Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Affirmations Build Your Body, Improve Your Mind and Free Your Soul

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What you believe about yourself, is what you become. The thoughts you believe in your mind and the feelings you carry in your heart have a great impact on your ability to lose weight and become fit. The words you say to yourself will shape the way you believe. Your word has the power to change your life.

Taking control over your life can begin with daily affirmations. Affirmations super charge the brain and make the connection between body, mind and soul. When you focus on positive thoughts and actions, your brain picks up on these thoughts and sets about a path to make them happen. That’s why it is important to focus on positive thoughts and shut out the negative ones.

Affirmations allow you to take control over your eating habits and keep you motivated to not only stick to an exercise program, but to excel in your fitness goals. Your mind will actually listen to and feed off these daily commands and you will soon see the results of your efforts.

If you believe it, you can achieve it. And that’s the hardest part of the challenge. Affirmations aren’t just empty words that you say in front of a mirror. You must believe in the affirmations that you are repeating in order for them to work. Your mind must be able to make a connection with what you are saying and what it encounters daily. If it is filled with self-doubt, you must quiet these doubts and convince your brain that what you are telling it— is happening.

It’s happening in the here and now, not far off in the future. Keep control over your thoughts by not letting your mind stray into planning for a future event. Stay focused on what is happening right now and the changes taking place every day. Your body is stronger than it was yesterday. You are more confident than you were last week. You are living with less stress than you were a month ago. You are living a healthy lifestyle and loving every minute.

Daily affirmations are one of the easiest and most economical ways to lose weight and keep that weight off. Keeping a firm focus on your goals and making those goals a reality are the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.

Living a life of gratitude and focusing on the positive will bring about monumental changes in your own life. Allow this way of living to transcend from the spiritual to the physical. Love, honor and respect your body. If you truly love your body then you can expect it to love you back.

Barbecue Baked Chicken in the Oven

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Barbeque can be enjoyed no matter if you are trying to lose weight or gain weight when you insist on making the sauce yourself. No added sugar is required to make this entrée truly tasty. Highly seasoned and rubbed this baked chicken dish tastes as good as it makes you look.

1 whole cleaned chicken
1 tsp salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 bag of slaw

Dressing for slaw
1/2 cup light mayo
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Mix slaw with dressing and refrigerate until chicken is ready.
2. Pour ingredients over chicken and bake at 350 degrees until golden.
3. Keep basting 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees. (oven may vary)
4. Serve chicken with slaw

Health Benefits:
High in protein but low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, low in sodium, low in sugar and low in calories. The tomato sauce adds the antioxidants you need to keep your heart healthy. The low fat slaw is a great way to enjoy something fresh and tasty without the extra fat and calories.

Put the Fun Back in Functional

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Enjoyment, amusement or lighthearted pleasure, that’s the formal definition of fun. Without a little fun, I can’t be truly functional. So, I say it’s time to put the fun back in functional.
Fun inspires, it elevates your spirit and makes you feel good. Fun is necessary! It delivers oxygen to the soul.

If you’ve lost that fun feeling it’s time to get it back. Take a minute and think of something you truly enjoy. Allow yourself to visualize that activity. Did this make you feel happy?

I think fun is about living in the moment and a willingness to be open to it. For me it’s about being spontaneous. Fun, joy and excitement should be part of your healthy lifestyle!
Sometimes, you just have to let down your guard and give in to pleasure. Whether you enjoy an outing with friends or an intimate gathering with family, take some time to really enjoy yourself and have some fun.

Life is not all about responsibilities and doing what others expect of us. We all must take a break now and then and have some down time. Laugh, cry, sing or shout, whatever makes you happy, just do it.

I love it when a friend calls and we go out for a spontaneous bike ride or long walk on the beach. We get that rare opportunity to stretch our legs and our minds. It’s fun to catch up on the latest news and get in a little cardio at the same time.

One of my favorite fun activities is to go out on the boat with my boys. Now that they have all moved out of the house, it’s a real treat to have them come home for a weekend. Anytime I can get them all together, I put everything aside just to enjoy their company.

Be an inspiration to others by showing the fun and loving side of yourself. Yes, you know what I am talking about. When you present a lighthearted attitude, you easily lift the spirits of those around you.

Function at your very best by giving into fun. Be spontaneous and be ready to grab the chance to have fun as it comes. Sometimes, fun happens when you least expect it. Not everything can be planned. Open your heart and your mind and let love guide your actions.

Modernize Your Workout

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Tired of going to the gym and doing the same old routine? If your exercises are boring you to death, it may be time to modernize your workout.

When your workout becomes old and stale, you’ll want to modernize your workout with a true test of strength by taking your workout to the next level. Modernizing your workout doesn’t have to mean redoing your entire exercise routine. You can simply do more sets and repetitions of every exercise.

Doing the same exercises at the same level every time you workout is not only boring to your mind, it’s also boring to your muscles. No longer a challenge, your muscles aren’t getting the same workout they were when the exercises were new. To get your muscles really working, you have to mix things up to confuse the muscles and break the cycle. This will result in a higher calorie and fat burn and better muscle definition.

Mix up your workout. One of the major reasons women lose motivation is because they become bored with their workout. Day after day and week after week doing the same set of exercises or routines can drive you batty. It’s always good to mix up your routines and add variety to your aerobic activities as well.

Remind yourself how great it felt when you first started exercising…the first time you made it through a few sets, after you walked your first 5k walk or run, when you fit into your favorite pair of jeans. Capture those feelings again with new challenges.

If you enjoy playing sports, get out and participate in some new games. These activities fill significant needs by providing physical and mental challenges. You can meet new people, stay competitive and practice patience and persistence. The more you play the better your chances of improvement.

However, if solo activities are more your thing, you can plan to walk or run an additional mile every other day, swim laps in a pool or go paddle boarding (this burns a tremendous amount of calories).

Modernize your workout by keeping it exciting and challenging and it will be much more rewarding. You would be surprised how adding more sets and reps can actually make your workout more appealing. Think about adding weights to your workout to build strength or spend a longer time on the treadmill to increase stamina and burn more calories.

Seven Simple Steps To A Younger Looking You

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Your diet and lifestyle play major roles in how your skin looks and how old you appear. If you are interested in looking and feeling your very best, follow these seven simple steps to see a younger looking you.

1. To achieve soft, supple skin, eat foods rich in Omega 3s such as flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, avocados, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and olive oil. Omega 3s nourish the skin and also help to combat inflammatory skin conditions like acne and psoriasis.

2. Eat plenty of bright, colorful fruits and vegetables, daily. Pick fresh produce that is abundant in zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and beta carotene, all of which are key players in the body’s production of collagen. Red bell peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes, oranges and carrots are all great choices.

3. Every meal you eat should include one serving of protein. All of the cells in your body depend on protein for growth and rejuvenation. Insufficient protein can cause tears, wrinkles, and cracks in your skin, making you look much older.

4. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Too much alcohol can cause adverse effects on your skin. Alcohol is a natural diuretic and drinking too much can cause dehydration, which leads to older looking skin. In addition, excessive alcohol use can cause Rosacea outbreaks and increase fine lines and breakouts in your skin.

5. Get a good night’s sleep. Not enough sleep can cause the appearance of dark circles, bags under the eyes and an overall tired look. One of the least expensive and most important things we can do to help us look and feel our best is to get plenty of rest. Make sleep a priority and you will see the difference it makes overnight.

6. Exercise every day to look and feel fabulous. The many benefits of exercise include helping you look younger and to virtually slow the effects of age on your body. Exercise increases your oxygen level provides a rejuvenating effect on your skin, lungs and heart.

7. The warm rays of the sun feel magnificent against my skin, but I dare not go out without sunscreen protection. Excessive exposure to the sun’s UV rays can cause wrinkling and carries a strong risk of cancer. Protect yourself and keep your skin smooth and sleek with a regular moisturizing regimen and plenty of sunscreen every day.