A Slice of range V o l u m e
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Get back your 2010 figure THERE ARE ONLY A FEW ABSOLUTE TRUTHS IN THIS WORLD. BOYS WILL BE BOYS. TAXES WILL RISE. AND YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. BUT 2011 IS A BRAND NEW YEAR, AND A BRAND NEW CHANCE TO BECOME A LEANER, FITTER, MORE FABULOUS VERSION OF YOU.
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ew Year 2011 has already passed, and for sure you’ve packed on extra weight. Do you let yourself slide into 10 more pounds onto New Year 2012? Or do you take on the challenge and slip into a sexy bikini or trunks, with a fitter and healthier body come Summer 2011? If you say, “Slide into a 10-poundheavier-me,” gently put down this article, and walk away shaking your head in shame. But if you say, “Bikini Body 2011!” then let’s get started!
A Slice of Orange is a newsletter designed to help clarify basic health information and offer juicy tips on uplifting your health.
Editorial team Alvin Delfin Christine Llenes-Delfin Ivan Olegario, MD
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GETTING STARTED
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NE’S GOALS CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU. DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE. INSTEAD, SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS BY SETTING REALISTIC GOALS.
Now realistic goals are two-prong: 1) How much should you lose in a week; and 2) How much should you lose all in all. For the first one, aim for losing one pound a week, maximum, for the first month, and then expect it to be less over time as your body catches up with the rigors of your dieting and exercise. Do not try to lose more than one pound a week through unhealthy crash diets since this will lead to many health consequences, such as muscle wasting and dehydration. How about your total weight loss? Use the table on this page to determine the range of weights that is considered healthy among Asians. Where you should sit in this range would depend on how you look or feel. If you feel energized and look fit and glowing, then don’t attempt to lose any additional weight that will make you look emaciated. The losing game Now that you know where you’re going, it’s time to get down and dirty. It’s time to swallow some hard facts first. Fact #1. Losing weight is hard. At this point, I would like to point out that the pounds will not shed off as easily as diet and exercise books would want you to believe. Your body will try as hard as possible to maintain its current weight. So you will have to exert extra discipline in your diet and exercise. Fact #2. You will have to diet. Eating healthy is different from eating to lose weight. Eating healthy means eating just enough food, and eating the right kinds of food, to stay healthy. This is for people who are already healthy and would just
like to maintain their fitness. But to lose weight, expect to eat far less than you would usually eat, sometimes by less than half of your normal diet. But avoid crash dieting and fad diets, which is unhealthy. Fact #3. You need to exercise. To lose weight, you should exercise at least three to four times a week, for at least 40 minutes of moderate exercise. What does moderate exercise mean? Running 100 strides in one minute is moderate exercise. This is the minimum. Try this, and remember how much you exert, and do not go below this level while exercising. You can do other kinds of exercise, but maintain the level of exertion as if you are running 100 strides per minute. Fact #4. This will not happen overnight. This is the reason why you should start shaping up now (January) for a summer body. Keep up this lifestyle every day, until summer, and by then you’ll realize that your body will be craving less food and more exercise as time goes by. Fact #5. You will fail. Accept the fact that you will slip every once and a while. Forgive yourself, and get back on the horse.
LOWEST WEIGHT FOR HEIGHT THAT’S HEALTHY FOR ASIANS
Height
Weight (in pounds)
5’ 0” 5’ 1” 5’ 2” 5’ 3” 5’ 4” 5’ 5” 5’ 6” 5’ 7” 5’ 8” 5’ 9” 5’ 10” 5’ 11” 6’ 0” 6’ 1” 6’ 2”
95 – 117 98 – 121 101 – 125 105 – 129 108 – 133 111 – 137 115 – 142 118 – 146 121 – 150 125 – 155 128 – 159 131 – 164 135 – 169 138 – 173 141 – 178
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Your diet and exercise plan
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here are many kinds of good, healthy diets and exercise programs out there, which would be impossible for me to share with you here. So what I will place here are the simplest ones I know.
The diet plan For your diet, just follow the following rules (some may seem outrageous, but I warned you before—dieting to lose weight often needs drastic measures).
1. Eat tiny, frequent meals. Frequent means 6 to 7 meals a day. Tiny means ¼ to ½ cup of rice, or 1 slice of bread; and one matchbox-sized serving of a viand, per meal. If this is too small for you, slowly inch into your diet by changing only one meal every two days, until you have adjusted all your meals. 2. Drink plenty of water, meaning 12 to 16 glasses of water (not juice or coffee) every day. You will need to go to the bathroom more often during the first few days, but your bladder will soon adjust. 3. Take multivitamins. Eating less means taking in less nutrients. Fill up your nutrient gap with a multivitamin supplement.
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The exercise plan
I lost my most weight from a modified version of the Military Dozen. Perform 12 sets of the following exercise until failure—meaning you can no longer do one more repetition even if your life depended on it. Rest in between sets. 1. Stand up straight. 2. Bend your knees and hips so that your hands touch the floor in front of your feet. 3. Extend your body and your legs to the back as if in a push up position. 4. Do one push up. 5. Bend your knees and hips again while touching the floor. Use your hands to support yourself. 6. Return to a standing position. 7. Do one jumping jack. 8. Repeat the cycle until failure. If you get bored, you can try to experiment with your diet and exercise regimens, but always keep the two together. Don’t do one without the other. In time and a lot of discipline, you’ll be back to your 2010 figure, or even better!
Looking to enhance your corporate healthcare benefits? E-mail us at benefits@activelink-consult.com. The information in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a doctor for all matters relating to your health, particularly for symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. © 2011 ActiveLink
Benefits Made Better
ActiveLink 7/F Electra House Building 115-117 Esteban St., Legaspi Village, Makati City www.activelink-consult.com
The Orange wants to he ar from you! Dying to ask us your health related questio ns? Itching to share your pe rsonal health tips? Want to sugg est topics for future issues? Feel free to contac t us. You can e-m ail our team at orange@activ elink-consult.c om.