5 Budget-Friendly Weight Loss Tips for Women

It’s time to simplify your weight loss efforts. It doesn’t take a personal chef, a monthly subscription to weight loss supplements or an equipment-packed home gym. I’m excited to give ya’ll these budget friendly weight loss tips from Sheila Johnson, certified life coach and health blogger.

Many women struggle to find research-backed tips on weight loss. In addition, women who hope to lose weight or simply tone up might end up overspending on products that promise major results but fail to deliver. The truth is that women and men need to approach weight loss differently. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to spend much money to get in shape! In fact, by following a personalized program designed by Julia Hale, you can lose weight by developing smart lifestyle habits that will stick with you for the long run.

Here are a few considerations all women should keep in mind on their individual weight loss journeys, and how you can get started with simple, budget-friendly routines.

Budget Friendly Weight Loss Tips for Women

Balance Your Hormones

Women who want to lose weight should consider the effect that weight loss will have on their reproductive system and hormonal health. For instance, Self Magazine states that being underweight can negatively affect your fertility. When setting your weight loss goals, it’s important to keep this in mind: losing too much weight can be harmful to your reproductive health.

If you’ve ever struggled to lose weight, despite adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise routine, you may want to check in with your doctor to see if your thyroid function has anything to do with it. If you have an underactive thyroid, it can be extremely difficult to lose weight! This is because your thyroid function affects your metabolism, digestion, cholesterol levels, and more.

To avoid incurring large medical bills, contact your health insurance provider in advance. Ask which tests are covered and compare prices from different medical providers in your area.

Prioritize Disease Prevention

Medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease affect millions of people every single year. Surprisingly, these conditions affect men and women differently. Diabetes Forecast states that women with diabetes often suffer from more severe symptoms than men with the same diagnosis. For women, having diabetes can dramatically increase the risk of developing heart disease, too.

It can also be harder for women to recover from having a heart attack. Plus, women are more likely to have a second heart attack than men, which means that every woman should be especially proactive about preventing disease in the first place. Thankfully, the secrets to prevention generally boil down to diet, exercise, and living a healthy lifestyle that can be quite cheap!

Get the Right Gear

Once you’ve identified some lifestyle changes that you want to make in pursuit of better health, you might want to invest in some new workout gear so that you can start exercising. For example, you could purchase comfortable activewear, new sneakers, dumbbells, or even an exercise machine. Perhaps you’re also interested in buying a fitness tracker to log your progress and monitor your vitals.

If you’ve ever checked out the prices at your local sporting goods store, you might have been surprised by how expensive fitness gear can be. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to save. For example, instead of going shopping for workout clothes at a store, you can look for activewear discounts online. You can even save on clothes from high-quality retailers like Bloomingdale’s using online coupons and promo codes.

Focus on Fitness

Now that you’ve found some great deals on exercise equipment and activewear, you can start working out! But which workouts are right for you?

While some women worry that strength training and weight lifting is better left to men, this is a myth. If you want to become stronger, experiment with lifting weights to find a routine that works for you. And if weights aren’t in the budget for you right now, you could always do bodyweight exercises instead.

When you’re getting ready for a strength training session, it’s important to prepare accordingly so that you do not injure yourself. Start out by doing a few minutes of gentle cardio to get your blood pumping, spend some time stretching and foam rolling to loosen any tight muscles, and then do a few easier warm-up sets before getting into your main workout.

If you’d like to focus on cardio or flexibility, you can work out without spending a dime on anything but your clothing. For instance, you can look for donation-based or entirely free yoga classes in your area. And if you’d like to start running, all you need to do is lace up your sneakers and map out a route through your city.

No matter which form of exercise you choose, don’t get discouraged by comparing your progress to male friends. Men tend to lose weight faster than women because they have more muscle, and they also have faster metabolisms. That’s why it’s best to move at your own pace and have fun.

Choose Nutritious Foods

In addition to working out, you may need to overhaul your diet. Cooking at home in favor of eating out will help you save money, and you can get all of the ingredients you need at a low-cost grocery store. Eating a healthy diet isn’t just essential for weight loss — it’s also crucial if you want to maintain hormonal balance. Therefore, it’s important to focus on eating meals that are low in added sugars, consuming healthy fats found in foods like avocados, coconuts, and nut butters, and getting plenty of fiber.

Women who are trying to lose weight should keep in mind that their nutritional needs can differ drastically based on their age and whether or not they are pregnant or breastfeeding. Overall, women should try to choose foods that are rich in nutrients like iron, calcium, vitamin D, and folate. Feel free to load up your plate with lean meats like chicken, leafy greens, fortified whole-grain foods, salmon, and tofu.

When it comes to losing weight, women and men have unique concerns. That’s why it’s important for women to develop fitness plans that suit their personal goals, their lifestyles, and their budgets. Knowledge is power. When women have access to accurate information about healthy weight loss strategies, they can shed pounds without turning to fitness fads or pricey products.

Ready to work on losing weight and toning up without breaking the bank? Working with Julia Hale Fitness can help you reach your goals! Book a strategy call or join the 7-day #FitSelt Challenge today to start your journey.

These weight loss tips are brought to you by guest blogger: Sheila Johnson!

Sheila Johnson left the corporate world and long hours behind to start her own business. She’s looking, feeling, and working better than she has in years! She created WellSheila.net as a place to not only share her story, but inspire others to put their physical and mental health first with a regular wellness routine and daily self-care.