Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

How To Lose Weight The Easy Way

By

If you are looking for an easy way to exercise and lose weight, consider walking the weight off. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day along with a sensible diet may help you lose up to two pounds a week. Sound simple enough? Why not give it a try.

Walking is one of the most inexpensive physical activities that you can engage in. All you need is a good pair of athletic shoes that are designed for walking. Since you will be putting in a lot of miles over a period of time, you will want a pair of shoes that give you the support you need. Spend time picking out your shoe and ask a shoe specialist to help you choose the right one for you. Don’t be shy about walking around the store in the shoe before you make the decision to purchase. Wear the thickest sock that you might possibly wear with the shoe, too.

Choose an area to walk that is safe but offers pleasant scenery. You might want to bring along an iPod or other MP3 so you can listen to music. You might even find a walking buddy to keep you motivated. But don’t be disappointed if you can’t find someone to join you, just get out there and get moving.

If you have a dog, remember that they love to walk, too. Usually your pet will make a great companion for walking and will help to keep you motivated, as they like to remind you that it is time to go, each day.

Begin walking for 15 minutes in one direction. Wear a watch and a pedometer if you have one. Once you return from your walk, you will have walked for 30 minutes. Now, you have started your 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Of course if all you do is walk for 30 minutes every day, you might begin to get bored. So I suggest for the best weight loss and fitness results to alternate your days with strength training exercises. Also called resistance training, these types of exercises will increase flexibility, build endurance and help to strengthen your muscles. The better developed and stronger your muscles, the less impact to your joints and bones when doing cardio or aerobic activities, such as walking.

One of the great benefits of walking is the ability to simply clear your mind. I believe it helps to lift my spirit and I return refreshed after a 30-minute walk, then I’ll follow that with about 10 minutes of stretching. It’s a great way to start the day.

Now you don’t want to start an exercise program without first getting an okay from your doctor. Always follow your physician’s advice before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Salad

By

Who says chicken salad has to be fattening? Chicken salad can be healthy, if you know how to prepare it without the added fat of mayonnaise. Simply follow the directions below for a tasty sweet and sour chicken that is sure to please.

1 rotisserie chicken (skinless white meat only) shred about 6 to 8 oz. and set aside
1/2 cup peach or apricot spreadable fruit
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
6 cups torn mixed greens
2 medium oranges sectioned
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets

Directions:

1. For the dressing in a small saucepan stir together spreadable fruit, vinegar,
soy sauce, and ginger.
2. Cook and stir over low heat until bubbly, set aside.
3. In large bowl toss greens, chicken, orange sections, broccoli and cauliflower.
4. Divide greens onto 4 plates.
5. Drizzle with dressing.
6. I love to sprinkle it with toasted almonds, for that extra crunch.

Health Benefits:
Chicken is a great source of protein that is low in fat and high in nutrients. Both broccoli and cauliflower are high in Vitamin C and provide the needed fiber for a healthy digestive system. A great combination, this recipe promotes healthy eating without sacrificing flavor.

What To Do When The Pounds Won’t Budge

By

You’ve been dieting and exercising for weeks but you’ve barely lost any weight, or worse, you lost weight in the beginning but now all of a sudden the only thing you seem to be losing is time! If this has ever happened to you, then you know how frustrating it is. It can even cause a woman to lose her motivation for fitness.

It’s hard to devote all that precious time to something that doesn’t produce results. With the busy schedules that most of us manage, we really don’t have any time to waste. But giving up on exercise is not the solution. There is a way to blast those pounds away and at the same time pump a little life into your fitness routine.

If you have been keeping a fitness journal, it will be easy to determine when you reached this plateau in your weight loss plan. If you’ve been eating more but not increasing your physical activity, you may even begin to gain weight. With your fitness journal these signs will be easy to detect.

Even if you haven’t been keeping a journal, there is still a way to get your weight loss back on track. Try taking your current workout to the next level by adding weights to your exercises. Just 1 or 2 lb dumbbells can do the trick. This small amount of resistance will make your muscles work harder and burn more calories. But don’t add so much weight that you feel pain in your joints. As you get accustomed to the extra resistance, you can gradually increase the amount of weight if you feel the need.

To get dynamic results in a quick amount of time, you can mix strength training and aerobic exercise for maximum burn. After completing the recommended sets of an exercise, without resting go quickly into an aerobic exercise like running in place. Intertwine the two types of exercises, to get the most out of your muscles, but don’t do it every day.

Add bits of physical activity to your day by taking the stairs, parking further away, going for an evening walk with family members, friends, or your dog. Every step counts, so stay as active as you can. Remember, the more developed your muscles, the more fat you’ll burn, even when you are sitting around.

When you want to find some new exercise routines or learn more about women’s fitness, join Fitness4Her and get all of the privileges that are exclusive to members. It’s fun, informative and free. You’ll get the tools and support to help you lose weight, gain weight or just get healthy. Join Fitness4Her, the website for Women’s Fitness.

Moving To The Groove With My Fitness Journal

By

Have you come to the point that you are ready to get in shape by exercising and eating healthy? Do you desire a healthier lifestyle but feel trapped by bad habits and old behaviors? It’s time to break free of that unhealthy lifestyle and embrace a more active lifestyle and there is no better time than now to get started.
{+}
Too many diseases are related to poor lifestyle, but you can change that by becoming more active. That’s not saying that exercising is going to cure cancer, but it is going to help you fight off other problems that are caused an inactive lifestyle.

A fitness journal can make it all simpler for you to get moving and get healthy. You might be wondering how a journal can make anything easy. Well, it is the secret glue that sticks the diet and exercise together to help you attain successful weight loss and fitness.

First get your self a fitness journal. You can purchase a fancy one or just use a composition notebook. Just have a book that is used for nothing other than recording your fitness. Section off an area to record your goals and begin journaling. Write down your weight, measurements and dress size.

After that, dedicate time to write in your journal every day. Record everything you eat and drink and all of your exercise. Use your journal to challenge yourself to reach higher goals.

So what happens when you get your weight under control to a manageable level? Keeping your weight within the healthy limits will lower your risk of sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart problems, and almost any other disease that is directly related to obesity and sedentary lifestyle.

You are more at risk for a heart attack or stroke when you are sedentary, the chance of one happening is far more likely among sedentary people than those who are moderately active.

Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. Activities such as brisk walking or slow jogging will release more endorphins than a slow pace, but any walking is better than none.

As you lose weight and become more active, you will begin to feel better and more confident. Remember that the body is a machine that consists of mental, spiritual, and physical parts. When you improve one part, you see improvements all over.

But don’t let that be reason to slow down or stop keeping your journal. Nope, you need to be even more vigilant about sticking to your goals. Oh, you can reward yourself for your achievements but get back on track and keep recording everything in your journal.

You can set challenges for yourself with a fitness journal. Set goals for added weights, more advancement on exercises, working with a medicine ball or exercising longer at a higher intensity.

If you aren’t exercising then you’re probably heavier than you want to be. If you’re heavy, then you’re overweight and are more likely to succumb to a weight-related disease like Type 2 diabetes. I want you to get up and get moving.

Keep your fitness journal handy so you can be accurate with all of your entries. It’s easy to get confused about what all you have eaten even after a few hours. Since I eat five meals instead of just three, I need to keep my journal even closer. It seems I’m always writing something in there.

Another important thing to keep track of is the amount of sleep that you are getting every night. You know experts believe there is a direct connection to the amount of sleep we get and our weight. Sleep deprivation can cause weight problems. Women especially, need between seven to nine hours of sleep each night and when they don’t get it, they can put themselves at risk for serious health problems.

If you will be faithful in keeping your journal, you are almost guaranteed weight loss results. But it’s up to you. No one but you can make the commitment to implement change in your life. You have to want to get healthy and you have to be dedicated to your goal in order to succeed.

The best thing is, you don’t have to go it alone. Find a fitness buddy to work out with, get some coworkers to join you on a nice long walk, go for a bike ride with your son or daughter, the important thing is that you get moving.

Learn to play tennis and join a team. There’s a nice chance for socializing with games like tennis and golf and always lots of people looking for someone to play with. But there are many other activities that don’t require a partner. You can go skating, swimming or go for a bike ride by yourself.

Fitness4Her believes in alternating aerobic activities and strength training exercises every other day, six days a week. This schedule will give you the best results for the female figure. My 30 Minutes To A New You Exercise Program will get you in shape in just 30 minutes a day. For some sample routines, check out the Members Exercise Section. Each routine can be performed in 30 minutes.

I’m so glad you’ve come to visit my site. I hope that physical fitness and healthy eating will become part of your lifestyle. I am passionate about helping other women achieve their fitness goals.

Tell us and our readers about your journaling efforts by leaving a comment below:

Healthy Chocolate Shake

By

Love to have a shake but hate feeling guilty? Try this healthy alternative and enjoy it until your straw sucks up the last drop. This recipe makes 4 servings. Remember portion control is key to watching your weight, even with healthy food.

1 1/2 cups vanilla fat-free yogurt
13/4 cups fat-free milk
5 to 6 strawberries
1 tsp sugar
5 Tbs. Fat-free chocolate pudding mix

Blend all ingredients together till smooth garnish with fresh strawberries and grated chocolate.

Health Benefits:
Low in saturated fat and full of antioxidants. Yogurt is full of pre-biotics and pro-biotics, healthy bacteria, also a good source of fiber, yogurt is delicious and adds just the right stuff to pull this dish together.