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.

Five Fabulous Fitness Tips To Motivate Your Workout

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Motivation, the word itself gives the impression of movement, yet one of the greatest areas in need of motivation is exercise itself. It seems so many other things are more important or just more fun. Many of us need a little motivation to keep us interested in exercising and make our workout a bit more fun.

So, whether you need help getting started, or need a little help staying motivated, I hope these tips will help you as much as they have helped me.

1. Write down all of the benefits of exercising. You know, like a healthy heart, stronger lungs, and increased flexibility. Be specific, the more you write, the more you will be convinced of the benefits. Write down all the reasons you want to be healthy, too.

2. Keep a daily journal. You would be surprised at how much inspirational motivation you can get from maintaining a journal. Write down everything you eat, drink and how much exercise you do. Write down any new exercises that you want to try. Write down how much time you spend on each activity.

3. Exercise first thing in the morning. If you go out for a 30-minute walk in the morning, then you have the rest of the day for your other responsibilities. Any additional activities or exercises you do later in the day will be an added bonus to your fitness program.

4. Find a friend to exercise with. It might be time to enlist a like-minded person to help you stay motivated. Between co-workers, neighbors, family or friends—there is sure to be somebody you know who would enjoy your company and make exercise more fun.

5. Train for a local 5k or even 3k run/walk in your community. Sign up for it and then commit yourself to training. See if you can get your exercise buddy to join you. These events build self-confidence and motivation. But be warned, these competitions can be addictive. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself signing up for the next run and talking your buddy into signing up, too.

You have probably got many tips that keep you motivated, just think about all the many reasons you want to get fit. Exercise is the key to strengthening your body, maintaining flexibility and enhancing your lifestyle.

Stay strong and stay motivated.

The Secret To Lasting Motivation

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Recognizing where you are and planning where you want to be are the first steps to lasting motivation. Step by step, you can develop healthy habits that will inspire and motivate you for success. That success can be centered on your health, career, finances, relationships or weight loss. The secret to lasting motivation can be found within your own mind.

Sounds incredibly simple, but it is true. Motivation can be harnessed and trained to work for you. It isn’t always easy, staying motivated for life takes determination. It all depends on how important your success is to you.

When you want to stay motivated, it sometimes requires changing your behavior. If you are becoming bored with your workout or you reach a plateau in your weight loss, you may lose your motivation to diet and exercise. Many women lose motivation when they don’t see results soon enough. However, persistent behavior, like diet and exercise will bring long term results, if you give it time.

Stay motivated by planning your weekly menu. Make a grocery list and stick to it. Avoid foods high in sugar and sodium. Plan meals with lean meats and vegetables and buy only those foods on your list to save money.

Be aware of what you are eating. Turn off the television and be mindful of your meals. You will know when you are satisfied and begin to really pay attention to the amount of food you eat. You know your body better than anyone, give it the attention it deserves.

As much as possible, go outside and enjoy an activity. Do something physical, something that requires strength. Remind yourself of why you are in as good of shape as you are—because you exercise. Take up running for an easy outdoor acitivty. Running works your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. It increases your metabolic rate, so that you burn more calories, even at rest. Strenuous exercise reduces endorphins. Stimulates creativity and elevates your mood. Exercise is fun and makes you look good and feel great.

Keep a fitness journal to track your success. Writing keeps you accountable for all the choices that you make. Keeping a journal is a fun way to see where you started and how far you have come. Write down everything you eat, drink and all the activities that you do including your workouts. Look forward to charting your success and take time to write everything down.

Begin each day with affirmations. These are positive phrases you repeat aloud to yourself to affirm your goals and inspirations. Saying them in front of a mirror has proven to be quite effective. When you make room for positive thoughts and behaviors you chase away the negative ones.

Remind yourself of why it is so important to you to stay in shape and live healthy. Each one of us has her own reasons for exercising and dieting. Whether it is to feel good, look good, stay healthy and vibrant, or to feel more energized, there are real reasons that you cling to your desire to live a healthier lifestyle. Celebrate your goals and your victories. Your accomplishments are important, reflect on them as much as possible to keep you motivated and inspired.

Time To Test Your True Strength

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When your workout becomes old and stale, it’s time to test your true strength and ramp up your fitness program. Doing the same exercises at the same level every time you workout is not only boring to your mind, it’s also boring to your muscles. No longer a challenge, your muscles aren’t getting the same workout they were when the exercises were new. To get your muscles really working, you have to mix things up to confuse the muscles and break the cycle. This will result in a higher calorie and fat burn and better muscle definition.

Think about all the hard work that you have put into your healthy body. For this reason alone, you should continue with your program and begin to take it to another level. Start by increasing the amount of weight that you are lifting with every exercise. Always attempt to lift more than you think you can. Be careful not to strain your muscles or put too much stress on your joints.

Mix up your workout. One of the major reasons people lose motivation is because they become bored with their workout. Week after week doing the same set of exercises or routines can drive you batty. Best to mix up your routines and your aerobic activities too.

Remind yourself how great it felt when you first started exercising…the first time you made it through a few sets, after you walked your first 5k walk or run, when you fit into your favorite pair of jeans. Capture those feelings again with new challenges.

Consider taking up a social sport, such as tennis, cycling or volleyball. These activities fill significant needs by providing physical and mental challenges. You can meet new people, stay competitive and practice patience and persistence. The more you play the better your chances of improvement.

For solo activities, you can plan to walk or run an additional mile every other day. Do more sets and repetitions of every exercise. Perhaps even add weights to your workout or spend a longer time on the treadmill. Keep your workout exciting and challenging and it will be much more rewarding.

Stick to your resolutions by keeping a fitness journal. Not only does it motivate you to write down your weekly or daily goals, it’s always a great mood lifter to read some of your past entries that prove your success. My fitness workout always makes me so happy that I cannot wait to write about it in my journal. While others might find it boring if I tell them every accomplishment I make, my journal serves as my witness and shares my joy.

Take your workout to the next level and test your true strength in everything that you do. Eat healthy, stay active, be persistent, keep a written journal and expect results. Remember, each step you take, no matter how small, will bring you closer to your goal.

Fifteen Fabulous Ways To Keep You Motivated For Fitness

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1. Find an exercise buddy. Having a friend to exercise with makes it so much more fun. It also keeps you accountable so you don’t miss any sessions. It’s nice to have someone to talk with and who will keep you motivated to reach for the next level.

2. Keep a fitness journal. A journal will let you record your workouts and everything you eat and drink. It is a proven fact that people who keep a journal for dieting and exercise lose far more weight than people who do not.

3. Listen to great music. There are plenty of downloads geared for a variety of workouts, so you never have to listen to the same old thing over and over. You can also stream music from several radio stations, if you prefer.

4. Buy cute workout clothes. Don’t just settle for working out in old shorts and a tee shirt. Go shopping for some new athletic gear. Shoes need to be replaced more often when you workout several days per week or do a lot of running and walking.

5. Buy Fitness magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. I get energized when I read about other people striving for the same goals as me.

6. Hire a personal trainer. Even if you only use a trainer for a short while, you can learn some different exercises and maybe realize muscles you haven’t been training.

7. Enroll in an exercise class. These classes can be great fun and you will get in an hour of exercise that your body isn’t accustomed to doing.

8. Go swimming. Find a pool and go swimming. If you don’t have ready access to a pool you can check out an aquatics club or go to the local YMCA. Swimming feels so wonderful and the low-impact resistance is good for your body.

9. Look at pictures of yourself before you began working out. Note the changes that have taken place since you began dieting and exercising. Remind yourself that it has been your persistence that has taken you so far, don’t give up now!

10. Remind yourself how sad you feel when you don’t exercise. Anytime I have talked myself out of doing my workout, I have felt lousy later that day.

11. Remind yourself how great you feel after every workout. Endorphins kick in and give you that super high feeling. Exercise promotes circulation and oxygenates your blood to make you feel great after a workout.

12. Go shopping for a fitted dress that makes you look fabulous. If it fits just right, you won’t have room for weight fluctuations.

13. Read fitness blogs and true testimonies of athletes that have been posted online. These are very inspirational and keep me feeling motivated.

14. Set goals for yourself. Along with keeping a journal of everything you eat and drink. Write down the goals that you have for yourself. How much weight you want to lift, how many reps and sets you want to perform, how fast you want to run or walk and how long you want to exercise.

15. Say daily affirmations. Positive thinking brings about positive results. When you speak your affirmations aloud, you affirm the positive thoughts that you have been thinking about yourself.