Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

10 Diet Tips To Help You Lose Weight Now

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1. Believe in yourself. Believe you have the power to make the changes necessary to lose weight. Believe that this time, you will succeed.

2. State aloud your desire to lose weight. Daily affirmations begin with a truthful revelation and bring forth your true desire. Keep out negativity and feelings of defeat by reaffirming your resolve and your commitment to fulfill your desire to lose weight.

3. Form a plan of what you need to do to lose weight. Making a mental plan is the beginning of realizing your goal to lose weight. It turns a desire into the foundation for a life-changing event.

4. Make a commitment in writing. When you write down your commitment, it sends a definite message to your brain that a contract has been established and that this is serious business. Now you have partnered with your brain, an effective ally when you want to lose weight.

5. Keep a women’s fitness journal. It has been proven time and again that people who maintain a journal of everything they eat and drink lose far more weight than those who do not. Record your exercise workouts too, it’s a great way to stay challenged.

6. Plan your meals in advance. Don’t go through the day not knowing what you plan to eat next. This opens you up to all sorts of temptations and makes it almost impossible to follow an effective diet plan. Plan your day’s or week’s meals with a variety of foods. This way you can be sure to get plenty of vitamins and nutrients without overeating, binging or starving.

7. Align your grocery list with your plan to lose weight. When making out your grocery list, have your meal plan in hand. Choose foods that can be eaten throughout the week so that you get the best value for your dollar and still stay on a healthy diet.

8. Eat an apple and drink a glass of water before heading out to the grocery store. It’s hard to make sensible choices when your stomach is hungry. Best to feed it a healthy snack that will keep you satisfied for a longer period of time. This way you can go to the store and still have time to prepare some lunch when you return. It’s a much better alternative to tearing open a bag of chips or devouring a fast-food burger on the way home.

9. Prepare meals in advance. Especially if you have a busy schedule and like to take foods on the go. You can have some pre-cut carrots, a fruit smoothie or some other healthy snack, pre-packaged and ready to go. Anything you can do, to stay in control of the food that you eat will help you lose weight faster and keep it off.

10. Plan dining out events so that nothing interferes with your diet plan. Most restaurants will cater to your needs like asking for sauces on the side, or asking for an entrée without the cheese. Many restaurants have low calorie meals or meals that come in smaller portions. How you decide to handle eating out is entirely up to you. You may decide to throw caution to the wind on the few times that you dine out. Of course, this is fine. But if eating out at restaurants is a more common occurrence in your lifestyle, make your food selections and portion sizes carefully if you really want to lose weight.

Ficarelli Fagioli

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A Ficarelli Family Favorite. We try to have this a few times each month, especially in the winter.
Not a quick fix, this meal takes a while to prepare, but the taste is worth the extra time.

1-1/4 cups of favorite dried northern beans
2 quarts water
Olive oil spray
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 cup peeled, seeded, and finely chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 oz. Ditalini pasta, uncooked
4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach

Directions:

1. Clean, rinse and soak beans for 6 hours.
2. Simmer 1 hour.
3. Transfer beans without liquid to container.
4. Use processor or blender until smooth.
5. Coat large pan with cooking spray.
6. Add onion, oil, garlic, celery rosemary, sage, salt and pepper.
7. Cook until mixture is hot.
8. Add bean mixture.
9. Add cooked pasta and spinach. Cook together on low heat until spinach wilts.

Health Benefits:
Low in saturated fat, low in cholesterol, low in sodium and low in calories. The bounty of veggies in this dish will provide antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients. Spinach is high in Vitmain A and iron, don’t forget it was spinach that gave Popeye all of his strength. Pasta helps to satisfy your appetite and the veggies add a whole new dimension.

Is Your Caffeine Addiction Robbing You of Sleep?

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For an effective women’s fitness program, every girl needs to get plenty of sleep. Rest and relaxation are crucial to overall health and the lack of sleep can actually prevent you from losing weight. If you are drinking too much caffeine throughout the day or especially close to bedtime, your coffee, power drink or soda may be the culprit that is robbing you of sleep.

Although, experts consider moderate caffeine intake to be safe, if you aren’t getting the rest you need, it may be time to cut back on some of the caffeinated foods and beverages that you ingest. Caffeine blocks the sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increases adrenaline production. It’s interesting to note, that caffeine has no nutritional value for the body, and therefore is not necessary for optimum health.

Now, I am not saying that you have to give up your morning cup of Joe, but if you are loading that cup of coffee up with cream and sugar, you could be ingesting a whole lot more calories than you imagine. I suggest a fitness journal as the best way to monitor what you eat and drink. Not only for weight loss but also for tracking fat, sodium, cholesterol, sugar and even caffeine.

Most women need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. If you feel groggy and fatigued during the day, perhaps it is a lack of sleep that is keeping you from feeling your very best. Apart from caffeine in the diet, lack of exercise can keep you from getting enough rest. Exercise increases circulation and will actually help to promote sleep, as long as you finish exercising at least 3 hours before retiring to bed.

Just remember that a good night’s sleep is essential for women’s fitness and will add significant benefits to your overall health. When we rest, we allow our bodies to build new cells and repair existing ones, we give our minds time to process information and encourage emotional balance. Reasons enough to make sure you are getting the rest you need.

Belly Busting Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar

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Balsamic vinegar is a tasty topping that can help you to lose weight. That’s because vinegar with its acidic properties slows down the body’s ability to absorb sugar. To keep starchy foods from converting to sugar, eat foods like pasta or rice with balsamic vinegar. Not only will this provide belly-busting benefits, it will also make you feel fuller after eating these foods.

Pasta and other starches break down and convert to sugar in the body. When you toss in a little vinegar, you actually slow the process of breakdown and conversion, thereby keeping your tummy fuller longer, staving hunger from coming on too quickly.

When sugar levels drop too quickly, hunger sets in. When sugar levels are kept stabilized, you won’t feel the strong urges to satisfy your hunger with something sweet. The same solution to hunger comes from eating more often. I suggest eating five to six smaller meals each day rather than the traditional three large meals. This keeps sugar levels from dropping off too sharply, which tends to make women hungrier between meals.

Balsamic Vinegar is made from pressed grapes and has a tart, yet sweet flavor. It contains Omega 3 fatty acids that protect against heart disease. It’s interesting to note that a study done at Harvard University found that women who consumed one to two tablespoons of vinegar a day cut their risk for heart disease in half.

To add some zing to your rice or pasta, try adding a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for best results. A great alternative to sauces or gravies, balsamic vinegar is low in calories and saturated fat. It’s also great on vegetables, tomatoes or low fat cheeses.

Balsamic vinegar can liven up a pasta salad and has an aromatic smell that enhances the appetite. I like the corkscrew pasta with carrots, bell peppers and green onions, chopped finely and then tossed with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Be creative and find ways to add balsamic vinegar to your foods daily. Your heart and your waistline will benefit from this healthy way of eating.

Long Lean and Alive – The Benefits Of Staying Fit

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What is so great about women’s fitness and why is it so important to stay fit? Not only will maintaining fitness keep your weight down and give you a long, lean body, it also plays a major part in keeping your body healthy and alive. It has been proven time and again that regular exercise, a sensible and nutrient rich diet and an active lifestyle are important factors in keeping your body working to its maximum potential.

Simple tasks such as bending to pick up a child or reaching for a book on a shelf can be potentially harmful and can result in injury when our fitness is compromised. Delicate muscles, especially those in the back and neck can be injured easily when they are not exercised and strengthened regularly. Once injured, it takes a muscle even longer to reach a healthy fitness level. That’s just one of the many benefits of staying fit through a women’s fitness program.

Staying alive is probably one of the most vital benefits of maintaining your fitness. While nothing guarantees our longevity, it has been proven that a fit and active lifestyle does make a big contribution towards it. Your heart is strengthened through cardiovascular exercise and these exercises also burn calories to help you lose weight. Building your cardiovascular strength means it will be much easier to complete every day tasks without fatigue as well as those unusual times when you may need extra strength to accomplish a new challenge. For instance, if you have to chase down a taxi, it will be much easier if your heart and legs are accustomed to running short sprints.

Keeping your body in shape with resistance exercises will probably mean less chance of injury when you perform a task that your body isn’t accustomed to. Staying agile through exercises such as yoga or Pilates, is also a great way to keep your body long and lean. Each exercise works various muscle groups, to lengthen and strengthen your muscles, organs and improve your health to make you healthier mentally, physically and spiritually.

Having a long, lean body is an achievement many women only dream about. The truth is, no matter what your body type or level of fitness, you can make improvements and increase your overall fitness ability. Set goals for yourself, write them down and make a solid plan to achieve them. Don’t allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of your women’s fitness program.