Only this morning i complaint to a dear friend that i don't know if i have been happy. How does happy looks like anyway?
Aristotle once wrote,' happiness is a state of activity.'
Hmmm...check this out and let us ponder a bit and perhaps do what is suggested and then analyse our feelings:
1. Value relationship. The most stable, longest and contented relationship beat income, education achievement and political participation to feeling of happiness.
2. Express yourself. Singing aloud, talking to a stranger, raising hands...can contribute into self expression and provide feelings of happiness.
3. Focus on the positive. We can test this too. Write down three good things that happen to us everyday for six months and see whether we have an improved outlook.
4. Hydration. drinking plenty of water helps boost our happiness.
And according to World Happiness Report, more happiness predicts better future physical health.
If happiness can be seen by doing these activities or having all the four above, then, it is not that difficult to do and surely i will be able to tell my friend that 'Hey! I know i am a happy person now!'
(Source: Reader's Digest, January 2013)
Monday, 18 March 2013
Sunday, 17 March 2013
How to starve your fat cells
I like these tips.
Fat cells once present in the body will always be there and never will reduce in number. They persists. Bad eh? But they can reduce and increase their size accordingly.
So these are three tips that will help reduce the size of the fat cells:
1. Sip tea before meal.
- a hot drink 20 minutes before a meal helps to reduce some calories.
2. Sniff grapefruits
- scent of grapefruit can temporarily raise metabolism and reduce appetite.
3. Eat eggs for breakfast.
- some studies show that eating eggs at breakfast can cause reduction in weight than those who ate a few slices of toast.
- also protein and fibre-rich breakfasts can lower levels of hunger hormones later on in the day.
Let us all try.
(Source of information: Reader's Digest, March 2013)
Fat cells once present in the body will always be there and never will reduce in number. They persists. Bad eh? But they can reduce and increase their size accordingly.
So these are three tips that will help reduce the size of the fat cells:
1. Sip tea before meal.
- a hot drink 20 minutes before a meal helps to reduce some calories.
2. Sniff grapefruits
- scent of grapefruit can temporarily raise metabolism and reduce appetite.
3. Eat eggs for breakfast.
- some studies show that eating eggs at breakfast can cause reduction in weight than those who ate a few slices of toast.
- also protein and fibre-rich breakfasts can lower levels of hunger hormones later on in the day.
Let us all try.
(Source of information: Reader's Digest, March 2013)
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Lose that stress and so lose that belly fat!
Hey! Its been a long while since i last wrote anything in here. Today i found something new to share with you. I have been trying to lose some belly fat for sometimes already. I do aerobic exercises and now starting on a low carbohydrate diets as well. Then i found this information that really surprised me. I can do all those exercises and dieting but if i continue to allow stress be in my workbook as well, then everything i do might as well go down the drain.
Information i gathered from 'Shape' magazine says so.
It says that, whenever we have stress, the cortisol level in our body will increase. Cortisol causes more fat to be deposited in the abdominal area as they are more cortisol receptors at that area.
So what is cortisol?
Cortsiol is a stress hormone. It is a steroid hormone produced by our body whenever we feel stress up. It actually helps to produce glucose in out body using different resources apart from carbohydrates...it should be good. However prolonged high cortisol level may cause craving for comfort food and overeating. Too much cortisol in the blood too will reduce our immune response.
No wonder, stress is one of the contributors for many diseases. And....chronic high cortisol levels also kill neurons in the brain and interfere with production of feel good chemicals (serotonin and dopamine) leading to depression and more stress.
So, in short, we have to control our stress level hence controlling level of cortisol. This will help us turn away from comfort food, and yes, helps reduce belly fat.
'Shape' also suggests six simple ways to shrink stress (excerpt from David D Burns, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy):
1. Eat more foods rich in Omega-3 fats
2. Do vigorous walk or bike ride.
3. Go on Mediterranean Diet
4. Relax everyday...deep-belly breathing, meditation, muscle relaxing therapy.
5. Limit stress-fueled noshing
6. Think positively
Let us all stay away from stress and have that fantastic abs!
Information i gathered from 'Shape' magazine says so.
It says that, whenever we have stress, the cortisol level in our body will increase. Cortisol causes more fat to be deposited in the abdominal area as they are more cortisol receptors at that area.
So what is cortisol?
Cortsiol is a stress hormone. It is a steroid hormone produced by our body whenever we feel stress up. It actually helps to produce glucose in out body using different resources apart from carbohydrates...it should be good. However prolonged high cortisol level may cause craving for comfort food and overeating. Too much cortisol in the blood too will reduce our immune response.
No wonder, stress is one of the contributors for many diseases. And....chronic high cortisol levels also kill neurons in the brain and interfere with production of feel good chemicals (serotonin and dopamine) leading to depression and more stress.
So, in short, we have to control our stress level hence controlling level of cortisol. This will help us turn away from comfort food, and yes, helps reduce belly fat.
'Shape' also suggests six simple ways to shrink stress (excerpt from David D Burns, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy):
1. Eat more foods rich in Omega-3 fats
2. Do vigorous walk or bike ride.
3. Go on Mediterranean Diet
4. Relax everyday...deep-belly breathing, meditation, muscle relaxing therapy.
5. Limit stress-fueled noshing
6. Think positively
Let us all stay away from stress and have that fantastic abs!
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Job's innovation methods
I want to get this book: The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs...by Carmine Gallo. Maybe one day, i must seriously look for this book. The review i read about it looked interesting and worth reading. Anyway, these are the 7 innovation methods Job has prescribed:
1. Do what you love (career).
2. Put a dent in the universe (vision).
3. Kick start your brain (Thoughts).
4. Sell dreams not products (products).
5. Say no to 1000 things (driving home the "Design is not about how things look but how things work" and how " simplicity sells and is the ultimate sophistication").
6. Create insanely great experiences (Experience).
7. Master the message (Story).
I say, these are masterpieces of ideas. What do you think?
1. Do what you love (career).
2. Put a dent in the universe (vision).
3. Kick start your brain (Thoughts).
4. Sell dreams not products (products).
5. Say no to 1000 things (driving home the "Design is not about how things look but how things work" and how " simplicity sells and is the ultimate sophistication").
6. Create insanely great experiences (Experience).
7. Master the message (Story).
I say, these are masterpieces of ideas. What do you think?
Monday, 18 February 2013
Tips to looking good
I would like to share this with readers. I missed these valuable tips while reading one of the magazines i rarely purchased. Somehow, when i went through the magazine today, i found them:
1. Routine to flatten the tummy
Drink plenty of plain water. A clinical research center in Germany found out that drinking 500ml plain water can help burn 30% of total calories.
2. Dinner
We can still have dinner but at a moderate or much less amount. And to help us not to overeat at dinner, we are encouraged to take enough during the day. Take something else like fruits or some nuts in the evening. That should take some hunger pang away during dinner.
3. Have enough sleep
I like this one...to sleep well, and to have enough sleep. It is suggested that we must sleep between 7 - 8 hours every night. Failure to do so may cause our body weight to increase.
4. Have some lemon juice or pudina
To help reduce weight further, one health consultant insisted that putting some pudina or lemon juice into our plain water to drink is good.
5. Proteins , proteins and proteins
To get an ideal weight, it is suggested for us to take plenty of proteins, food high in proteins. But the negative side of it is, it may cause us to eat more i.e. increase our appetite.
6. Breakfast
Have a good breakfast. We can have heavy breakfast. That can help us from munching in between meals.
7. Grapes kill fats
A study showed that grapes help reduce the amount of oxidised materials from our blood. So, lets eat a lot of grapes then.
8. Fish for slimmer waist
Eat more fish and we can have slimmer waist!
Sounds good eh? Let us do all this. They are easy to follow and perhaps have been practiced all along.
1. Routine to flatten the tummy
Drink plenty of plain water. A clinical research center in Germany found out that drinking 500ml plain water can help burn 30% of total calories.
2. Dinner
We can still have dinner but at a moderate or much less amount. And to help us not to overeat at dinner, we are encouraged to take enough during the day. Take something else like fruits or some nuts in the evening. That should take some hunger pang away during dinner.
3. Have enough sleep
I like this one...to sleep well, and to have enough sleep. It is suggested that we must sleep between 7 - 8 hours every night. Failure to do so may cause our body weight to increase.
4. Have some lemon juice or pudina
To help reduce weight further, one health consultant insisted that putting some pudina or lemon juice into our plain water to drink is good.
5. Proteins , proteins and proteins
To get an ideal weight, it is suggested for us to take plenty of proteins, food high in proteins. But the negative side of it is, it may cause us to eat more i.e. increase our appetite.
6. Breakfast
Have a good breakfast. We can have heavy breakfast. That can help us from munching in between meals.
7. Grapes kill fats
A study showed that grapes help reduce the amount of oxidised materials from our blood. So, lets eat a lot of grapes then.
8. Fish for slimmer waist
Eat more fish and we can have slimmer waist!
Sounds good eh? Let us do all this. They are easy to follow and perhaps have been practiced all along.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Weight loss myths
Once again I will share with you about something I feel close to my heart - weight loss. I have been trying to lose weight for sometimes already. At 5 foot height, my weight right now is over the borderline of ideal weight. And I am not happy. However, I am entirely to blame because, for almost a year, I have neglected the gymnasium exercises. And my aerobic sessions are no longer like I used to do. I pledge busy almost every other day to go for my exercise. And so, it should not surprise myself that my weight is now....slightly higher that ideal.
I have been poring myself to many exercise tips from books, friends, internet. They all look good and reasonable and logical. However, some may not be as good as they sound or as effective. Through some more readings, here are what i found about some exercise myths:
1. The believe that exercise alone will help reduce the kilos.
- this is what i believe about three years ago when i first started exercising. Then after more than a year of exercising, I found that my weight only went down 3 kilos. A very disappointing number considering I was exercising almost daily for at least an hour. Then, i decided to reduce my carbohydrate intake. I get just about 2 kilos more reduction. Still some more steps to getting the desired weight. Then, I stopped my regular exercise due to being busy. And only rely on diet. It did not work.
Experts say, that we have to combine exercise and right diet plan. Exercise alone, only leads to about 3% weight reduction. So my theory is correct. So, I really have to start seriously do the more effective weight loss program on my own, regular exercise and control my appetite!
2. The believe that cardio exercise burns more fat.
- this is what i did wrong with my exercise routines. I was concentrating more on cardio exercise. Especially at the gymnasium. And then the aerobic exercise.
Expert says, we have to alternate exercise regime, cardio and strength exercises. This will help increased metabolism and number of calories during sleep. Okay, this sounds very logic. Am seriously going to do it now although i do not really feel comfortable doing strength training.
3. The believe that a simple walk is still a exercise
- hmmmm....i walk fast most of the time. I consider my fast pace walking is fat burning in some way. So, lets see what expert says about this.
The perception that we are working harder than we really are may cause us to regain weight. So if we want to know if we really are working hard, is when it is difficult to do normal conversation during the exercise routine. I must remember this when doing the treadmill exercise....if i can still have conversation while walking the treadmill, then that is not going to lose my kilos.
I have been poring myself to many exercise tips from books, friends, internet. They all look good and reasonable and logical. However, some may not be as good as they sound or as effective. Through some more readings, here are what i found about some exercise myths:
1. The believe that exercise alone will help reduce the kilos.
- this is what i believe about three years ago when i first started exercising. Then after more than a year of exercising, I found that my weight only went down 3 kilos. A very disappointing number considering I was exercising almost daily for at least an hour. Then, i decided to reduce my carbohydrate intake. I get just about 2 kilos more reduction. Still some more steps to getting the desired weight. Then, I stopped my regular exercise due to being busy. And only rely on diet. It did not work.
Experts say, that we have to combine exercise and right diet plan. Exercise alone, only leads to about 3% weight reduction. So my theory is correct. So, I really have to start seriously do the more effective weight loss program on my own, regular exercise and control my appetite!
2. The believe that cardio exercise burns more fat.
- this is what i did wrong with my exercise routines. I was concentrating more on cardio exercise. Especially at the gymnasium. And then the aerobic exercise.
Expert says, we have to alternate exercise regime, cardio and strength exercises. This will help increased metabolism and number of calories during sleep. Okay, this sounds very logic. Am seriously going to do it now although i do not really feel comfortable doing strength training.
3. The believe that a simple walk is still a exercise
- hmmmm....i walk fast most of the time. I consider my fast pace walking is fat burning in some way. So, lets see what expert says about this.
The perception that we are working harder than we really are may cause us to regain weight. So if we want to know if we really are working hard, is when it is difficult to do normal conversation during the exercise routine. I must remember this when doing the treadmill exercise....if i can still have conversation while walking the treadmill, then that is not going to lose my kilos.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
The apple tree and a boy
I received this from a friend who shared through the internet. I found this story touching my heart and thus want to share with you. I hope it gives the same profound feelings to you as it does to me.
'A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow.
He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
“Come and play with me”, the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” the boy replied.
“I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.”
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.
“Come and play with me” the tree said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.
“Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” said the man.
“Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the man returned after many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you”, the tree said. “No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite” the
man replied.
“No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now” the man said. “I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears.
“I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,” the man replied.
“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest.” The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.
This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them; only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy.
You may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted; we don’t appreciate all they do for us, until it’s too late.
~ Moral ~ Treat your parents with loving care…. For you will know their value, when you see their empty chair…We never know the love of our parents for us; till we have become parent''.
Thank you for reading!
'A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow.
He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
“Come and play with me”, the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” the boy replied.
“I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.”
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.
“Come and play with me” the tree said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.
“Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” said the man.
“Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the man returned after many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you”, the tree said. “No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite” the
man replied.
“No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now” the man said. “I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears.
“I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,” the man replied.
“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest.” The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.
This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them; only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy.
You may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted; we don’t appreciate all they do for us, until it’s too late.
~ Moral ~ Treat your parents with loving care…. For you will know their value, when you see their empty chair…We never know the love of our parents for us; till we have become parent''.
Thank you for reading!
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