You don’t need a gym membership to get in shape and stay fit. There is nothing wrong with going to the gym, of course, it’s a great place to workout with lots of options to help you build muscle and improve your cardiovascular system. But, let’s face it—the gym can be quite boring.

Remember when you were younger and played outside nearly every day? Fresh air and sunshine are a must for a healthy growing child, but it is just as important for adults to get outside, too. Engaging in an outdoor sport or activity can do wonders for your health. There is no treadmill that can beat the excitement of actually walking/running and seeing the sights of the great outdoors.

There are so many activities that you can do outside to give you the same amount of cardio workout that you can get from the gym. Tennis, running, walking, bike riding, skating, swimming, rowing, volleyball, golf, just to name a few and the list just goes on and on. If you feel the need to work while outside, remember that many chores like mowing and gardening burn calories too. All types of activities are good for you, the important thing is that you get outside and get moving.

Why not plan a vacation full of outdoor activities? Summer months are great for swimming, sailing, rowing and water skiing. If you are headed to the mountains, there are plenty of activities there too. Hiking is pleasant when the weather is cooler, you can pack a full backpack to add some weight to your hike, and you’ll build strength and burn fat just like adding weights to your treadmill routine. Mountain climbing is another fun-filled activity that offers the benefit of weight resistance exercises.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, or if you are just beginning an exercise program, it is best to start out slow to condition your body and allow your muscles time to stretch. Especially when the weather is extremely hot or cold, your muscles, including your heart muscle need time to get adjusted to the varying temperatures and the increase in activity. Remember, if you have been sedentary for a long
time, you will want to take it easy when you exercise to avoid injuring yourself. The goal is to keep moving, not have to recuperate from an injury.

There are many sports activities to keep you active in the winter months as well as the summer months. Cooler temperatures allow you to participate in ice-skating, snow skiing, and snow boarding. Of course, there are always work-related activities that need to be done in snow bound areas, too—like shoveling snow. So whether you go outside to work in the yard or take off on your bicycle for a 5-mile ride, you are sure to enjoy the time outdoors, to feel the sunshine on your face and the breeze in your hair.

In the last couple of decades, women in particular have been getting more concerned with the state of their fitness in relationship to a healthy body image. Women of past ages have always been concerned over their weight and desire to keep a girlish figure. But the trend for exercise has never been greater than today. Whether this is a result of women in the workplace looking for a way to become active after sitting at a desk all day, or a change in the way society looks at a sedentary lifestyle, women everywhere are looking for ways to exercise and maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise provides many benefits, as most of us know. Exercise, along with diet will help you maintain a healthy weight and strengthen your cardiovascular system. Exercise builds strength and stamina, so that you can perform your daily activities without strain. But the truth about women’s fitness is that it offers so much more. Fitness, especially for women, offers benefits other than than weight loss and strength. Fitness will make you feel younger, give your skin a vibrant glow, improve brain activity, and give you confidence.

Women’s fitness is different than fitness programs for men. If you are interested in a women’s fitness program, look for exercises designed for women to work with the natural curves of a woman’s body. Exercises such as Pilates, concentrate on engaging the core throughout the workouts. These exercises shrink the waistline and flatten the tummy, while strengthening your back muscles and give you more flexibility and a longer range of reach.

Women’s fitness programs incorporate the use of weights, but not in the same way that men may be able to lift. When you start using weights, it is recommended that attempt to lift more than you think you can, but be careful not to put too much strain on your joints. Be aware of your own body and don’t allow others to hinder or push you in any direction that you are not comfortable. Fitness should be fun and you should be in complete control.

The truth about women’s fitness is that it should be for life. Fitness isn’t just a quick diet and an occasional trip to the gym. True women’s fitness includes a healthy diet, of lean meats, fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The diet should be low in saturated fat, sodium, sugar, while containing a balance of vitamins and nutrients to keep you healthy. Women’s fitness includes an exercise plan that incorporates strength training and cardio workouts. Women’s fitness also includes plenty of rest.

Rest is a vital component to fitness, and the truth is women need more rest than men. However, women usually scrimp on sleep when it comes to taking care of their families. With so much responsibility, it is sometimes difficult to get to bed at any decent hour. Then before you know it, it is time to rise and begin again. With so little sleep, it is no wonder that fatigue is a major complaint among women.

The truth about women’s fitness is that it is vital to a woman’s health. It is time to take control, pay attention to your needs and focus on fitness for a healthier and happier life.

It’s there, living deep within or just under the surface, your inner athlete. Strong, persistent, hungry for attention, your inner athlete yearns for the freedom to prove just how great she really is. Are you feeding your inner athlete or quietly suffocating her until she no longer exists? It really is up to you to define your inner strength and release the athlete within.

From the time you were able to move about and all throughout your life, your inner athlete has been a part of who you are. Whether you allowed her to come out and play hard, or quieted her down with sedentary activities, you are chiefly responsible for the development of your inner athlete.

Many people are referred to as natural athletes. It seems that they excel in whatever sport that they become involved in. These people are definitely in touch with their inner athlete. Whether it is a competitive drive or just the need for accomplishment, these so-called natural athletes set the bar for others to follow.

Although these super stars may be of the extraordinary few, there are many achievements made by the average woman who strives for fitness. But in order to bridge the gap between couch potato and potential athlete, you must first decide to make changes to your lifestyle. The first thing you want to do is to start moving. Don’t make excuses, don’t procrastinate, just get up and start moving. There are many exercises that you can do from the comfort of your own living room and many more activities that you can engage in outdoors.

Once you allow your inner athlete a little bit of freedom, you will be surprised at how much fun it is to exercise. Cardio activities, like running, walking, swimming, skating, dancing, skiing and rowing are all fun sports that help you to burn fat and calories at an accelerated rate.

You don’t have to run a marathon or do a triathlon—at least not right away. The important thing is to participate in an activity that you enjoy so that you will begin to look forward to and not shy away from a women’s fitness program. The reason I emphasize women’s fitness is because a woman’s body is different than a man’s. A woman’s inner athlete is not the same as a man’s. A woman’s center of gravity is statistically one inch lower and further back than a man’s. Because women by rule have a larger pelvis, they also carry more weight in their lower bodies; buttocks, hips and thighs. Men on the other hand, carry their weight above the waist, in their chest and shoulders. Women have a greater amount of body fat than men, too. This is one of the reasons that women have problems with cellulite, something that rarely affects men.

Liberate your inner athlete and allow yourself to be all that you desire. Don’t let other people sabotage your efforts for a fit and fabulous body. Somewhere along the way, you locked up your inner athlete, it’s time to break those chains and free the extraordinary super star within.

Anyone interested in women’s fitness should be aware of the importance of taking your workout to the next level. It simply is not okay to do the same exercises time and again at the gym or at home. Sure, any exercise is better than none. But if you think about it, doing the same exercises over and over are not much better for your body than walking around the house.

Once our bodies become adjusted to any form of exercise the benefits of the exercise decrease. The exercise is no longer a challenge to our muscles or our cardiovascular system, which sometimes results in a plateau in our workout. It simply isn’t doing for us what is used to do and the brain is most likely the culprit behind this plateau.

The brain in all of its glory, is probably the strongest part of your body. So when it is subjected to a new challenge, such as exercise, it must work hard in accomplishing this task. It super charges the cardiovascular system, alerts the muscles involved to become engaged and sends out enough hormones to accomplish the mission. All of this work burns calories as the body adjusts to the new challenges and the muscles work hard to bear the additional weight and stress. This is how the body works in the beginning of a new level of workout, however, it doesn’t remain that way.

As the brain becomes familiar with this workout, it seeks out a path to complete the task. In the meantime, the muscles are getting stronger and so the exercises are just keeping everything the same but not providing the challenge your body needs. You can of course, add more weight to your workout to increase the benefits, but there are other exercises you can do to give you even better results.

Confusing your muscle groups is a great way to build strength and tone your muscles too. During your strength training exercises take a minute and run in place, do jumping jacks, jump rope or hop on a treadmill or an elliptical machine. Reversing exercises, walking backwards, running backwards, working your biceps and your triceps are all great ways to train opposite areas of your muscles for better overall toning.

No matter what your level of women’s fitness, you can improve your workout and keep it interesting. And an interesting workout is a fun workout and we all know that a fun workout is a successful workout that can keep you fit for the rest of your life.