The right way to climb Stairs!

 You probably didn’t know there was a right way and a wrong way to climb stairs

  

Most of us go out of our way to avoid stairs, so first, I will give you reasons why you should go out of your way to look for stairs, then I will tell you how to climb.

·        It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs.

·        It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we're forced to work and the more calories we burn.

·        It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness.

·        It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy.

·        It actually flattens your Belly

·        It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise.

·        It can easily be mixed with other exercises, like walking, skipping and weight training, to maximize results and stair climbing workouts are easy to build progression into.

·        It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level.

·        Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength.

·        It is low impact and safe for the knees (providing correct technique is used and a preexisting condition doesn't exist)..

How to Climb

You probably didn’t know there was a right way and a wrong way to climb stairs, did you?  Typically you just put one foot on the step in front of you, lean forward on your toes, and lift the other foot off the ground to advance to the next step.  WRONG!  You will probably have knee problems if you continue climbing stairs this way.  Instead, stand up straight and push off of your instep – NOT your toes – using the larger hip and thigh muscles to lift you to the next level.  As these muscles become more accustomed to being used, they will become stronger and more supportive, and it will be much easier for you to climb stairs.  Then, skip the elevator, and climb the stairs whenever you can..  You don’t need a stairclimbing machine to get a workout if you learn to climb properly! So get to climbing peeps!

lose weight at a buffet

Cook: How many pieces of roasted chicken do you want?
Me: How many do you give per person?

It was almost like a party every afternoon, a big hall, world continental buffet, appetizer and desert, how a company would feed its staffs this much and still make profit eludes me.  It was a 2weeks temporary job I took and every lunch hour was a feast, I would see food had only eaten in my dreams, lovely meals with names that the alphabet can’t spell, a dream come true. My first day at lunch hall went like this…

“Let me have the Spanish casserole, with the minced meat sauce and Chinese rice...ok no! Please replace it with that red thing, duck chili sauce? Yes and errmm…is that afang soup? You know what, just give me a little of everything…Thank you"

All these things spell “CALORIES!!!” but mehn, I had lost all the power and will to resist, na once is a life time o and the menu changes every day. No wonder when I first stepped in, I thought I had fallen into Giant Island, everyone looked so big! Except I wanted to change my week wardrobe within a week I either had to stay away from this hall or find a way around it.  I can’t tell you hold your breath every time you go for lunch, but I can give couple of “been there, done that” that works if you are fortunate/unfortunate to work with companies that feeding is their primary objective

Eat Breakfast:people that skip breakfast are often more vulnerable when faced with a mountain of food. Eating breakfast may reduce your hunger later in the day, which may make it easier to avoid swallowing the buffet table. Also choose a healthy breakfast.

Eat desert first:like the company I worked for, fruits or yogurts are usually in the mix, try eating your apples, yogurts first, it would fill up this space in your stomach and make you feel less hungry

Avoid fried:anything that has fried as a preface is a “no no”

Target the vegetable:if there is a vegetable option, go for it, it will help you fill up easily

Portion/plate size:a smaller plate will make you think you are eating more, a larger plate will make your plate look empty, so if you have an option use a smaller plate, remember it’s not about what you eat, it about the size of what you eat. Eat just a little, remember, there is always a tomorrow

Water Water Water!Try to take loads of water, the less inclined you’ll feel to eat more

Indulge once in a while: pick a day that you’ll allow yourself to eat without the guilt; it will give you a day to look forward to

Make healthy choices:do you have roasted potato and bread roll on the menu?, pick potato, fried or roasted fish, roasted is better, subtle changes can go a long way

Avoid a buffet if you can, but instance when you have no choice the least we can do is be smart about it. So go forth and eat and remember, all you can eat does not translate to all you SHOULD eat.

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Skimmed Milk or Full Cream?

“@weightloss9ja, skimmed milk doesn’t work, I have been taking it since last year and I have still not lost any weight, why?……Whao! back up! Who said skimmed milk will help you lose weight?

Theres is a lot of debate as to which milk is better “skimmed” or “whole”, some researchers have argued that whole milk is better than the skimmed version based on some scientific “abracadabra”. But I do know that skimmed milk helped a lot in the initial stage of my weightloss.  In all honesty, Skimmed milk doesn’t have any ingredient that directly contributes to weight loss but il take it over whole milk when it comes to dieting.  I swapped all my full cream powdered milk for marvel skimmed milk and my cornflakes for kspecial and weetabix, and I watched the number on my weight scale go down.

 Skimmed milk has less calories and almost no fat as compared to full cream milk and it contains more protein which makes sense when you are trying to cut down calories. if you consume less calories than you should, you will lose weight, Cutting your calories intake gradually will lead to weightloss and subtle changes like this will go way and you won’t even know you are on a diet.

The only problem I had with it was its taste, but there are different brands with different taste, even dano now has its skimmed powered version or you could go for the liquid fresh skimmed milk. my new favourite is the "Emborg"

fresh skimmed milk in the picture, you could try out different brand and find one you are comfortable with

More importantly is what you take with it, you can’t pour a cup of skimmed milk into a bowl of double coated frosties and expect to lose weight, and you also have to make subtle cereal changes. Im a kspecial fan, you could go for whole wheat cereal if you like, just eat healthy

Did make sense? Tell me what you think

Lose Weight by Eating your Meat First!

Remember how we used to get flogged for eating the meat before finish our food, I got alot of lashes for that one, but Guess what?! I just discovered how that habit can help with weightloss, its another trick for the weightloss trick book, and I thought I will tell you guys about it. Have you noticed how your meat or fish or whatever garnishing you put on your plate determines the extent to which you eat and what quantity. Most times it’s the anticipation of the turkey and the fact that we want to save the best for the last that keeps you eating long after we passed our filled up point. It has to become a culture for us Nigerians to eat our meat or chicken last , we drag the “dodo” or egg and make sure we finish it with rice and then congratulate stomach and mouth for the effort it put into eating by eating the meat last.

Since most times, in our subconscious, the end of the garnishing means end of food, it means we can cheat our brains into believing we have finished eating by ensuring the meat goes early and the dodo disappears before the rice finishes. so try this for a while and see if it works, eat your meat as soon as you start to eat your food and try not to stretch it out, the idea is to ensure all the garnishing is gone before the food itself. It makes it boring.

Trust me guys, this trick works!

Try it and tell me what you think!

Cheat Your Brain and Lose weight! BE SMART!

Don’t take sugar

Don’t take soda

Don’t eat past 7:00pm

Don’t eat more than a fist full of food…blah…blah…blah…blah

The list is endless, It’s almost like they are asking us blind our eyes and padlock our mouths just so we lose weight.

Losing an enormous amount of weight, I have figured out ways we can cheat our brain, keep the bad habit and still lose weight. First, I’m a drink person, and you all know that one of the rules to lose weight is cutting out the most drinks right?. Think of it this way, what if you don’t have to cut out the drinks? Do I have your attention yet? What if all you had to do is be smart?

The typical way we take our drink/bereavage is with the food right? One spoon, one gulp- atleast that’s how I’ve seen most Nigerians people do it. I’m not about to tell you not to take that coke - which is the right thing to do-for the sake of those who haven’t mastered the act of discipline, I’m going to tell you a trick…

When setting your table of soda and food, include water to the mix, or if you want to have tea with that bread, have a bottle of water close by. here is the trick, if you really must take a drink with your meal, make it your goal to finish the drink before you reach half of your plate or better still drink the tea or coke before you even start eating and drink the water if you still want to, The reason for this is simple. I have said, countless times, that calorie reduction is a easy way to weight loss, by finishing your drink before your food, you will realize that finishing that food will be a problem, there wouldn’t be that much space left in your stomach. By this you have killed two birds with one stone. First, you have satisfied your unhealthy hunger for a drink and you have reduced the amount of food you’ve eaten

Lets do a little maths, assuming on a regular you have a bottle of coke(150 calories) with a plate(1 cup) of white rice and stew(about 300 calories) on the average that’s about 450calories right? Following my trick, you would finish your coke first(150 calories) and about half your rice(150 calories) you have just saved 150 calories, following this trend, you will definitely lose weight

Don’t get too happy, in the end, you will still have to cut out the habit if you want to lose all of that weight, you can’t trick your brain for too long, it will catch on!. This trick will help at your early weight loss stage.

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9 Secrets to a Flat Tummy

Following my last post, these are your first steps to getting a flat tummy

     

1) Try not to eat until you tummy is pushing out: we can already the food, Eating till we can see the shape of the food is outlined in your stomach is definitely not the way. Have you noticed your belly is usually flat when you get out of bed in the mornings or when you havent eaten all day. if you try to maintain a belly shape, its only a matter of time before your belly actually assumes the shape.

2)   Replace "WHITE" with "BROWN": this is the first time in a world of racial discrimination that it is generally accepted that "Brown" is better than "white". Here in 9ja, most of our food is full of carbs hence our large and proud bellys. White bread, white rice, flour spaghetti, garri, yam e.t.c are all major culprit in belly fat. While it is almost difficult to eliminate entirely the consumption of these food type, i advice you reduce it, replace it with the healthier version and sometimes alternate. Thankfully we now have brown rice, whole grain spaghetti, whole grain bread, and wheat swallow in Nigeria

3)    Say no to Gas: all gassy/frizzy drinks(coke, fanta, lacasera, etc) contain carbonated water which is directly linked with bloated stomach. Instead, drink water flavored with lemon, lime, or cucumber. Or just reduce the number of fizzy drinks you consume each day and watch your belly deflate.

4)    A little less salt: Salt will not stop weight loss, but it can stall it. Sodium makes your body retain water. When you eat too much salt, you may see the scale go up a few pounds. Conversely, when you significantly reduce salt intake, you'll lose a few pounds as your body expels the water it was retaining. The weight you lose, however, is regained once you resume eating foods with salt. 
  salt really has no direct link to fat loss, however, the water retention in the body making you look bloated. with a consistent consumption of salt, you will eventually be bloated

5)     No alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can cause your body to burn off 36 percent less fat, lead your body to store more fat from food, and inhibit hormones that help your body burn fat and create muscle. Another vice that contributes to belly fat is smoking. With each extra cigarette you smoke, you are at increased risk of storing abdominal fat as opposed to thigh or hip fat

6)  Eat More Protein. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other foods: your body burns more energy processing proteins than it does processing carbs and fat. That's why high protein diets work great at burning your belly fat.

7)    Eat Healthy: if you eat junk food all day, you won't lose your belly fat. Try eating healthy. Example of healthy food

Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, turkey, chicken, milk, beans …

Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, salad, cabbage, pumpkin leaf, garlic, onion, carrot…

Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, peers, berries, mango, ...

Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, nuts(groundut, almonds, kolanuts etc)…

Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, whole …

8)    Exercise: first understand that you cant spot reduce, meaning you cant target a particular spot on your body to lose fat, you can only target to build muscles. So, to lose that layer of belly fat, you have to exercise your entire body. A simple brisk walking, or jogging or skipping will do the trick. I know it is hard to exercise in our 9ja centric environment, but I have found a way to sneak exercise in.......click to find out how

9)    Suck it in: This is perhaps the easiest and most looked over secret. The surest way to get that flat tummy sharp sharp! You can even try this now

     Always stand straight, Suck in your stomach so your belly button is drawn towards your spine. While your stomach is sucked in, do not hold your breath just keep breathing normally. You will know that you are doing this properly when you begin to feel a minor burning sensation in the deep stomach

Do this as often as you walk; it is the way I got my belly flat. So get busy guys!

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"Sit up" is not the Way!

 It was a long time ago the big tummies was a sign of good living, now, its just a sign of gluttony and lack of exercise and while the first reaction to reduce belly fat is usually to sit on a mat and start the forceful and almost impossible act of pulling yourself up to a sitting position, hoping that in a couple of months you will be showing your abs...wash!  not gon happen. Its like trying to cure a headache with an anti-fungal cream...

Before you jump on your mat, and ask Tolu to hold your legs please understand that Sit ups or crunches DONT burn fat, they only define your muscles. So whats the point of having a defined muscle tone if there will be a layer of fat covering it? you have to first lose the fat covering your stomach muscle before you begin to see any results for the exercise you do and especially since after we do the 200sit ups, we celebrate with 3packs on noodles and wonder why the flat tummy is playing hide and seek.

flat belly is the "in" thing and to me, it makes sense because no matter your size, your stomach size is a major determining factor of how good you look in what you wear. if you have a clearly defend waistline, regardless of how big you are, you are definitely hot! Besides, i have come to realize that the size of your stomach is directly related to the amount of folds you have on your back which is the thin line between "fab" and "flabby". Everyone knows this, the problem however is how to get the elusive abs.

while i am not  condemning all abdominal exercises(sit-ups, Crunches, reverse crunches, bicycles etc), it shouldnt be your first step, especially if you have a large blanket of fat covering your stomach. Your first step is to get rid of that blanket! So I am going to let you in on some secrets to getting your belly flat....click here!!!

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