Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

The Fabulous Look of Fitness

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Beauty is not only skin deep; beauty encompasses your body, mind and soul. And there’s nothing quite as stimulating to the beauty factor as a healthy fitness plan.

Womens Fitness is much more than losing weight. Remember, just because someone loses a lot of weight doesn’t mean that they are physically fit and weight loss alone does not constitute a healthy fitness plan.

All too often, we judge our physical health by how much we weigh. What a mistake! The number on a scale will only give you a limited assessment of what your physical health really is. Your body weight is comprised of the weight of your bones, organs, muscles, connective tissues, fluids and yes, fat.

The more you exercise the bigger your muscles will get. You will begin to lose fat but you may not see a big difference in the number on the scale. But tell me this, are your clothes getting a little loose? Do you see the change in your muscle definition throughout your body? These are true signs that you are shedding the fat.

The Department of Health suggests exercising 30 minutes a day, five days per week. Investing as little as 30 minutes a day in exercise, by combining resistance training and aerobic activities, can help you live longer and healthier. Exercise helps to:

• Stimulate feelings of euphoria.
• Reduce depression.
• Stall loss of muscle.
• Preserve the metabolism of youth.

Regardless of your age, weight or athletic ability, resistance training should make up part of your fitness program. Resistance exercises help to strengthen your body so that you will have an easier time with your aerobic activities. You see, these two types of exercise go hand in hand. Resistance training also helps your body look beautiful. After about 90 days you’ll begin to see the results¬¬¬¬ of your efforts–like a smaller waist, firmer legs, thinner ankles, and a more attractive derriere.

Be sure to keep a journal of what you eat and drink as well as keeping track of your exercise program and goals. Logging your measurements every 30 days will help you see what you have achieved and keep focused on your goals.

Energize with Exercise

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Energize your body, mind and soul by exercising every day. Even when you feel too tired to get moving, motivate yourself to push forward. 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.

To keep our bodily mechanisms hard at work, we must keep the gears moving. Otherwise our muscles become lax and withered and in turn, our bones suffer the consequences. For instance, when core muscles in the body are not exercised and developed, more stress and strain is put on the back and spine. The same for the knee. Knee injuries that develop into arthritis can be helped dramatically by strengthening the muscles that surround the knee.

We all know that a healthy heart is essential to living well. Daily activity has been proven to strengthen the heart muscles and alleviate stress by helping the body to produce endorphins. Regular cardio exercises combined with strength training provides the best exercise plan.

Exercise is good for the mind and soul as well as the body. It feels great to take a nice walk after a big meal. Not only does the walk help your food to digest, it relieves stress and gives the mind and soul a chance to recharge and reboot.

There are so many benefits to staying active. Just as well, there are serious side effects that can develop when a person chooses a sedentary lifestyle devoid of exercise and activity. Don’t wait for these ailments to steal your zest in life. Go out there and get moving.

You don’t have to join a club or do anything fancy to begin exercising. If you are a beginner, start with a 15-minute walk out and 15-minute walk back. That’s an easy 30 minutes of exercising that you can build on day after day. I guarantee you that if you stick with it you will never regret the time you invest in exercise and taking care of your body.

Design Your Own Diet Plan

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Design a diet plan that will work for you and your lifestyle. It takes a dedicated plan, but by designing your own diet, you can take control over your eating habits and find great success in your weight management goals.

Examine your current eating habits, including what you eat and your preparation methods. Keep in mind the amount to time you want to devote to preparing your meals as well as planning them. While eating healthy make take a bit more planning and prep time, you will also want to come up with quick eating solutions for those times when you are on the go or in a hurry.

If your goal is to lose weight, I have found that the best diet for losing weight is to eat every 21/2 to 3 hours. Eating frequent, small meals will help to keep you from overeating at any meal and from making unhealthy food choices. Avoid going for long periods of time without eating, which causes your metabolism to all but shut down in an effort to conserve fat and energy. A slower metabolism burns less calories.

The secret to success with this diet is to plan your meals each day. If you work away from home, pack a lunch with healthy snacks of fruit, vegetables, cheese or crackers. Make sure you are getting enough protein, too. When eating up to five times per day, be sure to keep the portions small. You can weigh each serving or estimate your portion by the size of the palm of your hand.

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. Keep in mind that your next meal is only a few hours away.

The real secret to adjusting your portion size is knowing you will be eating again in less than 3 hours. Give it a try. Nutritious food, in sensible portions, eaten several times a day really will keep your hunger satisfied and help you to lose those excess pounds.

Help Yourself to Healthy Snacks

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Every healthy, nutritional diet plan should include snacks. Snacking helps to lower blood sugar levels and can help you lose weight. It’s more about what you eat and how much you eat that makes the difference in whether your snacking habits are a positive or negative component of your overall nutritional consumption.

Healthy snacking doesn’t just mean nibbling on carrot sticks between meals. Although carrots are a delicious in-between meal choice, there are a great variety of healthy foods that can be prepared quickly to satisfy any hunger. You can also split your regular entrée into two servings, eating half at the appointed meal and saving the other half for a mid-meal snack.

One of the latest trends in meals is to have a second breakfast or second lunch. These seemingly new ideas stem from having 5 small meals a day rather than the traditional 3 meal a day plan. The caveat is that the meals must be reduced in size in order to manage your consumption and your weight.

Eating healthy takes planning and the same can be said for preparing healthy snacks. Whether you are on the go, having friends over or just snacking in front of the television, there are a variety of good-tasting, healthy snacks to choose from.

Apple slices with almond nut butter is an excellent choice that can be packaged for an on-the-go snack or dressed up on a platter for sharing. Toss in some nuts for a quick source of protein.
Sliced red bell pepper and guacamole is a delicious indulgence that is packed full of vitamins, nutrients and good sources of fiber. The healthy fat from the guacamole is good for you and still under 200 calories.

Celery sticks with cream cheese looks so elegant when served on a platter. It’s a classic low-carb snack that is great for enjoying alone or with a group.
Hard boiled eggs are excellent sources of protein and low in calories. High in vitamins K2 and B12, boiled eggs will keep your hunger satisfied. It’s an easy, on-the-go snack that’s protein-packed and completely portable.

Turkey or chicken breast slices are great choices for lean protein. Using thin slices, spread with cream cheese, top with a few strips of cucumber or pickle slices and then roll up. Fasten with a toothpick before serving. It’s a yummy snack that will ward off hunger between meals.

Dark chocolate and almonds are a decadent treat that is a great on-the-go snack. Full of antioxidants and flavanols, both are also high in magnesium and taste great. So go ahead, have a couple of snacks, every day.

Writing Your Way To A New You

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Starting a fitness journal is one of the best tools you can have to ensure success. If you are serious about your workout and are interested in losing weight and getting fit, I have the secret to help you slim down and shape up permanently. Journaling is the single most easiest activity to add to your diet and workout plan, and one of the most powerful tools to guarantee success.

You probably already know that it has been proven time and again that people who keep a fitness journal have a far greater chance at losing weight and keeping it off than those who do not. Journaling is one of the best ways to hold yourself accountable for all your food and beverage consumption and your fitness level.

In order to get the most benefit from your fitness journal you must be honest with everything you write down. Make an entry for each day and record everything you eat and drink. Once you get over the shock of how much you really are eating, you can begin to track your exercise and physical activities that you do each day.

Keeping a journal will open your eyes and your mind to what is working for you and what is not. You will be able to better understand your food cravings and chart your day on when you might be the hungriest. This can help you to plan your meal times to better suit your hunger needs. You may need to eat a bigger breakfast but a smaller lunch, or maybe a medium sized lunch and smaller dinner are more suitable to your body. Controlling portion size is very important when you are learning to manage your weight so be sure to write down how much you are eating. Measure or weigh your portions until you get used to eye-balling the amount. You might be surprised at what you thought was a ½ cup.

I find that actually writing with paper and pen work best for me, but you may find that your mobile device or computer are better for storing your data. There is something very personal about actually writing that keeps me accountable but if your online journal works for you, by all means continue with anything you are comfortable with.

Journaling provides a written account of your daily consumption and your fitness level. It’s helpful to look back over your entries and see how far you have come. Especially, at times when you feel like your body isn’t changing but you feel like you are sacrificing and not eating the foods you like. Sometimes, it feels like it is all for nothing. When those times come, sit down, open your journal and compare the early entries with what you are doing now.

Your fitness journal is your confidant and fitness buddy to help you lose weight and get in shape. Be honest, be open, but don’t judge yourself to harshly. Each day is a new day, so start writing and stay focused on your fitness goal. Before you know it you will be writing your way to a new, slimmer, healthier you.