Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Beating The Weight Loss Obsession

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When it comes to women’s fitness, you must learn to break free of your weight loss obsession and learn to love the body you have. If you have spent the majority of your teen and adult years occupied with losing weight, it might be time to try something different. Give yourself a break and know that right now, this very minute, you are perfect, just the way you are.

Losing weight is not the answer. While it may be necessary for you to lose weight to improve your health; it’s the journey to a healthier you that is the solution. Every step you take, every choice you make brings you closer to or pushes you further from your ultimate goal. But like any journey, it’s the unexpected experiences that keep us engaged and make the entire trip a memorable one.

Keep a fitness journal and write down everything you eat and drink every single day. Don’t skip days, no matter what you have eaten, write everything down in your journal. Resist the urge to chastise yourself when recording your daily intake; as this will only discourage you from being truthful. The journal is your personal record, share it if you like, but it belongs solely to you. It is your own personal way of helping you to understand yourself, your eating habits and your daily exercise.

Eat clean. Consume at least 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Refrain from added sugars, salt and processed foods. Don’t deprive yourself of foods you like. Indulge regularly in a fruit smoothie or frozen fruit bar that you make yourself. There are many delicious recipes that are definitely worth trying.

Analyze why you feel you need to lose weight. Try concentrating on building a stronger body through a well balanced diet and daily exercise, instead. If you are not already working out regularly, adding regular exercise will help you to lose weight and help your body to metabolize your calories more effectively for your body.

The key to beating your weight loss obsession is to recognize that your body is uniquely yours. Get to know it and learn to love it and it will respond in kind. Your body is a special gift from God, treasure it, nurture it, challenge it and you will be delightfully surprised at how wonderful you look and feel.

Get Trendy With Body Weight Training

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Body weight training or strength training remains high on the list of the most popular exercise routines. As a matter of fact, several sources reportedly rank it in second place, preceded only by wearable technology, as the latest and greatest exercise trend for this year. Of course for those of us who have been working on strength training as part of a regular exercise routine, this doesn’t come as much surprise.

The popularity of body weight training can be partly attributed to the variety of exercises that it includes. Lunges, squats, dips, push-ups and pull-ups are all easy to do right in the comfort and convenience of your own home. You can go to the gym, but if you are pressed for time, 30 minutes of body weight training will keep you on track.

Body weight training refers to using the weight of your own body as resistance to build strength and muscle. One of the great things about body weight training is that you can adjust the exercises to fit your routine. It’s easy to increase the number of reps and sets for a tougher and longer workout. So whether you are a beginner or a novice, you can incorporate body weight training to help you shape your body and make it stronger.

Once the exercises start to become easy, you may want to take it to the next level with the additional weight of a dumbbell. This will help you continue to build strength while chiseling your waistline and flattening your tummy. To ensure you always work those muscles around your waist and strive toward a flat tummy, be sure to engage your core throughout every exercise.

Engaging your core is not the same thing as holding in your stomach. When you engage your core, you should be breathing normally, not holding your breath. To engage your core, imagine your belly button is being magnetically drawn to your spine. Practice engaging your core throughout the day, not limiting it just for exercise. This will help to strengthen those muscles and give you a great looking six-pack.

Be sure to add cardio to your workout to strengthen your heart and burn fat. I like to alternate days, concentrating on certain areas of my body for strength training and mixing up my activities on the days I dedicate to cardio. This gives me a balanced workout that never gets boring.

Get Your Best Body, Now

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Strengthen your muscles, melt the fat and improve your metabolism. It’s more about what you eat than what you do, but both play integral parts in how your body processes the calories that you feed it. A well-balanced diet and daily exercise have always been the hallmarks of a healthy lifestyle.

Restrictive diets are never good. The best diets are those that include a serving of protein at every meal to help your body build and repair cells. Protein plays an integral part in maintaining muscle, bones, skin, cartilage and blood. Your body also uses it to make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals. Protein also helps to boost metabolism.

A balanced diet also includes other nutrients in addition to protein. Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. When planning your menu, keep in mind that each meal should be a combination of protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates and calcium.

You probably noticed that I included fat as one of the essential players in a well-balanced diet. While bad fats can wreck your diet and increase your risk of certain diseases, good fats protect your brain and heart. Omega-3s are considered healthy fats and are vital to your physical and emotional health. A diet that includes healthy fats, like salmon and avocadoes, can help improve your mood, boost your well-being, and even trim your waistline.

Eating foods high in dietary fiber (grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and beans) can prevent constipation, help your body process foods better and lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can give your skin a healthy glow and help you to lose pounds and manage a healthy weight.

Carbohydrates are one of your body’s main sources of energy. But most should come from complex, unrefined carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, fruit) rather than sugars and refined carbohydrates that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients.

Calcium is essential for building healthy bones and teeth. As well as leading to osteoporosis, a calcium deficiency in your diet can also contribute to anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. Whether you are a man or woman, it is vital to your health to include calcium-rich foods in your diet and get enough magnesium and vitamins D and K to help calcium work for the betterment of your body.

Keep The Doctor Away With Apple Cider Vinegar

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Improve your health dramatically by drinking apple cider vinegar to help reduce acid reflux, lower blood pressure, improve diabetes and support weight loss. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference in your overall health.

The benefits of apple cider vinegar come from its powerful healing compounds, which include acetic acid, potassium, magnesium, probiotics and enzymes.

Acetic acid has the ability to kill “bad for you” bacteria and at the same time, improve the “good for you” bacteria in your gut. Because acetic acid kills unwanted bacteria when it comes into contact with it, it essentially acts as a natural antibiotic.

Apple cider vinegar is also full of polyphenols. Studies have shown polyphenols to be extremely helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

There are no recommended servings, but you must remember to never drink apple cider vinegar straight as it can burn your esophagus. Just mix a teaspoon to a tablespoon in 8 ounces of water and drink it 1 to 3 times a day. You can add a little honey if you don’t like the taste. It’s also a great way to dress your salad with a touch of olive oil for a healthy little zing.

These are some of the ways apple cider vinegar benefits your health and fitness.

Detoxifies by helping to remove harmful environmental toxins that build up in the body. Apple cider vinegar helps to flush out the liver and improve the natural blood filtration process while boosting your energy levels.

Aids in Weight Loss by reducing sugar cravings and detoxifying the body.

Balances Blood Sugar with acetic acid found in apple cider vinegar; it also improves insulin sensitivity and insulin responses.

Lowers Blood Pressure Studies have shown that consuming apple cider vinegar lowers triglycerides and blood pressure significantly.

Relieves Allergies by helping break up mucous in your body and support lymphatic drainage. It also supports the immune system and can clear your sinuses.

Conditions Hair with just a little dab. Add shine to your hair with apple cider vinegar.

Whitens Teeth due to the pH, apple cider vinegar can remove stains from your teeth, which helps naturally whiten.

Be Honest With Yourself

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Journaling is honest. It’s a wake-up call to what’s really important in your life. Journaling helps reveal any negative thoughts that might be holding you back. Feelings or thoughts you may not see until you become aware of them through writing. Writing can also help you unveil the dreams that are ready to be born within your heart and soul. Writing those daily thoughts on paper gets you one step closer to making your dreams a reality. Write it down!

Journaling is one of the best tools to help you succeed in just about anything you want to do. Whether you are trying to exceed your current fitness level and move on to the next or if you are just starting a diet and exercise program for the first time, keeping a journal of everything you eat, drink and all the physical activities that you engage in will help you take control.

For some, journaling may seem like another chore. I urge you to give it a try. Not only does it help you to be honest with yourself, it also frees your mind, and allows your dreams to soar. When I am worried about my health, weight management or even finances, I have found that putting pen to paper is the best way to un-clutter my mind and allow it to function more effectively.

There are some beautiful journals available to get you started on your journaling journey. But you don’t have to invest heavily, if you just want to give it a try. Purchase a composition notebook to get you started and begin by writing down everything you eat and drink, every single day. Be sure to include all of your snacks, condiments and keep track of how much water you are drinking, too.

It has been proven time and again, that people who keep a fitness journal and who are honest about their eating habits have a greater chance of losing weight and keeping it off than those who choose not to. With those types of statistics, it’s certainly worth giving it a try.

Journaling removes the mystery behind weight management. If you are honest with yourself and diligent about keeping track of your dieting and fitness practices, you will have all the facts you need to shape a diet and fitness plan that will work for you. If what you are doing presently is not giving you the results you desire, your journal will provide the guidance to help you make any changes you feel are necessary to bring you closer to your goal.