Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Rest, Refresh and Rejuvenate

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Your sleeping habits affect your body, mind and soul. If you get less than 6 to 7 hours of sleep each night, you could be at a greater risk of developing heart disease and other diseases. Getting plenty of rest will allow your body time to restore, refresh and rejuvenate after a full day of activity.

Getting adequate rest benefits your heart, brain function, appearance and overall mood. Lack of sleep has been linked to higher blood pressure and cholesterol, two factors that play a big part in heart disease. Sleep reduces stress and increases production of melatonin, a hormone that is thought to protect against cancer.

Sleep makes you more alert and helps improve your memory–key benefits for an active mind. When you are sleep deprived, simple decisions can become more difficult, making it hard to complete complex tasks. You might make more mistakes when you are tired, which is usually a signal that you need to take a break.

It is important to get adequate rest whenever you are involved in learning. Just as your brain needs sufficient sleep before learning something new, it needs lots of rest in order to process and retain the information that has just been learned.

Sleep refreshes your body, mind and soul. Your eyes and face appear more refreshed and relaxed following a good night’s rest. Your skin will become more radiant and your hair will have more vitality when you give your body the rest it needs. Every cell in your body is affected by sleep. While you are sleeping, your body repairs any damage done to cells.

If you exercise regularly, then you need adequate rest in order to repair and restore muscles. This is why it is a good idea to alternate the muscle groups you work on each day to allow time for them to recover. Many times an active lifestyle with plenty of exercise makes it easy to get a good night’s sleep since your body is working hard and becoming fatigued at the end of the day.

Getting a good night’s sleep is not always easy. Most women need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Of course, it is also important that the sleep you get is quality, restful sleep. If you often have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you should talk with your doctor.

Make your sleeping environment as quiet and peaceful as possible. Stop eating for at least two hours before going to bed. This way your body’s energy can be used for healing and rejuvenation rather than digestion. Avoid caffeine or any stressful mental activity in the hours right before bedtime. Try to relax with a good book, some soothing music, enjoyable conversation or meditation instead.

Physical Transformations Begin with Psychological Affirmations

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Transforming your body from its current state to a stronger, leaner, shapelier figure is more complicated than simply exercise alone. In order to make a difference in your physical appearance, you must change the way you think. Exterior changes require interior motives.

If you are ready to make changes in your life, you must be committed body, mind and soul. The body cannot do what the mind is not in agreement with and the mind cannot connect if the soul is not satisfied. If you want to transition your body from its current physical shape to a stronger, healthier physique, you must change the way you think about food, exercise and the importance of fitness and health.

Daily affirmations will help you build the confidence you need to achieve your goals. Before leaving for work or your workout, take time to meditate on your affirmations so that as you speak them, you wholeheartedly believe the words you tell yourself.

Below are 20 Affirmations to lift you up and help you meet the challenges of your next workout.

1. I will have an excellent workout today.
2. My legs are stronger.
3. I am excited to exercise.
4. My body is challenged but I will not give up.
5. I have the willpower to complete my workout.
6. My body is working, my body is changing.
7. This is difficult today but will be easier tomorrow.
8. I am proud of myself for exercising.
9. I am transforming my body and taking charge.
10. My new image is less fat, more muscle.
11. I feel healthier and stronger.
12. I have balance within my body, mind and soul.
13. I focus on positive progress not perfection.
14. My mind is focused, my goals are clear.
15. I am strong and healthy.
16. I am meeting my fitness goals.
17. I enjoy physical activity.
18. Exercise rejuvenates my body, mind and soul.
19. Daily exercise is making me stronger.
20. Staying fit and active makes life fun.

The Fabulous Look of Fitness

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Beauty is not only skin deep; beauty encompasses your body, mind and soul. And there’s nothing quite as stimulating to the beauty factor as a healthy fitness plan.

Womens Fitness is much more than losing weight. Remember, just because someone loses a lot of weight doesn’t mean that they are physically fit and weight loss alone does not constitute a healthy fitness plan.

All too often, we judge our physical health by how much we weigh. What a mistake! The number on a scale will only give you a limited assessment of what your physical health really is. Your body weight is comprised of the weight of your bones, organs, muscles, connective tissues, fluids and yes, fat.

The more you exercise the bigger your muscles will get. You will begin to lose fat but you may not see a big difference in the number on the scale. But tell me this, are your clothes getting a little loose? Do you see the change in your muscle definition throughout your body? These are true signs that you are shedding the fat.

The Department of Health suggests exercising 30 minutes a day, five days per week. Investing as little as 30 minutes a day in exercise, by combining resistance training and aerobic activities, can help you live longer and healthier. Exercise helps to:

• Stimulate feelings of euphoria.
• Reduce depression.
• Stall loss of muscle.
• Preserve the metabolism of youth.

Regardless of your age, weight or athletic ability, resistance training should make up part of your fitness program. Resistance exercises help to strengthen your body so that you will have an easier time with your aerobic activities. You see, these two types of exercise go hand in hand. Resistance training also helps your body look beautiful. After about 90 days you’ll begin to see the results¬¬¬¬ of your efforts–like a smaller waist, firmer legs, thinner ankles, and a more attractive derriere.

Be sure to keep a journal of what you eat and drink as well as keeping track of your exercise program and goals. Logging your measurements every 30 days will help you see what you have achieved and keep focused on your goals.

Take The Journal Challenge

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If you are ready to make huge leaps in losing weight and getting in the best shape of your life, then you must start keeping a fitness journal. It is the best way to keep an accurate account of everything you eat and drink and track your exercise and heart-healthy activities. The day you start keeping a fitness journal is the first day on your way to success. Take the Journal Challenge for 30 days and decide for yourself if what you are doing is working for you.

There’s something powerful about challenging yourself by practicing goal setting. When you follow up that challenge with the accountability of a journal you further your chance for success. As a matter of fact, it has been proven time and again, that people who keep a journal of everything they eat and drink and all of their daily activities have a far greater chance of losing weight than those who do not.

Keeping a journal is not for the faint of heart. It’s for women who aren’t afraid of honesty and hard work. Journaling is best left to those who believe in being accountable, journaling is for women who really want to make a difference.

Journaling is a tool that will bring you closer to your goals. While all forms of journaling are good for the soul, a fitness journal keeps you in check with your physical health. Everything you eat and drink has an impact on your health. Food nourishes the body and the soul. It helps us to stay focused and keeps us from becoming irritable. I know when I am really hungry; I can’t concentrate fully until I eat. But eating on the run can mean trouble for the waistline, that’s why it is important to plan ahead. The best way to plan your meals ahead is by keeping a fitness journal.

Find a convenient place to keep your journal close by so you don’t forget to write down everything you eat and drink. Try not to wait too long to record each meal. It’s easy to forget if you wait until the next meal and try to remember what you ate at the previous one. Be sure to measure or weigh your portions and record exactly how much you eat. The benefit of the journal is to have an accurate account of your food and beverage intake.

Take the journal challenge, keep an account for at least 30 days and see if you can tell a difference. Be honest, stay focused and keep writing your way to a healthier you.

Love To Exercise And It Shows

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If you need a little boost to get you to the gym, start the day with positive affirmations and you’ll see a remarkable transformation in your fitness level. Affirmations are positive reinforcements that rewire your brain and change your thoughts from negative to positive. Affirmations are the recipe for an “I can” attitude.

I absolutely love to exercise. Not only does exercise release all those wonderful endorphins that make me feel good, exercise does wonders for my body. It slims, shapes and tones my entire body. Exercise strengthens my muscles and increases my flexibility. I feel young, vibrant and energetic when I exercise regularly.

Exercise empowers me. I am a confident woman, not only because my body shows the effects of fitness, but because I constantly challenge myself by reaching for the next level. Patience and persistence are my allies, as I allow my body time without giving up hope and giving in. These are the building blocks of confidence: set goals that challenge your body, mind and soul and then to give yourself a chance to achieve these goals, before giving up hope.

Affirmations ensure that you never give up hope. Affirmations help you to stay focused on your goals and your achievements. Many times women who have been exercising don’t see the results they hoped for. They start to feel as if their workouts just aren’t working. When affirmations are a part of your fitness program, your positive attitude is all it takes to keep you assured of your progress. Affirmations keep you focused on the big picture.

Negative thoughts keep you trapped in a paradox. The more you beat up on yourself, the weaker you become. The weaker you become the more you berate yourself. It’s a vicious cycle but one that you can break very easily.

Below are 10 of my favorite affirmations that focus on exercise. Engage your mind, body and soul and repeat these affirmations each morning. You will find yourself looking forward to your workouts and ready to meet new challenges daily.

1. I love to exercise.
2. My body becomes more beautiful each day.
3. Exercise makes me feel good.
4. I am slim and trim.
5. Others notice how great I look and feel.
6. I love and approve myself.
7. Every day, I feel stronger and healthier.
8. I am replacing fat with muscle.
9. My clothes look great on my body.
10. I am getting stronger and better looking every day.