Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Love Your Heart With An Active Lifestyle

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The number one killer of women is heart disease, according to the American Heart Association®. The good news is, there are many steps you can take to protect your heart and make it healthier. But first you need to know your risk factors, important information like your family’s history of heart disease. Did your parents, grandparents, or siblings experience heart disease and if so at what age? Sharing these informative facts with your physician can help determine your risks.

Your diet plays a big role in your heart’s health, too. So does getting ample sleep. But neither of these risks figures in as dangerously for the heart as the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Inactivity is a killer for women and men, alike. Outside of smoking, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the unhealthiest behaviors, but fortunately, this behavior is completely preventable.

Exercise, on the other hand, is one of the healthiest behaviors in which you can participate. It has been proven that even moderate exercise leads to a healthier heart. The more active and fit a woman is, the less chance she will have for coronary heart disease. Many studies have been conducted over decades and each time the results are pretty much the same. Exercise and an active lifestyle will keep your heart healthy.

There are so many forms of exercise to keep your heart healthy. Believe it or not, housework can count as exercise, too. But remember, your goal should be to reach a cardio heart rate for at least 20 minutes. It may take you a while to get there but the more you train your heart the stronger it will become.

Walking and jogging are also good forms of exercise that even a beginner can excel at. But if you need something more stimulating, try taking tennis, dance or spinning classes to stir up some fun. Any sort of sport that you enjoy playing will help you to work your heart and increase oxygen circulation, the key to helping your heart work at optimum condition.

Your body’s ability to take in and use oxygen improves with regular exercise making it easier on your heart to reach a cardio heart rate. Effective exercise occurs when the heart, lungs and muscles work together. Regular cardio exercise will help your heart to become a more powerful pump so that it can supply the body’s needed oxygen at a slower heart rate.

Exercise is essential to a heart healthy lifestyle. Love your heart and become an active participant in your own life story.

Sleep Like A Baby – Look and Feel Fabulous

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Aw, to sleep like a baby…peacefully, without any worries. Although, babies don’t always sleep restfully, one thing is for certain, they are not worried about what the next day brings. For many women, shutting off the to-do list is difficult and a worry-free night’s rest is exactly what they need to look and feel fabulous.

Beauty sleep is not just a coined phrase for night creams and sleep aids. Getting adequate sleep will make you look younger and more attractive. Sleep helps to relax your face as it does your entire body. On the opposite side, lack of sleep can make you feel on edge, anxious or tense. Sleep deprivation can mean unsightly bags and dark circles under your eyes and could cause fine lines and wrinkles to become more pronounced and noticeable.
But beauty aside, not getting enough sleep can be bad for your health.

If tomorrow’s worries are keeping you up at night, there may be a simple solution to help you manage those concerns. Try keeping a journal of all of your responsibilities. Many times we worry about the same things over and over. Writing all of your worries down on paper may help you to manage the amount of time you spend contemplating the results. Write it down, reflect on it and move on. Leave the worries for another day. Your health is more important.

I have said many times that time invested in your body is time well spent. You will never regret the time you spend on your body, whether that is time spent exercising, dieting, taking care of yourself or most importantly, sleeping.

A good night’s sleep can make you feel fabulous. There is nothing more refreshing to the body when it is in need, than sleep. So, if it’s so wonderful, why deprive yourself of this wonderful gift?

For many women it is a matter of time. Not enough time equates to not enough sleep. Women more than anyone else, will deprive themselves of sleep in order to complete all the tasks in their schedules. Ironically, women more so than men, compromise their health when they go without adequate sleep. Women need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, but getting that amount of rest can be a challenge.

Sleep therapists suggest making your bedroom a work-free zone, no televisions, computers or phones allowed–nothing to distract from sleep or intimacy. Lavender scents are another suggestion known to help you sleep. One thing they all agree on, no caffeine for 4 to 6 hours prior to bedtime. Just a little bit of caffeine can disrupt sleep.

Chamomile tea is a great substitution for caffeine-laden beverages and can actually help you fall asleep. You will rest well and in the morning awake feeling fabulous and looking absolutely beautiful!

How To Relieve Unhealthy Stress Levels

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Stress is so common in women’s lives that we seldom realize how much damage unhealthy levels of stress can do to our bodies. Finding ways to relieve stress are not only essential to our health but they can be very gratifying as well.

The more control over your life that you have, the less amount of stress you are likely to incur. Financial stress in particular is usually the result of not having enough money and not being able to control the financial obligations that you have.

Relationships can also be stressful. If you aren’t getting along with your spouse, family member or friend, then you probably have felt stress at one time or another because of that. Your job can be very stressful depending on what your responsibilities are. But even those jobs that are considered low-stress occupations still require communication with coworkers that can also lead to stress.

Some stress is good for us but too much can do damage to our health, particularly the heart. Our heartbeat accelerates any time we are under stress, much like during aerobics. However, when this occurs without any physical action follows, then too much cortisol is released in the body which can cause fat to accumulate in the tummy area.

Lower your unhealthy stress levels with these tips:

1. Exercise regularly. Both cardio and strength training exercises will help to relieve stress. As you know, exercise releases endorphins and helps to boost self esteem, a definite stress defeater.

2. Watch what you eat. Your diet has a big influence on how you handle stress. The lack of vitamins and nutrients can lower your resistance and increase stress levels.

3. Set fitness goals and other goals in your life. Goal setting is a great way to reduce stress in your life. Writing out your ideas and making plans for achievement will help you to visualize your goal and make it happen. Believe it to achieve it.

4. Get a good night’s sleep. Rest and rejuvenation are extremely important in ridding your mind and body of stress. 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night will help you to feel more alert and balance hormone levels, too.

There Is Such A Thing As Being Too Skinny

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If you are one of the special women who has a problem gaining weight, this problem may affect you. The problem is that the majority of robust people don’t see a problem for their underweight counterparts. Society believes so whole heartedly that skinny is better that they seemingly dismiss any health problems associated with a person who is underweight.

However, women who remain underweight for a prolonged period of time may jeopardize their health, too. Some side effects of being underweight include a compromised immune system. That’s because being underweight may be a symptom of not getting enough vitamins and nutrients to keep the body healthy and strong.

Hair loss is another side effect of being underweight. Your hair is a growing part of your body that needs nourishment such as folic acid to grow healthy and strong. When you deny your body these nutrients, your hair will literally fall out and die.

Skin tone, fingernails, and even dental health are all noticeable indicators of someone whose low body weight is affecting their health. These obvious signs are warning signals that your body is sending indicating its need for help. But people who are underweight have just as much a problem gaining the needed weight as people who are obese have when trying to lose weight.

One way is to eat 6 small meals each day, rather than the traditional 3 meals per day. Eating more often will keep you nourished throughout the day. Eat smaller amounts than if you were eating 3 meals and you will be able to digest your food and avoid feeling over full or bloated. Eating 6 small meals per day helps you to feel satisfied more often and keeps sugar levels in balance.

Fitness4Her is a diet, exercise program and fitness journal that has been developed exclusively for women of all ages. Whether you want to gain weight, lose weight or simply get in shape, my program will work for you.

Major Age Dangers Lurking In Your Home

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There are many factors that can cause premature aging and some of these dangers could be hiding inside your home. No matter how many anti-age creams and lotions you have, if you are guilty of succumbing to the below temptations, you may be aging yourself well beyond your years.

The top 10 major agers that present a danger to your health and beauty:

1. Nail polish—use toluene free as this solvent is poisonous to the nervous system. When chemicals such as toluene are used on nails they are absorbed into the blood stream and can cause premature aging.

2. Cigarette smoking can cause premature aging and thinning of the skin. When you smoke, you deplete your cells of oxygen, including those in your skin, this causes the skin to become dry and to age quickly.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup has been in the news frequently regarding its abundant use verses its effect on our bodies. Substitute this sweetener for something like Trivia or Stevia.

4. Bleach—use instead baking soda and white vinegar, these natural products won’t cause respiratory problems like bleach can.

5. Insecticides are poisonous to humans as well as to the pests that they are designed to kill. If you must use them, wear protective clothing and try not to store them in your home.

6. Soap (fragrant) ph balanced only, to ensure you aren’t using harsh detergents on your body and face. For your face, purchase a cleanser that is designed to remove makeup and gently clean your skin.

7. Trans fats can be very harmful to your health and cause premature aging. Avoid foods that contain trans fats substituting foods like avocadoes that contain healthy fats.

8. Hard Liquor is especially hard on women’s health. Women who drink more than a drink or two per day risk all sorts of ailments, including premature aging. Many times the effects of alcohol can lead to other behaviors such as smoking that indeed cause the face to appear much older.

9. NPE free Detergent, which once in the sewage system is hard to remove. This chemical causes endocrine damage and causes aging by interfering with cell rejuvention.

10. Moth Balls—use cedar chips instead. Used in high concentrations to ward off moths and mold, moth balls can be dangerous to your health. It’s a pesticide and must be handled as such. Whenever possible, use cedar chips to protect your clothes from predators. The cedar has a much more pleasant aroma than the strong smell of moth balls.