Women’s Health and Fitness Tips

We all know that the best way to stay fit and healthy is to eat a healthy balanced diet and enjoy regular exercise. But, cutting back on the sweet treats and finding the time to hit the gym isn’t always as easy as it sounds. With that in mind, here are some health and fitness tips perfect for busy women who want to make small changes that will make a big impact on their overall well-being:

Join the Gym

When you join a gym (find one near you here) and pay your monthly membership fee, you’re much more likely to make the time to hit the gym at least once a week. Having a gym membership that you don’t use will leave you feeling guilty about the money you’re wasting: that membership card acts as a constant reminder of the fitness goals you want to achieve. This is literally the definition of putting your money where your mouth is: the more you spend, the more you will feel you should be achieving!

Don’t Skip Meals

Eating less calories is the key to weight loss, but that doesn’t mean that you should skip meals to cut your calorie intake. Skipping meals will leave you feeling hungry, and when you’re hungry you’re much more likely to make bad food choices. Hunger leaves us craving high-fat foods, so if you don’t want to reach for those crisps and candy bars then eat three balanced meals that are high in tunny filling fibre and protein.

Weight Loss is Not a Race

We’ve all read those fad diet plans that promise to help you lose 10 pounds in ten days, but goals like these simply aren’t realistic. When you start a new diet and fitness plan it’s important to remember that slow and steady wins the race! Aim to lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week, if you want to achieve sustainable weight loss and actually keep the weight off.

Find the Time

We all lead busy lives and often struggle to find the time to exercise. But the good news is that you don’t need to run for miles or spend an hour in an exercise class to make the most of the benefits of regular exercise.

Research has found that a short burst of exercise (between 10 and 30 minutes) each day is better for you than a longer but least frequent exercise routine. Even taking the stairs or walking to work every day will make a big difference to your fitness and energy levels, helping you to become healthier than ever.

Eat Breakfast

It’s a fact, rather than a cliché, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A healthy and well-rounded breakfast will leave you feeling full and ready to face the day. This is why people who eat breakfast tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day than those who skip it.

Ensure that your breakfast includes plenty of protein, as protein is digested at a slower rate than simple carbs, helping you to stay fuller for longer. Eggs are a great source of breakfast protein, as are baked beans and avocados. Avoid higher fat proteins (such as breakfast meats) if your goal is long-term weight loss.

Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that you’re much more likely to give in to your cravings for high fat foods when you’re tired? Good sleepers tend to eat fewer calories because getting enough sleep will help you make positive food choices, and it will also leave you more likely to have the energy you need to exercise regularly.

Ironically, regular exercise releases endorphins that will help you to sleep better at night, and good sleep maximizes athletic performance. The two things are inextricably linked: the better you sleep the better you will be at exercising, and the more you exercise the better you will sleep.

Keep Eating!

Finally, food is not the enemy! Whilst we wouldn’t recommend that you tuck into plates full of cake and chocolate whilst you’re on a diet, eating too little can actually be bad for your health and lead you to gain weight. This is because eating less than 1,200 calories a day will slow down your metabolism, causing your weight loss to slow despite the fact that you are exercising more and eating a healthier diet.