Get the Perfect Body with These 5 Goals for Women

Every girl wants to get in shape, and every girl has her own set of body goals, or small goals that she tries to accomplish on her way to achieving her ultimate body-related goals. Whether you want to be healthier, fitter, more toned, or just simply lose some weight, it’s important to have realistic body goals in order to keep yourself motivated and on track to achieving your overall health goals. Here are five body goals that women everywhere can benefit from striving towards.

Goal 1: Weight Loss

No one likes being overweight. The health risks that come with obesity are numerous and well documented. If you want to achieve weight loss, make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise each day and stick to a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and lean meats. When picking out your meals each day, remember to ask yourself how satisfied you’ll be after eating; you should feel full but not overstuffed after eating a meal. It also helps to keep track of your daily calorie intake using tools like MyFitnessPal—you can do it all on your phone!

Goal 2: Increased Muscle Mass

If you want to get more toned and defined, women should focus on building muscle mass. Strength training boosts your metabolism and helps you lose fat more effectively while also strengthening your bones. This will not only help you feel and look better but also boost your energy levels and make your workouts more effective. How much weight training should women do? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends working out 1-2 times per week using 8-12 reps at 70% of your one rep max (1RM). For example, if you bench press 100 pounds, then that would be 70% of 100 or 70 pounds. Aim to lift weights 2 times per week using a combination of strength training exercises like bicep curls, squats, overhead presses, planks and deadlifts.

Goal 3: Increased Flexibility

Flexibility can enhance your body shape, improve mobility and lower your chances of injury. You don’t have to hit an advanced yoga pose to reap flexibility’s rewards—just stretching before you start moving helps keep muscles long and loose throughout your day. Stretch right after a workout or whenever you notice tightness in a muscle group. Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, then release. A few times a week is all it takes to get more flexible without wasting time in formal classes. For example, try one of these body goals women stretches: hamstrings, hips and glutes .

Goal 4: Lose Fat Around the Abdomen Area

This is where most women carry their extra weight, which can be linked to a number of health issues like diabetes and heart disease. If you want to get rid of your belly fat, you’ll have to lose weight—there’s no way around it. For best results, eat plenty of lean protein (like poultry) while avoiding sugary foods and greasy spoons. Avoid carbs that cause spikes in blood sugar, like pasta and bread; try eating more vegetables. Also limit alcohol intake as it reduces metabolism temporarily; in fact, dry wines are better than sweet because they have fewer calories! If your body goal is to lose fat around your abdomen area fast without sacrificing muscle mass or energy levels, try intermittent fasting every other day.

Goal 5: Improve Overall Health

Some women have a specific weight or body fat percentage in mind but are looking to do it without sacrificing their health. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising regularly—if that's your body goal. The more active you are, and therefore your muscles are, the higher percentage of body fat you can carry before those extra pounds start to become unhealthy. For example, a healthy woman should be able to maintain a weight of 150 pounds on a body fat percentage of 26 percent—but she should not get any fatter than 148 pounds if she wants to stay at 26 percent body fat. Once her weight goes above 148 pounds, her body composition will start to change and she will quickly find herself unhealthy as well as out of shape.