A Cheerleader's Diet and Exercise Plan

As a cheerleader I need to stay in shape. Endurance and strength are the main areas I have to work on, on a daily basis. As a top girl, I need to watch what I eat and keep my weight down; so eating healthy has become a habit. However, you do not need to be a cheerleader to eat this diet or use this exercise plan; anyone can take these few easy steps to becoming a healthier person.

Diet

• Lots of high-fiber foods; such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These foods are nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories.
•  Limit the amount of sugary and salty foods; they are high in fat and calories.  
• Choose lean meats; such as skinless chicken, lean cuts of beef, and fish.
•  Keep portions small, and eat slowly, the faster you eat the more you'll eat. If you eat slowly, you'll feel when your stomach is full.
• Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements.
• Snack Ideas - whole fruit (not canned or in snack packed), celery and peanut butter, carrots and light Italian dressing (stay away from ranch), whole wheat bread with peanut butter or Nutella, granola, nuts, dried fruit, and dry cereal

Workout

• Your workout should always start off with 15 minutes of cardio. Boosting your heart rate will increase the successfulness of your strength training later.
• Cardio Ideas - My favorite way to increase my heartbeat is to dance; I made a 15 minute long playlist of some of my favorite fast-tempoed songs and just dance to them until the 15 minutes is up. I also enjoy going to the gym and running on the Elliptical. You could also go to Zumba classes, most churches and YMCA's offer them throughout the week for a small fee of $5.00; the class involves dancing but with an instructor to follow. And of course there's always the option of just going on a jog.
• After finishing your cardio, it's time for strength training. All you really need for this is 5 pound weights.
• For a cheerleader the most important part of his or her body is their lower half. Exercises like squats and leg lifts will help you tone up your legs; remember that your cardio workout will also help with this. Then comes the most important part of a cheerleaders body, his or her abs. A cheerleader's abs help him or her jump, stunt, and tumble. As for ab workouts different styles of crunches will do the trick, just make sure you are doing them properly; you should really feel the strain in your abs not you neck.
• As for arms, you still want to work them but you do not want to create bulk; that is why I suggest only using 5 pound weights. Push-ups are also a great upper body exercise.
• If you are working out at a gym, you may also use machines that work these areas of the body.

check out it's been awhile for more diet and exercise tips!!