Exercising Smarter, Not Harder
As busy women, we struggle to fit in our exercise. We may rise at the crack of dawn to do a gym workout before the kids wake up, squeeze in a weight training session during our lunch breaks, or take a late exercise class before we go to sleep at night. With all our efforts, the last thing we want to discover is that our workout plan is not helping us achieve our fitness relationship goals.
Unfortunately, many women spend weeks, months, and even years with ineffective exercise routines—a waste of valuable energy and time. Luckily, with Curves, the workout routines for women are carefully designed to maximise efforts, and the Curves Coaches will help you develop the most enjoyable, efficient, and effective fitness program for you.
Common Exercise Mistakes
To better target your fitness plan for women to your own personal goals, first, you must realise what you could be doing wrong with your current exercise routine. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
The same old, same old
Maybe it’s 30 minutes on the treadmill at the same pace every day, or a walk around the same block in your neighbourhood. No matter what you’re doing, if it’s always the same, you’re setting yourself up for a physical and mental rut.
A solo exercise routine.
If you’re working out alone, you’re missing out on two key elements of an effective workout plan for women—accountability and camaraderie. An exercise buddy will help you stick with your gym workout and make it more fun.
An inflexible exercise routine
If you only exercise outside, you’ll be likely to skip your workout during torrential rain. And if you only work out at the gym, you’ll miss your activity on those days you just can’t get there. Create a workout plan you can adjust to your current situation, and you’ll be able to stick to it every time. With MyCurves On Demand, you can workout anywhere, anytime!
Exercising on an empty stomach
Doing your gym workout without the proper fuel is like trying to drive 80 kilometres when you only have enough gas in your car for 20. It’s impossible to perform at your best during the Curves circuit if you haven’t eaten properly. Even a simple protein snack will help fuel your muscles before and after a workout.
Tips to Exercise Smarter
Now that you know some of the things to avoid, here are some of the most important elements of an effective workout routine for women.
Put your workout in your weekly plan
Schedule your gym workouts like other meetings or appointments and put them in your calendar. You wouldn’t casually cancel a meeting with a colleague, so give yourself the same respect when it comes to your exercise routine.
Balance your physical activity
Plan for a different type of activity on each day, so you’ll be sure to vary your routine. For example, the Curves circuit or MyCurves On Demand on Monday, Body Basics class on Tuesday, a walk with friends on Wednesday, circuit on Thursday, Balance class on Friday, walk through your neighbourhood Saturday, rest on Sunday.
Warm up and cool down
The first three machines in the Curves circuit are used as a warm up and the last three machines are used to cool down. With MyCurves On Demand, it’s the first and last six moves for warm-up and cool down. Warming up and cooling down after a workout will help improve your mobility and flexibility and help prevent injuries. And remember: the best time to stretch is at the end of your exercise routine, when your muscles are warm and pliable.1
Fuel with the right foods.
The best fitness program for women starts with good pre-workout fuel. After all, an important part of following a healthy eating plan is consuming the right foods at the right times. About 30 to 60 minutes before a gym workout, go for a combination of protein and carbohydrates—an apple with peanut butter, a scrambled egg and whole grain bread, or low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit.2
Rejuvenate with a rest day
A day of rest in between gym workouts for women allows the body to repair tissues that have been damaged by the stresses of exercise. During a rest day, the cells that repair damaged muscle proteins and other tissues have time to repair areas that need attention. This repair process sets you up for your best possible performance during subsequent gym workouts.3
You know better than anyone the precious nature of your workout time, so make every minute of your exercise routine count. By hitting the Curves circuit and getting tips on exercises for women from your professionally trained Curves coach, you’ll maximise your workout program, exercise at top efficiency, and achieve all your weight loss and fitness relationship goals.
The Curves women’s gym workout is convenient, combining strength training and cardio plus stretching – all in just 30 minutes – to strengthen your whole body. For more information about Curves and the full body workouts the Curves Circuit provides, visit ‘Why Curves’.
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