Wednesday is National Women’s Health & Fitness Day, a nation-wide effort to focus attention on the importance of regular exercise and healthy living for women.
For many women, days can seem like endless juggling acts: shuttling kids to and from school or activities while trying to keep up with busy work schedules. Exercise, often like that last load of laundry, can be left in the lurch.
That’s why women need to change their definition of exercise. Workouts don’t have to be an hour long. A quick 20 minutes is better than nothing.
Women can make sure they’re accomplishing fitness throughout the day ““ and monitoring their results ““ by using sophisticated pedometers such as Fitbit wristbands, Jawbone UP24 wristbands and Nike Nike+ FuelBand SE wristbands, which all track a person’s activity level.
Also, it isn’t hard for women to reach 10,000 steps per day ““ the number of steps recommended by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Walking your kids to the park, playing in the backyard or parking farther away from a store or office building are all easy ways women can add exercise into their days.
And any barriers to exercise should be eliminated. The number one item on that list of barriers? You guessed it: guilt.
Women often feel guilt when they take the time to exercise, but they shouldn’t. A woman who is well rested, eats a healthy diet and gets plenty of exercise is more equipped to be a better mother, spouse and friend.
An estimated 50,000 women are expected to participate in local events at more than 500 locations across the U.S. For more information, please visit the HIRC website at http://www.fitnessday.com/women/index.html.
