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| Friday, May 16, 2008 |
| Friday Fitness & Health: What to Eat After Working Out |
We're walking/jogging tomorrow early morning. The plan is to be up and about at around 4:30 A.M., and get it kicking by 4:45 A.M. Of course, that is if I ever get my body off the bed. I plan do it, really. Why? Simply because even us, mere mortals, need to get in shape. Sitting in front of a computer day-in and day-out is just lacking movement, IMHO.
Now, I've been down the road of an athlete. For a good number of years, I've played badminton and gone to many competitions in aims of getting the coveted gold medal. Those were the days when I was more mindful of the things that I put in my mouth. These days..not so much. Since I've descended into the realm of the non-moving geeks and worker ants, the question of what to eat before and most especially after working out arises.
When I hang out with my jogging buddies, the usual ending to the workout/exercise is a chow-down at a local eatery. Talk about putting everything lost back on. So, I was thinking, what does a non athlete eat after working out?
Here are some ideas as to what to healthily gobble up after an hour or so of sweating.
- Consume 16-20 oz. of water after working out to aid your body in recovering the fluids lost when sweating away. Fact is, the body loses around a quart of fluid in an hour of exercise.
- Dried fruits and nuts.
- Fruit juice with cheese.
- Yogurt with fruit.
- Chocolate with milk.
- Cereal with milk.
- Eggs and toast.
- Ham or chicken sandwich.
- Pancakes and eggs.
- Any regular meal that contains lean protein, starch, and vegetables.
That means, no more bacon, salami, hotdogs, eggs, rice, and everything nice. Okay, so there are some goodies though. The thing is, eating the right food at the right time after working out is an essential in helping you keep up your energy up, extend the fat-burning mode longer, and your workout performance higher.
Now, I already have an inkling as to what I'm going to have for breakfast after running around tomorrow. Cereals! Mmmm..
Enjoy your weekend everybody!
Labels: eating, eating habits, exercise, Friday Fitness and Health, fruit diet, fruits, health, healthy living, improvement, lifestyle, running, tips |
| posted by Ann @ 3:15 PM
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| Saturday, May 10, 2008 |
| Saturday Recipes: Easy Quick Fix Club Sandwich |
My day started out with a huge craving for a sandwich. All I want is an honest to goodness Dagwood sandwich. Even thinking about it right now is making my stomach growl. Considering that I haven't had a decent breakfast or a good enough lunch, I think I just might be able to have room to down one and a half of a Dagwood sandwich. Care to test my theory? :D
The Dagwood Sandwich
However, in light of my health goals and other pocket concerns, I think I might have to resort to just making my own sandwich. I actually found a recipe online, but since there are some ingredients that are hard to find or are costly, I tweaked it up a bit and I believe this will serve as a basic club sandwich.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 slices crisp bacon
- 3 slices toasted bread
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 leaves lettuce
- 2 slices cold cut ham (can be substituted for any meat you prefer)
- 2 slices tomato
DIRECTIONS
- Place bacon in a heavy skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Spread each slice of bread with mayonnaise. On one slice of toast, place the ham and lettuce. Cover with a slice of toast, then the bacon and tomato. Top with last slice of toast.
There! Think that's easy enough? It's yummy, too! I believe it could pass off as a complete meal already.
As for me, my stomach is really, really noisy now... Sandwich!! Sandwich!!
Alright, folks! Chow down!
 Labels: bread, cooking, Dagwood sandwich, food, ham, health, healthy living, homegrown, how to, recipes, sandwich |
| posted by Ann @ 3:00 PM
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| Friday, May 9, 2008 |
| Friday Fitness and Health: Reasons To Eat Slower |
Yesterday, a colleague of mine voiced out his complaints regarding the speed when we eat. Given the 30 minute allotted time for breaks, who wouldn't learn to eat as fast as Speed Racer's driving speed? But we all know this should not be the case.
Although accomplishing a record time of eating is quite admirable, there are numerous reasons as to why each of us should eat slower. Not only is speed eating a sign of a stressful and unhealthy living, it becomes a lifestyle to each of us that we carry on in our lives.
You can snap out of that unhealthy living by starting off by eating slower. How hard could it be? You take smaller sizes, chew slowly and longer, and you feel the play of the tastes of the food you just put in your mouth.
Easy enough? Let's take a look at other reasons to enjoy a good meal:
- Meal enjoyment - If you live by speed eating, you tend to just eat because your stomach needs to eat. You should be able to enjoy the food you bought or prepared. Why go through all the seasoning, spices, and hard work if you're just going to gobble it down in less than 30 minutes.
- Prevent indigestion - Who wants to have digestive problems? Eat slower so that your body can digest the food better.
- De-stress - Forget about what you're supposed to be doing. When you're eating, your time should be devoted to eating. Being conscious of the things that are happening right now rather than thinking of your to do list gives your brain and body some "down time".
- Weightloss - My favorite part. :) Studies show that by eating slower, you actually lose more weight even when you've skipped on your exercises. By eating slowly, you are consuming lesser food, and thus, lesser calories! :)
- Time for relationships - Eating slowly gives you more time to spend with people around you. It allows another facet of your life to come out for a walk. No doubt when you're at work, work is pretty much in the agenda. So just be on your break.
Perhaps these are such small reasons that you feel you can brush it off. But truth of the matter is, if you simply eat slower, you are making the first steps to having a slower more meaningful life. Speed and hype might feel really good, but in the end, it becomes unhealthy and a stressful.
Relax, enjoy your food... Live life!
Cheers!
Labels: eating, eating habits, food, Friday Fitness and Health, health, healthy living, improvement, lifestyle, nutrition |
| posted by Ann @ 3:00 PM
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| Tuesday, April 29, 2008 |
| A Reason for Practicing SAFE SEX: Neurosyphilis |
Sure, we all know about HIV/AIDS and the "blah blah blah" reaction of everybody, not just from hyper-hormonally driven teenagers, where safe sex is involved. And sure, everybody has had that "talk" with an adult or concerned person on sexually transmitted diseases and the practice of safe sex. But do people listen? Do people learn? Well, truth is, some do. But there will be others who will shake it off believing that they will not be one of the percentage that will become a part of the growing statistic.
Over the years there has been an increase of infections of syphilis. What with the type of environment we now live in, I probably can count the number of non-sexually active people I know with my fingers and toes. Can you blame me? I was once one of those active ones. Yeahp! That explains the babies. But not much on the sickness part.
Now, it has come to the Rise of the STDs. Most people do not take syphilis as seriously as HIV/AIDS or others because it can be cured. But little do they know that sometimes "they come back." This time, they become somewhat mutated, uglier, deadlier. When I mean deadlier, I mean DEADLIER. It comes in the form of neurosyphilis.
What is neurosyphilis? Neurosyphilis is a complication AFTER having syphilis. Around 10-20 years after having the the first infection of syphilis. It is, without a doubt, considered to be life threatening. However, not everyone who has encountered syphilis develops this.
The following are some symptoms of neurosyphilis (taken from MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia):
- - Headache
- - Stiff neck
- - Irritability
- - Poor concentration
- - Mental confusion
- - Depression
- - Incontinence
- - Muscle atrophy
.: Or there may be no symptoms at all.
Penicillin is often used to treat neurosyphilis through various ways. For more information, please read MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Neurosyphilis.
Obviously, this cannot be taken lightly. We should all be informed of the many red flags that have come up with regard to safer sex and sexually transmitted disease. It never hurt anybody to know more.
BE SAFE!
Labels: AIDS, health, healthy living, HIV, medicine, neurosyphilis, personal safety, sex, sexually transmitted diseases, STDs, syphilis |
| posted by Ann @ 12:51 PM
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| Thursday, April 24, 2008 |
| Good Night for Great Mornings: How to Get a Good Night's Rest |
Everybody needs that perfect night's sleep. For years, I had mastered the art of going asleep at 3:00-4:00 a.m., staying up all night just chatting, blogging, playing Ragnarok Online or EARTH2025. Sometimes I just downloaded and downloaded songs, or sometimes I just browsed sites all over the web. I woke up at around 5:30-7:00 to get ready for school, and when I got back, it was back to the PC.
These days, I admit I am not as crazy as that. Keeping myself awake until 2:00 a.m. consistently is enough to drive me nuts. For a while, I could handle it, but burn-out was just around the corner. I would most definitely find myself half-past dead at work (work starts at 6:00 a.m.). So I have been trying to get myself to go to sleep with 12 a.m. the latest.
Nevertheless, going to sleep may not exactly be the problem. My main problems are the tossing, turning, frequent urination, sleeptalking, teeth grinding, or what's worse: sleepwalking. I know. I need my sleep to fully rest.
So I've found a couple of things that are said to be tips on how to get a good night's sleep. Here are just a few that I have uncovered all over the Internet. There are a lot of them, but I'll leave them up to you.
- Have a schedule. Varying times of going to sleep can disrupt your sleep quality. The body pretty much runs on routine, therefore erratic sleeping schedules can confuse your "biological clock."
- Watch what you eat before bedtime. Your stomach should have something inside it, but it should not be full to the seams. One should not sleep until 3 hours after dinner has passed.
- Keep your bedroom dark. Exposure to light when everything is supposed to be dark can also disrupt your internal cycles.
- Have a good mattress. Turn your mattress upside down every couple of months. Replace it after 5-7 years as soon as you feel the springs and other innards.
- Exercise. If your job involves a sedentary lifestyle or lack of physical exertion, this may result a poor quality of sleep.
- Visit your doctor. If you are concerned that you might have some sort of sleeping disorder, it is always best to check with the professionals.
Other tips include:
- Wearing appropriate clothing that reflects the weather.
- If you can't fall asleep within an hour or less, get up and do something. Do not stay in bed. Staying in bed for long hours and not going to sleep makes one associate your bed not with sleep.
- Try lavender. It is said to be very soothing and the scent may help calm you down and succumb to sleep.
- Do not nap for 15-20 minutes a day. It drives your sleep cycle crazy making it harder to sleep at night.
Hopefully, and I honestly pray, that these things will help me. If you have other tips and tricks to help some nut case like me get some good ol' sleeping time, please do not hesitate to leave your ideas behind. ;)
Sweet Dreams!
Labels: cure, exercise, health, healthy living, how to, improvement, remedies, sleep, tips, tricks |
| posted by Ann @ 6:26 PM
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| Sunday, April 13, 2008 |
| Tibicos: Miracle Grains |
"Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria." - Wikipedia Around a week ago, my colleagues and I visited a friend who was hospitalized due to a number of problems on her pelvic area. That time she was hospitalized and given stenting to help drain her right kidney which had given her some pains due to the fact that it had somewhat gotten shut off after receiving her 3rd Cesarean Section.
Due to the fact that she is having more operations in the coming months, she has visited the local Carmelites convent frequently. On her last visit, the kind Sister gave her tibicos which had arrived a month or so ago. It has been believed that tibicos somehow "heals" those who drink the beverage it forms when mixed with water and molasses.
It is said that Mother Theresa of Calcutta once journeyed to Tibet and was given these gels by the monks and masters of the region for her work. And that was how the Carmelite Sisters came across the grains which was sent from Manila, who received it from an outside source, too. In fact, it is because of these supposed healing powers that the grains are being given to those who are in need.
Tibicos are found all over the world, and there are no two cultures which are the same. "Typical tibicos have a mix of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus and Leuconostoc bacteria with yeasts from Saccharomyces, Candida, Kloeckera and possibly others." (Wikipedia)
There are many ways to prepare tibicos for consumption which can be found all over the Internet. The following mixture was the one given by my colleague who in turn received it from the Carmelite Sister.
Ingredients:
- 1 liter water
- 2-3 molasses
- Tibicos grains
Instruction(s):
- Mix water, tibicos grains, and molasses in a huge jar.
- Allow to ferment for 24-48 hours.
- Drain carefully using a clean cloth. Do not throw away grains (these can be reused).
Note: Some sources say that people with defective kidneys should not drink this mixture as there are some bacteria that cannot be handled by the kidneys.
In this case, my colleague stopped drinking it for now since the state of her kidneys are not yet so clear... But she is sharing them. I look forward to having my share of these grains. I want to give some to my mom who I think badly needs it. Just a little faith in these miracle grains just might be the trick. ;)
Cheers!
Labels: Carmelites Sisters, cure, health, healthy living, Mother Theresa, recipes, remedies, tibicos |
| posted by Ann @ 10:44 AM
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| Friday, April 11, 2008 |
| SparkPeople: Your Best Health Buddy on the Web |
Remember I found that little piece of information on "running vs. walking" from The Pursuit of Healthyness? Well, not only was I information gathering, but I was also able to find this website which has caught my attention.
I enrolled into this website and found that you do not have to be alone when you strive to be healthy, and you do NOT have to enroll or pay a lot for good service and information. SparkPeople not only gives you FREE nutrition tips based on your goals and actual body capacity, but it lets YOU track it for yourself with their guidance and care. So you are learning something new everyday.
There are also teams on the things that you want to do. Like, running, walking, going vegetarian, and other stuff. Within the teams are team leaders who you can interact with and who will try their best to answer your questions. They pep you up when you are down, and suggest alternatives whenever you do not feel much about anything.
What I love about it is that once you indicate your goal weight and the time span, everything is adjusted for you. But it does not mean that you fall apart if you miss something. Instead, there are options to change your diet, or your exercise regimen. It is even considerate enough to make you track your small misgivings or cheating. ;) I love it.
I think this would work for me especially since I have not yet started on my South Beach diet. Letting go of rice is rather hard, but I have minimized it a bit. I hope that helps! hehehe
If you liked this, why don't you give it a try? Visit their website now.
XOXO,
Labels: exercise, good finds, health, healthy living, improvement, running, South Beach diet, SparkPeople |
| posted by Ann @ 7:01 PM
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| Tuesday, April 8, 2008 |
| Tackling a diet: South Beach |
As mentioned in a previous entry, I have been trying to live healthy for the past couple of days. I have been trying to eat well and good, but it does not seem to be cutting it for me. Exercise has been on the table, too, but I'm ashamed to say that there has been some cutbacks lately. Hehehe.. But I'm getting there!
So I am contemplating on tackling a diet. I have never tried to get on a diet-diet. It has always been something on the "I eat what I want" side of things. But for the sake of healthiness, I want to try a real diet. You know what I mean.
The Deranged Palmist has tried the South Beach diet, and has had progress with it. I was thinking of trying it, too. Good luck to me! I honestly pray to God that this works. Although I am feeling much, much better than before physically, I am still striving for more.
At any rate I searched for some directions on the diet, and ended up on Wikipedia. Here are the phases of the diet according to Wikipedia. I will just post some snippets, but you can check out the rest of the details on the website.
- Phase I: The diet begins with Phase 1, which lasts two weeks. Dieters
attempt to eliminate insulin resistance by avoiding high or moderately
high-glycemic carbohydrates, such as dairy, sugar, candy, bread, potatoes,
fruit, cereals, and grains. During this phase, Dr. Agatston claims the body will lose its insulin resistance, and begin to use excess body fat, causing many dieters to lose between 8 and 13 pounds. For the first two weeks, dieters eat normal-size helpings of meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and nuts. This phase includes three meals a day, plus snacks, encouraging the dieter to eat until their hunger is satisfied. No alcohol is allowed (though red wine will be introduced later in small amounts). The dieter loses weight, changes body chemistry, and ends cravings for sugars and starches. - Phase II: After two weeks, Phase II begins. Whole grain foods, fruits
and dairy products are gradually returned to the diet, although in smaller
amounts than were likely eaten before beginning the diet, and with a continued emphasis on foods with a low glycemic index. Sweet potatoes are also now permissible, as is red wine, both in moderate amounts. - Phase III: After the desired weight is obtained, the diet calls to move
into Phase III, a maintenance phase. In Phase III the diet expands to include three servings of whole grains and three servings of fruit a day.
I do not wish to join the diet per se. I mean, I do not exactly have the cash to actually commit to the diet. But I just want to emulate it and see how it goes. Wish me the best of the best of luck! Okies?
XOXO,
Labels: exercise, health, healthy living, improvement, nutrition, South Beach diet |
| posted by Ann @ 9:50 AM
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| About Me |
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Name: Ann
Home: Philippines
About Me: even when she has fairy wings on, this girl is anything BUT dainty. perhaps the size, the weight, and the personality alone are just too much for her to be considered delicate, prim, proper, and refined. this girl with the mud smudged cheeks has been down on the ground one to many times. these times forced her to be tougher, smarter, and more savvy than she has ever been. perhaps she will always be, never dainty.
email me: neverdainty [at] gmail [dot] com
See my complete profile
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