Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Benefiting From Fitness Programs For Women Only

It is obvious that women have very different fitness needs than men.  We tend to put on fat very easily and  need to work extra hard to lose excessive weight.  As such, special fitness programs for women only are always a good choice to many of us.


That being said, even women have widely different physical conditions from each other, and therefore there is no universal exercise regimen that works for everyone.  To find a woman's fitness program that best suits you, you need to have a really good understanding of yourself first.  To get professional advice, you can always consult a doctor or a dietitian.  However, if you do not have any special health condition, you can just purchase a quality fitness guide and practice by your own.  In fact, if you choose carefully, you can get hold of one which offers excellent customer support.  If you are lucky, the professional support you get from a fitness expert will far exceed the price you have paid for the product.

Aside from their different physiques, women may also have varied purposes for undertaking a fitness program.  Now, let us look into what programs are available for women with different fitness goals.

1. For Weight Loss

To effectively lose your extra body fat (many particularly want to lose belly fat), you will need to do both cardio and strength training.  Cardio exercise along is not sufficient to help you continue to burn fat after the training is over.  Likewise, if you only do strength training, you are likely to gain muscle without losing fat, and you will only look more bulky that way.  If you want to get rid of extra weight the quickest way possible, you should also increase the intensity of your exercises at a moderate pace and add interval training into your routine.  Obviously, cutting down your calorie intake in the mean time will get you faster results.

2. For Body Toning

Experts advise that women should gain some muscle to stay fit.   In general, we differ from men not only in our level of fat storage, but also in the speed of muscle loss when we get aged.  Less muscle, in turn, will lead to lower metabolism and difficulty to lose weight.  What you can do to overcome this situation is to incorporate strength training into your fitness routine.  You can do things like weight lifting, lunges, crunches and push-ups.  This way, you will get toned up and feel more energized, younger, healthier and happier!

3. For Weight Maintenance

Many women have the experience of regaining the weight they managed to lose once they stop their fitness programs.  In order to maintain your fitness level, you should continue to exercise yourself for at least 40 to 60 minutes a day, and experts suggest moderate to intense level of activities like gardening, cycling, running and jogging - choose some that fit your interest.   If you can keep working your body like this, you are unlikely to regain the weight even in the long run.

Now, there are far too many fitness programs for women, and choosing a best one is not always easy. But, you have many sources to turn to for opinions - online networks, customer reviews and complaints, and even your girl friends can generate lots of ideas for you!  Just keep in mind that a good program is one that will work on you and that you can stick with for a long time.

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