Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Archives for May 2010

Boost Your Attitude With A Beautiful Butt

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How does your butt look? It’s hard to see it since it’s located on the backside of our bodies but it’s one of the parts of our body that we look at the most. I mean there’s nothing like a great looking butt in a pair of jeans. The way that denim cups the cheeks of a well-toned and formed rear is a sexy image indeed.

Nobody wants a flat butt, there’s no excitement to a derriere that looks like part of your back. But how do you work the muscles that give you a great looking butt? I’ve outlined some exercises that focus on the gluteus maximus and all his little friends. Concentrate on these moves to boost your booty for a fine looking bottom.

Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, butt and thighs.

Lunges are a challenging exercise because they work so many muscles at the same time. On the front leg, you’ll work the glutes and hamstrings and, on the back leg, you’ll work the quads and calves. What’s nice about lunges is that there is a variety to choose from such as:

Side to side lunges
Reverse lunges
Front lunges

The Step-up works by simply placing one foot on a step or platform and pushing through the heel onto the step. This is an excellent exercise for the glutes, but you will want to make sure your knee is bent to 90 degrees or less to keep it safe.

The Hip Extension is an exercise that targets the largest muscle in the body…the gluteus maximus. For this move, you can hold a dumbbell behind your knee or use ankle weights for added intensity.

But strength-training exercises aren’t the only way to get a pretty fanny. Fun and exciting activities will also strengthen your muscles in your backside and give you a beneficial cardio workout at the same time.

Hiking is great for working the glutes. Lunges help to strengthen your muscles so that hiking is much easier and you have less chance of injury to your back or knees.

Bike riding is great for your heart and targets the muscles in your hips, butt and thighs. Spinning will work the same muscle groups.

Walking is easy and you can do it anywhere without having to spend money on equipment. You can vary your intensity and change your path to add interest.

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Favorite Flounder Oriental

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Flounder is a wonderful white meat fish that tastes good and is usually pretty easy to find. Check with your fish monger for the best times to find flounder at his market. This delightful dish with an Oriental flair is one of my favorites. Makes 4 servings.

1 lb flounder
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp of frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
1 Tbsp dried ginger
Pepper to taste
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions
1. Arrange fish in lightly sprayed baking dish.
2. Combine all ingredients in small bowl.
3. Drizzle mixture over fish.
4. Let marinate for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Place fish in oven and bake for 30 minutes until golden and flaky.
7. Serve over rice and mixed veggies.

Health Benefits
An excellent source of protein, yet low in calories, salt, sugar and cholesterol. Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, flounder is a great choice for anyone participating in a women’s fitness program. If you are concerned with mercury levels, you can substitute the flounder for salmon.

Do you have a flounder or salmon recipe you’d like to share?  Do so in the comment space below:

Berry Trifle Chocolate Angel

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Every now and then everyone falls to temptation from some sort of devilish pleasure. If you are watching your weight or even if you aren’t try this glorious dessert. Bite after bite, it’s simply heavenly.

2 cups cubed angel food cake
1 8oz. lemon fat-free yogurt
1 8oz.fat-free cool whip
1 cup mixed fresh berries
Fresh mint
Shavings of Dark Chocolate (optional)

Directions:

1. Divide angel food cake among 4 pretty glass flutes or dessert dishes.
2. In a small bowl combine the yogurt and whip topping.
3. To serve, spoon yogurt mixture on top of angel food cubes.
4. Sprinkle with berries.
5. If desired mint or dark chocolate shavings.

Health Benefits:
Loaded with antioxidants and beta carotene. Berries protect the body and boost the immune system. Yogurt is full of pre-biotics and pro-biotics, healthy bacteria that you need. Yogurt is also a good source of fiber, plus it’s delicious. Add the dark chocolate for a boost of antioxidants that help to aid in digestion.

How to Make Your Goals Work for You

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Have you set goals for yourself? While we all have dreams of what we want, both in the present and the future, by setting goals, we put that dream into action. This excites our brain as it begins to fire off neurons, figuring out how to complete the task of making lifestyle changes. This is a key factor in motivation. You must keep the brain stimulated to success.

Do you believe that your goals are attainable? If you’re wishing to drop two sizes, do you have a plan to reduce your weight? You’ll need to figure out how to reduce and burn more calories in order to lose weight. You may need to change your diet and increase your activity level. Your brain must be able to figure out a logical path to succeed, or it will begin to believe that the task is impossible. Once that occurs, you may find yourself losing motivation, and just plain giving up.

Are you committed to your goal? How badly do you want it? If we really want something, and we make the decision to achieve it, we sometimes astound ourselves by our commitment to succeed. It seems as if it has come upon us like magic, but it is our own dedication, our own willingness to make sacrifices, that gives us this ability to stay the course in order to bring about our own personal success.

Though barriers may stand in your way, can you keep your eyes focused on your goal? Do you let everyday occurrences keep you from your commitment or do you persevere no matter what happens? Once you place your goal in the forefront of your life, you will be better able to give it the acknowledgement that is needed for you to achieve it.

Can you celebrate your achievements without regretting the past? Your mind needs that constant reinforcement that it is accomplishing great tasks. Keeping a positive, winning attitude is vital to achieving success. Instead of concentrating on what you haven’t done, or what you can’t do, spend time each day, thinking of all of the things you have accomplished. By the time you get through listing these, your mind will be so super-charged it will be hard for it to get discouraged.

Above all, never stop dreaming, never stop setting goals; these will keep you vibrant and healthy, both mentally and physically. Be good to yourself; make time to do something for yourself each day. This is your life, commit to making it the best.

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Crisp Oven-Fried Chicken

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If lip smackin’ and such sounds as MMMM good, and yum yum, drive you crazy, you better not serve this scrumptious oven fried chicken. It is so crispy, yet so moist inside, you’ll declare it’s got to be fried! Be prepared, everyone will want seconds, so serve it up with some mashed potatoes and healthy veggies to keep the meal balanced.

3 egg whites
1/4 cup fat-free milk
6 skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
11/4 cup corn flakes, crushed
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
PAM butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Beat egg whites and milk until blended in bowl.
2. In separate bowl, combine corn flakes and bread crumbs.
3. Coat chicken breasts with flour and then dip into egg mixture.
4. Coat chicken generously with corn flakes and bread crumbs.
5. Spray baking pan with cooking spray.
6. Place coated chicken breasts in pan and spray them lightly with PAM.
7. Add salt and pepper if you like.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Health Benefits
Low in fat, sodium and cholesterol, chicken is a great source of protein. When you are serious about women’s fitness, you want to make sure you are eating enough protein. Go light on the flour, the corn flakes will make your chicken extra crispy.

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