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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The most effective weightloss resolution

Weightloss resolution? no way!

Do yourself a favour, do not resolve to lose weight. Resolve to change your habits. Encourage healthy eating and improved fitness that could easily result in weightloss.

How do you do this? Ask yourself the following questions

  • Do you meet your nutritional needs?
  • Are you getting 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily?
  • How are your foods prepared?
  • How many foods are fried?
  • How many servings of sweets do you have daily?
  • How many food items come from a box, package or can?
  • What beverage choices are you making?
  • How much water are you drinking daily?
  • How many cups of tea and coffee do you consume?
  • How many sugar sweetened beverages do you consume daily?
  • What activities are you doing while you eat?
  • How quickly do you eat your meals?
  • How often do you eat breakfast?
  • Do you skip lunch?
  • How many minutes of physical activity do you get each week?

Try to get answers and analyze your results. Make changes and improve wherever appropriate. Set goals and be determined to achieve them. Resolve to make realistic resolutions.

Here are some of them

Including a variety of foods in your diet daily will provide your body with numerous benefits of different nutrients.

Overloading your body with fried, fatty, sweet and sauced foods can add unwanted fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar to your diet. Small changes in this area will benefit not only your weight but also help lower the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Keeping your body hydrated is key to your health. Try to drink at least 8 cups of water daily. 100% fruit juices are not 100% after all. Fibre of the fruits have been removed, plus most contain added sugars. Coffee, tea and diet beverages are not the best sources of fluid for the body. They should be consumed in moderation.

Doing another activity like watching TV, reading, playing with computer makes you lose track of how much you have eaten and you may eventually overeat. Make eating a deliberate event. Focus on your meals, relish the taste and enjoy every bit of it. Don’t eat too fast, try to slow down, chew more slowly. Take a drink of water between bites.

Try not to skip any meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Distribute your meals throughout the day to stay nourished. 5 – 6 smaller meals (snacks inclusive) is better than 2 large meals.

Physical activity can help you stay fit and healthy. It also helps you to tone your body and lose weight. Include 30mins of exercise at least 4 days each week. You can start with walking or jumping ropes.

Changing of habits comes from the mind.
Make the change.
Change your mind to stay healthy.
Change your mind to change your body.

We can help you achieve the aforementioned with our weightloss coaching and lifestyle modification programmes. Contact us now to get started.

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Simple ways to stay healthy while you enjoy the holidays

The holiday period is a time of merriment, visitations, and lazy indulgence. You might get carried away easily and forget some of your daily routines in staying healthy. Also, due to being at home all day, you may be tempted to eat outside of your diet or even eat beyond your daily moderation if you were to be at work.

Follow these simple tips to help you stay healthy while you enjoy the holidays.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water is very important to your health. As you eat varieties during the holidays, be it desserts, snacks, beverages, you should also drink plenty of water to cleanse your system and expel excesses.

Start losing weight free of charge

Water increases the rate of metabolism; the process by which your body converts the food you consume into energy. Drinking plenty of water will also keep you hydrated giving you a glowing skin and increased mental alertness.

Drinking enough water will also keep you and help you avoid eating g too much. Water is always a good substitute for soda and not too healthy beverages.

Workout

During the workdays, you perform some exercises involuntarily – from moving from one section of the office to another, to going up and down the stairs, among several activities that amount to exercise. You should also remember to workout during the holidays too, so that you don’t gain weight and become lazy.

You don’t have to do anything rigorous; strolling, jogging, cycling, or running around your neighbourhood for ten minutes a day can help you stay fit and healthy during the holidays.

Indulge in moderation

You don’t have to give up some foods for you to stay healthy. You only need to eat the amount of food that your body really needs. Also, consider eating in small portions by following up a main meal with fruits or vegetables in case you are not satisfied. As the saying goes, too much of everything is bad.

Happy holidays!!

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Seven ways to get junks off your diet

Junks

Junks are of no nutritional value to man’s food diet. It leads to an increase in weight and consequentially develops into health hazards that can in turn cause death.

Various blog posts have fixed their attention on either the ‘deliciousness’ of the junks, or on how dangerous it can be, but very little attention has been devoted to getting rid of this ‘delicious but dangerous’ diet from our dietary plan.

To some people, this may look like a fruitless exercise, a seemingly impossible task. But impossible as removing junks from our dietary plan may look, it is possible. Of course, it may be a difficult task.

However, it is important to know that we all consume ‘calorie-ridden’ food substances one way or the other and at different proportions, hence the reason for the differences in our weight.

Below are some tips that can help to get the junks out of our diet.

Slow and steady start

It is important to note that the sudden switch from all forms of junks cannot give result as quick as we want it. That is, it can’t happen overnight. It has to be a gradual process that can only happen over time. A dedicated weekly change in diet from junks to vegetables could be an excellent starting point.

liquid-1210614_1280Consume lots of water

Often regarded as the best liquid substance in the world. It is one of the few drinks with nutritional benefit. Drinking lots of water until it fills up the stomach is good.

Fall in love with the food you eat

There are so many delicious less dangerous food with more nutritional value out there that can surely tickle your fancy. Find yours and start eating.

Make sure you are eating enough food

After discovering what food you are in love with, determine and make sure you eat substantial amount of it until you get filled up.

Exercise

Most people may be surprised to find this particular item on the list. But little do they know that exercise is a great way of getting the junks out of the diet plan. Once you realize an appetite or a craving, but not real hunger, the solution is simply exercise. Do something until you get bored or sleep.

Cut the addiction

If you discover you have become an addict to certain dangerous junks, reduce the consumption of such to a little less every day. Eat one instead of those three sugar-coated doughnuts during lunch break. If you are addicted to chocolate, slowly replace sweet milky ones with less sugary dark chocolates.

Get an occasional treat

A lot of people may be alarmed to see this here, many may tend to disagree but, trust me, this works well. Don’t be obsessed with avoiding junks. You’re allowed a treat once in a while. This may take some time.

If you find yourself wanting more than the occasional treat, step back and find the problem. Re-plan your eating habit to make sure you are happy, healthy and satisfied.

The usefulness of these tips are relative to your compliance and obedience to them.

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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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Four tips to optimise your night sleep

Sleep

Do you wake up in the morning still having the jet-lag sensation? You feel groggy and would have just preferred to remain tucked beneath the quilt forever. Maybe you only need to optimize your sleep.

It is very possible for you to get out of bed feeling energized and ready to tackle the tasks for the day in full throttle. It all depends on the quality of your night sleep, not necessarily on how long you sleep.

You will find the following life hackers helpful to optimize your night sleep:

Align with your biological clock

Life has a rhythm and you must align your schedule to this rhythm in order to get the best from it. We all have an internal clock that keeps the time of our activities. The process becomes more efficient when you align your schedule with this biological rhythm.

You should keep a regular bed time and wake up time. This means that even on weekends, you do not get to sleep in. If you plan this properly, you will not need an alarm to wake up. Your system will adjust to the sleep and wake up time and you will wake up feeling energized.

Keeping a regular bed time can also mean that you will need to cut down on late afternoon nap. This could affect your night sleep.

Turn off the light

When it is dark, you will fall asleep faster and the quality will be better. The body secretes melatonin; hormone to aid sleep. More melatonin is secreted when the light is down. It sort of aligns with your circadian cycle.

So keeping the light on at your bed time actually affects the quality of your sleep. Next time you go to bed, turn off the light, keep the blinds down, turn off all blinking appliances, or you had better put on your sleep mask.

Regulate your night diet

Say no to late night meals. Whatever you eat should digest before your bed time. That means you want to limit every meal to latest 4 hours before bed time.

Your organs are supposed to be resting when you sleep; do not get them on overdrive. The more reason why you should also avoid big meals before bed.

You do not need any shot of caffeine in your blood stream at night; reserve that for the mornings. Your overall liquid intake before bed time should be regulated to avoid several trips to the bathroom at night.

Exercise regularly

The more intense your exercise, the better your sleep. But even light exercises, such as stretching and walking can have tremendous effect on you. Focus on building a habit of physical training; this will go a long way in improving your overall fitness and health.

However, you should always check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise regime. They will advise you on how safe it is for your health and how vigorous you could go.

When you sleep well at night, you will wake up alert and be more productive during the day. If you are finding it difficult to align a healthy diet with your lifestyle, contact us now for expert guide and advice.

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How to consume slimming tea for best results

There is so much buzz about slimming tea, thanks to our celebrities who post pictures of #Postbabybod, everyone is in the rat race for a slimmer waistline and hourglass figure. It has become the latest diet fad among women to lose weight fast without going through any strenuous exercise.

Slimming tea contains herbs which burn fat by acting as a fat blocker which cleans out the colon and gives you a trim and slim body figure. It also improves metabolism by lowering calorie intake and prevents the conversion of carbohydrates and sugar into fats.

It contains antioxidants and amino acids which helps to slow down aging by fighting free radicals.

The catechins present in it reduce the formation and growth of tumors, thereby inhibiting the risk of cancer.

Slimming tea also has some dental benefits by killing bacteria that cause bad breadth, tooth decay and bleeding gums. It helps to keep your heart in a healthy condition through polyphenols which blocks the absorption of fat and cholesterol by over 50% to prevent stroke and heart attack.

As much as there are many benefits of taking slimming tea, when it is abused it can be dangerous to the body.

A major component of slimming tea is Senna which is laxative in nature. It is a natural medicine that contains sennosides which irritates the lining of the bowel thereby causing a laxative effect.

Senna has been used in alternative medicine to aid constipation but if overused, it can lead to problems in the gastrointestinal tract and severe diarrhea.

Here are some helpful tips on the consumption of slimming tea:

Choose a slimming tea product based on its effectiveness and find ways to create a healthy tea drinking habit. Substitute tea for morning coffee and chill it for iced tea on hot days.

Drink your tea without adding anything to it, cream and sugar will reduce the weight-loss benefits earned by the tea.

Drink slimming tea only in moderation because it may contain laxative element. Experts warn against drinking too much because it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps dehydration and even fainting.

Always read the content labels, if it has sugar or sweetener put it back on the shelf. To get the best result, balance your tea intake with a healthy diet. Team it with fruits, vegetables and protein.

Know the right time to have your tea. Some experts believe that some teas should be consumed at different times of the day to get the maximum weight loss results.

To get your metabolism going, drink green tea in the mornings while white tea can be taken before lunch to block absorption of fats.

If you need expert help on your meal planning or you are finding it difficult to maintain a healthy diet, contact me for assistance.

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Four foods you should consume for longevity

Longevity

Have you ever heard of the blue zones? This is a concept for demographics of the world where people live measurably longer and healthier.

Gianni Pres and Michel Poulain identified Sardinia’s Nuoro province (Italy) as having the highest concentration of male centenarians. Other regions in the blue zones include Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece), and the Seventh day Adventist population of Loma Linda (California).

What makes the difference between these demographics and the rest of us?

They have long standing traditions of plant based diets which is never complete without nuts, seeds and legumes. And as one would have thought, evidence proving that plant based diets reduce the risks of mid-life and old age health concerns, which include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, etc., has increased over the years.

So, all it takes to have better health and longer life is a meal of fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, just one meal for today. You will build your recipes over time.

One plant based meal today and the rule is evolution not revolution. Start introducing foods of plant source that you like into your meal and blend it with your existing diet. Days later, take it a notch higher by replacing unhealthy red meat and other animal produce with plant alternatives.

It is a journey, and you could hope to have healthy plant based recipes that you find enjoyable in the future.

Do not forget the nuts, seeds and legumes. Can you tell them apart? It is a bit tricky and most people cannot, because while walnuts and hazelnuts are true tree nuts with seeds surrounded by dry fruit and encased in a hard shell, peanut is not.

In fact, peanuts are legumes, which are edible seeds from pods that you can split in half. So, you cannot necessarily tell by the name.

Almond is another example of nuts, while beans in all its varieties (soybeans, lima, black, chickenpea etc.) are legumes.

What do you think of a handful of nuts on yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast? You could use legumes as meal enhancers, for instance, a handful of cooked beans on salad. That can be very filling. However, portioning is important in these meals, because nuts are rich in vegetable oil, so you could end up with overload of calories when you take too much of them.

Legumes have a higher level of carbohydrates than nuts, but both have similar protein content.

Start improving your diets today with plant based diets, nuts, seeds and legumes, and you will be making an investment towards long life and better health.

You do not have to make the change overnight, as included in the post, take it one step at a time till you find what works best for you and you can stick to it. After all, we are talking about longevity, who needs to worry about making a huge diet change 😉

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Three side effects of consuming junk foods

Junk foods

Many times, cravings for extremely delicious, less stressful food or pastries envelope man, this has been further propelled by different affordable eateries that spring up on a daily basis.

The changing labor laws have also not helped the emerging situation, as hectic work schedules have consumed the ‘kitchen’ time of most families.

However, what may be hidden from most people is the fact that most of these delicious quick calorie-embedded pastries and food, contribute more harm than good to the body system.

Obesity, various health conditions among other terrible conditions affect individuals that indulge in this habit.

Work with me on planning the best meal for your healthy diet

Filling our belly with lots of junks results in different problems in our body on the long run. Health problems are rapidly on the increase all over the world, and most of these are caused by the ’delicious but dangerous’ junks.

Here are some of the negative effects of eating junks.

Tooth decay

This is an increasingly common phenomenon that occurs when the enamel, the protective coating on your teeth, starts to break down.

Junks containing high sugar content, such as soda and candy, coat your mouth, gums, tongue and teeth with sugar. This sugar coating attacks the enamel and leads to tooth decay.

A common trend among youth is that they constantly visit the dentist due to the love for junks. A preventive measure can be brushing the teeth before going to bed.

Cancer risk

Cancer is one of the diseases that is so tough to treat. Junks generally do contain fibre which is the main reason junk food consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancers of the digestive system, commonly called ‘gastrointestinal cancer’.

Excessive weight gain

Majority of the junks that fill our belly are calorie-embedded. For example, it has been proven by research that consuming 500 calories from junk food each day can lead to 1 pound of weight gain in just a week.

If you find yourself unimaginably attached to that eatery three times a day to get breakfast, lunch and dinner, you may be doing yourself more harm than good, one that may cause an increase in weight, which may in turn lead to obesity.

Instead of excessive consumption of junks, a better option may be opting for fruits and vegetables. Dump the junks for healthier food.

We shall discuss more on how to cut down on eating processed foods in future posts.

Meanwhile, what’s for dinner?

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