Fitness
programs for women are often wrought with bad advice and pseudoscience.
It's no wonder that so many fitness programs for women utterly fail!
There's plenty of great information out there, but it can be impossible
to find amidst the gimmicks, fad diets, and ineffective workout
routines. If you're looking for fitness programs for women that really
work, try using the four following tips.
1. Lift Heavy Weights
Plenty
of women make their way into the weight room now and again, but most
are afraid that they'll get "bulky" if they lift too heavy. That's
nonsense! It takes male bodybuilders years of dedicated effort to pack
on muscle mass, and they've got testosterone and tons of food on their
side. Not only will you not get "too big" by lifting challenging weights
- you'll actually look better.
Lifts
like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and other heavy movements are
great for stimulating your metabolism and packing on a little bit of
lean mass. Whether or not you realize it, that's really what you want!
The right amount of muscle gives you a lean, fit look that you simply
can't achieve with cardio alone. Challenging yourself in the gym will
also cause you to burn more calories, which means you get to eat more
and still lose weight.
2. Low Fat is NOT Healthy!
Some
nutritionists are still stuck in the 1980s' low-fat craze, but avoiding
dietary fat is NOT going to get you the results you want. In fact, most
"low-fat" products like crackers, pretzels, and other grain-based
products will make it nearly impossible to get lean! They make your
blood sugar levels skyrocket, which in turn causes your body to secrete
tons of insulin - a hormone which actually makes your body store even
more fat. If you're trying to get lean, ditch most of your carbs and eat
plenty of olive oil, avocados, nuts, and even some red meat.
3. Ease Up on the Cardio
If
you're going to start lifting heavy weights (which you should!), then
you're also going to need to ease up on all of that cardio you're
probably doing. Slaving away on a treadmill or elliptical is simply not
necessary, and it eats up way too much of your time. It's great to do a
few short sessions per week for your cardiovascular health, but hours
upon hours of monotonous movement aren't going to help you lose fat.
However,
there is a much better type of cardio for optimal fat loss: interval
training! On a track, treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike, simply
alternate short bursts of all-out sprinting with longer bouts of active
rest. For example, you might do eight rounds of fifteen-second sprints
and forty-five second "jogs" on an elliptical machine. The whole thing
will be over in under ten minutes, but the intensity of the workout will
cause your body to burn more fat all day long.
4. Don't Under-eat
One
of the worst things you can do in fitness programs for women is to eat
too little. Your body is an adaptive machine, and it will respond to
severe calorie restriction by slowing its metabolism way down. Have you
ever noticed how lethargic, tired, and cold you get when you don't eat
enough? Those are sure signs that your body is burning less fuel!
That's
not to say that you shouldn't cut calories at all - your body does need
a reason to use its fat stores for energy instead of your food. The key
is to eat just little enough that you can burn fat while avoiding
hunger. Focus first on the right food choices, and then start counting
calories if you truly need to. Overall, it's best to take it slow and
steady with your fitness programs for women and focus on losing no more
than a pound per week.
