4 Exercise Tips for Women
4 Exercise Tips for Women
It’s almost Mother’s Day which has us thinking of all the important women in our lives. Next week also begins National Women’s Health Week. The goal of this week is to educate women on how they can improve their health at every age. You are never too young or too old to take steps today to improve your health. Simple steps to take at any age include:
• Getting regular check-ups and preventative screenings
• Eating healthy
• Improving your mental health by decreasing stress and improving sleep
• Get Active and Stay Active
Here at AIM Human Performance, our expertise is exercise; specifically getting you active and keeping you active so you can reap the tremendous health benefits of exercise. Exercise has been proven time and again to improve both the quality of your life and your longevity. So today, we’re sharing with you 4 tips, just for women, to help you improve your health through exercise.
Tip #1: Schedule Time for Exercise
Women have a tendency to place the needs of others before their own. While this is an admirable quality, women who do this may put their own health at risk, especially if they neglect getting regular exercise. It’s important to prioritize your exercise and the easiest way to do this is by putting it on your schedule. Understand that your exercise time is non-negotiable, like a meeting with the boss, and stick to it. Plan your workout sessions each week ahead of time and let others know how important this time is to you. Don’t cancel on yourself and your health!
In addition, research has shown that when women take care of their own health, the health of their families improves as well. The better you take care of yourself, the more you’ll be able to be there for those other important people in your life. Plus, by demonstrating the positive habit of exercise, you’ll be teaching your kids, your spouse, and others the benefit of a healthy lifestyle and hopefully they’ll join you in exercising together!
Tip #2: Prioritize Strength Training
As each decade passes, women begin to lose both muscle mass and bone density. Strength training has been shown to help you both increase and maintain muscle mass. The stronger your muscles are functioning, the easier it will be for you to participate in daily activities and continue to exercise. Strength training can also slow the loss of bone density and the onset of osteoporosis. Did you know that more women fall then men? Three-quarters of all hip fractures occur to women (CDC). Hitting the gym and improving your balance can prevent falls and help ease the symptoms of arthritis.
Not sure how to lift weights safely? Seek out a professional personal trainer who can guide you to adding strength training to your weekly exercise regimen.
Tip #3: Move More
One of the easiest ways to start improving your health right now is to start moving more. Park in the furthest spot from the store, take the stairs, and get up out of that chair. We recommend here at AIM that our clients get up and move for 5-10 minutes of every hour. Set a timer and when it goes off, take 5 to walk to the bathroom, get a glass of water, or just stretch and move your body. Check out this list of just some of the incredible benefits of moving more:
• Helps control weight gain
• Decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease including strokes and heart attacks
• Decreases the likelihood of developing some cancers
• Decrease the onset of type 2 diabetes and can help reduce symptoms in those already diagnosed
• Improves mental health by decreasing depression
• Improves your quality of sleep
Grab your kids, your spouse, a neighbor, or a friend and go for a walk. Start reaping the benefits of moving more today!
Tip #4: Don’t forget to recover
As we said earlier, women are wonderful at taking care of others, but often at the expense of themselves. Be sure to schedule time to rest and recover, just like you schedule time for exercise. This is just as important! Participate in stress reducing activities like meditation to help you decrease mental stress and anxiety. Set aside 7-8 hours a night for sleep and choose healthy foods to fuel your body. Without these recovery tools, your exercise will suffer, so will your health.
Likewise, be sure to help your muscular system recover. If you are noticing aches and pains, tightness, and working out is becoming difficult, be sure to seek out a Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist to help you fine tune your muscles. An MAT practitioner will be able to help you identify poor performing muscles that may be contributing to compensations. With their help, you’ll be able to stick to your exercise schedule, maximize your time in the gym, continue to move more without pain, and recover faster. MAT can be the key to good health and helping you stick to all 4 of our tips!
If you have any questions on these tips or need help starting an exercise program, contact us today. We’re ready to help all women gain and maintain their health at every age!