Best Fitness Blog

...By Karli Ross

Through the years women have endeavored to lose weight at every age and turning point in their lives. Weight loss is almost synonymous with being a woman, and because of that, we have put together some weight loss tips specifically with women in mind.

First, understand that your body is different from your friend’s, your sister’s, your mother’s and from the images you see daily in the media. What worked for them, may not work for you. Not only is your body different, your life is different too. If you are going to engage in a weight loss nutrition program, consult a professional, your doctor or a nutritionist. What you do for work, your stress level, how much you sleep all have an effect on your diet and your weight loss goals.

Keep in mind that a diet alone will not work. You won’t be successful simply by eating less. You may lose some weight, but as soon as you stop dieting you will gain that weight back. In addition to cutting back what you are eating, think about ways to burn MORE calories, not just consume fewer calories. Pick up a hobby; walking, running, a women’s softball or basketball team. It is the sedentary lifestyle most of us slip into as we age that we need to address. When you start burning calories, you will start losing weight as well.

Did you know that stress will not only prevent you from losing weight, but can also result in weight gain?? Try to include stress fighting activities or hobbies into your weight loss routine- try a yoga class or practice mediation to unwind at the end of a crazy day. If you are more relaxed when you get home at night, you will be less likely to reach for that bag of chips before bed. A lot of late night munching can be attributed to nerves.

Some women find cooking to be relaxing. If you fit into that group, start to cook your own meals at home and get some extra stress relief while controlling the calorie that you consume for dinner each night. Meals that come from a container or are prepared at a restaurant have far more preservatives (salt) and calories than home cooked meals. They also contain far more fat. Go to the grocery store, buy fresh ingredients and prepare your meals at home.

Last, but certainly not least important, use an accurate measure of your progress. Clothes these days don’t have waist bands and they have a lot more give than clothes in years past. You may not know you are losing weight based on the clothes you are used to wearing, so find a different way to measure your size. Jeans tend to be less forgiving, so find a pair of jeans that barely fits, and try them on once a week. Whatever you do, don’t get on the scale everyday!

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Taylor

There are many steps women can take to improve their health. It is very important for women to remain physically active as they age and focus on the importance of incorporating simple preventive and positive health behaviors into everyday life.

With their numerous roles as spouse, mother, caregiver of children and often parents, women often forget to focus on themselves. Recently however, studies have proven that when women take care of themselves, the health of the entire family improves.

Essentially there are 5 measures to improving women’s health: maintaining regular health checkups, physical activity, a healthy diet, not smoking and remaining safe in the home and during everyday activities.

Regular bone density scans are very important. Having healthy bones is important at any age, but as we age our bones get thinner. However, Osteoporosis is a more of a concern for women, because women are four times more likely to develop this disease than men. Healthy eating habits, regular cardio exercise and a strength training regime are imperative to healthy bones. Women should definitely engage in weight-bearing exercises in order to limit the risks of Osteoporosis. Eating healthy also aids in bone health.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

By... Karli Taylor

In recent years, many studies have been published showing the benefits of weight training for women. Still, the number of women who take this recommendation to heart is still quite low. Most women who exercise are spending most of their gym time on cardiovascular exercise because they are afraid weight training will make the look bulky or they feel that walking on the treadmill is sufficient. Whatever your reasons for avoiding the weights, if you are a woman, here are some less obvious reasons reasons why you need to take strength training seriously.

In addition to getting stronger and leaner, adding weight training to your routine will help to decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Weight training can increase spinal bone density by up to 13 percent in just six months. This, coupled with an adequate amount of dietary calcium, can be a women's best defense against osteoporosis.

Did you know that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among women in the U.S?: Weight training can improve cardiovascular health in several ways, including lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. When cardiovascular exercise is added, these benefits are maximized, and your risk of heart disease is lowered!

If those reasons still aren’t enough to convince you to pump some iron, weight training will reduce your risk of diabetes. Weight training has been shown to improve the way the body processes sugar, which may reduce the risk of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is a growing problem for both women and men. Research indicates that weight training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23 percent in four months.

Don’t you think that the benefits are worth the work?

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.