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Are we ever comfortable in our own skin? We are constantly reminded that thin is better, that thin is more appealing and attractive, that thin can be dressed in every type of outfit and fashion, which only the average female dreams of looking good in. There are so many factors that can build a woman's frustration and diminish their drive to pursue healthy living. And, here in lies the problem, you do not need to be model-anorexic thin to get your body feeling healthy and fit.
Girls, we have to stop being our own worst enemies. We look in the mirror, scrutinize our body images, our flaws, and ride hurt on ourselves to the point we either become obsessive with fitness, or put off by the knowledge that we will never quite reach that perfect body image we all secretly seek. Stop criticizing yourself; stop trying fast and quick fitness fads that only have you spending money and winding up with little results. Lazy is a state of mind, and it is something you can grab hold of and change without spending lots, or becoming overly obsessive with your journey to look and feel fit.
The idea is you want to be able to look and feel good for you-not for anyone else. If you are trying to get fit for someone other than yourself, you may just fall prey to the numerous pitfalls and sabotages that can hinder you from getting fit. So, the first hurdle to overcome for anyone trying to get fit is to do it because you want to. This will help you commit and discipline yourself to the best of your own abilities, which may help you succeed in your efforts.
Women, who are trying to get fit, need to understand that it is not just about incorporating a bit of physical activity and exercise into your lifestyle. You have to also learn to eat right and eat well. It seems like a lot of hard work, and because we tend to approach it with that type of attitude, we also tend to procrastinate and put it off as long as we can. Unfortunately, once lazy moves into our frame of mind, lazy is often hard to evict. Lazy is like that nuisance neighbor that always finds a way to rain on your parade. How many times have you gotten up that will power to the point where you are determined to start exercising? You chose the day; you picked out a complimenting work-out video, and even bought some new work out gear and equipment to assist you. But when the day arrives for you to start your fitness journey, you find every reason in the book to put it off for another day. Well, that nasty neighbor "Lazy" has moved in with a one track mind, which is to help you put off your fitness quest.
If you want to be successful and truly find a path to fitness, then you have to change your thought and approach toward fitness, and definitely hand "Lazy" the eviction papers. Getting fit does not have to be such hard and painstaking work. As mentioned above, getting fit requires a balance between eating right and sensibly, and adding some physical movement and activity to your daily routine. It does not mean you have to jump on the dieting bandwagon, or join some expensive overpriced gym where everyone there already looks fit and trim, which will definitely not give you the desire to commit to getting fit. Again, take the sensible approach to getting fit, especially when you have had "Lazy" living with you, because "Lazy" is often a difficult tenant to permanently rid.
Let's start with simplistic ways in which you, the "Lazy" girl, can begin to get fit, and let's begin with easy dietary changes that can be made:
The first suggestion in this guide to removing "Lazy" from your life, and from your vocabulary is to take that sarcastic buddy, the scale, which has probably set you up for fitness failure in the past, and hide it or throw it out. We females can become extremely fixated on the numbers a scale will offer us, and less fixated on how we actually feel when we do implement a fitness program. Looking at those numbers as if they are our approval ratings in some competition, it will only bring you down if the numbers are not what you wish to see. This may even give you cause to throw in the towel on fitness, giving you all the excuse you need to not stick with it. So Lazy Girl, do not give yourself an easy reason to give up before you have even started. Seeing the results of fitness may take time, but the results you will see will come in the form of how your clothes begin to feel on your body, and the energy you will begin to have, which put together can go a long way to promoting a new and positive outlook on life.
Soda, pop, cola, soft-drink, and else whatever else you care to call it, put it down, and then throw it away. So what, it says "Diet or Low-Cal", it is still carbonated. Many women do not realize that carbonated beverages only help us retain weight, and cause bloating. Do we really need any outside influences with bloating? Our bodies naturally menace us in that department, why do we want to help it along? So, put down the carbonated beverages, and add more water, and fruit juices to your diet.
Okay, so you have an addiction to that early morning cappuccino of other franchised coffee beverage. Order decaf, eliminate the whip cream and or frothy top, and maybe choose the low-cal version that many coffee houses have added to their menu. If you must cater to your coffee addiction, do it sensibly and do not over indulge.
For the working woman or woman on the go, bring your lunch from home. It is proven that we will eat right and healthy if we actually take the time to make it and pack it for ourselves. Going out to eat for lunch is not only an added expense, but it is an environment that begs for us not to eat smart and healthy. Unless you can build your will-power to the point where you can choose healthy menu choices, it might be better for you to forego lunchtime restaurant dinning and replace it with your homemade specialties.
Learn to portion properly. We tend to think that if it is on our plates we have to eat it. I think this stems back to our childhood when Grandma use to pile our plates high with the scrumptious meals she would prepare. She would guilt us into eating every tasty morsel, while conditioning our future eating habits. Now, we do not want to betray Grandma's theory of eating, but we can fool Grandma's principle. Trade in your large plates for smaller versions. This will allow you to put smaller portions on your plate, and recondition your stomach to eat properly. More is not always better for us.
"Lazy" likes to snack-a lot. However, "Lazy" can only snack if you supply the snacking foods. So, with that in mind, you need to choose and stock healthy snack choices. Fresh fruits can replace your sweet tooth urges, pretzels and unbuttered popcorn can replace that little taste of salt you sometimes crave, and raw veggies are always good to snack on. You like ice cream? Well, look for a local place that serves Gelato, which is healthier than regular ice cream. Or, invest in an ice cream maker and learn to make your favorite dessert, which will cut out all the unhealthy preservatives and allow you to replace it with smart choice ingredients.
When preparing foods, you need to choose healthy preparation methods. Stop deep-frying everything; add a little less butter, and instead of creamy salad dressings use lemon juice. Bake, broil, or grill your food.
See, no one is saying you have to cut out eating altogether in order to get fit, but you have to learn to eat better, eat sensibly, and make healthy choices. That does not mean you have to sacrifice everything you like, it means you have to learn not to over indulge, and learn to replace obvious items that will make your quest for fitness a struggle, which will only make "Lazy" more comfortable and at home.
Since, we have already established that getting you, the neighbor of "Lazy", fit, will not only consist of small dietary changes, but also the introduction of some physical activity, you have to stop thinking that active means extreme workouts. Like the simple dietary habits and changes you can implement in order to get fit, you can also implement small changes in the activity department. Once you get the hang of simple and effective activities, your negative neighbor "Lazy" will be anxious to pack up and leave your healthy home.
Before you jump in the shower or ready yourself for the day, you can do 25 to 50 abdominal crunches. This can take you less then 5 minutes to do, and it can be done privately in your bathroom or bedroom. Each morning, you can try to increase the number of crunches you do. Then, you can even try to implement some more sets of abdominal crunches into your "readying yourself for bed" routine. After a few weeks, there will be a visible loosening at your waistline.
While you are at home watching television, you can try to run in place during the commercials. This can be a good way to get your body moving and encourage good circulation and cardiac function. If you want to change it up and have a bit of fun, you can try to do jumping jacks, or squats, or pushups, or leg lifts. You can even vary the exercises with each commercial segment.
Working out those "Lazy Girl" arms of yours can be easily accomplished by doing some bicep curls. If you do not want to spend money, you can keep it simple by grabbing two hardcover books and use them as weights in different arm lift movements-simple and easy.
For the girl that works in a building, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator. Choosing to walk the stairs will give you a brisk and quick fitness work out throughout your day.
Choose to walk or ride your bicycle when you have to run errands. It may take you a little longer to get the tasks done, but you will see the drastic improvements and benefit on your body, making it well worth the effort. Make it a fun trip, and get your girlfriends or loved one to walk or ride with you. The more the merrier.
When you have to use your car, you can try to park a few blocks away from the destination you are going to. This will force you to walk a bit, and walking is a great form of exercise that we can do everyday, allowing your body to burn off a few calories in the process.
Go window shopping at the mall. Yep, you heard me, window shopping. Walking around the mall can actually be a work out. It keeps your body moving, while your leg muscles are getting a good stretch and flex.
The main idea is to move. Being lazy often means being sedentary and it is habit forming. You have to put your frame of mind into knowing that movement is essential to fitness, but the movement does not have to be so overwhelming that you are too exhausted to do anything else. Take a simple walk on nice days, do leg lifts while you are sitting down and watching television, walk up and down the stairs in your home purposely, and just keep moving.
After making some small fitness changes, you will start feeling better about yourself, because you will start looking better and your outlook will be more positive. It may even trigger you to become more active and more dietary conscious that you will want to implement even more changes. Soon, your old neighbor "Lazy" will find it difficult to live in the new you, and that "Lazy Girl" will be long gone.
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