THE DIET TRAP - Wedding Season Body care Tips

Your wedding day is perhaps the most eagerly awaited event of your life and every bride and groom dreams of looking their best on that beautiful day. They are the cynosure of all eyes and quite naturally, they want to look their best on this occasion.

How often do you look at yourself in the mirror and despair about your weight or your lack of fitness? And how often do you think of embarking on a diet or a program that promises quick weight loss? If you have been tempted to do this, please stop right now! Crash dieting, though it gives rapid results, is more dangerous than what most people seem to understand.

To be in shape requires time and discipline. Chances are that you are busy and have little time to spare from your hectic schedules of work, shopping, socialising etc and you opt for the quickest way to lose weight and be in shape and compromise on your wellbeing in the bargain. Most people fail to realise that the secret to being fit and looking good is a simple system involving lifestyle corrections that include regular exercises and intelligent eating.

Avoid making drastic changes, have faith in your ability and strength and remain focused. Start early and give yourself three to four months time to adjust to your diet and to ensure that you stick with it. You also need to plan a comprehensive workout program that can fit into your schedule and lifestyle.

RISKY BUSINESS! 

Firstly, crash diets or fad diets severely limit the intake of vital nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, good fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre etc. 

• Crash diets causes hair loss, dry skin and weak bones. . Lack of fibre in the diet leads to digestive disorders and constipation. 

• Low carbohydrate diets that are popular among dieters often lead to a condition called Ketosis - an abnormal metabolic state that causes nausea, giddiness, dehydration, weakness and other health problems. 

• Severe calorie restriction causes lowering of the body's basal metabolic rate. And after the initial weight loss, you will see a slowing down of the weight loss causing depression and loss of motivation. 

• Another serious effect is seen in lowered haemoglobin levels and development of anaemia and vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Give yourself three to four months time to adjust to your diet

THE HEALTHY WAY 

Safe weight loss is the answer to tackle all these problems. The keys to healthy weight loss and sound health and wellbeing is healthy eating and regular physical activity. Sound health is a state of optimal physical, emotional, physiological and psychological wellbeing.

• Regular and productive exercises must form an integral part of your lifestyle. If time is a constraint, exercises can be done at home without the encumbrances of equipment etc. Brisk walks, taking the stairs instead of elevators, swimming etc are good forms of activities. Remember, even as little as 30 to 45 minutes a day for four to five days in the week will result in weight control and a toned body. Free hand or functional exercises, calisthenics, power yoga, yoga etc can be done under guidance regularly. 

• Make dietary changes gradually and select foods based on your preference. Focus more on eating right and on portion sizes rather than on counting calories. Long deprivation of your favourite foods will make you give up your resolve and will cause you to eat more the next day. 

• Include fresh fruits, fresh unstrained vegetable juices, vegetable, sprouts, whole grains, nuts and low fat milk/ yoghurt. 

• Drink a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Drink water before every meal. If the stomach is full with water, you will eat less. Herbal teas or warm water, vegetable soups or fresh vegetable juices are ideal

TOP EXERCISES FOR WOMEN AT 40

TOP EXERCISES FOR WOMEN AT 40
 Listed below are some recommended exercises for women at 40:
Walking: Walk – it is the best form of exercise you can get. It is aerobic and strengthening and does wonders for your metabolism. Walk to work or the bus. Walk to school or walk your children to school. Park as far from the doors of the shopping center and walk. Better still, enjoy a nice brisk walk after dinner with the family, or on your own. You will soon find out it is an enjoyable way to unwind as well as giving your permanent weight-loss programme a real boost.
Take a comfortable pair of shoes to the office and you can even use your lunch break as a workout session by taking a brisk walk-you might even start a trend and find the rest of the office joining your path to successful permanent weight loss. Walking has a lot of benefits apart from the fact that it is safe, inexpensive and you can try it at any time and anywhere. Walking is also the most natural way to burn calories. Walking improves heart function, reduces stress, tones and strengthens muscles, relieves back pain and osteoporosis conditions, improves respiratory health, controls diabetes and arthritis conditions.
Biking: Biking is another way to tone and strengthen your bones. Stationery cycling with a high seat arrangement, toe clips and low resistance set-up can help you deal with osteoarthritis conditions of the knees.
Swimming: For beginners, 15-20 minutes of swimming is of great help for increasing the muscle, ligament and tendon endurance and strength. This keeps the bones storing and thrifty, thereby, making you more agile and active
Aerobics: Low-impact aerobics is recommended for women at 40 (dancing, light aerobic steps, etc). Aerobic conditioning leads to a healthy heart
Volleyball: 30-45 minutes of a volleyball game can keep your heart and lungs free of complications and can rid you of ailments like diabetes, coronary heart disease, colon cancer and hypertension.
Strength training: Experts opine that with no activity, movement or workouts, the muscle begins to shrink at one-two per cent each year. Loss of muscle mass is marked by slower rates of metabolism which lets you burn fewer calories. Regular perspiration is essential in order to prevent weight gain between the age of 40 and 50 years. Weight training three times per week is considered effective for keeping fit. Resistance training is also considered effective for enhancing bone density.
Horse riding: This is a great way to building your self-esteem and social skills, increasing the strength and endurance of muscles, improving posture, balance and stability and an enjoyable recreational activity.
Hiking: Hiking is a good option to increase bone density and slow the pace of calcium loss from the body. One hour of hiking in a week can be just about sufficient to keep you looking fresh, energetic, and slim as it helps lose a great many pounds too.
Water aerobics: Exercises done under water – like jogging, running or walking - can not only improve the strength of legs and hips but also respiratory health. Experts opine that water aerobics also help in reducing weight effectively. As beginners, try the shallow part of the pool to do light or moderate exercises. When you get comfortable and master the technique of water aerobics, try performing each exercise for 20-40 minutes.
Flexibility exercise routines for women over 40: When we grow older, our bodies tend to become tighter and tighter. Many women over 40 move differently compared to women in their twenties. To recover a youthful appearance, flexibility training is essential. It will help you with the side-effects of strengthtraining too: when doing strength training you are flexing and shortening the muscles, flexibility training makes the muscles longer.
In addition, flexibility training can help you in the warming up and cooling down phase after your workouts. You need to include three types of workouts in your daily workout routine for women over 40:
• Workout routines to build muscles (strength workout routines for women)
• Workout routines to stimulate your cardiovascular system (cardio workout routines for women)
• Workout routines to increase flexibility (flexibility workout routines for women)
• No matter how you choose to work out without exercising, eventually you will need to develop a scheduled routine of exercise. Even if that routine is simply walking after dinner it is important to consider that a definite 'time' to exercise.
• When you set a specific time for exercise you give yourself a reason to do it. A schedule also makes it easier to remember to do it. Without making a set time for exercise you can 'forget to do it.
• When you are on a path of permanent weight loss you will begin to see your regimen as a lifestyle not a single occurrence, or something to do temporarily. Making exercise a regular part of your daily life forever will ensure success not only in losing the weight but in keeping it off.
• Know when it's time to make a change. Stay in tune with what your joints and muscles are telling you when you work out and notice how it feels at 40. Then, when you get to 42 or 43, does it change? Be aware of the signals that your body is giving.
• Modify moves that cause discomfort. Take those heavy, percussive movements and find a detour. Instead of running, hike. Instead of running three miles, walk five. Walk faster, on a spongy asphalt trail.