stoicism, advantages in health status may be more a matter of perception and a prevailing tendency to avoid complaining,” Katz said.

However, the traditional diets and lifestyle practices of the Asian cultures represented in the study are generally more healthful than the modern American norms, he said.

“A famous study, Ni-Hon-San, that tracked the health of Japanese families from Japan to Honolulu to San Francisco, found that health declined with Westernization,” Katz said.

More information

For more on lifestyle and health, visit the American Heart Association.

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Prior C-Section Raises Risk of Complications With Home Birth

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant women who’ve had a cesarean delivery in the past should not plan a home birth because they face a higher risk for complications, researchers warn.

The finding stems from an analysis of roughly 2.4 million full-term births between 2007 and 2013. Of these, about 4,500 were midwife-assisted deliveries in a home setting.

The study found that home births among women with a history of C-section were associated with a greater risk for stillbirth and/or neurological complications in the baby.

“It’s rare,” acknowledged study author Dr. Amos Grunebaum, chief of labor and delivery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. “But when it happens, it’s devastating. And in a hospital, a cesarean is available very quickly, to save the mother and the baby. That’s just impossible at home.”

Grunebaum presented the findings Saturday at the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

ACOG’s current advisory states that “hospitals and birthing centers are the safest setting for birth,” while acknowledging that women have the right to make their own medically informed decision about where to deliver their baby.

Still, home birthing remains the exception to the rule. But U.S. birth certificate data published earlier this year indicated that the number of babies born outside a hospital setting increased from less than 1 percent in 2004 to roughly 1.5 percent by 2014.

Dr. Evan Myers, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., noted that a century of obstetric advances has made childbirth an increasingly safe experience, regardless of locale.

But, “women who have had a previous cesarean have a scar on the uterus that is at risk for rupture during labor,” Myers explained. “It’s still a low risk. But if it happens it can be very bad for the baby, and potentially for the mother as well, and you do want to be prepared.”

To explore the issue, Grunebaum’s team sifted through birth certificate data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All the infants were carried to term, meaning 37 weeks or more, and all had a “normal” birth weight, meaning at least 5 pounds, 5 ounces.

All also underwent an Apgar exam at birth. This is a standard test — graded on a scale of 1 to 10 — that assesses a newborn’s breathing capacity, heart rate, muscle tone, reflexes and skin color. A score of 7 or higher is considered a sign of good health. Babies who are not breathing and have no heartbeat are given a score of 0.

The investigators determined that the risk for an Apgar of “0” was rare, but higher, in a home birth setting. Similarly, the risk that a newborn would experience a seizure or serious neurological complication was higher among home births.

Why? Grunebaum and his team said that a lack of adequate fetal monitoring in the home is part of the problem, as is the inability to quickly perform an emergency C-section when needed.

“Every woman has to decide for herself on the place of delivery,” stressed Grunebaum. “All I can say is that we must advise women that there is a significantly increased risk from home delivery, and therefore we don’t recommend that she do so.”

Marlene Goldman is director of the division of clinical research in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. She agreed that “the risks to mother and baby in this [home birth] situation outweigh the benefits.”

For those intent on a home birth, Goldman said having a back-up plan that provides for emergency transport to a hospital “would be advisable, but probably too late” to be of help.

More information

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has more about planned home birth.

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Super-Fit Pregnant Midwife Responds to Body Shamers on Instagram

This extremely toned mom-to-be is further proof that there’s no one-size-fits-all version of a healthy pregnancy:

Hannah Polites, a midwife and fitness expert from Australia, has been documenting her pregnancy with sweet selfies on Instagram, where she has more than 1.2 million followers. Like pics of fellow Aussie Chontel Duncan and L.A. model Sarah Stage, Polites’ photos showing her super-fit pregnant body have gone viral, and sadly, attracted a slew of criticism about her weight.

In an interview with the Gold Coast Bulletin, the 24-year-old Insta-star said that while she tries to ignore the body shamers, they can be hurtful: “It’s truly shocking to read some of the comments regarding my health and that of my unborn baby, especially at a time where women are particularly vulnerable and can be more sensitive to bullying,” she said. “I do not take the negative comments to heart, especially when I know I am making informed decisions when it comes to nutrition and exercise in pregnancy and motherhood.”

RELATED: This Mother-to-Be is 7 Months Pregnant and Still Has a 6 Pack

Polites added that, as she enters her third trimester, both she and baby are in good health, noting that the little one is actually 20% larger than the average unborn baby at this stage of pregnancy.

In a previous interview with Health, Margaret Dow, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology at the Mayo Clinic, explained that baby bumps do indeed come in all shapes and sizes, and only a woman and her doctor know if her weight is in a safe range.

Polites is choosing to focus on the encouragement she’s been receiving from her fans. “Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive support,” she wrote in a recent post. “[A]ll women’s bodies should be celebrated and we are all entitled to share our own journeys.”

That’s certainly a message we can get behind.

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