Every woman longs for a beautiful hourglass-like figure. The sight of well-shaped models cat-walking on the ramp allures them. They want to be like them. For this, they go for heavy workouts, crash diets, aerobics, which sometimes click and very often don`t.
Ladies Weight Loss Programme aims at understanding a woman`s body and covers 12 weight loss programmes. It provides a comprehensive account on topics ranging from routine slimming for beginners, ways to fight obesity and cellulite, and diet plans to reduce weight to yoga and massage therapies and measures to shed that flab post-pregnancy. It will help you understand the needs and requirements of your body and adopt a suitable simple weight loss programme for yourself.
So ladies, no more fretting and fuming over those extra pounds! The perfect figure that you alwys longed for is just a few pages away.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Parvesh Handa is a renowned Cosmetologist by profession. She has authored over 35 books and is a regular columnist on health, beauty, body, fashion and other women`s topics in reputed magazines and national newspapers.
A journalist associated with the country`s leading publications as News/Feature correspondent, editor of a lifestyle magazine published from New Delhi for several years, an experienced yoga teacher, Parvesh Handa has worked with one of the leading cosmetic manufacturing companies for a number of years as a senior consultant and is presently associated with a herbal cosmetic manufacturing unit in collaboration with the Government of India as the Chief Adviser. She has to her credit the first book on herbal beauty published in India in 1982.
CONTENTS:
1. Routine Slimming Programme for Beginners
2. Programme to Treat Obesity
3. Programme to Fight Watery Overweight
4. Programme to Beat Cellulite
5. Essential Supplements for Fat Burning Programme
6. Recommended Dietary Allowance Programme and Slimming
7. Massage Programme for Slimming
8. Weight Loss Exercise Programme
9. Yoga Programme for Weight Loss
10. Diet Programme for Weight Loss
11. Diet and Nutrition Programme
12. Programme for Pregnancy and Post-natal Body Care
AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
Weight Loss Exercise Programme An active lifestyle is the key to maintain your body, vitality and a youthful look. Those leading a sedentary lifestyle look older and lethargic resulting in premature ageing. If you want to stay young with attractive slim body, choose an exercising programme according to your age. There are people in their late 50s who look as good as if they were in their late 30s. Women who should be at the prime of youth in 30s sometimes look like they are in their 50s. We should no longer assume it as merely the luck of genetics or the result of a pampered lifestyle. Mind you, timely steps to maintain your body with suitable exercise programme can leave it flexible, slim and trim till the end. With body-friendly sculpt and tone workout you may chisel away the extra flab and optimise your physical and mental health.
What are warm up exercises
Perform low-impact aerobic moves for 5-10 minutes after a warm up and before beginning the workout. The best pre-stretch warm up is a five minute, low-impact march on the spot. Take a quick walk around your residential place or dance to your favourite tunes. The aim is to raise your core body temperature. After the warm up, stretch the body muscles and move into the exercise routine. Low-impact aerobic exercise include brisk walking, swimming and cycling – all excellent and gentle on the joints, maintain flexibility and help you stay in shape. Include some form of strength training to maintain strong muscles for good skeletal support.
What is weight loss programme
Most weight loss programmes recommend exercise as a means to burn excess calories. Unfortunately, many of these programmes fail to bring desired result due to unbalanced plan disturbing the balance of serotonin and insulin. The right kind of programme assists any weight loss programme, not only does it relieve stress and help prevent depression, it also corrects imbalances in blood sugar and insulin. It also helps inhibit fat formation. However, never overdo exercise. Unfortunately, many dieting women attack their bodies with such a fury of exercise that prolactin, serotonin and other important hormones go into the stress mode. All you need is about 30 minutes of exercise per day. If you can do more, gradually build up to a higher level. A weight loss programme doesn’t recommend high-intensity exercise. You should follow these guidelines when selecting a programme:
- Find an exercise you enjoy.
- Exercise for at least thirty minutes, five times a week.
- Never exercise to exhaustion.
- Repetitive muscle movements are most effective at elevating serotonin.
- Aerobics, walking, running and dancing are very effective forms of exercise.
- Ancient ‘Hatha Yoga’ and ‘Tai Chi’ are excellent forms of exercise based on a balanced approach to fitness used for the entire mind-body connection.
- Meditation is the ultimate way to reduce stress, lower heart rate and blood pressure. It reduces the hormones associated with stress – prolactin and glucocorticoids. Meditation lowers the thyroid-stimulating hormones creating depression and at the same time increases serotonin activity.
Weight loss programme for women in 20s
When you are in 20s, your metabolic rate is high enough to ensure that a low-fat diet, high in complex carbohydrates coupled with exercise will result in a beautiful body. Hormone levels are ensuring that bones can absorb calcium and increase in density besides gaining muscle mass. Muscle strength is at its peak and the lungs are at their maximum aerobic capacity. Body fat starts to increase and cholesterol levels are creeping up. It is time to get some good, vigorous exercises. A regular weight-bearing exercise helps ward off osteoporosis resulting in paying heavy dividends in later years. Mind this, excessive exercising and dieting can lead to a drop in oestrogen, which means an irreversible loss of bone density and a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.
Best exercise for burning fat includes aerobic exercise such as cycling, jogging, speed walking, step workouts, hip-hop dancing and kick-boxing. Play some fast-paced outdoor games. This increases your fat-free mass or muscle, which burns more calories than fat during the exercise and afterwards when you will idle. An inactive woman starts to lose muscle mass because it slows down her metabolism and will store unused energy in the form of fat not only around hips, buttocks and thighs but around internal organs too. This will also increase the risk of heart disease later on. If you are a busy working woman or involved in family and have hardly 10 minutes to exercise everyday, seize the chance – it will pay handsome rewards in the long run.
Daily workout even for ten minutes will reap benefits. Link daily personal routines and domestic chores to certain exercises such as tightening leg lifts, stomach crunches while standing, pelvic floor contractions and contracting your buttocks while you drive. Bring some form of exercise into family time – be it a walk, a musical dancing game or a swim, exercising bike or a treadmill practice in a health club. If nothing else, walk for 10-15 minutes daily in the morning or evening and go for long walks on weekends. You don’t need to walk fast. The longer you move the more fat you will burn. Along with 1200 mg of calcium a day, do weight bearing exercises like weight lifting, which works together to build bone density.
Weight loss programme for women in 30s
Overall muscle strength drops after the age of 30. Bone mass declines at the rate of one percent a year. The ratio of body fat to muscle increases, so watch out for extra flab. Cholesterol continues to rise, increasing your risk of heart disease. You may continue exercise programme as in case of age 20s. Pregnant women should switch to an exercise that doesn’t stress the particular part of the body. Wrong eating habits lead to anaemia, hyperacidity and bowel problems. A sedentary lifestyle leads to the onset of obesity, joint problems, hypertension, diabetes, varicose veins and even heart disease.
Take proper diet care to nourish your body – to maintain the muscle and bone density and also to keep fat levels down. Make sure that your diet is high in complex carbohydrates. Don’t skimp on protein, it keeps hunger at bay and is useful for muscle repair and maintenance. Calcium, too, plays an important part to help ward off osteoporosis. So opt for low-fat dairy products and leafy green vegetables or take supplements. Always do a pre-stretch warm up before exercise. Avoid strict dietary rules and follow these guidelines:
- Eat until you are 80% satisfied.
- Eat fresh food – preferably steamed, stir-fried or poached.
- Avoid extremes of temperature.
- If you are a non-vegetarian, eat lots of fish and small quantity of meat.
- Avoid alcohol, which may lead to breast cancer.
- Drink ample water – six to eight glasses a day.
- Don’t forget calcium intake. Nutritional experts prescribe a daily dose of 1200 mg.
- Eat lots of garden vegetables, fruits, drink herbal tea.
- Choose whole-wheat chapaties, bread, cereals and unpolished rice.
- Opt for low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese.
- Fats, oil, sugar, desserts and pastries assume dangerous implications as you age.
- Sprinkle minimum quantity of salt in your food.
- Regular physical examination is a must, to monitor weight and detect chronic problems early. Get simple tests done for anaemia and diabetes.
- Avoid eating red meat, milk, eggs, fried foods and sweets.
Weight loss programme for women in 40s
Oestrogen levels begin to drop, making it easier for fat to accumulate around the stomach and waist. Height reduction starts in this age due to weakening of the skeletal structure. Cartilage can suffer wear and tear, so there is less cushioning for bones and joints. Your body is like a machine – if you leave it out carelessly, it will rust. Beat the signs of ageing. Breasts start to lose their firmness as we get older and often become heavy, wrinkled, concave and develop stretch marks. Breasts are made up mostly of fat, so any weight change will affect their shape. Exercising without a proper-fitted bra will result in stretch marks. Even a woman with small breasts will find her breasts grow rapidly in pregnancy. Breastfeeding is responsible for the ‘concave’ look many women have in their upper breasts. Nursing can leave them looking wrinkled and deflated. Wearing a properly fitted bra is the best anti-gravity device. A good bra supports the breasts and helps keep them in good shape. If there is any change in breast size during pregnancy, during periods or when lactating the child, make sure to have a correctly fitted bra.
Exercise can help build up supporting muscles in the area surrounding the breasts. Swimming is a good exercise for the breasts, but don’t forget to wear a swimsuit or bikini with well-fitted cups. Avoid sleeping while wearing a bra. Surgery can make heavy breasts to look smaller. Breast augmentation involves an incision above the breast and putting a silicone or saline implant in this pocket. Mastopexy is a process in which excess skin of breasts is cut away. Ptosis correction is a process to get rid of slack skin to reduce sagging.
Weight loss programme for women after 50
Most of the physical changes we consider natural to ageing are actually due to environmental toxins, lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, excessive drinking and hormonal fluctuations. The symptoms can be delayed or minimised with proper care.
Height reduction begins fast as your skeletal structure starts to weaken. The average woman shrinks about 50 mm by the time she reaches 70. Your lung capacity starts decreasing. By the time you reach 70, it decreases by 40%. The risk of disease rises as your white blood cells are less efficient in fighting off cancer cells and infections. As muscles, ligaments and tendons tighten, you tend to lose flexibility. Extra fat on bottom and thighs becomes a part of the ageing process.
Obesity is common at this age, especially among those who have neglected themselves in 30s and 40s. Menopause itself brings along various problems. It is the female hormone or oestrogen which is manufactured in the body for as long as the monthly cycle continues. Sexual dysfunction sets in the early 50s. There is also an increased chance of breast, cervical and uterine cancer in this age group. Oestrogen helps in maintaining strong bones. After 50, you will need to hike your intake of calcium through milk products, green vegetables and fruits. Soya is very useful at this age, for apart from proteins it also contains phyto-oestrogen, which acts like natural oestrogen in the body.
Women experience the greatest drop in bone mass, especially after menopause. Light aerobic exercises keep fat at bay, muscles intact. The growing age leaves ill effect over the body. The skin on the body and neck gets looser and less elastic. It becomes dry and itchy. Wrinkles become more obvious, brown spots and scaly patches may develop on the body’s skin, pores become smaller, there is less sweat and oil production and the hair shafts become thinner and hair starts greying. An average woman puts on about 6-8 kg between her 40s and 70s. Wrong eating habits and lack of exercise usually shows up during this time. Follow these guidelines:
- Regular walk in the morning or evening.
- There is misconception that yogic asanas are difficult to perform at this age. In fact, yoga is a good way to remain fit and healthy in the 50s and afterwards (if health permits). Seek consultation of a yoga teacher.
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