Healthy B.P.M.

My interview with Bradley continued here:

Some simple ways to gain weight

So here they are, the essential aspects to maximizing muscle growth:

1. Your intake of calories should be more than your expenditure (or reverse if you are trying to lose weight). This is what I consider the most neglected aspect of muscle building and fat loss. No matter what kind of training, no matter how many protein shakes, no matter how many low calorie snacks you have, you will not reach your goals if you
neglect this essential.

2. The resistance must be challenging for you. You can not expect to get super gains if you are still on the same old program, lifting the same weights you have been on for years. This also applies to some people, who despite their weight training experience choose to lift 5lb dumbbells for every exercise.

3. You must be well rested between training sessions. This includes physical rest and adequate nutrition. Take time out and enjoy the things that you love - whether it is reading, going to movies or ten pin bowling.

4. You must get some carbohydrate and protein immediately after your workout to help the body to recover. You may have heard of people talking about a 90-minute window of opportunity. The timing is more important than that - the sooner the better. A drink taken 90 minutes after exercise will not have the same effect as once consumed immediately after exercise.

How to cut down on belly fat

‘Spot reduction’ has gained some support recently; however, a much more successful way is to eat and exercise to target total body fat.

Your take on the obesity epidemic.

Our lifestyles, ease of access to crap foods, and lazy habits are responsible. All of these need to be addressed.

What you do to stay fit

Go for runs, walks, play golf, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, training as part of my job as a physical training instructor, go to the gym, sports in summer like tennis, water skiing.

Just answer yes/no for these questions

Do you have junk food? Yes
Are you calorie-obsessed? No
Do you work out everyday? No

I interviewed Bradley Simpson, an expert on nutrition and fitness to find out more about how we can stay more fit. He gave me a lot of insight into the whole diet and exercise dilemma.Check out Bradley’s blog on Nutrition and Exercise for some great pointers.

1.Tell me a bit about yourself.

I grew up in New Zealand doing every sport under the sun and eating what Mum put on the table. I went to university and did nutrition as part of PE degree - I soon realized how
important it is to eat well and how badly I was actually eating. I also began working at a gym and writing out programs; that way I began to understand some of the nutritional obstacles people have. I started a Nutrition degree and thoroughly enjoyed it.

2.Can anyone become fit? What do you recommend for a person who is obese and also what is your suggestion for someone with a low BMI?

Anyone? It is a relative term.

The key is making lifestyle changes - making good choices means creating new habits.

Start an exercise program. A simple idea here:

• Mon - ATB
• Tue - rest
• Wed - ATB
• Thu - rest
• Fri - ATB
• Sat - rest
• Sun - rest

ATB means ‘around the block’ - meaning a very short walk.

Simplicity is the key when starting out in exercise. The best program in the world will not get results if the person does not or cannot do it. If you are starting out from nothing then give this program a go yourself. If you do it successfully, then consider walking around the block twice on Friday the week after.

Also stop eating foods you know are bad for you.

If low BMI: Focus on eating with the family, consuming at least 3 meals a day.

3.What foods do you think are essential for good health?

Basic generic recommendations: fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, cereals, dairy. You must enjoy the foods you are going to eat otherwise you will not keep it up in the long term.

4.Some simple ways to lose weight.

To lose weight in the short term Atkins is a good option.

To lose fat in the long term change your lifestyle choices and take small steps slowly.

The fact is you should not think of food as either ‘good’ of ‘bad’. You should think of food as somewhere on a continuum with bad on the left and good on the right.

Bad ——————-OK——————–Good

However, this is still a very crude model to use as a basis for choosing what food to eat. This is because the nutritional needs of different people, and importantly at different times, differs greatly.

I don’t think you should deprive yourself of a food you absolutely love, just make sure your goals are matched by what is going in your mouth.

More tomorrow…..

Nowadays if you want motivation you can find it everywhere- in shops, greeting cards, the internet other than all the support you get from your friends and family and nature.

While I was scanning the blogosphere I came across a link that Lady Rose had posted and I wanted to share it with you. It’s a great destress motivator and makes you stop and think about how simple life can be if you can focus on the Right Now.

I’m always thinking of what tomorrow can bring and what happiness/unhappiness might show up in my life. If I just focus on writing my blog as I am doing it right now, I’ll be happier

No stress means more health….so check out the daily motivator and get inspired!:)

motivation, destress tips, happiness

1. What is a carb composed of?

Carbs are the most commonly found biological molecules and are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The simplest carbohydrate is glucose.

2. How many kinds of carbs are there?

Simple carbs: Glucose, fructose and galactose are simple carbs and are also called monosaccharides. These are sugars and can absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the intestine lining.

Lactose, sucrose and maltose are disaccharides as they contain two monosaccharides.These are easily converted to their monosaccharide bases in the digestive tract.

Complex Carbohydrates: are chains of glucose molecules(polysaccharides) and are commonly known as starch. A complex carb is broken down into simpler units in the digestive tract so that it can be absorbed as glucose into the bloodstream. These kind of carbs show up in your pasta, bread, potatoes, etc.

3.What does a carb do in your body?

Blood sugar or Glucose is a good thing in the right amount. The cells in the body absorb glucose and turn it into energy.Carb roles in the body include the storage and transport of energy (starch, glycogen) and structural components (cellulose in plants, chitin in animals).Carbs also play a role in the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting and overall development.

4. What is glycemic index?

The glycemic index is a measure of how fast and how much blood sugar rises after you eat a carb food.

5. What’s wrong with having a low-carb diet?

Low-carb diets are dietary programs that promote a restricted carb diet. As certain carbs can raise insulin levels, causing metabolic syndrome and triggering off a host of problems including obesity, a controlled diet is believed to be able to alter this cause and effect process. In this kind of a diet you have more emphasis on protein and fiber consumption.

Advocates of this diet believe that even the paleolithic and Innuit diets are relatively starch free. Western obesity is proof of what high -carb diets can do. The flip side is that low-carb diets are not necessarily balanced enough and although no side effect has been reported, there is a lot of skepticism about having a diet low in carb since it could fuel a diet higher in saturated fat(due to the focus on fatty foods rich in protein).

6. When’s the best time to have carbs in your diet?

After your work out.

carbohydrate, glycemic index, obesity, low-carb diet

I hope you enjoyed the Protein Quiz.

There’s a lot of talk about low-carb diets knocking off the pounds. Having some carb know-how will help before you give it up completely.

1. What is a carb composed of?

2. How many kinds of carbs are there?

3.What does a carb do in your body?

4. What is glycemic index?

5. What’s wrong with having a low-carb diet?

6. When’s the best time to have carbs in your diet?

Happy answering! Answers tomorrow….

carbohydrate, low-carb diet, glycemic index

Spunk from 100 pounds to go posted this message on her blog. It’s interesting for all of you who want to beat the belly.

Join the 2007 FatBlokeThin weight-loss challenge . Here’s the message:

Anyone can join at any time but to be a founding member of this thrilling challenge, you need to let me know by Thursday 26th July 2007 (i.e. 2 days times !!).

Finally, F U N…this is what this is all about, it is not about starving yourself or doing dangerous things to your body to lose weight quickly. This is to create some community and some sorely needed motivation for each other. I reserve the right to discount contestants excessive weigh loss if i suspect naughtiness of any kind. Keep it real people!

Check it out….it looks great!

fat bloke thin weight loss challenge

I find this hard to believe as I’ve had many friends who were on the chubbier side.Studies have shown that having fat friends fattens you up.

Obesity seems to be socially contagious - it spreads from person to person within the same social group.A study of 12,000 people whose height and weight were measured repeatedly over 32 years has shown that when one person gained weight those around them(not the family;this is a phenomenon among friends) tended to gain weight, too.

The idea is that you are influenced by your friends’ habits. So if your friend is fat, you don’t care much about your eating habits. It hasn’t been the case with me though…

Do you think your friends can really have that kind of effect on you?

obesity

I was hunting for some swell low-fat recipes and I discovered my healthy recipe guide in Stephanie Hyatt. She has put up some great recipes on her Elementary Chef blog. I’m posting a vegetarian and non-vegetarian low-fat recipe each here:

Light Pasta Primavera

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 T butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c sliced mushrooms
2 carrots, sliced
1 large zucchini, chopped
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T all-purpose flour
14 oz can 2% evaporated milk
12 oz fusilli
1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter over medium-high heat; cook onion, garlic and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Stir in carrots, zucchini, asparagus, 2 T each of the basil and water, salt and pepper; cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Stir in flour; cool, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in milk; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling water, cook fusilli al dente; drain and toss with sauce.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining basil, toss again.

Chicken Artichoke Pasta

1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 small jars of marinated artichoke hearts (save the juice from the artichokes)
pinch of salt and pepper on the chicken breast
1 small jar roasted red peppers cut in strips
1 can pitted black olives, partly drained
1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 c tri-colored rotini pasta

In a frying pan add 1 tbsp olive oil, cook onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes or till there is no pink in the middle of chicken. Take out of pan. Cook pasta, drain, add chicken, artichokes, peppers, olives with the juices from artichokes, and 1/2 juice from olives. Toss altogether and serve. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Elementary Chef, low-fat recipes, Italian recipes

Last week I’ve been doing the health challenge and have definitely increased my intake of water. What about you?

This week I want to spend ten minutes a day on meditation. Although I do not advise you to meditate without a guide, what I would advise you to do is introspect, go within your thoughts for ten minutes everyday.

Sit in a comfortable quiet place and watch the thoughts fly by in your mind. If you feel upset or bored, don’t fret. Just watch your thinking for a while. It really helps to declutter your mind.

Fill me in on your experiences.

meditation

Health stories that caught my eye this week:

If you thought a good diet could help all the time, this story doesn’t help:Among breast cancer survivors, adopting a low-fat diet high in vegetables, fruit and fiber does not prevent the cancer from returning or prolong survival, according to a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Monkeys have their own brand of contraceptive:Baboons in Nigeria are consuming natural contraceptives which, for around three months of the year, prevent females getting attention from males and falling pregnant.Eating the ‘chasterberry’ increases progesterone levels beyond those during pregnancy and prevents ovulation and behaving very much like the human contraceptive pill. Plus by eating this fruit,the females don’t get those sexy swollen bottoms that male baboons love.

Adelie penguins have altered their fish diet to a more shrimpy crustacean palate as Antartic whaling practices have led to a krill population explosion.

Foods with a low glycemic load (legumes,cereals) can help prevent acne.

cancer, diet, glycemic index

I hope the protein quiz was not too difficult.

Here are the answers:

*Protein deficiency disease

Kwashiorkor

*Why do high-protein, low-carb diets seem to work more quickly than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets?

High-protein foods slow the movement of food from the stomach to the intestine; so you feel full longer. When you have protein, there is no steep rise in blood sugar and so you don’t get those hunger pangs too soon.

*Does a vegetarian diet provide you with protein?

Yes incomplete protein…having the right protein package is important when you are vegan.

*Where do you find protein in you body?

Everywhere.Muscle, bone, skin, hair, enzymes that power many chemical reactions, the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood, and the immune system. Proteins are shaped like necklaces composed of the building blocks called amino acids. Like the alphabets, these amino acids string up to create vital proteins.Of the 22 amino acids, your body can make 13 of them;we get the the other nine amino acids from the foods we eat.

*How much protein should you have in a day?

60 gms a day for an adult

• 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, and fish (a portion about the size of a deck of playing cards)
• 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, lentils, or legumes
• 1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, which count as 1 ounce of lean meat

protein

Do you know your protein? Well we all talk about going a high-protein diet and the benefits of having a protein shake or having nuts(again high on protein). But we don’t really know a lot of things about protein.

I’m doing a short quiz on protein. See if you know the answers. I’ll post them tomorrow.

*Name a protein deficiency disease.

*Why do high-protein, low-carb diets seem to work more quickly than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets?

*Does a vegetarian diet provide you with protein?

*Where do you find protein in you body?

*What does protein do?

*How much protein should you have in a day?

protein

Are you a yo-yo dieter? Well even if you try to change things with counseling programs, the weight will return.

Researchers have used statistical techniques to combine data from 46 randomized controlled trials of counseling programs and have come to the conclusion that with counsel-based programs(led by dietitians, nurses or doctors) there has been a substantial weight loss. But the effect of the programs wear off.

That means physicians have to work harder to get their patients on a better lifestyle management program. How can they do that? They will have to see their patients more often and create programs by which the patient can analyze his eating habits better.

When I decide to change my eating habits, I have to keep reminding myself that today I will eat x+y and stay away from z. I have to keep working on myself. It’s a process. Although it’s physicians who can help create the change, a lot of the change is up to me. It’s my body and I’ve got to save it.

yo-yo dieting

I’m hunting for some healthy recipes to post in this space. It’s easy to keep saying ‘eat healthy’; preparing a healthy meal requires some effort and sensible shopping.

Some interesting ways to make your diet interesting(source:CNN health)

-Shred a small zucchini into marinara sauce.

-Pep up your diet with onions and peppers.

-Thicken sauces with tofu.

-Add chopped, slivered, or sliced almonds to hot and cold cereals, salads, and casseroles.

-Stir a cup of yellow corn kernels into soups, pasta dishes, or corn bread batter.

Also check out Terra’s Lunch Date with a Sandwich for some healthy sandwich fillings.

Send me those recipes!

healthy recipes

I’m starting a Health Challenge from this week onwards.

Your challenge this week is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Water is a macro-nutrient, which puts it on par with proteins, carbohydrates and fats. You need water to stay hydrated, keep your skin moisturized and body detoxified.

Analyze the way you drink water. Do you prefer flavored water? Do you like to drink from fancy glasses? I’ve noticed that I’m more fond of drinking water straight from the bottle.

Drinking a glass of water before your meal prevents you from binge eating. Having a glass of water as soon as you wake up hydrates you and is essential as when you wake up you are sort of dehydrated.

Coffee, tea, alcoholic drinks , and sodas can dehydrate you. That affects a lot of things in your body- consider the hangover you have after drinking alcohol. That happens because you are dehydrated and lose your sense of balance.

Tell me if the challenge works for you.

health challenge, water