Feminine Fitness
Be FIT
Be STRONG
Be YOU Volume 1 Issue 3 December Page 1 2019
A Word from the Editor
Contents Topic
Page
Importance of Fitness
1
5 Inspirational Females
2-3
Myth Busters
4
Gym Confidence
5
Quick Home Workout
6-7
Nutrition Corner
8
Healthy Recipes
9
Puzzler’s Page
10
H
ello everyone and welcome back to another highly anticipated edition of Feminine Fitness! This months edition is Jampacked with interesting articles, delicious recipes, fun facts and more. Some highlights of this issue include, details about inspirational athletes, a home workout that literally anyone can try and even some top tips on how to be the most confident you can be in the gym! Finally, we love your feedback! let us know your opinions and don’t forget to follow us on facebook, Instagram and twitter @FeminineFitness. Don’t forget to be fit, be strong, be you! X
Hazel Dunne Lynch Editor
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THE IMPORTANCE OF FITNESS FOR ALL WOMEN
P
hysical fitness is a state of health and well-being in which a person has the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is achieved through proper nutrition, moderatevigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest. For centuries, staying active and fit was of no concern for the majority of women. The average women dieted to lose weight the severe health conditions and the most exercise she got that coming along with it such came from chasing her children. as heart disease, breast cancer There were of course, exceparthritis, diabetes and infertilitions to this rule. With some ty. Due to women parthis, it is imticipating in Women across the perative that physical world are beginning to we stay games with recognise the effects healthy in their kids that their weight has on order to avoid or maybe a their overall health these diseasbike ride es and the with their harsh side husbands. effects they can cause. Yet, for the most part, women, once they were no longer children, didn’t make it a point to exercise. Today, however, this is changing. Women across the world are beginning to recognise the effects that their weight has on their overall health. Perhaps, this is due to the obesity epidemic our society is facing and
At present, women are earning nearly as much or more than their male counterparts and with this many are now suffering from stress related illnesses and diseases that men have encountered for years. Staying physically fit helps to lessen stress and strengthens the heart, respiratory and mental Page 3
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functions. By sticking to a regular fitness program, women in high stress work environments may find it easier to perform their jobs and manage their stress levels. Nonetheless, regardless of your occupation, fitness is important for all women. Staying physically fit can aid in every moves made throughout the day. Regular physical activity is vital for good physical and mental health. It helps improve your overall health and fitness, maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk for many chronic diseases and promote good mental health.
Five Inspirational Katie Taylor
O
ver the last 100 years, the role and rights of women have changed beyond all recognition. But, one thing that has stayed constant is the sheer number of awe-inspiring women that exist all over the world. In this article there is five examples of inspiring women. These women come from various sports, walks of lives, countries and economic backgrounds, yet, they all have one thing in common. They have put blood, sweat, tears and years of hard work and dedication into their sport and it has paid off. As time goes by, we get lost in our daily routines and chores and can often forget how much power we hold to change the world and the thoughts of those around us. These women prove that every woman (as well as man) has got the capacity to be inspiring.
All information and pictures used in this article are sourced from TeenVogue.com, Theundefeated.com, Theindependent.ie and Derval.ie
Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player who has held the top spot in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings numerous times over her stellar career. Her career has spanned decades and she is the only person to win the four consecutive Grand Slams in a row. Additionally, she has an impressive Olympic career being one of only three women to ever win both singles and doubles tennis in a single Olympics. Aside from her impressive sports career she has advocated for positive body image at length and racial equality.
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Taylor is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She is an Olympic two-weight world champion, having held the WBO junior welterweight title since November 2019 and previously, the unified WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and Ring magazine lightweight titles between 2017 and 2019, . Taylor is an inspiration for all women in sports proving through her many wins, that women’s boxing deserves the same respect as men’s. Despite her many achievements she has claimed ,“I don't want people to define me by my medals, but by how I live my life”, which solidly cements her status as an Inspirational young athlete.
l Female Athletes Derval O'Rourke
Simone Biles Simone Arianne Biles is an American artistic gymnast. She is an Olympic gold and bronze medallist. Arguably, it is not these amazing achievements that makes Biles inspirational, it’s that she achieved them despite enduring a hard childhood. She and her sister, were raised in poverty by their grandparents after their mother’s struggle with substance abuse problem. In January 2018, Biles revealed that she was one of the many young women who had been sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. She has shown that anyone can achieve greatness through hard work and determination.
Derval O'Rourke is an Irish former sprint hurdles athlete. She has competed internationally in the 60 and 100 metres hurdles and is the Irish national record holder in both events. At the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships O'Rourke won the gold medal in the 60 m hurdles, becoming the first Irish woman to win an indoor world athletics championship. O’Rourke has also competed in the Olympics. She ‘s famed with putting Ireland on the map in the work of sprint hurdling. However, this is not all she has achieved , she has BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies from UCD!
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Misty Copeland Copeland is the first AfricanAmerican to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 76-yearhistory, despite being a late bloomer in the world of ballet. After beginning her career at age 13, Copeland was starting at least 10 years later than most of her peers. Yet, the slight disadvantage was nothing to Copeland. However, the climb to the top was not easy for Copeland as early in her career she struggled greatly due to the lack of diversity in the world of ballet and was rejected by many companies. This didn’t stop her and through hard work and determination she prevailed.
Myth Busters On this months edition of Myth Busters, we’re examining the claims made about fit teas. If you’re an Instagram user, you’ve probably been bombarded with multiple pictures of celebrities and Instagram models promoting fit teas and claiming that fit teas have made them look the way they do. These women pose in edited pictures baring their midriff with a large chest, skinny waist, and long hair, holding a prominent cup of tea and the bag that it comes in. However, these women often fail to mention their personal trainers, personal chefs, plastic surgeries and photo editing software probably had a much bigger role in how they look than fit teas! These fit tea companies all claim the same thing, which is to help you: •
Lose weight
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Burn calories
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Boost your metabolism
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Cleanse and detoxify your body
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Suppress your appetite
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Increase energy levels
Despite these claims, it’s important to note that these teas are considered dietary supplements and due to this, by law, they are not required to provide evidence on anything they claim. This means that despite they may “claim” that drinking this tea will result in weight loss and a metabolism boost, there is published research to show that these statements are true! In reality, these teas can be extremely dangerous and there is no evidence to prove they work. The National Institutes of Health, has found that Senna which is the laxative herb used in many fit teas does not aid in weight lose. On the other hand they did find that senna can cause stomach troubles, cramps and diarrhoea. Meaning that you may loose weight but the only weight to you will loose is water weight through diarrhoea. It was also found that if you’re using it for more than 2 weeks (which most tea plans do), it can cause unusual bowel functions, and changes in electrolyte balance that can lead to heart problems, muscle weakness, and liver damage! To conclude, it seems that fit teas are far from the quick fix we once believed they were! Page 6
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Gym Confidence 5 top tips on how you can increase your confidence when going to the gym! It goes without saying that being confident in yourself when walking into the gym can be a real challenge! Being intimidated of the gym and is a real thing that everyone can go through. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or your new to the gym its always nice to have a confidence boost, so hers 5 tips to help you!
Pick The Right Gym For You
Believe In Yourself
Have A Plan
The most important thing when deciding what gym to join is identifying your needs. What are you looking for from your gym? What types of exercises do you enjoy? What types of people do you want to work out with? If you aren’t interested in body building, maybe don’t pick on a gym that hosts weekly body building competition and mandatory morning Cross Fit classes. There's so many gyms out there, so feel free to shop around and find one that works for you!
When going to the gym it’s imperative that you remember the value of yourself. Do your very best to ignore everyone around you and avoid comparing your self to others as we are all so different. All it takes to see this is to go into the changing room where you will see every shape, size and hair situations then you could ever even imagine. I know at times It can be disheartening to see the woman next to you curling 20pound weights when you are struggling to lift your 5pounders, but remember, Everyone is different and your workout is inevitably going to be unique to you!
It’s easy to find yourself going to the gym and wandering around for a half an hour trying to figure out what to do because you feel so overwhelmed by all of the machines you have absolutely no clue how to use. To avoid this, many gyms offer a complimentary consultations when you sign up to evaluate your body and offer tips on what workouts are best for you . Take advantage of these consultations and get a plan to suit your needs and wants.
Have The Perfect Playlist If your anxious thoughts are getting in the way of you killing your workout, simply drown them out a great workout playlists. Music can do wonders for our mood, so why not take advantage of this? What says “confidence” like doing squats to a Beyoncé song? Or running to the Rocky film soundtrack.
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Remember Why Your There When your in the gym do your best to remember that you're there for you — not for anyone else. Completely Forget about what your fellow gym goers think and concentrate on sweating it out for your physical and mental wellbeing. Besides, chances are everyone else is thinking the same way and couldn't care less that the person next to them just fell off the treadmill or dropped a dumbbell on their foot.
20 Minute Home Workout H
ave you ever meant to go to the gym but then you got so busy that you end up missing it? If so, this is the work out for you. We all have the best intentions of making it to the gym, yet, unfortunately sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances we cant make it. On those days try this quick workout, who doesn’t have twenty minutes to give up from their day? This workout is suitable for all fitness levels meaning anyone can try it. Just make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine if you have any illness, injuries or conditions that may be affected by exercising!
Warmup Before you start, don’t forget to do a 5 minute Dynamic warm up. Make sure to get your heart pumping and your muscles warmed up or you’re just asking for injury. You can run in place, do a few push-ups, jump rope, jog up and down your stairs, and twist and swing your arms and legs to get them moving. Picture Courtesy of mnn.com
Workout Routine In a circuit routine, you’ll do each exercise in succession without a break in between (if you’re able). Once you’ve finished all exercises in the circuit, do it again. If you’re still able after the second run through, go for a third.
1. 20 Body Weight Squats
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Feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
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Slowly bend at the knees and drop your hips to lower your body to 90 degrees, (Knee Level)
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At the bottom of the exercise pause for a moment and strongly push back up to the starting position, mirroring the descent.
2. 10 Push Ups • • • •
Begin with body in neutral position with even balance throughout both hands and toes. Pushing through hands and keeping body in line. Contact the chest muscles and straighten the arms. Hold for a moment, then slowly lower your body by bending through the elbows and keeping neutral alignment To make this easier leave your knees on the floor throughout the whole exercise
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3. 10. Lunges • • • • •
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Engage your core. Take a big step forward with right leg. Start to shift your weight forward so heel hits the floor first. Lower your body until right thigh is parallel to the floor and right shin is vertical. Press into right heel to drive back up to starting position. Repeat on the other side.
4. 15 – 30 second plank • • • • •
Get in the pushup position, only put your forearms on the ground instead of your hands. Squeeze your glutes and tighten your abdominals. Keep a neutral neck and spine. Create a straight, strong line from head to toes – a plank, if you will. Hold that position for 15—30 seconds.
5. 30 Jumping Jacks • • • • •
Stand upright with your legs together, arms at your sides. Bend your knees slightly, and jump into the air. As you jump, spread your legs to be about shoulder-width apart. Stretch your arms out and over your head. Jump back to starting position. Repeat.
All of these exercises come one after another, so you may get tired and that’s okay! It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly.
Cool Down A cool-down relaxes your muscles, lowers your heart rate and breathing from your workout intensity. Similar to a warmup it helps to prevent injuries and it may also help to prevent muscle soreness To cooldown take some deep breaths and do some light stretching.
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Nutrition Corner You are what you eat, right? You don’t need a nutritionist to tell you that if you want to be healthy you should eat nutrient rich foods. As women, it’s essential to consume certain nutrients to help us to feel our best! Yet, you may be asking yourself which foods should I be eating more of and what nutrients are essential for my body? If so, read bellow to find out!
Calcium Calcium is essential to build strong bones and teeth. As we get older our bone density decreases which can lead to brittle bones and conditions like osteoporosis. In order to prevent this its really important to consume calcium rich foods every day! Calcium can be found in lots of foods like milk, cheese, tofu, nuts, green leafy veg like broccoli and kale
Vitamin D Our bodies must have vitamin D to be absorb calcium. However this is not the only job of vitamin D it has lots of other benefits such as , regulating insulin levels and preventing colds and flus by supporting our immune system. Our bodies naturally makes vitamin D as a response to sun exposure, however, when you live in a country like Ireland sun exposure can be hard to come by! So if moving to Spain isn’t in the cards for you, great sources of vitamin D are Fatty fish like tuna or salmon, fortified milk, and egg yolks.
Iron Iron is an essential mineral, especially for women. It is needed to make healthy red blood cells which carry oxygen around our body and provide us with energy. If you don’t have enough iron, your body is unable to make enough healthy oxygen carrying red blood cells. A lack of red blood cells can lead to a condition called anaemia. Anaemia can leave you feeling tired, low on energy, dizzy, finding it difficult to concentrate and having pale skin. Women have a high risk of developing due to having low iron stores as a result of menstruation and not eating enough iron sources to replace the iron lost during this time. In order to avoid this you could take an Iron supplement or incorporate some high iron foods into you diet such as, green veg i.e. spinach and broccoli, nuts, seeds and beans.
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Vitamin C Vitamin C or as it is also known ascorbic acid is involved in many body functions such as, the absorption of iron, the growth, repair and development of all body tissues and the maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth. It also helps to prevent colds and flues! Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits like oranges, lime, grapefruits, as well as lots of other foods like chillies, tomatoes, green and red peppers and leafy greens like
Folate Folate is one of the B-vitamins and is needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow, convert carbohydrates into energy. If you are pregnant or considering getting pregnant folate is essential. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before she is pregnant, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain and spine. Sources of Folate include, Beans, peas, lentils, lemons, bananas, and melons and green leafy vegetables like broccoli.
Healthy Recipes Wondering how to incorporate these nutrients into your diet? Here’s two quick and easy ideas
The Green Machine Ingredients •
2 cups spinach
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1 cup kale
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1 small orange
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½ apple
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½ banana
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¼ cup of yoghurt
1 ½ cup of water
Method 1.
Combine all the above ingredients in a blender and blend.
2.
Pour into a glass
3.
If you like, garnish with a strawberry and fancy paper straw!
Picture courtesy of watchwhatyoueat.com
Nutrient Packed Kale Salad Ingredients •
3 handfuls of kale
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½ cup of roasted butternut squash
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¼ cup of pomegranate seeds
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¼ cup of feta cheese
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2 tbsp sunflower seeds
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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½ tbsp lemon juice
Method 1.
Place kale, pomegranate seeds, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a bowel and mix thoroughly.
2.
Transfer to large plate and place butternut squash on top and crumble on feta cheese.
3.
Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy. Photo courtesy of Kiwiandbean.com
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Puzzle Corner Puzzler's Page
Puzzle Corner
Words to Look For:
Word Search
CONFIDENCE
FITNESS
HEALTH
LUNGE
PLANK
PRESSUP
STRONG
WEIGHTS
MOTIVATION
SQUAT
DUMBBELL
WELLNESS
A Word from the Editor Thank you taking theyou time Take thisfor time to thank …. to read another edition of Femine Fitness. We hope you enjoyed your reading, and found it interesting and informative. P.S. Don’t forget to send us your feedback! let us know your opinions and follow us on facebook, Instagram and twitter @FeminineFitness.
Crossword
Don’t forget to be fit, be strong, be you! X
Hazel Dunne Lynch Editor Across 4. To become better. 5. Fruit that is an excellent source of vitamin C Down
6. Marine animal that's a source of vitamin D
1. 2016 Olympic female gymnastic gold medallist
7. An exercise to tone leg and butt muscles
2. the state of being in good health
8. Nutrient that builds strong bones and teeth
3. a session of vigorous physical exercise or training
9. the state of being free from illness or injury.
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Crossword Answers: 1. SimoneBiles 2. Wellness 3.Workout 4.Improve 5.Orange 6 .Tuna 7.Squat 8. Calcium 9.Health
BARBELL