Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Sticking to Your Fitness Plan

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So, you bought the gym membership months ago, and you’ve been there how many times? Enough to not resent the monthly fee you’re dishing out?

Well, if you’re like most people, the answer is probably no. And you’re not getting any help from your gym either. Unfortunately, many commercialized gyms have one goal in mind and that’s selling gym memberships. It’s actually advantageous to them if you buy a year’s membership and then never use it.

So, before you go the expensive route of joining that fancy gym, you need to really focus on why you want to stay fit and create an exercise routine that will work for you. Do you want to lose weight? If so, what happens when you do lose that weight? Will you just give up or keep at it? Do you just want to be healthy? Gain muscle? Tone your body?

The first step to starting a fitness plan that will last is sitting down with a notebook and writing out your goals. Just like you would do with a life goals plan, decide where you want to be in three months, six months, and a year in terms of your weight. Then carefully decide how you are going to get there. Keep a journal of your fitness plan and slowly work in intervals of fitness into your daily routine. Remember, it takes about 30 days for a routine to set, so keep at it until you can do it without even thinking about it.

Think about when the best time is for you to get in your exercise. Are you a morning person? Can you do it on your lunch hour, or is it better to do it when you come home from work. Pick whichever time you are most likely to not skip. If it’s hard for you to get out of bed in the morning, don’t pick that time to exercise. You’re more likely to sacrifice that time in exchange for hitting the snooze button.

Pick out your workout clothes the night before and have them ready and waiting for you. If you’re going to exercise at night when you come home from work, set your clothes out and change into them as soon as you come home, right down to your sneakers. Once you have the proper clothes and shoes on, this will tell your brain that it’s time to workout and you’ll find less excuses to skip your workout session.

There are many little tricks that you can use to help stick to a workout plan. The key is to find out what works for you and what will keep you motivated. If you’re going to skip a workout, make sure that you make that time up later in the week. If there are no consequences to skipping it will be all too easy to skip another, and another. With careful diligence and a drive to reach your goals, you’ll find that sticking to your fitness routine will become much easier over time.

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Program Your Mind For Fitness

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When you think about losing weight and getting in shape, are you focusing on the past or are you looking to the future? Concentrating on failures of yesterday cannot change anything. No one has the power to alter the circumstances that took place previously. Nor can we predict the future. However, what we do today has a great impact on what will take place tomorrow.

Eating well today, getting plenty of rest, avoiding alcohol and stimulants and maintaining a regular exercise program can make all the difference in the world with your health not only today but well into the future.

If you knew it would save a friend’s life if you devoted just thirty minutes each day to helping her get well, would you be willing to sacrifice that time? I hope your answer is yes. If you are the giving, humane person that I think you are, then you probably did answer yes. Well then, donate that thirty minutes to your own health.

That’s right, by setting aside only thirty minutes each day for exercise, your body can get all of the cardio stimulation it needs to stay healthy. Combine this routine with a balanced diet to lose weight and get in ultimate shape.

Your body is your temple. It is the only one you will get in this lifetime. Though we can’t control all diseases, we can make smart choices that are sure to improve our health. But to get to this point, we must start with our focus.

Start by programming your mind for success. Get an image of the way you want your body to look. Concentrate on what you need to do to bring your dream to fruition. Develop and execute a plan of action. Keep yourself focused on your results.

In no time at all, you will be on your way to victory.

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Foods That Make You Pretty

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Did you know that some foods can enhance a woman’s beauty? Foods high in anti-oxidants and vitamins have anti-aging properties that benefit the complexion. A variety of other foods help to minimize wrinkles, improve eyesight and whiten the teeth.

Berries, especially strawberries are excellent sources of polyphenols, anti-oxidants that help to re-build collagen for increased skin elasticity. This helps to keep your face from sagging.

Leafy greens such as spinach help to fight acne. High levels of iron and zinc make this veggie a must for a pretty face. Iron helps to alleviate dark circles under eyes while zinc is beneficial in breaking down old collagen leaving room for new collagen to form.

Ripe red tomatoes are packed full of high levels of the antioxidant vitamins A and C as well as skin cancer-fighting chemicals. Vitamin C helps keep skin elastic and prevents bruising. Vitamin A aids in healing acne from the inside out by boosting our resistance to infection.

Sardines are teeming with face-friendly omega-3 fatty acids that are responsible for doing everything from attacking arid areas to deflating inflamed zits. These essential fatty acids battle collagen-damaging free radicals and help smooth out fine lines. Dermatologists recommend eating fish three times a week. If you don’t like seafood, you can try a fish-oil supplement for some of these benefits. Or try adding flaxseed (alsi) oil and nuts to your diet. Fatty fish and nuts also contain zinc, which helps control acne flare-ups and encourages cell growth.

Crunch into a carrot if you want clear eyes with minimal wrinkling around the edges. Chock full of beta-carotene, carrots as well as sweet potatoes and other orange fruits and vegetables help to control dry, flaky skin, too.

Oatmeal is a wonder source of fiber and helps to rid your body of toxins. Rich in vitamin B, this tasty cereal can keep your complexion clear and pretty.

Soy is a super skin saver. Loaded with vitamin E, which boosts the growth of new cells. It’s full of chemicals that act like estrogen in the body, helping to rid the skin of acne for a clear complexion.

Have you been eating any of the foods that make you pretty?  What’s your experience been?  Tell us and our readers about it in the comment space below:

Aerobic Fitness

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There are many exercises that will help you to achieve aerobic fitness regardless of your age, weight or athletic ability. Becoming aerobically fit is necessary for a healthy heart and is good for you in so many other ways.

A continuous and rhythmic exercise that incorporates the use of your large muscle groups, aerobic exercise is performed at a moderate intensity for a period of time. I suggest 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week for optimum heart healthiness.

Walking, biking, running, dancing and swimming are all excellent aerobic exercises. You can mix it up, and find an exercise that suits you best. Most importantly make it fun, that way it will be something you look forward to, rather than an exercise that you dread.

Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs while improving the body’s ability to use oxygen. When you exercise, your muscles require blood to use as fuel to execute the task. In order to provide the needed blood, the arteries go to work pumping it in. As the arteries work, they widen and relax, helping them to remain flexible and healthy.

Some of the benefits associated with aerobic fitness are:

• Helps control weight
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Helps to decrease your heart rate
• Promotes better sleep
• Reduces stress
• Boosts mood
• Helps to build a positive self-image

You can keep track of your heart rate during your aerobic activity by wearing a heart rate monitor. These can be found in most sporting goods stores or you can just do the 10- second test. Simply find your carotid pulse (at the neck) with your index and middle fingers and count the number of beats for 10 seconds, multiply that number by six and that’s your heart rate.

As your heart and lungs get in better shape, you’ll find that you can walk, run and perform any activity with increased energy in a shorter amount of time. This means that after awhile, you will be able to double your current exercise routine.

With a program geared towards aerobic fitness, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Get started today. 30 Minutes to a New You. Live Heart Healthy.

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Celebrate Your Assets

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I work with some of the most beautiful women in the world. The women that I train are attractive females, but sadly, many of them refuse to believe it.

I am often surprised and disappointed by the typical woman’s need to belittle herself when she is around other women. You know what I am talking about because you’ve either witnessed this behavior or have been a part of it. The conversation will go something like this scenario.

Sarah: “Oh look at my thighs, they are huge! I hate them!”
Jennie: “You think that’s bad, look at my stomach–it’s horrible!”
Tammy: “Yeah, well my chin is too pointed, I look like a witch.”
Lisa: “My breasts are too small–I’m thinking about implants.”

Now seriously, can you imagine a group of guys having a similar conversation? No, because men are not self-deprecating about their appearance, which is quite funny, since women are considered to be the more attractive of the human species!

As young girls, females tend to be more concerned with expectations and moral issues than males at a young age. Because of this heightened concern, we become more dependent on social approval. As a result of this need for acceptance, girls are more inclined to develop a negative self-image.

When we group together, the self-loathing conversation is worse. Rather than praising ourselves for our beauty, which by the way is a gift, we prefer to criticize our features. As soon as one member of the group says something negative about the way she looks, the others feel it their duty to point out and make fun of features of their own. Should one of the girls not participate, she will be deemed conceited or full of herself.

This type of behavior sets the stage for a lifetime of dissatisfaction of one’s own body, which in turn can lead to eating disorders and all sorts of mental and physical ailments.

Instead, women can be thankful for their bodies. They should give themselves permission to love and cherish this beautiful gift that has been given to them.

For centuries, artists have painted pictures featuring women’s bodies. Some are slender while others more voluptuous. This is because women, no matter what body style, are still considered beautiful and highly desirable.

Women’s fitness is more than just being thin–it’s about being healthy. This unhealthy behavior of self-reproach remains a mystery to me, but I know that with conscious effort, all women can begin to appreciate themselves, both mentally and physically. So, the next time that you are with a group of girls and the conversation takes on the self-deprecating role, you can change it to one of positive self-assertiveness.

When the girls begin criticizing the way that they look, be brave enough to point out their attractive features, and commend your own body for its beauty. You will be pleasantly surprised, how a bit of praise and admiration can turn the banter around.

I guarantee you this, it will be a much more healthy discussion for you and your friends.

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