Exercise For Women

Unlike men, women have unique life reasons that can interfere with exercise.
These include the birth of a child, marriage, single parenthood, a new job,
divorce, overworking, job stress and returning to school. Time is a big
consideration. After a day of work and childcare, most women prefer to spend
their leisure time in socializing with family and friends, reading and
watching television, rather than rushing to the treadmill. Although some of
the above-mentioned factors are applicable to men, my experience has shown
that women tend to have a harder time to manage exercise on a regular basis.

The benefits of exercise are significant, especially for women. Regular
exercise lowers estrogen levels, reduces body fat, and produces a healthier
body mass index (BMI).
All these factors significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. Also,
women who perceive themselves as having more energy, fewer emotional
problems, less pain, fewer social problems and lesser feelings of
nervousness and depression are more likely to start exercising. There is a
unique exercise and diet method for women that I have developed on my own,
and it has helped thousands of clients get results.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to remember a few basic
principles -

Get descriptions of exercises, with pictures. Ideally, you want a routine
you can print out, take to the gym or use at home. It should include a start
and end picture of exercises, with a description of technique. Such exercise
charts are available in health clubs and can be found on various websites.
Always obtain a routine from a reliable source and ask questions if you
don't understand anything.
Perform all exercises in a controlled manner. Never sacrifice control for
speed. Breathing is also important.
Never hold your breath while exercising. Remember to inhale as you lower a
weight or relax and exhale as you raise a weight or exert. In an abdominal
crunch, for example, you inhale when coming down and exhale while raising
the head and shoulders off the mat.

Don't do too much too soon. Don't do too much, and don't do too little
either. Every individual is different. This means that walking up the stairs
may be easy for one individual, but strenuous for someone else. The best way
to recognize how hard you're working is to be aware of your breathing
pattern, heart rate and exertion levels.
Moderate-intensity activity is going to make you breathe harder than light
activity, make your heart beat faster and likely make you sweat a little.

Understand the meaning of moderate. There is a simple way to understand
what's moderate for you. Light exercise does not result in any noticeable
effort. Reading the newspaper is a good example. Light exercise results in
noticeable exertion and normal to slightly increased breathing.
Walking a dog can be considered light exercise for many individuals.
Moderate exercise is slightly vigorous.
Gardening, for example, may be associated with deeper breathing to panting
and sweating. Finally, hard exercise involves vigorous exertion, gasping and
heavy sweating.
Think of that aerobics class that's hard to get through!

Frequency is important! 3-4 days a week of moderate exercise for 30-45
minutes each time. Researchers have found that 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week can reduce the
risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and
colon cancer. It lessens feelings of depression and anxiety, helps build
bones and muscles, keeps joints functioning well, and in older women
minimizes the risk of falling.

Making the time if it isn't there. You don't have to fit your exercise all
into one session or limit yourself to only one exercise. For example, take a
brisk 15-minute walk during your coffee break and another post-dinner. Use a
bicycle for 15 to 20 minutes. It all adds up. You may find that you can
reach an hour a day of moderate-intensity activity more easily than you
thought.

If you have not done much exercise lately, start adding physical activity to
your life with some simple tips. Park your car further from your destination
and walk. Find a group of friends to walk with on weekend mornings. Garden
or help in home repairs. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or
escalator. Use hand weights while walking.
Vacuum while watching television. Every little bit helps!

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full-color exercise routines, diet plans and grocery lists, visit
http://www.best-weight-loss-programs.net/ . For free bonuses and exercise
for women, visit http://www.toningforwomen.com/ . To train with Nitin, visit
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Strength Training Benefits Women

If you're a woman considering the possibility of exercising regularly, you
may be wondering which type of fitness program is the most effective. I
highly suggest that you give some serious thought to weight training. There
are so many benefits to strength training regularly, particularly as you
grow older.
By training with weights or weight resistance, you will reduce signs and
symptoms of numerous diseases and chronic conditions, such as arthritis,
diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression.

Many women shy away from weight training because they fear that they'll end
up looking like a muscular bodybuilder. This is physiologically impossible,
since women lack the high levels of testosterone needed to "bulk up." Rather
than looking too muscular, you will become lean and toned. The muscle that
you'll build will burn far more calories than the fat you're currently
carrying around, which will result in your body becoming a calorie burning
machine - even at rest.

As mentioned earlier, the benefits of weight training go beyond physical
beauty. Studies have shown that strength training can decrease pain
associated with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis by up to 43%, and
will most definitely increase your muscle strength and physical performance.
The effectiveness of weight training in reducing the pain of osteoarthritis
is just as significant (if not more so) as some medications used to treat
this condition.

Additionally, post-menopausal women can lose bone mass at a rate of 1%-2%
annually. Not to worry; strength training actually increases bone density
and reduces the risk of fractures in women.

If you're concerned with your weight, strength training plays a significant
role in managing women's weight. As stated earlier, the muscle you build
will burn more of the calories you consume. This is due to the fact that
muscle is actually an active tissue, which consumes calories; stored fat,
however, uses very little energy and doesn't help to burn your caloric
consumption. If you commit to a regular exercise routine, incorporating
strength training, your metabolic rate can be increased by up to 15%, which
will be tremendously helpful for weight loss, as well as long-term weight
control. Yes, the reduction in weight is fantastic when it comes time to try
on a dress for that special occasion, but with a leaner body, you're also
reducing your risk of heart disease, which is the number one killer of
middle aged women.

While the benefits of strength training are quite obvious with regard to
your overall health, physical appearance and weight control, did you know
that weight training can actually help your state of mind, as well?
Researchers believe this is because in general, women feel better when
they're stronger, and weight training also may produce a biochemical change
in the brain. By regularly training with weights, your self confidence and
self-esteem will be greatly improved, which will likely lead to a tremendous
improvement in your overall quality of life.
Perhaps you're asking yourself, "Whatever happened to the importance of
aerobic exercise?" Well, aerobic and cardio exercises most definitely have a
positive impact on your overall health; after all, these types of exercises
help to maintain your heart and lungs and increase your cardiovascular
fitness and endurance - but, walking, running and swimming simply do not
strengthen your muscles; only strength training will do this. If you want a
lean, toned body with excellent bone density and muscle mass, it's highly
recommended that you strength train at least two to three times per week.

Go ahead and get started; a lean, toned and beautiful body can be yours if
you're willing to invest even a small amount of time and effort.

About The Author: Susan Megge is the founder of
http://www.40isbeautiful.com, a website designed to assist women as they
approach and experience menopause. Susan, a health and fitness expert
started experiencing symptoms of menopause several years ago and researched
various avenues to deal with these symptoms naturally. This led to her
discovery that exercise and fitness play a crucial role in making menopause
a very manageable, and even wonderful time in a woman's life. Susan Megge is
the author of "Being Beautiful Beyond 40," a book dedicated to helping women
to be inspired, confident and beautiful as they approach menopause.