Magazine articles, television shows, and social media almost conspire to demand that you have the perfect body. If you haven’t, then you are implored to do something about it. Many women therefore find themselves wanting to lose weight but for the wrong reasons. Things done for the wrong reason have very little chance of succeeding, and motivation is soon lost, leaving individuals even more self-critical of themselves. Society has, at times, created impossibly high standards for modern day women to live up to.
Only when decisions are grounded in a natural desire for self-improvement, real, not suggested, based on health concerns, or simply to enjoy life more, will they have the possibility of success. In other words, the decision has to be of the individual, for the individual, by the individual. To look to lose weight for others is always going to be much more difficult. Yet if you do make the decision that you wish to lose weight, then there are better ways in which you can go about it. These will never guarantee success, but they will give you a much greater prospect of succeeding. These tips, from women who have successfully lost weight, when properly incorporated into a normal everyday life, will work. So how can women’s fitness and weight loss tips help you?
Selfies
Photographs properly document body shape and size, much better than measurements or scales. Document the stages of your journey to see the change. Use them as a motivation to continue and as a record of the achievements to date.
Aim Small
To begin with, set goals that seem straightforward. Nobody benefits from saying I will lose 100lbs – it seems too big a target. However, shifting goals that adapt and change with progress, keep you much more motivated than one overall goal. Once you hit the first goal, set a new one.
Plateaus
No matter how hard you train, or diet, or how many times you use your flexible gym pass, there will be plateaus. Not everything will be steady, there will be periods of no change, and at times you will slip up, but that’s fine. Focus on the goals, and when you plateau, think ‘I expected this, so I am not worried.’
Realism
What do you honestly think has caused the weight? Did you have bad habits and can these be changed? Habits are hard to break, but you know what, good habits are exactly the same. Once you establish and incorporate good habits into your routine, they too will be hard to break. You will not want to miss your gym class, you will not feel like having a dessert, and you will use your flexible gym membership as often as you can. Why? Because these are now habits – you just need to establish positive routines. Take it one step at a time though, as too much change at once can be disheartening and make it feel like a punishment, which it isn’t. It is in fact a reward, one to yourself!
Change Your Food & Exercise
If you eat a healthier array of food, with less processed carbohydrates and a reduction in refined sugar, but adding natural sources of vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables, then you are making a great start. Eat little and often, with no big plate-spilling meals, and drink plenty of water. Slowly rid your house of treats you no longer want to indulge in, replacing them with healthier alternatives. You will get cravings, so be careful not to succumb.
Ensure you eat a good breakfast like porridge and always have healthy snacks to hand. Also, keep and review an honest food diary. Watching your nutritional intake is remarkably easier than just exercising. Imagine trying to burn 500 calories using your flexible gym pass, sounds like hard work, right? Now imagine eating 500 calories less over the course of a day – when you think of biscuits and empty calories (all calorie not filling), they soon add up. Now think, if I eat smarter and exercise too, then I gain doubly – brilliant!
Easy Exercise
Pounding the treadmill is tough. At times, it needs to be done, but think of easy exercise too – by easy, I mean easy to incorporate into a day, without driving to the gym with your flexible gym pass in hand. Walk to work, or an extra stop off the bus. Use the stairs, not the lift and get out walking at lunchtime. Combine it with chores such as shopping and you will free up your evenings for yourself. Then maybe meet up with a friend for a walk, or better still use that flexible gym membership, but do so together – there is often less chance of missing the gym when you have a partner who is relying on you.
Gym
When you do hit the gym, do not neglect the weights. Women’s fitness isn’t simply about cardiovascular, high impact or interval training. Incorporating weights is great too, as muscles burn more calories than fat. We are not suggesting bodybuilding, but one of your routines should regularly be based around building and maintaining muscles.
Going to the gym should not be rewarded by bad food though. This isn’t breaking your dietary bad habits, it is enforcing them, and the gym will soon become associated with a punishment to earn a nice meal. Better rewards would be something none foodie, like some new gym gear for example, thus enforcing the good habits rather than the bad.
Women are under unduly harsh pressure to be healthier, thinner and more active. Unfortunately this clouds the message that women’s fitness is important. You do need to consider your diet, and activity levels, but only to benefit your own life, not for the benefit of others. Make sure your motivations are ultimately personal, and you are more likely to succeed. Taking small steps, and setting attainable goals that can be reached is great. Documenting the journey as you go will help too. All you need to do is to make a decision for the right reason, for you, and thereafter invest your time and energy in yourself. After all, you thoroughly deserve it.