Weight Loss and Fitness for Women

There are hundreds of different weight loss gimmicks on the market which are designed with one thing in mind and that is to get your money. If you have been looking for an effective way to lose weight, the solution is simple. Stop eating like you are having your last meal and start moving. This may sound easier said than done for some women who have been living sedentary lifestyles for some time; however, it抯 not hard at all. The first step in defeating any problem is in admitting there is one in the first place. They say that a person will change when he/she gets in enough pain. If you are tired of being over weight and have made a decision to do something about it, you are halfway there. The following easy to follow suggestions will get you on the path to realizing a thinner you in no time at all, without having to break the bank in order to accomplish your goal.

Buddy Up

Many women have reported an enhanced level of fitness and diet success through the use of the tried and true buddy system. If you have a friend, family member or co-worker who has been alluding to the fact that she would also like to lose weight, now might be the perfect time. Grab a buddy and begin planning meals together. There is no reason to buy outrageously priced, pre-packaged foods. By making a simple assessment of what goes into your mouth and eliminating some of the junk, you are going to lose weight. Decide what your weaknesses are. For some people it is candies, cakes and ice cream, for others it is fried, fatty foods. Learning which foods are your friend and which are not is a very good first step.

Low Fat Diets

Low fat diets promise to allow you to eat whatever you want as long as it has a low percentage of fat. This is great in theory; however, your body needs a certain amount of fat. In addition, foods which have been altered and have gone through some sort of unhealthy process to be considered "low fat", may not be good for you at all. Your best bet is to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks such as granola bars, yogurt and even nuts. You are probably thinking, nut? Yes nuts! Nuts are an excellent source of protein as well as being full of the "good fat" your body needs. In fat recent studies have suggested that the oils found in all natural peanut butter, in addition to almonds, actually help boost metabolism and promote weight loss. Obviously this doesn抰 mean it is okay to munch on a truck load of almonds or peanut butter sandwiches, moderation is important no matter what you are eating.

Smaller Portions at Meal Time

The key to finding real weight loss success is in eating smaller portions of the same foods you typically enjoy. This is not to say that eating nothing but small portions of fried chicken and pizza everyday will help you lose weight, but the general idea is that slowly changing your eating habits is a lot easier than drastically changing everything all at once. One of the worst ways to set your self up for failure on a diet is to try and adhere to one that is too strict. What usually winds up happening is that you get so frustrated and hungry that you wind up eating everything in sight, and blowing the whole thing. The best thing to do is to start cutting back on things that you know are not a great addition to a healthy diet such as greasy foods. Having a bit of butter or mayonnaise, or any other fat for that matter, once a day, is fine as long as you don抰 overdo it.

Getting in Shape

Now that you have begun eating a bit more sensibly, you will probably want to start incorporating a little healthy exercise into your daily routine. If you haven抰 been exercising in a very long time, it isn抰 recommended that you begin with high or even low impact aerobics classes. Rather, begin with a nice long walk in the early morning when it is cool. In addition, swimming is a wonderful form of exercise and if you live in a warmer climate may be the perfect solution for you. After about 6 weeks of walking, steadily increasing your distance, you may consider adding a little more to your fitness plan. There are excellent fitness centers for women that are very effective and not overly expensive. If you are more of a loner, you may consider purchasing a treadmill, or if you live somewhere that allows access to a good bike path, a bicycle would be a great investment.

No matter what form of exercise you choose to start with, the important thing is that you do, choose to exercise. Not only will getting in better physical shape help enhance your appearance, but it is a very good way to prevent many disorders that can be detrimental to women, such as bone loss, high blood pressure and heart disease. Becoming more physically fit and altering the foods you put into your mouth will help you lead a happier and much longer life.

 

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