Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

How to Make Goals That Work for You

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Have you set any goals for yourself lately? Do you believe that your goals are attainable? If you’re wishing to drop twenty pounds, do you have a plan to reduce your weight? Do you know what it takes to lose those twenty pounds? You may need to change your diet and increase your activity level. Are you ready and willing to commit to those changes?

Your mind is the vehicle that drives your goals to attainability. You see, your brain must be able to figure out a logical path to succeed, or it will begin to believe that the task is impossible. Once that occurs, you may find yourself losing motivation and giving up.

Are you committed to your goal? How badly do you want to lose weight? How badly do you want to get fit? How badly do you want to change your body’s shape? If you really want it; if you are willing to make that commitment; you may be astounded at how easy it becomes to reach your goal.

When you are really committed to your goal, when there is no turning back, success is within your reach. It may seem as if it has come upon you like magic, but it is your own dedication, your own willingness to make sacrifices, that gives you this ability to meet and exceed your goals.

If your goal is to lose twenty pounds, begin by writing this down in a journal. Keeping a fitness journal is one of the best ways to ensure successful weight loss. Write down your current weight and write down everything you eat and drink each day. Figure out how many calories you need to cut down on and rather than counting calories, begin to reduce the amount of food that you are eating. Examine the type of food you are eating, too.

Design an exercise program that keeps you moving at least 6 days of the week. Regular exercise will help your body burn calories even when it is at rest.

Your mind needs constant reinforcement that it is accomplishing great tasks. Keeping a positive, winning attitude is vital to achieving success. Instead of concentrating on what you haven’t done, or what you can’t do, spend time each day, thinking of all of the things you have accomplished. By the time you get through listing these, your mind will be so super-charged it will be hard for it to get discouraged.

Begin A Fitness Journal Today

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Many successful diets incorporate journaling in their program. That’s because the journal helps to keep you accountable for everything you eat and drink. By reducing or eliminating high calorie drinks alone, can make you lose significant weight. But the best way to measure how your diet is working for you is to maintain a journal every day.

Maintaining a diet and fitness journal has been proven to be the number one motivator for helping a person succeed with their goals. Writing down everything you eat and drink and all of your activities each day will help you track your progress as you move toward your fitness goals.

The act of writing down your goals triggers a focus mechanism in your brain that helps you keep your mind focused on your goals. Not only does it provide a constant reminder of your goals; but it helps to establish them as real and attainable. When we keep our minds on our goals, we make decisions that move us toward achieving those goals.

The first step in keeping a fitness journal is to understand your current eating and exercising patterns. You must know your starting point in order to establish your goals. Journaling, or keeping a food and exercise log, is a great way to do it. By writing down your goals and then logging in everything you eat and drink each day you will be able to determine what is working for you and what isn’t.

There are many journals to choose from and they come in all sizes. You can select one small enough to fit in your purse or a larger one with full size sheets of paper to write on. It’s your journal so look for one that suits you best. To keep you excited about your journal, find one that is attractive and that allows enough entries for your day to day happenings and your short term and long term goals.

Remember, keeping a journal is fundamental to your success. Changing the way you eat and making a habit of exercising is not easy. The journal may be the easiest part of your whole program, a simple process that is also a critical component to your fitness plan. It has been proven time and again that people who keep a fitness journal have a much greater chance of success when it comes to losing weight than those who do not.

Be part of the successful people and begin your fitness journal today.

Love The Body You Have

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Don’t wait for the body you want to love, love the body you have right now. No matter what your age, size or shape, it’s your body and it deserves all the love you have to give it. A complete work of art, a woman’s body is a gift to be treasured and admired. If you aren’t giving your body the respect it deserves, maybe it’s time you allowed yourself to fall in love with it, again.

If the number you see on the scale makes you feel guilty or ashamed, it’s time to relieve yourself of those incriminations and set yourself free. You are more than your weight; you are a child of God and therefore a perfect being. If you can’t wrap your head around that then you need to change the opinion you have of yourself.

Accepting who you are is sometimes difficult, but not impossible. The tendency to downplay your own achievements is prevalent, as is the temptation to criticize the image staring back from the mirror. You have to take control of your mind and the way you process your thoughts to change this well practiced behavior. It is not easy to change the way you think, but it is possible.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, only concentrate on all the things you like about your image. Accentuate your best traits and focus on them, drowning out all the negative thoughts and critical views that may be popping into your head. Every time a less than desirable thought enters your mind, counteract it with a healthy positive compliment to yourself. If you do this, you will uncover more and more features that you like about your body.

Learn to love the body you have and take care of it like you will own it for life. A funny statement for sure, but the truth is, your body will last you your lifetime. That is why exercise and diet are really important. In addition to making your body look fabulous, women’s fitness, including diet and exercise, is the key to a long and healthy life. What you eat and how much you exercise, have much to do with the size and shape of your body and how you feel most of the time. Give your body the love it needs, and your body will repay you with beauty and health.

Get A Beautiful Bikini Butt

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For the girl who cares about her backside, I have some easy to do exercises that will get your butt in the best bikini shape and just in time for the big waves of summer.

So, if the beach is calling your name, and the sound of breaking waves is music to your ears, it won’t be long before you are trying on tropical colored swimming gear and itty bitty bikinis.

Shoulder Bridge
Lying on your back on a mat, bend your knees and place your feet hips width apart, your arms should be extended by your sides, palms facing downward, elbows extended with your shoulder blades reaching down your back. Draw your navel inward towards your spine and press your lower back down towards the mat keeping your chin level. Inhale, as you lift your hips away from the mat by rolling up one vertebrae at a time, exhale return your hips to the mat again rolling one vertebrae at a time. Repeat 8 times.

Pilates Hip Circles
Lying on your back on a mat, with your chin level, shoulder blades reaching down your back, arms extended by your side, palms facing down, navel drawn inward towards your spine, raise your right leg, with toes pointing towards the ceiling. Inhale; circle your leg to the right, and then forward then across to the left and back to the starting position. Repeat eight times then switch to the left leg.

Lunge
Standing with your feet together, place your hands on your hips, lift your chest and draw your shoulders down your back, pull your navel inward to engage core muscles. Inhale, step with your right foot forward and lower your left knee towards the ground, as you exhale step back with your right foot to a standing position. Hold your shoulders squarely on top of your pelvic area. Repeat on the left side, lowering your right knee to the ground and then stepping back with your left foot. Repeat 10 to 12 times.

Donkey Kicks
Beginning on all fours, with your knees positioned directly below your hips and your hands directly below your shoulders, navel drawn inward towards your spine and your shoulders reaching down your back, inhale, lift your right heel towards the ceiling with your knee remaining bent. Exhale; lower your knee back to the mat. Repeat on the left side. Continue alternating sides 10 to 12 times.

Cardio activities such as walking, jogging and cycling can also work the muscles that help you get that beautiful bikini butt. Stay active and enjoy life to the fullest, healthy and happy in mind, body and spirit.

Positive Is The New Pretty

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You have no doubt heard the saying, Pretty is as Pretty does. It means that a person’s actions and their attitude about life can be the difference in how pretty they look on the outside. People with positive attitudes, who treat others with respect and kindness, are some of the prettiest people I know. I am drawn to this positive energy and find ways to bring these positive aspects to my life.

Recently, I was asked how I always maintain such a positive attitude. My answer was simple. It’s something that I strive for every day and in order to ensure a positive attitude, I begin each day with positive affirmations. Not only do I use them to keep me focused on health and fitness, but I also utilize affirmations in nearly every area of my life.

I do not allow negative thoughts and actions to take hold of my day. That doesn’t mean I don’t face negativity everyday, but this positive force does have a huge impact on how I handle life’s challenges.

The affirmations that I repeat to myself are sincere. I repeat my affirmations aloud with conviction and believe whole-heartedly that these statements are possible. This positive self-talk sets my day on the right track.

Some examples of my affirmations are as follows:

I am fully energized and ready to start the day.

I am beautiful today.

I will have a fabulous day, today.

I love to eat a healthy breakfast and enjoy every morsel.

I will leave for work on time.

I will have a pleasant ride to work.

When I exercise today it will make me feel stronger.

I will be kind to someone today.

Don’t let others get you down, with their negative talk or constant complaints. Be kind to all and surround yourself with people who have a positive outlook on life. You are not responsible for other people’s happiness. Strive for your happiness and share that love with everyone you can.

Positive affirmations are a proven and easy way to make a significant difference in your diet and weight loss efforts, too. As with all aspects of your life, believe what you say and allow your affirmations to focus your mind on making the right decisions.

Respect yourself the way you do others, and look for the positive attributes in everyone you meet. Choose to take the high road by sticking to your affirmations, knowing that the positive path is the way to victory.