The Magic Combination

I know of a lot of people who have been working out regularly but still don’t see any results no matter how hard they try.

The reason for this could be one of many, your body could be too used to the type of exercise you’re doing e.g. running or your nutrition is all wrong.

I’ve always had a very strong interest in health and nutrition and am always reading up and talking to people who are experts in this matter.

Today, I’d like to summarise everything I’ve learnt and hopefully, this will help you guys in one way or another.

1.Exercise before breakfast

I know that this is relatively hard to do as waking up even 5 minutes earlier than you need to in the morning is a real chore. 

However, it is actually the best time to exercise and also the time where the body burns the most amount of fat. The reason for this is because, when you exercise before breakfast, your stomach is empty, your body only has the excess fat to burn and not the food that hasn’t been digested which happens when you exercise perhaps at lunch. What you’re burning is probably your breakfast and it’s unlikely that the excess fat will get a hit at all. Try sleeping an hour earlier so you can get up an hour earlier and maximise your workout!

2.Eat the right foods

I feel a lot of people don’t have the right knowledge about food. Most would think that eating wheat bread is healthy; in fact this is not true. Wheat is processed flour and is hard to digest which in turn causes bloating. An example of wheat bread would be the Sunshine Softmeal bread, while it is of course better than eating white bread, you should still opt only for whole GRAIN bread.  If possible, try substituting everything to whole grain foods; pasta, rice, noodles. It also keeps you full for a longer period of time resulting in you eating less.

Another excellent type of food, and which I notice more are starting to take is flax seeds. They actually lower body fat and are very high in fibre which, like whole grains, keep you full for longer and aid in digestion.  Flax seeds are usually eaten in cereal and oats.

The next would be berries. As we all know, all berries contain high levels of antioxidants and are extremely good for our health. Further studies have shown that, in particular, red and blue colored berries are the most effective in burning fat! So, come on go grab them strawberries NOW!

At around 4pm on most days, I find myself getting peckish and I’ve noticed the same with the people around me. A lot resort to buying a slice of cake, grabbing a curry puff, having a bao. These foods are all processed and high in fat. The best thing to snack on and to keep handy in the office would be YOGHURT! Any flavour of yoghurt is fine but make sure to buy low or no fat!

3. A combination of exercise

Focusing on just one type of exercise is NOT going to get you the body you want. It’s convenient, but after awhile the results are just gonna plateau.  To lose weight and to CONTINUE losing weight, your body needs a combination of cardio and strength training exercise. A lot of girls are under the misconception that weights will make them bulky. Carry light weights, when you use the machines at the gym, set it at 30-50 pounds. Of course, if you lift heavy weights, your legs and arms will get bulky and that is something most girls don’t want! Why we need to do some weights is cos the more muscle the body has, the more calories your body burns, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT EXERCISING!! This is something cardio CANNOT achieve.

Findings from a two year long study conducted by the University of Otago found that women who participated in yoga, positive visualisation and meditation ended up losing more weight than those who only focused on exercising and nutrition. After two years, those women ended up losing 2.5kg!

This is why, its best to do a combination of exercise, you will definitely see the results you desire!

And to end this, the best thing you can do for your body is to drink LOADS of water. Minimum of 8 glasses a day. Water curbs hunger and helps in water retention. A lot of the time when you THINK you’re hungry, you’re actually just dehydrated!