Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Archives for September 2009

Explaining the Exercise Principles – Part 1

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1. Daily activity is essential to overall health.
When I was a kid I was active from sun up to sun down. I couldn’t wait to go outside and play. My day was filled with running, biking and swimming and I never gave it much thought.{+} I didn’t need to be prodded or rewarded for going out to play. That was the reward for taking care of my responsibilities, like household chores and schoolwork.

When it comes to play—my boys are the same way. They always have time for play, but not so much time for cleaning the garage, or washing down the patio. For them, playing and being active is their way of life.

If we have so much fun being active as kids, what causes us to suddenly slow down when we become adults? Sure we have many more responsibilities but we have something more. We have more freedom as adults. We are free to make our own decisions about where we go and what we do with our time.

When did exercise and play become more of a task or chore than a fun activity that you looked forward to as your reward for the day? How did it go from exciting and enjoyable to mundane and boring?

It’s still in there, you know. That affection for movement, that desire to be active, is still within you. You’ve just got to get up and shake that bootie. Girl, you have got to re-discover playtime.

You’re all grown up now, so no one dictates your time and how you spend it. Each second of your day is within your power. Can you spare 30 minutes to a life changing activity? Can you let yourself play for just 30 minutes each day?

Ever notice how good it feels to take a walk after a big meal? Do you ever get the desire to get out and be active after having been cooped up in the house because of a snowstorm or a rainy spell?

When you need emotional or mental release, do you find that taking a walk or riding a bike lifts your spirits? Why do we have these urges?

We crave movement because we are built for action. Physical activity is good for the body, mind and soul. It will strengthen you, improve your cognitive abilities and lift your spirit and mood to a higher level.

Our bodies are designed to move! We need to keep moving throughout our lives in order to maintain not only healthy muscles but to keep all of our internal systems in tip top shape as well.

2. 30 minutes a day is all it takes to improve or maintain your overall health.
Why spend hours in a gym or on a running trail when as little as thirty minutes of moderate exercise is enough to improve or maintain your physical health?

If you’re like me, you have got a busy schedule. With three boys and five different agendas to keep up with, my Super Woman powers are stretched to the max. Some things get done while other tasks get postponed.

Before I began exercising regularly, I longed to find time to work out. I knew exercise provided a bundle of health benefits and that was something I couldn’t live without. When I decided to make exercise a part of my life, I had to reorganize my schedule in order to create 30 minutes every day that I could call my own. It wasn’t always easy but it sure has been worth it.

Knowing I can maintain my fitness regimen in 30 minutes a day gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I feel great after my daily workout and am ready to conquer the day. My Superwoman powers undergo a complete rejuvenation and I am ready to take on the world, or at least the grocery store aisles.

How is your fitness program treating you? Are you active every day for at least 30 minutes? Do you know how to train your body to work for you instead of against you. Are you interested in how exercise can provide health benefits to you? If so, come along with me as I take you through the 30 Minutes to a New You exercise plan.

With 1440 minutes given to you each day, surely you can spare 30 minutes for a life changing investment. It will take a little adjustment on your part, if you aren’t used to dedicating 30 minutes to yourself. You’ll have to find ways of sticking to the program, but it will be worth it in the end.

3. Think it, believe it, achieve it.
Thinking your way thin, sounds like a great philosophy, doesn’t it? We all know that losing weight is a whole lot more complicated than just thinking the pounds away. But the truth is that every great accomplishment starts with a thought, an idea, a plan.

We make decisions every day. Some decisions are almost natural, while others take a great deal of thought. Starting an exercise program requires a great amount of thinking and willpower. It also requires desire, dedication and commitment.

The brain has so much influence over the success of your fitness program. You have to convince your brain that exercise is essential to your good health. But how do you do that?

By constantly feeding your brain the positive message that exercise is good for you. Exercise makes you feel energized. Exercise makes you look sexy. Exercise is fun. 30 minutes spent on exercising yields superior results.

Make exercise a part of your life by commanding your mind to accept it as a way of life. You are in control of everything you do—that includes everything you think, too.

Once your mind believes that exercise is your new way of life, it will accept it as the norm. When you try to skip out on your work out, you’ll get a yucky feeling that you aren’t doing something that you are supposed to. That nagging feeling is the power of the brain. Learn to train your brain for maximum results in everything you do.

So think it, get excited about it, and commit to an exercise program that will give you the body that you desire. If you believe it, you can achieve it.

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Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Reduce Dietary Fat, Particularly Unhealthy Saturated Fat

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Use minimal amounts of oil and oily foods. Minimize or avoid entirely fried foods, red meat, creams, fatty salad dressings, cheese, and high fat desserts like ice cream.

Squeeze a lemon over a salad, instead of drenching it in a fatty ranch-type dressing. Have you ever read the calorie count on the back of a jar of ranch dressing? It’s hard to stick with the suggested serving of a couple of teaspoons or tablespoon. Then when you try and figure the number of calories you just added to your salad, it pretty much defeats any attempt at a low fat and low calorie choice. Lemon on the other hand, adds a zesty flavor to your salad, moistens it without making it too salty and helps your body to digest better.

If you must indulge yourself with an ice cream, choose a low-fat variety or even a soy-based ice cream, these are low in fat and often devoid of saturated fat. Ice cream is one of those desserts that most everyone likes but hardly anyone can indulge in on a regular basis without some side effects like obesity or high cholesterol.

Eat cheese sparingly, and choose low-fat varieties For just about every kind of cheese, there is a low-fat choice. Eaten with an apple, these low-fat types can be quite tasty. If you like pizza, try a cheeseless pizza for a change.

As you age, your body changes and foods that you once could eat without any penalty seem to turn on you as you grow older. The wonderful thing is that as our bodies change, or tastes change, too. You might notice that fast food types taste greasier, sugary foods taste too sweet and bitter vegetables become down right delicious.

Keep trying new foods, test different recipes. Don’t worry, if you don’t like something, no one will make you clean your plate. Be innovative with your food, eat healthy and live life to its fullest.

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Super Food Scrambled Eggs A Favorite From Breakfast at Karens

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Super charge your day with a energy-boosting breakfast. This fast and easy meal is perfect to eat any time of day, you don’t have to wait until morning to enjoy.

2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
Pinch salt and pepper (optional)
1 small diced onion
1 cup mushroom
6 oz bag of spinach
1 large tomato

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine eggs with salt and pepper.
Over medium heat, saute olive oil for about 1 minute.
Add mushroom and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Add tomato, cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and move ingredients to one side.
Pour in egg mixture and cook for 1 minute.
Stir everything together in pan.
Continue cooking until eggs are done, about 2 more minutes.
Finish over low heat until eggs are cooked.

Health Benefits

Eggs are an excellent low cost source of protein and is low in calories. One egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids. A high source of vitamin D, eggs have been thought to boost the brain’s function, which may be why they became the breakfast food of choice.

Did you try this recipe?  If so, tell us and our readers how you liked it in the comment space.

Explaining the Diet Principles – Part 1

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You have examined your present way of eating and have decided to make healthy changes in your food choices. But do you know that diet is more than just about the food you eat? It’s also about your eating habits, as we talked about earlier in Part 1 of the Fitness4Her Diet. {+}

1. Eat often, but eat in small portions.
I try to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. My meal schedule works best this way: 7 am: breakfast. 10 am: snack. 1 pm: lunch. 4 pm: snack 7pm: dinner. I’ve eaten this way my whole life, and never had a weight problem or a significant health problem. If your daily exigencies don’t accommodate this exact schedule of eating, try to create a similar one, with five small meals instead of three large ones. Remember that when it comes to a women’s fitness, eating frequent, small meals will help keep you from overeating and from making unhealthy food choices.

Going for long periods of time without eating causes your metabolism to all but shut down to conserve fat and energy. A slower metabolism burns fewer calories.

Try eating an apple about a half hour or an hour before mealtime to ensure that you don’t overeat. This is an especially valuable tool if you’re going to be dining out. If you eat an apple shortly before going to a restaurant, you won’t eat all the bread in the breadbasket while waiting for your food.

When you prepare a meal, keep the portions small—each serving about the size of the palm of your hand. Larger portions tend to make us feel as if we need to eat all the food on our plate, that’s why I stress preparing small portions. However, if you need to cook a big pot of food, for the family or to eat throughout the week, you can still practice portion control.

Serve yourself a reasonable but small portion in a nice dish and don’t go back for seconds. Make it difficult to dish up extras, by tossing the spoon into the sink, closing the pot and putting it out of mind. If you feel the need for an additional serving, wait at least 10 minutes after your first portion before going back, this will give your stomach enough time to send a signal to the brain that it is full.

The key to portion control is to stop eating when you are full. Learn the language your body is speaking. Don’t take another bite past that satisfied feeling. Remember: your next meal is only a few hours away.

2. Don’t skip meals.
A mistake that dieters often make is skipping meals to cut calories in an effort to lose weight. But did you know that forgoing just one meal a week for a year can do major damage to your health, including your metabolism. When we deprive ourselves of regular meals, the levels of the feel good serotonin get thrown out of kilter, leaving us feeling cranky and craving starches or sugars. Our metabolism slows down, as our body struggles to conserve energy. We must keep our body fueled with food in order for it to work efficiently.

So enjoy your meals, people who eat regularly are more likely to keep off unnecessary pounds. Don’t feel guilty about eating. Negative thoughts like guilt, produce negative results and reactions. Plus, it goes back to diet as a way of life. This has absolutely got to be a way of eating that you can live with. Thus, skipping meals is not the solution.

Remember to always plan ahead to your next meal and try to keep a healthy snack on the ready. This way you will be less likely to skip a meal or leave yourself open to calorie laden temptations.

3. Don’t forget your fiber.
Fiber is important because it reduces body weight and body fat. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals. For optimum colon health, 25-35 grams of fiber is recommended each day.

Soluble fiber comes from foods that are easily dissolved in water. This type of fiber helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels while helping you control your hunger and cravings. It tends to give you a nice full feeling, which keeps you from over eating. Foods containing soluble fiber include strawberries, apples, pears, chickpeas, beans and oatmeal. These foods are particularly good for lowering cholesterol. 10 grams of soluble fiber will help to lower your LDL, which is also known as the “bad cholesterol.”

Insoluble fiber comes from foods that can’t be dissolved in water. This type of fiber adds volume to food without adding a lot of calories. Eating foods that contain insoluble fiber will help your digestive system stay regular. Foods rich in insoluble fiber include high fiber cereal, whole wheat bread, wheat bran, fruits and vegetables.

Increasing fiber can help decrease the risks of colon and rectal cancers. It helps to control blood sugar levels and has been proven to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Diets high in fiber have been associated with lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, making it a positive force in decreasing the risk of heart disease.

Adding more fiber to your diet has relieved intestinal conditions such as constipation and diverticulitis. Fiber helps to increase the size and bulk of your stool and softens it, making it easier to pass. An increase in fiber may help to alleviate conditions such as hemorrhoids and irritable bowel syndrome.

It’s very easy to increase the amount of fiber you get everyday. Adding a cup of raspberries to your breakfast can provide you with 8 grams of fiber. A cup of split peas adds a whopping 16 grams to your daily intake. For a mid-day snack, 3 cups of air-popped popcorn supplies your body with over 3 grams of fiber.

Try this healthy hint: Instead of weighing your salad down with cheese, add a handful of nuts instead. This will give you protein and fiber in one serving. Nuts are high in saturated fats, so a few nuts will do.

Start a discussion by leaving a comment.

Part 2
Part 3

When You Say Something Often Enough It Starts To Ring True

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You’ve probably heard before that speaking positively to a child will do more for his self-esteem than criticism. Encouraging a child to study and making learning fun, will help him to develop his skills better than calling him stupid or trying to shame him into studying. That’s because whatever you say over and over to a child, will stick with him. He will begin to believe the things that you say about him, whether positive or negative.

The same is true about the way that you speak to yourself. When you say something often enough you begin to believe it. More powerful sometimes than actions, words cut to the very core of our souls. So if you self-talk about hating the way you look, about being fat and unattractive, or if you are calling yourself names, sooner or later, you will begin to believe all of that. And the sad thing is, that once you start to believe it, you achieve it. Yes, if you believe you can’t succeed, you can’t.

But if you speak words of praise and gratitude to all that you have achieved, you will feel uplifted and capable of success. A feeling of calmness will come over you once you realize what a magnificent creature you really are. Once the need to punish yourself has passed, you can move forward to accomplish greater feats in your life.

One of the big things you might notice when you talk positively to yourself is the way that you embrace life and accept all of its challenges. With a new-found strength and confidence you’ll take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and just say no to defeat.

Start today, sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on all of the wonderful things in your life. Shut out all negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive affirmations of all of your accomplishments. Be sure to meditate on any changes you would like to bring forth in your life. Stamp out any thoughts of criticism or deprecation.

Repeat: I am beautiful, I am strong, I have accomplished some wonderful things in my life.

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