Excess Exercise Can Increase Fat Stores

In exercise, there is a balance between stress relieving and strength building. When we overexercise, the body considers that an increased stress load. Women are designed to store fat in stressful situations. I encourage you to emphasize being in your body as a joyful time and a way to relieve stress. Use your walks to calm yourself and only walk for as far as you enjoy it. Going beyond that distance can quickly exhaust you and reverse the purpose of the walk from stress release to stress creation.

Incorporate relaxing movement into your daily routine. For example, every hourish take 3 full exhales with your eyes closed. This practice can lower your stress level by as much as 30%. Another example is placing legs up the wall making sure to press down on one hip and then the other to release tension in the hips. Avoid legs up the wall during the bleeding portion of your menstrual cycle.

Strength training is extremely valuable. To build strength, consider 5 minutes in the morning of core strength building exercsies. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is great for fat burning and increasing metabolism. When doing these, always modify the exercises. Examples of modifications are keeping one or both knees/legs down, reducing the amount of the twist. Do not do exercises that fling your entire torso up or down. Start building strength in the thighs and bottom first.