Today we are going to talk about one of my favourite subjects fitness. I have had a long history with getting fit and I feel I am in a good place to help recommend and help advise you on how to improve your fitness as a woman. I use several things to help motivate and keep me on track. My story with fitness is different from most people's. I was a UK size 22/24 and I lost 7 and a half stone to become a size 8. I stayed this size for a few years and then I started fluctuating again to a size 10/12. For the last year, I have become the fittest I have ever been. I am now a size 8 and feel healthy and fit. I am also a qualified sports masseuse and have studied this subject extensively. I think this gives me a well-rounded view of health and fitness.
If you love fitness as much as I do, perhaps consider turning it into a career! Take a sports massage course yourself, or a personal training course and turn that passion for fitness into a full-time job.
1. Set realistic goals.
You need to be true to yourself you will not one day wake up fit and in your dream body after doing no effort. Losing weight is a long game, it is not something you can do as a quick fix. Why do you want to get fit and healthy? Is it for your general health? do you have a goal for a big event or holiday? It is great to set goals but these goals need to be realistic. If you want to lose five stones in two months there is no safe and healthy way to do this. Everyone is different but you need to lose weight safely. Losing weight gradually will mean you will be able to maintain your weight loss and it is better for your body. We have all read horror stories about extreme weight loss diets. Be realistic set a goal you are happy with.
2. Measure.
I have helped train a few of my friends and I hate when they tell me I have not lost any weight I am struggling to lose weight. I always ask one question why are your clothes no longer fitting you? They will always reply I need to order a size or two down. This is where I explain to them. Once we are women our weight on a scale will change depending on the time of the month. Fact. As a woman, I made a conscious decision to throw out my scales and only ever measure my body. I think scales can have a very negative impact on a woman's mental health. We obsess over the numbers on the scale but we dont think about the fact that our clothes are falling off us and need to buy two sizes smaller. Because we have been conditioned to believe the scales are the bee all and end-all. This stops today! Buy a tape measure. Note down all your measurements. I promise with the right training you will see those inches melt away no matter what the pesky scales says.
3. Smartwatch
Buy a smartwatch. This has been a gamechanger for me. I am obsessed with my smartwatch. I know the prospect of buying a smartwatch can be overwhelming and you might think they are more geared to mean well I am here to tell you there are so many sports watches for women available on the market.
Being a mountain biker I have a Garmin. No matter what your sport or fitness activity you will find a smartwatch that will change your training. I think they are worth there weight in gold. I use mine for so many things. I can track my heart rate, my sleep patterns how much water I drink and this does not even include my actual fitness training. I can record my bike rides, my yoga sessions and my HIIT workouts and so much more. You will find out your calorie burn. If you are in your optimal training zones for the activity you have chosen. My watch can even help my gold swing. If I was a golfer. With a smartwatch, you are in control of your training and you have the facts and figures at your fingertips. I need to also mention they can have inbuilt safety features too. Mine will alert my husband if I have had a crush on my mountain bike and send him the quadrants.
Smartwatches come in a huge range of types and budget there is one to suit you I promise and these will up your fitness game.
4. Activities
You need to find your love. No, I don't mean life partners. Well actually maybe I do in a sense. You need to find a fitness activity you love. There is no point slogging away at Pilates if you deep down hate it. All that will happen is you will make excuses to stop doing it and bad habits will form. There are so many ways to get fit. From walking to weight training to CrossFit to mountain biking the fitness world is your oyster. Why not try a range of things and find out what you love. I found mountain biking in my late 20s and it is safe to say I am obsessed. I love the adrenaline and the mental aspects of this type of fitness. I also love HIIT and weight training. Find your love. You may not like to sweat there are lots of low impact activities to try like yoga and hiking. Passion is the key to longevity with fitness.
5. The bloat
If you are reading this I am guessing you are a woman. Our bodies are not men's bodies we need to realise this. We are prone to the bloat as I call it. You know that time of the month where no matter how hard you train you will look a bit more rounded and bloated. This is only natural. Our body has a menstruation cycle and this is the time it is shedding its layer. TMI I know but it is true. I find this is the time most of us ladies feel rubbish about our self and will be over-analytical and critical of our bodies. This is always when you will look in the mirror and say your training is not working. It is you are going through the bloat. Give a couple of days and you will be back to seeing results and feeling better. It is ok to take time off training. If you are feeling rubbish it is ok to have the day off or why not just put on a youtube low impact work out to do and relax. It's ok to feel bad.
6. Self-doubt
I can not do this. I am not good enough. I will look silly. People will stare at me. It's too late.
Self-doubt is a horrible thing. No matter how mentally strong you are this will creep in from time to time. It is ok we have all been there and it is a natural feeling. I promise you no one is thinking, what you are thinking. You are good enough you got this. I promise you will rock whatever activity you try. You are doing it for you. If you are not comfortable to go a run why not try a treadmill at home? You will grow in confidence. We all had to start somewhere. You have made the decision to move in a positive way forward. If you are feeling negatively reach out to your loved ones and friends I know they will help you to feel better and tell you how fantastic you are for making this new commitment to your health.
7. Stretching
The most underestimated of all the fitness activities. I am putting my sports masseuse hat on here. The best thing you can do for your body is to regularly stretch your muscles. Whether you are hitting the gym or not. You are using your muscule every minute of the day and you are not doing anything to keep them going. For a second think about this. Even if you are not training or doing any fitness you are using your muscles. To read this you are using muscules. Would you be able to drive your car without any fuel? It wouldnt get far, would it? But we expect our bodies to keep going no matter what right? If you take anything from this whole post please stretch more. There are hundreds of stretching youtube videos out there if you are unsure how to do it yourself. Here is my stretching playlist. This is all my favourite YouTubers that I follow. Let's help our body and stretch more.
8. Water
This one for my longtime reader will be familiar. I always say in my fitness posts you need to rehydrate. Rehydration is the key to better training. Your body can not and will not function properly without hydration. You are recommended to drink eight glasses of water a day. This is minium. If you are working out you will need a lot more. If you do not like the water you can add diluting juice or try rehydration tablets. I add these to my water bottles on my mountain bike. Hydration is key so get drinking and you will train harder and recover better.
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