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Aerobic Equipment
Aerobic fitness equipment can be a great investment if you are sick of paying a monthly fitness club membership. You can work out in the comfort of your home without distractions and you will eliminate your commute to the gym. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get the discount large fitness centers get when buying commercial fitness equipment, so carefully consider which equipment you will actually use in your home.
Machinery such as treadmills and elliptical trainers can be thousands of dollars, so make sure you buy pieces you will commit to using. Don’t go out and buy a treadmill, stair stepper and stationary bike if all your ever use at the gym is the elliptical. If you buy Pilates workout equipment but have never taken a Pilates class, you may find out that you don't like it and waste your money. Instead, buy pieces of home fitness equipment one at a time.
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Workout Music: A Great Motivator
Several research studies have found a link between workout music and improved physical performance during exercise. Listening to music while working out can help keep you motivated and have you pushing harder than you would without it. Plus, it's enjoyable!
Choosing workout music that you find inspirational can amp up your cardiovascular routine at the gym or help you finish out that tough morning run. The music selection you put together will vary depending on what you enjoy and what makes you feel good. Many people enjoy using an mp3 player or iPod at the health club or when exercising outdoors. If you prefer working out at home, you can always turn on the radio or listen to a CD.
There are a few things to remember if you will be listening to music while you are working out. First, make sure the volume level is low enough that you can hear what is going on around you; this is important for safety. Second, select music that corresponds closely to the pace of the activity you will be doing. Finally, try to vary the music periodically; it can help maintain interest and keep you motivated.
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Water Walking
Water walking is an excellent aerobic exercise that burns calories without putting strain on your joints. It is a great way to stay in shape if you are trying to recover from injury or if you are over the age of 65. Both water walking and water jogging use the same muscles as their land counterparts, but do not do as much wear and tear on your joints and tendons.
If you are just starting this sport, ease into it with a 5-minute water walking session. Stand waist deep in a body of water with your abs and buttocks tightened, shoulders back and chest raised. Your arms should be straight throughout their swing, but use your palms to push against the water. Keep your abs tight and walk as you normally would. Try doing high knee kicks if you want to make the exercise more challenging.
After a few weeks, try to move on to water jogging. Water jogging can burn between 300 and 500 calories per hour. It differs from water walking in that instead of walking along the pool floor you jog in place. It’s a great aerobic workout during the hot summer months. Try to sustain your water jog for a 10 minute workout at first and then increase the time as you get better at it.
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Exercises for Your Arms
There’s no way to hide flabby arms in the summer! Wear those cute sundresses with confidence after adding these arm exercises to your cardio workout:
Skull Crushers: This exercise is great for the backs of your arms. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Move your arms above your head with a weight in each hand. Starting from the floor, slowly move your arms from the floor until they are directly above your face. Keep your arms straight and slowly lower your arms back down to the floor. If you feel strain in your neck, decrease the amount of weight.
Kickbacks: This arm exercise works your triceps. Stand at an exercise bench, bending at the waist with your right knee and right arm on the bench and your left side off the bench. Hold a weight in your left hand and straighten your elbow so your arm is vertical to your waist. Keep your back flat and make sure your elbow straightens. Hold for a few seconds then return to starting position.
Handbag Curl: Stand with your arms at your side and your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your body. Bend your right arm to 90 degrees and hold this position as you bend your left arm to your shoulder and back down. Remember to keep your elbow at your side. Complete 10 reps on your left side while holding your right arm in place and then switch sides.
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Walking for Women Over 65
Walking, especially for women that are over 65, is incredibly beneficial. If you make it a part of your lifetime fitness plan walking will not only improve your body, but your mind as well. Here are some other ways in which walking is beneficial:
It prevents the onset of arthritis
It improves balance which helps reduce the risk of falls
It decreases the risk of heart disease
A 20 minute workout can offset fatigue
Consistent walking is a mood elevator and can help offset depression associated with aging
Walking can be a time for family bonding and social excursions. Walk to the park with your grandchildren or meet your friends in town for a day of shopping. Enjoy the outdoors.
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Keep a Nutritious Diet for You and Your Baby
Pregnant women need an extra 300 calories a day to ensure the health of their babies. It is important that these extra calories come in the form of nutritious food and not empty calories. The American Pregnancy Association recommends four servings of fruits and vegetables, nine servings of carbohydrates (whole-grain bread or pasta), three servings of meat and three servings of dairy each day. Make sure all your diet and healthy recipes include:
Folic Acid: This vitamin has been proven to prevent certain birth defects that form in the early stages of pregnancy such as spina bifida. Most doctors recommend around .4 milligrams of folic acid per day in the form of a supplement. Folic acid is found naturally in orange juice, enriched grains and leafy greens such as spinach.
Calcium: During pregnancy it is essential that you get the recommended 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. Most doctors prescribe prenatal vitamins with calcium, but you can also get calcium from dairy, broccoli and enriched juices among other things.
Iron: This nutrient prevents low birth weight and premature delivery. Though found naturally in spinach, beef and oatmeal, iron also comes in a supplemental form. Doctors recommend about 27 milligrams of iron per day.
Vitamin C: This vitamin helps build your and your baby’s immune system. It is usually incorporated in prenatal vitamins prescribed by your doctor, but you can also find it in citrus fruit, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli and green beans to name a few.
Vitamin B6: If you have trouble with morning sickness, get a daily dose of vitamin B6. Doctors recommend 1.9 milligrams per day, which can be taken in supplemental form or found in foods such as chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, soy and bananas.
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Tips For Healthy Cooking
Learning to cook healthy meals means knowing what ingredients you can alter. It also means knowing how to prepare foods for the table. Healthy food recipes begin with substitutions. If the recipe calls for butter, you may want to use margarine. Serve low fat sour cream with baked potatoes instead of regular. Use seasonings such as ground pepper and herbs rather than salt whenever possible. There are many cookbooks that include healthy substitutions, but here are a few simple ones to get you started:
Instead of eggs, use egg whites.
Instead of whole milk, use skim.
Instead of regular cheese, use low fat varieties.
Instead of peanut butter, use reduced fat peanut butter.
Instead of jelly, use fresh fruit.
Instead of ice cream, try frozen yogurt.
When baking or cooking, you will want to be sure that your substitution will not alter the recipe. You can usually find out this type of information on the Internet. Some recipes will also alert you as to when you can or cannot substitute.
In terms of meats, baking, broiling and steaming are healthier options than pan frying. Steaming vegetables is a healthy way to prepare them; you can also serve them raw. Avoid things such as heavy cream sauces and seasonings that are loaded with sodium whenever possible.
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Pilates and Yoga Equipment
If you incorporate a yoga or Pilates workout into your fitness routine, you will most definitely see changes in your balance, flexibility and core strength. Pilates equipment includes machines and tables, which are usually found only in Pilates studios. The machine has pulleys and straps with which to perform exercises and the table is used to support certain movements. Rings, which are used for resistance during exercises, and chairs are great for individual workouts at home or for group routines.
For yoga workouts, equipment includes an elastic strap to be used during certain stretches, a mat, an oversized ball, and a wedge to support your body during certain yoga movements. If you use these at home or at your fitness club, you will be on your way to total mind-body fitness. Yoga and Pilates are challenging and rewarding and require patience and concentration.
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Butt Exercises
Ice cream, chips, pastries, French fries and all the rest of the good stuff likes to camp out around women’s derrieres. It can be difficult to work off the extra pounds around your middle, but luckily there are quite a few exercises that can whip your butt into shape.
Position yourself on your hands and knees. Put a leg weight on your right ankle or a dumbbell in the crux of your knee. Lift your leg up, holding it at a 90-degree angle with your foot flat. Hold for a moment and slowly lower your leg towards the ground. Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps on each leg.
Lie flat on your back with your arms by your side. Raise your pelvis toward the ceiling, squeezing your butt and putting your weight on your heels. Extend one leg in front of you, while maintaining the pelvis in the air and return to the floor. Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps with each leg.
Jumping squats are one of the easiest and most effective butt and thigh exercises. Start in a crouching position, using your hands for balance. Jump from the crouching position into the air as high as you can, and bring yourself back down into the crouching position as you fall. Do two sets, jumping 15 to 20 times, without resting between jumps.
There are lots of cardio fitness activities that will tone your butt as well. Yoga and Pilates exercises are particularly effective, as is running, cycling, hiking and climbing stairs. Pretty much any activity that involves moving your legs will be great for your butt.
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Give Me a Boost!
Aerobic exercise has a favorable effect on your lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Sophisticated research has shown that this exercise-induced increase in high-density lipoproteins boosts metabolism, which in turn results in significant weight loss. According to the American Heart Association, increases in these high-density lipoproteins have been found in women who exercise at higher levels of recreational running. This is one of the important health benefits of running.
Cardiovascular fitness can also alter your body composition. By reducing body fat, you will also reduce your susceptibility to cardiovascular, disease, diabetes, cancer and muscular/skeletal disease. Even milder forms of exercise can boost metabolism.
If you have ever spent any time in Italy, you will note that while there is an abundance of heavy, delicious food, in the major Italian cities, you will rarely see people who are significantly overweight. This is due to the Italian tradition of passegiata, which involves taking a walk to digest the evening meal.
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Walking May Be A Woman’s Best Workout
For many people, the biggest barrier to fitness is finding an activity that you can stick to and do easily. If you regularly run, bike or do aerobics, you may not think of walking as a workout. But think again. Regular walking to and from work, or at lunchtime, can contribute to your overall fitness level by getting you up and away from your desk, even for 15 minutes or so, and even if it’s walking down the street to Starbucks.
In terms of convenience, walking may be the best workout there is. If you are new to fitness, walking is a way to gradually introduce your body to activity. If you are already active, walking during the day helps recovery from your tough workouts by promoting blood flow and reducing the effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness so you are less stiff when it’s time for your next tough workout.
And try this butt-toning tip as a bonus while walking: Keep the heel of your back foot on the ground as long as possible, and when you lift your heel, try to roll across your entire foot and push off with your toes. If you can manage this, you’ll feel your gluteal muscles working more with each step. Of course this is tricky if you’re at work and wearing heels, but try it when you are walking and wearing workout gear and you’ll feel the burn.
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Cardio that Cuts the Fat
Almost any cardio fitness exercise is great for your personal fitness and will help you lose weight. But here are some specific cardio moves that are known to cut the fat:
Walking- That’s right, one of the easiest things you can do actually helps you lose weight. Make sure you walk at a brisk pace at least four times per week. Incorporate hills and other challenging obstacles into your walk. Try hiking, which is one of the best thigh exercises and will work your butt as well.
Running- This is a high-intensity workout that is great for all the muscles in your body. When you run you burn fat and also strengthen your abdominal muscles because you naturally hold them in while you run. If you really want to burn fat, vary the speed of your workout. Run at a high-intensity for three minutes and a moderate-intensity for five, cycling between fast and slower paces.
Swimming- Swimming will give you a wonderfully lean body. It incorporates most of your muscles and is a great thigh workout. Swim laps for 30 to 40 minutes every other day to get your body slim and trim. Vary your stroke. It doesn’t matter if you prefer the freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke or butterfly. Just don’t doggie paddle!
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Beginner Walking
Have you ever noticed that city people are sometimes slimmer than their suburban counterparts? The answer is simple: They walk. A lot. At first it may seem overwhelming to venture somewhere without the speed and efficiency of your motorized vehicle, but you become slimmer and feel overall more healthy when you start walking as often as possible.
Begin with a 10 minute workout walk everyday. It is important to establish a routine that you become accustomed to. Ease into it by walking at a comfortable pace, which will typically be around 2.5 mph. In order to stop your daily walk from becoming boring, venture to new places, parks or interesting architectural buildings. Explore. Discover the area in which you live. After a week of consistent 10 minute walks, raise the bar to 20 minute workout walks and you will feel even better. Here is some more information for your fitness walking routine:
If you push a 2.5 mph walk, you will burn 35 calories per every 10 minutes. A 3.5 mph pace burns 42 calories every 10 minutes.
Make walking a social experience. Invite your friends along for a walk to a park you discovered. Bring a picnic to reward yourselves.
Try walking while holding 5lb weights to spice up your routine.
Buy a pedometer to track your progress.
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Yoga Promotes Women’s Fitness
If you have never tried yoga, find a beginner class and check it out. You may get hooked. Yoga is a great part of any women's fitness plan because it is low-impact and doesn’t put pressure on the joints. Also, the deep stretching you do in yoga helps combat delayed-onset muscle soreness after tough workouts. Yoga can be especially helpful if your have joint problems or if you are recovering from an injury or trying to get back in shape after pregnancy.
Speaking of pregnancy, if you are pregnant, prenatal yoga helps you maintain a basic level of fitness even into the third trimester, and studies have shown that women who practice yoga and do other forms of moderate exercise during pregnancy are more comfortable during labor and delivery.
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Importance of Behavior Modification
Research shows that many women who lose a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time will gain the weigth back. One of the hallmarks of women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off is that they actually changed they way they acted and reacted. Women who are successful at losing weight or reaching any fitness goal have used the process of losing weight or getting in shape not as a means to an end, but as an opportunity to change they way they think about food and exercise and have learned to substitute more appropriate activities for eating. Women who modify their behavior for the long term are more likely to remain in good shape after an intense period of diet and weight loss is over.
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Journaling Your Way to Good Health
Whether you want to lose a lot of weight, get into better shape, or change some unhealthy patterns, experts agree that journaling is one of the most important elements for success. Many women overeat or partake in other unhealthy activities as a result of too much stress. Additionally, there is evidence that suggests that stress in and of itself may cause weight gain, high blood pressure, and insomnia, among other ailments. Women can release some of that stress through journaling. Keeping a diary or a journal helps women think more clearly about their eating and fitness habits, identify the bad influences, and come up with better solutions to achieve her goal(s).
