HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

How many diet books have you read and then abandoned in disgust? How many times have you been ofered a tempting dish only to say "NO" and feel frustated, or "YES" and feel guilty? Diets tend to make us fel deprived and depressed. We follow the dier and avoid the "bad-for-you-foods", only to be tempted once too often, eat something we feel we shouldn't, feel guilty and you guessed it, go off the diet.

While diets can cause our weight to fluctuate, often our pattern of eating doesn't change and as a resut, our health suffers. There are also physical reasons why extreme diets don't work. such dieting slows our metabolism (the rate we burn up kilojoules) and stops weight loss.

WHY DO YOU OVEREAT?

Each day you face many choices about what you eat. So, you must learn not only what is right to eat, but also to make correct eating a habit. And that means changing old eating patterns.

The first step is to take a long hard look at how you are eating now. This can be done through keeping a food diary or "self-watching". In this way you can keep tabs on what you eat when and why. To help you pinpoint problems or events that trigger the impulse to overeat, please find the following applies to you:-

DO YOU OVEREAT
* To reward yourself?
* When you feel nervous?
* When you feel depressed?
* When you feel angry?
* When you feel bored?
* To prevent possible hunger (you are not hungry now, but you may be in a couple of hours, and they may not be any food)?
* When you entertain friends?
* When you go to a friend's home or a restaurant?
* When you watch TV, read or work?
* When you see tempting food?
* While you are out shopping, or when you've just done the shopping?

5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WORKOUT WORK

Here are five common mistakes people make.

> Not warming up. Your muscles need to adjust to aerobic activity, so increase your intensity gradually.

> Not stretching enough. Stretch your muscles right after your aerobic workout, while they're still warm, to improve flexibility, help you avoid injury and reduce the changes of stiffness.

> Not drinking enough water. Keep a bottle handy during and after exercise, as becoming dehydrated affects your mental and physical performance.

> Jerking while lifting weights. This can lead to injury and stop you getting the results you want.

> Leaning heavily on the step machine. This is hard on your wrists and back, and bad for your posture.

HEALTHY EATING - FIBRE

Healthy eating does not mean eating LESS of everything. Here's something you can actually eat more - FIBRE. Fibre is found only in plant foods such as cereals - rice, wheat, oat, corn. Whereby bean & pulses - soya bean, red bean, dhal, pea. Not to forget fruits and vegetables.

Fibre rich food also contain vitamins and minerals. Unrefined cereals and its products have more fibre. Fibre itself has NO CALORIES. However, fibre rich food tend to have more vitamins and minerals.

WHY FIBRE IS IMPORTANT?
It is an important part of your diet because:
* Stimulates the digestive system.
* Helps prevent constipation.
* Makes you feel full.
* Helps reduce the risk of digestive disorders.

HOW TO GET MORE FIBRE??
* Try to choose wholemeal products e.g., wholemeal bread, wholemeal or high fibre biscuits, high fibre breakfast cerels and capatis.

* Subtitute some of your meats with peas, beans and lentils.

* Try brown rice instead of white rice.

* Use wholemeal flour instead of white flour in your baking or try replacing half of the white flour with wholemeal.

* Include potatoes, tapioca, sweet potatoes and yam.

* Eat more vegetables, salads and ULAM (Malaysian version of salad).

* Eat fruits whole plus the skin whenever possible.

FOOD HIGH IN FIBRE....
Atta flour, Wholemeal bread, Pasta, Red beans, Dhal, Soya beans, Potatoes, Yam, Leafy vegetables, Fruit vegetables, Root vegetables, Carrot, Peanuts & Chickpeas.

There's soo many other food high in fibre that you can purchase. You just have to know how much you need and what type of food that you take daily.

EATING ACCORDING TO YOUR NEEDS

What do you understand from "Eating according to your Needs"? You need to eat a variety of foods in the right amount daily to ensure that you meet all the nutrients required by your body. Not everybody implement healthy eating though Ministry of Health keep emphasizing through ads, newspapers, tv commercial & etc. It seems that Malaysian still prefer to eat more than what we actually need for our body. A person who does not eat enough may not get sufficient essential nutrients and may lose weight, feel tired and sickly. Eating more that we need especially those energy-giving food may cause in weight gain and a tendency to be less active.

Balance Your Calories
It is important to balance your calorie intake according to age, gender and also refering to your daily activities. These are some example of common food in calories:-

> Fried mee = 660 calories
> Fried rice = 630 calories
> Nasi lemak sambal (1 cup) = 400 calories
> Mee soup (1 bowl) = 380 calories
> Chicken rice (1 plate) = 300 calories
> Roti canai (plain - 1 pcs) = 190 calories
> Capati (1 pcs) = 180 calories
> Karipap (1 pcs) = 120 calories
> Cekodok pisang (1 pcs) = 180 calories
> Fried popia (1 pcs) = 90 calories
> Chicken burger (1 serve) = 420 calories
> Cheese pizza (1 pcs) = 240 calories
> Chicken satay = 35 calories

So, did your intake include most of the above? Well, think about reducing it gradually. Do weigh yourself at least twice a month & wear light clothing. Do you know how to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)?

BMI = Weight (kg)
______________________
Height (cm) x Height (cm)

The desirable range is 18.5 - less than 25.

If your BMI is - less than 18.5 YOUR ARE UNDERWEIGHT
- 18.5 less than 25 NORMAL WEIGHT
- 25 less than 30 OVERWEIGHT
- 30 or more OBESE
(The above guide is only meant for adults aged 18 years & above)

The best time to relook at your daily food intake is to eat according to your needs. Don't over eating and eat enough for your body. My next issue will be EAT RIGHT.

HOW TO BEAT "BURN OUT"

"Burn Out" or "Stress" is a state of frustation brought about by a devotion to a cause, a way of life or a relationship that failed to produce the expected reward. Nowadays, most of us burn out easily in such a way that will effect daily life. Symptons of burn out are divided into few categories such as:-

Physically - Aches, Sleep Disturbances, Appetite change, Hypertension, Exhaustion.
Behavioral - Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Restlessness, Poor driving, Poor time mgmt, Frequent Crying, Eating/walking/talking faster.
Emotional - Loss of confidence, self doubt, easily angered/agitated, depression, Guilt, Suicidal feelings.
Relational - Withdraw socially (no friends), Suspicious, Secretive, Relationship problems, Sacrifice life for work
Mental - Poor concentration, Make more mistakes, More forgetful, Full of negativity, Loss of creativity, Difficulty making decisions
Spiritual - Feeling empty, Loss of meaning & direction of life, Questioning own faith.

TIME TO BEAT BURT OUT/STRESS!!
* REST
- Plan your normal daily life
- Highlight what is ESSENTIAL!

* REJUVENATE THE BODY
- AVOID : Caffeine & nicotine, salty food, preserved food, artificial sugar
- EAT MORE : Red rice, oat & wheat products, beans, nuts & milk, vegetables

* REGAIN SELF CONFIDENCE
- have positive thinking,positive wording, positive reframing, positive acting

* REFOCUS
- What is your purpose of life?
- What are the goals you hope to achieve?
- What values do you want to upkeep?

* REVIEW
- Talk with your boss
- Recheck contribution to organization
- Review how to make role more meaningfuL

MORE TIPS FOR BURN OUT FREE LIVING.....
> Learning - reading & attending classes
> Challenges - try something new & fun
> Learn to escape when appropriate
> Refocus your attention on others
> Be willing to seek help
> Get a massage!!!
> Enjoy some quiet time
> Have a relaxation technique
> Listen to music
> Keep a pet
> Have a Laugh!
> Lastly - EXERCISE!!!

KURSUS ASAS INSTRUKTUR KECERGASAN FIZIKAL - NEGERI MELAKA

Baru sahaja selesai mengajar kursus asas instruktur kecergasan fizikal peringkat negeri Melaka di Kompleks Sukan Air Keroh. Lebih kurang 70 peserta telah menghadiri kursus ini yang bermula pada hari Isnin 10 Sept. 2007 dan berakhir pada esok Rabu 12 Sept. 2007. Syabas kepada Jabatan Belia Sukan Negeri Melaka yang telah menganjurkan kursus ini bagi mempertingkatkan lagi serta membantu instruktur-instruktur dengan memberi pengetahuan dan tunjuk ajar. Saya berharap program-program seperti ini kerap dianjurkan untuk melahirkan bakal instruktur yang berkualiti dan berilmu.