The Healthy Living Blog - Page 5 of 25

January 12, 2018 Exercise and fitness

Don’t Let Your Metabolism Slow You Down

You probably have heard a lot about it but do you really know what is metabolism?

In simple words, metabolism is the process in which the body converts food into energy. And why does it matter? Well, for starters, your metabolism determines how fast you burn up the calories you consume. The higher your metabolic rate, easier it is to burn calories.

The amount of energy your body needs to survive, aka basal metabolic rate, is determined by your age, gender, body size (height and weight) and body composition. Let’s face it, most of which we can’t change.

But do not despair! With a little help, we can fine-tune your metabolism and transform your body in a calorie-burning machine.

January 4, 2018 Healthy eating

Why You Shouldn’t Drink Your Calories

If you are trying to lose weight, this is an easy way to cut calories without starving yourself.

Liquid calories are readily absorbable, meaning that they will go straight into your bloodstream as sugar. This produces an immediate response from the body, releasing a huge amount of insulin[1]. Insulin job is to take up all the sugar floating around, taking it to muscles and organs where it should be used as energy. The problem is when those sites are full, insulin will have to make other arrangements. Which means taking the sugar to your liver where it will take the form of a long-term type of storage. You probably heard of it before. It is called FAT. And your body favourite storage spot is your belly.

January 2, 2018 Habits and behaviors Healthy eating

Detox Revised

It is January. Holidays are over and it is time to face the reality. You overdid it throughout the festivities. Hey, don’t feel ashamed. You are not alone. I did the same. Too much to drink, too much to eat, not nearly enough exercise.

Now, it’s time to get back on track and I have a PLAN. We are going to DETOX. Alright, calm down! Not what you are thinking. Just listen to me.

First things first. What is Detox anyway?

According to Dr Google, “detox is a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.”

It doesn’t seem too hard. For how long are we doing it?

Let’s try one week? I can definitely cut stuff for a single week.

December 29, 2017 Exercise and fitness Habits and behaviors

Changing Your Exercise Perspective

Don’t you love a New Year? Our hearts fill up with hope and we start envisioning how the year is going to look like. We get in touch with our dreams again and say: “It’s time to give it one more try”.

Does that sound like something you would say? I have certainly experienced that several times. There is nothing wrong with that. However, to get something you never had, you must do something you never done. Doing exactly the same thing you did last time is not going to cut it. You need a fresh start.

If you are not an active person and seem to have trouble sticking to any exercise regimen, try changing the way you perceive exercise. You see, exercise should not be seen as a chore but an activity you spontaneously do FOR yourself (not to yourself). The goal is to find enjoyment rather then focusing solely on a desired outcome.

Keep in mind that results (no matter what your goals are) come from small efforts consistently repeated over time. The keyword here is CONSISTENTLY. That means that if you really want to get where you want to be you must be able to stick to a plan. Truth be told, you will be more likely to be consistent if the activity you choose to practice brings you joy, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment.

December 18, 2017 Exercise and fitness Motivation

Weight Loss Plan

Losing weight is not an easy task. Just ask any person who has ever tried maintain a lean body and they will tell you that it is hard work. You may think that all you need is strong willpower but I’ll tell you right now: willpower is not enough. You need a good plan. Without a proper plan your efforts won’t last a week.

Did you know that to lose 1 kg of fat you need to burn whopping 9000 calories? Just to put into perspective, a light jog burns about 200 calories per hour (depending on your body weight) which means that you will need 45 hours of running to burn a single kilo of fat. Discouraging? You bet.

November 30, 2017 Habits and behaviors Healthy eating

Meal Planning 101

Eating healthy on regular basis can be quite challenging. In my experience, the best way of avoiding falling into the junk food/take out trap is being prepared. If you arrive home from work and have everything ready to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal, you will be less likely to end up at McDonalds drive thru.

Here are some tips for creating your own meal planning system. This is the method I use to plan my meals and grocery shopping for the week.

July 27, 2017 Exercise and fitness

Working the Back – Horizontal Pull

The basic horizontal pull exercise is a row. It targets mainly the horizontal fibres of our back muscles. When you develop a strong back, those muscles pull the shoulders back (flattening the shoulder blades against the rib cage), giving you a nice open-chest posture like ballerinas and military people have.

Rows are similar to pull-downs/pull-ups. They both engage the same muscle groups and involve shoulder and elbow joints. The difference between the two exercises lies in body positioning. In a pull-down, weight is moved from above the head to the chest (vertical pull). In a row, load is moved horizontally (seated cable row) or in an angle (bent-over row), depending on how you position your body. Rows could be considered the opposite movement of chest presses.

July 13, 2017 Habits and behaviors Motivation

The Holiday Effect – Part 3

Oh Diet. Isn’t it everybody’s nemesis? How good it would be if we could eat whatever we want, whenever we feel like and not have severe consequences on our waistline.

I came back from my two-week vacation four kilos heavier. Now that I’m back home, I had to do something about it. Besides exercising 6 times per week (read the previous article for more info), I had to get my eating habits back on track.

July 11, 2017 Exercise and fitness Motivation

The Holiday Effect – Part 2

So, this was the first week of my get-back-into-shape program. My plan was to exercise six days per week, stick to a clean diet, drink more water, take my vitamins…

July 6, 2017 Habits and behaviors Motivation

The Holiday Effect

I just came back from a two-week vacation. Like many people out there, I used the excuse of being on holidays to overeat and under exercise. During those short two weeks, I managed to ignore completely all the health principles I teach and normally follow. I guess that just makes me a human being.