Sunday, 28 June 2015
Have a double chin? Watch this
Friday, 26 June 2015
The easiest way to get started with exercise
What is the easiest way to get started with an exercise plan for weight loss? Without spending countless sweaty hours slogging away in a gym? Without bone jarring sports that seem more like a torture session rather than “fun”? If you have been reading this blog you will know the answer. By walking of course.
Walking is so natural that most people simply don’t give it much thought. Which is a shame as it is one of the easiest ways to get started on a safe and effective weight loss exercise programme. You may think that it’s not so much of a big deal as you have been walking for years and yet the pounds have still refused to budge. Well what if I told you that ways to charge up this most simple of activities and get it to work for you in?
Before getting started it might be a good idea to read the previous article about walking. Use the search box to look it up. Walking is so natural for many of us that we rarely think about it. Yet it is one of the safest exercises going because it is low impact with added health benefits. What do I mean by low impact? Well traditional sporting events have you running or jumping which put an enormous strain on your joints and muscle system.
Every time you run or jump the force on your knees is many times your body weight. Even light jogging impacts your body. For those who need convincing that jogging is possibly the worst exercise invented take heed of what happened to James “Jim” Fixx. For those who don’t know who Jim Fixx wasan American who authored the 1977 best selling book "The Complete Book of Running". He is credited with helping to start Americas's fitness revolution, popularising the sport of running and jogging and demonstrating the alleged health benefits of regular jogging. he died of a heart attack while out for his daily jog at the age of 52. so much for jogging!
So how do you get started with walking? And how can you make it work for you? Try to make it part of your everyday routine. Get into regularly going for a walk outdoors if possible. It is not only good for your health but waking outdoors is therapeutic as well, specially if you can find natural spaces such as parks, beaches or shady paths away from traffic. If you pop in an audio book on your MP3 player or smart-phone you can be entertained further on your daily walk. You could even grow intellectually while growing fitter physically
If you have a pet such as a dog not only will you get get exercise but your pet will as well. Studies also show that dog owners get up to 8 hours extra exercise per week compared to those non-dog owners. The same is not true however if you have a pet tortoise or goldfish!
Walking is so natural that most people simply don’t give it much thought. Which is a shame as it is one of the easiest ways to get started on a safe and effective weight loss exercise programme. You may think that it’s not so much of a big deal as you have been walking for years and yet the pounds have still refused to budge. Well what if I told you that ways to charge up this most simple of activities and get it to work for you in?
Before getting started it might be a good idea to read the previous article about walking. Use the search box to look it up. Walking is so natural for many of us that we rarely think about it. Yet it is one of the safest exercises going because it is low impact with added health benefits. What do I mean by low impact? Well traditional sporting events have you running or jumping which put an enormous strain on your joints and muscle system.
Every time you run or jump the force on your knees is many times your body weight. Even light jogging impacts your body. For those who need convincing that jogging is possibly the worst exercise invented take heed of what happened to James “Jim” Fixx. For those who don’t know who Jim Fixx wasan American who authored the 1977 best selling book "The Complete Book of Running". He is credited with helping to start Americas's fitness revolution, popularising the sport of running and jogging and demonstrating the alleged health benefits of regular jogging. he died of a heart attack while out for his daily jog at the age of 52. so much for jogging!
So how do you get started with walking? And how can you make it work for you? Try to make it part of your everyday routine. Get into regularly going for a walk outdoors if possible. It is not only good for your health but waking outdoors is therapeutic as well, specially if you can find natural spaces such as parks, beaches or shady paths away from traffic. If you pop in an audio book on your MP3 player or smart-phone you can be entertained further on your daily walk. You could even grow intellectually while growing fitter physically
If you have a pet such as a dog not only will you get get exercise but your pet will as well. Studies also show that dog owners get up to 8 hours extra exercise per week compared to those non-dog owners. The same is not true however if you have a pet tortoise or goldfish!
You could also incorporate climbing the stairs. It's a great way to train your heart, lungs and cardiovascular system. It also acts as strength training because it is a load bearing exercise so strengthens your muscular system! Studies also show that climbing 1 flight of stairs (the average flight is 12 steps) just three times per day burns up an extra 15 calories. All in the comfort of your own home!also as you grow fitter and stronger you can take the stairs two at a time or even sprint up them.
In no time at all you will be well on your way to losing the fat and getting fitter and healthier - all from an activity that you started years ago. So give walking a go.
In no time at all you will be well on your way to losing the fat and getting fitter and healthier - all from an activity that you started years ago. So give walking a go.
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
The time of yawning
Are you tired? In need of some quality sleep? Well spare a thought for those who are fasting during the month of Ramadan and how their sleep is faring. Come with me and see how I am definitely NOT sleeping like a baby!
I naturally like my sleep but during this month it is being severely disrupted. Falling asleep has come naturally to me (most times) and I am lucky that it wasn’t a problem like it is for some. My father was the same and could literally fall asleep any time, anywhere. He could even catch a nap standing up! Now while I haven’t been able to match that I did have my routine down so that a few minutes after my head hit the pillow I was blissfully in the land of nod. This used to annoy my wife no end!! She would be awake and I would be sound asleep.
During Ramadan, however, it’s a different story. I am almost always constantly tired and yawning. Having to get up in the middle of the night, for all intents and purposes (at 2:00am), in order to eat and pray has severely disrupted my fine routine which was practiced and down pat. Now by the time the prayers are finished I find that my mind is racing and I am wide awake!
Added to this is that due to the late meals the night before it is not easy getting food down at this time in the morning. By the time a fast ends here it is around the 9:40pm mark so it is only a few hours later that breakfast is consumed. Difficult.
Plus sleeping on a full(ish) stomach is uncomfortable which add to the lack of quality sleep. All of this leads to the fact that by mid-morning I am struggling to stay awake. The yawning starts and carries on.
The best I can hope for is to catch up on a short nap during the day. Even with this break, however, by the time the evening meal is consumed I am ready to go straight to bed before my alarm breaks my sweet slumber. This is disturbing me more than the lack of food and water.
The thought of leaving my cosy bed is getting difficult. Just yesterday when my alarm went off I fell into the deadly trap of thinking “just 5 minutes more”. From previous experience I know that it never works out like that. The 5 minutes easily turns into 5 hours. Steeling myself I got out of bed to face another day.
I can only hope it gets easier. Knowing my luck though, will mean that just as I get used to this routine it will all be over. Then my sleep will be disrupted further as I will be getting up in the middle of the night!
I naturally like my sleep but during this month it is being severely disrupted. Falling asleep has come naturally to me (most times) and I am lucky that it wasn’t a problem like it is for some. My father was the same and could literally fall asleep any time, anywhere. He could even catch a nap standing up! Now while I haven’t been able to match that I did have my routine down so that a few minutes after my head hit the pillow I was blissfully in the land of nod. This used to annoy my wife no end!! She would be awake and I would be sound asleep.
During Ramadan, however, it’s a different story. I am almost always constantly tired and yawning. Having to get up in the middle of the night, for all intents and purposes (at 2:00am), in order to eat and pray has severely disrupted my fine routine which was practiced and down pat. Now by the time the prayers are finished I find that my mind is racing and I am wide awake!
Added to this is that due to the late meals the night before it is not easy getting food down at this time in the morning. By the time a fast ends here it is around the 9:40pm mark so it is only a few hours later that breakfast is consumed. Difficult.
Plus sleeping on a full(ish) stomach is uncomfortable which add to the lack of quality sleep. All of this leads to the fact that by mid-morning I am struggling to stay awake. The yawning starts and carries on.
The best I can hope for is to catch up on a short nap during the day. Even with this break, however, by the time the evening meal is consumed I am ready to go straight to bed before my alarm breaks my sweet slumber. This is disturbing me more than the lack of food and water.
The thought of leaving my cosy bed is getting difficult. Just yesterday when my alarm went off I fell into the deadly trap of thinking “just 5 minutes more”. From previous experience I know that it never works out like that. The 5 minutes easily turns into 5 hours. Steeling myself I got out of bed to face another day.
I can only hope it gets easier. Knowing my luck though, will mean that just as I get used to this routine it will all be over. Then my sleep will be disrupted further as I will be getting up in the middle of the night!
Sunday, 21 June 2015
The fasting continues
As expected the second and third days of fasting are not having any noticeable effect. There is no lack of energy so far, probably due to the foods being taken at iftari (the time at sunset when food can be consumed). These are traditional fare such as samosas, pakoras (baked where possible to avoid extra fat from frying) and dates. Generally I only eat these sparingly during the year, usually on special occasions, so they are a welcome treat.
Some fruit salad is also consumed and some form of cold sweet beverage. So far this has been homemade lemonade. The reason is to top up glycogen stores without a spike in sugar levels. Fruit is naturally sweet and also provides natural vitamins and fibre.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
This is kept deliberately light due to the late time it is consumed - at present, here, that time is 21.41hrs!
The main evening meal follows but due to the prolonged fast not much can be consumed. As the month progresses the food taken in will be smaller in quantity due to a feeling that the stomach is shrinking!
Water is also consumed in a slightly larger amount. This along with the extra fibre helps to keep the bowel healthy. Some years ago, when I was living abroad in a hotter climate and had started fasting, I found that this last fact was crucial. Due to lack of both I became painfully constipated!! Needless to say I don’t want a repeat of that.
I have also noticed that my fingers and toes are colder. Due to the lack of energy i suppose. This always happens when i reduce my intake. I am driving with all the cooling systems turned off and the windows up. This also saves a slight amount on fuel so it can’t be all bad i suppose. Another thing is that my leg muscles are feeling tired and drained, similar to when one is ill. Since they are the largest muscle group in the body they require the most energy which is in short supply anyway.
Overall I am feeling fairly healthy apart from a dry throat which is irritating. The only downside is having to get up at 02:00hrs in the night for a light breakfast to tide me over till 21.41hrs again. I love my sleep so this disruption to my slumber is the only downside.
Saturday, 20 June 2015
The fasting starts
So the first day of the month long fast started on Thursday 18th. As usual Pakistan started the next day due to the new moon not being sighted in any part of the country. I still don't know why the moon has to be physically sighted.In this day and age we know PRECISELY the position of the moon at any given time, on any given day. Even if the date is a thousand years from now we know where the moon will be in the sky and yet some still insist that the moon has to be physically sighted....
Anyway conventional wisdom has it the first few days of fasting are the hardest as the body is getting used to less food coming in. Those who know me know that in many ways I am an Iconoclast so will now be surprised to learn that I do not hold with conventional wisdom. For me the first few days are relatively easy. Although I do like my food it feels as if a switch activates inside me and I find the beginning of fasting to be no problem at all. Only as it progresses does it feel harder.
This may be due to the fact that glycogen stores are depleted in the first few days. No problem. Then the fat stores are targeted to supply the energy needs for the body - good news!!!
However this is when it gets tricky. As the fast progresses over the days and weeks the body gets the signal that, as always throughout history until relatively modern times, a famine is starting. The low food and water intake then acts as a signal to the body to start self preservation measures. So guess what? It starts preserving those tissues which will ensure survival and these tissues just happen to be fat stores. BOOOOO.
At the same time it starts to cannibalise those tissues which are not so important for survival and require extra energy to maintain. These are the muscle tissue. Just a pound of muscle requires an extra 50 calories per day just to maintain itself. this is the reason it is absolutely essential that any weight loss programme needs weight training to build up some muscle so that you continue to burn extra calories even at rest.
Anyway as the fast progresses is when I really start to feel it. the hunger becomes more acute. My body starts to ache, particularly in the joints.
It's only the first few days so I am still in the glycogen reduction phase. I am even enjoying the feeling of fasting. It's a familiar path. Let's see if it goes the same way as previous years.
I'll keep you posted
Anyway conventional wisdom has it the first few days of fasting are the hardest as the body is getting used to less food coming in. Those who know me know that in many ways I am an Iconoclast so will now be surprised to learn that I do not hold with conventional wisdom. For me the first few days are relatively easy. Although I do like my food it feels as if a switch activates inside me and I find the beginning of fasting to be no problem at all. Only as it progresses does it feel harder.
This may be due to the fact that glycogen stores are depleted in the first few days. No problem. Then the fat stores are targeted to supply the energy needs for the body - good news!!!
However this is when it gets tricky. As the fast progresses over the days and weeks the body gets the signal that, as always throughout history until relatively modern times, a famine is starting. The low food and water intake then acts as a signal to the body to start self preservation measures. So guess what? It starts preserving those tissues which will ensure survival and these tissues just happen to be fat stores. BOOOOO.
At the same time it starts to cannibalise those tissues which are not so important for survival and require extra energy to maintain. These are the muscle tissue. Just a pound of muscle requires an extra 50 calories per day just to maintain itself. this is the reason it is absolutely essential that any weight loss programme needs weight training to build up some muscle so that you continue to burn extra calories even at rest.
Anyway as the fast progresses is when I really start to feel it. the hunger becomes more acute. My body starts to ache, particularly in the joints.
It's only the first few days so I am still in the glycogen reduction phase. I am even enjoying the feeling of fasting. It's a familiar path. Let's see if it goes the same way as previous years.
I'll keep you posted
Thursday, 18 June 2015
How to tighten loose skin after a pregnancy
For many women tightening loose skin after pregnancy can seem like an uphill battle. If you are not sure how to go about it take a look at this video which explains the clear and simple steps you need to take to get back to your pre-pregnancy shape
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Fasting
Just had my last cup of coffee (black) for a month due to fasting starting tomorrow. I suppose I am lucky that unlike a lot of people I know I am not addicted to coffee or tea and so do not suffer with headaches, nausea or both when I stop. It's like a switch in my head which goes off when the fasting starts.
That's probably why I treated myself to an ice cream this morning. As I have always maintained - as long as the overall caloric balance is maintained it does not matter about the so called "bad" foods or treats in the long run. In fact such "cheating" helps you to maintain your dietary habits and allows you to stick to your goals.
What will be hard for me is the need to get up at 2:00 - 2:30am for the fast to start and prayer. I hate my sleep being disturbed and then to try to sleep when the stomach is semi-full.....
That's probably why I treated myself to an ice cream this morning. As I have always maintained - as long as the overall caloric balance is maintained it does not matter about the so called "bad" foods or treats in the long run. In fact such "cheating" helps you to maintain your dietary habits and allows you to stick to your goals.
What will be hard for me is the need to get up at 2:00 - 2:30am for the fast to start and prayer. I hate my sleep being disturbed and then to try to sleep when the stomach is semi-full.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)