With Thanksgiving out the way, we are all reminded of just how waist-expanding the upcoming festive season can be. So what's your strategy to make sure you don't see in the New Year in 2015 with an increase in your weight, as so many women do? While you want to enjoy the end of year celebrations and all the get-togethers in between it is worthwhile deciding on a plan of action as we are already in December.

Love may make the world go round but negative actions and thoughts can make your world spin on its axis, to the point where you lose your footing and any sense of time or space. This may sound extreme, but the fact is that situations, experiences, people and our own minds have a huge influence on our lives.

Women really are doing it for themselves! Whilst there is a preoccupation in magazines and in the media with what women should, could and would look like, there are many women who are focused on achieving happiness through living a balanced life and a healthy lifestyle.

The power of positive thought doesn't just lie in feeling enthusiastic and adopting a can-do attitude, although of course that helps; for positivity to be really effective it has to run far deeper and not just be a face-value sentiment that pays lip service to the idea of feeling motivated about exercise.

Do you feel the love this Valentine's Day? Love for yourself that is! You might find that by doing so you create the right motivation to make some positive, beneficial changes in your life. If you are not at the fitness level you'd like to be, perhaps because you are out of shape or overweight, then it might be time to turn Cupid's arrow towards hitting a fitness target.

The weight loss industry is huge. No pun intended! However, while many women lament their excess pounds and obesity is a real issue in the world of modern, sedentary lifestyles, diet and weight can become too much of a focal point for some women. This can lead to women not working out in the right way because they are only aiming to weigh less.

Whatever age you are, make 2014 the year when you really come into your own as the woman you've always wanted to be. This is the Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology and this symbolizes a relentless nature to improve yourself through positive, intelligent and energetic efforts.

If you're a woman and you feel that you've been busy throughout 2013 with family, work and relationships, then the festive season is not going to lighten the load. It's little wonder that many women find that they have virtually no quality 'me' time.

The numbers can be shocking: one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. So October has been designated as Breast Cancer Awareness month, during which funds are raised and the facts about this devastating disease spread to women across the world.

Body images of women have changed with fluctuating trends over the years, and amongst the media images and fashions of the day, there are real women considering what they want too. So what do women actually want when it comes to their fitness and their bodies? Is it all about being slim and trim, or more about being toned and improving function? What motivates women to keep fit today?

Exercise Vs Women?

In 1912 Harpers & Bazaar magazine asked women: 'Are Athletics a Menace to Motherhood?' Over the years, this idea of exercise potentially working against women's best interest has been evident, with question marks over fertility and fitness.