Most women will agree that society places a great deal of importance on how women look and how much they weigh. There always seems to be pressure to drop a few pounds and hopefully a dress size, no matter how it makes you feel from a health perspective. Tiny is viewed as superior, better or more desirable. But the fact is that women need to focus on achieving complete fitness to find better health and happiness and not try to derive their happiness and strong self-image from a number associated with their dress size.
Make a Plan and Set Goals
Life is busy and without a plan and steps to follow, it is nearly impossible to reach any goal. Setting goals for your health and exercise is the most certain way to make sure that you set aside time for these important parts of your life. Plan your exercise, plan trips to the market to buy healthy foods and plan time to prepare and enjoy the healthy meals you are making. These are all investments in your health and yourself. Just as you set goals at the gym for increased weight or longer workouts on the treadmill, set goals for cooking more healthy meals or trying new healthy recipes. It won’t all happen overnight but small steps will get you to all of your goals.
Don’t Be Afraid to Build Muscle
We all know that muscle is heavy. But building muscle is not a bad thing even though it might slow down your actual weight loss. Muscle needs to be maintained and this happens by burning the calories that you consume. So by building more muscle you actually are going to be burning more calories simply for maintenance purposes. And this doesn’t mean that you will need to have bulky weightlifter looking muscle. Long lean muscle burns calories just the same and is more slimming and sculpted than the fat that you are burning to build it.
Don’t Forget Water
As you work out and sweat your body is losing fluids, minerals and nutrients. It is critical to replace all of these with enhanced water, coconut water or other sports drinks with electrolytes. Water also helps to flush out the acids that are created when you are working muscles. Without enough water they build up in muscle and lead to the aching and stiffness you feel a day or two after exercising. A good rule for staying properly hydrated is to divide your weight by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you should be consuming daily. So a 150 pound person needs 75 ounces of water each day.
Complete Fitness = Better Health and Happiness
Women’s health is about more than a dress size or meeting unrealistic standards set by society. Achieving complete health is a complex process which incorporates a better diet, more exercise and a healthy mindset about your body. Finding your optimal weight and level of fitness for your body and age will help you feel your best, enjoy your life and have a positive outlook on your entire life.