Hello Ladies!
Today will be the last installment of the health and fitness series, concluding with the hourglass shape. Why are some women an hourglass shape, perhaps even including you? The main reason is that the estrogen and progesterone hormones in the body are fairly balanced, meaning there isn't one that is dominant over the other, which is reflective in the balanced body proportions, specifically the bust and hips.
Now that you have an idea as to WHY you have an hourglass figure, let's get into some of the health and fitness tips specifically beneficial for this shape.
1. AVOID foods HIGH on the Glycemic Index
a. These foods are digested quickly and release sugar into the bloodstream, making you feel hungry more frequently
i. When the sugar (glucose) is converted into energy and the body uses up all the required energy, it then converts the rest of that sugar into fat!
ii. These foods include:
*White bread, pasta, potatoes, bananas, white rice, and sweets
** Anything made with white flour and sugar as the core ingredient
2. AVOID foods containing high saturated fat
a. Processed meat
i. Hotdogs and bacon
b. Meat with high fat content
i. Steak (eat sparingly, such as once every 2 weeks or once a month!)
c. If you enjoy eating meat, opt for lean cuts with the fat that you are able to remove
i. Chicken breast, turkey breast, and sea food (specifically fish)
d. Eat foods that contain good fats
i. Avocados
ii. Nuts
3. AVOID eating too much whole milk dairy
a. Opt for 1-2% instead
b. Almond ( I HIGHLY SUGGEST THE SILK BRAND)
c. Coconut (I HIGHLY SUGGEST THE SILK BRAND)
d. Avoid too much ice-cream, sour cream, and cream cheese
4. Eat veggies that don't contain a lot of starch or are low in the glycemic index
a. Artichokes
b. Eggplant
c. Greens
i. Broccoli
ii. Brussel sprouts
iii. Spinach
d. Cabbage
i. Green and/or bok choy
e. Swiss chard and leeks
f. Peppers
g. Mushrooms
5. Eat fruits low in sugar
a. Apples
b. Plums
i. Apricots
ii. Nectarines
iii. Peaches (limit to once a week)
c. Berries
i. Blueberries
ii. Strawberries
iii. Raspberries
d. Melons
i. Cantaloupe
ii. Watermelon
e. Citrus
i. Pineapples
ii. Lemon
iii. Grapefruit
f. Papaya (EXCELLENT for aiding with digestion!)
g. Guava
I always suggest consuming protein shakes to help optimize your workout results, especially if you're weight training! DO NOT CONSUME ANY PROTEIN
THAT HAS SOY AS AN INGREDIENT! It's pre-cancerous causing and is a low quality protein!
1. Protein powders
a. I HIGHLY suggest the Vega Sport performance protein in their recover option. They also offer pre-work out and work out drinks, if you enjoy those as
well.
i. They contain NO dairy, gluten, soy, or additional sugars!
2. Multivitamins
b. Multivitamins
i. These are essential because no matter how much we try, we don't always get in our daily needed intake of fruits and veggies. Multivitamins help
fill in any missing holes and help increase our overall vitality!
* I suggest the brand Alive!, which you can find at your local supermarket or New Chapter's Every Woman Multivitamin sold in health food store
c. Consume a vitamin D3 supplement
i. I suggest starting off with 1000IU then gradually work your way up to 5000IU. This supplement is great for your bone health and supports a
healthy immune system, as well as helps in preventing various cancers.
Everyone in my house takes this supplement, including my 12 year old step-daughter (she takes 1000IU). She was born anemic and would get
sick VERY easily and now, she probably catches a cold once a year, as do my husband and I, which lasts like a day!
d. Green Superfood
i. If you find that you just can't always cook with the veggies you need OR your spouse and family members have a different body shape, which
prevents them from tolerating certain fruits and veggies, you can use the organic fruit and veggie powder and mix it into a smoothie or water and
you'll have your needed amount for the day. Plus, it's cheaper than purchasing all organic fruits and veggies so often
NOW FOR THE FITNESS:
1. Dumbbell curls
2. Triceps pushdown with a rope attachment
3. Decline EZ bar triceps extension
4. Chair dips
5. Shoulder cycles
6. Overhead tricep extensions
c. Ab workouts:
1. Prone plank
2. The climb up
3. Single leg stretch
4. Ab crunch machine
d. Leg Workouts (ALL DONE USING MY ANKLE WEIGHTS) 3 SETS of about 10-20 reps (depending on what you can do, yet with a challenge):
1. Squats (using free weights, "dumbbells" as well as the smith machine at the gym)
2. Walking lunges
3. In place lunges
4. Hip adductor and abductor machine
5. The glute machine
6. Russian deadlifts
7. One leg deadlifts
8. Leg press
9. Calf raise
The last thing I want to mention is that you must be drinking plenty of water to help flush out toxins and regulate your blood flow. I highly suggest you eliminate sugary drinks from your diet, since they have NO BENEFIT to your heath and in your case, they cause way more harm than good.
So how do you know how much water is enough? Well, simply multiply your current weight by 2/3 (or .67=67%) and the number you get is the amount of oz you should be drinking daily.
I hope you found this post helpful in working with your body from the inside out!
Disclaimer: Please consult your physician before making any significant changes to your diet and work out routine to know if it's best for your specific needs!
XO,
