Gone are the days when women wanted to be frail and thin. There are many stereotypes surrounding women’s fitness – women shouldn’t lift heavy weights, women shouldn’t do high-intensity workouts, women shouldn’t focus on building muscle – and so on. However, in recent times all these stereotypes are being broken many times and women are adopting workouts more than ever. Women’s health and fitness is essential for many reasons. First, maintaining good health helps women live longer and happier lives. Women who are healthy and fit can enjoy a higher quality of life, have more energy, and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases.
One of the main factors contributing to this is awareness. There are many resources and research out there stating the importance of regular workouts especially for women. Women’s health is an important area of focus that cannot be ignored. Regular exercise helps in improving heart health, strengthens bones and muscles, and maintains a healthy lifestyle by reducing the risk of chronic health diseases like heart disease, diabetes etc. and seeking regular medical check-ups.
Women have different and unique health concerns than men. This includes reproductive health, breast cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. It is important that all of these are addressed and maintaining a good workout regimen along with good nutrition is key to warding off these diseases and health conditions.
In women, hormones play an important role in regulating the menstrual cycle, fertility, and menopause. But hormonal imbalance can lead to many health problems, such as weight gain, mood swings and menstrual irregularities. Exercise and good nutrition help keep it under control.
Regular exercise has shown many health benefits, including helping to regulate hormonal balance in women. It may also help reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that can contribute to hormonal imbalances.
A balanced diet with the right amounts of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats can help maintain healthy hormone levels.
Over the years, women have started incorporating various workout forms. This could be resistance training, HIIT, or sports. Now you can see many more women lifting heavy weights in the gym and no longer sticking to low weights and just trying to do as many reps as possible. While it was once believed that lifting weights made a woman look ‘bulky’ and/or ‘manly’, these are just a few myths. Although HIIT can be a fairly intense form of exercise, many women are now finding it to be their preferred workout option.
These days women have also started paying more conscious attention to what they eat. While workouts help burn calories, it’s important to be mindful of what choices you make with your meals and to keep in mind the harmful effects poor nutritional choices can have on the body for years to come.
Here are some simple points to keep in mind for overall well-being:
engage in resistance training
Resistance training or weight training can help women improve their physical appearance, increase their muscle mass and improve their overall strength. Plus, it can boost their metabolism, which can help them burn fat and maintain a healthy weight.
eat your protein
Protein is not just for those who want to build muscles. It is an essential macronutrient that is important for the body to heal and to keep your muscles and joints strong. Foods high in protein include lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans and nuts. It is also perfectly fine to include whey protein supplements if you are not able to meet your protein requirements through regular diet.
get regular health checkups
Regular health checkup is important for women’s health. Women should undergo regular screening and screening for conditions such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and osteoporosis. Women should also have regular cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, and other recommended screenings based on age and individual risk factors.
Pay attention to menstrual health
Women should pay attention to their menstrual health and understand what is normal for them. Women should keep track of their menstrual cycles and any changes in bleeding patterns, pain or other symptoms.
Eat foods rich in iron
Iron is essential for women’s health, as women lose iron during menstruation. Iron-rich foods include red meat, poultry, fish, beans, pulses, spinach and fortified cereals.
It’s OK to Work Out During Your Period
Contrary to popular belief, women don’t necessarily have to give up exercise because of their menstrual cycle, although it’s important to know how to approach training during that time of the month. High-intensity exercise can be done during your follicular phase and you can reduce the intensity once you reach the peak of the luteal phase. Exercise has also been shown to relieve some PMS symptoms, such as cramps. Although it can be subjective to each one.
(Spurti, Fitness Expert, Cultfit)
Also Read: World Kidney Day: 5 Diet Myths For Kidney Diseases Busted – Check Expert’s Tips