Mom's Fitness Tips for Women

The Fabulous Fifties

There are a lot of women facing this decade…the baby boom generation.  They are rolling into their fifties looking great, staying active and proving that aging is mind over matter.  If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!  For most women in this decade, their children are now adults too, some may even be parents.  If you have become a grandparent you have the luxury of enjoying the grandkids and then sending them home.  This is the time in your life that you can truly focus on you and things you want to do.  Often women this age step up to positions of leadership, such as political office, heads of corporations, or “queens” of volunteerism.  They are not afraid to speak their mind and understand the importance of caring for their body.  To be the best possible you throughout your 50s here is what you need to do:

Activity.  Exercise is no longer an option, but now a requirement.  It’s a time to choose exercise that will compliment and keep your body fit for the other activities you enjoy.  

Whether you ski or garden or ballroom dance or play in a softball league, you’re going to need to workout in order to keep doing these things.  Strength training should also be an important part of your exercise schedule.  You are at an age that bone density can quickly diminish, making you susceptible to fractures due to falls.  Working out with weights or weight machines can reverse this process and keep your bones strong.  By exercising you will not only look better, but you will feel better too.

Nutrition.  This is a time in your life that your metabolism will really slow down.  That means your weight can easily increase.  Exercise can make a difference, but what you eat is just as important.  Making healthy food choices can help you manage many of the side effects of menopause, like hot flashes and extra weight in the mid-section.  You’re going to be better off eating 4-6 smaller meals throughout the day, rather than 3 large ones.  By doing this you’ll keep your metabolism “fired up” and burning calories.  Common sense should reign…lean meats, poultry and fish…fresh fruits and veggies…whole grains.  If you gain weight at this age, you will find that losing it can be a difficult task.  Stay positive and set small goals and you can still be successful.  Alcohol and sweets are okay once-in-awhile, but don’t go overboard.  They can be the slippery slope to unwanted pounds.  Does this mean that you can’t enjoy life?  Of course not, just enjoy it in moderation.

Staying Healthy.  This can be a truly great time in your life.  Your stress from family and work has diminished and you can try out things that you’ve always dreamed of doing.  Be a role model for your kids.  Show them that being older doesn’t mean growing old.  Take that trip to Italy, go skydiving, and give snowboarding a try or anything else that will make life fun and fulfilling.  Stay connected with friends and family.  They will keep your heart healthy in ways that exercise can’t.  Regular exercise and healthy eating will give you energy and make you feel confident and beautiful.

Recommended Health Screenings for Women in their Fifties.  According to the National Center for Disease Control women between 50 and 60 need to continue be proactive in maintaining good health. 

With Summer just around the corner, it is not too early to begin shopping for the perfect maternity swimsuit. This season has some sizzling hot styles and patterns that will make you feel like one hot mama when you hit the pool or beach this summer. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best maternity swimsuit styles today:
Tankinis are a great style for most any women who is expecting. The 2 piece gives you the feel of a bikini while the belly skimming style gives you a flirty look combined with a bit of modesty for those of us who do not want to show all their expecting tummy at the pool. The tank style usually comes with adjustable straps and better support for larger busted women. Usually the wider the strap and the higher the back, the better the bust support in the suit. Belabumbum’s nursing/maternity tankini is a personal favorite in hot pink. This suit is designed for both maternity and postpartum with discreet nursing access. Very cute and sassy! This suit also comes in solid black.
Halterkinis are another stylish alternative to a one piece or bikini. The halterkini styles typically have an adjustable tie around the neck which always gives a flattering, slimming and feminine silhouette look. Many women like to wear the halter tops separately with jeans or shorts. Look for halter tops that have some padding and good support so that they continue to support well when wet and don’t show through. Prego Maternity has a number of super cute patterned halterkinis out this season. The Hippie Chic Sweetheart is especially well designed with wider straps than previous year’s Sweetheart styles and fun festive paisley pattern that is sure to flatter.
If you are looking for more coverage and maximum support, then the babydoll style is a good option. Prego Maternity makes both a halter babydoll and the tank style in the plus babydoll which runs in sizes large-2X. The babydoll is an empire style top with a longer skirt which fully covers the hips and bottom in a mini-dress style. The bottoms fully cover the belly for maximum coverage if the skirt floats up in the water. This style has wide straps and is slightly bigger in the bust.
If you prefer strapless, but still looking for some hip and bottom coverage, then the strapless mini is a good choice. Prego Maternity’s strapless mini comes in a variety of patterns and solids including a new First Bloom pattern with tapestry of hot pink and black flower blooms and swirling leafs interlaced with white. The strapless has a removable halter string for extra protection when swimming. The snug fitting style provides a beautiful silhouette on your blooming curves and shapes while allowing you to get a nice tan line across the shoulders.
If you are real swimmer, then there is not substitute for well fitting one piece suit to allow you to glide across the water with no extra fabrics and skirts floating in your mist. Prego Maternity’s Empire Tank is the best suit out there for lap swimming. This suit provides superior bust support and stretches to perfectly encapsulate your growing curves and belly. It is very comfortable for lap swimming and very flattering on.
Maternal America’s 1 Piece Keyhole swimsuit gives you a little more zing and sex appeal to your classic one piece suit. The beautiful ruched keyhole design just below the bust and above the tummy creates a slimming and flattering style which de-emphasizes the belly while showing off your pregnant shape. Halter straps add to the over all sexy and fabulous silhouette of this suit on your pregnancy figure. This suit comes in beautiful solid sky and fruit punch colors this season as well as classic black.
For those of you who love bikinis, Maternal America has some to die for styles out this season. The Jill Boy Bikini is simply adorable. This style maternity bikini has a securely fitting ruched top with a halter string that can also be worn strapless. The matching bikini boy short bottoms are just enough leg to cover your bottom with no ride up and comfortably fitting under the belly for a great fit and sassy look. This style looks especially great in this season’s hot Fruit Punch solid color and Flower Power pattern.
As for maternity cover-ups, check out Maternal America’s new strapless cover-up in Carnival print. This cover-up is light, breezy and easy to wear. You can also wear it as a regular tube top. Also Maternal America’s new Strapless Flower maternity dress, which is also a smocked tube style but longer dress, doubles fabulously as a swimsuit cover-up. As for classic white and black, there is Maternal America’s bestselling tunic swimsuit cover up with deep V neck and adjustable ties in the back. This style can also be layered over a fitted top or tank for a casual everyday top with jeans, capris or shorts.
Whether you opt for full coverage with a babydoll or a skimpy sexy boyshort bikini, there are plenty of styles to choose from with cover-ups to match this swimsuit season.

With Summer just around the corner, it is not too early to begin shopping for the perfect maternity swimsuit. This season has some sizzling hot styles and patterns that will make you feel like one hot mama when you hit the pool or beach this summer. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best maternity swimsuit styles today:

Tankinis are a great style for most any women who is expecting. The 2 piece gives you the feel of a bikini while the belly skimming style gives you a flirty look combined with a bit of modesty for those of us who do not want to show all their expecting tummy at the pool. The tank style usually comes with adjustable straps and better support for larger busted women. Usually the wider the strap and the higher the back, the better the bust support in the suit. Belabumbum’s nursing/maternity tankini is a personal favorite in hot pink. This suit is designed for both maternity and postpartum with discreet nursing access. Very cute and sassy! This suit also comes in solid black.

Halterkinis are another stylish alternative to a one piece or bikini. The halterkini styles typically have an adjustable tie around the neck which always gives a flattering, slimming and feminine silhouette look. Many women like to wear the halter tops separately with jeans or shorts. Look for halter tops that have some padding and good support so that they continue to support well when wet and don’t show through. Prego Maternity has a number of super cute patterned halterkinis out this season. The Hippie Chic Sweetheart is especially well designed with wider straps than previous year’s Sweetheart styles and fun festive paisley pattern that is sure to flatter.

If you are looking for more coverage and maximum support, then the babydoll style is a good option. Prego Maternity makes both a halter babydoll and the tank style in the plus babydoll which runs in sizes large-2X. The babydoll is an empire style top with a longer skirt which fully covers the hips and bottom in a mini-dress style. The bottoms fully cover the belly for maximum coverage if the skirt floats up in the water. This style has wide straps and is slightly bigger in the bust.

If you prefer strapless, but still looking for some hip and bottom coverage, then the strapless mini is a good choice. Prego Maternity’s strapless mini maternity swimwear comes in a variety of patterns and solids including a new First Bloom pattern with tapestry of hot pink and black flower blooms and swirling leafs interlaced with white. The strapless has a removable halter string for extra protection when swimming. The snug fitting style provides a beautiful silhouette on your blooming curves and shapes while allowing you to get a nice tan line across the shoulders.

If you are real swimmer, then there is not substitute for well fitting one piece suit to allow you to glide across the water with no extra fabrics and skirts floating in your mist. Prego Maternity’s Empire Tank is the best suit out there for lap swimming. This suit provides superior bust support and stretches to perfectly encapsulate your growing curves and belly. It is very comfortable for lap swimming and very flattering on.

Maternal America’s 1 Piece Keyhole swimsuit gives you a little more zing and sex appeal to your classic one piece suit. The beautiful ruched keyhole design just below the bust and above the tummy creates a slimming and flattering style which de-emphasizes the belly while showing off your pregnant shape. Halter straps add to the over all sexy and fabulous silhouette of this suit on your pregnancy figure. This suit comes in beautiful solid sky and fruit punch colors this season as well as classic black.

For those of you who love bikinis, Maternal America has some to die for styles out this season. The Jill Boy Bikini is simply adorable. This style maternity bikini has a securely fitting ruched top with a halter string that can also be worn strapless. The matching bikini boy short bottoms are just enough leg to cover your bottom with no ride up and comfortably fitting under the belly for a great fit and sassy look. This style looks especially great in this season’s hot Fruit Punch solid color and Flower Power pattern.

As for maternity cover-ups, check out Maternal America’s new strapless cover-up in Carnival print. This cover-up is light, breezy and easy to wear. You can also wear it as a regular tube top. Also Maternal America’s new Strapless Flower maternity dress, which is also a smocked tube style but longer dress, doubles fabulously as a swimsuit cover-up. As for classic white and black, there is Maternal America’s bestselling tunic swimsuit cover up with deep V neck and adjustable ties in the back. This style can also be layered over a fitted top or tank for a casual everyday top with jeans, capris or shorts.

Whether you opt for full coverage with a babydoll or a skimpy sexy boyshort bikini, there are plenty of styles to choose from with cover-ups to match this swimsuit season.

Women In The USMC

I spent 6 years in the United States Marine Corps and have to say it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.  When I first told my parents about my decision they had mixed feelings, my father seemed happy but my mother had reservations.

I should say, perhaps some of that came from my mother being ex-Navy (Jarheads and Squids traditionally have friendly rivalry). I also think my mother thought the Marine Corps was too tough for a female to deal with. 

The thing about my decision was really that I wanted to do something that not many tried to do, something that was more difficult…..something that would challenge me.  When people found out that I was heading to boot-camp, I think many had an idea that I would fail and be home soon. I wish I had been told about what to expect, a guide or book telling me about all the things I was soon to discover.

People would say things like, “You won’t get through training,” or “Maybe you should look at the Air Force,” or “What about college?”  All in subtle ways to tell me they thought maybe I just couldn’t make it as a Marine.

Well this is the truth; I was worried about my fitness.  I was worried that I couldn’t run, or couldn’t handle the physical fitness.  I was worried that I was simply not strong enough….I was worried that, even I had spent weeks preparing, I was still not in good shape. I went online to look for information before going, but it seemed limited about details of the boot camp, training and more.

These are the facts.  You are never fit enough to think you can go to USMC boot-camp and get through training solely on what you have done to that point.  So then you think what must you do to get fit enough?

The biggest problem for women is that traditionally we have been told not to extend ourselves to the extreme physical workouts.  Not to lift weights.  Not to take martial arts. Not go overboard in the gym…..in other words, not to train like men!

The problem with that is when you go to boot camp; there is no escape from the physical training.  If you think you will be let off the hook simply because you are female….DON’T GO IN THE MARINES!!!!

This is no bullshit…..you will Suffer!  You will want to CRY!  You will want to hide away and try to slip off to medical.  And do you know what will happen if you give the Drill Instructor a passing thought that you might be weak?  That you might be unable to make the grade?  They will break you.  Break your spirit.  You cannot let them!

I am not saying the DI’s are monsters…..it is their job to get rid of those who come and are not the best candidates for the Marines.  They are there to weed out the people who cannot qualify.  Not everyone who goes to boot-camp will succeed.  Some women fall out because they cannot adjust to the living situation, cannot adjust to being told what to do and when; cannot take direction; cannot advance through training.  Some get sent back to do more training with another platoon; some are released from the military.  If you fail the final fitness test chances are you will be let go. 

Still it isn’t just the fitness test; there are many other aspects of USMC boot camp that you need to be aware of.  The inside tips and advice about what to expect in Marine Boot Camp, the USMC way of doing things, the words to know and how NOT to react to the pressure.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be prepared? To know about all the different experience you will face?  What you will really face in USMC Boot Camp?

Before I went to boot-camp I could run 3 miles under 30 minutes, could do 65 sit-ups in one minute, could do 20 chin-ups and could do the bar hang for 3 minutes….which wasn’t that good.   I thought it was good enough.  I got my butt kicked……I was exhausted after the first day of physical training.  I spent extra time, when we have a free moment, doing more chins and hangs, more sit-ups and trying to make myself stronger.  I remember wishing that I had spent some time lifting weights, or doing something more productive to get ready for boot-camp.  I remember wishing someone had told me how things really were and what to really expect, but they didn’t.

If you are thinking to join the USMC, trust me, don’t let people bullshit you and say it is easy…..it isn’t!   Get in shape, follow a plan, and eat properly.  

You will have very little sleep your first week or two, your body will be going through changes and adjusting to a new place and you will have many moments of total stress……add to that the fact that you will struggle with the physical side of things….and you will overload yourself with stress.  If you could eliminate one aspect of that adjusting to make your transition a little easier wouldn’t you do it? 

USMC fitness tests are the most difficult physical tests in all of the military, you can ask anyone that…..it is common knowledge.  It is common knowledge that the Marine Corps doesn’t take just anyone, you have to earn your place….you have to earn the right to be called a Marine…..you have to do your time and carry your load…..so if you are a woman, thinking to go into the Marine Corps…..if you don’t want succeed, don’t want the honor of being called a Marine….then keep doing what you are doing….it makes no difference…..the Marine Corps only wants the best.

If you are a woman, wanting to be a Marine…then do something better, get yourself off the sofa and train….push yourself….become what you want…..Semper Fidelis!

 Copyright @ McGibbon 2009                                      http://www.monkeyspeaks.com/USMC.html

The essence of body sculpting for women is in the definition of the word itself. In short, it means to mold, form and reshape the body that you currently have. Unfortunately, there are many myths and mis-perceptions that put a more complicated, and often times dangerous, meaning behind the simple concept of body sculpting.

Companies trying to push the latest exercise gadgets, spas selling body-wrap treatments, hardcore personal trainers preaching painful & time consuming ‘weights and machines’ type workout routines and even vitamin companies hawking body-sculpting pills are all trying to tap into the emotional pain zones of women (and some men) of all ages, body types and fitness levels to make more sales without delivering the desired end result as safely as possible with as little cost as possible.

When I speak of cost, I not only speak of financial loss but also the loss of one’s self confidence and trust in others who are supposed to be helping and not taking unfair advantage of people in desperate or uncertain circumstances.

Effective, safe and permanent body sculpting can in fact be achieved without a gym membership, without regular visits to a ‘body-wrapping’ spa, without fake or dangerous diet supplements and, most of all, without agonizing and time consuming workouts.

As a career fitness pro and trainer I’ve had the great opportunity to work with many women coming from different life situations, physical abilities, fitness levels, and most importantly, emotional starting points.

As each brought their own definition of body sculpting into the evaluation process it helped me realize that all women have their own personal definition of what it would mean for them to be in great shape. Some want to lose weight while getting firmer and stronger. Some want to maintain weight and tone up with shapelier, curvier muscles. Some want to build up certain body areas, such as the butt or thighs and add a little bit of healthy body weight in the process.

What most women do not understand is the method by which their goals can be achieved is simply quite realistic. Weights, machines and ‘bodybuilder’ type workouts are not for everyone. This type of fitness routine is not realistic for most people – let alone busy women with careers and/or families. Being young and single may allow for this consuming, almost obsessed, type of lifestyle. But as we develop careers and grow our families, spending 2 hours in the gym every day is not a realistic habit.

By utilizing a wide choice of bodyweight exercises with some simple fitness tools (mat, exercise ball, step), a woman can make consistent progress in her specific fitness and body-sculpting goals. Form, tempo, sequence and progression are all underutilized variables in the workout routines of women. By using these misunderstood variables and crafting a body sculpting program that can be done literally anywhere and anytime, (such as at home when the kids are asleep or before getting ready for work) most of the excuses and obstacles that would prevent long term fitness success are removed.

By replacing your past failures, mis-perceptions, excuses and obstacles with proper information, proven exercise principles and targeted fitness tactics you have cleared a path pointing directly at your body sculpting success.

The Benefits of Boot Camp Workouts for Women
Until recent times, few women thought of boot camp workouts as a solution to their fitness and weight loss problems, but recently the many benefits of fitness boot camps have prompted more women to reexamine the advantages of enrolling in boot camp to get into shape. No matter what your current fitness level is, it is difficult to beat the many health benefits women can receive with a regular boot camp workout.
One of the main motivating factors in women choosing fitness boot camp to help them get into shape and lose weight is that fitness boot camp offers one of the best workouts for weight loss – even if you’ve had problems losing weight before. A well-designed boot camp class will offer a progression of each exercise for novice, intermediate and advanced boot camp participants. As you gain fitness and strength, the progressive difficulty of each exercise will continue to challenge you
One reason that boot camp workouts work so well for weight loss and toning muscle is that these fitness workouts are based on exercise science and physiology, using the proven techniques of resistance and cardiovascular training, as well as specific weight training exercises. Building muscle is essential to boosting the body’s metabolism and effectively and efficiently losing weight by burning more calories throughout the day.
Another reason that fitness boot camps are such a great way to get into shape and lose weight is that they provide structure and consistency. Without having structure to your fitness program, and consistently participating, your chances of reaching your goal of having a great looking and fit body are greatly reduced. With a fitness boot camp, not only are the workouts intense enough to provide you with the results you want, but you will find that the personal trainers and instructors help provide the necessary motivation to keep you consistent.
Fitness boot camps also provide significant health benefits. One of the most important health concerns for women is heart disease; so cardiovascular health should be one of the main goals when choosing an exercise program. Boot camp workouts provide enough cardio exercise to help keep a heart healthy and reducing the chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Another benefit of the boot camp classes is the decreasing risk of osteoporosis by improving bone density. The weight-bearing exercises often found in a boot camp workout are important in increasing a woman’s bone density.
Time management is another attractive feature of fitness boot camp for women. In most cases one can get a vigorous total body workout in a short 45 minute to one-hour session while burning over 700 calories. These workouts are usually far better than other exercise programs that take twice as long to participate in. This high-calorie burning workout is an advantage to the modern woman who is often short on time.
The benefits of fitness boot camps are for women of all fitness levels. If you are looking for an effective method of getting into shape, consider enrolling in a fitness boot camp for one of the best ways to lose weight and shapeup.

As a Perth boot camp instructor and personal trainer I have been asked by many women about the value of strength training. Very often, many ladies who exercise are worried about becoming larger and heavier from regular strength training. Especially in the area of weight loss, many people do not see how strength training can help in this area. When it comes to weight loss, most people would first think about doing aerobics exercises to burn as much calories as possible to induce weight loss. However, strength training had been a very underrated compliments to cardio training in the success of weight loss, shaping and overall fitness in women. With this article, I shall dispel the most common myths of strength training with women.Strength Training Can Cause Women to Put on Huge Bulky Muscles
This is the most common strength training myth among women. The truth is, women who do strength training will not get bulky muscles as seen in men. This is due to the fact that women have about 15- to 20-fold lower concentration of a muscle-building hormone called testosterone than men do. Without this muscle-building hormone, it is impossible to develop any sort of muscles bulk.Muscle Gained from Strength Training can Convert to Fat when Training Stops
Muscle cannot be converted to fat. Muscle can only shrink due to detraining. Very often, the increased girth sizes in the body are due to increased fat tissues or deposits on the body. This is due to poor diet and lack of exercise in general. In fact, strength training helps increase lean muscle tissue that has a direct influence in the metabolism. With higher metabolism, the body burn more energy in general leading to fat loss.Women Should Avoid Strength Training with High Load
There is no reason for a woman not to train with high load. In fact, the strength training would be deemed as ineffective if insufficient load is imposed on the body. There will no adaptations required in the body to increase more lean muscle tissue, bone mass and connective tissue around the joints. Unfortunately, many women believe that lifting light weights with high volume of repetitions is the way to go for body toning.Women should do a different Strength Training Program than Men
As women are perceived as the weaker gender, it is often suggested that women should stick with weight machines and slow tempo weight lifting to avoid injuries. It is totally untrue as women adapt physiologically to strength training similar to men and no evidence shows that they are more predisposed to injuries just because of gender differences. In fact, women should engaged in similar sort of strength training program if they have similar training goals. The only difference here is that women do not bulk up like the men.
In conclusion, women should never be afraid to train hard with weights because there is no evidence to show any adverse effects of weight training. In truth, there is many benefits for women to do strength training. The benefits range from improved toned, strength to increased metabolism.

Body building is getting more and more popular these days and for good reason. However, there are people getting into the sport and failing simply because they aren’t doing it correctly. The following are some great fitness tips to help you get fitter, stronger and healthier.

1. Get a program that will best suit you. Every body building program or workout is different. So always consult a qualified trainer to make sure that the fitness program will not hurt you. Going for a fitness program that sounds good but is out of your league can only cause frustrations and even injuries. So pick wisely.

2. Be realistic in your goals. Make sure that your target is achievable and realistic. The program also needs to be practical and not give you false hope. In fitness and body building, it is important to be aware of the blocks you will encounter.

3. Focus and work the muscles. When you develop muscles, you burn more calories and reduce fats in your body. Multi-joint exercises and weight lifting are recommended to help you achieve a more muscular physique. They aren’t just effective but time saving as well.

4. Be systematic. Your muscles should be working harder over time. Repeating the same sets of exercises and same weight without getting your muscles to work harder will not give satisfactory results. You can record your daily results and make the progression based on your previous data. A daily log will also motivate you since you are able to track how far you have gone. It builds confidence since there is a written proof something that was successfully accomplished.

5. Perform a set of exercises in 10 repetitions. Every number that was accomplished is called a repetition. Try to make every repetition with less momentum as much as possible. The lesser the momentum, the harder your muscles work. And the harder they work, the bigger they become.

6. Be flexible and perform a variety of exercises. Every exercise program should have variety. You can change your exercises, goals and sets every month to keep you motivated and on-the-go. Doing this will prevent boredom and losing energy physically and mentally.

7. Stay motivated! This may be the most important fitness tip of all. Many people drop out of fitness programs and workouts over time. Do not fall victim to this! Keeping an eye of your goals is a way of staying with your program. Remember that motivation gets you started and habit keeps you going.

Why slow weight loss is the “new” quick weight loss for women!

Losing weight is an ongoing struggle for many women.  But is quick weight loss for women the ultimate fix?

I personally have tried all the quick weight loss for wowmen diets there is out there. Yes some of them do work, but only for a short period of time.

Let’s look at these quick weight loss diets and understand why they work, but only for the short term.

How Do You Lose Weight Quickly?

In order to lose weight quickly you need to eat a much lower number of calories than you burn in a given day.

This means that you either have to calorie count or follow one of those “lose ten pounds in ten days” diets.

Many people say that in order to lose weight quickly you should only consume 800 calories a day. Wow – that’s not much food is it?

Yes you can keep this up for a short period of time and lose weight quickly, but as soon as you start eating properly again… yes you’ve guessed it – up goes your weight again.

Therefore you are back to square one. Six months later you have tried so many quick weight loss fixes and given up so you are still at your overweight state. Not exactly quick weight loss now is it!

I know this from first hand experience, time and time again. Before I know it a whole year has passed and I still have not lost any weight even though I have spent money on many quick weight loss fixes!

Why Losing Weight Slowly Is The Way To Go

Now that we’ve established that quick weight loss is not the best way to go, let’s look at why losing 1-2 lb a week is actually the “new” quick weight loss for women routine.

You see giving yourself enough calories to live off will give you a slow steady weight loss which is much more manageable to stick to and attain. After all you can eat a good amount of food plus have treats such as wine and the odd pizza slice etc.. This is just so much more natural making it much more achievable to stick to it and lose 1-2lb week.

You still have to watch what you eat and go down the healthy route with plenty of fruit, vegetables and fibre, but you can also fit in foods you like so you won’t cheat.

So in the same six months you are much more likely to be able to stick to the higher calorie diet with a slower weight loss and be able to reach your goal. As opposed to keep trying quick fix fads which are practically humanly impossible to stick to so you give up and you are back to square one.

I finally realised this a few months ago when I was still 21lbs overweight after being on a ‘diet’ for about two years! So I set a target of losing only 1lb a week. This was so easy to stick to by being able to have the odd glass of red wine and a few treats. I ate healthy most of the week and introduced some exercise in the form of swimming. I am now half way to losing my 21lb but if I had stuck to my quick weight loss diet fads, I would still be 21lb overweight!

 Though stereotypes are dissolving with each generation, there are some that persist – in part, because they are based on real differences between men and women.

While some women can and do achieve the upper body strength of some (even very fit) men, the overwhelming majority of males have a natural advantage in this area. Male aesthetic values, the source of which isn’t clear, reinforce this and so they tend to work on upper body more than some other areas, relative to women’s efforts.

Women, in part out of a desire to be seen as attractive, will focus exercises more on buttocks and legs. But here they also have a slight natural advantage for some exercises. A woman’s pelvis tilts at a different angle than a man’s. This affects the style and efficiency of squats, for example. Women will benefit by tilting the feet outward with legs further apart, while not needing to squat so low.

Overall, (most) women have less muscle mass than men (though they have additional layers in the stomach) and a higher percentage of body fat on average. As a result, a well-designed female routine focuses less on bulking up, than toning and achieving flexibility. Women are more likely to incur injuries by lifting too much, too soon as they build up.

Men are somewhat less flexible on average, partly due to natural differences in joints, partly owing to attitude. Men tend more often than women to short change their warm-up routines, including essential stretching exercises.

All these differences (and many more) are a matter of degree, of course. Both men and women can benefit by adapting some aspects of the routines of the opposite sex.

Women are more likely to be more open to trying something new or different, such as yoga or Pilates. These focus more on being aware of different body parts, in order to maximize flexibility and overall fitness. They focus very little on achieving strength, though this is often (in part) a consequence of a good yoga or Pilates routine.

For example, several yoga routines focus on balance. But balance is optimized when all the muscles help support the joints and skeleton at correct angles in a dynamic way. That is both the cause and consequence of improved strength in the muscles that help achieve that balance.

Pilates, in particular, is a coordinated system for achieving better strength and posture and breathing by using one to aid the other. It concentrates more on controlling muscle groups than building them.

Both yoga and Pilates and many other systems popularized in the West in the last 20 years or so focus on the integration of mind and body, one helping the other. Both systems are helpful as therapy for certain spine and joint problems.

While men and women will continue to lay more importance on some exercise values – and hence routines – than on others, both can benefit by peeking over the fence to see how the other half-lives.