Fries for 2013

2012 was going to end and I was looking to do something. I decided to go to a Gurdwara somewhere in Sg Besi to welcome the year of the snake(according to the Chinese calendar).

When you are at a Gurdwara, the normal practice is either you perform a prayer or get involve in some work. Knowing myself, getting involve in some work is my work.

The committee needed someone to prepare French fries. Not my kind of food however still better than not doing anything. So, I started. At first we got the cooking oil, a good 5 liters of it, into a huge pan and get the oil heated up. Once the oil was heated up, we later put in 2 begs full of fries. I think each beg must have been about 500g. So it's 1kg of fries in 5 liters of oil. 'What a killer combination' hilariously I told myself.

I discovered that when the fries are put into the pan, it gets somewhat coagulated inside and as it's being cooked, it surfaces and it makes it very easy to be scooped out once it's cooked. I was sure I witness food technology in practice there.

I think food technology has come a long way in helping us humans to plant, grow, preserve and do many other things with crops and foods to custom to what is convient to us. However, laterly it has taken a massive negative publicity. From genetic modified organism to engineered seeds that produce cancer causing reaction to our body in the fast foods that we consume, alot is being said about it nowadays.

When the fries were done, I scooped the fries into another container. Here I need to add salt. I added salt and then I tasted the fries. As I lifted one of the hundreds of stick of fries, my brain couldn't resist from calculating the amount of calories. I rationalized and 25 Calories came to my mind. I'm sure my bodies metabolic processes could take care of it. The fries by the way tasted very good. Psyching myself up, I told myself I can now be in food business. Well I'm sure that's a different ball game all together.

So, at the end it was saturated fats, trans fatty acid and sodium for 2013.

Focus

When you have your meal, what do you focus on? Do you focus on the taste or do you focus on the nutrient content? Do you focus on the way the food is being prepared or do you focus on if it's spicy? Do you focus on your fullness or do you focus on the calories? Do you focus on having a balance meal or do you focus on having what your taste buds require? Do you focus on having a carbonated drink with it or do you focus on plain water? D o you focus on eating just enough of do you focus on putting in everything you can? Do you focus on taking a walk after your meal or do you focus on taking a short nap? What you focus on, you tend to do. What you tend to do, you eventually will become.

Get Moving!

Trends for 2013

2012 was a challenging year. The economy was very uncertain yet it was certain in some ways. We have been fortunate to be able to be with many organizations from many different industries. Being around these different industries has allowed us to understand how things work in some ways, therefore here are 3 of my predictions for 2013:

1. Organization want more knowledgable, skillful and independent employees. Times are such than some organization prefer working lean, therefore quality is more important than quantity.

2. Trust maybe the most important element to work in an organization. From managing perception to being transparent, start thinking of ways to increase it.

3. More employees will face psychological burn out. As the saying goes, 'as the going gets tough, the tough gets going'. Learn coping skills like meditating or pick up a useful hobby like cycling; especially mountain biking. It definitely melts your stress hormones away and it improves your knee joint as well.

All the best for 2013 and happy new year.

Chamang Jamboree, 2012

During the weekend, I went for a mountain biking jamboree at Chamang, Pahang. Chamang is off Bentong town and Bentong town is an hour from Kuala Lumpur via Karak Highway.
The ride was for 30 km. The first 10 km is on road followed by off road and hill for the next 10 km and ending with on road for the last 10 km.
During the mid 10 km, the journey will bring you thru a breath taking view thru a river. If you were tired, I'm sure your tiredness will be hijacked by thoughts of connecting yourself with nature.
It was my first jamboree. I was glad for completing it and going thru it non-fatiguely.
The jamboree thought me a few things:
1. Almost all the riders don't warm up before the ride. It's fair to mention that there was only 5% of the riders who warm up. On 2nd thought, I think it was much lesser than 5%.
2. Many riders start of cycling as a mean to lose weight and as they become fitter, performance becomes the focus.
3. You will have a choice to stop or to continue. The answer depends on your mental toughness.

Your environment will effect you.

Where do you have your breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Supper? Tea or coffee?
It's fair to say, you are where you eat. If you eat at a healthy joint, you become healthy. If you eat at an unhealthy place, you become unhealthy. So, what happens when you eat at a mamak restaurant? Well, I'm sure you will not become a mamak.
The place that you eat has an effect on your meals. Especially on the preparation methods. If it's been deep fried, then the amount of oil will be more. If there are lots of raw vegetables, then the calories will be a lot lesser.
The hidden ingredients can play a part too. If is use of coconut milk, then there will be too much saturated fats. If there is a lot of dairy products like cheese, there will be too much saturated fats again.
Well, if you plan to be well and to stay slim, then start planning to eat at the right place.

Reward yourself wisely

After a great workout, we tend to be more hungry or thirsty. This could be due to calorie burnt or maybe dehydration. Let's just say, you are on a particular diet and you had a killer workout and you are now hungry and thirsty, chances are what will happen to you is you would like to indulge. When we indulge there are chances of us consuming at least an extra 250 Calories, which is about 1/2 hour of walking. If we do that means we have to work out more the next time. Which means, you are not getting closer to your goal but actually you are delaying your goals.
So, if you want to get your goals faster, reward yourself wisely.

How to move up the corporate ladder?

I remember people use to tell me that you must move up the corporate ladder. Well, after working for sometime now, I can't seem to fine any ladder. The is no clear, similar height steps to take when you work. Sometimes I feel the so call 'ladder' doesn't exist. I feel it's more like corporate jungle. It's jungle because you path is never on a straight line. It's all over. Sometime you move up and sometime you move down while for some of us we move side ways. While being in the jungle you can take short breaks but then you must decide to move on. You have to respect the bigger forces that controls the dynamic of the environment. Having the endurance to withstand the terrain and oneself is crucial to see we making out well. Similarly you must have the endurance-both mentally and physically to witstand the pressure.
At times, when you are confronted with wild animals, it cause great fear. Similarly when we are up against someone fierce in our company, chances are they will cause us fear.
Some part of the jungle is thick while some are open and easily assessable. Similarly, in organizations you have easy times and you will have to face tough times as well.
So, how then yiu move yhr corporate ladder, well firstly you need to know that you gonna go into a jungle

C = D + E

As I was developing an assertive module for a group of students, I was thinking how do I come up with a self assurance way of affirming confidence to oneself.
Remarkably this formula appeared.
It says, Confidence(C) equals Description(D) with Evaluation(E). That's C = D + E.
So, let's say you tell yourself "I am ok." The description about yourself is generally telling you how you feel however the evaluation sets it apart. So if you say you are ok you will feel ok. However let's say if you say "I am good." Does that feel better. How about, "I am really good." How about "I am great." What about "I am really great"
The more we explore, the better the feeling gets. Well, the next time you want to affirm to yourself, try this Description with Evaluation technique, which says C = D + E.

2 happy employees I met today.

While on the way to my class today I had to drop by a Shell station in Shah Alam. As I was about to get into my car, one of the cleaner at the station greeted me in a very humble manner and he wanted to collect the rubbish that was under my car. Amazingly I actually went down to collect it for him. He was so happy and thanked me for the action. In return I thanked him for being so nice. As he left to clean the other areas of the station, I discovered he was just enjoying his work. He has got his green cap with blue strips on. He also got his ear phone and with his rhythmic working motion he was doing his work and not forgetting smiling along the way. Gosh, it's just so difficult to meet someone like that nowadays. Especially in this current economic situation. Well I'm not sure if he is really happy with whatever he is doing but it definitely shows so.
I then drove off and reached my class. During break I went to the cafeteria and got myself a hot cup of coffee. As I got into the cafe, I bumped into the guy who makes for me my coffee. He was so happy, smiling and asked me energetically 'Bang, minum macam biasa'. The energy transferred to me and I replied happily to him 'Yesss bang, terima kasih (David Arumugam style)'. He was so happy that he made me happy as well. What a great experience.
These 2 happy employees I met today probably might have their own problems, they probably have their own sets of challenges or difficulties that they have to endure but by simply choosing to become happy, they look and feel great and the happiness spilled over to me and I felt happy as well.
What I realize is that happiness is free actually and it's really a matter of choice on what makes you happy. So now the question is that whether it's costly to make yourself happy.
Were you happy today?

A heart attack personality.

Do you get angry often? Do you feel that when you get angry things tend to get done? Do you feel that some people fear you? On one side, it might be giving you the results but on the other side it's putting you at risk of terminal diseases.
By the way, the characteristics demonstrated by an angry person is called aggressiveness. You may be aggressive for a good reason or not so good reason, that will only be known by you and the creator however the toll on your heart will definitely be there. So the terminal disease referred to here is called a cardiac arrest or commonly known as a heart attack.
Individuals who are aggressive or angry in nature tend to put a huge amount of wear and tear on their cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and cognitive systems. The side effect of that is the aging of those cells and a large amount of cortisol secreted in the arteries. The arteries will carry this poison to the whole body. While on the way it will damage the surface of the arteries. When that happens, LDL or also known as bad cholesterol will go and stuck itself to the damage area causing the arteries to be narrowed. Repeated events causes more and more plastering of the LDL.
When the heart is being narrowed, it only takes a medium sized blood clot which also arrises from the cortisol, to get stuck in the narrowed area. This then causes the person to get a heart attack. Studies show that 80% of patients die during the first cardiac arrest therefore your chances of survival is very low.
Most of the time people know that it is harmful but we don't take necessary action because we think we can by pass all of this. Well, thats definitely a wishful thinking.
So, the moral of the story is it comes with a package, if you want to be angry you are then putting your self at risk of a cardiac arrest and yes let's not forget aging as well.

Be a sport.

You may have a goal of running a marathon or trying to look like a season body builder. However, when you look at the mirror it seems otherwise.
Sometimes the problem is the starting block. If you have too big of a goal, it just gets too overwhelming and far fetch that you end up not trying.
In a previous blog, there was a write up on an effective starting goal, which talks about being 1 step better.
While that method might work, there is another successful way to see fast results. It is by joining a sports. It could be an individual or team sports. The idea here is to train and make your way as an athlete in that sports. This method has proven to be very useful in delivering results. Individuals normally experience more than what they have planned to lose. The competitive spirit and will power has shown to be the contributors of this successful plan.
So, what's your sport?

WIIFM

I'm sure you would have heard of Hits FM or Fly FM. They are radio network station. WIIFM is not anything of that sort by the way. It stands for What's In It For Me.
I realize some people's mind is just tuned in to WIIFM. Everything you say or do with them but be centered to them otherwise the discussion is just not meaningful. They must see how they can benefit, primary monetarily.
I don't know about you but I just don't enjoy talking to them however if you don't have a choice, here are 3 ways to do it.
1. Choose not to talk to them even if you have something fun that you want to share with them. This way you keep the respect going in them.
2. Set the tone during the conversation with them by asking questions and go less by answering their questions.
3. Match their tone of voice when talking to them. Be sensitive with their rhythm and pace of voice and follow them but make sure they don't know you are consciously doing it. Matching them may make them be comfortable with you.

Drinking strategies.

Yesterday one of my colleague had headache due to the hot weather. She couldn't work and it spoiled her whole day. I think besides her many others would probably be uncomfortable in this hot weather.
Currently the temperature is high and it makes the heat sometimes unbearable. There are a few reasons why it happens. One is of course the temperature per se. When it rises, the core or body temperature rises as well. When the core temperature rises, it cause us to be uncomfortable and causes other kinds if distresses as well.
Besides that, the humidity in our country is high as well. When this happens it increases the water vapor. The increase of water vapor makes sweating difficult. When we don't sweat well the heat is still trapped at our skin and that makes us more uncomfortable.
Gosh. What do we do?
Well, it's simple and easy. It comes down to your drinking strategy. Oh, I didn't mean alcoholic beverages.
During hot weather it's good to drink a few types of juices including coconut water or barley. When drinking these juices, make sure it's cold but not ice chilled. Also, don't try to drink too much at a time but probably consume about 150-250 ml, which is about half glass for every hour until you finish about 500 ml. When this happen, your body will send you to the toilet to urine and when you urine the heat will secreted out thru it.
As a result, you will feel comfortable, slight sensation of coolness and you will not be sweating profusely all the time. Try it now to experience the results.

Program your mind: Say no!

Here are a series of articles on programming your mind for success. In this first article, we are going to discover how to say no on the foods that you don't want to have!

Do you sometimes regret why you took that roti canai, nasi briyani or that cheese cake? Do you feel bad after that? Do you see yourself saying things like, I will not do this again but see yourself doing it again and again and again.
If this keeps happening, you are sure to lose this mental game. When you lose this mental game, your weight will sure to go up and by no time you will join the millions of others who suffer from overweight and obesity.
To assist you on how to take control of your mind here is a tip.. Don't tell your mind what you don't want, rather tell it want you do want.
If you go to a restaurant and when you have a look at the menu and then go,
I can't have this, I can't have that. When you say you can't have, the mind still excepts it has can have. The reason to that is that 'The mind doesn't understand the word NO'.
So, when you say you can't have an ice cream, you are actually telling your mind to consider an ice cream because the brain can't digest the word 'can't'.
When you say you can't have that carbonated beverage you are telling your mind to consider the carbonated beverage.
Rather than saying to yourself what you don't want, you have to tell yourself what you do want.
So rather than saying you don't want an ice cream, you should say I do want an apple.
Rather than saying you don't want a carbonated beverage, you should say I do want a freshly blended fruit juice.
What you are doing is that you are redirecting your mind on what is not healthy to what is healthy.
When the mind is 'healthy' and strong, it can effect the body to be strong and healthy too.
Try it now and experience changes instantly. Have fun.

Get Moving!

Be careful with your words. Especially when it's 'free'.

We have heard the saying 'you can cheat some people sometimes, you can cheat some people all the time, but you can't cheat all the people all the time'.
Well, this experience is not about cheating, but it turned out that way at that moment when the 'free' was used.
I went to pay my phone bill. As the cashier was organizing the money for me, he said 'sir, we can give you a number for free'. My reply was 'zaman sekarang mana ada barang free'. He was surprised and he answered 'numbernya free tapi...', when my ears heard the word 'tapi' I responded 'hah, tapi..'. 'ye la sir number free'.
Well firstly I don't think he knows what I'm saying. That is how can you get something free nowadays. There is definitely something you will need to get with it therefore, the definition of free is subjective. Maybe we all have our own definition of free compared to the real definition of free. Whatever it is, the conversation with the cashier turned out sour and I pitied him cause it was above 9.30pm and he has to end his working day on a negative note because I was one difficult customer.
The lesson is that be mindful with the words that you use at work especially those that you use with your customers. Yes, we have to follow instructions on doing this at work but it's not one size fits all kind of a thing. Everyone is different therefore observe their responses.
The next time you don't get a respond that you were expecting, do the following:
1. Pause,
2. Quickly run thru what you did, if you know the answer, repair it, otherwise
3. Clarify with the customer why they responded that way, otherwise
4. Keep quiet and just move on.

Get Moving!

Blame it on your taste buds.

Recently my colleague spent me a Mars chocolate bar. I was so happy. Knowing myself, I would have never made a conscious decision to get the bar so it was great that there was someone who got it for me.
At a glance, I rejected the Mars but being Malaysian and a colleague I decided to accept the bar of chocolate.
I was expecting it to be ok for me however after a few bites I realized that I did not enjoy the taste of it. I really don't know why. Maybe it was the stickiness? Maybe it was the caramel? Or maybe it was the chocolate? I'm not surprised if it was the chocolate cause there were few occasions when I had chocolate and I didn't enjoy the taste. At the end, when I finished the last bite, I felt the 260 calories wasn't worth it.
After a while reasoning out with myself I got the answer. The reason why I didn't enjoy the mars bar was probably my taste buds. My taste buds just don't prefer the taste of chocolate. So, I will not have the trouble to burn of the extra calories. However, if your taste buds enjoy the taste of chocolate, then I think you might get yourself in trouble. And besides chocolate, if your taste buds go well for ice cream, cookies and other products with high in sugar, then confidently I can assure you that you probably have a tough time burning of the extra calories.
So, I guess taste buds are evil too. They maybe a deciding factor on what you choose to eat and if you decide on an unhealthy choice, now we know why. Gosh, this must be trouble because if your taste buds enjoy not only chocolate but also ice cream, cookies and other products with high in sugar and fat, then guaranteed we will be putting on the kilo's due to excess calories and if mixed will low physical activity, that's just recipe for disaster.
Gosh, all this problems and it all started from the taste buds???

Celebrity weight gain.

Recently the bollywood scene was surprised by the appearance of the overweight Manisha Koirala. She was pale, hagged and terribly overweight.
The media swarmed her like as tho an artist cannot be succumb to this crisis. Well, thats where the problem lies, that an artist cannot put on weight!
An artist or also known as a celebrity is expected to take care of their weight. If you wanna go out there in front of everyone, you must be able to carry yourself well. What better way like being in shape.
Is the world so cruel that one cannot make a mistake? I'm not sure about that but what I'm sure is that it makes good news.

...most difficult to bear...

Last week I attended a family function to realize that one of my uncle had recently suffered a cardiac arrest or commonly known as heart attack. When I met him, he was weak, had difficulty in staying upright, hunched and talking very softly.
He is now in his early sixties. He was a very active individual and in the last function before this that I met him, he was so alive. He was moving every where during the function in making sure everything went well. He was even the mc of the function and did a great job in entertaining the crowd.
I can see that life has taken a 180 degree turn on him. Studies has shown that when something traumatic like cardiac arrest hits, a person mobility or movement is seriously impaired and that will slowly deteriorate the overall health. This takes place because the body has become weak, largely because the cardiac or heart muscle has been injured.
So, it's a downward journey from now on for him. I wonder if he will ever recover? Honestly, when I met him, I said a short prayer hoping he gets well cause the sight was just too saddening.
I wonder where did he go wrong? Could it have been his lifestyle? Has he been consuming too much saturated fats or has he been physically inactive? Or maybe his genes? Was it hereditary that kicked in? Whatever it maybe, the suffering that he is going thru was most difficult to bear. Who wants to be weak and slow when once you were so active! How do you think it feels to be immobile???
To make matters worst, what if there are others who are dependent on him? How are they going to thru life without him?
So, like how my late grandfather mentioned.. Health is the most important asset in your life!

Difficult life.

Today while I was doing some work, a thought crossed my mind. The thought of why do some people just have a difficult life?
It's a very depressing thought actually. It sucks so much of energy just thinking of the question. My eyes move from left to right to left again looking for answers in my brain.
I was thinking, do we consciously seek for problems or problems are just there? Are we lack in something, like knowledge or experience? Do we know enough? Are we able to analyze effectively and come up with real solutions or are we thinking of quick fix approaches? How's our attitude? Are we pessimist or optimist? And can having a different attitude be significantly different?
How come some people can live with so many problems? Are they in denial? Sometimes I see the ones who are in denial seem to be happier. What matters here? Is it the results or the relationship? Sometimes we are so frustrated that we really feel to make tough decision but because of the relationship we hold back. At times, I observe how do some people can get to one problem from the other and look completely fine. Do they have the muscle? If the have the muscle, what is it call?
How do some people manage it? How do some people manage their time and efforts? Are we gonna be in more problems cause this current problems are still not solved yet? Do we need to solve all the problems?
Omg.. I can't think anymore.

Overweightities

Have you been suffering from overweight problems for some time? Has weight always been an issue for you? Is it difficult to lose weight?
If you have these problems, therefore you have overweightities! It's a chronic problem where you have been overweight for some time, for at least 3 months.
Overweightities also includes if you fall in the obese category. Studies show that there are so many reasons why one becomes overweight. Most of the time the problems are having not enough time to exercise or having difficulty in getting the right choices of food. Some may also complain about having lack in technical knowledge or expertise.
However the real problem lies right deep in themselves. Deep within the human psyche, somewhere parked within their values.
Values are what's important to you. Which means our priority. Our priority forces us to do things and gets us to develop the sense of urgency. If something is of top priority, chances are you will get it done instantly. Why? Because it's of top priority. So now, ask yourself if managing weight a priority to you. If it is, then chances are that you will not be overweight, and you will be taking good care of yourself. However if there are other things that matter most to you and if managing weight is somewhere bottom in the priority list, then chances are you might be having overweightities.
So, what's your priority?

Connectoholic.

Do you need to stay connected all the time? Can't live without your Facebook or twitter? Or even can't live without your email or other forms of network?
If you have this happening to you, it means you are a CONNECTOHOLICS.
Studies are suggesting that getting online can be addictive. You will tend to look for your smartphone very often and chances are that you can't live without looking at your phone for even 5 minutes.
Studies are also suggesting that if you are a connectoholic, you tend to be stressful. The more you stay connected, the more stress you can become. The link is still unclear.
Here are 3 ways to disengage yourself from being a connectoholic:
1. Don't check your phone first thing when you get up in the morning. Do something else more useful like drinking plain water or a hot cup of coffee.
2. Meal time is phone-free time. When it's time to eat, just eat and enjoy your meal. Use that time for real conversation.
3. Take a conscious break. Like work or exercise, you need to take a break. Similarly by staying connected you need to take a break too.

Get Moving!

Reduce your portion size.

Food portion amongst Malaysians is increasing in size. Probably we want more value for our money. Well if you ask me if you want more value for your money, it's better for you to cook at home.
Increasing portion size is increasing the "size" of the population. We are getting bigger by the day. So, here are 3 useful ways to control portion size:
1. Share the sin. If you feel that the portion is to big and you just cant finish the whole meal, a wise step is to share the meal with someone.
2. Smaller plate size. If you take a big plate, you will have more space for food. If you have more food, you will eat more food. Why go thru all this problems??? Just take a small plate!
3. Be determine. Tell yourself you are what you eat. If you wanna look good, you have to sacrifice for the start. Once you get the weight, shape or body that you want, then maybe you can cheat abit more but for now, stay strong and be focus.

Get Moving!

Why we may not be healthy savvy?

Do you realize health is sometimes a gathering tinggy? When we meet someone, it could be a friend or a colleague, one of the topic could just be about health.
During that conversation, we might discuss about the effects of modern medicine right to traditional ways of doing things. Like yesterday when I was having lunch, this guy was telling me all the medication that he has been taking to combat his diabetes and then he also gave me advice on the traditional leaves that can help as well.
During that conversation it striked me that normally we Malaysian then to have incomplete information on something. Well me have some knowledge about health & fitness, but sometimes we still don't know enough. This could probably due to lack of awareness on the subject or that we make a conclusion too fast early on.
I know that we are creatures of certainty and therefore we need to get answers to the questions that lingers in our minds however there is also something call development, that is taking time to really understand the cost and effect of ones lifestyle and not finding a quick fix method to all the problems. The challenge is that if you get the right answer, then it's fine, what if your answers are wrong and you use them to make decisions about your health? No wonder we have problems along the way.
My suggestion would be that take time to develop yourself and just don't be thinking about quick fix approaches on everything.
The next question then would be, are you health savvy?

Get Moving!

BMV- your common sense guide

We humans are creatures of certainty. We want as much certainty in our lives that sometimes we just loose the ability to make sound decisions thru common sense.
It's simple to make decisions thru common sense. Generally it's based on logic.
Here is a logic and good common sense guide for you to maintain your weight and stay healthy.
There are 3 parts to it. Summed up as BMV. B for BALANCE, M for MODERATE, and V for VARIETY.
When making a choice, look for ways of making it balance. Balance between carbs, protein and fat or balance between meat and vegetables.
Also, go moderate on it as well. Don't overeat or over consume any food groups. If you think you have had to much for noon, think of going less for dinner.
Finally, having the same thing over and over again can bore you so think of having variety of foods. Having different options makes living more fun.
So next time you need common sense, use BMV.
Get Moving!

Hypercaloriesm

We know that knowledge in diet and nutrition assists us to make sound decision when choosing our meal however at times what is presented can also be a factor.
When there is just too much food around, which predominantly are from fat and sugar, it's a situation called hypercaloriesm.
When you go to a place which is under the influence of hypercaloriesm, chances are you will tend to over consume your calories, consume foods that are deep fried which have large amount of saturated and trans fatty acid. It also probably has got foods that are high in sugar.
Places that maybe in this category are fast food restaurants, cafes and areas that don't serve healthy meals.
So, say No to hypercaloriesm:))

HUKM follows healthy guidelines from KKM

Recently I went for a workshop at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which is located in Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras.
Like any other workshop, break times are important cause that's when many would meet their gastrointestinal needs. So as I went to get a hot cup of coffee I stopped and decided not to cause of past bad experiences of drinks that were too sweet. However there was no other choice available so I decided to just take half a cup.
As I took a sip to taste it, to my surprise it was less in sugar. I don't know about the rest of the participants however for me it was fantastic.
I was so glad it was less in sugar that I decided to add another half cup to meet my requirement of having 1 cup of coffee for my break.
This is definitely a great move.
Well done HUKM:)

Get Moving!

Roti canai + teh tarik after exercise

I notice very often that many reward their exercise with roti canai and teh tarik. There is a sense of joy and fulfillment which comes along with the satisfaction of working out and having something nice for a meal.
So, is there anything that might be wrong with this? Firstly, there is also another side to this. If your weight, cholesterol and fat levels are fine, therefore this habit will not harm you. If your results are not, then something is just not right.
What could possibly be wrong with this habit??? Well what we don't realize is that the absorption rate of the stomach and intestines are significantly higher after a workout. It means whatever you eat, alot of the nutrients will be absorbed compared to other times like breakfast, lunch or at dinner. So, when we eat something which is higher in fat or sugar, more if it will be absorbed and stored in our body. When more sugar and fat is absorbed, more will be stored. When more is stored, more work to remove it.
If you are on a plan to lose weight, you will realize your progress seem to be slowing down and that's a nightmare actually.
Well, I think this is only the beginning cause i've seen people ordering up to 2 roti canai at times. God bless them!
So going back to the question, is there something wrong with this habit? Well, you know the answer.

Get Moving!

Image from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/3925595546_cf4b8928ef.jpg

You are where you eat.

Where do you go for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Is it at the nearest mamak stall or at the fast food restaurant? Did it occurred to you that where you eat actually effects your health, well being and your weight.
The quality of your health is dependent on the quality of the food, that is how much nutrient it contains. The quality of the food is dependent on the quality of the place. So, where you eat will eventually effect your health, fitness & especially your weight.
Studies have shown that eating out itself adds on the calories, what more eating out at places with unhealthy choices.
Well, the reason for this is found to be due to the lack of awareness to creatively modify or mix & match the choices that is presented.
So, the next time you make a choice of the place you going to have your meal, know that it will eventually effect you.

No to exercise

From my experience conducting weight management classes, I've come across individuals who just refuse to exercise. They look like they just hate exercise.
I wonder why do they feel that way? Probably they had some bad experience? But then how bad could exercise be? Well of course you have to do something while exercising and we just can't expect to just sit down and the weight will automatically shed away.
Here are probably some of the reasons why someone would say no to exercise:
1. Instant gratification-impatient and expecting to see results immediately,
2. Difference in priority-prefer to do something else than exercise, to some it might extend to laziness,
3. Time management-just don't have the time or can't seem to find the time.
So, do you say no to exercise to?

Being Malaysian.

We love to eat. We love to build relationship. And we love to build relationship while eating.
To do so, many of us tend to eat late at night. Well, sometimes we don't have a choice, probably cause that's the only time we have.
I think to overcome this dilemma, one needs to ask themselves, what is their priority? Is health the priority? Or is eating at night or building relationship or sometimes could be rephrased as hanging out?
Your priority will govern your values, your values will govern your behavior and your behavior will govern the results you get in your life.
So, shall we meet up tomorrow night?

Claims

I'm sure you have come across so many claims. E.g rub some cream and lose 1 inch from your waist instantly. Well my suggestion would be for you to do the following
1. Look for information
2. Ask the expert
3. Get a 2nd opinion.

Now, check out this claim. Warming up and cooling down will add extra years to your health.

Well, I'm not sure if it can add extra years to your health but I'm sure warming up and cooling down will prevent you from having injuries by improving your flexibility. Increase in flexibility will give you better joint health.
Well, when the next time you come across a claim you know what to do.

7 Habits that make you fat. Part 3.

Fat Habit #5: Taking Big Bites

Dutch researchers recently found that big bites and fast chewing can lead to overeating. In the study, people who chewed large bites of food for 3 seconds consumed 52 percent more food before feeling full than those who chewed small bites for 9 seconds. The reason: Tasting food for a longer period of time (no matter how much of it you bite off) signals your brain to make you feel full sooner, say the scientists.

Fat Habit #6: Not Eating Enough Fat

You don’t have to go whole hog on a low-carb diet to see results. Simply swapping a few hundred calories of carbs for a little fat may help you lose weight and reduce your blood-insulin levels, according to researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. People in their study who consumed just 43 percent of their calories from carbohydrates felt fuller after 4 hours and maintained their blood-sugar levels longer than those who ate 55 percent carbs.

Carbs can cause blood-sugar levels to spike and then crash, leading to hunger and overeating, says study author Barbara Gower, Ph.D. Fat, on the other hand, keeps you satiated longer. Some easy swaps: butter instead of jam on toast; bacon instead of potatoes; low-fat milk instead of a sports drink.

Fat Habit #7: Not Getting the Best Guidance!

Signing up for e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice can help you drop pounds, a new study reveals. When researchers from Canada sent diet and exercise advice to more than 1,000 working adults weekly, they discovered that the recipients boosted their physical activity and ate smarter. People who didn’t receive the reminders didn’t change. Lucky for you, we publish the best diet and fitness guidance every single day.

7 Habits that make you fat. Part 2.

Fat Habit #3: Not Multitasking While Watching TV

We don't need to tell you that too much TV has been linked to weight gain. But here's what you may not realize: You can have your TV and watch it, too. Just do something else at the same time. Washing dishes burns 70 calories every 30 minutes. So does ironing. Here's another thing to keep in mind: Cutting TV time even a little helps you burn calories, say researchers at the University of Vermont. In their study, overweight participants who cut their viewing time in half (from an average of 5 hours to 2.5) burned an extra 119 calories a day. “Nearly anything you do—even reading—uses more energy than watching TV,” says study author Jennifer J. Otten, Ph.D.

Fat Habit #4: Drinking Soda

Researchers say you can measure a person’s risk of obesity by measuring his or her soda intake. Versus people who don’t drink sweetened sodas, here’s what your daily intake means:

½ can = 26 percent increased risk of being overweight or obese

½ to 1 can = 30.4 percent increased risk

1 to 2 cans = 32.8 percent increased risk

More than 2 cans = 47.2 percent increased risk

That’s a pretty remarkable set of stats. You don’t have to guzzle Double Gulps from 7-Eleven to put yourself at risk—you just need to indulge in one or two cans a day. Wow. And because high-fructose corn syrup is so cheap, food marketers keep making serving sizes bigger (even the “small” at most movie theaters is enough to drown a raccoon). That means we’re drinking more than ever and don’t even realize it: In the 1950s, the average person drank 11 gallons of soda a year. By the mid-2000s, we were drinking 46 gallons a year. A Center for Science in the Public Interest report contained this shocking sentence: “Carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet.”

To be continued..

7 Habits that make you fat. Part 1.

We have come across 7 habits of highly effective people. Then we are informed about 7 habits of highly wellthy people. This time it's 7 habits that will make you fat.

Fat Habit #1: Putting the Serving Dishes on the Table

Researchers at Cornell University found that when people served themselves from the kitchen counter or the stove, they ate up to 35 percent less food than they did when the grub was on the kitchen or dining room table. When there’s distance between us and our food, the scientists theorize, we think harder about whether we’re really hungry for more.

Fat Habit #2: Getting Too Little (or Too Much) Sleep

A sleep schedule is vital to any weight-loss plan, say Wake Forest University researchers who tracked study participants for 5 years. In the under-40 age group, people who slept 5 hours or less each night gained nearly 2½ times as much abdominal fat as those who logged 6 to 7 hours; also, those who slept 8 hours or longer added nearly twice as much belly fat as the 6- to 7-hour group.

People with sleep deficits tend to eat more (and use less energy) because they’re tired, says study coauthor Kristen Hairston, M.D., while those who sleep longer than 8 hours a night tend to be less active.

To be continued...

Resource: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/7-habits-make-you-fat?cm_mmc=mh.com-_-editorial_contextual-_-newsletter_module-_-eat_this_not_that_2012&keycode=179239?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-769698-_-01082012-_-body

Fresh eggs

When the last time I went to the grocery shop to get some eggs, a question came to my mind.. How would I know if these eggs were fresh?
So I decided to find out. I came across these guidelines. It's simple however the only challenge is that you have to purchase the eggs in order to know.
Here is what you do:
Place an egg at the bottom of a glass full of water and see what happens.

• If the egg lies at the bottom on its side, it's fresh.

• If the egg sinks, but with one end up, it's getting old but is still edible.

• If the egg floats at all, you should buy some fresh ones.

Well, go try it out!

2 lessons from a cancer patient

When someone is going thru cancer, there is definitely so much of psychological and physical pain, and only the patient knows how unbearable the pain is.

Today I spent some time talking to a 79 year old lady who is going thru treatment for colon cancer.
During the 1 hour I spent talking to her, she told me of the difficulties she has to go thru in the sense of the pain during chemo, the challenge of not being able to take care of her grandchildren's, the challenge of seeing her children's going thru the grief and sadness with her. What made her saddest, is the fact that one of her son had to sell of his restaurant business in order to help pay her medical bills. So much of challengers that while listening I almost shed tears but was just controlling it probably due to the ego of being a man and also because I wanna give her the emotional strength.

After speaking to me for an hour, she concluded with 2 important advice to me; and that if she can live her live again she would:

1. Eat more vegetables.
2. Reduce read meat.

Very powerful beliefs.

Sometimes we struggle thru the tough times not knowing the problem is how we look at the problem.
Here are 4 very powerful beliefs that you could adopt. Try it on your self for the next 2 weeks and experience the results.

1. Everything happens for a reason and that reason will favor us one day!

2. I need to change my actions in order to change my results!

3. I am responsible. I will take care of things!

4. I am powerfully committed!

Questions are Answers.

Do you know what makes you stressful? Is it due to a situation or is it due to a person? Why do you think there is stress at the first place?
Can you cope with the stress? Is the stress getting out of control? Is the stress effecting your personal life? Is the stress effecting your sleep? Are you moody at times because of your stress?
If things don't change, what will happen in time to come? What will happen 6 months from now? What will happen 1 year from now? Is anything going to change? Are you going to feel any different?
Have you ask for help? Have you tried anything? What are you doing to overcome your stress?

Effective weight loss goal!

What is your weight loss goal? Do you even have one? Well if you do, or even if you don't it's fine.
I've a suggestion for you. Your weight loss goal is for you to be 1 step better.
Being 1 step better is simple and very effective. Here you are not pressured of losing any particular number, like 3,5 or 10 kg. Your goal here is to be better than you were before.
Lets say, if you were inactive, and you have a weight loss goal of 10 kg. How are you going to do it? It will be very difficult, even at thought level you might have given up! This is due to the psychological pressure you have on yourself because of your inactiveness.
So, lets take a different approach, one which is a bit more easier and something that will allow you to experience results faster - that is being 1 step better - and best of all it's up to you to define it.
Since you were inactive before this, so being 1 step better could be for you to be a bit more active. Being abit more active here could be to take the stairs rather than the accelator. Being more active could also be define as parking your car a bit further so you can get more strides. Being active can also be define as taking a 10-15 minutes walk after every meal. There are just so many ways to be active. Being active can also be define as taking the train to town rather than taking the car. Being active will allow your blood to flow a bit more compared to when you were inactive. When there is more blood flow, you will tend to feel better. Chances are also that you will be more energetic.
Now, when you start experiencing these results, you will slowly move into a better direction than before. When you start feeling energetic, and if you enjoy the experince you want to have it more. Now, you will do things to make you feel energetic - like having more fruits and vegetables compared to starchy carbo meals or dense protein like meat. When you start having more fruits and vegetables, you will feel lighter and it will increase your fiber intake. The increase intake in fiber, gets the body to consume less calories and as a result that will naturally make you lose weight. When you start losing weight, this will be a new beginning in your journey.
Now, you are losing weight. And lets say someone notices, which people will, and compliments you. How do you think you will feel? I'm sure you will feel very good about yourself and that will put your motivation level to 100%. So now you are movitated because you have loss some weight and you have got compliments. Naturally you will want to lose more and you will automatically look for opportunity to start exercising. When you start exercising, you are going to just melt you fat away due to the increase in energy expenditure. 3, 5 or even 10 kg is no longer a problem because now time is only the limiting factor. Sooner or later you will be able to reach your ideal weight and I promise you will feel on top of the world.
Now, let's look back. To begin with, did you have a goal to lose weight? I'm sure the answer is NO. Did you have motivation to exercise? I'm sure the answer is NO. Did you know that you can lose weight? Well, NO. However, now we know all of it is possible. This is because we decided to be 1 step better.
So, what is your definition of being 1 step better?