This post is intended to motivate & inspire women especially mothers who voluntarily decided to improve their health & fitness levels. Improved body image or appearance is just a side benefit of healthy eating and regular exercise. The main benefits being improved overall health, well-being, and decreased risk in weight-related diseases i.e. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, some types of cancers etc. In short, women especially mothers can live longer and stronger to be with our children and enjoy family life better. It’s been 4 months since that varies from crossfit, toning, to plain cardio. It’s something anyone can do at home but I choose to bring my workouts to a gym.

BEFORE & AFTER: April 2015 vs. August 2015 (4 months)

Going to the gym clears my mind and allows me to focus on proper form and completing my sets without any distractions. I don’t go to a fancy gym, it’s just a neighborhood gym that you pay P50 for using.

I also workout just wearing socks and not fancy training shoes

Where to find a program

In my experience, going to the gym or working out without a program is like traveling without a map. There are tons of free workouts, I highly recommend cross training or cross fit if you are just beginning and need to focus on decreasing your body fat. Here’s one I found on YouTube that is very similar to the dynamic workouts I do:

Try doing this thrice a week with 1 day rest in between and see the results.

Working out while on the go

A LOT of times I can’t make it to the gym or just plain need a break from a full workout.

1. I put my rubber shoes on (I don’t even have proper running shoes) and run. You can start with 10 minutes ( 1 minute run, 1 minute break until you complete 10). Overtime you will improve and can run longer with little to no rest in between. Right now, my record is 7 minutes and I’ll work hard so I can join my first marathon.

2. When I am in a building, I try to take the stairs up and down. This is a nice cardio and workout for your legs.

3. YouTube or get a workout from a fitness magazine

Muscle Toning

If you are feeling stronger, add strength training to your workout. Some routines I do before or after cardio:

– Bench press and its variations – Drop sets lunges and squats – Back lateral pull downs – Seated rows

Note: avoid injury with stretching, warm  up, and cool down

Healthy Diet

I’ve written about which focus on getting proper nutrition for our bodies. It’s really true that fitness is 70% diet and 30% exercise. If you want you can even just start changing your diet to a healthier one and you’ll definitely see the results.

It’s not the amount you eat but what you eat

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Disclaimer: I am not a registered nutritionist or fitness trainer. It is best to consult your doctor before starting any health or fitness program. ===========================================

Do you have fitness tips, work in progress, or even before & after pictures to share? Please do so via comments below, we all need the motivation and inspiration to stay fit & healthy for ourselves and families!