Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Don't Wait to Loose Weight! See results in a week!

You know you have done everything possible on this earth to make sure that the weighing scale actually favours you. you have tried all sorts of weird diets GM diet, maple syrup diet, detox diet, all liquids diet et.al; but nothing seems to work out for you. Or worst still, you loose pounds real fast only to realize that you have gained double the weight that you had, before you started your adventure with food! I believe, the best way to ensure you get that fab bod, is to start treating your body as friend and not making it your worst enemy, and yes you will still be able to see results in a week's time. Here are some tips to torture the the fat in your body:

1. Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate but only with water:
65-90%of your body is made up of water and there is a reason to that. A fruit smoothie, sports drink, beer, or any other drink can hydrate your body but they also contain 100 or more calories. Moreover these drinks do not satisfy you the way 100 cal of food does, so basically, they are waste. Also these drinks are also high in sodium and carbs which retain water, making you feel puffed out. Water on the other hand is zero in carbs, makes you feel full, hydrate you and detoxify your system. Also water is the most important item in fat mobilization and fat metabolism, i.e without water, fat will not get degraded no matter how much you run on the treadmill! And hey, if water is boring, add a slice of lemon sweet lime or orange.

2. Switch one meal/Snack with fruits:
This can even be your evening tea snacks or your morning breakfast or dinner. Fruits contain more fibre( read fat killers), more water and more vitamins as compared to breads, rice etc. Instead of having that sandwich in the evening have an apple, or instead of having croissant jam and toast in breakfast, have a fruit plate and juice, or instead of having bread, veggies and sizzler at night, have a big bowl full of fruit/ sprouts and salads. The dinner switch is my personal favorite as the lighter you go on your stomach during the later part of the day, the more chances of you losing weight faster and better the chances of you getting up in the morning with a healthy glow! 

3. Drink Coffee 30 minutes before workout:
This is an exception to rule one. Coffee is said to have metabolism inducing power and also help you metabolize fat faster. But this coffee doesn't mean a big cuppa of cappuccino. Preferable that you have black coffee with very little or no sugar. If you must add milk, add skim milk to the tune of 3-4 tablespoon. Coffee also helps you jump-start your body and gives you the additional kick while working out so that you workout better and don't get fatigued soon. Word of caution- Do not go overboard with coffee, it also has dehydrating effects on your body.

4. Make thy Sacrifice:
Make one food sacrifice. Simply by Cutting out one favorite sinful indulgence from your daily list of must haves can create wonders for you. Like stop eating chips  or finger fries or chocolate, whichever is your must haves. Also if you succeed at this the first week, continue with one more food item the next week. This way you'll eliminate all your evils out slowly but surely, and boy will that work wonders!

5. Cardio for just 30 minutes:
 Yes there is no escape to workout, if you want a fit body. Do cardio once in 2 days atleast. Your body will love you if you do this everyday though. Cardio can be in any form- be it running for 20 minutes, brisk walk, jogging, climbing up and down the stairs instead of using the stairs, getting off the bus one stop earlier so that you get the extra mile to walk back home, skipping,  or jumping...anything. But yes make that body work.

And yes here is a special tip- if you want to look slimmer in for the camera, stand in a slightly diagonal angle, chin up and hold your hands slightly away from your body- this should do the trick ;)

Happy slimming!

Monday, July 9, 2012

That Red Hot Thing!

Red is in! As a matter of fact it has always been in! Oh and I am not just talking about Red in your wardrobe. I am talking about the good old apple. Most of us forget, that usually in life, the simplest answers are the best ones. Answers to some of the biggest health problems can be as simple as grabbing an apple next time around you are hungry. Here’s telling you how an apple can do wonders to your health by merely replacing some of your routine food munching with the magic fruit.

1. Replace your morning tea with Apple:
Most of us need to have that morning cup of tea simply to get up from the bed and start afresh. Try replacing your morning shot of caffeine with an apple. In a study published in the journal of Foods and nutrition, it is mentioned that apple in known to be a better stimulant than caffeine and helps you stay awake and alert in a much better way than caffeine. Also caffeine tends to dehydrate your body while apple, due to its fibre content, helps to absorb more water.

2. Whiter Pearlies:
Biting and chewing and apple produces more saliva, which helps you prevent tooth decay by lowering levels of bacteria. Also Apple helps maintain PH balance of the teeth and prevents bad breath. So while an apple can't replace your toothbrush, it sure can whiten your teeth.

3. Bye Bye cholesterol, hello fibre:
Apples are rich in fibre. The soluble fibre in apples helps binds the fat in intestine thereby lowering the cholesterol levels in your body. Also the fibre in the apple help induce satiety i.e. one tends to feel full soon- over eating issue solved!

4. Curb Cancer:
The consumption of flavonol rich apples could help reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by upto 23 percent. compounds like triterpenoids, in apple peel have anti growth properties act against cancer cells in liver, colon and breasts.

5. Detoxify:
Detoxification-The much hyped and most googled word around (makes me feel I should have started the article with this; would have increased the hits...sigh!) We constantly keep on having foods and drinks that tend to over burden our liver. It becomes important that once in a while we go slow and detoxify our systems. While doctors recommend detoxification, they are mostly skeptical of the fad diet way that people adopt to cleanse the system. Having combination of apple and green tea is perhaps the best way to detoxify your liver as apple provides the sufficient fibre and micronutrients, green tea helps regulate metabolism.

6. Why red is Hot! :
Red apples contain an antioxidant called quercetin. Studies have found that quercetin can help boost and fortify your immune systems, especially when you are stressed out.

So go red- its your green signal!