Indoor exercises for rainy days

Indoor exercises for rainy days

There’s no doubt we are in the rainy season. The sky is almost always gray with heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and going to the gym or jogging down the road seems impossible.

Our mind goes fantasizing warmth, cozy, movies, and hot tea/beverage. Workout can wait till the sky is clear, what if the rain comes the next day and the day after that? You might have to consider adapting indoor exercises.

Highlighted for you are 6 indoor exercises that can help you burn calories and are as efficient as those exercises you do outdoor

 

• If you live in a story building make use of the staircases, jog to and fro for a number of counts. You can’t imagine how many calories you will burn with this little exercise.

• You can’t go wrong adding push-ups and squats. You need no equipment and instructor for doing them.

• Have you considered jumping ropes? If you think it is a child’s play, you are wrong. Jumping ropes is a great cardio exercise, you can do as much as you can….50, 100, 200,…. Counts. You can get an affordable skipping rope here in our store

• Jogs, walking lunges, knee highs, butt kicks, and jumping jacks are all awesome options that you can try out indoors. No need to go out to the gym for these.

• You might as well kill two birds with a stone by cleaning the house and burning calories while you are at it. This is as effective as jogging down the road.

• Weight lifting with a dumbbell is also an option to consider. You cannot afford to miss it out if you have no dumbbell in the house; you are just a click away to owning one. Click here to get yours

 

Now you have exciting options to choose from, no more excuses for not working out.

The mission is to be fit, come rain, come sunshine.

You can contact our certified coach here for guidance. She has exciting workout plans for you.

Which of these activities do you wish to try out?

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Ways exercise makes you look gorgeous and feel fantastic

Working out isn’t all about losing weight or trying to stay in shape.

The rewards of exercise extend far beyond slimming down, exercise makes you look gorgeous and feel fantastic also.

From research, we have found out that every cell in the human body benefits from physical activity.

And this is the reason why within an hour of exercising, you feel less anxious; that night you sleep better; and also from research, afterwards your body processes blood sugar more efficiently.

Do you need more reasons to lace up that sneakers and workout?

Here are some of the few ways exercise can make you look and feel fantastic.

1. To get a smooth and more radiant skin:

Breaking a sweat isn’t the only way exercise benefits the skin — it helps regulate skin-significant hormones and prevents free-radical damage.

When you exercise, the tiny arteries in your skin opens up, allowing more blood to reach the skin’s surface and deliver nutrients that repair damage from the sun and environmental pollutants.

These nutrients also rev up the skin’s collagen production, preventing wrinkles.

2. Greater self-confidence:

Confident people radiate a certain physical appeal and charisma.

From research, people who began a regular exercise program at their local gym felt better about their self-worth, their physical condition and their overall health compared with their peers who stayed home.

The best part was that their self-worth crept up right away — even before they saw a significant change in their bodies.

Our self-worth is directly tied to our energy levels, our feelings of competence and our perceived attractiveness, and nothing is more gorgeous than the self-assurance that comes from feeling good in your own skin.

3. Less stress and anxiety:

Anxiety, fearfulness and uncertainty all drain your vitality and dampen your mood, which in turn tends to show on your face and in the way you carry yourself. Exercise has been shown to alleviate most mild to moderate cases of anxiety, and can very quickly improve mood.

4. Better Immunity and Detoxification:

Exercise shores up the immune system by boosting the body into churning out more white blood cells.

You don’t get that worn-down sick look that comes from feeling under the weather, and small blemishes and wounds of all kinds heal faster.

There is no supplement or medication that has proven to be as strong as regular exercise in improving the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy invaders.

5. Less Visceral Fat

Visceral fat is the body fat stored within the abdominal cavity and is therefore stored around a number of important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines.

Yes, exercise can help you lose that, boosting your overall vitality and your looks.

Regular exercise trains the body to burn visceral fat more efficiently.

I hope with these few points, you would take exercise more serious?. Do you want to take part of our monthly weightloss challenge tagged FITBY30, click on the link bit.ly/FITBY30

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HighIights from the last Health Lunch with Hafsah — April Edition

The programme held on Sunday, 2nd April, 2017 at 8, Aderibigbe Shitta Street, Maryland in Lagos State of Nigeria between the hours of 12pm to 4pm.

The purpose of the programme — Health Lunch with Hafsah — is to bring together women who are on the same mission of a healthy lifestyle under one conducive environment to discuss food and fitness.

In case you missed this edition, here some of the activities:

Arrival

The attendees arrived early and I was impressed by their punctuality. early. Everyone got seated and we started on discussions​.

Discussions

The attendees talked about how they have been coping with their new lifestyle viz a viz, exercising and eating right, and how it has affected their lives positively. They all had one thing in common, exercising is not easy! I reassured them that nobody ever said exercising was easy, it is work. For any activity to count as exercise, it has to elevate your heart rate. I went further to say that exercising gets easier with time. However, when it gets too easy, it is time to intensify.

Health talk

Below is the summary of the health talk we had:

  • Exercising must be done consciously and it must raise the heart beat rate. Also, that we exercise for 30 — 60 minutes does not mean we should become a couch potato the remaining 23 hours in the day. You should be active all day.
  • I also explained that exercising alone cannot effect weightloss. We have to cut the calories they consume, every time we eat.
  • They were advised to change their exercise routine. So that the muscles do not get used to the same exercise, to prevent plateau and boredom.
  • I commended all the attendees on their efforts to eat healthy, avoid junks and exercise daily. I also reiterated the fact that eating healthy meals requires planning just as we plan every other aspects of our lives. Avoiding junks, fizzy drinks is achievable once we are determined to change.

Fitness session

A short fitness session followed where we worked out by performing different exercises for various body parts.

Lunch

We had a sumptuous lunch of porridge with vegetable sauce and grilled chicken which we washed down with a bottle of chilled tiger nut drink.

Closing

A brief chit chat session followed and the attendees got to know themselves better. The programme ended on a satisfactory note.

Next edition

If you missed this edition, watch out for the next one.

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Three fun and relaxative ways to lose weight

The saying that little drops make an ocean also applies to weightloss. It is so because the result you get after a period of time are benefits of combined efforts you make to become fit. Contrary to popular belief, you can actually lose weight in exciting and enjoyable ways. This includes some of the activities you engage in on a daily basis.

Here are some fun and relaxative calories cutting routine you should also try for your weightloss journey.

1. Go sightseeing

Do know that you can burn calories if you go sightseeing more often? During sightseeing, you are bound to move around from one end of the location to the other, while you feed your eyes and at the same time burn enough calories. So visit that new vicinity or neighborhood that you are yet to see in order to burn fat while exploring your environment. However, be mindful of what you eat during your outing. I previously published a post about how you can eat healthy if you have to eat out. Read it here and use it as a guide for your next sightseeing.

2. Play games you love

So you love playing games, then make it a habit to indulge in one or two after the day’s work. Do not just eat, shower and go to bed; also relax your nerves with enjoyable games. You could play table tennis, basketball or even the games on your smart phone. You can also involve your kids and play piggy back with them. If you participate in games that you love, you stand to gain in two ways — you will burn calories and also catch some fun with your loved ones. Click to read more about “exergaming” on WebMD.

3. Go visit a friend/family

This is another fun thing you do without realizing that you are actually burning calories. Yes, you can cut down calories by calling on your loved ones now and then. When you are with your friends or family, you tend to talk for longer periods without pause. All the gestures and demonstrations can make you sweat, thereby burn calories. You may also engage is some activities such as cooking, and the bustle of moving around the house. Another evidence is the fact that you have to commute from your location to another destination to pay the visit. This too, will help you sweat out even in the smallest way.

Get active. An active woman is a healthy woman.

Important link

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Six simple ways to live a healthy and happy life

“Life of man in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”-Thomas Hobbes

Now, state of nature refers to life when there is no law and order. Take a moment, and think about the choices you make regarding your health and life. You cannot afford to live without rules. Longevity and good health has attendant rules without which there is no deal. To live healthy and better, you should consider the following:

Keep appointments with your doctor and dentist

You should never underestimate the wisdom of routine screening; it can be a life saver. Make appointments with your doctor and dentist for routine medical check-up. This could be a quarterly visit and should be consistent even when you feel very healthy.

You should also check-in for the scaling and polishing of your teeth at least twice a year; it improves your oral health. During visits to your doctor and dentist, you should not hold back, if you have questions.

Keep tabs on your girth

Obesity is a huge health risk. So, you should keep records of your weight and height. Estimate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and ensure it falls within what is considered safe.

If you have big bones and muscles, you will probably tip the BMI scale, so your best bet will be to check if your muscles are lean or contains fat. Your waist circumference is also a good measure of your fitness. You should keep the record too.

Keep record of your physical activity

Follow a physical activity regime that works for you. Usually a minimum of 2 ½ hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or a minimum of 1 ½ hours of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity is recommended per week.

You should augment this with strength building programs and keep track of your compliance with your chosen program.

Keep a food diary

Beyond having a diet plan, keep a diary to measure your compliance. Your food diary also reveals which diet works for you and which do not. Applications such as Lose It!, Evernote, and My Food Diary are some of the numerous mobile apps that you can use for your food journaling purpose.

Check your mood and energy level

Every now and then, live like a child with no care in the world. Decide to be happy, kick off depression. Your emotional wellness is as important your physical wellbeing. Eat foods such as banana, nuts, ginger tea and eggs to literally boost your energy levels.

Consider your social network

We are social beings, so you should ensure you build strong and lasting relationships with friends. You can also join spiritual and social groups that enrich the quality of your life. Find a way to keep centered, you need this for a happy and quality life.

For every record you keep, you should transform them into action plan to improve the quality of your life. To live a healthy and long life, you need to follow the rules.

In what ways are you ensuring that you are healthy and happy? Tell us in the comment box below.

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Five secrets to dieting compliance

Dieting

‘Okay, please serve me some full cup of ice cream; and my favorite is vanilla flavor. Don’t forget to add enough cheese in the stuffing of that hamburger. And you know what? I’m just going to spoil myself with all the pizza I can get from Domino’s tonight. After all, it is only for today, and then I will continue with my dieting tomorrow.’ But, that is just how cheating starts and before you know it, you are off your dieting.

Okay, could you cut yourself some slack? No! Statistics have it that 30% of all dieters fail in the first 5-10 days. But you do not want to be among those. A whopping 70% makes it this far, and that is where you belong! Instead of quitting, you could encourage yourself to compliance. So, how do you do this?

Be disciplined

Call it self-will, willpower, resolve, or determination. It all boils down to discipline. Without self-discipline, absolutely nothing can be achieved. You have to understand that you could either be your own worst enemy, or figure out that your strength lies within you first. It is all a choice you have to make. Your success depends largely on you.

Keep company of other dieters

You need the company of other dieters. There is a synergy that this brings. It is just like a group of birds flying in unison; they gain more speed and altitude. A company of fellow dieters gives you support and cheers you on at every achievement. You should find one in your neighborhood or online. Both will be useful for your cause.

poached-eggs-on-toast-739401_1280Use a meal planner

You need a meal planner to achieve your dieting goal. We eat food for a number of reasons which include palatability and the need to satiate hunger. Your choice of meal must not only be palatable, but also filling. Anything short of this, you would just be setting yourself up for spells of cheating in your dieting. Any needless to say that you cannot achieve your goals that way.

Add garnishing to your meal

The beautiful thing about colors is that they appeal to us beyond our conscious realization. Garnish your food; make them colorful and attractive. There is no end to the beauty you can achieve with fruits and vegetables. Present your food to yourself in style. This should help you cope with acquiring some new but needed tastes along your dieting journey.

Do not skip meals

Yes, you want to keep the calories down, and it may seem logical that by skipping meals, you can achieve this. Wrong move! In fact as a rule, do not wait till you are hungry before eating, but rather stick to a consistent meal schedule. By this, the temptation to over stuff yourself due to hunger pangs is avoided.

Are you on a diet? Share your compliance secrets with me, I will not tell 🙂

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Five ways to avoid unhealthy food cravings and stay fit

Unhealthy

Unusual and uncontrollable desire for unhealthy food can become a problem for your body. And the only way to avoid this problem is to mind how and what you eat daily.

‘Cravings are one of the biggest reasons why people have problems losing weight and keeping it off,’ licensed nutritionist Adda Bjarnadottir wrote online in her post ’11 ways to stop cravings for unhealthy foods and sugars’ on AuthorityNutrition.com.

There are various reasons why people have desire to eat food. Hunger is the only healthy reason and whole natural foods are the best things to eat to stay healthy and fit. But snacks and unhealthy foods are what people find available to eat most times.

Apart from hunger, emotional and physiological factors determine how people desire to eat. ‘Cravings are usually stimulated by emotional cues, but then fueled by physiological ones as we imagine what it will be like to eat the food we want to have,’ Brian Wansink, professor at Cornell University, says.

If you currently have unhealthy craving for food, these are some of the tips that would help you get back to normal and healthy craving:

Drink water

Sometimes when you feel hunger, it might just be your body telling you it is thirsty (or dehydrated). So you should not rush for food each time you feel hunger, try to drink plenty water instead and see what happens.

If after you drink water the hunger stops, then you might have actually been thirsty and not hungry.

Bjarnadottir also wrote that, ‘In middle-aged and older people, drinking water before meals can reduce appetite and help with weightloss.

Distance unhealthy cravings

Whenever you have unusual desire for food, try to ignore it and stay away.

The farther you take your mind away from it, the lesser you feel a desire for it, and the farther you keep food that you crave for away from your reach, the lesser the chance you would eat it.

Try doing anything that will distract you from desiring food and keep the food you crave out of reach. You could take a quick walk or a shower. Stop shopping for foods that encourage you to have unusual cravings, which are mostly snacks and sugars.

Eat protein

Protein may be useful. It can help reduce your appetite and stop you from overeating, especially when you eat plenty of it. It fills and satisfies you for a longer period.

Bjarnadottir wrote that study proved that increasing the amount of protein in your daily calories can reduce your unusual desire to eat significantly.

Plan your meals

Planning out your meal for the day or week and complying with the plan can help you control what and how you eat. With your meals more planned out, you can reduce the likelihood and urgency of having a desire to eat unhealthy foods.

Avoid extreme hunger

When you allow yourself to get extremely hungry for long, you are more likely to rush to eat any kind of food. To remain fit and healthy, the goal is to watch how and what you eat, but extreme hunger will make it very difficult to do that.

Eating more regularly and having healthy snacks close at hand is a good way to avoid getting extremely hungry, Bjarnadottir suggested.

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Discover the right diet for your body type

Diet

The best way to lose weight is to understand your body type because this is key to finding the right diet and exercise plan that will work for you.

It is important to know which diet can help you make the most of your body shape because losing weight is not one size fit all.

There are three main body types – Pear, Apple and Chili pepper.

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Pear

This body type has a larger lower body- more fat load in the thighs, hips and butt and smaller upper body.

A pear body type has the biggest challenge losing weight because it is believed that butt and thigh fat (passive fat) are the hardest to lose as they are designed to give women a steady supply of energy during breastfeeding and childbirth.

Cellulite also affects the thighs and hip because it creates a network of fibrous tissues which makes it hard for blood supply to reach the fat deposits.

The best way for this body type to lose weight is by watching fat intake.

A diet rich in complex carbohydrate such as whole grains cereals, beans, lean proteins such fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables is advised because it will help to burn off excess fat.

Exercise is also great way to slim down the thighs and hips. Aerobic activities such as running, cycling help to trim the excess pounds on the lower part of the body.

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Chili pepper

This body type has a straight shape with little or no difference between their boobs, waist and hips.

They can be at the risk of cardiovascular diseases through unhealthy eating because when they gain weight, it is usually around the mid-section of the body also.

The diet for people with chili body type includes lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits, nuts and vegetables, a bit of healthy fat won’t hurt too.

Weight and strength training are recommended for the chili pepper to help tone the body and create more curves.

Apple

This body type has a larger upper body and a slim lower body because there is more fat load around their middle area.

As an apple, it is easier to lose weight than a Pear because abdominal fat breaks down faster than fat stored in the thighs and butt.

Belly fat still has some health threats which includes increased risk of heart related diseases and diabetes, this is why it is important to watch your waistline.

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People with the apple body type tend to have high blood sugar because there is more deposit of fat in the upper area of the body where the pancreas, liver and kidney are found resulting in insulin resistance.

They also need to watch their diet and focus on fibre rich foods, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and reduce their intake of carbs, saturated fats and sugar.

But why fibre? Fibre helps to slow down the digestion of sugar and reduce cholesterol levels.

Regular workout also helps to build the lower body and burn off the flab around the middle.

What body type are you?

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The rationale of physical fitness for women

Women have always been put in second place by the society in almost all facets of life, except in areas where they have to perform domestic chores such as homemaking.

However, the reverse is rapidly becoming the case as we now have women making names and flexing muscles in all aspects of everyday living. One of such areas is physical fitness activities.

Growing up, I had this notion that vigorous physical exercises were for men only as I was used to seeing only men lifting weights, or doing some push-ups.

All I used to do for physical activity along with my female friends were skipping, running, walking, and the likes.

Nowadays, more women are becoming renowned personal trainers and gym instructors.

What is the rationale behind having almost the same number of women as men hitting the gym or sidewalks on a daily basis for some vigorous physical exercises?

Below are the three major reasons behind this trend.

1. To keep up with their new lifestyle

As more women enter into the corporate industry and work in offices, their routine become disorganized and stress becomes the order of the day.

Normal routine such as meal time, sleep time, nap time, all became scanty activities that are carried out without order.

This has led to lack of adequate sleep, unhealthy eating, reduction in creativity, and weight gain among several other health issues.

The normal routine exercises such as walking and jogging may not be enough to combat situations such as weight gain.

A busy woman would like to shed her fat fast in order to remain active. As such she looks up to more rigorous exercises such as weightlifting, or playing football.

She hits the gym or uses the services of a personal trainer in order to maintain her fitness activity schedule.

2. To maintain good health

Another reason that women indulge in vigorous physical activity is to improve the state of their health.

Based on this table by CDC, vigorous paced exercises burn more than 7 calories per minute, while moderate paced exercise burns between 3.5 to 7 calories per minute.

When they need to keep fit or prevent health conditions such as osteoporosis or heart related diseases, women tilt towards vigorous exercises.

They incorporate it into their moderate activities by intensifying the speed at which they run, jog, or walk without increasing the amount of time they spend on it.

3. To boost self confidence

Women also indulge in vigorous fitness activities to boost their confidence.

There is an increased need to exert self confidence in order to face the daily challenges that come with their new status as career women or business owners.

Being in a high position requires that we make serious decisions and take actions that affect a lot of people.

If the situation arises to be a lead decision maker, some women tend to engage in physical activities while they think through and weight the pros and cons of their own contributions.

What about you? What is the rationale behind your choice of physical fitness activity?

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Five food habits you should form at age 30

Habits

With age comes change. Not just in your career, or finance, or relationships, but also in your body. And when the rules of a game change, successful players know to change their strategy.

The same is true for your body. At 30, your body is changing and you probably should not expect it to go at full steam as it was wont to. Sadly, this is one of the realities of life.

So at age 30, what nutritional habits should you form in order to age gracefully?

Cut down on the sodas

Yes, it could be difficult, but quitting sodas, or soft drinks, should be priority. At 30, you should be working on reducing your sugar intake as sodas are loaded with tonnes of sugar. You also get some dose of caffeine too from them.

Endeavor to replace soda with homemade fresh fruit juice. Keep it chilled and you won’t miss soda a bit.

Be sober

Sometimes, and if possible most times, say no to that tempting bottle of alcohol. Celebrate your soberness. Studies have linked alcohol with a higher risk of kidney or liver failure, or both. Some other studies also named alcohol as a risk factor to some types of cancer. You cannot be too cautious when it comes to maintaining your good health.

Limit the tasty fries

Even the less tasty ones, all fries should be consumed with measure. They contain loads of calories and your schedule at 30 might not afford you the level of physical activity needed to burn them. So, why gain the weight in the first place. Your bones are not getting any stronger, you should therefore limit the weight you are putting on them.

Bid chocolates and confectioneries farewell

Wake up! This is thirty, not thirteen. Chocolates, though yummy, are not your friends. Beyond adding to your baggage of calories and blood sugar, they are also damaging you oral health. If you would rid your diet of chocolates and sweets, you teeth can actually last you a life time.

What about pancakes, doughnuts, and other junks? They all add up to give you an overload of calories. You should focus on eating food with plenty fibres, and that does not include refined products.

Reduce you consumption of canned foods

Canned foods may contain unhealthy measure of preservatives. Instead of canned foods, look for fresh alternatives. You should also form a habit of eating homemade meals a with balanced diet. A meal planner could help you through this.

At 30, you should make healthier choices with respect to your health.

How are you maintaining your youthfulness in order to age gracefully? Share your tips with us in the comment box. Cheers!

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Keeping fit in Ramadan

Ramadan

Welcome to Ramadan, a month to lose sins, and that extra pounds of fat. But remember; SlimFitU is not only about losing extra pounds, but about your overall fitness. With the fast comes a natural tendency to lose the fat, but you will need to keep an eye on your fitness level during this period.

You are what you eat. And this is also true for this fasting period. Before we talk about what and what nots, you should know that beyond weight loss, a higher level of alertness comes with fasting, as the body secretes more endorphin. You should channel this advantage towards productive ventures.

If you will fight the initial lethargy, you could actually get more done during this period.

Your body will use up your supply of glucose and even consume the reserve stored in the liver and other body tissues. There is no cause for alarm, because the fat is burnt after the reserve of glucose is exhausted, but you do not want to go past this level.

In the absence of glucose and fat, muscles are wasted. So, you have to replenish your supply of energy by feeding on carbohydrates and healthy fats.

For Sahur, you should consider low digesting carbohydrates such as oats, wheat, millet etc., with little fat. With this your supply of energy throughout the day is ascertained. You should also include fibre-rich food such as vegetables, grains, potatoes etc., in the diet mix for proper bowel movement.

Fibres are not digestible, but helps the body in digesting and assimilating as much of the digestible nutrient as possible from the eaten food. You should also consider taking thirst regulating foods to stem down your thirst during the fasting periods.

Some of these foods such as banana, dates, pistachios etc., are rich in Sodium and could be bothersome to some kidneys, but you could replace them with, gelatin, fresh mint, lemon, caffeine-free soda etc.

Caffeine is not an option for you during this period; it increases the rate of urination and will increase your thirst beyond the bearable level. You do not want that temptation.

While you should drink a lot of water during Sahur and the entire ‘non-fasting’ period, limit your water intake during Iftar. Iftar should be light meal too; you will want to be very alert during Tarawih.

Above all, you should not forget your physical exercises during this period. You may reduce the intensity and duration. Listen to your body and do as much as you can handle, but do not neglect them. In fact, they will help your mood during and after the fast.

We all at SlimFitU are wishing you a Happy Ramadan, and may Allah answer our prayers.

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Four common posture problems and fixes

Posture

All our posts in the past about how to get in good shape have mostly rested on weight loss and fitness routines that are based on diet and exercise. We must not fail to talk about one other important routine. In fact, this one is like the alpha of the pack.

No diet plan and no amount of workout will get one in good shape when one has a posture problem.

As time goes on, posture problems start to affect the spine, shoulder, hips, and knees. This in turn alters the body frame in ways that often lead to back and joint pain, reduced flexibility and compromised muscles, all of which limits the ability of the body to burn fat and build strength.

In this post we like to share four common posture problems and how to fix them.

Overlapping head

When one has an overlapping head, the head shoots forward away from the center of the body form. Having a good posture is about standing upright.

Fix:

Moving your head, drop your chin down toward the center of your chest, allowing the back of your neck to stretch. Hold it in that position and count to 5. Repeat this routine regularly.

Riunded shoulders

Rounded shoulders happen when the muscles between shoulder and the back are weak.

Fix:

Lie face down to the floor with each arm stretched out at angle 90° in an high-five position. Keeping the arms in the same angle, raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold it in that position and count to five. Repeat this routine from time to time.

Pelvic tilt

A pelvic tilt is when your upper or lower hip bone, also known as the pelvic, tilts forward.

Fix:

Kneel on your left knee with your right foot in front of you, knee bent. Lean forward until your feel your left hip stretch. Tighten the muscles in your left butt until you feel the front of your left hip stretching freely. Raise your left arm upward and stretch to the right side. Hold it in position and count to 30. Repeat this routine frequently for each side of your hip.

Elevated shoulder

Elevated shoulder occurs when the muscles running from your ribs to your shoulder blades are weak.

Fix:

Sit upright in a chair with your hands next to your hips, palms face down on the seat and arms straight. Keep the same position and push down on the chair till your hips lift off the seat and your upper and lower chest rises. Keep that position and count to five. Repeat this routine several times from time to time.

A good posture is your ultimate step to having the good shape you wish to get. Pay more attention to your posture as much as your weight loss and fitness plan.

Reference link

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Five tech tools to help you get in shape

Tech

Diet plans and expensive exercise equipment will do you little or no good on your mission to get in shape. If you want to get in shape like a superstar, your get-in-shape plan must have healthy eating, portion control and a solid exercise routine.

You must know that it is hard to find a workout routine that does not just help you get in shape, but fits your need and is easy to keep up with. However there are a few tech tools that can help you find your fit and make the best of it.

These five tech tools can help you get on just fine with the hassle. But the internet has lots of them and while those listed out here may be useful, you can fiddle with search engines, like Google and Yahoo search, to find many others that may work better for you.

Couch to 5k Running Plan

For one who is not used to running, getting on the road for a run may be scary. But all it takes is a small start and the Couch to 5k running plan is made just to prep you up towards your first 5 km run in 6 weeks.

One Hundred Push Ups

Push-ups can be a hard deal. It can even be embarrassing when you are unable to finish a small set of pushs. But push-ups can turn a cheap walk for you. How? The One Hundred Push Ups gives you workout routines designed to take you from 0 to 100 push ups in 6 weeks.

MapMyRun

Not only when running, if you are hiking, biking or skipping, on whatever routine, mapping your workout is a good way to monitor what routines you have done, what workouts you have enjoyed and how many calories you have burned out.

If you find the interface too complicated on your first use, you can jump straight to the route creation tool to map out your first run.

Walklogger

Walklogger is a software that is built for your mobile devices. It is a type of pedometer that counts your footsteps by sensing your body motion.

Pedometers are generally great workout motivational tool, that keep track of your physical activity. They are portable devices that you can carry along wherever you go. They come in different sizes and shapes; some are like bangles, others are like wrist bracelets.

We also have the ones that are designed to look like small calculators. You can download Walklogger on your mobile device, enabling you to use your device as a pedometer.

Traineo

It is easy to set goals but quite harder to nail the target. This tool is designed to help you stick to your workout plan and motivate you to achieve your exercise and fitness goals. You can see it as your artificial intelligence workout coach.

What is stopping you from getting in shape now? Get on your feet and work your way out to that superstar shape you have always wanted.

Image credit: http://feelgrafix.com

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Eating right: take charge of your health and life

Right

Eating right. What does it mean? It means different things to different people. The nutritionist will tell us it means consuming the right quantities of foods from all food groups in order to lead a healthy life.

The food groups as we all know are Carbohydrate, Protein, fat, Fruits and Vegetables, Diary, fiber etc.

Thus, when we combine all these in our meals we say we have taken a balanced diet.

But I say eating right is all about YOU. It’s about you and your goals.

When you eat right, you feel good about yourself and your food choices. You eat a variety of foods that provide the nutrients you need to be fit and in shape. You are investing in your body and your future by not overeating or taking in more calories that your body needs.

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O) gave 5 recommendations concerning Healthy eating:

  • We should aim for an energy balance and a healthy body weight
  • We should limit our energy consumption from total fats. We should aim for more unsaturated fats and not saturated fats.
  • We should up our consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.
  • We should consume as little simple sugars as possible.
  • We should limit our Salt/sodium consumption.

As simple as all these appear, how many of us really practice these. When we eat our foods matters as much as what we eat.

Let’s take the normal day scenario of the Working Mom:

She wakes up early and starts getting ready for the day. She gets the kids prepared for school, if she is lucky she prepares their lunch, if not she branches at the fast food joint on her way for their lunch. The kids may or may not take any breakfast. If they do, maybe cereal or a slice of bread and a cup of beverage. Meanwhile, mom didn’t take anything hoping to take a cup of tea at work.

She drops the kids at school then hurries to work. She gets to work and she gets neck deep into the day’s activities. At around 11a.m, she starts feeling hunger pangs and she remembers “oh! I’ve not had anything”! The next thing she sends someone to buy a drink, a coke or a pepsi, and a pie and she eats! She doesn’t have time to eat a proper meal.

By the time she gets home, she balances to a large bowl of Eba and assorted meats. Because she is very hungry. She has not had any meal all day. And guess what time this is? It’s 9.30pm in the night.

As eating healthy is a nutritional lifestyle that promotes good health, another part to this is regular physical activity. To most of us, we say we are very active. But I bet this is not true.

We sit in air-conditioned car to the office, at the office, we sit all day till close of work. No form of exercise whatsoever. We believe there is no time to waste all in the name of exercise. For some people, they go to the gym, but right there after their workouts they are already consuming their regular drinks.

Regular exercises of 10-15mins, 3-4 times a week will go a long way to keep you fit and in shape.

In all of these, what should your goals be this year? They should be:

  • Better health and abundant happiness
  • Being a healthy, strong and fabulous mom
  • Being a fit, vibrant and confident wife, sister, daughter and professional.

So how can you achieve these?

  • By establishing a lasting lifestyle modification and creating changes in your diet and exercise routines
  • Staying away from unhealthy habits. Plan your day, from your breakfast, which is an important meal of the day to the apple for snacks rather than that chocolate or cake. Planning is very key in the achievement of goals. Also you might want to have water handy so that it will be easier to take rather than that fizzy drink whenever you feel thirsty. Yes make good old water your drink of choice always.
  • Making regular exercise part of your life. It doesn’t take the whole day to exercise. Wake up earlier than you used to. You can Jog on the spot, jump rope (skipping), take a walk. Just make it regular. Even in the office, you can decide to take the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Walk up to discuss with your colleague rather than using the intercom.

Healthy living is all about YOU. We have time for others but we don’t have time for ourselves. Start slowly. Get the whole family involved. Take that walk with your spouse, or daughter or your son. Get support. Surround yourself with positive thinkers. People who will encourage, inspire and motivate you.

The trick to lasting good health lies in mastering positive fitness and nutrition habits. Be that healthy, strong, fit and fabulous mom.

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