Tired of eating the same salad, day after day? Hit up your supermarket or farmers’ market for some new, seasonal ingredients. Getting creative with new flavors and textures is also a great way to sneak extra nutrients into your salad.
* Skip the iceberg lettuce and choose more nutrient-dense greens, such as baby spinach, romaine, arugula, or a spring mix like mesclun.
* Take advantage of your barbecue and grill eggplant, artichokes, squash, fennel, or shiitake mushrooms with a basting of herb-infused extra-virgin olive oil.
* Add sliced avocado or olives for a touch of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. You can also slice up a hard-boiled egg and use some cornichons or anchovies as an alternative for olives.
* Toss in grilled salmon, shrimp, or even tofu, rather than grilled chicken.
* Top with a few chopped pecans or almonds, or a handful of sunflower seeds, instead of buttery white-bread croutons.
* Make your own salad dressing with a mix of extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh herbs. Trying a new store-bought dressing is fine, too, as long as it doesn’t contain more than 3 grams of sugar per 2-tablespoon serving.
Losing weight isn’t easy, and having no time to invest in it makes the journey to fitness even more difficult than it already is. If you want to become healthy, however, you have to make a commitment. That means that if you don’t have a lot of time for it, you’ll have to adapt!
1. JUST KEEP MOVING. If your work has you sitting in front of a computer all day, there isn’t really much time for keeping active. Exercise is important if you want to be healthy, however, so be creative and just keep moving. Do as the Frenchwomen do and take walks whenever you can—they'll provide you with all the cardiovascular exercise you need. Use the stairs instead of the elevator at work, and take a stroll to a nearby building and back. These short workouts help you burn calories and contribute to giving you toned legs!
2. "EXERCISE" WITH YOUR KIDS. When you’re home from work or spending the weekend with your kids, nephews, or nieces, join them when they’re doing sports or playing games—it’s a great way to get exercise! You don’t have to engage in anything too strenuous, but shooting some hoops or taking part in a few rounds of taguan will get your blood pumping in no time. If that’s not your thing, you can also take them out for a day at the park for some fresh air, which is good for both you and the children. If they’re into riding their bikes, you can take this as an opportunity for jogging or running. You can tag along behind the kids as they’re biking.
3. INCORPORATE EXERCISE INTO YOUR LEISURE TIME. One way of solving the issue of time is by multitasking. Don’t miss out on opportunities to keep fit. If you’re at home after a busy day at work and you’re watching TV, for example, use it as a chance to try out some exercise moves like crunches during commercial breaks. If you have a treadmill in your house, you can listen to music or catch up on your favorite TV show while using it. If you’re a busy housewife, sweeping and cleaning are already two great ways of getting exercise.
4. MAKE SURE YOUR GYM IS ACCESSIBLE. Make it easier for you to schedule exercise time at the gym by choosing a place that is easily accessible from your workplace or your home. If there’s one you pass to or from going to the office, consider getting a membership there instead of going to your usual one, especially if it’s a gym located in a less convenient location. You can also try going to one that’s near your house. That way, you’ll have less of an excuse not to do your fitness regimen—even if it’s at the end of a busy workday. You also won’t have to go through the hassle of going somewhere else just to get some gym time in.
5. EAT RIGHT. A busy schedule can leave you with little time for preparing healthy meals to take to the office as baon, but there are better solutions to easing your hunger than going to a fast-food chain for lunch. Consider dropping by the grocery store and checking out what prepacked foods are available. Get items like yogurt, cereal, canned soups, fresh or dried fruit, prepared salads, sandwiches, and the like, which are good alternatives for quick-fix foods. While shopping might take time, you don’t have to do it every day. You can stock up on food for later days.
Cardio is one good way to start a fitness routine. Whether it's dancing, running, or even using a jump rope, you can work your way to a better body one step at a time! Read on and discover ways to make your cardio workout even better than it already is.
1. Do warm ups and cool downs. Stretch before and after an aerobics session to help minimize muscle soreness and injury. Pace yourself in order to give your strength and flexibility time to develop. While being in a class is motivating and tends to encourage you to do more than you would do alone, don’t overdo it. Remember that an aerobics class is no contest, and that too much bouncing to keep up with everyone can lead to injuries. Monitor your breathing.
2. Step up. Find a sturdy box (minimum or four inches high) that you can step up and down on repeatedly. Or use the stairs. Intensify the workout by gradually using higher boxes.
3. Don’t look at your feet. This motion can cause neck and/or back pains. Protect your lower back when standing by tucking in your pelvis to keep the lower back extended. When doing lunges, align knees over your ankles and avoid going farther forward. Never overextend knees and elbows.
A study suggests people who change the environment they diet in are not only able to adhere more effectively to their diets but also lose more weight compared to people who alter their eating behaviors or food choices. This means that using a smaller dish for meals, rearranging the contents of your pantry so that junk food is not immediately accessible, or turning off distractions like your cellphone, computer, or television while you eat can actually help you stick to your diet better.
DOWNSIZE YOUR DISH Eating your meals off a 10-inch plate can actually help you consume less. You may even learn to eat more slowly to make the food on your small plate last longer!
HIDE HIGH-CALORIE FOODS Keeping fatty fare—including your artery-blocking comfort foods—out of sight will certainly aid in keeping them out of mind (and stomach). Try placing high-calorie groceries at the topmost shelf of your cupboards, where they will be hard to see and reach.
NO GADGETS AT THE TABLE Don’t distract yourself with your cellphone, computer, or TV when you are having a meal. Keeping them on will divert you from the fact that you are taking bigger bites or adding a third or fourth helping to your plate.
Did you know that exercising just five minutes out of doors can actually make you feel better about yourself?
After examining the data of over 1,200 people of varying demographics from 10 related British studies, researchers found that walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding, and farming helped boost the mental health of many of the participants, particularly the youth and those with mental illnesses. Spending time in lush, green settings with a nearby body of water was deemed especially beneficial.
With a busy workweek and jam-packed weekends, some people may find it difficult to fit in a little exercise. But imagine how much better you’d feel in the midst of all that stress if you just took five minutes to work out in the great outdoors—this study has just proven that it’s worth it! Here are a few things you can try:
TAKE A STROLL Find a pretty park to walk in—it doesn’t have to be very large, as long as it’s located in an unpolluted area with lots of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Take your time—you don’t have to do any of those crazy aerobic brisk-walking moves. If you feel like taking a second turn around the park, go ahead. Take in the clean air and green surroundings and just keep a nice pace going until you’ve had enough.
BIKE TO NEARBY DESTINATIONS Put your car keys down and prop up the kickstand on your bike instead. Cycling to destinations that you can get to in ten minutes or less not only saves the environment from noxious vehicular emissions but also gets your blood pumping through light exercise. You’ll feel great inside and out after even the briefest of bicycle rides.
EXPERIMENT IN YOUR GARDEN Plant a tree, some fruit and vegetable seeds, or even a couple of low-maintenance flowers! Gardening is a wonderful way to get up close and personal with the environment—and squeeze in a little physical exertion at the same time. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as watching the fruit of your labor grow and prosper—and who knows, you might have a hidden green thumb.
SWIM It’s summer, after all, so make the most of your beach trips! Don’t just lounge around in your cabana or commit yourself completely to your tan. Make time for a quick dip in the ocean and savor the delicious feeling of the cool waves against your skin. Remember to wear your goggles—you wouldn’t want the saltwater to sting your eyes as you do a lap or two.
1. WATCH YOUR WEIGHT This helps you avoid lifestyle diseases like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. While it’s true that heart attacks tend to hit men more than women, that’s no reason not to be on guard. For women, fat tends to accumulate around the hips and thighs, while for men, it accumulates around the belly or the visceral organs (like the heart). When heart attacks do happen to women, they are more deadly and debilitating. In fact, women are less likely to survive a heart attack and are more likely to succumb within a year if they do.
Diabetes is also an increasing problem in the Philippines; women are much more likely to have diabetes than men, and the risk increases markedly as one grows older.
2. STOP SMOKING There are many great reasons to quit. Stopping smoking is better for the skin and prevents pregnancy complications. Mothers must also remember that children of smokers are at greater risk of developing asthma and ear infections and are more likely to copy the behavior later in life.
3. PRESERVE YOUR FERTILITY The most common reasons for infertility in women of child-bearing age are problems with ovulation, abnormalities of the uterus, defects in the fallopian tube, and endometriosis. These conditions have symptoms like absence of menses, irregular or short cycles, pain during menstruation, or pain during intercourse. If you experience these problems, see your doctor.
4. PERFORM A BREAST EXAM REGULARLY Get into the habit of examining your breasts once a month, a few days after your period ends, when your breasts are less likely to be swollen or painful because of hormonal changes.
Inspect your breasts in front of a mirror with arms on your sides and then above your head. Check for any skin or shape changes. Squeeze each nipple and check for discharge—yellow or bloody fluid is something to worry about. Next, examine each breast for lumps while standing, and again while lying down. Be sure to cover the whole area of the breast by starting with the nipples and then moving outward in circles.
If you feel a mass or lump, consult a physician for confirmation. Most of the time, it is something benign, but if it’s not and you’re facing breast cancer, early detection increases the chances of cure, survival, and high quality of life.
5. GO FOR A YEARLY PAP SMEAR Do this if you are or have been sexually active. The Pap test is a procedure where samples of cervical cells are taken and examined under a microscope to check for abnormalities that might signal cancer.
You will lie on a gynecological examination table, with your feet up on stirrups. A speculum is inserted into the vagina to open it slightly and make the cervix visible, then swabs are taken from the cervix using cotton buds. The process is painless, but may be a bit uncomfortable because of the positioning and use of the speculum, and in general because of the feeling of being exposed. Therefore, go to a gynecologist you trust. Early detection of cervical cancer more than makes up for the discomfort.
6. HAVE YOUR EYES EXAMINED Yearly eye examinations to guard against conditions that cause blindness, most common of which is vitamin A deficiency. Cataracts are another common cause, with the risk increasing as one grows older.
For many women, however, the most pressing eye problem is error of refraction, causing blurred vision, headaches, and even nausea. This can be easily treated with glasses or lenses. Laser treatments are now also available locally. If you have a family history of glaucoma, or if you have diabetes, it is even more important to have your eyes examined.
7. MAKE SURE YOUR WORK KEEPS YOU HEALTHY AND HAPPY We spend more than half our waking time at work or traveling to and from work. We have to make sure that during that time our environment is safe; we are not exposed to hazards beyond safe levels; we have a manageable level of stress; we relate well with our colleagues; and at the end of the day we feel we have accomplished something with our team.
You have to help create safe and healthy workplaces, whether you are a full-time mother, homeworker, factory line assembler, sales lady, or office worker. Do not allow your work, or yourself, to be valued less.
8. WORK ON YOUR RELATIONSHIPS Technology allows us to communicate easily. Send a simple text message to your husband or boyfriend saying "How are you?" It’s simple, but it makes a big difference. It is also important to keep tabs with your friends—college roommates, high school barkada, or even your childhood playmates. Touch base with your roots. Together you will see how far you’ve come. It’s not a competition; it’s more about being in good company.
9. MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BALANCE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO There should always be a balance in your diet, between work and relaxation, time for yourself and family. So the food pyramid we were taught in elementary school should be as vital now. Say no to crash diets; develop your taste for low-salt, low-fat, high fiber, and unsweetened foods instead. Drink alcohol in moderation.
Work-life balance also means finding time for all aspects of your life. The more hours you spend at work, the more unhappy and anxious you feel. Women tend to report more unhappiness than men, maybe because they feel more pressure to juggle many responsibilities as worker, mother, and wife or girlfriend.
Take responsibility for achieving balance, and speak up when the demands are too much. Prioritize, allot a set time to each task, and do not engage in unproductive activities. Take breaks and relax more. If you supervise employees, make sure to monitor workloads and watch out for signs of burnout like too many sick leaves and absences.
10. RESERVE AN HOUR EVERY DAY FOR DOING SOMETHING YOU ENJOY It doesn’t have to be complicated—you can write, play a computer game, call a friend, or just lie down. Setting even just one hour for yourself every day will go far in helping you keep your sanity.
We need to have some time for themselves to relax and have fun. Life is short, so enjoy every minute.
1. Enjoy your sandwich open-faced. You’ll automatically cut bread calories in half and barely notice. An average regular-size piece of bread is about 100 calories.
2. Team up low-fat creamy ingredients. Try replacing full-fat sour cream and mayonnaise in creamy dips and salad dressings with a combination of reduced-fat cream cheese, cottage cheese and/or nonfat plain yogurt. You’ll cut calories and the layers of flavors will still taste rich.
3. Use low-fat mayonnaise in place of the full-fat version. It has which has just 15 calories and 1 gram of fat per tablespoon compared with 90 calories and 10 grams of fat in the traditional kind.
4. Oven-fry to save calories from fat. If you crave fried foods, don’t deny yourself. A typical serving of fried fish sticks packs 16 grams of fat. Oven-frying replicates that special taste and texture for only 3 grams of fat per serving.
5. Use spices to add calorie-free flavor to food. Your spices should be fresh to get maximum impact, so buy them in small amounts, label with a date, and discard and replace after one year.
6. Keep lemons around. They zest up almost any dish, without any calories. Stock up when they’re on sale and freeze the zest and juice for up to 6 months: pare the rind and freeze in strips, and freeze the juice in ice cube trays.
7. Spice things up. Don’t bank on the spice turmeric as a magic bullet for weight loss yet. But go ahead and try it in your cooking—it adds flavor without any calories. In one study, when mice were fed high-fat diets with added curcumin (an active ingredient in the spice turmeric), they gained less weight than a similar group whose diets had no added curcumin.
Understanding the labels will help ensure that you are getting enough daily nutrients while striving toward your health and weight-loss goals. Here are some helpful cheat sheet that you can take with you the next time you hit the grocery store.
1. Serving Size and Servings per Container. This is the first thing to look at when you are scanning a Nutrition Facts panel. Serving sizes are standardized by product type to make it easier to compare similar foods; they are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount (for example, number of grams). It’s important to be aware of how many servings there are in a package. Many products that look like they contain 1 serving actually contain more than that in a single package.
2. Calories. Calories are a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of the product. As suggested above, be sure to look at the number of servings in a package to figure out total calories per package.
3. % Daily Value. On the right side of the panel is a column that lists % Daily Value (DV) for each nutrient based on a diet of 2,000 calories a day, as recommended by public health experts. Your DV may need to be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs. You can use the %DV as a guide for evaluating nutrients and whether or not they are contributing minimally or significantly to your daily recommended allowance. A good rule of thumb: 5%DV or less is low for all nutrients and 20%DV or more is high for all nutrients.
4. Total Fat. This section is broken down into saturated and trans fat content. Manufacturers are not required to list unsaturated fats; however, they are included in the total fat calculations. Be aware that a label can say 0% trans fats if it contains less than 0.5 gram per serving — so be sure to check for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (which indicate the presence of these bad fats) in the ingredients list if you are concerned.
5. Cholesterol and Sodium. You may be shocked by how much sodium and cholesterol many processed foods contain.
6. Total Carbohydrate (Dietary Fiber, Sugars). Total carbohydrate is the heading that lists total grams of dietary fiber and sugars, with the individual subcategories of dietary fiber and sugar following. Getting plenty of fiber is very important (25 to 30 grams daily is optimal), so pay close attention to this section of the label. When choosing whole-grain breads, for example, select those that contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. When it comes to sugars, be aware that this number represents the sum of sugars that occur naturally in foods, like lactose and glucose, as well as added sugars (corn syrup, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and honey are just a few of the names added sugars go under). Take a hard look at the ingredients list all the way through to check for these added sugars — and avoid products made with them.
7. Vitamins and Minerals. Manufacturers are required to list the percentage of the DV of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron supplied by a serving of food. Listing other vitamins and minerals is voluntary, unless a claim is made about the nutrient or they are added to supplement the foods (as in breakfast cereals that supply 100% of your daily need for various vitamins and minerals).
1) Easy on the sodas, iced tea, and fruit juice. The sugars in these drinks secretly sabotage your diet, and sodas and iced tea add unnecessary caffeine into your system. Your best bet? Water. Not only is it healthier for you, it’s also free.
2) Learn how to take a power nap! Pilots and astronauts do it, and so do Japanese businessmen on their lunch break, so why not you, too? Fifteen minutes of quality snooze will energize you for the rest of the day, just make sure to set an alarm to wake you up.
3) Do any kind of stretching or casual exercise at home— stretch when you wake up or while watching TV, play tag with your kids, or dance with the music on the radio.
4) Keep in mind that rest is just as important as exercise!
5) Receive compliments with a smile. Be kind to others. A rude person does not look fabulous at all.
Your plastic may be affecting more than just your credit score. Visa conducted a study of 100,000 fast-food restaurant transactions and found that people who pay for their food with a credit card spend 30 percent more than those who pay with cash. Opt to swipe and you could end up with a double quarter-pounder with cheese and a large Coke instead of a quarter-pounder with cheese and medium drink. For the average women, who visits a fast-food restaurant once a week, that adds an extra 17,160 calories, or 4.9 pounds, per year.
IMPROVE YOUR ODDS
If you must hit the drive-thru, pay cash. You're likely to spend less. Better yet: Go home and make a sandwich. It'll be better for your body and wallet.
Andy is a fitness professional who designs effective fat loss programs for time-crunched individuals. He also runs his own successful Weight Loss BootCamp on the Isle of Man.
Tired of eating the same salad, day after day? Hit up your supermarket or farmers’ market for some new, seasonal ingredients. Getting creative with new flavors and textures is also a great way to sneak extra nutrients into your salad.
