Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Upper Body Workout Illustrated

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Upper Body Workout Illustrated

Chest Press
Lying supine on a mat, bend your knees and place your feet hips width apart. Holding weights in your hands, extend your arms straight up above your chest, with your wrists facing away from your body so you can see the backs of your hands. Inhale lower weights to chest, exhale press weights back up, arms fully extended. Squeeze your chest muscle as you press the weights away from your chest.
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Photo of Chest Press

☺Take it to the Next Level: Try a unilateral movement with legs in tabletop position keeping one arm extended as you work one side and then switch to the other side. Unilateral movements require more concentration and control, and tabletop legs really rely on a strong core to maintain stabilization.

Photo of unilateral Chest Press

Caution! Always keep the spine long with the low back pressing into the mat and never let the back of the ribcage arch

Chest Fly
Lying supine on mat, bend your knees and place your feet hips width apart. Holding the weights in your hands, extend your arms straight above your chest, with your wrists facing each other. Inhale and open arms to the side, exhale bring weights back to center line of your body. Squeeze your chest muscles as press the weights back to the center line of your body.

Photo of chest fly

☺Take it to the Next Level: Try a unilateral movement with legs in tabletop position keeping one arm extended as you work one side and then switch to the other side. Unilateral movements require more concentration and control, it takes a strong core to maintain your legs in a tabletop position.

Photo of unilateral chest fly with legs in tabletop position

Caution! Always keep the spine long with the low back pressing into the mat and never let the back of the ribcage arch

One Arm Row
Standing with your feet hips width apart, a weight in one hand with the other hand resting on your thigh, slightly hinge on the hips, keeping your spine long, shoulders reaching down your back, and your abdominals engaged. Inhale and extend your arm to lower the weight towards the ground, exhale flexing your elbow and pull your arm back with the weight to your hip. Repeat on the other side.
Photo of one arm row.

☺Take it to the Next Level: Perform the same movement with both arms at the same time. Because the body is bent forward slightly, it takes more core strength to maintain proper form.

Photo of bilateral row.

Caution! Always keep the spine extended, abdominals engaged. If low back pain is an issue, this exercise may

Bent Over Row
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, weights in both hands, slightly bend your knees, hinge on the hips to bring your torso parallel to the ground and keeping the spine long, shoulders reaching down your back, abdominals engaged, bring your arms perpendicular to the ground. Breathe in, exhale, flex both elbows and pull them up towards the ceiling, inhale and extend your elbows bring your arms back to start.

Photo of bent over row

☺Take it to the Next Level Perform the same movement with both arms at the same time. Because the body is bent slightly forward, it takes more core strength to maintain proper form.

Photo of bent over row using both arms

Caution! Always keep the spine extended, abdominals engaged. If low back pain is an issue, this exercise may

Triceps Kickback
Standing with feet hips width apart, a weight in one hand with the other hand resting on your thigh, slightly hinge on the hips keeping your spine long, shoulders reaching down your back, and abdominals engaged. Inhale flex your elbow bringing the weight to the armpit, exhale and extend your elbow pressing the weight back.

Photo of triceps kickback

☺Take it to the Next Level Perform the same movement with both arms at the same time. Because the body is bent slightly forward, it takes more core strength to maintain proper form.

Photo of bilateral kickback

Caution! Always keep the spine extended, abdominals engaged. If low back pain is an issue, this exercise may

Dips
Using a sturdy chair, sit on the edge with your hands just outside your hips with your fingers wrapping around the seat. Place your feet together with your legs pressed together. Pressing the shoulders down your back, arms fully extended, lift the chest, and slide the buttocks off the chair seat. Inhale flex the elbows to lower the buttocks towards the floor, exhale extend the elbows to lift the buttocks up.

Photo of dip.

☺Take it to the Next Level Perform the same movement with a weight resting in the lap.

Photo of dip with weight in lap.

Caution! Always keep the spine extended, abdominals engaged. If shoulders are an issue, be certain not to

Biceps Curl
Standing with your feet hips width apart, pelvis tucked under so that your tailbone points down to the ground, slightly bend your knees keeping your chest lifted, shoulders held down your back and weights in both hands with arms held at the sides, elbows at your waistline and wrists pointing forward. Breathe in, exhale and flex the elbows to bring your hands to your shoulders, inhale and extend your elbows to lower the weights back to the starting position.

Photo of biceps curl.

☺Take it to the Next Level Place both weights in one hand and do a unilateral biceps curl.

Photo of unilateral biceps curl.

Caution! Always keep the pelvis level, tailbone pointing down to the ground. Keep the upper body stable and steady by engaging the core muscles.

Hammer Curl
Standing with your feet hips width apart, your pelvis tucked under so your tailbone points down to the ground, slightly bend your knees keeping your chest lifted, your shoulders held down your back and weights in both hands with arms held at the sides, elbows at your waistline and your wrists pointing inward towards your body. Breathe in, exhale and flex the right elbow bringing the right hand to your shoulder and inhale, extend the right elbow while flexing the left elbow bringing the left hand to the left shoulder. Repeat this movement alternating arms flexing and extending the elbows.

Photo of hammer curl.

☺Take it to the Next Level Increase weights and resistance.

Photo of hammer curl with weights.

Caution! Always keep the pelvis level, tailbone pointing down to the ground. Keep the upper body stable and steady by engaging the core muscles.

Pilates 100
Lying supine on a mat with legs in tabletop position, draw the navel inward towards your spine and press your lower back down towards the mat. Keep the spine long, chin level, shoulder blades on the mat, back of the ribcage on the mat, and lower back on the mat, arms extended palms down by the sides. Breathe in, exhale, roll the upper body off the mat, looking down towards the navel, exhale for a count of five, pumping your arms up and down, inhale five counts and continue to pump your arms. Repeat ten times for a total of 100 breaths.

Photo of Pilates 100.

☺Take it to the Next Level Extend legs, toes pointing to ceiling or extend legs, hips extended to about a 45 degree angle toes pointing. Be sure to keep squeezing the inner upper thighs together.

Photo of Pilates 100 with legs extended.

Photo of Pilates 100 with hips @45 degree angle.

Caution! Always keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine, low back on the mat. If the back of the neck begins to hurt, roll the head and shoulders back to the mat or place one hand gently behind the head for added support.

Pilates Half Roll Back
Sitting up long and tall on a mat, bend your knees placing your feet firmly on the mat. Lengthen the spine by lifting the top of your head towards the ceiling and your tailbone pointing down towards the mat. Draw your shoulder blades down your back and navel inward towards the spine. Extend both arms in front of your body. Inhale, tuck the pelvis under, pointing the tailbone towards the wall in front you as you roll the low back towards the mat. Exhale when the low back just touches the mat and roll back up to the starting position. Repeat eight times

Photo of half roll back start position.

☺Take it to the Next Level Advance this move with a perfection of form.

Photo of half roll back middle position.

Photo of half roll back ending position.

Caution! Always keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine, low back on the mat. If the back of the neck begins to hurt, roll the head and shoulders back to the mat or place one hand gently behind the head for added support.

Pilates Roll Up
Lying supine on a mat with knees bent feet flat on the floor shoulder width apart, draw the navel inward towards the spine and press the low back down towards the mat. Keep your spine long, chin level, shoulder blades on the mat, back of the ribcage on the mat, and low back on the mat, arms extended palms facing the body by the sides.

Inhale bringing your arms perpendicular to the ceiling, exhale bringing the chin towards the chest and rolling the upper body off the mat, inhale and continue to roll forward and look back towards your navel, exhale lengthen your spine and roll back down to the mat one vertebrae at a time. Keep your feet on the floor throughout the movement. Repeat eight times.

Photo of Pilates bent knee roll up.

☺Take it to the Next Level Fully extend the knees pointing the toes away from the body. Rolling up, keep the heels on the floor throughout the movement.

Photo of extended legs roll up.

Photo of half roll back ending position.

Caution! Always keep the navel drawn inward towards the spine. If low back problems are an issue, it is strongly advised to keep feet flat on the mat with the knees bent while doing a roll up.

Share your workout tips by leaving a comment below!

Daily Affirmations To Help You Lose Weight

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When you are ready to lose weight and get in shape, make it happen with positive affirmations. Declarations that you say aloud that will set your mind in action. These daily testaments to your own abilities will give you the conviction you need to keep you focused on your goal.

Since losing weight and sticking to a diet and fitness plan can be one of the hardest things you can do, you need the powerful force of daily affirmations to keep on track. Begin each day by repeating your affirmations and believe that what you are saying is indeed possible in your life.

You must believe it to achieve it. That’s the foundation of any successful endeavor and losing weight and getting fit is no different. You must believe that you will lose weight. You must conceive the body that will soon emerge. This will direct your brain to achieve it. What your mind believes, your body can achieve.

I will eat healthy today.

I am losing weight.

My clothes fit better because I am losing pounds and inches.

I feel stronger because I exercise.

Exercise makes me feel exhilarated.

I crave fruits and vegetables.

My body is improving every day.

Repeating these affirmations aloud will help you in more ways than you realize. But the important thing is that you must believe in each one. Each one is a simple affirmation that if it is true you are losing weight, your body is improving and because of a healthier lifestyle you are beginning to feel better, every day.

Remember that above all, love is the most important quality of life. Your happiness, your love of self and others is the virtue that will carry you throughout life. Appreciate all that you have and all that you are. Good things happen every day and you can be responsible for the way some of these things affect you and others.

AminoRip® 15g Pure Collagen Protein Review

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The Fitness4Her Health and Fitness Product Review of:

AminoRip®

I really enjoy eating healthy foods and believe in getting my daily vitamins and nutrients from the food that I eat. However, because I exercise daily, I need enough protein to help rebuild and repair my muscles after a strenuous workout. You know, the body doesn’t store protein but relies on it to build
all the cells in the body, that’s why it’s important to eat a serving of protein at every meal.

In order to maintain my weight, I’m always searching for lean sources of protein. That’s how I first found out about AminoRip® 15g Pure Protein. A predigested protein supplement that contains no fat, no cholesterol and no sugar yet fortifies my body with 100% of all essential and non-essential amino acids.

Surfing their website, I read all about the science behind AminoRip15 and was pleasantly pleased. AminoRip® 15g Pure Collagen Proteins Essential and non-essential amino acids are absorbed instantly because the protein supplement is predigested. This sounded like a fantastic way to get the benefits of protein, instantly.

So, I decided to give this supplement a try and report back to all of you on my findings.

I tried AminoRip® 15g Pure Collagen Protein for 30 days and was pleased with the results. After taking it for a few days, I felt like I had more energy. I’m very active and have plenty of vitality but AminoRip® 15g Pure Protein seemed to boost my energy level without making me feel jittery or nervous.

A small one-ounce serving gave me 15 grams of pure collagen protein, and I tried it twice a day for 30 days. Once in the morning and once in the evening, made me not only feel better during the day but also helped me to sleep better at night.

According to their website it’s been used by health professionals for years and now is available for athletes and active adults to make sure they get the protein their bodies need daily. It’s supposed to allow you to train harder and longer, while decreasing soreness post exercise. You will also see positive changes in your hair, skin and nails!

As a Personal Fitness Trainer, I train hard and long several times a week, it seemed that after taking AminoRip® 15g Pure Protein, I was getting more from my workout. Considering the benefits I felt I was getting from taking AminoRip® 15g Pure Collagen Protein, I plan to keep it in my arsenal of health and fitness products and use it again.

Your friend in Fitness,
~ Karen

Check out AminoRip’s Pure Collagen Protein benefits for Women: AminoRip®

When It Comes To Weight Loss, Use Your Willpower Wisely

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Have you ever heard a pastry call your name? You know like when you are minding your own business, and then there it is, all sweet and pretty and you can hear it calling to you. You try to turn away and walk the other direction, but it gets louder, calling for you like a lost friend. This is when it takes willpower to resist that tempting treat.

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Sometimes you just can’t resist and before you know it, you have stuffed the entire sweet pasty into your mouth, licking your fingers to get the last bite. Afterwards, you might feel guilty and wonder where the heck all that willpower took off to.

Why is our self-control so strong at times and weak at others. Contrary to what you may have come to believe, willpower is not dependent on psychological strength alone. Many physical factors play a role in our ability to summon up the willpower to resist things. Whether it be foods we eat or money we spend impulsively, physiological factors such as brain chemistry and hormones can interfere with our willpower.

Therefore stop beating yourself up, for not having the willpower to resist something that tastes good. There are ways to reinforce your willpower so it will be ready when you need it.

You see, the truth is, each of us only has a certain amount of self-control. That’s right, it is not endless. If you try to exert it in too many areas at once, you will run out and end up standing there at the doughnut box, cramming doughnuts into your mouth.

Think of willpower like the gas in your car. Each time you resist something tempting you use some of your willpower gas up. The more things you are forced to resist the emptier your tank becomes. The best thing to do is to focus your willpower where it will work the best for you.

In order to make it easier to resist sweet foods, keep your blood sugar levels even. You can easily do this by eating five meals a day, smaller amounts or nutrient rich foods, which will keep your blood sugar from dipping and causing you to reach for something sweet.

Another important thing to remember in order to keep your willpower in check is to be careful of over dieting. Eating too little not only depletes glucose levels, it also slows the production of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells to regulate your appetite. If these levels go to low or plummet too fast, your appetite will increase and bring on binging.

Getting enough sleep is also a principal factor in maintaining your willpower. Research shows that getting less than six hours of sleep decreases decision-making and appetite. Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity. The levels of the hormone ghrelin increase when you don’t get enough sleep and this hormone can bring on a hunger and craving that you’ll probably find nearly impossible to resist.

That’s why living healthy by eating foods that have sound nutritional value and getting an adequate amount of shut-eye is so important. Regular exercise also plays an important role in holding down your hunger so that you make wise choices for your meals.

Sometimes when you feel your willpower slump, a nice walk will help you to get fortified again. The physical activity helps to take your mind off the temptation and the endorphins from exercising give you an excited and energetic feeling that usually replaces the need to binge. If however, you still want something to eat, try to choose something more nutritious, but if you have your eye on something sweet, go ahead and indulge and be done with it.

Fitness4Her is a diet that is based on healthy eating spread over five meals a day instead of two. Portion control and a balanced diet are the keys to reducing your caloric intake without having to constantly count calories. Plus by making sure you eat a balanced diet, you won’t have to be afraid that you aren’t getting all the vitamins and nutrients that you need.

The second part of the program is the exercise. My 30 Minutes To A New You Exercise Plan advocates aerobic activity three days a week. That’s any activity that raises your heart rate. It can be as simple as walking to as complicated as mountain climbing. What’s important is that you keep your body moving daily.

Even if your job requires you to live a sedentary life while at work, regular exercise will help to alleviate the effects of sitting in front of a computer all day. Plus it helps to break up the boredom of sitting still for long hours at a time.

My program alternates each day from cardio to weight training or resistance training. If you check the Member’s Exercise section you will find exercise routines from my program. Each routine is designed to last for at least 30 minutes and that’s all it takes to get in shape and stay fit.

The third part of the program is the journal. I believe that maintaining a fitness journal is a chief factor in your weight loss endeavor. All three of these areas of my program play a crucial part in helping to preserve your willpower.

As stated above, sleep is crucial to your cognitive abilities but also plays a big part in your overall health. For women especially, a lack of sleep can cause many health problems.

The fact that you are reading this article is proof that you are ready to make changes in your life and your health. Be kind to yourself, celebrate life, make a plan to eat healthy, find time for exercise and allow yourself time for affirmations daily.

If you are not familiar with the benefit of affirmations, read my blogs in the Affirmations section. They give you the positive self talk that you need to accomplish your goals, lead a happier life and prepare yourself for the challenges of the day.

When it comes to weight loss, you’ll need to use your willpower wisely. If you turn down too many things, you might run out of power and eat something even worse. For best results, follow the advice above, eat healthy, get plenty of exercise and confess to your fitness journal all of your temptations.

Tell us about your own weight loss efforts by leaving a comment below:

Terris Favorite Turkey Pita Sandwich

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My friend Terri loves this turkey pita sandwich. It’s an alternative from a roast beef sandwich that I make, but her favorite is when I make it with turkey. The tomatoes really add a great taste that brings out the flavor of the turkey and horseradish mustard makes it zingy. This recipe serves 4.

8 dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
1 1/2 cup packed shredded cabbage with carrot(coleslaw mix)
3 Tbs. fat-free mayo dressing or salad dressing
1 teaspoon horseradish mustard
6 ounces thinly sliced turkey
2 whole wheat pita pockets cut in half
( I love them toasted)

Directions:

In a small bowl cover tomatoes with boiling water, let stand about 10 min or until softened
Drain tomatoes and cut into small strips, toss tomato strips with shredded cabbage and carrot mixture.
Combine mayo fat-free dressing or fat-free salad dressing, horseradish mustard.
Add to cabbage – tomato mixture toss to coat
To fix sandwiches divide turkey and cabbage mixture into four servings and stuff into pita pockets or cut in two and spread on like a sandwich.

Health Benefits:
High in protein, turkey is low in saturated fat and high in tryptophan. Tomatoes provide Vitamin C, potassium, fiber and antioxidants. Carrots and cabbage are both wonderful sources of Beta Carotene and Vitamin K.