The Ideal Weight Loss Program for Women

Losing weight with diet and exercise is quite possible unless you are suffering from any major health ailments. The process of the surgeries, liposuction, etc., are not at all required if you are fit from within. You should follow a diet consisting of green vegetables, salads, citrus fruits and a plenty of water. Perform exercises under the guidance of your fitness trainer to avoid any form of muscle injuries during your mid age. Check out the correct weight loss program for women from the tables below.

Weight Loss Regimen
Diet
Breakfast Have complex carbohydrates in the form oatmeal. Cornflakes, whole wheat pasta or brown bread is ideal for breakfast. A glass of skimmed milk, scrambled/boiled eggs is good for you. Also include an apple or a banana in the morning.
Lunch Cook your meals in oils free from saturated fatty acids. Olive oil, sesame and linseed oil can be used for this purpose. Include a lot of green vegetables during lunch time. A bowl of brown rice, salsa wrap along with boiled chicken, grilled turkey, beef, roasted fish is extremely healthy and they do not cause additional weight gain.
Dinner You dinner should be as light as possible and it should comprise of soups and salads. Have whole wheat tortillas, tofu salad and soups made from pulses and grains. Cabbage, spinach and lettuce soup are also healthy. You can have a vegetable dish assorted with raw carrot, beets, cucumber, tomatoes, beans, etc.
Snacks Keep the calorie count on check while having mid meal snacks. You can have protein drinks, wheat crackers and a lot of fruits for snacks. Increase intake of citrus fruits (grapefruits, lemons, oranges, berries, etc) as much as possible and drink a plenty of water. Peanuts, popcorn, puffed rice are also healthy for women wanting to lose weight.
Exercise
Yoga If you religiously follow the instructions of your yoga guru, then you are bound to lose weight after a certain duration. The more urban version is the power yoga, an extremely beneficial measure meant for women to lose weight. Make sure that you adopt the movement and postures accurately to gain maximum benefits.
Aerobics Women above 30 should be careful while doing aerobics. The fast movements are sometimes difficult to do if your body is not flexible enough. Aerobics, popular mostly among young ladies is a wonderful way to lose the extra pounds uniformly from body. Try step up aerobics, Zumba and other forms of aerobic dance steps under the guidance of your fitness trainer.
Cardio Workouts If you seriously want to lose weight, then cardio exercises are must. It forms the basis of any weight loss program. While doing cardio, you can actually feel that your calories are getting burnt. Some excellent cardio exercises include running, swimming, jogging, dancing, walking, cycling, kick boxing, etc. You must do cardio at least for 30 minutes before indulging yourself into any form of exercises.
Stretching Proceed with stretching exercises gradually to make your body intensely flexible. Stretching gives proper shape to body and you lose weight very effectively. You can stretch your body with the help of machines, weights, exercise balls, etc., or do freehand stretching exercises. Anaerobic exercises work wonders for love handles and abdomen.

From the aforementioned table, I hope you have found out the ideal weight loss program that really work for women. A blend of low calorie diet and moderate exercises are the two important elements comprising any type of weight loss program. Follow this consistently to achieve the best results.

Steps on How to Perform a Breast Self-Examination

Statistics reveal that most of the cancerous tumors (41%) are found in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. For better understanding, you can divide your breast into 4 parts. Next comes the area behind the nipple where 34% of the cancerous tumors are found. 14% of them are found in the upper inner quadrant, followed by 6% of the cases wherein the tumors are found in the outer quadrant, and finally, the lower inner quadrant accounts for 5%. Which is why you must use techniques to be able to thoroughly examine each and every section of your breast along with the area of your armpit and upper chest. All these sections can be thoroughly examined with the help of the following techniques.

BSE in Front of the Mirror
Breast self examination involves both visual and manual examination of your breasts. The breast self examination in front of the mirror covers most of the visual examination part of the evaluation. Here is what you need to do.

  • Stand in front of the mirror without any clothes on the upper body. Make sure you can clearly look at your breasts in the mirror, if not, adjust the mirror and your position accordingly.
  • Just relax both your arms on the sides and observe both your breasts carefully. It’s OK if they are not of the same size. It is very common in most women.
  • Try to observe the changes in your breasts in terms of the shape, size, changes in the texture of the skin, puckering, discoloration, sores or dimpling, both on the breast skin and the nipples.
  • The next step would be to place both your hands over your hips. This position tends to contract the muscles of the chest wall, thereby enhancing the changes in the breast more visibly.
  • Again, check for changes like dimpling, puckering, scaling or discoloration. Any kind of change observed should be noted down.
  • Stand sideways to examine the outer area of both your breasts and again, look for changes.
  • The next thing to do is to bend forward towards the mirror, simultaneously rolling your elbows and shoulders forward. Now look for changes in contours and shape of your breasts. Also bend forward standing sideways to examine the outer portion of both your breasts.
  • Lift up your arm slightly and examine the area of your underarm. Press firmly to feel any lumps or clots.

BSE While Lying Flat
Another, and the most effective approach to observe the changes in the breasts along with certain abnormalities is breast self examination while lying down. When you lie down, the tissues of your breasts tend to evenly spread on your chest which makes it much easier to feel and thoroughly examine the breasts. Here is what you need to do.

  • Without wearing anything on your upper body, lie down on a flat surface, placing a pillow under your right side.
  • Place your right arm behind your head and use the fingers of your left hand to examine the right breast.
  • Use the finger pads of your second, third and fourth finger to feel the lumps of your right breast.
  • You need to rotate your finger pads in small circular motion to feel the tissues of the breast. Use light pressure to feel the tissues of the breasts that are closest to the skin, average pressure to feel the tissues a little deeper, and firm pressure to feel the tissues closest to the chest.
  • Use the vertical or up and down pattern to examine each and every section of the breast. You can also draw imaginary lines and divide your breast into sections similar to that of a clock, and clockwise examine each and every wedge in a vertical motion. Many experts also suggest doing it in a circular motion, always being in constant touch with your breasts, without losing contact.
  • After examining each and every section of the breast, the next step would be to check the nipples. Squeeze them gently and check if there is any discharge. Feel the area under the nipple and look for changes.
  • Repeat the same steps for the left breast with the finger pads of your right hand.

If you are unsure about the amount of pressure you should apply, or if you feel some unusual lumps in the breast, consult a doctor or a nurse immediately to resolve your queries.

BSE While Taking a Shower
It becomes easier to conduct a breast self examination while taking a shower as your fingers and breasts are soapy and wet, which makes the movements more easier. The purpose remains the same, the only difference is that you are examining your breasts under a shower. Here is what you need to do.

  • First you need to raise up your right arm, preferably, keep your right arm behind your head.
  • Use the second, third and fourth fingers of your left hand to feel your right breast.
  • You can either go for small circular movements or use the vertical pattern to examine each and every section of your breast by dividing it into sections similar to the wedges of a clock.
  • Look for the changes that have already been mentioned before.
  • Repeat the same procedure for the left breast.