Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Build, Strengthen, Stretch and Tone

By

Women often ask, “If I lift weights, will I bulk up like a man?” My answer unequivocally is, no, you are a woman and you will not develop muscles like a man. Weightlifting will help you build, strengthen, stretch and tone your muscles, but you will not get bulky.

The lack of free testosterone in the female body contributes to the inability for women to grow muscles like a man. On the other hand, estrogen decreases the amount of free testosterone in the body and increases cortisol, which reduces muscle mass. Research has shown that while lifting weights increases total testosterone in men, it has no effect on testosterone levels in women.

Building muscle through weightlifting has some hidden benefits, too. Each pound of muscle can burn 50 calories a day. The more muscle you build, the easier it is to burn calories. With more muscle mass, you’ll even burn calories while you sleep. Be sure to get plenty of sleep, rest provides the rejuvenation your muscles need.

Training your muscles through weightlifting is not just about dead weights. There are many resistance training exercises that incorporate weights to build, strengthen, stretch and tone your muscles.

Strength or resistance training exercises target individual muscle groups with specific exercises. In order to build and tone muscles to achieve muscular definition, you need to work your muscle to the point of muscle fatigue. Gradually adding weights to the exercises is an ideal way to get your body in shape for weightlifting.

If you have not lifted weights in a while, or never done any resistance training, go easy on yourself. One set of eight repetitions may be all you can do in the beginning. After a month or so, you will see and feel the difference weight training can make.

I suggest a mix of squats, lunges, chest presses, triceps kickbacks, and deadlift. Ensure that you are training for strength and resistance 3 times a week and doing cardio the other 3 days of the week. Remember, it’s always a good practice to take 1 day off each week for rest and rejuvenation.

Look and Feel Younger With Exercise

By

Looking for the Fountain of Youth? Don’t be too disappointed to learn that it doesn’t exist. But there is good news, and a way to restore the beauty and vitality of youth. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to make you look and feel younger.

Staying active is essential to your health, offering benefits for your body and your brain. A combination of cardio and resistance training is the ultimate prescription to energize you and restore your youthful appearance.

Our bodies were made to be active. We are not designed to be sedentary. Even if you are limited in your abilities, keeping your body and mind as active as possible will provide healthy benefits that can last a lifetime.

Sweating may seem un-lady like, but working up a sweat can help you slim down and improve your respiratory, cardio, and circulatory functions. Cardio activities can help you work up a healthy sweat. Some examples include walking, running and playing sports to increase your strength and improve your stamina.

Maintaining an active lifestyle in your thirties will help to keep your muscles stronger and your body more flexible, way on into your fifties and sixties. That doesn’t mean you should stop exercising after 30. Making exercise a vital part of your life will ensure that your body works for you and not against you, as you grow older.

As we age, it is common to lose a small amount of muscle mass. Studies indicate that after the age of 30, people who are inactive can lose 3% to 5% of muscle mass per decade due to age-related sarcopinia. Although common, losing muscle mass means a decrease in strength and stamina. Staying active can offset these alarming statistics; it is the key to sustaining the vitality of youth.

Regular exercise is paramount to keeping your body healthy and strong. Start now and never give up or give in. Your health should be a top priority, so be sure to stick with your exercise routine and not give it up on a whim. There will be challenges and changes in schedules, but if you stay as true to yourself as you do to others, you will be able to meet those challenges and adjust to any changes that get in your way.

If you are already active, then you are on the right track. Not only will you help to maintain your strength and stamina but regular exercise will change the way you feel and look. Exercise is such a benefit to the body that it accentuates your natural beauty and restores the vitality of youth.

Choosing the Best Diet for You

By

With so much information and disinformation regarding food choices, it’s sometimes difficult to know what to believe when choosing the best diet for losing and maintaining a healthy weight. One thing that is important to remember is that food is not the problem, food is the answer. Eating healthy, delicious food is the best way to bring you closer to your ideal weight and help you maintain it for life.

Food gives us the energy we need to sustain life. Choosing a diet that promotes not only losing weight but provides the sustainability needed to maintain a healthy weight is most important. It’s about behavior modification, nutrition education and portion control. Simply put, it’s about knowing what foods to choose and when to push away from the table.

The science of losing weight dictates that we must burn more calories than we are consuming. The tricky part to this equation is that you must eat in order to maintain a healthy weight. While it might seem logical to reduce calories, there are other factors to consider such as the nutritional value of the foods you eat. Some foods provide much more energy and will sustain you longer than lower calorie foods that might not be doing much for your health.

Strive for a variety of healthy foods. Fresh foods, anytime you can get them are the best sources of nutrition. Choose from a variety of lean proteins such as plant protein, chicken, fish and beef. Minimize the condiments and be sure to include them when keeping a journal of your food intake. Those tasty sauces can contain lots of sugar and sodium, so be aware before adding them to your meal.

Be mindful of how much you are eating and know when to back away from the table. Portion control is key to losing weight. You can eat many of your favorite foods, but if you want to lose weight, you must reduce the amount that you eat.

If you are still feeling hungry, eating more frequent meals may do the trick. Rather than the traditional three meal a day plan, you may have better success and feel more satisfied by increasing your meal plan to five meals per day and reducing your portions for each food.

Take time to enjoy each meal, making a connection between mind, body and soul. You will reap the benefits of a nutritional diet that will help you lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

Super Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables

By

Eating vegetables every day is essential to a balanced, nutritional diet plan. A combination of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and healthy fats will ensure you get all the vitamins and nutrients you need, while keeping your hunger satisfied. A class of super vegetables, known as cruciferous vegetables, are high in fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals that help fight off cancer.

Cruciferous vegetables include Arugula, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard Greens, Radishes and Turnips. Eating at least two servings of these vegetables each day will supply your body with much needed nutrients and with a balanced diet that will help you to maintain a healthy weight.

A good source of fiber, cruciferous vegetables will help to keep your digestive system working properly. If you experience excessive gas with these vegetables reduce your serving size and opt for fewer servings a day. Cooking the vegetables, rather than eating them raw will also help in digestion.

Known to reduce inflammation, cruciferous vegetables regulate blood sugar, promote weight loss, enhance heart health and help balance estrogen levels. They are low in calories but high in antioxidants and Vitamins A, C and K. Cruciferous vegetables possess cancer-fighting compounds and improve heart function.

Whether eaten alone or as a side dish, there are several ways to add these super beneficial vegetables to your diet. Roasted, boiled, baked, stir fried or simmered, it’s easy to find a healthy recipe to make any of these vegetables into a meal. But don’t forget that non-cruciferous vegetables have many health benefits, too. Spinach, carrots, cucumbers and zucchini are all non-cruciferous vegetables that are great sources of vitamins and nutrients and make great accompaniments to vegetable or meat dishes.

Variety is the spice of life and also the secret to successful dieting. Strive for a diet that contains a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and dairy. By varying the foods that you eat, you can be sure of getting the nutrients you need. The best healthy diet should be enjoyable as well as nutritional. Take time to savor every bite and fully indulge in every meal.

From This Day Forward – Healthy Living Day by Day

By

Begin your quest for a healthier lifestyle with a journal to chart your goals and help drive your motivation. From this day forward, make a commitment to eat healthy, exercise regularly, get plenty of rest and love your body, mind and soul.

If losing weight is one of your healthy lifestyle goals, there is no better way to shed those pounds than a fitness journal. It has been proven many times that people who keep a fitness journal have far greater success at losing weight than those people who do not.

Recording everything you eat, drink and all the exercise that you do will give you a clear view of your efforts and let you see what is working and what is not. Sometimes you may find that you are consuming more calories than you previously thought. Keeping track of your food intake will help you decide if your current food choices are right for you.

Journaling allows you to focus on specific goals and provides an easy way to chart a path to success. From exercise routines to weightlifting and circuit intervals, you can keep an accurate account of where you began and see your progress along the way. Remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress.

Making the decision to live healthier from this day forward means no looking back at past mistakes. Begin your journal from Day 1 and keep looking forward toward your goal. You can use a notebook, purchase a designated journal or find one online. Just be sure to keep it with you throughout the day for best results.

I find journaling to be a great stress reliever. At the end of the day, after my last meal, I enjoy looking over the day’s events and adding my finishing touch. It is important to keep an accurate account of everything you eat and drink so be sure to log in after every meal.

There are many fitness journals available on the market today. Many journal templates are downloadable online, try to find one that has space for everything you want to record. You can even use a simple notebook and design your own with entries for food intake, exercise notes, as well as measurements and weight information. This will be useful as you chart your success to see where you started and how far you progress.