Why French Women Stay Thin Without Obsessive Dieting Or Exercise – Part 3
In part two of this article I covered the first 3 principles that American women can follow to benefit from the same attitude that many French women have regarding food and exercise. Below are the final 4 easy steps that women can take that will burn calories and add to fitness.
- Get a few light dumbbells that weight between 3-5 pounds. This is particularly important if you’re over the age of 40. Do a bit of resistance training such as curls and other movements that will help keep your upper body well toned. This type of training will also help preserve your bone density too.
- Get yourself a bicycle and use it on a regular basis. In the United States cycling is often looked at as child’s play or a past time for more serious triathletes or competitive cyclists. The French and European women tend to view cycling as a form of transportation. They will cycle to shops and to run errands instead of using cars.
Cycling is an excellent form of exercise even if you are peddling at slow speeds. It has mild aerobic qualities that are known to strengthen your heart. It is a low impact activity, which keeps your joints, ligaments and tendons flexible. It reduces stress and has a tendency to boost your mood. It also burns up calories, which adds to weight loss.
- Get involved in some form of yoga. It’s a great stress reliever; it improves your posture and helps you to develop longer and leaner limbs. It also raises your metabolism by working most all of the muscle groups and it promotes a general form of body wellness.
- As mentioned before, whenever possible walk upstairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator. The French are used to walking up three or four flights of stairs on a daily basis. Rarely do we walk upstairs in the United States. You might find this illuminating but an hour of climbing stairs burns an amazing 1100 calories.
Finally, it’s important to remember that if you over exert yourself at exercise you will eventually burn yourself out and give up completely. If you exercise moderately and add simple activities into your daily life you will stay fit without torturing yourself. In the end you will be able to continue these activities because they are simply part of your daily routine in life.