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Home | Health-and-fitness | Exercise
Make Sure You Get The Right Program For You 
By: Marie Wilson
It's a proven fact that women get motivated to get out there and get in shape in a different way then men go about it. But for both genders, that thing that makes you get out of bed and get down to the gym which is your motivation system will be the key to your success in your exercise program. And if you have a firm vision of what you want out of your exercise program, you will know every step of the way if it is working for you.
Men's exercise programs are specific to a man's body and mentality so they usually focus on weight lifting and building muscle. Guys get a real rush from power lifting kinds of work outs and it seems to fit with that "pump you up" mentality that men like to use for their motivation for getting in shape.
Women's exercise programs are geared to different motivations that we have when going to work out or to the gym. One of the primary motivations very often is the desire to lose weight. So to accomplish this goal, there might be some emphasis on weight room workouts, primarily to focus on the stomach muscles and on stretching.
The need to include cardio workouts in your total program cannot be overlooked. But there is a good variety of cardio sports for you to consider including tennis, running and even swimming. To create a program without a balance of weight training and cardio is both ineffective and unhealthy.
The purpose of adding stretching and weight training to a good program of cardio exercises and diet control is that we want to replace the fat we lose with healthy muscle. But something more is needed than even a perfectly balanced program of exercise and diet that accomplishes your physical goals. And that thing that has to be part of any ongoing program that is going to work long term is that the time you spend working out must be enjoyable.
For anyone to want to stay with an exercise program, the activities you do during your work out must be "fun" and social and this is certainly true of programs designed for women. Because we are such social creatures, you will do better if you can enjoy our workout time with a girlfriend or at an all woman's gym where you can relax and focus on your exercise. And if you add a good variety to what you do each day, that helps tremendously with being able to stick with your program long enough to see real results.
If one week you focus on jogging, another on tennis, then a week of swimming and then some volleyball or racquetball and you mix that up with weight training and time on the stair steppers or treadmill, you can keep a good variety to your program and keep yourself active in your quest for a slimmer healthier you.
If you make sure your program is both well balanced and interesting and fun, you will come away with a work out regimen that is something you can do day after day and week after week. In this way, you will see the weeks turn into months and finally your healthy program will turn into a healthy lifestyle. And when you exercise the girl's way, the lifestyle changes are just what we need to get healthy and stay that way for the long term.
Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles
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