Tue, January 06, 2009
As a new year comes, are you looking forward to feeling stronger, healthier, and blowing off some steam now that work is back in full swing? Then read the following workout ideas, diet tips, and the oh-so-necessary encouragement you may need to shape up for 2009.
Hike for Good Health
More and more women are taking up hiking for fitness and pleasure. Outdoor hiking offers many of the same benefits as walking: a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, stronger bones, and improved mood. It's also a great calorie-burner. An off-road hike burns up twice the calories of a walk of the same length on neighborhood streets. Moderate to difficult hiking on uneven terrain is even more energy-consuming.
Walk Off the Weight
This program eases you into exercise walking, starting with just 10 minutes a day and increasing to 30 minutes. It's the right choice for someone who's just getting started exercising.
Exercise Regularly
It seems, between family, home, work, and, well, life in general, you barely have time to do the exercise. Now, here are some quick tips on how you can incorporate exercise into your everyday routine. A brisk 20-minute walk during your lunch hour is a great fitness solution. Buy a fitness video that you can use at home, whether your style is high-impact aerobics, intense yoga or Pilates. Or take 15 minutes at night to do 50 sit-ups and 50 push-ups before you go to bed each night.
Stick to Your Diet Resolution
Start a food diary and list everything you eat each day, along with the number of calories and
fat grams each food item contains.
Create an eating plan or choose a diet that fits your lifestyle and food tastes. You can start your day with a protein-packed breakfast.
Next, keep some healthy snacks and foods that you enjoy eating as supplement to your light breakfast and to stave off junk food cravings.
It is a good idea to get a low-fat or healthy eating cookbook with recipes that you'll enjoy making and eating.
At last, do not forget to celebrate the little victories. It is especially important because you need lots of encouragement as you have made a drastic change in your eating habit. Give yourself something, perhaps it is a candy bar or a ice cream cone. Dieting is about moderation, not deprivation.
So find one thing that will be your daily or weekly indulgence, and enjoy it!
(Agencies)
