The Not So Merry Christmas....

I was supposed to be writing about top 5 heart healthy foods but I think the results of my self-experimentation are due. 

About a month and half ago I embarked on a journey to truly understand the habits of the general public because the struggles I hear from my clients about their nutritional habits and lifestyle are hard to balance that their results are hindered. As a personal trainer, it is my duty to keep them motivated and push them forward through to achieve results. But after a whole year of assessment I cannot truly understand them unless I put myself under the same lifestyle conditions.

Here are the parameters. 

1.      Eat hawker food for breakfast or skip breakfast entirely

2.      Have Hawker fare for lunch (chicken rice, fish soup, economic rice, noodles)

3.      Random breads whenever hungry from local bakeries

4.      Dinner will be bought from a hawker centre

5.      Exercise will be kept to 3 times a week or less

Now for the results

1.      Bodyfat percentage WAS 10.5%, now I am at 20.5%.

2.      My muscle mass dropped from 37% to 33.7%.

3.      Mental alertness and reaction is slightly slower and I lost 20% of my strength and performance in the gym and recovery from my workout used to take 1 to 2 days became 3 to 4 days.

4.      I lose my temper easily and not as motivated to go to the gym and prefer skipping sessions

5.      Immune system is poor and I fell sick 3 times throughout this 1.5 months compared to not falling sick at all. Each time my recovery became slower and slower and now I am actually having a pretty bad cough that has been around for 4 days.

16 Dec 2014

30 Oct 2014

Dear folks, I hope you find the parameters and results familiar. If you have roughly the same patterns please do yourself a favor and make a change NOW. I have been on the healthier side of the fence with excellent strength, focus and positivity with a balanced diet and it translates to how I work and interact with people. 

Please plan ahead or contact us or any health care provider to make the change for a better you for 2015.

Written by: Ryan Lye

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Sticking To The Plan!!

The number 1 problem I am facing now with my clients is that everyone tells me they have NO TIME. Ok. So could you elaborate “No Time”? The replies range from heavy workloads, family commitments and mental fatigue. Truly, we are overworked and we have little time left to take good care of ourselves.

So perhaps sharing a few tips on how to add fitness and making small nutritional changes gradually would help form healthy habits. See folks, no matter how busy you are you have to at least 1 meal a day. Exercise and eating right are similar. The idea of this article is to actually reach out to friends/family or yourself to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Most people know that they need to make this change but whenever they try youtubing a video or googling a topic, the accuracy is questionable and dependable on whether it inspires/motivates one to make the change.

But I am going to provide 5 simple steps that you can start off with to get you going.

1.    Make Activity a part of your day!

 If there is the lift and the stairs. TAKE THE STAIRS. But I stay on the 20^th floor! Well climb as many stories as you can before you get tired then take the lift to your level. Trust me, if you diligently do this your stamina will improve and your heart will thank you.

2.    Spend 10 mins everyday warming up.

Do some assisted push ups, leg swings, squats with a chair as support, dynamic arm swings and do no more than 10 MINS and STOP! Reason being is that if the work outs are 45 mins it may be a challenge to complete it effectively. Increase the duration and number of exercises or sets and that is one way to indicate that you have become fitter.

3.    Avoid having guilty pleasures stocked up

Though I mentioned about flexible dieting but if you need to see and feel an improvement then you have to get to a certain physical goal before the flexible dieting can be applied. For now, clean out the chips, cookies, soft drinks and ice cream till you achieve the milestones. You are allowed to have these once in awhile but ask yourself and touch your heart regarding the frequency.

4.    Eat regularly and maintain the portion sizes

This is probably the most challenging because most of us are about convenience. We have become so lazy that we even cannot be bothered to eat regularly. I have clients that tell they one meal a day, why am I still fat? The answer is simple, when you put  your body through such a metabolic roller coaster, it will lower the metabolism and store fat the first possible opportunity it gets to store fat aka weekend brunch or buffet. Keep your meals regular and I assure you the waist size will reduce.

5.    Pack yourself with Physical Challenges

Don’t just join a gym and use the treadmill. Don’t engage a personal trainer and depend on him/her for your program. Pick up a sport that you used to do. Join a group class if you need to be motivated by others. Join more fun runs. Trekking overseas even. As long as you plan these physical challenges, the mind will be motivated enough to tell the body to do it. IF you continue on a course of living a sedentary life then I suggest you work harder and make sure you have set aside enough for medical fees later.

I am sure there are many other ways to motivate and get you going. Experiment and feel free to share with others how you are getting started or share this article with a loved one who needs it.

Next topic: Top 5 Heart Healthy Foods 

Written By: Ryan Lye

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Healthy Eating 101

Healthy Eating 101

What does it mean to be eating healthy? It is not easy to figure out what is considered healthy and takes a while to adopt and identifying healthy foods into ones diet.

With so many choices and companies spending big on branding and commercials to sometimes even create the perception of health, it is truly a challenging environment for a new dieter.

But I am going to provide you with 5 simple steps to help identify healthy foods!

1.    Keep it NATURAL!!

If a particular food comes in a box and can last a few months try to avoid it unless you have no other choice. If you can eat fresh fish rather than fish patties. Nuff said.

2.    Rich Vibrant Colours (fruits and vegetables)

Ever wondered why fruits and vegetables are so colourful? Well they are packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins that your body needs.

3.    Low to no preservatives (fresh is best)

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, Food Colouring, Sodium Benzoate, Monosodium Glutamate are just to name a few that are common in processed foods. 

4.    Differentiate between low fat and low carb

Low fat foods may contain high amounts of sugars/carbohydrates which may hinder your diet plans. Low carbohydrate foods maybe high in fat but not necessarily bad as poly and monounsaturated fats are good for the body! So look out for the nutrition labels!

5.    Not all Fat is bad

A healthy diet consists of no more than 10% of our calories from saturated fat. Fats help in absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. However, Trans Fat should be avoided as it is process of hydrogenation which makes fat harder at room temperature and shelf life longer. Try to eat as little of this as possible as it raises cholesterol. Also fish oils which provides Omega 3 and most nuts providing Omega 6 are great for heart health and promoting circulation.

 
If you stick to these 5 simple steps you are definitely on your way to a healthier you!

  Next Topic: Sticking to the plan!

Written By: Ryan Lye

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