Fitter Me : Tips on Workout! Important things u need to follow if u r thinking of losing weight :)

I just wanted to list some dos and dont's that might be useful for you guys if u r planning to workout for fitness/weightloss :)

• If u r someone new to exercise or heavier please do not jump straight into hard moves.Start with simple moves with low intensity that do not put too much pressure on your joints. Otherwise it might give u knee cap injuries or ligament tears to say the least.
• Go slow and build pace and intensity as u proceed.It will help ur body to combat injuries :)
• Warm ups and Cool downs are an important and integrated part of ur workouts. NEVER SKIP them! They heat up ur body to prevent injuries during the actual workout.Warm ups can include set of yogic movements/stretching moves/walking or jogging at moderate pace.U can have the same set of movements for both warm up and cool down.
• PUSH YOURSELF but know ur boundaries.Senselessly bending ur body beyond your flexibility threshold can bring on unwanted injuries. U can stretch ur tolerance limits linearly but not exponentially.Ur body is not a machine.
• If u lack motivation, find something to motivate u,set a goal and tell others about it.If u tell others u will be answerable to someone other than urself .Also putting up a prize at the end of the goal is a great motivation factor. Like I had mentioned I wanna wear red denims. Every time I feel like slacking off the red denim flashes thru my mind and I get to work ;)
• Drink WATER. Loads of it.More than ur normal intake.U need to combat the loss of water thru sweat.Better mix electral with ur water and sip it thru ur workouts :) Helps replenish the lost nutrients.
• Take BREAKS. Seriously.It is necessary for our body to repair itself between workouts. If u really have tight deadlines u can exercise max 5 days a week. Not more than that. Otherwise 3/4 days a week will suffice.
• I used to workout morn and even each 1 hr everyday. Honestly, I dreaded getting up in the morn all those times.Now, I have chalked out a simpler and easier routine though it is too early to talk about it.
• I like working out early in the morning on an empty stomach.Otherwise I end up puking all the food/leaving the workout halfway.In the mornings I feel more energetic and charged up for a workout. Never WORKOUT on a full stomach! Give at least 2 hours gap btw ur food intake and exercise.
• DO NOT WEIGH yourself everyday. Once a week is enough! Even then, if the scales are not in your favor do not get disheartened. It is possible to lose inches without losing pounds especially with strength training. 
• Consistency is another key factor. I know u can get easily bored with the same exercise set everyday. But u need to stick to a specific regime for a month or 2 to actually see the results. After that it is time to change cuz u do not want ur body to get used to the workout.It will stop giving results.
• Soreness occurs cuz ur muscles get torn during workout. Wait! that is no reason for alarm! Ur body is perfectly capable of repairing the muscles :) Do not workout when u r really sore. Little amount of soreness is okay. After some days the soreness will vanish.But I repeat do not workout when u r very sore.
• If possible get someone to workout with you. U will stay motivated in a competitive environment.
• Reward yourself every time u lose considerable number of pounds/inches.But not with food. Lipsticks,blushes,eyeliners,shadows,new clothes whatever tickles ur fancy ;) Helps u stick to the goal :)
• Take a bath after sweating subsides. Helps avoid skin infections and acne :)
• Fitness is achieved from exercise and DIET. So avoid junk food, oily stuff and carbohydrates. Eat nutrient rich food. Include lots of vegetables and fruits in ur diet.
• Do not skip meals. And def not ur breakfast! Break ur food intake to at least 5 portions. Try eating every 2 hours. Increases ur metabolism rate :) If u skip ur meals u will end up gorging on junk stuff afterwards. (courtesy Deepika from Divassence ) 
• Always keep fruits and other healthy snacks handy. I recommend Tropicana 100% juice,khakra,cheese,paneer,dates,nuts and makhana. U won't end up stuffinf urself on Lays and Kurkure ;) 

I have covered most of the topics but if u have any queries u can post them in the comments :) 

Disclaimer:

 I am not from the Medical Field and I do not claim to know everything about weight loss and workouts. The tips I have listed down are from my own experiences and solely for informational purpose. 

Image Source : Google

Take care and stay gorgeous :)

Fitter Me: It's Fiber tym!

Fitter me series will feature every thursday! Oh it's friday today?? never mind ;)

Want to lose weight but unable to control the hunger pangs??

What u need to add in your diet : FIBERS !

• Fiber is the good,dependable and resilient soldier that helps u fight weight gain :)
• There are 2 types of fiber : Soluble one that dissolves in water and Insoluble one that does not.
• So how can fiber help u lose weight ?? And which fiber should I include in my diet??

        Well The answer is both.

          The insoluble fiber cannot be digested.It passes through the digestive system thereby slowing down the digestive process.This aids in a prolonged feeling of fullness.Hence u will consume lesser amount of food and cut down on snacks.

            If u r on diet,u cut down a lot of food (unwanted hopefully) from ur daily intake.This might lead to constipation.The Soluble form of fiber helps avoid the constipation troubles by making the excreta softer and easier to send out.

• After a lot of research I also learnt that the carcinogens,fat and bad bacteria stick to the insoluble fiber as it passes through the digestive and excretory system.Thereby it helps with lowering cholesterol and risk of gastric diseases :)
• Some of the known sources of fiber are : 

1. Whole grains 
2. Brown Rice 
3. Legumes
4. Vegetables like Cabbage,Cauliflower,Spinach,beans and mushrooms
5. Oats : Oats has a high amt of soluble fiber in it. But it is also high in Carbohydrates. If u avoid other forms of carbs then feel free to indulge in oats :)

Personally I take Fiber supplements once a day (Nutrilite Fiber) and include greens in my diet at least once in 2 days :)
 Plus I eat only whole grain products like whole wheat bread and multi grain roti :)

And please stay away from Maida/All purpose flour! It is the worst kind of food u can provide ur body with.

Fitter Me : Workouts for Weight Loss

Poohkie of Poohkie's place had asked me to post about the workouts I follow way back in November 2012. This post is a month late :P

I have tried losing weight n times but never found one that showed results or was worth sticking to.

Then one day while reading about the Insanity and P90x workouts I came across an article on Jillian Michaels - The Goddess of Weight Loss ! She is known as America's toughest trainer and has been a part of 3 seasons of America's Biggest loser and one season of the Australian version :)

In May I started doing her 30 day shred.That is the workout routine many people swear by and u can count me in too :) It is a combination of cardio and weight training that consists of 3 levels and each level lasts for 25-30 minutes. Jillian has put together a great HIIT ( High Intensity Interval Training ).
I lost only 3 kgs by June end but the physical changes were inspiring to me.I looked leaner and my friends complimented me :)

I finished the 3rd level by July. I lost another 2 kgs and some inches :)

From August I have been doing cardio and strength training separately as I posted in the earlier posts :)
I do Banish Fat Boost Metabolism for Cardio.It is pure cardio no weights at all.Lasts for about 50-55 minutes. If u want more Cardio which I highly doubt u can try the 20 minute Insanity Fat Burn :)
For strength training I follow No More Trouble Zones.It is weights with little cardio :) I love it as I am more into weight training.
Recently I have started doing 6 week 6 pack again by Jillian on alternate days for my tummy.It is HIIT too.

On days I don't feel like working out or don't have the time I just do the Befit in 90 Power Yoga and Denise Austin Total Body yoga Workout . These 2 are great for stretching the body and give a good workout :)

Now so I am bored of BFBM and NMTZ so am thinking of switching it with Jillian's Extreme shred and Shred or Ripped in 30.Yet to decide on that :P

I have summed up the workouts and their intensity levels here :

 I follow a proper diet regime along with the routine :) I have lost more than 10 kgs :) Hope this post benefits u :)   Take care :)       

Image source : Google except the table which is mine.   

                                

Fitter Me : Healthy Indian Snacks!

I am starting a new series :Fitter Me to inculcate a sense of fitness and lose weight.I will post exercises,diet and rules that help me to lose weight :) And Believe me I have lost a LOT of weight dng those exercises and diet ;) Hope u guys benefit from these :) I will try to do a post atleast once a week but no promises :) So this is a random compilation of snacks I love and are low in calories and nutritious too :)

1.

 

Dates: Dates have lesser calories than ur Jalebis and Rasagullas and satisfy ur sweet cravings too :) Strawberries have lesser calories than dates but I can't find strawberries in all the seasons ;)

2.

Chivda : Ahhh I use Cardia Extra Virgin Olive Oil for my cooking and use 4 tsps max for making chivda :) It is a healthier version but be vigilant on the salt as too much leads to water retention :)

3.

Peanuts: I never liked peanuts pehle.But now I have developed a liking.It is a great snack and the fat it has is Unsaturated fatty acid which is actually good for us :)It lowers bad cholestral.

4.

 Khakhras: Who doesn't love these?? They are crispy,yummy and perfect replacements for those bag of nachos.Try making at home.U can find a lot of recipes on youtube.
If u r lazy and want to buy them U can get these in various versions at :
Mansukh's in Ramasamy Street near the new flyover on the Usman Road in T.nagar
The street is opposite to the Wine Shop in Dhandapani street.

5.

Roasted Chana Dal :We call it uppu kadalai in Tamil.It tastes so good :) 


Also If u guys want to indulge once in a while u can get the Alive Multigrain Thins which has 232 calories in a single 15Rs. packet :\

Toss those packets of Lays and Kurkures and Hug these healthy replacements :)


Please share ur healthy snacking options and ur opinions on this post :)