Wanna lose weight ???

Eight out of ten women are obese especially old fat, which gives orange peel effect on thighs and tyres on tummy. The key to minimise them is to drop weight. Gradual weight loss is the right way to reduce the fat. Here are the few tips that can be used.

• Get Fibre : Stock up on wholegrain vegetables and fruits. Unlike refined foods that can easily digested, our body has to work hard to break down and digest fibre. In the process it uses up extra energy and this is why fruits and vegetables, particularly raw ones, help boost metabolism.

• Drink more water : Staying well-hydrated keeps us energised and helps metabolism.

• Add Dairy : Besides helping maintain bone mass, dairy products may be exactly what we need to crank up our metabolism and lose tummy fat. The magic ingredient is Calcium, which serves as a switch that helps our body's cells to burn fat faster.

• Include Proteins : Dieters who consumed 30% of calories from proteins preserved their muscle while trying to lose weight, while the ones who didnot have proteins saw their muscle broken down by the body for it's daily requirements. Nuts and seeds, raw and fresh egg whites, low fat cottage cheese, soy products, milk, legumes, cereals, fruits and vegetables are among the list which are high in proteins.

• Sip on Green Tea : A Japanese study found that people who drank green tea daily lost 3-4 kgs after 3months, without altering their diet. Green tea contains catechins, which may trigger weight loss by increasing body metabolism. It's a good substitute.

• Go for Fat Fighters : Oatmeal, vegetable or fruit juice, nuts, fat free or skim milk, green tea are the foods that fight against fats. So, try to include them in your daily meals.

Eat sensible and have adequate calories per day, never going lower than 1200cal. Small changes can make a big difference. Daily have breakfast; stick to right fats and avoid saturates; exercise regularly; have frequent small meals and don't starve yourself; spice up your meals with Capsicum which is a high metabolism booster.

Know your BMI and Waist Circumference

BMI is completely known as Body Mass Index. It is used to estimate the total amount of body fat. It is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by height in metres square. It is an approximate measure to balance a healthy weight according to your height.

Once you measure your BMI, you can determine your healthy weight range. (You can calculate your BMI by clicking this link - calculate your BMI ). The result can be measured as follows :

• Under 18.5 - you are underweight and malnourished.
• 18.5 - 24.9 - you are maintaining a healthy weight.
• 25 - 29.9 - you are over weight.
• 30 - 34.9 - you are obese.
• 35 - 39.9 - you are severely obese and should strictly adopt a healthy life-style.
• Above 40 - you are morbidly obese and will be suffering with various health issues.

Waist Circumference can also be used to indicate health risk. It differs with both men and women.
For Men :

• 94 cms or more - increased risk
• 102 cms or more - substantially increased risk

For Women :

• 80 cms or more - increased risk
• 88 cms or more - substantially increased risk

According to the studies, Waist Circumference is better predictor of health risk than BMI.

Yoga

Yoga is called science of holistic living and, as such should be incorporated in daily life. It is integration between thoughts, words and deeds. The very purpose of yoga is to consciously bring us back in to physical, vital, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual harmony.

Yoga is not mere doing physical and breathing exercises. It is procedure to attend perfect harmony between mind and body with discipline in daily routine for good health.

Yoga has eight steps. It is called as “Ashtanga” – the eight fold path. The first five steps are called external aids of yoga (Bahiranga Sadhana). The last three steps or levels are called internal aids of yoga. (Antaranga Sadhana).

First Five steps of Yoga:

I. YAMA – It refers to social behavior that how you behave with people around you. There are five YAMAS.

1. Ahimsa - that is non-violence, inflecting no injury or harm to others or even to one’s own self. “Non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds.
2. Satya - Truth in words and thought.
3. Asteya - that is non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is not his own..
4. Brahmacharya - that is to abstain from sexual intercourse, celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people. Even this to the extent that one should not possess any sexual thoughts towards any other man or woman except one’s own spouse.
5. Aparigraha – that is non-possessiveness.

II. NIYAMA - refers to inner disciple and responsibility, how we treat ourselves. There are five Niyamas.

1. Shaucha – Cleanliness of body and mind.
2. Santhosha – Satisfaction satisfied what one has.
3. Tapas – This is associated with body discipline there by mental control.
4. Swadhyaya – Study of the Vedic scriptures to know about god and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and god within.
5. Ishvarapranidhana – Surrender to god or worship of god.

III. ASANA – Discipline of body – rules and pastures to keep it disease free and for preserving vital energy. Correct postures are a physical aid to meditation, for they control the limbs and nervous systems and prevent them from producing disturbances.

IV. PRANAYAMA – Control of breath. Beneficial to health, steadies the body and is highly conducive to the concentration of the mind.

V. PRATYAHARA – Withdrawal of senses from their external objects (Control over senses).

The last three steps of are called internal aids to yoga.

VI. DHARANA – Concentration upon a physical object, such as a flame of a lamp, the mid point of the eyebrows (brumadya dhristi) or image of a deity.

VII. DHYANA – Steadfast meditation. Undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation.

VIII. SAMADHI – Oneness with the object of meditation. There is no distinction between act of meditation and the object of meditation (The state of super consciousness).

The eight limbs work together: the first five steps – yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara are the preliminaries of yoga and build the foundation for spiritual life. They are concerned with the body and the brain. The last here, which would not be possible without the previous steps, are concerned with reconditioning the mind. They help the yogi to attain enlightenment or the full realization of oneness.

Alcohol & Smoking

Alcohol has a very little nutritional value, and excess consumption can lead to a number of medical probems, including certain vitamin deficiencies. It has a significant amount of empty calories which can contribute to weight gain. Beer tops the list having a high amount of calories in it. So, drinking moderately can reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease.

Smoking also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and many cancers; passive smoking - inhaling "secondhand" smoke - can cause pneumonia and asthma. Pregnant smokers put their babies at risk of prematurity, low birth weight and even foetal death. Stopping smoking is the best life-style change you can ever make. Within months of cutting down on the amount of smoking, your health will improve. Some people face with the problem of weight gain but from the health standpoint, smoking is much more risky than carrying a few extra kilograms of weight.

Eating away from home

In most of the countries like US, UK, India, Australia the number of meals eaten away from home continues to rise. This is most likely due to increase in the number of two-career families, who have a very little time to food shopping, preparing and cooking meals at home during the week.

Being aware of the hazards will enable you to make healthy choices. For example; one could choose a small sized grilled chicken sandwich instead of a cheese-topped burger. Insted of having chips, you can opt for a side salad, which is nutritious and much lower in fat. Stop eating as soon as you feel satistied, don't feel compelled to eat everything in your plate.

Wherever possible, choose food that is grilled, poached, or baked, rather than fried, as the fried foods are high in calories and fat content. Check out this video regarding the problems that arise due to frequent intake of fast foods [video chosen from youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GXbm-iV9EA

Drinking Water

Water is essential for good health. Humans are able to survive for several weeks without food, but for only a few days without water. Since the body has no means of storing water, we need a constant supply to replenish the fluids that we lose through sweating and urination. So, we need to drink atleast 6-8 glasses of water everday, and more when it is hot or when playing sport or taking exercise. We shouldn't wait until we feel thirsty, since thirst may indicate that you are already lacking the water you need.

If you are thirsty what do you prefer to drink? 80% of the people answer "Soft Drinks". Most of these drinks are sweetened with sugar. There is an evidence that drinking soft drinks may be a risk factor in developing Obesity (http://www.health.gov.au/). If you prefer to drink them check the labels and choose 'no added sugar' varieties.

Try to adopt healthy drinking habits to keep yourself active. Prefer to drink plain water/ coconut water/ fruit juices/ skim milk/ lassi/ buttermilk whenever you feel thirsty. They supply good nutrients to your body in additional apart from satisfying your thirst.(http://www.australiansportsnutrition.com.au/water_or_cola.php)

Using Fats and Oils

Fats are not only found naturally in foods, but also added during preparation, cooking and serving. They are essential to our health, but not all the fats have same effect on your health.

Saturated fats such as butter, lard and dripping, have been identified as having the potential to increase the risk of Cardiovascular Disease. This is beacause they raise the levels of cholesterol in the blood stream. However, other fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, found in plant based oils and fish, are healthier and protect against diseases.

Monounsaturated fats, which are found in abudance in olive and canon oils, have been shown to reduce the risk of Cardiovascular Disease when they are part of healthy food intake. So, to help modify the fats we eat, cook with olive or canola oils instead of animal fats.

Whichever oil we use, it will provide 3700KJ (880 cal) per 100g. So, we should use all fats, including oils, sparingly.

How many meals per day

Every person have their meals according to their biological demands. To function well, our body and mind need a steady supply of energy and nutrients. So, eating 3 nutritious meals per day is a good way to obtain the nutrients that we need for good health.

Some prefer to have only 2 meals per day. But one of those should defenitly be breakfast. Breakfast is an important meal as it breaks the long overnight fast and make you more alert all the day. For a healthy break fast we can have

• traditional Indian foods like - idli, chapathi, dosa, wheat upma
• make a smoothie by blending a banana or berries with plain yoghurt and skim/ soy milk
• fresh fruits like apple, guava, pears, some nuts/ seeds
• sprouts/ boiled/ raw vegetables with a multigrain bread toast
• dry fruits with skim milk
• rice cakes

For most of us snacking is a regular and enjoyable part of our daily routine. If you are really hungry, then eat a healthy snack rather than wait for the next meal. This will prevent you from becoming over hungry and in turn will reduce the temptation to eat a nutrient poor food. Many popular snacks such as chips, chocolates, biscuits contain lots of sugar, fat and salt but have little nutritional value. So, it's best to eat them once in a while rather eating them daily.

One should avoid eating big meals in the nights. Children and teenagers in particular should have regular meals and snacks throughout the day. Offer children fruits or vegetables as snacks to develop good habits right from the start.

Is your Life-style Healthy?

There are 3 aspects to examine if we are maintaining a healthy life-style or not :

1. Examining every aspect of our eating habits, including

• how many times a day we eat
• what we eat
• how much we eat

2. Then we should look over other aspects of our lifestyle; for example,

• how active we are
• do we take part in any sport/ exercise

3. Finally, we should consider other factors that could effect our nutritional health, such as

• tobacco
• alcohol

Good Nutrition for Good Health

The connection between food and health is clear - to grow properly and function properly. Everything we eat & drink affects our body functions. Our body needs different nutrients at different stages of our life. A normal person requires a complete range of nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, water as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Most of the nutrients are not just essential for normal body functioning, but they can actually improve our state of health and protect us against various diseases. If the food we eat lacks any nutrients or provides too many of certain nutrients, we will not fuction at the optimum level. For example, eating too much of animal fat can lead to Cardiovascular Disease. On the other hand skipping calcium rich foods in your teenage may lead to Osteoporosis in later years.

Accordingly, adopting healthier eating habits will result in maintaining a healthier life-style.

Nutrition

Nutrition is an ongoing science that requires our body to keep up to date. A balance of good nutrition and adequate physical activity is essential for general good health and well-being for prevention of many life-style diseases.

Now that our chidren's health and our long-term health are being threatened because we are overweight and inactive, there is an increased need for accurate,reliable information. The cause of Obesity is not a mystery. Excess weight is a mathematical certainity if the energy we consume consistently exceeds the energy we spend.

Eating well makes you feel well, which improves your mood and enables to cope better with stress.

What is Health?

This is the question most of people arise. There are many avenues available to achieve a healthy state and they all work interdependently. Most of the people become ignorant to their health needs. Surely, there is nothing more important in life than health. Time and Health are the two precious assets that we don't recognise and appreciate until they have been depleted.

Learning more about your personal health, or the needs of the people you love, means raising awareness of your own condition and living a balanced life will help you to make the right decisions to do something positive about your health.

This is the key to sustaining good health throughout life.