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Women’s fitness
Believe it or not, the majority of women realize how important women’s fitness is. They know that they should be eating right and exercising. They know that doing so will make them feel and look better and increase their chances of living longer, healthier lives. But if women know all this, why is women’s overall fitness declining?
Is it because women don’t know how to eat right? While many women may not know the specificities behind certain foods, they do know the basics. How can they deny that fruits and vegetables are healthier than deep-fried and/or sugary foods? Women know this. And even without a course in nutrition, most women have a pretty good idea of what they should be eating.
So, is women’s fitness on the decline because they do not know how to exercise right? No. Walking is a great exercise, and the majority of women can walk. In fact, simply increasing movement throughout the day is an increase in exercise. There are exercises – including yoga, weight-lifting, and other exercises – that women do need to learn how to do properly, for both efficiency and safety reasons, but many exercises women can do without any prior exercise experience.
So, why are women not as fit as they could be? One of the biggest reasons that women give for not exercising or eating right is that they are too busy. Other women are too stressed, and still other women feel like they do not know how. Here are some tips to help women deal with theses aforementioned “excuses.”
Yes, women are busy. They deal with work, families, friends, and so much more. They cook, clean, pay the bills, take the kids to school, and so much more. Oftentimes, by the time the day is through, all they want to do is lay down, relax, and maybe watch some TV. How could they possibly have time to workout? How can they have time to cook up a healthy meal – it is so much easier to get take-out?
• Make time – Take a look at your daily schedule and see where there are spots in which “movement” can be fit in. You do not need a lot of time – 10 minutes here and there is far better than no time at all. Take a walk on your lunch break, etc.
• Turn every day tasks into exercise – Park your car at the end of the lot so that you must walk a greater distance. Clean! Cleaning can actually be a great form of exercise. Take your family with you – if you feel that you don’t have time to exercise because you have to spend time with your family, then take your family with you. Spend the day at the park playing Frisbee, etc. It will be good for you, and it will instill fun and healthy habits within your family.
• Find a partner – Get someone to workout with you. A group of people, all in the same boat as you, can be an excellent motivational factor. Also, when it comes to cooking, a partner can help as well. If you take turns cooking, you will have one free night with which you can exercise or catch up on other stuff, and the next time you will have more time to prepare a healthy meal.
• Reward yourself – If you have been working out and eating right, why not reward yourself? Get an ice cream sundae on Friday night. Go out drinking with friends at a bar. Or buy yourself that bikini you’ve always wanted.
• Don’t punish yourself – If you miss a day of healthful actions, do not be too hard on yourself. Don’t wallow in your distress. Instead, start back on your healthy habits as soon as you can. It is ok if you don’t exercise every day – it is not ok if you stop exercising because you feel like you failed.
• Work around stress – If you are feeling stressed out, one of the best things you can do is exercise. Exercising relieves stress. Perhaps you are stressed out because you are so busy – if you are too stressed out, though, you will not be able to effectively accomplish your tasks at hand. Take a moment and go on a walk or head to the gym. After you have relieved a little stress, you will be better prepared to tackle the day.
• Sign up for a class – By signing up for a yoga class, a mountain biking class, or any other sort of exercise class, you are dedicating yourself to working out. Especially after paying for a class, you are more likely to go. Also, there will be other people in the class to motivate you. And it is a safe environment to learn how to do something new – after the class sessions are over, you may feel confident enough to try what you learned at home, on your own, or you may choose to sign up for the next level. Sign up for a cooking class, too – learn how to make healthful meals in little time.
• Find something that you love to do – If you love to do something, you are much more likely to do it. If you don’t like jogging, try walking. Pick up a new sport, like skiing or road biking. Try water aerobics. Try many things (and give each thing a full chance) until you find something that you love. The same can be said of food – yes, you may really like your deep fried French fries, but have you tried carrots dipped in dressing? Or maybe you have a new healthful pasta recipe that you love – healthy food does not have to be flavorless. There are many excellent recipes out there that you may likely prefer to your fatty faves. How about some berries with non-fat dairy creamer instead of ice cream?
• Eating Healthfully – Prepare double batches when cooking, and freeze the extras. This way, you free up some time, giving you more time to cook healthfully and exercise. You may even choose to set aside a Sunday afternoon and create a bunch of meals for the entire week. Pack a lunch for work instead of eating out – you can pack something healthful, and you will save money, too. Check the nutrition labels at the supermarket – just because something is marked as “fat-free” or “sugar-free” does not mean it is good for you. Snack on fruits and veggies and whole grains.
Women’s fitness in the United States could improve greatly if women just take a look at and follow these suggestions. Exercise and eating right are not so overwhelming when they can be thought of as general activities of the day, ones that can be fun as well as healthful, good for the mind as well as the body.
For more health tips specific to women, check out Oxygen Magazine online at:
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