Articles Index | New
Year Weight Management
Resolutions
Drink
More Water
You
can survive without food
for one week, but
without water you would
perish within four days.
That’s how important
water is to the body. In
the short term, water
deprivation can make you
hallucinate and become
delirious like victims
stranded on the desert
island.
Besides refreshing,
cleansing and
eliminating waste from
the body, water is a
great hunger buster.
What we mistake for
hunger is sometimes the
body’s way of crying out
for water.
Drink a glass of water
upon waking up to
help flush out the
toxins. Throughout
the day, keep a bottle
of mineral water handy
to replenish water lost
through breathing,
sweating and urinating.
Avoid drinking water
during your meals as it
dilutes the digestive
enzymes and stay away
from water an hour
before bedtime.
Eat More Fruits And
Vegetables
You’ve probably heard of
this a million times,
but it’s worth repeating
as most of us hardly eat
the recommended five
servings of fruits and
vegetables everyday.
Apples aren’t the only
fruits that help keep
the doctor away. Vitamin
C in kiwi fruit and
guava helps boost the
immune system while
Vitamin A in carrots
prevents night
blindness. Tomatoes
contain lycopene
which protects against
cancer and reduces the
risk of cataracts.
Cucumber helps prevent
water retention while
potassium found in
bananas help to regulate
high blood pressure. If
you can’t imagine
consuming so much
vegetables and fruits in
a day, try juicing. This
way you only have to
drink two glasses of
juice instead of eating
five bowls of greens.
Get Adequate Sleep
The
ideal number of sleeping
hours to aim for is
eight. You can still
survive on six but if
you’re only getting four
hours every night, be
careful. Lack of sleep
can affect your
alertness, co-ordination
and judgment. You
wouldn’t want to cause
accidents by falling
asleep at the wheel or
get fired for making the
wrong decisions when
your mind is not alert.
Depression and anxiety
could be linked to lack
of sleep as cortisol
is produced making you
more susceptible to
stress. The less sleep
you get, the more
stressed you become. The
more
stressed you are,
the less likely you are
to sleep. To stop this
vicious circle, make
sure you don’t dine
after nine, eat more
carbohydrates during
dinner to induce
sleep and take a warm
bath or meditate before
bedtime to clear your
mind of worries.
Try Alternative
Therapies
What western medicine
cannot cure, eastern
therapies can sometimes
help. Traditional
Chinese medicine is the
practice of balance (yin
and yang) in food and
life, “qi” (energy flow)
and the five elements –
wood, fire, earth, metal
and water. It teaches
one how to use food,
herbs and lifestyle to
help you live a
healthier and productive
life.
If
you’re feeling tired and
lethargic, you should
take more “yang” food
which are warm and
stimulating to increase
your energy level. If
you’re feeling angry,
hot and bothered, “yin”
food which are cooling
and calming will help
ease the tension.
Traditional Chinese
medicine practitioners
use acupuncture and
moxibustion to release
“blockages” that stop
“qi” from flowing freely
and Chinese medicinal
herbs and tonics to
boost vitality and
prevent disease.
Sweet herbs like
cinnamon and ginseng
help boost energy
circulation, bitter
herbs detoxify, pungent
herbs like ginger
stimulate the system,
salty herbs treat
constipation while sour
herbs help stop
diarrhea.
Exercise
If
you want to join Amazing
Race, you’ve got to be
physically fit.
After all, you’ll need
to run around carrying
your backpack, scale
walls, abseil down
buildings, search for
clues in the sand,
perform death-defying
stunts and go without
adequate sleep.
Cardiovascular workouts
done daily for a minimum
of 20 minutes will help
to build strength and
stamina. Running,
cycling, climbing the
stairs and using the
cross-trainer in the gym
helps keep your heart
rate up and keep your
weight down. On top
of that, build up
individual muscles –
biceps, triceps,
abdominals, hamstrings
and quadriceps with
specific toning
exercises. This way,
you’ll have strength in
both your upper and
lower body and the
advantage of winning the
race
J
Practice Yoga
Yoga shouldn’t be a
trend that fades once
the next new
exercise
comes along but a way of
life. Yoga was developed
thousands of years ago
by yogis (yoga
practitioners) who
observed animals and
experiment the different
postures of these
animals on their own
bodies. This resulted in
thousands of “asanas”
(yoga poses) that help
restore the secretion of
hormones, leading to
emotional balance and
thus physical and
mental health.
Asanas twist and bend
the body putting
pressure on specific
glands to regulate
hormonal secretions.
Each movement is
designed to help
specific parts of body,
eg. stretching the legs
helps prevent arthritis,
bending the body using
the abdominal muscles
encourages
fat
burning while
stretching the lower
back muscles helps
massage the kidney and
prevent backache.
Everything In
Moderation
It’s no use depriving
yourself of a small
piece of chocolate cake
as you’ll probably pig
out on other unhealthy
food like sugar-laden
coke, buttery biscuits
and oil-soaked pastries
later. Less is more so
eat smaller portions
of more things so
that you can enjoy extra
food without feeling
guilty. Chocolate isn’t
bad for you. At least
dark chocolate in its
pure, bitter-sweet form
isn’t as it has more
anti-oxidants than black
tea or red wine and
therefore good for the
heart. Chocolate also
contains serotonin, the
feel good hormone which
helps fight
depression
and puts you in good
mood.
Detox
Like the car that needs
regular tuning and oil
changes, your body needs
to detox regularly to
eliminate toxins
that have built up over
the week or months.
Toxins tire out the
body, deplete energy
levels and clog up the
digestive system.
Detoxing means listening
to your body and giving
it what it needs –
foods that are wholesome
and nutritious,
rest, relaxation, gentle
massage. You might have
to give up some of your
bad habits – smoking,
alcohol, coffee and
junk
food but your body will
thank you for it. You’ll
feel renewed and ready
to face the world! More tips available
at
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