I think it is about time I follow up with my post the last time. But before I dive into the details, spare me some space for my own thoughts. Nowadays I couldn't understand why people find it so hard to take the effort to exercise. Perhaps I am no more qualified to criticize as someone who has been doing it for so long. Maybe I too was some who procrastinate and am now spreading the word like a religious zealot. It is true we tend to try influencing the people around us to believe the same thing. Knowing that it is annoying I reduced my aggressiveness. But know that it is annoying to me as well when people tend to complain being fat while digging into unhealthy food. Now we are still young, we are still able with our limbs. Why do you want to wait until disaster strikes or until your joints are not as nimble as it used to be? No amount of money can buy back health especially when you are hit with preventable diseases or conditions like heart attack or stroke or at least general sluggishness. You cannot predict the future. The most you can do is prepare and enjoy the benefits as you go along.
Back to my workout details, as I have mentioned before, if you are aiming to be the next Captain America, look elsewhere. You have seen what my workout has done to my body and honestly that is what you should expect for yourself too. I do not have much strength because I have no effective means of performing weight training. But I am by no means a pure endurance athlete as well. If you are still interested, then please carry on. Firstly, I wish to pinpoint that please do not starve yourself. This is a journey towards fitness and health and I do not believe suffering from a lack of nutrients will help. As a matter of fact, I eat 5 times a day and I still manage to lose weight. Of course exercising is one of the key factors but choose your food carefully and at the very least you will be able to maintain your weight and feel generally healthier. Know your food types and like I mentioned before, try to count the calories from the food you consume.
Do try to stay away from carbohydrates. It is almost as bad as consuming fat itself. Our bodies are primed to store excess carbohydrates as fat. Thinking that you eat when you are hungry means your have burned all calories in the food you consumed is a common misconception. The truth is that the food has gone through your digestive system and currently your stomach is empty. Any excess has already been processed and stored. Your digesting speed determines the rate that you are hungry unless you are exercising where the hunger flag is raised once stores are empty. The main sources of carbohydrates are what I call the 4 'Whites' being rice, bread, potatoes and noodles. Currently I am consuming less than 2 bowls of rice per day which is significantly less than what I used to eat. I am not asking you to follow suit, but if you are already eating rice for meals, try to stay away from other sources of carbohydrates. Another note, sugar and syrup are actually simple carbohydrates. So that doughnut you just had is worst than a bowl of rice due to it being bread and sugar. And do not be fooled by commercial fruit juice. They are loaded with sugar or fructose syrup.
If you have the capacity to change and manage your meals, then try to replace rice with brown rice, bread with wholemeal bread, potatoes with sweet potatoes and noodles with pasta or wheat noodles. They mostly have the same amount of carbohydrates but they are harder to digest which makes you feel full longer, provides more vitamins and fibre too. I mean if you need to consume, might as well consume the best. Make full use of your daily calorie allocation. For me though, while reducing carbohydrates I aim to consume food with nutrients that cannot be stored by our bodies. Mostly, I keep my stomach busy with protein or fibre. Of course I didn't start out with my current diet because it takes time for your body to adapt. Thus the 1 year long duration. In the beginning, I aim to reduce the amount of food I consume at 1 meal. So in between meals, I snack on tuna buns or sandwiches. I also heard that it takes time to shrink a large stomach.
I am actually hesitating to divulge too much information before you are ready for them. I am sure some of you would prefer the shortest and most efficient approach but it is not without a severe price to pay. Furthermore, it is much more easier to follow and maintain if we take small steps and change our way of living slowly. I too was rushing for results and now my body bear some of the scars. It might not be visible in the pictures but I am well aware of my condition. Anyway, once you are okay with smaller portions, keep at it but change your snacks to healthier ones like I suggested previously. Fibre crackers are okay but not the best due to carbohydrate content. Fruits will be the best as well as salad with skinned chicken or tuna. Not all of you will have access to such ingredients or food choices so if you are not sure, feel free to post a comment or message me on Facebook. I will be more than happy to answer.
Regarding exercise routine though, how many of you actually tried the 'plank' exercise? You need to keep your stomach in while doing it. I guess you should stick to simple cardiovascular exercises as well as some basic strength training for a while before moving forward. I was close to nailing 50-60 sit ups after a jog before I moved on to other exercises. Make sure your foundation is solid before you attempt harder exercises. In theory it does not hurt but your muscles may come up more inclined towards strength due to the constant increase in burden. If being buff is your thing, then as far as I know, that is the path you should pursue. But, you will realize your weakness when you are required to exert strength consistently for a long period. Try to find the balance for your body. Among other exercises you could do would be star jumps, squats, lunges, and sports. I do sports in the middle of the week to flex my muscles differently. I do not want my arms to be strong in pushing vertically from my shoulder only. It helps give you a more general muscle tone as well as giving your major muscle groups some rest.
I guess I should stop here for now. There is nothing much I can share for now but if I think of something, you can expect a post by end of the week. Thank you for reading and take care.
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