Yet I don't know how often I will update this section, I guess at most once a week. Oh and if you wonder what I will write about, I don't know it myself... everything that got my attention during the week or so, well, we will see sooner or later.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE & WORKING OUT
I don't only write about it because it involves me but it got on my nerves since ever. On this planet live two types of people:
- the first group consists of different personalities, but they are all connected with their healthy lifestyle and view on the world. some of them have a hard weightloss journey behind them, others went from "normal" to athletic. they do look after their body because they realised it is healthier - in the long run.
- and then there is the second group. my mam actually belongs to it as well. it remains to be seen whether people in this group have weight problems, and accordingly health problems, or not, but they act up as if they know everything.
About the quirky view on healthy lifestyle and workout.
Today I experienced it once again. My mam read one of her magazines until suddenly when she bursted out laughing, telling me I have to read this article she found in there. What is what about? Diet of course. In the main role a more or less famous german actress who refused to go on a diet while being on vacation.
So my mam wasn't stopable and read the article out loud, with a slight hint of satisfaction.
Actually this actress just said she doesn't want to be on a diet while not staying infront of the camera, instead she would rather enjoy her free time and relax while meeting friends. That means instead of drinking water all day long she would change it to soda etc.etc. She doesn't care if she weighs some more pounds afterwards.
I guess my lack of interested wasn't satisfying, but I couldn't care less. In place of arguing with my mam about the article which would have lead to my lifestyle change I decided to think about our society.
Why do people think being healthy means to turn everything down? This does only include people from thes second categorisation of course, everyone who sees him-/ herself in the first one does know what I refer to.
Detractors. They butt in every conversation about sport and healthy eating while adding their two cents. For them losing weight doesn't mean second chance, living healthies, enjoying life. No, they only see the struggle. I will keep my breath, this picture illustrate it the best.
(Source: tumblr)
The problem in our society is not having enough time combined with impatience, which leads to another problem: a fast working diet that doesn't involve too much effort and time.
People think with the right diet they are able to lose excess fat fast and for good. Just let me give you a few examples:
- Nut and Muesli Diet
How much weight can I lose?
7lbs in 7 days
What do I have to do?
Slimmers normally avoid nuts like the plague as they're so high in calories. But, eaten in the right way, they could be your best friend when it comes to battling the bulge, according to natural health expert Michael van Straten. He has devised this week-long diet which uses nuts and muesli to help you lose up to half a stone while still providing your body with everything it needs. - Cabbage Soup Diet
How much weight can I lose?
10lbs in 7 days
What do I have to do?
The Cabbage Soup Diet is an extremely low-fat, high fibre diet that lasts seven days. By the end of the week, fans of the diet claim you'll have lost up to 10lbs. It's only designed as a kick-start to help you lose weight quickly and is not supposed to be a long-term healthy eating plan. - Drop a Dress Size in Five Days
How much weight can I lose?
A dress size in five days!
What do I have to do?
This is a low-fat, low-calorie, nutritionally-balanced five-day eating plan that will leave you feeling full while giving you everything you need to stay healthy.
But why don't they work as promised? Because they are either crash diets, low-fat or even non-fat diets.
Why low-fat or non-fat diets don't work:
While thinking they have to decrease their fat income people forget they still have to get a third of their calories coming from fat. Our bodies need fat for energy, tissue repair and also to transport vitamins.
Instead of cutting down your overall fat income you should cut down saturated fats and replace them with unsaturated fats like olive oil and avocados.
Why crash diets don't work:
True, when you eat Cabbage Soup for a week or more you will lose weight. But only in the short term, on the long run a crash diet can hinder your weight loss.
Losing weight on the long run means losing excess fat by healthy eating and working out. Crash dieting or fasting removes fat too, but at the same time you will lose muscles and tissue as well. Losing muscles means losing the ability to become toned.
Furthermore losing lean muscles causes great damage in your basal metabolic rate, the amount of calories your body definitely needs on a daily basis. Due to the loss it breaks down.
As a result your body will need less calories than before, that leads to weight gain once you stop this diet. Perhaps you know now why exercising is important while losing weight: to build up muscles so you can maintain your metabolic rate.
Why low fat food doesn't help losing weight:
People assume that low-fat or fat-free mean low calorie or well, calorie-free. That's not always true. Seriously guys, do you really think fat-free potato crisps have no calories? C'mon, who do you try to fool here?
Before thinking you can eat as much as you want because it is fat-free, you should check the calorie content of food, especially cakes, crisps, sweeties in general, everything that contains a lot of sugar and well, fat.
Most of the time low-fat products are thickened with extra sugars so the calorie content isn't much different from normal food. Some sweeties may be low in fat but are high in sugar instead and sugar turns, as you may already know, to fat. Those food have no benefits at all.
Furthermore keep an eye on your quantity. Only because something is low-fat (with half of the calories) doesn't mean you can use twice as much.
So now all that have been said, let's have a look on how to live healthy and losing weight.
(Source: tumblr)
This is the whole big secret how to lose weight effectively without gaining everything back after you're done.
Grocery list for healthy eating and why you should buy them:
- Cayenne Pepper: loaded with antioxidants, protects the heart and arteries
- Spinach: delicious, nutritious fighting machine in terms of heart health. Includes: potassium, folate, calcium, betaine, antioxidant carotenoid lutein and nitrate
- Blueberries: powerful disease-fighting food, contains antioxidants anthocyanin, packed with fiber and vitamin C
- Salmon/pollock/tuna/herring/swordfish: contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids and a lot of protein
- Legumes: full of protein, virtually fat-free, contains a lot of fiber, iron, calcium and potassium
- Nuts: loaded with healthy proteins, vitamins, minerals and monounsaturated fats (raise good cholesterol level while escorting bad cholesterol to the liver)
- Broccoli: contains vitamins C and E, calcium, folate, fiber and beta-carotene
- Sweet potatoes: amazing source of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamins A,C and E
- Garlic: helps to maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels and prevents artherosclerosis
- Papaya and Pineapple: rich in digestive enzymes
- Eggs: build muscles, burn fat
- Peanut butter: boosts testosterone, builds muscles, burns fat
- Green Tea: fires up to burn fat
(Source: tumblr)
I do here a lot of people moan at this point. Why? Because for them healthy living means turn fun and happiness down and live after your strict diet with recipes you hate.
Yes, losing weight the healthy way is not easy but effective and for good. You won't binge as much as you do during a crash diet, you won't gain all the weight back. Once you decide to live healthy you decide to change your whole life, not for a few weeks, forever.
Critics say, healthy living includes starving. Really?
(Source: tumblr)
A quick look and you will see how much more you can eat when you chose your food correctly. Okay, let's be honest here. Even when you decide to live a healthy life from now on you won't see results tomorrow. Eating healthy for a day or two and then stop it won't bring you anywhere. You have to push yourself through this and change for good, like I wrote several times before. Why do you want to lose weight? Because of your boyfriend? Because of society? Those are wrong motivations. You have to want it yourself. Because you want to change, because you want to feel comfortable in your own skin. Because you want to be healthy and feel healthy.
You have to push yourself like your life depends on it. Give everything, keep going, keep moving, even when you think you're gonna die. Keep doing this, not for a week, or a month, do it for the rest of your life. When you shake your head right now, when you aren't willing to do it, then don't expect results.
Another thing I quickly want to talk about: Being skinny and being healthy isn't the same thing.
Only because someone is skinny doesn't mean he/she is healthier than the person standing next to her. Have a look at the Victoria Secret models and their workout regime, I bet no skinny but unathletic girl will be able to go through it.
If you want to lose weight but don't want to join the gym either because you don't have enough time to sweat your ass off a few hours per week or just because you feel uncomfortable, look for something else. There are endless videos on youtube, why don't you get up and do a workout video for 20 minutes a day instead of watching another music video? You don't have to work out endless hours, but you have to move.
And last but not least: living and eating healthy doesn't mean we don't eat sweeties, ice cream or crisps. We do, but not everything at the same time, and only in moderation. In a healthy lifestyle there is nothing off-limit, but moderate-limit. Keep that in mind.
Thank you for reading and leave a comment if you want to.
