5 Wacky Weight Loss tips

“Nature prefers you fat, but you can take control.”

— Time.com

Tying to shed some pounds? Here are 5 of my favorite tips to help you do just that. Happy reading!

1) Sniff to supress

Studies have shown that certain smells affect the brain’s chemistry and alter levels of seretonin (chemimal that elevates our mood and supresses appetite).

In a recent experiment, Wheeling Jesuit University researchers had volunteers sniff the scent of peppermint oil every two hours for five days straight. At the end of the study, the volunteers reported feeling significantly lower levels of hunger, and they also took in 3,485 fewer calories over the course of the week than usual.

10 appetite suppressing scents promoted by aromatherapists around the globe include:

Grapefruit
Lemon
Vanilla
Green apple
Banana
Peppermint
Fennel or Patchouli
Bergamot

Try putting a few drops of your favourite essential oils on a tissue, lighting a vanilla scented candle after dinner (to dampen your dessert cravings) or you if prefer the real thing, go ahead and sniff a banana or an apple! Enjoy!

2) Stare at cool colors or bubblegum pink!

While studies conclude that red, yellow, and orange encourage eating, cool colors like blue, green, and grey suppress the appetite. That’s probably why we don’t see many restaurants decorated in blue.

Psychology experts believe green lacks edible appeal because our subconscious links the color to mold and spoiled food. In addition, green and blue are soothing colors, so they calm the appetite. Dieting? You may want to consider flooding your kitchen and dining room with lots of blue – blue tablecloth, blue plates, blue candles, blue placemats, etc. :-D

On the other hand, while blue and green are well-known for their unappetizing effects, researchers say bubble gum pink is the best hunger-suppressing hue. If you’re really looking to use colors in your weight loss plan, keep a pink flash card in your purse or wallet and stare at it for 30 seconds before eating.

3) Buy a pedometer

How many steps should you take a day for weight loss? Apparently 10,000.

An inactive person takes 3,000 steps or less just in daily activity of moving around the house. 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles of walking during the day, but the truth is, unless you have an active job such as a waitress or a nurse, it would be difficult to log 10,000 steps just through our daily work activities.

According to studies, a person weighing 70kg (~154lbs) can burn about 440 calories by walking 10,000 steps briskly (3.5mph). If you're trying to lose weight, you should aim to burn 600 more calories than you take in through food and drink every day. Of course, combining exercise with a healthy diet will make all the difference, but in the meantime, start counting your steps!

4) Eat more protein

Eat more?!! Yep! Hence, my ultimate favorite tip of all time. Mwahaha!

Most weight-loss plans have one thing in common – eating less. Nevertheless, new research suggests that eating more protein could boost fat loss. According to a 2005 study from Arizona State University, protein is a fabulous weight-loss aid since our bodies actually burns calories during the digestion of protein (google “thermic effect” for more info).

So how much protein should we eat for weight loss? Here’s a simple formula:

[Your weight (in lbs) x 0.36] x 2

This will give you the recommended daily amount of protein (in grams) that you should be consuming. That’s about 110 grams of protein per day for a 150-pound person or slightly more if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, super-active, or elderly. Here are some protein-rich options for you, happy eating!

5) Brush your teeth after every meal

While brushing your teeth 50 times a day is not safe for your tooth enamel, it is healthy to brush your teeth after every meal. That clean, minty freshness will serve as a cue to your body and brain that mealtime is over, not to mention inhibit the urge to snack between meals.

Just like sniffing peppermint in item #1 above, mint flavor has been known to be an appetite suppressant. Try it!

References:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/
http://thisfitsme.com/
http://www.recipecorner.com/
http://walking.about.com/
http://www.nhs.uk/
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/

Source: http://www.hannah.today/healthandfitness/

How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 4)

This blog post is a follow up from:
1) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro)
2) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 1)
3) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 2), and
4) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 3)

So over the last 4 weeks, you’ve discovered that:

I don’t know how to swim
I’m aquaphobic (and now you know why. Lol)
I’m not a big fan of the sun, sand and sea.
I’ve never been disciplined enough to stay on a diet program. Ever
The fundamentals of owning a beach-ready body in 28-days lies in the simple THEF formula
Consistency is the best policy for this lil’ mission of ours ;-)
Super-cikgu made all the difference with #2 above.

You probably also know now, that I’m currently enjoying the luxury of having a “plus one day” within the GMT-10 time zone (18 hours behind Malaysia, 23 hours behind Auckland); at the very birthplace of President Barack Obama. *grin*

Named “The Sandwich Islands” in 1778 by James Cook, Hawaii is the only state in US that is composed entirely of islands. Right now, I’m writing this blog post from the capital of Hawaii – Honolulu. *big-grin*

I’ll share more about this trip to Hawaii in my next blog post, but for now and in conclusion to my 4-week series on “How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days”, I thought I’d share my journey of overcoming item #2 above – my very apparent phobia of water (I know it’s really silly, but even big bathtubs and shallow pools scare me).

Nevertheless, before we get into all that, here’s an update on my progress with the 4-week program:

In terms of measurements, I managed to cut off 2.5cm of my waist, 0.8cm off my arms and 1.8cm off my thighs; need I mention that I feel firmer, not to mention more toned now? Hehe. I know it may not sound like much but it’s between a 3% to 4% difference within the month with:

No crash dieting, and
No crazy exercise routines (well, at least nothing I can't maintain for the next 1 year at least)

In fact, the 15 to 25-minute workout that I commit to isn’t even dependent on any exercise equipment, which is perfect amidst the travelling; so I must say that I’m quite pleased with the progress. Happy-happy Panda~ *pat-on-the-back*

Of course I have Super-cikgu as well as my ever-so-supportive #babybaby and encouraging family to thank. #blessed.

In keeping up with the current momentum, I’m even thinking of continuing my swimming lessons with Super-cikgu when I get back to Malaysia. For one, it’s great exercise; but above all, I am determined to get over my phobia of water. Completely.

Sure, I had 3 lessons last month before leaving Kuala Lumpur, but that's definitely not enough to help me overcome my fears. Nevertheless, despite the lack of time for more swimming lessons in KL, this maiden trip to Hawaii has given me an opportunity to embrace my fear of the water by:

Swimming in the sea (I have never dared to do this by choice. Ever.)
Swimming in a 30-feet deep pond to get under the very chilly Waimea Falls (I could never imagine myself doing something as crazy as this. Lol)

If you asked me, I’d probably describe the Hawaiian sea as beautiful and ummm… very blue. That, to me, also means that it’s very deep. Most people would add the word “inviting” to that list of adjectives, but for an aquaphobic like me, it just stops at those first two.

So in my first attempt to overcome my fear of water, I took the plunge with my very supportive family this trip…

1) The sea

Although I’m not a big fan of the sun, sand and sea (as mentioned in item #3 above), I am more than happy to opt for that as opposed to actually stepping IN to the water, let alone submerging my entire body in the sea (at my own will, mind you). This trip, I did all 3. Yeah. As I stepped onto the sand, my heart was beating so fast; and when I entered the salty sea-water water, I almost died. Lol

Thankfully because the water was so clear, I could see the bottom of the sandy sea. So, that was comforting, and it definitely made all the difference.

However, as much as I tried to keep my mouth closed throughout the whole process, I did somehow manage to catch some sea water on my tongue and without thinking, I accidentally said something REALLY stupid out loud,

“It’s so salty”

only to realize that I wasn't alone. OMG. So embarrassing. Lol. My brain must’ve shutdown the minute I stepped into the water. *laugh*

Anyway, to cut the long story short, I basically survived the sea. So the next challenge was...

2) The waterfall

To be honest, I never considered going in. I thought – ok, just dip my feet in, take some pictures and enjoy the view – how bad could it be right? Well, to begin with, the water was really chilly, so THAT didn’t help.

Secondly, the water in the pond looked really dark. I mean how would you know what’s in that pond to start off with????!!! There could be some really creepy, slimy, scaly creatures lurking beneath those dark waters. Or maybe some pretty nasty fishes with sharp teeth too. Gosh, I didn't even want to think about it. So freaky!!!!

Seriously.

However, for some strange reason, when I was asked for the second time if I wanted to go in, I said okay; and the rest is history. Looking back, I reckon I may have just mentally blacked-out in pure shock at that time.

I must say that the walk towards to the border of the pond was one of the most nerve-wrecking moments of my life. The lifeguard on duty offered me a life jacket and kickboard, so that really helped; but if I’m at all honest, with every step into the cold chilly waters of the pond, I wanted to just turn back and say

“maybe not this time”.

My heart was pounding so fast and every part of me just wanted to retreat to safety soooo badly. PLUS, the fact that I had no clue where the 30 feet drop was, didn't help one bit(that suspense almost killed me before the water did lol~). I was shivering (can’t decide whether it was because it was so cold or because I was just plain scared) and as it got to waist deep, I told my chicken self

“DON’T THINK, JUST SWIM TOWARDS THE WATERFALL AND SWIM BACK ASAP. GO!”

So that’s what happened. I think for the next 3 minutes or so, my brain must’ve just blacked out. Before I knew it, I was back at waist-level-deep waters and slowly made my way back to the comfort of my towel. I did it.

I don’t think I’ll ever do it again, but I grateful that I can eventually conclude this trip to Hawaii with no regrets.

I can’t say that I’m not aquaphobic anymore, but I’m glad I took the first step; and I’ll keep trying until I overcome it, so God help me. Lol

Source: http://www.hannah.today/healthandfitness/

How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 2)

This blog post is a follow up from:
1) "How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro)", and
2) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 1)

So how did Week 1 go for you? *big-grin*

I have to admit, not the best week for me, but I managed to lose 1.1% of body fat and gain 0.2kg on lean mass. Yay! And I have proof!!! Mwahaha~

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. That’s not much of a difference, right? But hey, it’s only been 1 week on the program, give me some credit la. I keep telling myself – consistency, consistency; focus on consistency.

Oh and guess what?!

If you remember, in my first post of this series – How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro) – I mentioned a few things that you probably didn’t know about me…

Point #1 in that post – I don’t know how to swim.

Well, I decided to take Adib’s advice and take up swimming lessons... and I start this week! :-D

Not sure how this will go (my phobia of water is still very apparent), but it will be worth the try. Please pray for me ya! Haha.

So back to our to-do list for a beach-ready body (tick if you've done accordingly this week) – THEF:

1) Tracking

Keep track of weight/inches, food and water intake (if you’re tracking your sleep too that’s great!)
Keep bikini in sight to stay motivated

2)Habit

1 litre of water in the morning, before breakfast
Another 1 to 2 litres of water during the rest of the day (depending on how much you need. Learn how to calculate here)
No skipping breakfast
Sufficient sleep
Consistent morning routine

3) Exercise

11-minute cardio (see cardio program here) followed by…
Top-to-toe stretching and..
Toning exercise 10 reps each, with a 30-second rest interval between each exercise

4) Food

Balanced diet, eat more protein and no skipping meals (our body burns more calories digesting proteins than it does digesting carbohydrates, so technically, we’ll be burning fat while eating proteins)
Daily supplement (learn how to choose one that’s right for you here)
Weight loss snacks

This week, we are going to turn it up a notch:

1) Beef up our cardio from 11 minutes to 14 minutes.

Oh I soooo feel like eating a piece of steak now. Focus, Panda, focus. Okay, back to beefing up our cardio. We’re going to add on an additional 3 minutes of the following to our existing plan (cardio plan here):

2 minutes – Exertion/Intensity level 5
1 minute – Recovery/Intensity level 1

Don’t undermine this additional 3 minutes. If you’ve been doing last week’s suggested cardio workout, you’ll know it’s not as easy as it looks.

2) Keep doing the same toning exercises; except that we’re going to spend 15 minutes doing this every day this week (instead of alternate days).

I’d suggest doing it in the mornings before you hop into the shower – get it out of the way, at the start of the day.

Simple? :-D

Consistency, consistency; focus on consistency.

Have fun working out this week ladies. Meantime, here’s a little motivation to keep you going.