Self-care

Self-care makes you self-aware.! This is true for all groups and ages. When we start taking care of ourselves only then do we become fully ready to take care of others.

A person needs an understanding of herself. This can only be attained by taking good care of your body and mind

It is a common misconception that self-care is for rich and famous or successful people. One has to have a lot of money, time, and other resources before it can be done. Women, in particular, think that self-care is a very trendy thing. Housewives, on the other hand, think that they are the caregivers, why bother at all with self-care.

One says charity begins at home, so why not start with ourselves. When we begin taking care of ourselves, our way of life starts to improve. It is not a selfish thing to do. A person needs an understanding of herself. This can only be attained by taking good care of your body and mind.

Health is wealth

An active and healthy person can be useful to society and at the same time live life to its maximum. The world we know today is getting more obese and malnourished. According to WHO, 1.9 billion people are over-weighed and 462 million are underweight.

Women get the legacy of looking as ugly as they can

We are biological machines, and to take care of ourselves; we just need some basic steps, which can make a huge positive difference, not in our lives, but in our environment too. It is the attitude towards self-care which needs to be addressed and we have to do something about it.

Big butts, droopy breasts, and large thighs are not a hindrance to life, relationship, and sexuality

Fat is bad

Women get the legacy of looking as ugly as they can. Weight gain is not important. Big butts, droopy breasts, and large thighs are not a hindrance to life, relationship, and sexuality. They are convinced that fat is not bad. Big companies throw expensive ads toward such women for not being shy about their weight. Fat is also beautiful. Well, it is not! Obesity and being overweight are such diseases that no treatment exists for them unless one concentrates on losing weight and being slim and “smart”.

Role of Activity for a tip-top shape

Everybody knows exercise is best for everyone, teenage to geriatric, everybody should do some type of daily exercise. An active person is having an active mind which can be used profitably. But weight loss and exercise don’t always go hand in hand, especially not the gym type of exercise.

A word of caution that the advantages of daily exercise have always outweighed all of the drawbacks, if there are any, so daily exercise is a must for heart, lungs, and even mental health.

One has to reduce one’s intake compared to the expenditure

The point is why not imply a modest exercise as a tool to decrease weight. A normal exercise can be bracketed into brisk walking, cycling, running, in-house exercise, daily chores, etc., but a modest exercise will always mean that you have gone beyond what you were intending to, i.e., losing weight.

One has to reduce one’s Intake compared to the expenditure. When a person opts to reduce weight and take aim at increasing her expenditure through exercise, the body requires much more energy than it can supply from its reserves. This almost always means that a rebound extra eating will result if the person wants to be active during the rest of the day for normal activities of life. Instead of increasing the expenditure, the person ends up increasing her intake. After a few days, as the results were discouraging, she may lose interest in either the exercise and/or maintaining a negative balance of intake. This will lead to the dropping of the idea of weight loss.

The best way to check the imbalance is to measure your weight daily after getting up in the morning

More importantly, for the starters, a gradual increase in activity (as discussed earlier) e.g., increasing involvement in chores, doing things which were not done previously, and introducing a bit of exercise like brisk walking for half an hour or so, coupled with a gradual reduction in intake will suffice. The results of this formula are so great and abrupt that you will feel accomplished and will go on for a longer period and hence the objectives will be achieved.

Decreasing intake

The best way to check the imbalance is to measure your weight daily after getting up in the morning, peeing, and not taking anything by mouth. Throughout 1-week, the data will tell you whether you are more at intake or vice versa. Most probably, it is the former case.

First of all, you have to check your daily routine. Is there any way you can increase your expense, e.g., if you can take long brisk walks, or do certain things which you usually miss, for example using stairs rather than lifts or escalators, doing kitchen chores standing up, surfing and browsing standing up, doing most of your work yourself, etc.? While a bird’s eye view of your daily routine will let you know that you can tremendously increase your expense, whilst keeping your intake the same. It will make a lot of difference. Checking your weight, after increasing your expense for another couple of days will tell you the difference.

To start stylish fitness, one thing which is of utmost importance is to keep yourself within the range of acceptable weight

Two things must be a hurdle in that, which you might want to consider:

1. When you keep your intake the same and increase daily expenses, of course, your body will require more energy and so you will feel hungry after eating. This is the proper challenge; you have to say no to any extra intake. Just bear with the hunger. Believe me, there are no adverse effects of these and there is no other way.
2. Enthusiastic ladies may want to increase the expense rapidly to such an extent that intake will fall way behind and thus will lead to a strong urge to eat. The body will feel energy-less, which may lead to over-eating. What you have to do is to change your routine in such a way that things which you were not doing previously now will be adopted by you, no more, and keep the intake the same. Do it for 3-4 weeks and see the difference for yourself.

Stylish lifestyle

To start stylish fitness, one thing which is of utmost importance is to keep yourself within the range of acceptable weight. The easiest, but not so perfect way is to measure your Body Mass Index or BMI. Weigh yourself and then measure your height.

Use this formula to determine BMI

= weight in KGs/ (height in meters)2

A crude evaluation can be done as follows:

Underweight =

Normal weight = 18.5–24.9

Overweight = 25–29.9

Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

BMI applies to adult women and men who are 20 years or older. Children who are two years and older are best assessed through the BMI percentile.

Now if it is established that your BMI is more than 25, you have to be serious in taking care of this.

Intake more than expenditure

It means only one thing; you are taking in more than you are spending. So, it’s not just the amount you are eating, but we have to take into account the whole lifestyle you are living. It may be that you are eating far less than your friend but still are gaining weight. Are you getting my point?

The culprit is not how much you eat, but the imbalance between input and output

The culprit is not how much you eat, but the imbalance between input and output. Suppose, your intake is 15 grams (equals to 1 Tablespoon) more than you can spend every day. Even this small amount will collect over some time. Let’s calculate, in 30 days you have 15 x 30 = 450 grams (roughly half a Kg), which is 12 months will amount to around 5.4 Kg. Although, the daily increase seems to be so less, over time, say around 5 years, a total of more than 30 kg of extra you.

That was just a hypothetical situation we have seen because 15 grams are too small a unit used here, secondly, the imbalance of intake fluctuates, and finally, we even don’t realize that we have accumulated (not talking here about complex physiology, just simple physics).

Where there is a will, there is a way

To start with, you should have data to compare yourself to. If you don’t have it, buy yourself a weighing machine. A simple digital scale should not cost much. Every day, after getting off the bed in the morning, pee, and without even drinking water, weigh yourself. Record this in a table of daily reading.

Now that you have got your daily weight record, you can easily see if you are gaining daily, i.e., you are taking in more than you are spending. We will not go into the trouble of calculating the caloric value of food or the type of food you must take. We are merely measuring the imbalance between intake and output.

What does it mean?

Taking as few calories as possible, eating fewer times a day, avoiding high energy foods & drinks, eating more vegetables than meat, saying no to your “between meals” munching, and avoiding full stomach meals carry such a weight that nothing else can be said to surpass this.

The health benefits and creating a stylish life is no doubt a major advantage, which women of all sort must be aware of.

Want to be involved in climate protection?

Everybody who loves to be involved in environmental protection and climate preservation and is against greenhouse effects and climate change always wants to get herself concerned but lags by one little thought, as where should I put my weight in this global event. Let me give you an area where you can make a difference and exert such an influence that can even be palpated in the shorter term.

Eating less and going on decreasing your intake gradually is one very easy and shortcut way of not only achieving your goals of vivid and stylish life but to helping the environment to flourish and by giving others a chance to thrive who are less fortunate than you.

Is breakfast as important as advertised?

They say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, well it is not, it’s just a myth. In the 60s when breakfast cereals were launched, these huge corporations initiated a campaign and hover these false beliefs over their customers about the importance of breakfast. Be smart, don’t get tangled up in the net of these fabricated deems.

Daily eating routine

Take a very light breakfast, if any, e.g., any one of these, a glass of milk, a fruit, some porridge (non-sweetened), cereal, etc. Over days, try to either omit the breakfast or keep it to a very minimum. You will feel hungry, no doubt, but bear with it, this is the part you are playing, or should I say, you have to. You will not feel energyless. Keep yourself away from eating any other thing after this.

Later during the day, according to your routine, adjust the time at which you can take a meal. This will be the only meal you will get for the next 24 hours. This meal should be well adjusted towards your daily energy expenses and should include more vegetables, proper proteins, and carbohydrates. During the meal, stop at a point when the body gives you the signal that you are about to be full. Never go to the point where you feel full or stuff yourself to the brim with the meal. That’s it!

Skipping just 1 meal a day will lift 12 cars off of the road

Nobody needs more than 1 meal a day. “Eating 3 times a day is healthy and never go empty stomach to bed” are all myths, don’t believe in them. Just stick to this stylish life and see the difference.

Impact on environment

Now what impacts will it put on the environment, this was the issue we discussed before, wasn’t it?

The livestock sector — raising cows, pigs, and chickens — generates as many greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks, and automobiles combined.

Shipping our food long distances and processing it not only contributes to air and water pollution but depletes the food of nutrients.

Skipping just 1 meal a day will lift 12 cars off of the road! Think of 12 cars emitting CO2 and causing pollution and the role you have played in helping the environment.

Suffice here is to say that the meal we skip is not just half a Kg of food, but we helped conserve the resources which were put on that food, the fuel used, the water consumed, and the time is taken to make that food available on our table.

It’s not just our lifestyle, but to play a lead role along with others in the protection of the environment is so easy to start. Be the first to lead the way, tell at least 5 other friends to do so.

Fewer carbohydrates, especially sugar – the culprit

"As a fat-burner, your body breaks free from blood-Sugar swings and brain fog, and you can become more efficient mentally and physically," says Ashley Smith, a nutritional therapy practitioner in Berkeley. "It may take a couple of weeks to effectively flip the switch from 'sugar burner' to 'fat burner,' but it can be done— particularly when consuming a variety of high-quality fats, whole/nutrient-dense vegetables, and properly sourced meats."

Please remember that anything going into your mouth is counted as "intake"

What to eat and what to ignore?

Decreasing your weight will be the "best gift" you will ever give to yourself, your family, and your environment. If the idea of decreasing intake and increasing expenditure in terms of the amount of food has been swallowed and properly dealt with, the next question is what are the major steps you have to take to achieve this? Describing each stage at a time will be as follows:

Please remember that anything going into your mouth is counted as "intake". Do not rely on things with "low caloric" value or otherwise. Low or high, you are still consuming calories. You have to devise when and what to eat and eat just at that time in that specific amount, and nowhere in between, except for water, of course. Get rid of such habits akin to munching on things like cookies on the kitchen table or a couple of almonds, as these cannot go with this strategy. You have to be "nil-by-mouth" in between your eating timings.

Depending upon your activity, mostly 1 hearty meal or 2 middle quantity meals for the whole 24 hours are sufficient

Certain things you will take away from your life "forever" and will never look at them again. Fair examples are soda drinks of all kinds, ice creams, fast foods of any type, processed food, cookies, and all type of sugary foods and drinks. To give you an idea, a can of Coke or Pepsi contains around 50 grams of plain sugar in them. 1 tablespoon is 15 grams, so in this case, you are taking more than 3 heaped-up tablespoons (not the teaspoon).

Quantity of meal

There is no measured amount of meal, it’s all relative. The rule of thumb is to stop eating when you feel you are about to get full. Our body has a tremendous control system over our intake. Even at the start of the meal, the body will let you know how much you require at that particular time, listen to what is said. During the meal, the body will tell you that enough has already been taken. This is the time to completely and abruptly stop eating. Never let yourself be taken to the 3rd time reminded by the body that you are full to the brim. If you choose not to listen to these control systems, they will just be overwhelmed and will not respond and disrupted. Don’t let this to happen.

Depending upon your activity, mostly 1 hearty meal or 2 middle quantity meals for the whole 24 hours are sufficient. Once eaten, there is no more going into the mouth, remember the golden rule of nil by mouth except water.

There will be an odd day, when either because of some extra work or just because of habit, you will feel hungrier than on normal days. Always opt for fruits preferably the roughage ones, like apples, bananas, etc.

Never forget to keep yourself hydrated all the time. Enough water is the key to losing weight, especially if you are in a hot or humid environment.

Whether you stroll, walk, brisk walk, run, or run harder, you will burn the same number of kilocalories through a distance

Most of the friends following my advice always complain that resisting hunger is troublesome. Now, this is what I call the real culprit. Believe me when I say that, you will feel hungry some of the time, it is this hunger that will reward you with a gradual weight reduction for a longer period.

Calorie for an idea

First and foremost is the understanding of the unit calorie. A calorie is defined as the amount of energy or heat used to raise the temperature of 1cm3 of water through 1 °C, while a kilo-calorie is the amount of heat used to raise the temperature of 1 liter or 1 Kg of water through 1 °C. Calorie in itself is a very small unit, whenever someone is mentioning calories, he or she is referring to Kcal. I will use the word “Kcal” here, which is interchangeable for calories.

One thing which must be understood is whether you stroll, walk, brisk walk, run, or run harder, you will burn the same number of kilocalories through a distance. For example, if you walk or run 1 km, the same number of kilocalories will be burnt by you. The only difference will be made by the weight of the person. Around 1500 to 2000 Kcals are required daily just for living. It is also called the cost of living (or BMR) and is required only for internal work, for example, brain activity, heart, breathing, and other internal mechanism. Over and above all other calories will be used for muscular activities we do.

Let’s see this example which will take a 70 kg person into account.

A rough and approximate idea of 1 km of walking or running will burn around 40-45 Kcal, which is equal to 1 medium-size apple, half a banana, or ¼th of a beer bottle, or 1 slice of bare bread, or 1 teaspoon of butter, or 1 cup of unsweetened coffee, or 1/6th of a coke can, or 1/3rd of an egg, or 1 cup of green beans, or 1 ounce of ice-cream, or 3 tablespoons of ketchup, or 1/3rd of a glass of milk, or 1/3rd cup of unsweetened oatmeal, or 1/5th of a quarter slice of regular cheese pizza, or ½ ounce of pork chop, or ¼ of normal size potato, or ½ ounce of raisins, or 1/8th of a cup of rice, or 2 ounces of spaghetti, or 1 ounce of tuna, or 2 ounces of white wine.

Imagine if you have taken just 1 slice of bare bread, the energy stored in it can be used by 1 km running or walking. Just imagine how long 1 km is?

That is why; I am continuously saying, careful about what goes into your mouth. Instead of opting for medium to heavy exercise which will not help in reducing weight, I will give you the following options for your day-to-day chores to get going. These are examples of some activities and the Kcals burnt.

For every 30 minutes of Sitting 15 kcals, Writing 20 kcals, Standing (at ease) 20 kcals, Typing 15- 20 kcals, Drawing 40-50 kcals, Dressing 30- 35 kcals, Washing dishes 50-90 kcals, Washing clothes 120- 220 kcals, Polishing 160- 170 kcals, Ironing 60 kcals, Sewing 55 kcals, Sweeping floors 85- 110 kcals, Sawing Wood 420 kcals, House Painting 145- 160 kcals, Dusting 110 kcals, Walking 130- 240 kcals, Walking upstairs 1,000 kcals, Fast walking 565 kcals, Running 600- 1,000 kcals, Cycling 180-600 kcals, Swimming 200-700 kcals, Sprinting 1,240 kcals.

There is another list. The amount is Kcal/30 minutes.

• cleaning gutters 186
• computer work 51
• cooking 93
• gardening 167
• grocery shopping (with cart) 130
• light office work 56
• mowing lawn 167
• playing with kids 149
• reading 42
• sitting in meetings 60
• sleeping 23
• standing inline 47
• walking (3.5 mph) 149
• washing car 167
• watching television 28

Misconception about sugar

Usually, we think that cholesterol is bad and its high level is dangerous for our vessels and heart, true, but the question is where this all cholesterol comes from. It is also synthesized within our body for normal use, but most, if not all comes from outside. What is the biggest “outside” source of our high blood cholesterol? Wait for the answer; I am sure you will be amazed and terrified too. It is not particularly the fat but the sugars we all eat and love.

The most staple diet around the world is:

Wheat: Whether taken as bread, roti, noodles, cakes, buns, or any other stuff you can think of is made with wheat. Try to find out how many times and how much wheat you take daily. One cup of all-purpose, or white, wheat flour has 95 grams of total carbohydrates. The sugar found in wheat is mostly starch. It is a long chain of glucose. As soon as wheat is digested, starch is broken within minutes by powerful pancreatic enzymes into glucose ready to be absorbed, leading to the abrupt rise of your blood glucose level.

Honey is mostly water and sugar with no significant nutritional value

Rice: Another widely used staple is rice. The carbohydrate content in a bowl of rice is 44 g. The sugar of the rice is also starch.

Corn: One cup of cornstarch 117 grams of carbohydrates.

Whatever our diet is, I am sure it will include one of the 3 staple ingredients. So, carbohydrates are well on their way. It’s not all bad, because you need carbohydrates in your daily diet for proper energy, as they are the best and most efficient source.

The fruit sugars: Most fruits have got fructose and glucose in varied proportions. Below is data taken for your eyes only:

One cup of raspberries only contains five grams of sugar. Like raspberries, blackberries are low in sugar, with only seven grams of sugar per cup. Half of a grapefruit only contains eight grams of sugar. One cup of strawberries contains seven grams of sugar. Figs may be delicious, but one cup of raw figs contains a staggering 27 grams of sugar. One orange contains 12 grams of sugar. More on their site, so please visit them to have a better knowledge if you are interested (I teaspoon is 5 grams).

Honey: Our favorite sugar substitute contains mainly fructose and glucose. It is mostly water and sugar with no significant nutritional value. So don’t be fooled by substituting honey for sugar is much better!

Then comes the real enemy, table sugar, which is the most consumed sugar in our life. It is composed of glucose and fructose. Biochemists also called it sucrose. We use it in beverages (1 coke can contain 3 tablespoons), orange juices (5 tablespoons), beer (less than 1 teaspoon per glass); confectioneries, bakery stuff, deserts, and in many food items we take.

Be vivid and stylish, increase your knowledge, and learn about things

So why is the intake of sugar so bad?

All the extra glucose, in the presence of insulin, is moved to our fat stores and is converted to fats to be stored for later energy release. Our normal fat storage sites are the buttocks, inner thighs, abdomen, and under the skin. There is no limit in these places as to how much they can accommodate. Later fat starts to accumulate around the organs, vessels, and other odd places. As long as you keep on supplying the abundant glucose and insulin is working, don’t worry you will have lots and lots of fat in your buttocks and other areas, happy?

So, what to do? Be vivid and stylish, increase your knowledge, and learn about things. In this case, see how much sugar are you taking and most importantly, whether will it lead to the abrupt rise of my glucose level or the other way round. The more tightly sugar is packed with other stuff, say fiber, the more difficult it is for your intestine to release it quickly, more work to be done, and hence more energy spent on releasing glucose.

Free sugars, for example, table sugar, honey, and some fruits are easily digestible, and abundant glucose is released rapidly and enters your blood to cause a peak in insulin secretion.

Just to give you an idea. A raw apple contains 95 calories, which can be spent after about 8 minutes of running. To digest a raw apple, our body will spend around 10-20 calories, further decreasing the caloric value, plus the fiber contained in an apple will not let your blood glucose level rise abruptly.

It's never too late!

If you want to blame for your high cholesterol level, accuse your sugar intake, rather than the eggs or other fat intake. Don’t get me wrong, taking animal fat is not advisable, but when it comes to heart attacks and strokes, it is the sugar that was the main and most important culprit rather than the juicy hamburger you were very fond of.

Are you still in dilemma, tell yourself and believe in it that fat is bad! The self-image of a woman is very important and can easily be ignored, especially if you are living in a highly patriarchal society. Women have to start looking into these concerns and act quickly in such a way as to leave a legacy for the next generation of women to come.