91.
Join a dance class. Dancing is a wonderful way to burn off those
extra calories. It is true. When you dance you are in fact burning away
a lot of calories. Of course we are not referring to the slow ballroom kind
of dances in which one person actually leans on the other one for support.
We are talking about fast dances.
The best way to do it is by joining a dance class because they
will really work you out. But I would suggest that you wait for a couple more
pounds to vanish before you think of becoming a ballerina.
92.
Whenever you can, lean against a wall with your hands flattened
against the wall and in such a way that your face is very close to the wall.
Then use you hands to push your body away from the wall. Do this two or three
times at a stretch.
93.
If there is a pool nearby go for swims as often as you can,
swimming is one of the best exercises. Water has a lot of advantages. And if
nothing else, a cool dip in a pool is a wonderful stress reliever.
94.
Try playing something like table tennis or basket ball. Games are
a fun way to lose weight. It is much more exciting to play a game than just
work out by yourself. The best thing about games is that they are addictive.
Once you start playing you will soon end up with a friends’ circle and then
the playing goes on without even you knowing it. It is something that you can look forward to and there is no
stress involved in this program. In fact the more you play the less you will
consider this to be a part of your weight loss program. As you burn away those
calories, you will also be able to expand your social circle.
95.
Any work out should start with a 5 to 10 minute warm up and should
end with a 5 to ten minute cool down session. Whatever physical
exercise you are involved in, you must remember to warm up before the exercise
really starts. Do not just plunge into the water and start thrashing about, to
put it figuratively.
Your body needs to reach a certain level of readiness before it
can actually start responding to exercise. And this readiness is achieved by
the warming up process.
96.
Do not carry your mobile phone around but leave it a place where
you can hear it ringing. In this way you make sure that you at least get
up and walk towards it. This might sound sill but I really mean it. You need a
reason to keep yourself going. Life today has become so easy that we have every thing at our
fingertips. All we have to do is push a button here and push a button there. The
only things
that get any exercise at all are our fingers. Years ago Charles Darwin put forward a theory of use and disuse. According to this theory, a certain part of the body that is put
to constant use
develops a lot and a certain part of the body that has no use at
all becomes smaller and smaller and gradually ceases to exist.
Certain examples that he quoted were the long neck of the giraffe,
which appeared to become longer and longer when the giraffe stretched
higher and higher to reach the leaves at the treetops. He quoted the example
of the absence of a tail in human beings to illustrate the example of the
theory of disuse. Now if Darwin’s
theory were to prove true, as the years go by man is likely to
end up with just a huge head, a few fingers and maybe some other
parts of the body that are also put to use. That is why I made it a point to say that you have to drive your
self to move about. A cell phone may be convenient, but the same thing can turn
out to
simplify life just a little too bit. There are other arguments
against the use of cell phones but that is beside our topic.
What I would suggest is that at home or in your office, leave the
cell phone lying about so that you can hear it ring, but can’t just reach
into your pocket and answer it. See to it that you have to actually stand up and
walk a few steps before you can pick it up.
97.
While traveling in an elevator instead of just standing there and
staring stupidly at the numbers going up or down, try raising your self
onto your toes and then back on your feet again. Do this several times. Also
try flexing your buttock muscles as well.
In fact there are many muscles in our body that we can twitch and
flex without inviting the attention of others. Even if others do notice
you, its no big deal provided you are flexing a muscle in a decent part of the
body. (Most of the other parts do not have muscles any way.) Others
might brand you as a health freak but it is miles better to be known as a
heath freak than as a sack of potatoes.
98.
Undress and stare at yourself in front of your mirror. If what you
see displeases you, then you have all the more reason to work out. Try
tucking in the extra fat in all those wide areas, this will give you an idea
of which part you need to be working on.
Turn to you side and get a very good view of your side profile.
This is an excellent way of checking whether you have a tummy that is
starting to bulge or has bulged already.
Try pulling in air and then take a look at your tummy, if it has
gone in even a little bit, there is hope for you. If you start now, you can
control it where it is now and may be if you really set your mind to it, you can lose a
couple of inches in a just a few weeks.
Weighing your self on your bathroom scales is a good idea but
personally I would recommend this mirror viewing. To be very frank, a few
pounds gain may shock you but does not really disgust you. But a flabby figure
and extra fat certainly will.
99.
If you have a banister rail or a balustrade that will support you,
sit on it and pump your legs as if you are riding a bicycle, taking care not to
fall off of course.
This might sound like another crazy idea and I don’t want to argue
with you about that. I just want to tell you that by doing such crazy
things, you are in fact not missing a single chance to lose those extra pounds. It is
a way of keeping your mind alert all the time. Every thing must look like
an opportunity to you.
100.
Do not slouch in your chair but try to maintain an erect posture
with your tummy tucked in. Slouching is a very bad habit. Not only is it bad
for your back but it also gives you a very flabby figure. It is your way of
saying yes to a comfortable, weight-gaining pose.
Make it a point to always sit as erect as you can. It is also a
terrific way to ward off back problems.
101.
Psst. I would like to let you in on a secret. As it is I
understand that most of us tend to put on weight particularly in the mid section, right.
It is the tummy that seems to have a mind of its own. Well I will tell you a
sure shot method to reduce the flab around the waist line. Mind you this
doesn’t hold true for post pregnancy tummies. This is what you have to do. Breathe in air as strongly as you can and as you do so, tuck in
your tummy as much as you can. Hold it like this for a few seconds and then
slowly release your breath taking care not to let out your tummy. Try to
keep breathing like this at least fifty or sixty times in a day.
In fact breathe like this whenever you can remember to do so.
After the first day, you should feel the muscles of your stomach tightening each
time you do this. Then you know that you are on the right track. If you
practice this without fail for 20 days, at the end of the twentieth day, you
will have lost at least an inch.
Below I have included a table of the various exercises and the
number of calories that can be burnt with each exercise. Choose what you can
do best and choose something that you will enjoy doing on the long run as
well.
The choice of the exercise is completely left to you but try to do
whatever you wish to do for at least twenty minutes. It is only after you
do the exercise for twenty minutes that the actual calorie burning sets
in.
Aerobics 200-250 calories
Bicycling, Stationary 250-300 calories
Bicycling, Actual 300-400 calories
Running, 5-6 mph 300-350 calories
Stair climber 200-250 calories
Swimming laps 350 calories
Walking briskly 150-180 calories
From this you can see for your self that walking is not at all
something that has to be sidelined. If you really find your days to be too full
to fit in any other form of exercise, then walking is your best bet. Walk as
much as you can.
Try getting to places and leaving places a little early. This will
give you time to walk.
Well, I guess that’s about it. The ball is now in your court so
what are you waiting for? Get rid of those extra calories and pounds as early
as you can and try to enjoy life the best you can without inviting all those
terrible diseases that come with a few extra pounds.
How Much Do You Know?
I have included a simple test to see how much you have grasped
about the
proper way to control your diet. Go ahead and do the test, you
might find it
interesting.
1) Which of the following is suitable for a between meal snack?
a) Cheese
b) Carrots
c) Yogurt
d) Coffee
e) Candy
2) How many glasses of water should a
person have in a day?
a) 5-6
b) 10-20
c) 10- 12
d) 4-5
e) 15-20
3) Which of the following is bad as
far as weight control is concerned?
a) snacking
b) smoking
c) coffee
d) crash diets
e) all the above
4) How many hours sleep does an adult
need?
a) 7-8
b) 6-7
c) 8-9
d) 5-6
e) 9-10
5) Which is better for a person on a
diet?
a) fresh fruit
b) canned fruit
c) fruit juice
d) processed fruit
e) cooked fruit
6) Which of the following should you
always include in your diet?
a) nuts
b) dried fruits
c) fruit juice
d) salads
e) tea
7) Which of these two is better for
your health?
a) coffee
b) tea
8) The most important meal of the day
is
a) supper
b) snacks
c) break fast
d) lunch
e) tea
9) Which of the following can you
afford to cut out from your diet?
a) fats
b) carbohydrates
c) vegetables
d) proteins
e) vitamins
10) Which meat is better for health?
a) white meat
b) red meat
c) raw meat
Answers:
1. b
2. c
3. e
4. a
5. a
6. d
7. b
8. c
9. a
10. a
Muscle Power
Use your brain to answer the test on
the
best ways to work out.
1) Which is the best exercise among
the following?
a) horse riding
b) walking
c) swimming
d) running
e) bowling
2) Before you need to work out, you
need to
a) drink water
b) warm up
c) consult a trainer
d) make up your mind
e) cool off
3) You can afford to take a day off
from your work out every week
a) true
b) false
4) Yoga does not help to reduce
weight
a) true
b) false
5) Breathing exercises strengthen the
shoulder muscles
a) true
b) false
Answers:
1. c
2. b
3. a
4. a
5. b
