They do crash dieting, they exercise beyond their physical capacity, they take certain medicines, and sometimes they go under operations and surgeries. All these are options, but sometimes, we are too focused on getting what we want that we don’t notice that there are actually ways that are way simpler.

To be consistent with the example mentioned above about women and their struggle for a flat tummy and the various ways they try to get exactly what they want, they sometimes look way beyond the box and forget that there are actually several other stomach exercises that would do the job with less the pain of not eating for weeks, and the danger that exercising too much poses.

The best example for this is walking. Walking could be the easiest activity one could do. It is not time consuming and no equipment is needed to be bought for it. However, people think that jogging is just good for the heart and the muscle areas in a person’s lower extremities. However, this is just another fitness misconception.

As we all know, walking, running and jogging are cardio exercises. Cardio exercises are not only meant to regulate the heart rate and the circulation of blood in our body, it also has an effect in our metabolism. Cardio exercises make our metabolism fast enough to prevent the build up of fats and cellulite in our stomach. In short, even simple cardio exercises can do the job. You need not spend a lot and put your life in danger’s way.

Of course, these exercises must be partnered with enough sleep, proper diet and discipline. To bust another misconception, it actually helps if you eat more often. Eating several small meals throughout the day will boost your metabolism and help you burn more calories. However, as often as you eat, you must also be aware to lessen your calorie intake.

Stick with those which are rich in fiber and are antioxidants. Also, water should be your new best friend. It is important for you to know that most of those times that you feel hungry, your body is not actually asking for food; it is actually your body’s call for more fluid.

All of these boil down into a single point: workout routines must not be a torture. Beauty should not be painful. May this serve as a shout-out to all who work really hard to get that fabulous flat stomach. Stop whatever you are doing or are planning to do. If you are taking something, throw them away. If you are up for an operation, cancel. What you need to do is to have some sleep, eat more fiber-rich foods and peaceful walk around your place at sunrise. That is how the cookie crumbles.

The hips, back of the arms and the mid section together with the inner thighs are the areas that women are very problematic about. Now there are a lot of claims that exercises for inner thigh are very helpful in reducing the spots. Newsflash: It is not true. This is because there no such thing as specific exercises for inner thigh since your inner thighs store all the fat that your body takes in.

A whole body exercise is good, yes, because it can burn fats in your body evenly. However, for the problem areas in a woman’s body, a specific exercise for a certain body part to get rid of the fat and tone up the muscles is impossible. The only way to make yourself in perfect shape without those excess fats is to make your metabolism work fast and to do this you must first create a good exercise habit.

In order to do all these, you must educate yourself and learn more about the exercises for women. It is a fact that exercises for men and women are different. When men enjoy going to the gym and trying to broaden and boost their muscles up, women on the other hand exercise for their muscles located in their backs and abdomens. Exercises for women that are made especially for them are also crucial because we all know that men and women have different body structures. There are certain body parts of women that need to be shaped up more than the men.

A woman’s body is a haven and a temple and it needs to be taken cared of. Doing exercises are very important because women age differently from men. Since women undergo more bodily changes than men, there is a need to live healthier to avoid those unwanted love handles showing everywhere. Eating the right kind of food combined with the right exercise is the perfect weapon to keep women stunning and beautiful inside and out.

Paying more attention to a good exercise and a healthy diet will absolutely pay off later in a woman’s life. Taking care of yourself now will be good for the future and you can do your duties and responsibilities as a woman well if you start taking care of yourself now. So live a health-conscious life. Just bear in mind that you have to do the right exercise that is suitable for you and your body. Stay healthy, exercise regularly and be happy!

Some of the diet plans that I tried that failed were Atkins, Weight Watchers, protein shakes, the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet and the points diet.

I could not wrap myself around some of the stranger combination diets because they ultimately gave me indigestion, so I was unable to stay with them for any length of time. I did try doing the fasting thing, but it gave me massive amounts of problems with my bowls, so I couldn’t stay with it.

The most successful diet I have ever done, and believe me, I have tried them all, was exercise and eating sensibly. I did this when I was in my 20s and not only did I lose the weight but it stayed off for several of years. My food consisted of a list of healthy suggestions that I received from my doctor, and an ever faithful calorie counter.

Instead of using the heavy fatty foods, I was more careful and used the low calorie alternatives. Instead of using butter, I used low cal margarine. Instead of eating ice cream, I ate Weight Watchers ice cream.

I denied myself nothing, but if I slid and made up for it by watching what I ate at the next meal. I tried to keep to 1200 calories and it worked well. As far as exercise, yes I participated in several different types.

I did weights before bed for upper arm and strength, also did these belly fat exercises. I did cardio with the Jane Fonda work out tapes and the Cosmopolitan work out tapes and exercise for love handles. It helped burn a lot calories and helped me feel strong while I was working the diet.

The other good aspect of working out was that it sped up my metabolism. So, if I had a bad day, it didn’t send me into a back spin.

I started in January, when I weighed close to 250 pounds. I bought a bike, and started to ride the bike trail every morning for an hour. I’d heard somewhere that the more you sweat, the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose so I would wrap myself in plastic wrap, and then put on my sweat suit over it.

To me the hardest thing about excising is actually getting started, and when I don’t see results right away, I get really discouraged, but I stuck with it and it finally began to pay off!

I began to drink more water instead of the sodas that I loved. I stopped buying sugar and after a few days lost the craving altogether.

I reduced my portions, and ate lots of raw veggies.

If I wanted a snack I grabbed an apple instead of a donut. I never ate anything heavier than a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread past six p.m., and gave up my love of ice cream in favor of fat free frozen yogurt.

In May I enrolled in school and took a physical conditioning class four days per week, in addition to still riding my bike everywhere instead of taking the car.

The instructor was a tyrant, and he pushed us to go the extra mile. I remember the first week of class, every muscle in my arms, stomach, legs burned, but I worked through it and my body adapted.

We would start class with about forty-five minutes of calisthenics, and ended with about half hour of circuit training.

I avoided weighing myself on the scale, and just used a measuring tape instead. Of course it took some time to see any real progress, but my clothes were fitting me better, and I could feel my energy level increasing.

By the end of the summer, I was down to 170 pounds, and fitting nicely back into my fav size 12 jeans.

I do this with an empty stomach, in order for my workout to attack the fat. After my workout I eat yogurt, which is known to increase metabolism.

I drink only water, diet green tea (for the herbs), and things with 0 calories.

Fruit juice isn’t nearly as nutritious as regular fruit and pop is just empty calories.

Approximately three hours after eating yogurt, I have lunch. This is my biggest meal of the day, yet it’s still pretty lean.

A piece of white meat (chicken or turkey) and a pasta or vegetable.

I wait about 2 hours and start my mid day workout. This could be exchanged with after super for those who work during the day.

Before I start my workout, I have some whey protein. I do:

140 sit ups (7 sets of 20)

140 leg ups (7 sets of 20)

100 pushups (5 sets of 20)

I switch this with lifting light weights and high reps every other day. I increase my reps about once every month by 5. I follow either of the two with doing at least twenty minutes of cardio.

Wednesday is my day off. After the workout I have another protein shake with whey protein.

I have the protein even on my day off to ensure muscle repair. I follow this by a snack with carbs (i.e. granola bar, oatmeal, ect…).

Three hours later I eat dinner and three hours after that I have a small snack (chips and salsa usually).

Right before bed, I have another protein shake (excluded on my day off).