Weight Loss Exercises for Women

Weight loss is a simple combination of healthy eating and regular exercising. Most women find it easier to diet than exercise simply because controlling what you eat is more convenient than actually taking time out to exercise. Some people see results easily with watching what you eat but most have to start exercising to lose weight or have been strictly recommended by the doctor for better health.

Before we talk about which are the best weight loss exercises for women let us highlight two important benefits of exercising. Working out at least 20 minutes a day helps the body absorb the food better resulting in better regulation of your metabolism. Besides what most of us dont know about exercising is that it helps release “happy hormones” in the body that helps naturally stimulate your mood helping you destress, reduce anxiety and in general feel good about your self. If you dont like exercising alone you can get your friends together to help you get started on a routine. You can even mail us at fitness@fitho.in to find a fitness buddy to help you get motivated.

Here are a few exercise techniques that you help you get started immediately.

CardioTraining: By far the best exercise for women to lose weight.  Cardio is an aerobic form of exercise that involves your heart working more to pump blood which therefore will burn more calories besides keeping your heart strong.

Equipment free cardio exercises for women:

- Running: Running is an excellent cardio exercises. Running with proper hydration can help you shed that extra weight by burning serious calories. A 60 kg person can easily burn 300 calories in 30 minutes. Running tips can help you not only burn effective calories but also to prevent injury while running.

- Ghost/Invisible Skipping: Simplest, yet most effective exercises you can do to burn calories and to increase cardiovascular endurance. Jumping rope can match a total body workout in just 15 to 20 minutes. Read more

Free 7 day Weight Loss Plan

Losing weight is easier done than said with Fitho’s weight loss programs that are a combination of diet and exercise. To understand the program better Fitho launches a 7 day free trial program to show how you can lose weight successfully without having to travel anywhere. All you have to do is visit www.Fitho.in register and get started absolutely free of cost.

Fitho’s weight loss programs are based on yogic philosophy of three well- balanced, nutritional meals a day.  Each program is customized to your food habits, medical condition and fitness levels making it easier for you to follow and see results. Unlike other diet programs Fitho’s diet is based on recommended daily dietary intake that stabilises the nutrition intake and exercise which helps burn the excess calories in the system. You get assured weight loss of 4 kg a month without starving yourself. That’s why 97% of our clients manage to keep the weight off for more than over a year.

The unique part of this program is that even the exercise routine that is customized to your fitness levels and workout routine preference for eg whether you wish to workout at gym, outdoor or home. Exercise routine is a combination of different exercise techniques for example: plyometrics, strength training, cardio, endurance training, interval training, isometrics etc. Read more

Body Toning Success Story:Priya Gupta

I am 34 years old and a  mother of two young daughters. All my life I have been thin. Even pregnancy didn’t add too many inches or kg to my body . But with age, average eating habits and an almost sedentary lifestyle I started putting on bad looking flab on my body. There was a paunch that hung over my jeans. I developed a double chin that made me look terrible in my pictures. Plus there was this perpetual lethargy that hung on me all the time. I knew I wasnt overweight but I didn’t feel like myself.

Gradually I started reading about diet, health, nutrition, exercise online. I came across www.fitho.in and subscribed to it. Over a period of time it became my source of information on health and fitness. With all the information on health I was definitely getting more aware about my lifestyle. But I still needed someone to help me put it in practice. I didn’t need a heavy duty diet but I did need professional guidance to get me on track, especially since I had my basic knowledge on health and nutrition in place.  After deliberating for sometime I decided to finally write to Fitho about their body toning program. Instantly I got a reply from their side and they got me started on the program. The best part of this was that I didnt have to go anywhere and everything was given to my right in the comfort of my house.

The first step was filling an exhaustive questionnaire  about  my lifestyle, food habits, food preferences, fitness levels etc. Based on the information given by me I was delivered my diet chart and exercise chart within one working day, along with a personal health care manager (something similar to a personal relationship manager). My health manger was my mentor and my assistant who was  available for me round the clock, checking on me, monitoring my progress, giving me healthy recipes and just ensuring if I am comfortable with everything. Read more

Best Post Workout Food Options

People often give importance to pre-workout meals to support the muscle growth and promote weight loss. But latest studies are giving more weightage to post work out diet as being the most important meal that can make or break your fitness.

Your body absorbs the maximum amount of food right after the workout. Your muscles absorb the food quickly in order to replenish the energy burnt and to repair the muscles tissues. Three most essential requirements of the body especially post the workout are protein for muscle repair and simple carbohydrates to replenish the glucose levels.  The carbohydrates eaten post workout will not be stored as body fat but infact will be instantly consumed by the body. Simple carbohydrates help spike the insulin levels that help the cells absorb the nutrient instantly.

An average person looking for general weight loss and fitness only requires 8-10 grams of protein post the workout. For serious muscle building an average person requires 20-22 grams. The actual percentage of protein is directly proportional to your weight. Please consult a professional dietician to get recommended protein for your body weight.

Non –Veg

Chicken Breasts: This body part of the chicken is the leanest (minimal fat content) and contains highest source of protein.  For every 100 grams of chicken breast you get 30 grams of protein. Best way to eat is grilling it with some fresh seasonal green vegetables. This will also comprise of a complete balanced meal and will contain essential vitamins & minerals.

Tuna: Every 100 grams of tuna tuna canned in water and drained provides an astonishing. 29.13 grams of high-quality protein. It can be best eaten as salad or with rice. It also contains essential minerals and vitamins that help boost the metabolism.

Salmon: It is high in protein, Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids that support muscle formation and promote weight loss. Salmon also contains minerals such as iron, phosphorus, vitamins A and B, calcium and selenium. Eating salmon is very good for the heart as it lowers cholesterol, prevent the hardening of the arteries and make the arteries flexible.

Eggs: Whole eggs provide great protein content at 6 to 8 grams per egg, and are also rich in vitamins, zinc, iron and calcium making them one of the most complete muscle building foods out there. Eggs provide maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories.

Vegetarian

Cottage cheese/Paneer: Is one of the best muscle-building foods you’ll find. Just one cup of cottage cheese can pack 28 grams of protein. The main health benefit is that cottage cheese is low in fat and carbs and very high in protein.

Broccoli: One cup of chopped and cooked broccoli (146 g) provides 46 calories, 4.6 g  of protein,. Broccoli is rich in cholesterol-reducing fiber , is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and bloodsugar . It also has detox and antioxidant properties that help keep off infection and build immunity.

Pulses:30 gms of pulse or 1 cup of pulse contains 7 gms of protein in it. This almost meets the daily meal requirement of an average person looking for weight loss or general fitness. You can fresh sautéed vegetables and a chapatti to complete the vitamin, carbohydrate mineral and fibre dietary requirements to boost the metabolism.

Almonds: Almonds provide a good source of protein and fat, but it’s their vitamin E that is most beneficial to your muscles. The powerful antioxidant fights free radicals and helps you recover quicker from your workouts.

Water:Your body is 70 percent water and your muscle tissue is around 75 percent water. Keeping your muscles hydrated will help increase strength, increase energy levels and aid in proper digestion. A minimum of 7-9  glasses are recommended for best results.

 

Cross Training for Weight Loss

Cross training is one of the most popular fitness trends world-over. What is cross training and what makes it so popular? To put is simply cross training is a creative way to make your workout more beneficial and enjoyable by combining different forms of exercises. Your body has a tendency to get use to the same physical activity done over a period of time. This is phenomenon is also commonly referred to as hitting the “plateau”.

Cross Training beautifully cuts this plateau out of the way by working out different muscles of the body  at the same time adding variety, challenge, excitement to a workout routine resulting in more effective weight loss, better toned muscles and uniform development of the body.

Let us explain the benefits further. Doing same exercise repetitively can cause wear and tear of joints and leave other muscles without  any exercise causing unbalance in workouts and disproportionate muscle growth. We require full body workout to keep our muscles conditioned and reduce injury as well. Cross training benefits the body in improving flexibility and increasing general fitness levels.

What combination would you call a good cross training routine. Essentially six different types of exercise techniques like reistance training to, plyometric, strength training, interval training, resistance training, isometric are included in a  good cross training routine. Each of these forms of exercise have unique benefits and when combined can deliver some measurable results. Here is how each of these techniques work, what part of the body they work out and what are the main benefits of adding them to your exercise routine. Read more

Calorie Count for Weight Loss

Do you wish that you could get the mind behind weight loss and lose weight fast? The good news is that you could really get the right approach behind weight loss by managing your calories through diet and exercise. This logic also helps you understand that how foods add on weight and the simple method for weight loss.

Some people doubt the method of calorie count for weight loss because they say how can someone precisely count the calorie intake and how long can we keep counting calories in order to lose weight. Yes counting calories can be a difficult and monotonous task but it actually works or you could make it work for you.

Every food that we eat from potatoes to meats and dairy all food provide calories to the diet. So whatever you are eating you is adding some calories to your diet. Our bodies require only a certain number of calories in a day and for weight loss one has to eat within the daily caloric requirement to lose weight. Also exercising will help you burn the already exiting accumulated calories that have turned into fat in the body. So with a combination of diet and exercise you can effectively manage your calories and lose weight.

Below are different methods to help you count your calories in your diet and help you lose weight.

Cereals: serving size 1 chapatti(bread) or 1/2 cup rice Calories: 70-120 kcal

Vegetables: 80-100g Calories: 70-100 Kcal

Starchy vegetables: medium sized approx 75 g Calories: 70- 120 Kcal

Fruits: 80-100g Calories: 70-100Kcal

Milk: 1 glass approx 250 ml or 50 g paneer(Cottage Cheese) Calories: 150-200 Kcal

Meat: 55 gm or 1 medium egg  Calories: 65-100 g

Sugars: 5 g (1 teaspoon) Calories: 20 kcal

Fats: 5 g Calories: 45

Learning Food Calories: This is difficult in the beginning but you could still manage. Know how many calories are there in a single medium potatoes (70 calories) and same for other food sources, a slice of bread, cheese, glass of milk etc. So this way its easy to know how much calories you are intaking and whats your requirement for the meal. You will get the calorie info across the internet. Also learn how many calories can you burn in a 20 minute session of running, exercise, swimming, walking or any form of physical activity. This will make you understand how much do you need to exercise in order to burn the stored fat in the body. Read more

Best Exercises for Abdominal Fat or Love Handles

After belly, thighs and arms and butt the other common weight gain area is your waist. Over a period of time weight starts to collect on the side of your stomach which is also known as “love handles” or “tyres”. All these terms are nothing but common slang for abdominal obesity.

Eating unhealthy food and no exercise is the most common cause of love handles. These tyres were mostly seen on women in the past but now more and more men seem to develop it in their late twenties & early thirties. Indians are genetically inclined to accumulate fat around their waist which is also linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart health.

The simplest way to check for abdominal fat is to measure your waist. Run a tape measure around your waist at about the level of your navel. Breathe minimally, and make sure not to pull the tape measure so tight that it depresses the skin. The average BMI  (Body mass Index) of an Indian woman ranges from 18-24.9 , a waist circumference greater than 34-35 inches is considered high risk to lifestyle diseases.

Another way to measure abdominal fat is by calculating the waist to hip ratio. This is done through simple calculation of taking the ratio of the waist and hip. The healthy range in women is less than .7 and men is less than 1.

The best way to lose weight is to exercise and watch what you eat. Ensure that your body is getting adqeuate nutrition to improve the metabolism. Do not resort to fad diets as they might show you weight loss in the short term but in the long term you put the weight back on besides depriving your body of important nutrition resulting in multiple deficiencies in future. For healthy weight loss consult a good professional weight loss expert to help you lose weight and get fit. Read more

Does Sweating Result in Weight Loss

One of the most common myths in fitness is that sweating helps you lose weight and burn more fat. There are lot of weight loss companies that use the technology of steam/sauna baths to make you sweat for weight loss. In reality the weight loss experienced with high temperature is water weight lost through sweating.  Sweating is our body’s natural way of cooling the system. Whenever there is rise in temperature which could be due to physical activity or general increase in temperature we break  in to sweat.

Let us give you an example of what we mean by losing water weight. Start with weighing yourself. Then sit in a room, in the middle of summer, without a fan and ac. You will sweat a lot due to the heat. After one hour you go and weight yourself. You will see you have lost a few grams on the weighing scale. Now go and drink a litre of water and then weigh your self. You will see that the weighing scale is back to your original weight. A note that it is impossible to put on weight with drinking water as it has zero calories. So now you might be more wise before you sign for a spa weight loss program.

There are genetic and fitness reasons why some people sweat more than the others. For-eg men sweat more than women because women sweat at higher temperatures than men. Then fitter people tend to sweat lesser than non-fit people doing the same physical activity  and lastly overweight people tend to sweat the most is because fat acts like an insulator under the skin that raises the body temperature a lot faster. Read more

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