Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 37 i Women's Fitness Guide

BUM

BUM SIX WAYS TO A PEACHY BOTTOM 1. Shun the lift in favour of the stairs whenever you can. Regularly walking against resistance (which includes walking uphill) is the best way to a pert bottom. 2. Did you know, one in five adults spend over 30 hours a week lounging on their sofas? Standing and moving around at every opportunity will help you avoid the dreaded ‘chair bottom', so jump up and stay active! 3. Try dry-brushing, to help tone your skin. Brush your skin every day before your bath or shower – and don’t neglect your bum. Brush in an upward direction from your calves towards your heart. 4. Imagine you have a £20 note between your bum cheeks. Gently keep hold of it by maintaining some ‘tone’ in…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

CHEST

CHEST SIX WAYS TO A PERT BUST 1. Minimise sagging by always wearing a sports bra when you exercise. This will help to protect the ligaments that support your breasts, preventing breast pain while exercising and limiting movement during cardio workouts. 2. Don't forget your back. Strengthening your back muscles and improving your posture will have untold benefits for the front of your body. 3. Stop slouching! Slouching shortens the chest muscles, so whatever you're doing, wherever you are, regularly straighten your spine and check your shoulders are open. 4. Swim breaststroke – it's great for your pectorals (chest muscles). To boost the benefits, make sure you lift your upper body as your arms pull back. 5. Yoga chest openers have untold benefits – we recommend cobra, camel, fish and triangle poses. 6. Look…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

DIET

DIET SIX WAYS TO BEAT THE BLOAT 1. Hold the salt. Water is attracted to sodium, so when you eat salty foods you retain fluid, leading to bloating and puffiness. 2. Avoid gassy foods. Some foods create more wind in your digestive tract than others. These include beans and pulses, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, peppers and citrus fruits. 3. Don't chew gum. While you chew, you swallow air, which gets trapped and causes bloating. 4. Cut down on fried foods. Fatty foods, especially fried ones, are digested more slowly, causing you to feel heavy and bloated. 5. Skip spicy foods. Seasonings such as black pepper, chilli powder, hot sauces, onions, garlic and fresh chillies can speed up food transit time in the gut, which encourages wind. 6. No more fizzy drinks! Those bubbles…

1 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

ABS

ABS SIX WAYS TO A FLAT BELLY 1. Engage your core each and every day, during regular daily movements. Every time you bend down or reach up for something, pull your belly button towards your spine and keep those abs tight. 2. Stand up when doing resistance exercises, such as bicep curls and shoulder raises. This forces your core region to work harder to stabilise you. 3. Tie a piece of string around your waist while your abdominals are gently engaged. Leave it there all day and you'll be reminded to draw your tummy in every time you feel your skin pressing against the string. 4. Don't forget your posture! You can instantly ‘lose’ inches by drawing in your tummy, opening up your chest, and dropping your shoulders and ribcage. 5. Invest in a…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

BACK

BACK SIX WAYS TO A SEXY BACK 1. Try Pilates. It's the ultimate posture exercise and fab for toning your back muscles. 2. Whenever you remember throughout the day, realign your upper body to engage your back muscles – rotate your shoulders up and around, until you bring the blades together. 3. Book a regular deep-tissue massage, to target tension in your back and improve your flexibility during exercise. 4. Don't neglect the rowing machine in your gym cardio regime. To support and work your back, bend forwards from the hips rather than curving your spine as you row. 5. Do you spend time hunched over a computer or steering wheel? Make sure you take regular breaks to open up the front of your body. Do some roll-downs and roll-ups, to activate your spine. 6.…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

EAT SLIM!

DIET Whether you want a flat stomach and firm bottom, or you need to lose a few pounds to fit into that favourite dress, the key to success is to combine exercise with a healthy diet. There's no point doing endless tummy-toning exercises if your abdominals are hidden under a layer of calorie-induced flab! Experts agree the best way to lose weight is slowly and steadily. A weight loss of 1–2lb (0.5–1kg) a week is ideal. Studies show people who lose weight this way are much more likely keep the weight off. To lose 1lb of fat a week, you need to lose roughly 500 calories a day. You can do this by reducing the number of calories you eat or by increasing the amount of calories you burn. But…

3 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

RECIPES

Watercress, radish and toasted seed salad Add a dessertspoon each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds to a dry frying pan and cook gently for a few minutes until they start to brown, then set aside. Fill a bowl with watercress and sprinkle with shavings of radish, arranging a few whole radishes around the bowl. Make a dressing with one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil mixed with one dessertspoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with seeds. Serves two to three. Minted pea soup Soups are brilliant for getting a few of your five-a-day. To make this fresh, summer variety, soften a small, finely chopped onion in a little sunflower oil, but…

3 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

LEGS

LEGS SIX WAYS TO HOT LEGS 1. The key to gorgeous legs is moving more! Walking, running and cycling are all fabulous. Why not try ‘active commuting’ – ditching the car, bus or train and getting to work at least partly under your own steam. 2. Can't get out for a brisk walk or run? Then try the boxer's cardiovascular exercise of choice:skipping. It's not only great for your legs, but for your hips and bum, too. 3. Ballet is fantastic for streamlining the lower body, as well as challenging your core. Look for a local adult class. 4. legs look better bronzed! So exfoliate, then apply some fake tan. 5. Minimise cellulite by avoiding processed,fatty foods and eating more antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables, plus good fats, found in nuts, avocado and oily fish. 6.…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

ARMS

ARMS SIX WAYS TO GET SCULPTED ARMS 1. Yoga will tone up your arms fast. Many poses, such as crow, plank and downward-facing dog, require your arms to help support your bodyweight. 2. When you go swimming, mix up your strokes to work all parts of your arms. Up the results by wearing webbed gloves, or swim with a pull-buoy between your legs. 3. Walk to the supermarket instead of driving, then carry your shopping bags home. You could also use manual appliances instead of labour-saving ones, such as a hand whisk when baking. 4. They're not always the most exciting or pleasurable tasks, but chores such as gardening, cleaning and DIY will give you a proper arm workout. 5. Highlight your upper body tone with glowing skin. Arms, particularly the backs of them,…

4 min

Women's Fitness Guide|Issue 37

DIET PLAN

How the plan works Packed with nutritious superfoods, this four-week weight-loss plan will keep you healthy as well as slim. Designed to help you lose at least half a stone when combined with exercise, it will have you looking in great shape in a month's time. The diet plan is based on 1,500 calories a day. You can have around 300 calories for breakfast, 400 calories for lunch and 600 calories for dinner, plus a piece of fruit or low-fat yoghurt mid-morning and afternoon. Simply select one choice from the breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions. You're also allowed 200ml semi-skimmed milk for tea or coffee. All recipe suggestions are for one. 10 TOP SUPERFOODS These inexpensive, everyday foods can easily be included in your diet – but the benefits they…

2 min