Many people have asked me How to get rid of love handles?, or How do I get abs? (you already have them FYI), or How do you stay fit?, or I have a wedding in 3 months, how do I fit into my wedding gown? (you know who you are! ;) ). I want to let everyone know beforehand that there are absolutely much more qualified people than me to dish out fitness and health related advice, but I shall provide my humble opinion on what I think has been keeping me healthy. The triangle of healthy living as summarised by me: 1) Adequate rest. I used to place this as point number #3 when I talk to people about the triangle, but I realise that its importance should not be overshadowed by the fact that I deprioritised to the last place. Many people I know spend less than 6 hours a day sleeping. A plethora or reasons were given, with most citing that they spend much time at work or indulging in me-time. Whatever the case, I firmly believe that in order to be functioning well in the long run, and allowing your body to repair itself after a day of wear and tear, a minimum of 7.5 hours is needed. I sleep 7.5, if not 8-9 hours a day. That goes without saying that I sacrifice some of my me-time, but with all things, prioritisation is key to a productive day. And thats a whole different topic for you to explore. 2) Exercise regularly. Easier said than done I know. But by exercise, I mean at least 3 times a week of moderate to high intensity workouts. High intensity workouts dont have to be long. The ones I do in Crossfit (disclaimer: this is NOT a post on Crossfit, so you can stop rolling your eyes! ;) ).can be anywhere between 5 - 30 minutes long and it can leave you breathless. In essence, you want your body to operate in the 70-90% average max heart rate zone for a sustained period of time. So in comparison, someone who jogs for 1-2- hours for 3 times a week might not have the same body type as someone who commits to high intensity workouts of the same frequency. There are many exercise programs out there, and its purely up to individuals which programs attract them. For me, it all boils down to how effective the program is for me, the risk-reward ratio I perceive it to have, and mostly importantly how much I enjoy doing it. 3) Eat well. Again, easier said than done, as its not easy to maintain to a good eating lifestyle especially if you are single or eat out often. But as much as possible, you want adequate portions from your major food groups (carbs, protein, fats). Like exercise regimes, there is an equally large number of diets out there (atkins, paleo, zone, shit-zone, whatever-my-mother-cooks etc), and I daresay that each individual body responds differently to these diets. I for example have a higher tolerance for high carb diet (think high metabolism). But I still take my meat and vegetables seriously. Also, I eat 5-6 small meals a day to continually feed my body. Again, this is adjusted according to individuals, and common sense (which is not very common these days) still trumps. Bottom line is, you dont want to starve your body of its fuel. The more important question I probe you to ask yourself is What are my fitness goals in life, and that must invariable go beyond the superficial. Think long term. I want to still be able to run and jump when I am way into my retirement age, or I want to keep up with my nephew in the army 21km race year after year (hee hee). Its alright to have short term goals such as I want the body of a Greek god, but more often than not, these goals fizzle out when you realise that whatever youre doing does not produce results quick enough to reinforce the end state.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 13:26:05 +0000
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