Work Life Tips

Get Your Body Moving – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

To burn fat you need to exercise. A regular treadmill workout will help you lose weight and improve your metabolic rate so you can burn calories faster. If you are on a low-calorie diet, exercise can also prevent your body from going into starvation mode, which happens when you body naturally lowers your metabolism to conserve calories. The other benefits of exercise include lower risk of weight-related problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

If you exercise you will gain muscle mass and burn fat. This may not contribute to your overall weight loss goals, but it will make you look trimmer and tighten up your “problem” areas such as your butt and thighs. Exercise also produces lean tissue, which is needed to metabolize fat.

Join a fitness gym or find an exercise buddy to help get you motivated. Exercise is one of the main components of fitness, but remember that you need to pair it with a healthy diet. Exercise is not an excuse to eat whatever you want. If you cut calories and exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week, you will be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals.

Counting Calories – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Calorie counting can be frustrating for women, but it doesn’t have to be. The amount of calories you need depends on your weight, age, height and activity level, but calorie estimates can still be helpful. To lose weight, you first need to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. This is also called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Once you know your BMR you can cut calories and factor in the amount of exercise you need in order to lose weight. The formula for BMR for women is:

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years).

If you do little to no exercise, multiply your BMR by .2. If you are lightly active, multiply your BMR by .3. If you exercise most of the days in a week, multiply your BMR by .4. If you exercise everyday at a high intensity, multiply your BMR by .5. This is your BMR and the amount of calories you need per day to maintain your weight.

One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. In order to lose one pound of weight per week, you need to cut 500 calories from your daily diet or integrate exercise into your weight loss plans to burn fat and calories. No matter what your weight goals, do not consume less than 1,200 calories a day. When you eat less than 1,200 calories per day, your body will most likely go into starvation mode and store your calories instead of burn them. Use a calorie chart to keep track of what you eat and join a fitness gym to kick your body and metabolism into shape.

Deadly Diet Sins – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

Here are some surefire ways avoid those diet slip-ups that ruin your weight loss goals and get you doing an extra treadmill workout at the gym.

* Trigger foods: Your body naturally craves trigger foods that are high in fat. This is an instinct left over from pre-historic times. You may think one slice of pizza will throw off your entire diet, but it is ok to cave in to your cravings every once in a while. If you deprive your body of what you crave too often, you risk over-indulging later. Instead, go for your trigger foods in moderation.
* Nighttime snacking: If you skipped breakfast or haven’t eaten enough during the day, you run the risk of over-indulging in nighttime snacks after dinner. It is ok to have an after dinner snack, but try to keep your snacks under 150 calories. Make sure you get a full breakfast with fiber and protein.
* Social eating: If your office has coffee cake by the coffee pot or you find yourself at a holiday party with delicious, high-fat snacks, you need to have a plan of action. Eat a healthy meal before you go to a party so you will be less likely to munch on snacks. Keep emergency snacks at your office such as granola bars or fruit for when you get a hankering for some of those donuts in the meeting room. This will curb you cravings and help you stay on your diet track.
* Eating fast: It takes 20 minutes to feel full. If you eat slower at the dinner table you will notice yourself get fuller, faster. You will be tuned in with the triggers in your brain that let you know you are full, thus reducing your portions at each meal.

Portion Control – Women’s Weight Loss Tips

A calorie chart alone won’t do it! To lose weight you must consider portion control. This can be hard to do in the land of super-sized portions, but here are a few pointers to get you going in the right direction.

* Portions at restaurants are often out of control. It’s cheaper and better calorie-wise to eat at home. Only eat at restaurants on special occasions. If you usually go out to eat with friends, suggest a walk with your friends instead of a meal. This way you will avoid that extra treadmill workout you would have to do to compensate for all the calories you ate.
* The easiest way to monitor your portions is to simply eat half of your meal. Eat half of your sandwich and replace your bag of chips with crunchy carrots. If you are at a restaurant, eat half of your meal. You can even ask the waiter or chef to give you a take-out container with your meal so you can immediately put half of your meal in box when it arrives.
* Buy pre-packaged, low-cal dinners. This can make portion control easy, as microwavable or pre-made dinners are usually much smaller than your average full-sized dinner. You can find these at almost every supermarket.
* Check nutrition labels for servings sizes. Most people reach into a bag of chips absent mindedly, but those handfuls add up. A serving size of meat is only three ounces. This is the size of the palm of your hand! A serving size of cheese is about the size of two domino squares. Only one half of a small bagel is a serving size. Reference the food pyramid put out by the FDA to find out how many servings of each food group you should have.

Make it Worth Your While – Women’s Strength Training Tips

As a woman, you don’t have enough testosterone to get the big bulging muscles that body builders get. So stop worrying about bulking up and pick up some heavier weights at the gym. Weights that are too light for you will not magically shape and tone your body. To find out what weight is right for you, start by picking a weight you know you can lift 10 times, but no more than 12 times. As you get used to this weight and you can start to do more repetitions and sets, move the weight up by a few pounds. If you want to see results, you need to choose a weight that will tire out your muscles within 10 repetitions.

Don’t be intimidated by the equipment that men traditionally use. You pay for that barbell with your gym membership just as much as he does. Use a barbell to do squats or try lifting for your arm exercises twice per week with one of your friends as a spotter.

The Don’ts of Strength Training – Women’s Strength Training Tips

There are many things to be wary of when starting a strength training workout. To make sure you get the all the benefits of your exercise routine, watch out for these things:

* Don’t hire an unqualified personal trainer. It is important to get information on exercise and fitness information from a qualified personal trainer who has a degree in kinesiology or is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
* Don’t overdo it. If you are starting fresh from the beginning with a new weight and cardio workout make sure you don’t take on too much at one time. This will not only cause injury, it can also be discouraging. Recognize your fitness level and build from there.
* Don’t expect immediate results. Though you may see an initial immediate improvement in your strength, it takes time to build and tone your muscles. After four to six months you will start to see a change in your fat and muscle ratios. Changes in bone density take up to 12 months.
* Don’t favor one side of your body. Don’t ignore your butt and thighs just because you want to get rid of arm flab. For balance and strength you need a symmetrical workout that will develop both sides of your joints.

Strength Training: Upper Body – Women’s Strength Training Tips

One of the most commonly asked questions by novice exercisers is “What are the best arm exercises for women?” As you begin to learn more about your body, you will realize that muscle groups work together. So, in considering a workout that focuses on “arm exercises for women,” you need to take a holistic approach and work the entire upper body. These are the major muscle groups to focus on:

* Latissimus dorsi: These are the large muscles of your middle back. When you work them correctly, they give your torso a beautiful “V” shape, which in turn makes the waist appear smaller. Exercises for this area include pull-ups, chin-ups, one arm bent rows, dips on parallel bars, and the lat pull-down machine.
* Pectorals: The pectorals are the muscles of your chest. Exercises for this area include the chest press and the chest fly.
* Rhomboids: These are the muscles of the upper back. They are important for any woman who works at her desk. Working these muscles create symmetry in the upper body. Exercises include bent rows and any movement that pulls the shoulder blades together.
* Deltoids: The deltoids are located at the top of the shoulder. This muscle has three parts: The anterior deltoid is at the front of the shoulder; the medial deltoid is at the middle, and the posterior deltoid is at the rear. The anterior deltoid is worked with front dumbbell raises. Lateral dumbbell raises target the medial deltoid. Rear dumbbell raises, which are performed while seated and bent at the waist, or lying face down on a flat bench) work the posterior deltoid. Warning! Rear deltoid exercises are very challenging! Start with a light weight.
* Biceps: The biceps are located at the front of your arms. They can be worked by performing bicep curls, either with free weights, or on a bicep curl machine. Important: When working this muscle, make sure to keep your elbows in a stable position.
* Triceps: When people ask about “arm exercises for women,” they are usually talking about the triceps, which are the flabby part of the back of the arm. Exercises include tricep dips and tricep extension

Give Your Bones A Boost – Women’s Strength Training Tips

Cardiovascular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but strength training for women is especially important. Studies have shown that working out with weights twice a week improves bone density in women later in adulthood (when they are at risk for osteoporosis) if they strength train consistently over time. You don’t need to lift heavy weights, either. Just one to three sets of 10-15 repetitions that feel moderately difficult will make a difference.

Make strength training part of your workout routine and you’ll not only build your bones, you’ll also reap these benefits:

* Joint protection. Strength training for women builds up your muscles, which protect the joints from injury.
* More stamina. Strength training makes you stronger, of course. You’ll feel less tired by daily activities.
* Less fat. Building muscle strength helps your body burn fat more effectively, which can help you control your weight.

Tone The Triceps – Women’s Strength Training Tips

New moves to tone the triceps consistently top the list of requested arm exercises for women. Toning the triceps can be tricky, but the right moves can help you avoid that jiggly arm look and carry kids or groceries with ease.

Try this triceps toner that doesn’t even require weights: the One-Arm Triceps Dip.

* Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
* Place your hands about a foot behind your butt, with fingers pointing towards your feet.
* Be sure that your hands are shoulder-width apart.
* Straighten your arms so your butt is off the floor.
* Keeping your hands and feet firmly planted, bend your left elbow and lower your butt to about 2 inches from the floor.
* Press your left arm back to a straight position.
* Repeat with the right arm; alternate arms for about 60 seconds.
* Don’t rush. Lift and lower with a smooth, controlled motion. Don’t jerk or bounce.

Reshape Your Body with Strength Training for Women – Women’s Strength Training Tips

Perhaps the most dramatic changes in a women’s body can be brought about by a female strength training program. How does this work? Consider this: Many women think that they have large hips. What they actually have is a narrow shoulder area. In women, the bones of the hips are often significantly larger than the bones of your shoulders. As a result, they are often buying shoulder pads to make the body look more balanced. But what if we told you that you could develop a permanent set of shoulder pads?

By practicing women’s weight training exercises such as the lateral raise, the military press and the front deltoid raise, you can re-define your shoulders, which will in turn make your hips look smaller! But let’s not stop here! How much money do you spend on Wonder Bras, push-up bras, etc.? Do you realize that by performing exercises such as the bench press and the chest fly, you can create a sexy cleavage, and even make your breasts appear bigger and firmer? But wait! It gets even better.

Would you like a smaller waistline? When you work the muscles of your upper back known as the latissimus dorsi, they create a “V “shape in your torso, which in turn makes your waistline look smaller. The Lat Pulldown Machine is the best exercise for this purpose. While you are at it, since you’ve already created a cleavage in the front, why not balance it out with a cleavage in the back? Exercises such as the rear deltoid raise will define your upper back, making you look fabulous in low-back dresses and halter tops. Working your upper back will also improve your posture. Guess what? When you stand up straight, your stomach looks flatter!

These are just some of the benefits of a weight training program for women.