Health & Fitness Rejuvenation Ideas for Women

By Rae Saeed, Staff Writer

Speaking from experience, it’s quite a struggle staying healthy. Think about people who want to become fairly fit and maintain a proper diet. Now think about the fact that these people hate diet and exercise and simply want the easy way out. Though it may not be as easy as taking weight loss pills, there are fairly quick and healthy ways to get the body you want.

There are a lot of diets and fitness regiments women try all the time that should actually be avoided at all costs.

According to four time world champion boxer, personal trainer and yoga instructor, Sumya Anani, that is too true. She’s noticed that some women went into boxing to lose weight. Anani insists that a lot of these ladies should start out with boxing before getting into kickboxing.

“If ladies want to lose weight, do not jump into kickboxing classes, start with boxing. Too many women that need to lose weight have injured their knees and lower backs kicking bags. Develop a foundation with boxing first, and believe me, that will get the weight off,” said Anani.

Anani’s home fitness regiments include:

• Get several pairs of dumbbells ( five lbs, eight lbs and 10 lbs) for starters
• Do four sets for every body part
• Mix it up ( do lunges one day and squats the next day)
• Grab yoga dvd’s from the library to alternate on those other days

Another ‘what-not-to-do’ tip defies the ‘no-pain-no-gain’ philosophy.

Registered fitness supervisor and Iron Mountain Movement founder, Keri Cawthorn gives her insight on the matter.
“What I tend to see is too much too soon, and exercising through pain. Two of my many mottos, are ‘everything in moderation’ and ‘pain is a warning sign from the body that shouldn’t be ignored’. Both of these tendencies are a recipe for fitness disaster, not to mention injury. Fitness should be safe,” said Cawthorn.

For those who barely work out, it is important to take it easy. Speaking from experience working out intensely one night will result in a certain amount of soreness in the next few days and that’s normal. However exercising should not send anyone to the emergency room either.

According to most trainers, it’s best to get out of the house for a good workout.

For first timers, Cawthorn suggests that new clients try something they enjoy to help them lose weight.

“I am an advocate for exercising in the outdoors.” She said, outdoor activities can include walking, running, cycling, inline skating, hiking etc.

“If for whatever reason the outdoors is not an ideal setting to exercise in, then take it indoors: treadmill, elliptical, indoor cycling, swimming pool,” Cawthorn adds.

Effective workouts could be done at home as well. Personal trainer and president of Reality Fitness Nicki Anderson suggests that burning calories can be as simple as walking up and down the stairs.

According to Anderson, certain exercises can include actions around the house.

Good at-home cardio work includes:

• Going up and down stairs
• To make it a little more challenging, hold some eight pound weights and slowly go up and down stairs for 60 seconds
• Lunges can also be done while brushing your teeth at night
• Doing tricep dips on a kitchen chair

She insists that people can even do triceps dips on a kitchen chair. Anderson also agrees that sit ups can be done anywhere and urges people to keep in mind that cleaning around the house burns anywhere from 400-800 calories. “Maybe you should think twice about keeping that cleaning lady? That’s a cheap, productive workout.”

Most physical fitness experts agree that cardio is the best form of weight loss.

Personal trainer and group fitness instructor, Becky Wenner has clients follow her system of incorporating full body strength and cardio vascular training.

Wenner’s form of training includes both steady state and High Intensity Interval training. According to Wenner, such workouts actually have the best weight loss results. They also prevent mental boredum and ultimately failure on a fitness program.

The type of fitness regiment depends on a woman’s age and weight.

“The number of times a woman should workout and the intensity absolutely depends on her age, weight and physical state of being. A woman who is fit in the mid 20’s will not be on the same program as an unfit woman ages 55 and over. The type of exercises will typically be similar, but the execution, repetitions, weight and frequency of workouts will be different,” said Wenner.

In order to maintain a fairly well rounded physique, a healthy diet is just as important.

Most dietitians/nutritionists agree that anything green should go into one’s body. “Women need folate and other colored foods that contain anti-oxidants. Always add steamed vegetables to any meal, especially plain pasta or rice dishes,” said dietitian Shar Portnoy.

According to holistic nutrionist and co-founder of the health conscious company Crave, Kendra Strasburg, greens bring so many vitamins and minerals. They also incorporate oxygen, to women’s bodies that are needed to maintain a healthy immune system. Also, dark leafy greens are full of vitamin C, folic acid, and iron that support the female cycle.

When purchasing products with ‘low fat’ on the label, proceed with caution.
In one opinion, preservatives could mean mixing in unhealthy additives to convert the product into low fat, right? Wrong. “Preservatives have nothing to do with fat. Low-fat means the product has 3 grams or less of fat per serving. Preservatives are often necessary and don’t have calories. Obesity is the major cause of the leading causes of death in the U.S, not pesticides. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) sets the level so high that we don’t need to worry about pesticides; we need to worry about fat because there are no limits on it. Pesticides don’t make food unhealthy, they give it the ability to be shipped to countries that need food and decrease the presence of bugs,” said Portnoy.

Registered dietitian Brenda J. Ponichtera also feels that way. Ponichtera insists that fat can be removed/ lowered without adding a considerable amount of preservatives. Low fat is actually good and helps with weight loss or weight control.

Recipe Make-over Tips:

Shar Portnoy:
• For baked goods like muffins, use unsweetened applesauce for oil.
• In dark cakes, make prune puree (just blend prunes and a bit of water or buy baby food prunes) your oil and butter subsitute in chocolate cakes.
• Use Equal Spoonful (Equal in bulk) for half the sugar in any cake.

Brenda J. Ponichtera:
• Find recipes with only 3 ounces of cooked meat per serving.
• Use recipes with more vegetables and /or fruits. Or just add as a side dish. They provide valuable nutrients and lots of fiber.
• For more recipes and tips and to sign up for her free monthly recipe newsletter go to www.QuickandHealthy.net

Kendra Strasburg:
“Dairy is difficult for most people to digest, even though they may not know it.”
• In most recipes, it’s best to substitute coconut milk for regular milk, as it adds a wonderful flavor and gives the body the saturated fat that it needs for physiological and hormonal balance.
• Stay away from sugar as often as possible as it is addictive and sends her on a roller coaster of unhealthy cravings.
• For women with the same problems, take note. This also depletes your body of important vitamins and minerals!
• Instead, substitute honey, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup for sugar in recipes. These are all in liquid form, so it’s important to read the containers for sugar substituting ratios and instructions.

Clinical Nutritionist Tara Coleman:
• Try substituting rice or cous cous with quinoa a few nights a week. Quinoa is a grain that is high in fiber and protein so it will not spike your blood sugar and keep your full longer. Be careful, it is also a little higher in calories but well worth it!

For more tips on a happier, healthier body, go ahead and visit the websites listed throughout this article.

Additional links to the sources are in the below;
Sumya Anani (http://www.sumya.com/pt.htm)
Keri Cawthorn (http://ironmountainmovement.com/about)
Nicki Anderson (http://www.realityfitness.com/)
Shar Portnoy (http://www.FoodLabelNutrition.com)
Brenda J. Ponichtera (http://www.QuickandHealthy.net)
Kendra Strasburg (http://www.cravehealth.com)

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