Hey There my Flawsome Friend,
Hope you’re well and a having a good day?
Living a healthy lifestyle is not about strict diet limitations, trying to be unrealistically thin or depriving yourself of the foods you love. For me, it’s all about feeling great, having more energy, improving my outlook on life and stabilising my mood.
There is some very overwhelming and conflicting diet advice out there, don’t be discouraged, you’re not alone.
Let me help you cut thought all this confusion and learn how to create a healthier lifestyle that is good for mind and body.
Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, become fitter, feel better, feel stronger, have more energy, check out these tips to help achieve a healthier improved you.
Continuing on with mini series on Top Tips to a Healthier Lifestyle, today we are going to talk about Working Out and Mixing Up your Workouts to keep motivated and inspired, it’s a long one, sorry guys, got carried away!
Mix up your workouts-To get best results we need to mix up our workouts with a mixture of aerobic (physical exercise that requires oxygen to meet energy demands-cardio) and anaerobic exercise, which is more intense training that triggers lactate formation promoting strength and power-resistance training.
Have fun-no matter what exercise you do, you should be enjoying it and it should be fun. If it’s fun, you will continue to do it.
Build more muscle mass-over 40 we start to lose muscle mass and that leads to a slower metabolism, middle age weight gain and a decline in strength and function. You can build muscle mass by doing strength training exercises.
Also more muscle mass equals more energy burned. After burn effect-metabolism remains elevated and burns calories for longer after you have worked out.
Women don’t be afraid to strength train. It will not make you look like hulk. Complete myth! Women aren’t built the same way as men so we don’t gain muscle mass as quickly or easily. Women lack the right balance of hormones, testosterone and growth hormone, to put on muscle mass like men do.
A huge advantage of weight training is your body’s ability to burn more fat during and after exercise.
Resistance Training can cause an increase in energy expenditure hours after you train.
Lifting weights can also reduce your risk of heart disease. People who lift weights are more likely to have a smaller waist circumference, lower blood pressure and lower blood sugar glucose levels.
As you age, you are more at risk of losing both bone and muscle mass. Postmenopausal women have a higher risk of osteoporosis because their bodies’ no longer secretes oestrogen. Resistance training is an excellent way to combat loss of bone mass and therefore decreases risk of osteoporosis.
Also improves memory and cognitive function.
In addition to all this, it’s also a great way to blow off some steam!
Exercise can be done anywhere, you don’t have to go to the gym. It can be done at home, the park, the beach, hotel room, anywhere. Whatever type of exercise you choose, make sure you enjoy it and it doesn’t feel like a chore.
Time also doesn’t have to be an issue. It’s all about those small changes, anyone can fit 10 minutes in during their day somewhere. Add the exercise up by: Going for a walk in your break, get off the bus a few stops early, take the dog for a walk, etc.
When you exercise, focus, don’t just move. Focus on the muscles you are using. If you think about what you are doing and squeeze the working muscle while you do it, you recruit more muscle fibres and get a faster, more effective result.
Exercise is also a great way to manage stress. Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly exercise tend to manage stress better and experience fewer adverse reactions to stressful situations, in comparison to someone who doesn’t exercise. Our bodies can’t recover as well if we’re not strong.
So a well-balanced workout plan includes all:
- Strength
- Cardio
- Flexibility
For beginners: Introduce exercise gradually. This is the most effective way of making it a long term habit. As you become more comfortable and confident you will be able to increase your activity level.
Break up your workouts- If you dread a long workout, break it into smaller ones.
Simple Tricks to get you moving:
- Stretch for 10 mins before shower
- Take a brisk 20 min walk in your lunch break
- Lift weights while you wait for the kettle to boil
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Park the car a bit further away from shop/work
- Walk around the block after dinner-make this a regular habit.
Change your workouts- Our bodies’ react to change, so change your workouts as often as possible to get the best results.
Stretch- It makes you more flexible, relieves muscle tension and improves posture. It can also help you tune in more with your body.
Rest-If you don’t rest, you won’t get the results you desire. Have 2 rest days a week. It’s during rest that your body strengthens and grows. Over training will lead to you losing enjoyment too. Sometimes life id hectic, you won’t want to work out, ask yourself why. It’s probably your body telling you that you are over doing things. Rest!!
I’ll catch you next week for the next instalment.
I’d love to hear what you have been up to? How do you like to move?
Remember, You’re Flawsome!
Lots of love,
Jem xoxo
** DISCLAIMER **
I am not a dietician or a doctor.
The ideas suggested here, are intended to be used for educational purposes only based on my own personal experiences.
The author ‘Jemma Stevens’ ‘Flawsome Jem’, is not rendering medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe or treat, any disease, condition, injury or illness.
It is imperative before beginning any exercise or nutrition programme, that you receive full medical clearance from your GP (doctor/physician).
Flawsome Jem and Jemma Stevens, claim no responsibility for any person or entity, for any liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the materials presented here.
Please understand there are some links, that I may benefit from financially.
No part of this publication, shall be reproduced, transmitted or sold, in whole, or in part, in any for, without prior written consent from the author.
All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing, are the property of their respective owners.
Flawsome Jem (c) 2018.