Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Show Off Your Beach Body and Have Fun

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It’s summertime and the best time to head to the beach. Set up the umbrella, pull off the cover up and slather on lots of sunscreen. Now, get up and enjoy the beach. Go for a walk and hunt for seashells or shark’s teeth. Take a jog along the beach and check out the scenery. Grab a bike and go for a ride, you can go for miles before you know it. The important thing is to keep moving and have some fun.

Don’t just sit there baking in the sun. Sure, it’s nice to relax but the beach is a great place to get out and have some fun. Plenty of shoreline and tropical breezes make the beach an ideal place for fun activities. Get in on a game of volleyball or dodge ball to keep things exciting. Keep a Frisbee tucked in your bag and practice your throw, you never know who might come up and want to join you for a quick game. If you already have a partner, be sure to include games you both can get involved in.

You will build confidence every time you choose to do an activity other than just sitting or lying in your chair or on the beach. Exercise will help to improve your self-esteem and make it easier for you to move about freely.

Get in the water and walk toward the waves. This bit of resistance will help to build your leg and stomach muscles as you struggle to move past them. Try riding the surf on a boogie board or surfboard, it takes balance to stay on and works those core muscles for a nice, easy workout.

Swimming in the ocean is also very good exercise. If you are new to swimming at the beach, you may want to swim parallel to the shoreline. Be wary of riptides and stay safe, this is an ocean and does not come with the controlled boundaries of a swimming pool. Still, you can have lots of fun swimming at the beach and the resistance of the waves provides a nice workout.

After an active day of fun at the beach, you will probably be ready for a nice long nap. Indulge yourself with some restful sleep and you will awaken feeling refreshed and sun kissed. It’s the perfect way to unwind, get some fresh air, warm sunshine and plenty of exercise.

Forever Fit–After Forty and Beyond

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Turning 40 is something to celebrate, so whether you have had your 40th birthday or it is yet to come, make sure you do something special for yourself that will ensure you have many more birthday parties to attend in the future. If you haven’t started already, begin an exercise program today.

As the female body matures, the hormones responsible for weight loss and gain are changing, too. Unfortunately, many women become more inactive as they age, which only makes managing weight much more difficult.

When I was much younger, I used to wonder why it was that many women I knew began to gain weight somewhere around the time of their 40th birthday. As I matured, I discovered many things about my body that as a young person I was just never aware of. One thing in particular, was the way my hormones changed and my body’s reaction to these changes. I sort of assumed that as long as I continued what I was doing and kept a positive attitude that I would be able to keep my girlish figure forever.

The fact is that women need at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, just to maintain their weight. That means even without changing your diet, you will begin to gain weight as you age, especially after the age of 40. But that is no reason to give up.

Now, more than any time in your life, exercise and regular physical activity are crucial to your overall health. Aside from weight management, staying active will strengthen your heart, lower blood pressure, help to fight diabetes and other diseases and improve your balance, agility and flexibility.

As women grow older, the age-old saying, “use it or lose it,” becomes a reality. Exercise can prevent that from happening. By working our muscles daily, we keep them flexible and strong for all our normal daily activities. Women who participate in a regular exercise program have a greater range of motion and are less likely to suffer injuries associated with stiff muscles and joints.

No matter what your age, I urge you to stay active and participate in activities that make you happy. Your body will benefit greatly when you enjoy your exercise program. Of course that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t challenge yourself or that exercise should be easy. But, it’s a proven fact that exercise becomes easier as your muscles become strengthened and toned. Practice makes perfect sense when it comes to staying fit after forty and beyond.

Love Your Legs

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You can have long, lean and well-toned legs when you do the right exercises to keep them looking their best. Exercises that shape your ankles, build your calves, and tone your thighs. No matter what your age or size, you can improve the look of your legs in just a few months.

Walking is an excellent low-impact activity that helps to keep your legs in shape. A leisurely stroll is nice, but for real results, you will want to step it up a bit and put a little speed in your walk. If you encounter pains in your shins, you can try a quick exercise to help stretch your muscles, avoid shin pains, and actually help shape your calves and ankles. It’s also a great way to strengthen these muscles, so do this exercise often.

Simply rise up on your tiptoes while holding onto a stationary object like a chair or table. Tip up until you feel the stretch in the back of your calves, then ease back down until your feet are flat. Repeat this 20 times, rest and repeat 20 more times. This quick exercise can be done anytime and nearly any place.

Protect your knees from impact. Knee problems plague many people as they age. Taking steps to safeguard your knees from injury in your younger years may mean you won’t have to plan for a knee replacement later in life. Most knee injuries occur during sports- or work-related activities. Wearing a knee brace and good quality shoes with sufficient support can help to protect your knees when running and walking. Be sure to use a mat when working out on the floor at the gym or at home to keep your knees from grinding on the floor when you are kneeling or on all fours.

One of the best exercises to work the entire leg is the loveable lunge. This is also a great exercise for shaping the butt. Lunges work the muscles in the back of the legs, reducing fat and toning the muscles to give a nice smooth silhouette from your toes to your tush. These exercises are easy to do in the comfort of your own home. You only need a small area to work out, but be sure to use a mat for the most comfort and safety when doing resistance exercises such as these.

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 your 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.

Why I Love To Exercise

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I asked ten ladies about their relationship with exercise and got some interesting and motivating responses. The ladies I chose to interview all participated in exercise to some degree. Most of them exercised every day or every other day, while a couple of them only exercised a few of times a month.

Exercise gave many of these women a sense of satisfaction in every aspect of their lives. Not only did they gain confidence as they accomplished difficult exercise moves, they felt confident in relationships in both their personal lives as well as their careers.

Some reported a spiritual awakening from exercise. As if becoming one with the universe, these women confessed that exercise felt like the right thing to do. They said that they owed it to their body to give it what it so desperately needed and as they fulfilled that obligation they felt at peace with themselves.

Weight loss or weight management was high on the list of why many of the women exercised. For many of them, exercise was combined with their diets for optimum weight loss, while others revealed that exercise allowed them to eat some of their favorite foods without the guilt.

One woman said that regular exercise helped her rest better at night. She has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. When she started exercising, she began to fall asleep earlier and rest better throughout the night. A word of caution here, exercise a few hours before bedtime, exercising too close to bedtime may make it more difficult to fall asleep.

The women who only exercised a few times a month, said they enjoyed exercise, were aware of the benefits, but unfortunately lacked the time. When they did find the time to exercise, they felt elated afterwards and had a strong desire to make exercise a regular part of their lives. However, they were still trapped by the elusion that they didn’t have enough time to exercise.

With all the benefits that exercise has to offer, I cannot understand how women can still say they don’t have time to exercise. And it’s not just the benefits that are important. Not exercising and leading a sedentary life is extremely bad for your heart. Studies are showing that inactivity is one of the worse things you can do for your heart.

Exercise is good for the body, mind and spirit. As I listened to these women talk about their relationship with exercise I felt inspired and motivated to share their stories with all of you. I want you to love your body, get excited about exercise and share your accomplishments.

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.