Kickstart Your Fitness: Tips for Busy Women!

Hi!

I’m Master Trainer Charlie!

Welcome to what I like to call my little corner of the internet, which is all about helping The Busy Woman live a more fit and healthy lifestyle.

As Busy Women, we all have a lot on our plates, and taking the time to care for ourselves may seem daunting!

So let’s talk about how to kickstart your journey in case you don't know where to start when it comes to living a healthier life and starting your own fitness journey.  

That’s why I'm here: to give you actionable, realistic steps that you can use that won't disrupt your day too much and will help you achieve your healthier lifestyle and fitness goals.

First, let's start in the kitchen and talk about nutrition. If you haven’t already, read my tips on setting up your healthy kitchen here. I want to start with our nutrition, as we forget it is possible to out-eat an excellent fitness plan. 

I know that as a Busy Woman, you don't have time to spend all day in the kitchen. Yet, because you are a Busy Woman, you find yourself hopping through the drive-thru for the third time in less than a week despite your efforts to NOT do so. 

I get it. 

Because I've lived it! 

To prevent this from happening, you need to consistently have great-tasting, healthy meals and snacks and even easy and budget-friendly recipes that are readily accessible-on hand, which is necessary if you want to achieve your goals. Meal prepping these delicious meals that work with your busy lifestyle ahead of time also helps you because it will prevent you from being caught out and about while starving, forcing you once again to either be #Hangry or grab more fast food. I don’t know about you, but either scenario isn't my idea of a good time! So, meal prepping helps us stick with our healthy nutrition goals and also keeps us out of the kitchen all the time.  And if you want to master meal-prepping in a way that's not only time-efficient but also in a way that you can purposely align it with your busy schedule, grab your copy of The Busy Woman's Guide To Meal Plan Mastery here.

When it comes to your nutrition, you also don't want to have to always guess what to eat, and you’re tired of eating the same thing on repeat, which can lead to food boredom. Food boredom can cause us to move away from our nutrition program or even resent it. This is where meal planning helps.  Listen, I am a huge planner for All The Things.  So, I don’t prefer playing the guessing game, especially regarding my food.  If you can relate, or even if you can’t and yet don’t want to have another thing on your plate that you have to figure out, grab your copy of any F3 Recipe Pack available on the F3 website! Here, you can simplify your nutrition plan using chef-curated, easy, and delicious recipes when you purchase any lifestyle-specific F3 Recipe Pack, such as Low-Carb, Smoothies, Vegan, or Gluten Free, or if you prefer to have access to rotating monthly chef-curated recipe packs, including plant-based nutrition options, sign up or purchase your F3 Recipe Pack here.

Next, let's talk about exercise.

For women over 40 with fitness goals, moving your body using an effective training program, preferably strength training for at least 45-60 minutes (this can be shorter for higher intensity movement) 3-4 times a week, is needed. That's because as we age, we lose bone density faster than men. However, strength training helps combat this and makes our bones stronger. Also, strength training helps boost our metabolism. This allows us to burn more calories at rest, even while sleeping. And who doesn't want THAT?! 

And yes, bodyweight exercises can also help increase strength. Do a push-up or hold a plank; you will see what I mean! 

So, have an effective training program scheduled. One that includes rest days of course. And if you choose, you can practice using active rest days while doing lower-intensity activities such as walking (unweighted), yoga, or swimming. If you don't know where to start, let me help you use an effective training program to reach your goals when you purchase the F3 28-Day Bodyweight ONLY Training Guide here. It's time-efficient and has strategically placed cardio and rest days. This guide also lets you measure your strength gains as you progress through the program and is designed to be repeatable!

Then give yourself grace. We are often hard on ourselves for not living up to the, at times, impossibly high standards we have placed on ourselves. When this happens, when we fall short...and let me say it, there will be times that WE ALL WILL. When this happens, give yourself grace as a person doing her best. Take a deep breath, remind yourself you are enough, and keep going.

So, to start living your healthy lifestyle, be consistent with your physical movements and daily nutrition and be kind to yourself. Remember, your goal is to aim daily for progress over perfection; lasting results take time.

Lastly but certainly not least, surround yourself with like-minded women who can encourage you to live a healthier lifestyle. There is strength in numbers, and having a positive community you can be a part of is empowering and simply amazing. 

Give these tips a try, and watch your gains come in!

Keep WORKING.

F3. LET'S WORK.

Talk soon.

Your Master Trainer,

Charlie