Beginner Fitness Tips
Read these Beginner Fitness Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Womens Fitness tips and hundreds of other topics.
Safety First
Many women's fitness magazines offer advice on workouts that are appropriate for beginners. When starting these workouts, keep some basic safety precautions in mind.
* Stay hydrated and keep track of your heart rate.
* Make sure you have a pair of sneakers that is appropriate for your fitness activity.
* Do not over-exercise and wear your muscles out.
* It is normal to feel a certain amount of discomfort when beginning a new health and fitness program, but consult a doctor if you experience any severe pain or are injured.
* If you are playing a sport that needs a mouth guard, eye protection or padding make sure you have it.
If you smoke, or are more than 20 pounds overweight, talk to a doctor before beginning your fitness program. It can be harder to exercise if you carry more weight on your body; overweight women should make sure they are not starting with a fitness program that is too challenging. If you are intimidated or feel uncomfortable at the gym, there are other activities you can do outside of the gym. Buy a pedometer and make it a point to walk at least 5 extra miles a week. Swimming and water aerobics are also excellent exercise if you are overweight as the water supports your body weight and takes some pressure off of your joints.
How Often Should I Work Out?
For beginners, most women's fitness experts recommend four to five workouts 30-minute workouts per week for. Allow 48 hours between each weight or resistance training session in order to give your muscles time to heal. As your fitness level progresses you can start to add more time to each work out. Make sure your progression is gradual and you do not overload your body.
Exercise has been proven to make you look younger. It offsets your declining rate metabolism that happens as you age, and increases bone density. Regular exercise will also help minimize muscle loss if you are following a weight loss program; giving you a more toned body and making you appear younger. If you do regular cardiovascular exercise such as swimming, cycling or running you will strengthen your heart muscle and keeping it young.
Sneak It In
It can be difficult for busy moms to find time for the recommended four to five 30-minute workouts per week. Nevertheless, women's fitness is vital to a healthy lifestyle and there are ways to sneak in a few moves throughout the day that will get your heart pumping even on those days that you can't get to the gym.
* Play with your kids! Have races, play tag, organize a game of kickball or soccer, go swimming at your local pool. As you know, kids are constantly moving and full of energy, so take a hint from them and let yourself go.
* Keep you posture in check. While sitting at your computer, suck in your abs and hold your shoulders back. Keeping your posture in check strengthens your core muscles.
* Get a pair of hand weights or a weighted exercise ball and use it during commercial breaks while watching TV.
* If you have small children, push them in a stroller while you walk. The added resistance will give you even more of a work out.
* Ask a trainer at womens fitness centers to help you compile a 10-minute workout that you can use when you don't have time to hit the gym.
* Get your heart pumping while doing chores outside. Chores such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves and shoveling are excellent ways to burn calories and get things done.
Rethink Your Diet
A healthy diet is essential to women's fitness and losing weight. As you start a new health and fitness program, rethink your diet so it includes food that will give you energy and keep you moving. We all know the basics to dieting -- cut the fat, sugar, carbohydrates and so on -- but here are a few tips that will get you moving towards a healthier diet:
* When shopping for food, buy items that have at least two grams of protein per 100 calories. Foods that are higher in protein make you feel fuller longer.
* It is best to avoid sugary desserts altogether, but if you have an insatiable sweet tooth, substitute apple sauce for butter or oil when baking sweets.
* Take the time to think about what it is you really want before you give in to your cravings. Do you crave something salty? Grab some carrots and low-fat dressing instead of a bag of potato chips. Are you craving that left over birthday cake at home? Go for a sweet alternative like frozen grapes or strawberries mixed with non-fat whipped cream.
* Do not drastically cut calories to speed up weight loss, as this deprives your body of essential vitamins and nutrients that it needs to keep moving and energize your workouts. The average woman needs 1,800 calories per day. If your calorie intake dips below 1,200 calories per day, your body could end up going into survival mode and store fat instead of use it.
Find extra information on diets that are designed to help keep you in shape in a women's fitness magazine or pick up a cookbook to find healthy recipes.
Join a Gym
Exercise is essential to women's health and fitness. There are many womens fitness centers all over the country that offer members more than what you would find in a women's health and fitness magazine. Most gyms offer personal trainers to help you get going in the right direction and equipment for exercise routines that include weight or resistance training as well as group exercise classes.
Sign up for a yoga or Pilates class to strengthen your core muscle groups and improve your flexibility. If you are trying to whittle your middle and improve your endurance, sign up for a kickboxing or step aerobics class, or anything that gets your heart pounding. Many gyms also offer core-conditioning classes that isolate “problem” areas such as your butt, thighs or abs and work on getting those areas in shape.
When you are in an environment that is devoted to health and fitness, you are more likely to enjoy your workout and keep your motivation up!
Common Exercise Mistakes
Lack of results is one of the main reasons that people will discontinue their exercise program. However, there are some common mistakes that people tend to make with their programs that might lead to less than impressive results. Here are some of them.
Lack of Planning: Start with a clearly defined goal, and make sure that your exercise routine supports that goal. If possible, enlist the help of a personal trainer.
Unrealistic Goals: If you are trying to lose weight, one to two pounds a week is considered realistic. If you try for more than that, you will be disappointed. Fast weight loss is associated with fast re-gain. Who needs that?
Envy: The Green Monster: Every woman is unique. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses. As such, our progress in our fitness programs may vary. Work to the best of your abilities, and resist the temptation to compare yourself to others.
Boring Routines: If you do the same routine for months on end, you body will eventually adapt to it. This is the straight path to exercise burnout. From time to time, be sure to add a bit of variety to your workout.
Feed Me! I'm Hungry! Extreme caloric restriction will deplete you energy. Choose a healthy diet, and avoid fads.
Too Much, Too Soon: Over exercising may lead to injury and burnout.
Weight Training the Same Muscles on a Daily Basis: When you body adapts to weight training, you can train two days in a row, but only of you train different muscle groups. However, training the same muscle groups two days in a row will obliterate all of your positive results.
Beginning a Running Program
Running is perhaps one of the best, albeit most challenging ways, to burn calories and condition your heart. There are a few secrets to starting and developing a safe and effective running program.
Equip Yourself
Your running shoes are the most important piece of athletic equipment you can buy. In fact, choosing the right ones can make or break you as a runner. For example, if you have flat feet, you should look for a shoe with motion control, pronation control and stability. In contrast, if you have high arches, look for a shoe that is described as “flexible.” If you have normal feet, your choices will be greater. However, the old adage, “don't fix what ain't broken” applies. Resist the temptation to add stability controls that are unnecessary. Make sure that you find a shoe that is appropriate for the width of your foot. Choose a store that has a reputation for knowledgeable sales help. Runners World has an excellent shoe finder.
Progress with Caution
Most people start with a walking program, and gradually build up to a run. For example, you might start with 15 minutes of brisk walking and five minutes of running. Your other option is to alternate five minute intervals of running and walking. If you decide to begin your running program in inclement weather, you might want to consider an indoor treadmill training program.
Find a Workout Buddy
You have to do more than skim through a fitness magazine to stay in shape, but unfortunately health and fitness is not at the top of most women's to-do lists. Exercise can be a tedious task, but if you enlist the help of a friend, you both will benefit.
Make exercise dates a few times a week when both of you can commit to a 30-minute workout. Go for a walk, hit the treadmill together, join a fun fitness class or share a personal training session. A workout buddy will motivate you and help you stick to a routine.
If you have trouble finding a friend who has similar fitness goals and a compatible schedule, turn to the Internet to find a workout buddy. There are many websites that are devoted to pairing up exercisers such as exercisefriends.com or sportsvite.com, as well as niche exercise websites that focus on pairing up individuals with less-popular fitness activities such as rock climbing or scuba diving.
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