Here it is – the horsewoman’s guide to slimming down!
I used to be a frequent visitor to the Dreamhorse forum. It used to be very active, but that was before Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Hardly anyone was posting and then the discussion forum closed in 2018.
One day a member of a horse forum asked how she could lose weight and received helpful responses from the horsewomen. Many of the tips are typical of what can be found on web pages offering diet advice. Us horsewomen are not doing too much differently than other women who are looking to slim down, except that we keep horses.
I kept track of the responses thinking one day they might come in useful. Little did I know that 10 years later I’d be a blogger and have a place to share them!
Not everyone has access to a horse to ride regularly, or bales of hay to stack, but you can create an exercise plan for what suits you.
One of my favorite yoga sessions is free on Youtube, and its called Yoga for Equestrians. You don’t need to own a horse to do this video. This yoga lesson is low impact and relaxing.
Just about everyone owns a bike – our first exercise machine as kids! You can get a good deal on a used bike by checking out Craigslist or going to 2nd hand stores. I bought my mountain bike over 20 years ago at a police auction for unclaimed stolen items, and it’s still rolling along just fine.
Check out my post for 6 easy ways to spend more time outside for more exercise options.
Now let’s get to it with the horsewoman’s guide to slimming down! Here are 20 tips from horsewoman on how to slim down:
- Eat smaller portions
- Drink water – add a slice of lime or lemon
- Limit juices and soft drinks
- Ride horses several times a week
- Walk an hour on days when not riding
- Oatmeal for breakfast
- Chocoholics try lite soy chocolate milk
- No major cheating foods after 2pm
- Drink green tea
- Haul bales of hay
- Take Tae Bo or pilates classes or watch video tapes
- Don’t eat white bread or white rice, go with whole grains instead
- Don’t eat fried foods or refined sugar products
- Replace sweets with fresh fruits and veggies
- Access to a swimming pool? Swim often
- Use exercise ball
- Drink fruit smoothies
- If you must have chocolate, eat dark chocolate
- Cycling
- If you have a horse’s neck sweat, put it around your belly. Wear it a lot, exercising, sleeping, etc.
Watch me in action on YouTube!
Check out my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to subscribe!
If you’re looking for more information on my weight loss journey, check out my posts below.
Fear is a Great Motivator for Weight Loss.
Motivated by Fear: my Weight Loss Plan
Year Five of Maintaining a Healthier Lifestyle
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on February 25, 2018 and updated on August 8, 2024.
I’m going to check out the video. Low impact yoga sounds nice. I walk right now as my only form of exercise but l’m hoping to join a gym soon. I have only had chances to ride on trails which l always enjoy on vacation 🙂
Hi Kemkem. You should check out some of the Yogamazing videos, he has a lot of different ones. I find this one for equestrians low impact and relaxing. I’ve done the gym thing and the enthusiasm doesn’t last long, but wish you luck! I have a 10 punch card I buy for the pool near my house and go to deep water aqaufit classes twice a week. Unless I talk myself out of it! Horseback riding, walking/hiking, swimming, and biking are my go to.
[…] to that. I’ve been back to my Youtube video for yoga for equestrians that I talk about more in The Horsewomen’s Guide to Slimming Down and I’ve also discovered a quick yoga video, 13 minutes, for working on getting rid of the muffin […]
[…] I also try to follow my own advice with the horsewoman’s guide to slimming down. […]