Recommended fitness methods for women

For the vast majority of ordinary women who have no sports injuries or special diseases, the fitness priority to try first can refer to "small weight strength training > low-intensity aerobic assistance > targeted functional training as needed > high-intensity interval training and careful selection." However, there is no one-size-fits-all standard answer. All choices must be based on your physical condition, life rhythm, and even your current mood. The one that allows you to persist for a long time is the most suitable for you.

I have met many girls who have just started working out, and the first question they asked was "I'm afraid of building muscle mass." To be honest, this worry is really unnecessary - women's testosterone secretion is only about 1/20 of men's. Without the blessing of professional supplements and heavy weight training, at best, they can only tighten the loose muscles, but they will not achieve the level of big shoulders and round waists. Last year, I had a friend who was an e-commerce operator. He used to run 5 kilometers every morning in order to lose weight. After running for two months, his knees hurt and he had to struggle to go up and down stairs. He didn't lose much weight. He also lost a lot of hair due to excessive fatigue. Later, I was advised to switch to strength training three times a week for 40 minutes each time, focusing on compound movements such as hip thrusts, deadlifts, and seated rows. The weight was slowly increased from 2.5kg dumbbells to 10kg. In two months, my waist circumference was reduced by 4cm, and the lumbar pain caused by sitting for a long time was relieved by most. Even eating two more mouthfuls of hot pot did not increase my scale. This is the benefit of strength training to improve basal metabolism. It is much more comfortable than starving and doing aerobics. Of course, if you just aren't interested in lifting weights and just like to practice stretching with a yoga teacher, that's totally fine. There's no need to force yourself to do things you don't like. After all, persistence is the most important thing.

By the way, don’t buy those fancy fitness equipment. It’s really useless. I have a lot of elastic bands and abdominal muscle wheels that have not been dismantled at home. In the end, the most commonly used ones are a pair of comfortable sneakers + a non-slip yoga mat. Wouldn’t it be better to save some money and drink milk tea?

The original intention of many girls to practice strength training is to lose weight. They always think that aerobic is the core of fat burning. In fact, this is not the case. Even if they want to do aerobic, I prefer low-intensity ones. After all, most ordinary women are already tired enough from work, and they have to force themselves to run several kilometers and dance for an hour after work. It is really easy to develop a rebellious mentality and not be able to persevere. Things like brisk walking, elliptical machines, swimming, and even slowly climbing 20 floors are all very cost-effective and low-intensity aerobic exercises. You don't need to compete with others for speed or duration. Just move until your body feels slightly warm. My own aunt suffered from waist pain two or three days before her period, and she couldn't touch the iron at all. She would put on comfortable sneakers and go for a 40-minute walk in a park near her home. She would listen to two episodes of her favorite podcast in the evening breeze. After walking, not only would her bloated stomach be relieved, but she would also not feel guilty at all about "I didn't work out today." I should also mention here that many people on the Internet now advocate "aerobic to lose muscle". In fact, as long as you don't do aerobic for more than 2 hours a day, you won't have this problem at all. You don't need to scare yourself by listening to those extreme remarks.

If you have specific posture problems such as rounded shoulders, hunched back, wide false hips, or postpartum rectus abdominis separation, you can add some functional training as needed. I used to have severely rounded shoulders, and I always felt like my shoulders were slumped and unattractive when I wore a sling to take pictures. After two months of practicing YTWL Birds and Wall Angel with a rehabilitation practitioner, my shoulders are naturally stretched now, and even the shoulder and neck pain caused by sitting for a long time is much better. However, this area is quite controversial. Many people think that functional training is an IQ tax. In fact, the key is whether you practice targeted training - if you just follow the wild videos on the Internet and practice a lot of abdominal crunches while having an anterior pelvic tilt, you will definitely get more injured as you practice. It is best to find a reliable rehabilitation practitioner for an evaluation first, and then practice based on your own problems.

Finally, let’s talk about the high-intensity interval training that is very popular right now, which is what everyone often calls HIIT and Pamela. That’s not to say it’s bad, but it’s really not suitable for most novices. I've seen the news before. This girl doesn't exercise at all. On the weekend, she suddenly practiced high-intensity HIIT for half an hour, and she went to the hospital with a ruptured corpus luteum. It's really dangerous. If you have already had a foundation of exercise for more than half a year and have little time, you can practice for 15-20 minutes 1-2 times a week. If you are just getting started, don’t touch this right away. The gain outweighs the loss.

In fact, after talking so much, the core thing is still the same sentence: fitness is to serve you, not to add anxiety to you. You don’t have to buy a fitness card worth thousands of dollars, you don’t have to rack up an hour to exercise, you can just walk two more stops after get off work, do 10 minutes of stretching at home, or even go hiking and shopping on the weekend, it all counts as exercise. After all, isn’t the original intention of our fitness is to eat deliciously, feel comfortable in body, and look good in clothes? Don't tire yourself out just because of what others say about your "good figure." It's not worth it.