This post is intended to motivate & inspire women especially mothers who voluntarily decided to improve their health & fitness levels. Improved body image or appearance is just a side benefit of healthy eating and regular exercise. The main benefits being improved overall health, well-being, and decreased risk in weight-related diseases i.e. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, some types of cancers etc. In short, women especially mothers can live longer and stronger to be with our children and enjoy family life better.
It’s been 4 months since I seriously started a regular fitness and training program that varies from crossfit, toning, to plain cardio. It’s something anyone can do at home but I choose to bring my workouts to a gym.
BEFORE & AFTER: April 2015 vs. August 2015 (4 months)
Going to the gym clears my mind and allows me to focus on proper form and completing my sets without any distractions. I don’t go to a fancy gym, it’s just a neighborhood gym that you pay P50 for using.
I also workout just wearing socks and not fancy training shoes 😉
Where to find a program
In my experience, going to the gym or working out without a program is like traveling without a map. There are tons of free workouts, I highly recommend cross training or cross fit if you are just beginning and need to focus on decreasing your body fat. Here’s one I found on YouTube that is very similar to the dynamic workouts I do:
Try doing this thrice a week with 1 day rest in between and see the results.
Working out while on the go
A LOT of times I can’t make it to the gym or just plain need a break from a full workout.
1. I put my rubber shoes on (I don’t even have proper running shoes) and run. You can start with 10 minutes ( 1 minute run, 1 minute break until you complete 10). Overtime you will improve and can run longer with little to no rest in between. Right now, my record is 7 minutes and I’ll work hard so I can join my first marathon.
2. When I am in a building, I try to take the stairs up and down. This is a nice cardio and workout for your legs.
3. YouTube or get a workout from a fitness magazine
Muscle Toning
If you are feeling stronger, add strength training to your workout. Some routines I do before or after cardio:
– Bench press and its variations
– Drop sets lunges and squats
– Back lateral pull downs
– Seated rows
Note: avoid injury with stretching, warm up, and cool down
Healthy Diet
I’ve written about my healthy diet here which focus on getting proper nutrition for our bodies. It’s really true that fitness is 70% diet and 30% exercise. If you want you can even just start changing your diet to a healthier one and you’ll definitely see the results.
It’s not the amount you eat but what you eat 🙂
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Disclaimer: I am not a registered nutritionist or fitness trainer. It is best to consult your doctor before starting any health or fitness program.
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Do you have fitness tips, work in progress, or even before & after pictures to share? Please do so via comments below, we all need the motivation and inspiration to stay fit & healthy for ourselves and families!
Mommy Lace is a blogger from the Philippines. She started this blog to share information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childcare, family, and health.
