Nutrition for general well being

Nutrition for Health 

A quick guide

It is true that we are what we eat. What we put into our mouths accounts for 80 percent of our efforts to stay healthy, 20 percent is everything else. With food accounting for that large a percentage, it is common sense that we need to really pay attention to what we put into our mouths. 

Here are general guidelines and tips regarding nutrition.

Breakfast:

Never miss breakfast. The old saying that you should eat like an emperor in the morning, a king at lunch and a pauper in the evening is true. What energy you had at dinner time is used up by morning, you need fuel to start your day. 

If you are working out early in the morning, consider splitting your breakfast into two so that you are not too filled up when working out. It is ideal to have big meals two to three hours before working out and smaller meals at least an hour before. Anything more you will feel too full and bloated to exercise effectively. 

Breakfast is the time to get your complex carbohydrates in as they provide fuel for the day. Complex carbohydrates consist of less processed carbohydrates such as whole meal products, arrow roots etcetera. 

You also need to have protein. Why? Protein keeps you fuller for longer. Your body also needs protein to repair it’s muscles and blood cells. It is a myth that a high protein diet destroys your kidneys. Whatever your body does not use is flushed out. 

A good breakfast will consist of:

• Complex carbohydrates - whole grain cereals or bread, arrow root, sweet potato, cassava
• Protein - Egg, natural yoghurt, cold meat cuts,
• Some sort of fruit or vegetable
• You can also have last night’s left overs as breakfast as long as you take care of your portions. 

Lunch:

Lunch should be balanced just as breakfast is. However, it should be lighter. Why? As the day wears on, you need less energy as you are closer to bed time. 

Dinner:

This should be the lightest meal of the day. Unless you are on a specified fast and there are ways to do this, do not miss any meal. Just make it lighter than the rest of the meals. 

Snacks:

It is important to snack healthy as snacks are usually our downfall in weight loss. Look for snacks that contain fibre and protein as these keep you full for longer. 

Healthy snacks include:

• Nuts and a banana
• A half a cup of yoghurt with fruit
• A very small portion of last night’s left overs e.t.c

PORTION CONTROL

We tend to eat too much. Portion control is about controlling the amounts of what we eat and not starving ourselves. As a rule, half of our plates should contain vegetables, a quarter should contain proteins and the other quarter should contain the starch. This is how our plates should look like at all meals. 

   

Tips:

• A portion of carbohydrates is about a fist full of rice. Try to stick with whole grains for example brown instead of white rice. 
• A serving of protein is about an open palm size. Be careful with beans (dengu e.t.c.) as they contain a high amount of carbohydrates as well. 
• When having a salad, skip dressings like thousand island, ranch dressings e.t.c. opt for lemon or a simple vinaigrette dressing. 
• Legumes (beans, dengu e.t.c) are not complete proteins. Having them with whole grains or nuts makes them complete proteins. They do not have to be accompanied in the same meal but make sure you have some during the course of the day. 

Sugar and Fat....Which is the enemy?

It has long been thought that Fat is the root of all “evil” in good health maintenance. This has been proven to be untrue in the recent past. While it is true that fat contains more calories gram for gram, sugar’s effect in our bodies is far worse than than fat. 

I have written before on the harmful effects of sugar. Please look through "foods" section for more

Tips:

• Avoid refined carbohydrates in the form of direct sugar, sodas, white bread, cereals that are not whole grain e.t.c. They are not worth the trouble. Rather reach for water than soda. 
• Instead of purchasing packet fruit juices, eat the fruit. It contains fibre which is good news for your gut and slower release of the sugar into your system. 

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

A meal that contains proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables is best before a workout. However, because this might not always be possible, try to have a snack that should follow the following:

• Low in fibre
• Contain complex carbohydrates
• Small portion

A banana is such an example. Or one whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter. 

Post workout, your muscles are in dire need of repair. Which means your post workout meal should contain protein. It is good to eat 30 - 60 minutes after a workout to kick start the repair of the muscles otherwise you body begins to cannibalize itself and what gains you made could be lost.  Examples include:

• A proper meal
• A home made protein shake with yoghurt in it
• Plain yoghurt or milk with some fruit in it
• Sandwich with egg, chicken
• Some beans with a little rice or whole meal bread e.t.c.

FINALLY! WATER WATER WATER!

Keep hydrated at all times. Sipping on water through out the day will help keep your energy levels up, reduce hunger pangs, keep your concentration and keep your skin looking healthy and radiant. 

Nutrition is such a wide topic that this little write up does not cover everything. However, when you follow the basics, the rest comes easy.

Find me online on:

www.facebook.com/missfitnesskenya

or email: missfitnesskenya@gmail.com

Today's workout was the ishhhh!!!!

I have "done" all the muscle groups this week and I did cardio yesterday. I carried my gym gear and I wasn't going to let that go to waste. We have no spin class, and I am not really an aerobics girl unless it's weighted. There is no interesting kickboxing class or the like so I went online and started browsing for workouts. I got one from fitnessrx which I decided to do. 

Interestingly, I seem to have influenced more people to the weights corner. In the middle of my workout, more and more women came and started picking dumbbells and kept asking the in-house trainer what to do with them. Even a senior couple came and picked some weights. The bad news is, they were picking the ones I was using between sets. :-( But I made do. 

WARM UP

Step Mill 15 minutes. Was supposed to do 90 steps a minute but I have absolutely no idea what the speed is at that. I was oscillating between 6 and 6.4 kms an hour which I suspect is too slow for 90 steps a minute. Considering this is only my fourth or fifth attempt at the step mill, I think I did okay. Oh, and I only did 6 minutes, WHAAAT? 15 minutes is CRAZZZYYY

GIANT SET 1 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Dumbbell squats                                15 Reps
Weighted pop squats                          20 Reps
Stationary lunges                                15 each leg (I did them weighted)

GIANT SET 2 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Shoulder width squats with arnold press         12 reps
Split jumps on step                                         15 each leg
Weighted burpees                                            15

GIANT SET 3 REPEAT 3 TIMES

Body weight squats                                   25
Weighted squat jumps onto step                10 (Thank God!!!)
Medicine ball mountain climbers               25 each leg
(I also went...eeeh? on the last one)

GIANT SET 4 REPEAT 4 TIMES NO STOPPING

Arnold press                                              12 Reps
Plate front raise                                          12  Reps
Lateral raise                                                1

FINAL SET BURN IT OUT

5000M Row (ok, I only did 1500...I need to improve on my rowing)
Burpee jumps to step 1 minute (I finished these)

This is a workout I will definitely come back to. Challenging plus I did not finished the prescribed cardio work which means I have more to work on. 

I burned 700 calories in about an hour...awesome!

Rx - 50 sit ups, walk 30 Minutes, 3*10 bicep curls 1 kg weights...

Prescription Workouts, and why they do not work.

I get most of my blogging ideas from my own experiences. So sometimes, like today, I blog twice, because I got ideas twice, sometimes I go for a week or two without an experience I am driven to write about...or my daughter bangs on my keyboard and deletes a whole post...which has happened a couple of times....

When anyone begins a fitness program and especially one with a personal trainer or instructor, one is usually given a program, perhaps a circuit to follow. The prescription. Because the body is moving from zero, this first prescription no matter how 'easy' to an advanced exerciser, is challenging to a body not accustomed to moving. So the body begins to change, weight loss begins to happen, the prescription is successful!

We forget one thing though. Our bodies are tough, they adapt. We have to change our workout programs every 4 - 6 weeks in order to keep our bodies challenged otherwise we will not achieve our goals. It is part of the reason our weight loss stagnates, our body sculpting ceases to create the curves we want, we do not run faster or longer we do not progress.

It is understandable when we find something we like we want to stick to it....in this case, do not. Prescription fitness does not work. What worked for person X might not work for person Y. What worked two months ago will definitely not be as effective today. If you were using 1 kg dumbbells, try using 2. If you were doing a 5 km jog, why don't you try doing a weekly longer run to test your endurance and speed. I have learnt so much from friends who push their limits everyday, and in turn inspire me to push past mine.

As our bodies change, so must we.

Have an active day tomorrow!

Things that happen when you choose a healthy lifestyle

Making the first step and committing to living a healthier lifestyle is a very difficult decision. You would think that your family, your colleagues, your friends, and those around you would support your decision. After all, you are doing good for your body and trying to do the same for your family. Having a support base is very important, it helps one keep to the program especially during periods where temptations are rife...christmas is not far off, this is one of the periods.

However, you have to remember that you are going against the grain. Having determination where others have not made that decision yet, showing that your will is strong makes others around you feel like they have failed in their own efforts.

So don't be surprised if:

1. All of a sudden, people make it known to you "easier" ways to lose weight.
   Yes, you have chosen to do it the hard way. Through watching your diet and exercise. The effort shows. You wake up early to make your packed lunch, exercise. Why should you when there are easier ways? I have a friend who was offered a "machine" that automatically burns calories when she started running. She was so incensed she didn't have a reply. By the by that friend has successfully run a half marathon and is now training for a full marathon. No calorie burning machines apart from her own body and will.
  There will be miracle foods that if you eat at certain times, for sure you will lose the weight and keep it off. Or a combination of foods, or foods to avoid. Ironically, those offering the advice usually look like they are in dire need of good weight loss and healthy living advice themselves. I don't mean to sound mean but it's true. The roadside wisdom from persons who do not practice what they preach is not worth giving a second thought to. Pay attention to what matters, which is you. And the tried and tested methods which you are using. Unfortunately, lifestyle change is usually the last resort, going back to quick fixes won't work.

2. Get ready for snide comments, remarks aimed at making you look like a fanatic and being discussed in your absence.
Yes, you will be told just one meal won't harm your efforts as your plate is heaped with food you cannot down in one seating. I have had my mother sneak potatoes onto my plate, probably because she thought I wasn't eating enough, bless her.
Get ready to be told you are selfish with your time when you insist on having your 'me' time exercising, and your habits being discussed negatively in your absence. Don't let this get to you, you know what you want to achieve.
I have heard it said that my goals could not be achieved, that a CS mommy would never get a flat stomach, that my weight would never go down. And now, my goals are just plain stupid. Why would a woman want to do pull ups unassisted? Or build muscle. You know the reasons behind wanting what you want.
I also have to keep reminding myself especially where I am that a lot of these remarks are made from a place of ignorance. Knowledge on nutrition and fitness practices is not general knowledge.

3. Your body will be analysed, and sometimes, you will be told the result of the analysis.
Yes, you will be watched. And especially at the beginning where gains are slow in coming, people will say, all that work and no progress? You work out so hard and yet you still have a tummy? Your fat legs will never go, it's in your genes. Yes, they have been looking at your legs too.
Don't worry. Whatever you had been doing to get you to the place where you needed a drastic change had been going on for a long while. Undoing that damage will take a while as well. Slow and steady wins the day.

4. You will change your circle of friends and acquaintances. You will lose some, but you will gain new ones as well.
I knew my partying days were numbered with the decision to settle down and raise a family. But the partying days completely went with my decision to take up a healthy lifestyle. Yes, I do still have fun, but my definition of fun has changed completely. Remember the decision you made was an individual one. You cannot force others to follow suit. You will end up making friends committed to the same lifestyle as you do because you will socialise more with them. Your early nights will not correspond with the 'one for the road'. It happens, it's life, don't feel sorry.

5. There will be times when there will be efforts to derail your efforts
It will not be done consciously, but it will happen. "Missing one workout won't hurt"...."you shouldn't have worked out today"....Or having a soda opened in front of you for you. Refusing it looks mean, but you hadn't asked for it anyway.
Please do not have conspiracy theories about who wants you to fail, instead, keep to program. As I said earlier, some of these things may be done in ignorance.

What have you experienced on your journey?

Have an active day will you?

The joy of learning, fitness, like life, is a constant learning experience

You can never know too much, you can never be your own coach and that is enough. The fitness industry is always evolving, new information that may either be true or not comes out everyday. The basics remain the same, diet and exercise. The combination, the fads, the products change all the time.

I was a guest at Impala Gym in Nairobi today. I trained with one of the instructors, Alex. I hoped I sounded confident when I said..."Today is upper body day..." I'm not ripped, so probably he looked and me and laughed on the inside. But Mr. Alex did not give me a sissy workout. My home gym lacks some lifting equipment that Impala gym has, and using them challenged me. I would only insist on my own workouts if the instructor gives me sissy workouts, I need to feel challenged. If you ever come across my blog, Thank you. I learnt a lot.

Unfortunately I did not take a photo or record this at all but here is the exercise I learnt today that really challenged me. For lack of a better term, I will call it lying military press. It is the most difficult shoulder exercise I have done in a long time. The weights needed are so light.

Lie face down on a bench. Make sure your head and shoulders are over the end of the bench. Grasp a pair of really light dumbbells. Have your legs at a 90 degree angle at the knee. Hold the dumbbells palm down in military press starting position, do the military press, face up, while at the same time lifting your legs of the bench on the upwards motion and vice versa. This had me grunting for three sets of very pathetic reps with what I consider sissy weights....definitely to be repeated on shoulder days.

I also learnt that it doesn't have to hurt for it to be effective. I should not feel like I didn't work out if the next day I don't get DOMS as long as I challenged myself. (Thanks Dr. Posa!)

Have an goodnight everyone and an active day tomorrow. It's cardio for me. I'm in need of a good run but will see what the day brings.