10 Secrets of healthy fit women
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10 Secrets of healthy fit women
Any woman reading this has likely wondered how fit, healthy women get and stay that way. The good news is every woman can do the same by following certain health habits promoting her overall well-being. However, much of this depends on what you value in life – what is it you’d like to improve? How important is it to you, in other words, where does it fall on your priority list? How much time, commitment, and effort are you willing to meet certain health goals? Keep in mind that depending on individual circumstances, even small improvements in health can be a big boost to how you look, feel, and ultimately achieve your best health.
Let’s pull back the curtain disclosing these 10 secrets of how you too can become a healthier, happier you:
1. Healthy women rarely skip meals
Pressed for time, too tired to fix a meal or simply got busy and forgot to eat. Whatever you reasons are for going long stretches without eating, the result can affect your health - Sagging energy levels, a slowed metabolism resulting in weight gain, and difficulty in concentration. Make meals count by making the effort to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Focus on simplicity and quality – oatmeal with berries for breakfast, a turkey sandwich and salad for lunch, and baked fish, rice, and a green veggie for dinner.
2. Healthy women ditch dieting
The days of restrictive dieting are out. Regulate food intake and focus on healthy wholesome eating. When you have a healthy relationship with food, there’s no need to feel guilty over a brownie or bowl of ice cream. Tell yourself it’s okay to enjoy those treats in moderation.
3. Healthy women work in fitness every day
Maybe running five or more miles a day is not for you and that’s okay. The main point is to prevent prolonged sitting and to get up and move each day. Work in five minutes of stretching several times, take a brisk walk at lunch, or lift dumbbells while watching a favorite TV show are easy, effective ways to work in fitness. Inactivity is a contributor to developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Exercise also is a stress reliever by releasing the all-important feel-good endorphins.
4. Healthy women practice organization
Juggling family, a job, and other life events is tough. No one said life would be easy and no one said you have to be perfect. But when good organizational skills of prioritize, plan, and pace, can dramatically reduce stress and anxiety. Prioritize tasks putting the most important first, plan out your days, and most of all, pace yourself to avoid burnout.
5. Healthy women get a good night’s sleep
We all know how sleep deprivations affects us – overly fatigued, lack of concentration, and feeling grouchy. Lack of sleep is also tied to possible weight gain and a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Most adults require between 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Begin good sleep habits with a nightly “getting ready for bed” routine telling your body its time to unwind and fall asleep.
6. Healthy women eat foods rich in iron
Iron deficiency anemia affects women in greater numbers than men. Signs signaling this condition can be unusual fatigue, easily winded, pale skin, weakness or lack of endurance, brittle nails, rapid heartbeat or a headache especially with activity. A simple blood test can confirm iron deficiency anemia and can be treated by taking an iron supplement along with increasing foods rich in iron such as lean red meat, chicken, fish, spinach, prune juice and consuming foods rich in vitamin C (all fruits) along with a food high in iron at meal times to increase absorption of the mineral iron.
7. Healthy women have regular screening tests throughout their lives
Prevention is really is the best medicine. Even though regular exercise, stress management, and choosing nutritious foods are vital to promoting health, women should view regular health screenings as an extension to preventative medicine. When a woman is planning to improve health habits, here are important health screenings that need to be a part of that plan: Bone density testing, heart screening, mammograms, pelvic exam/pap smears, colonoscopy, and full body skin exam. You never know when one of these tests could save your life.
8. Healthy women practice stress management
Women face special stresses throughout their life. Beginning with starting a family to caring for elderly parents, stress will always be present but it can and must be managed to avoid it overtaking your life. From learning how to balance life activities to saying “no,” all women can maintain and manage more control in dealing with stress to achieve more fulfillment and happiness in their lives.
9. Healthy women have a strong social network
Having close friends and family has far-reaching benefits for women’s health. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with a greater risk of poor mental health and poor cardiovascular health. Benefits of maintaining strong friendships include better coping with stressful situations, alleviated effects of emotional distress, enhancing self-esteem, promoting lifelong mental health, lowering blood pressure, and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. You don’t have to be a social butterfly but by learning how to get and keep strong social ties, your overall health benefits immensely.
10. Healthy women take time for themselves
Out of the 10 healthy habits healthy and fit women do, this one is probably the most important. If you don’t take time to exercise regularly, eat right, manage stress and each of the other healthy habits, then eventually your health will suffer. Quit putting it off - NOW is the time to put yourself first so you are able to be your best for your family and for you. No one else will do it except for you. Tell yourself you’re worth it, start off slowly adding in new health habits over time and before you know it, you feel better, look better and will ask yourself, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?”