Women should exercise differently than men in some ways. Getting fit with the optimal weight loss and body fat percentage is not always straightforward for women. Sometimes, this leads some women to give up on changing their bodies. They want to quit because they have tried many weight loss programs that ultimately have not worked.
It is hard to get the right weight loss and fat loss results if you don’t have all or most of the right information. Armed with the right exercise and nutrition program, you will succeed with hard work and perseverance.
So here are a few fitness facts that women need to know:
1. Women and men burn and store fat differently. Because men have more testosterone than women, it allows men to produce more human growth hormone as well as stimulate more muscle (and more fat loss) and bone growth.
And, other factors combine to allow men’s cells to take in more oxygen than women’s cells. This means that when a man is working at 50 percent of his physical capacity, a woman would need to work at 70 percent of her physical capacity to stay even.
Because of genetics, women’s fat cells are five times larger than men’s fat cells. These facts have to be taken into consideration when programs are designed for women.
2. It is sometimes more difficult for petite women to lose weight and burn fat than it is for taller, bigger women. Petite women have lower calorie needs than bigger women. That makes it more difficult for a petite woman to create as big of a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you eat) as a taller woman. So, taller women will usually burn fat at a faster rate.
3. Look past the advertisement on the food package and study the nutrition facts label. The label will tell you the calories, serving size, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc. in the food item. Some tricks that food manufacturers play on consumers:
a) Some fat-free products are high in sugar and calories.
b) If the package says “no trans fat,” it could be high in “saturated fat.” Both types of fat are not good for you.
c) Some low-carb foods are high in fat.
d) Some sugar-free food items have high amounts of fat.
Remember, fat and sugar makes food taste better. Subtracting one while adding the other will not help you reach your weight loss and fat loss goals.
4. Don’t be a weight scale junkie! If you lose 20 pounds of fat and gain 20 pounds of muscle, that is wonderful (even if you still weigh the same)! When your body is shrinking and changing to lean and toned, you are successful! Building muscle speeds up your metabolism. You will drop pant sizes and dress sizes. You will also begin to lose the weight and it will stay off.
Keep exercising, eating right and working out woman-smart. You will get the lean body you want.
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES, CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer and former NCAA Division I athlete. Mark’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System has been proven to give his clients the fit, sculpted and athletic-type bodies they want. Visit Mark’s sites:
My Fitness Hut http://myfitnesshut.blogspot.com
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com
Sports Fitness Hut http://sportsfitnesshut.blogspot.com