Look Good Feel Good
Dear Reader,
“A healthy lifestyle starts with making tough lifestyle changes.”
When was the last time you stopped to think about your health? How about the last time you asked yourself, “Am I healthy?”. If the answer is an unequivocal “yes”, don’t stop working out just yet. There are still a few things that have to be considered.
One of the more misunderstood aspects of a healthy lifestyle is how the word “health” is being defined and what is being associated with this term. Consumerism and commercialization have placed the image of buff bodies and lean figures deep in the psyches of many Filipinos. The average person unfortunately sees this as the template for a healthy body and would most likely try to emulate this as much as he or she possibly can, without thinking things through. Even health-conscious individuals can go overboard; leading to crash dieting, exercise-related injuries, and weight gain just to name a few of the downsides to wanting that perfect figure.
The truth of the matter is, the model of health should always be YOU and the best version of yourself, and not what you see on television or the internet. Replace the image of big muscles with normal blood cholesterol levels instead. Get rid of the notion that being thin is being healthy. The healthy body you need to get should fit your body needs. This means that before anything else, you should know what your body is telling you. Make it your responsibility to know. Consult a physician and schedule a physical examination. Their findings may just change the way you look at cigarettes and all the other bad habits you’ve been keeping in your closet. (include statistical data: smoking) Take professional advice, either from your physician, a dietician, or a licensed personal trainer. Although the initial cost may shock you at first, it will be a worthwhile investment. Health is a commodity you can’t do without and a healthier you is your return-investment. Your family wouldn’t just notice the changes you’ve made, but would thank you for it and you should give yourself a pat on the shoulder for the same reason. You owe it to yourself to make the transition from the unhealthy lifestyle you were so used to doing to making smart and healthy choices.
Another misnomer is that dieting alone will cure all you weight woes. While were on the topic of what we put into our system or take out of it, let’s include taking the wrong kind of supplements, eating too much of the seemingly “right” foods, and “starvation mode”.
Supplements nowadays come with a disclaimer “no therapeutic claims”, and you would be right to be weary of these products. Some of these are merely placebos or provide minimal or adverse effects. Some supplements may have only produced side effects but were marketed as otherwise, the same way Viagra did when it started out as an Anti-arrhtymic drug. Avoid buying in bulk in these cases because you might regret it. At the other end of the spectrum, some products work extremely well, maybe too well in some cases. One such example can be observed in people who took Ephedra-based supplements wherein they experienced impossible and down right dangerous feats of weight loss within short time frames. In higher doses, this compound will make you thin by increasing your heart rate but could potentially stop your heart cold in the process. Basically, it’s a stimulant that causes increased cardiac workload to the point where it’s not even safe to use. The use of this compound in supplements has since then been discontinued. (www...)
Know the danger in taking supplements, especially when taking multiple supplements. Pharmacists call this drug-drug interaction, which simply translates to the possible adverse effects that can be encountered when one drug is either taken together with or following the administration of another drug. It helps to do extensive research on the individual components of the supplement and a trip to the doctor’s office or the pharmacy usually confirms what you might have been suspecting. Remember, it doesn’t hurt to ask from people who know and are licensed to tell you what they know.
Miracle foods that provide more energy, with less carbohydrates and fat may not be what’s best for you. Nutritionist (state name) says that when it comes to food consumption, moderation works best. She adds that quality isn’t the only thing that’s important, quantity counts for something too. Even healthy food items, when taken in large quantities, are stored as fat. Frequency also matters, how many times you eat in a day may vastly affect how much fat is stored in the body. Some people have the misconception that starving themselves really works and serve as a permanent way of keeping the weight off. You’ve probably heard stories about people getting lost in the mountains or wilderness for months with no food at all (only water), or being confined in a prisoner of war camp for years with only tiny amounts of food. What makes surviving under these conditions possible is your body’s remarkable ability to slow down its rate of calorie burning. When your body senses calorie deprivation it says to itself, “It looks like this is all the food we’re going to be getting for a while, so we’d better stop burning so many calories and start saving our energy. This way we’ll be able to survive longer on the little amount of food we have.” The starvation response developed largely from exposure to adverse environmental conditions like droughts, natural disasters and food shortages. With today’s dieters, who rely on dieting alone as their means of weight loss, the opposite happens. The weight doesn’t just come back, it comes back with a vengeance and dieters usually gain more weight than they started with. This is because the body cannot distinguish starvation and dieting. The body doesn’t just slow down, it actually starts feeding on itself, and what you end up losing is muscle mass, bone density, and some internal organs. Severe calorie cutting always sends your body into “starvation mode.” There’s nothing you can do to stop this from happening other than to avoid severe calorie shortages. More enlightened dieticians advocate small and frequent meals, with some as frequent as a meal every two hours. A typical meal is comprised of appropriate quantities of complex carbohydrates, protein, and some fat. (site author/dietician/diet)
The book (site) by (site author) emphasizes the need to eat right versus eating less.
The final nail in the coffin for an unhealthy lifestyle is exercise, the right kind of exercise. Just like the individualized diets designed by dieticians for their patients, exercises should be tailor-made for each person. Trainer, (name) pointed out that no one exercise is meant for everyone. “Not everyone can bench press 200 pounds”, he said. A former bodybuilder himself, (name) said that each person is different and it isn’t even a matter of whether you’re a man or a woman, what’s important is doing exercises that meet your exercise/training needs. An exercise regimen varies greatly, from “losing and toning” exercises which focus on building lean muscle to the extreme, “body-building” exercises which concentrate on building muscle mass and bulking up in preparation for competitions. Individual goals may also determine what kind of exercises a person does, whether it’s for sustained muscle effort or for explosive bursts of power such as those seen in “Power lifting” competitions. Boxing coach (name) and fellow boxing enthusiast (Charlie marban) believe in another approach: Training the muscles for a combination of speed, endurance, and power. Such can be seen in the sport of boxing wherein professional fighters train and condition their bodies to go the distance. Another sport that adopts this training strategy is mixed martial arts, which have become very popular in Northern Mindanao. In CDO city, each gym now incorporates at least one form of martial arts into their fitness programs. Benefiting from self-defence techniques and survival strategy isn’t the only upside of getting into martial arts. The philosophy that each unique martial art offers, leads everyone who adopts them, away from self-destructive behaviour to the better life they deserve. Plus, there really is something for everyone; from Muai Thai and kickboxing, to Jujitsu and Karate, the choices can be endless and there’s no excuse to not try at least one.
All individuals have the opportunity to make health not just about making healthy food choices, but lifestyle changes as well. No more excuses, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You just have to go out there and find out what is and isn’t good for your health. The best kind of health isn’t one that you can see, it’s one that you can feel.
By Kim Plamor
When was the last time you stopped to think about your health? How about the last time you asked yourself, “Am I healthy?”. If the answer is an unequivocal “yes”, don’t stop working out just yet. There are still a few things that have to be considered.
One of the more misunderstood aspects of a healthy lifestyle is how the word “health” is being defined and what is being associated with this term. Consumerism and commercialization have placed the image of buff bodies and lean figures deep in the psyches of many Filipinos. The average person unfortunately sees this as the template for a healthy body and would most likely try to emulate this as much as he or she possibly can, without thinking things through. Even health-conscious individuals can go overboard; leading to crash dieting, exercise-related injuries, and weight gain just to name a few of the downsides to wanting that perfect figure.
The truth of the matter is, the model of health should always be YOU and the best version of yourself, and not what you see on television or the internet. Replace the image of big muscles with normal blood cholesterol levels instead. Get rid of the notion that being thin is being healthy. The healthy body you need to get should fit your body needs. This means that before anything else, you should know what your body is telling you. Make it your responsibility to know. Consult a physician and schedule a physical examination. Their findings may just change the way you look at cigarettes and all the other bad habits you’ve been keeping in your closet. (include statistical data: smoking) Take professional advice, either from your physician, a dietician, or a licensed personal trainer. Although the initial cost may shock you at first, it will be a worthwhile investment. Health is a commodity you can’t do without and a healthier you is your return-investment. Your family wouldn’t just notice the changes you’ve made, but would thank you for it and you should give yourself a pat on the shoulder for the same reason. You owe it to yourself to make the transition from the unhealthy lifestyle you were so used to doing to making smart and healthy choices.
Another misnomer is that dieting alone will cure all you weight woes. While were on the topic of what we put into our system or take out of it, let’s include taking the wrong kind of supplements, eating too much of the seemingly “right” foods, and “starvation mode”.
Supplements nowadays come with a disclaimer “no therapeutic claims”, and you would be right to be weary of these products. Some of these are merely placebos or provide minimal or adverse effects. Some supplements may have only produced side effects but were marketed as otherwise, the same way Viagra did when it started out as an Anti-arrhtymic drug. Avoid buying in bulk in these cases because you might regret it. At the other end of the spectrum, some products work extremely well, maybe too well in some cases. One such example can be observed in people who took Ephedra-based supplements wherein they experienced impossible and down right dangerous feats of weight loss within short time frames. In higher doses, this compound will make you thin by increasing your heart rate but could potentially stop your heart cold in the process. Basically, it’s a stimulant that causes increased cardiac workload to the point where it’s not even safe to use. The use of this compound in supplements has since then been discontinued. (www...)
Know the danger in taking supplements, especially when taking multiple supplements. Pharmacists call this drug-drug interaction, which simply translates to the possible adverse effects that can be encountered when one drug is either taken together with or following the administration of another drug. It helps to do extensive research on the individual components of the supplement and a trip to the doctor’s office or the pharmacy usually confirms what you might have been suspecting. Remember, it doesn’t hurt to ask from people who know and are licensed to tell you what they know.
Miracle foods that provide more energy, with less carbohydrates and fat may not be what’s best for you. Nutritionist (state name) says that when it comes to food consumption, moderation works best. She adds that quality isn’t the only thing that’s important, quantity counts for something too. Even healthy food items, when taken in large quantities, are stored as fat. Frequency also matters, how many times you eat in a day may vastly affect how much fat is stored in the body. Some people have the misconception that starving themselves really works and serve as a permanent way of keeping the weight off. You’ve probably heard stories about people getting lost in the mountains or wilderness for months with no food at all (only water), or being confined in a prisoner of war camp for years with only tiny amounts of food. What makes surviving under these conditions possible is your body’s remarkable ability to slow down its rate of calorie burning. When your body senses calorie deprivation it says to itself, “It looks like this is all the food we’re going to be getting for a while, so we’d better stop burning so many calories and start saving our energy. This way we’ll be able to survive longer on the little amount of food we have.” The starvation response developed largely from exposure to adverse environmental conditions like droughts, natural disasters and food shortages. With today’s dieters, who rely on dieting alone as their means of weight loss, the opposite happens. The weight doesn’t just come back, it comes back with a vengeance and dieters usually gain more weight than they started with. This is because the body cannot distinguish starvation and dieting. The body doesn’t just slow down, it actually starts feeding on itself, and what you end up losing is muscle mass, bone density, and some internal organs. Severe calorie cutting always sends your body into “starvation mode.” There’s nothing you can do to stop this from happening other than to avoid severe calorie shortages. More enlightened dieticians advocate small and frequent meals, with some as frequent as a meal every two hours. A typical meal is comprised of appropriate quantities of complex carbohydrates, protein, and some fat. (site author/dietician/diet)
The book (site) by (site author) emphasizes the need to eat right versus eating less.
The final nail in the coffin for an unhealthy lifestyle is exercise, the right kind of exercise. Just like the individualized diets designed by dieticians for their patients, exercises should be tailor-made for each person. Trainer, (name) pointed out that no one exercise is meant for everyone. “Not everyone can bench press 200 pounds”, he said. A former bodybuilder himself, (name) said that each person is different and it isn’t even a matter of whether you’re a man or a woman, what’s important is doing exercises that meet your exercise/training needs. An exercise regimen varies greatly, from “losing and toning” exercises which focus on building lean muscle to the extreme, “body-building” exercises which concentrate on building muscle mass and bulking up in preparation for competitions. Individual goals may also determine what kind of exercises a person does, whether it’s for sustained muscle effort or for explosive bursts of power such as those seen in “Power lifting” competitions. Boxing coach (name) and fellow boxing enthusiast (Charlie marban) believe in another approach: Training the muscles for a combination of speed, endurance, and power. Such can be seen in the sport of boxing wherein professional fighters train and condition their bodies to go the distance. Another sport that adopts this training strategy is mixed martial arts, which have become very popular in Northern Mindanao. In CDO city, each gym now incorporates at least one form of martial arts into their fitness programs. Benefiting from self-defence techniques and survival strategy isn’t the only upside of getting into martial arts. The philosophy that each unique martial art offers, leads everyone who adopts them, away from self-destructive behaviour to the better life they deserve. Plus, there really is something for everyone; from Muai Thai and kickboxing, to Jujitsu and Karate, the choices can be endless and there’s no excuse to not try at least one.
All individuals have the opportunity to make health not just about making healthy food choices, but lifestyle changes as well. No more excuses, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You just have to go out there and find out what is and isn’t good for your health. The best kind of health isn’t one that you can see, it’s one that you can feel.
By Kim Plamor
website : www.facebook.com/LookGoodF
