work out - Gastric Bypass Gal

Set Those Sweats Aside: How to Look Cute While Working Out

Looking cute while working out? I know, It seems like a crazy concept. As a rule, about halfway into a workout, a woman should start looking less than perfect. It’s just one test of how good your workout was. However, there are ways to look cute and fashionable as you head to the gym, or even when you wear your gym clothes to run errands before walking into that Pilates or kickboxing class.

Here are a few hints to look adorable as you go:

Invest in Good Clothes

It may seem easier to pull on some old sweats and a baggy t-shirt to go to the gym, but getting some nice workout clothes may motivate you to put them on and show them off.　Sweaty Betty has yoga pants and a sports bra for every occasion. Get a few sets that you really like and that match your shoes. It’s also important for your workout clothes to fit well. Invest in some that fit your body, even if you’re not at your ideal size. You can get new ones later to celebrate your weight-loss accomplishments.

Put On a Little Makeup

You’ll want to stare at yourself much more in those weight-lifting mirrors if you add a little makeup to your face. Don’t put on a lot – especially if you will sweat most of it off. Just bits of mascara and lip gloss will add some style to your look without looking like you’re trying too hard. They will awaken your eyes and bring out that healthy glow in your complexion.

Style Your Hair

A straight-out-of-bed style may work for some, but if you’re going to see friends and attractive guys at the gym, take just a couple minutes to spruce up your ponytail before heading out the door. A few bobby pins and a high pony, or a messy top knot or bun will add a bit of beauty to your locks and stay securely in place as you work out. It only takes a few minutes but can do a lot for your confidence and even motivate you to get to the gym and form friendships to keep you working out.

8 Things To Do While Walking On a Treadmill

What do you do while you’re walking? Do you listen to music or watch the tv’s at the gym? What if I told you that you could actually be productive while exercising? Try out some of these ideas to improve your work out time even more by doing something that frees up other time during the day.

Read your emails. Reading emails is something that we do every day. Why not make use of the time you’re walking on a treadmill by going through your inbox and spam on your phone?
Catch up on your Facebook feed. Friends post sometimes once an hour. Instead of checking your phone time and time again throughout the day to see who posted what, why not do it while you’re exercising and free up all of that other time you would have used?
Catch up on your favorite shows on Netflix or your cable app. You watch the tv in front of you at the gym, why not watch your phone instead? Fit in one or two shows while you are walking on a treadmill for an hour. You get to catch up and exercise at the same time. Win win!
Work. If you work from home you have most likely developed a way that you can work from your mobile device if you aren’t by a computer. Take that into consideration when exercising.
Read a book or magazine. That book that’s been sitting in the shelf forever deserves to be read, and unless you get dizzy or a stomach ache while walking and reading, it’s a good alternative to mindlessly walking.
Catch up with a friend. If you and a friend both go to the same gym, set up a time to go together and catch up. Talking with someone always makes the time go faster when walking on a treadmill.
Meal plan. This one involves your mobile device as well. Look up recipes and use a calendar or meal plan app to plan a week or even a months worth of meals. Planning meals while exercising will also encourage healthier meal choices.
Make an amazon wish list. When someone asks you what you want for your birthday or the holidays, it’s easy to send them over to an amazon wish list. They can even purchase and ship it to you gift wrapped right on amazon. Browse items on amazon and add them to your list while you’re on the treadmill.

So what are you going to do the next time you work out? Let us know!

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How Much Exercise is Enough?

You know you need exercise to be healthy, but how much exercise is enough? Well, that’s a very good question. It doesn’t have a simple or straight answer. To find the answer yourself, you need to know how much exercise for what? Are you looking to lose weight, to maintain a weight, to train for an event, to keep a healthy heart? There are too many factors involved to give a one-size-fits-all answer. We’re going to look at some points to help you decide this for yourself, though.

Here are some ways to know how much exercise is enough:

According to the CDC, adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities. This is the recommended minimum to remain healthy. So, if that’s what you’re going for, then this is a good guideline to start with.
If you’re looking to lose weight, then you’re going to need to burn more calories than you take in. In addition to the CDC’s recommended daily exercise requirements, you’re going to need to push a little harder. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 150 to 250 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity yields only modest weight-loss results, and to lose a significant amount of weight, you may need to perform moderate-intensity exercise more than 250 minutes per week. This is in addition to eating a quality, healthy diet.
If you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, or your cholesterol levels, you may want to add about 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous workouts several days a week. Be sure you talk to your doctor first to ensure you are healthy enough for this increased exercise, especially if you have cardiovascular health issues.

Ideally, you will mix your exercise up with some aerobic activity and some strength-training activity.

It doesn’t have to be long runs or lifting heavy weights. You can work at your own pace and strength level, but a mix of both types of exercises regularly will be healthiest for you. You can walk daily, and do strength training 2-3 days a week, for example.

As a general rule, you should try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. This could be just a nice walk, or playing basketball with your children. It could also be 30 minutes at the gym. You don’t need to slave away in the gym all day. Again, it all depends on your goals and what you’re trying to achieve with your fitness and exercise plan.

Now that you have a better idea of how much exercise is enough, you can plan your own workout routines.

Loose Weight Without the Gym Membership

Have you been trying to lose weight? Are you considering joining a gym to help jumpstart your weight loss goals? The truth is, you don’t have to join a gym and pay those exorbitant fees to lose weight. There are quite a few simple ways to lose weight without the gym membership!

Here are just a couple of ideas to get you moving and losing:

Eat healthy

This is the simplest of suggestions that starts at home. Your diet has nothing to do with the gym anyway, so this is a great first step. Next time you shop, look for those healthy foods that you know you should be eating anyway.

Exercise DVDs

Believe it or not, many of the exercise DVDs that are out there really can get you moving. Many big name, reputable trainers such as Jillian Michaels and Shaun T are available via an often inexpensive DVD and you can work out in the privacy of your own home (a huge benefit for those of us that are uncomfortable exercising in public).

You can find some great deals on workout DVDs at Amazon by the way. 🙂

Exercise Equipment

If you are serious about losing weight and if you have the room, look into purchasing your own exercise equipment such as an exercise bike or elliptical machine. My suggestion is to check out Craigslist or other classified sites because there are many many people out there who buy a brand new piece of equipment only to use it a couple of times and give up. You might as well put that gear to good use while saving money over buying new.

Hiking

If you like nature, hiking is one of the best forms of exercise you can get. Hiking provides you with excellent cardio fitness while offering you a chance to enjoy the sites, the views and the nature that is all around you. Many of us don’t realize how many hiking trails are nearby, but chances are if you do a quick internet search for hikes near your location, you will find a significant number of trails within an hour’s drive all waiting for you to explore them!

Remember to always be prepared with emergency supplies while hiking and once you become more accustomed to it, make sure to add a pack to your gear. The extra weight increases the amount of calories that you burn.

If you don’t want to tackle the hiking trails and hills just yet, start with a walk through your neighborhood or local park. You will still see some great scenery, get lots of fresh air and get a great workout!

5 Foods to Eat After Your Workout That Will Help You Keep off the Pounds

You just finished your workout and you’re starving but you don’t know what the best foods are, and you don’t want to undo the work you’ve put in today. Here are 5 foods to eat after your workout that will help you keep off the pounds. The foods you’re about to read about focused primarily on carbs and proteins. Proteins help in muscle growth, and carbs provide our body with the fuel they need.

5 Foods to Eat After Your Workout That Will Help You Keep off the Pounds

Chocolate Milk
Ever since I learned about this one, I’ve been drinking it after every single workout. Chocolate milk is loaded with nutrients that are incredibly beneficial for a post workout regimen. Including protein, water to replenish fluids lost through sweat, and sugar, sodium and calcium. The last three are great for water retention, energy and to help you recover from that last leg day that you’ve been putting off for too long.
Tuna and crackers are an awesome post-workout food.
It’s as easy as throwing a can of yellow fin tuna in a bowl, crushing up a handful of whole grain crackers and mixing it up. You can put in relish, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.
Chicken stir fry with white rice.
Chicken is loaded with protein and niacin which helps carbohydrate metabolism. White rice has a high glycemic index which helps replenish your muscles with glucose quicker.
Humus and pita.
A lot of people substitute humus for post workout meats, since it’s made from chick peas. It’s a great source of protein and carbs. Combining humus with whole grain pita bread will kick your post workout recovery into overdrive.
Salmon.
Salmon is a nutritional powerhouse. Loaded with proteins and omega-3s. If you’re feeling adventurous, pair your salmon with a side of mashed sweet potatoes which are high on the glycemic index and tastes AMAZING.

The food you eat after a grueling workout is just as important as what you eat before you work out. If you want to back on the muscle and keep off the fats, following these 5 foods to eat after your workout that will help you keep off the pounds is a huge step in the right direction. It’s a huge step in the healthy direction and in the direction of a healthier you. Are there any foods that you swear by for post workout nutrients? Which one of these 5 do you think you would enjoy the most? Let us know down below in the comments! Thanks for reading!

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How To Score A Six Pack For Cheap

If you’re looking to get some six pack abs, there are a few things you need to know about how to achieve them! It’s not simple, but it’s also not as hard as you might think. We ALL have them, it is just the simple fact that many of us have them more padded than others. (Mine are VERY well insulated and I’m working on fixing that)

How To Score A Six Pack For Cheap

For starters, six packs are made primarily in the kitchen. Of course you’ll need to exercise them as well and incorporate some ab workouts in to your routine, however, the kitchen is where the magic happens! If you want a six pack, you need to put just as much work in the kitchen as you do at the gym. Eating fatty foods will only continue to hide the abdominal muscles underneath with a layer of belly fat.

So naturally your first step should be to throw away all junk food. Anything that is overly processed is only going to hinder your six pack progress, so get rid of it. You want to fill your house with fresh fruits and vegetables, and lots of protein. Chicken, beef, fish, and beans and legumes are great sources of protein. Additionally, snacks like hummus are full of protein, so it’s good to keep things like that on hand for when you’re needing to snack between meals. What’s nice about this, is eating clean is actually much, much cheaper. It sometimes can seem like it’s more expensive, but filling your house with produce and proteins and less processed food actually is less of a financial burden. If you shop at local farmer’s markets for produce, you’ll absolutely see a decrease in your grocery bill, and also in your belly.

While your diet is the primary source of six pack progress, you’ll also need to do workouts. Crunches are a great way to work your abdominal muscles, but you would need to do tons of them to strengthen your core enough to achieve a six pack. There are many other ways to work your core, and even plenty without having a costly gym membership. Of course the goal here is to get a six pack for cheap, so you don’t want to worry about the price of a membership. The best workouts for abs that are cheap can be found on YouTube! You can do the Jillian Michaels 6 Week Six-Pack Abs Workout and it’s totally free!

It’s important to note that there are many factors into achieving the six pack you want, but it is easily forgotten that as long as you’re putting in the work, you will eventually reach your goal. It might take time, but it’s worth it in the end. Clean up your diet, start working those abs (for free!) and get to it!

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