8 Minutes To A Healthier Body

Good day, readers!
Another interesting topic, ay?
Here are a few exercises for you, procrastinators (including myself) within eight (8) minutes.

On a side note, I have decided to refrain myself from only providing an eight (8) minutes video. YES! Instead, I'll share more videos which gives more option to you, readers to pick which exercises suit you best! Another advantage here is that, these exercises or formulas are workable indoors and even outdoors. So, no more procrastinating, alright?

Of course, you should not only stop after 8 minutes! Instead, continue doing the 8 minutes exercises for a few more sessions. Perhaps, two to three sessions? That makes it about 16 - 24 minutes.

Definitely, I am no one to display moves or examples. Therefore, I have researched and adapted several fitness gurus who had portrayed their 8-10 minutes intense workout at home!

There are five videos and illustrations which I honestly felt it really is an intense 8-10 minutes workout for our body. You do not need a treadmill, dumbbells, exercise bicycles and you name it... you do not need them, not at all (trust me)! Just get dressed up in a sports attire and get a yoga mat if you wish! 

1. 7 minute high intensity work out by Lumowell (Level: Beginner)
This video conducted by McMaster University, Canada proved effective result for burning fats more efficiently, increases stamina, reduces high risks of diseases and maximizing caloric consumption.

What is rather special on this exercise is that it focuses full on the body; legs, butt, abs, arms, chest, shoulders and back. No doubt, a total body workout within 7 minutes!

Here are what is included: (rest for 10 seconds after every exercise)
a) Jumping jacks (aeroboic exercise, 30 seconds) - avoid aggressive jumping and only land on toes.
b) Wall squat (legs and butt, 30 seconds) - bend both legs at a 45 degree angle leaning against the wall
c) Push ups (muscles, chest and shoulders, 30 seconds)
d) Crunches (abs, 30 seconds) - this is not a sit up, it trains and builds the abs
e) Step up (legs and butt, 30 seconds) - you will need a stool for this
f) Squats (legs, hamstrings and butt, 30 seconds) - bend your legs at a 45 degree angle with hands parallel to them
g) Triceps dips (30 seconds) - you will need a chair for this
h) High knee run (abs and stomach, 30 seconds) - a normal jogging with landing on toes
i) Front lunges (legs, 30 seconds)
j) Side plank (hips, 30 seconds) - switch sides at the 15 second.
k) Push up with rotations (arms, chest and shoulders, 30 seconds)

A total of 6 minutes and 50 seconds is all you will need!

2. Body weight workout by Limaran Agustina (Level: Beginner)
Well known in Singapore, Limaran is a freelance personal trainer at Radiance PhysioFit. In this video, she filmed under ReelityTV for viewers to do intense workout despite enjoying the Chinese New Year food! This set of workout aims to burn the calories and fats off your body!

Here are what is included: (rest for 30 seconds after every exercise)
a) Squats (legs, hamstrings and butt, 1 minute)
b) Modified push ups (shoulders and arms, 1 minute) - do a standard push ups if modified one is easy for you
c) Side lunges (legs, quadriceps, hamstrings, butt and thighs, 1 minute)
d) Bicycle crunches (abs and obliques, 1 minute) - best workout for abs!
e) Drop squats (legs, 1 minute)

A total of 7 minutes and 30 seconds for a full set! Make sure to do it 3 sets daily.

For these (3) and (4), I pretty much assume you, readers know who they are. Since they are from Malaysia and are quite influential in terms of health and fitness!

3. 7 minute HIIT workout by Linora Low (Level: Intermediate)
Based in Malaysia, Linora Low is a famous radio DJ, emcee, fitness trainer and health products ambassador. 
This workout is known as a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to shred off fats and tone up body in a short period of time! HIIT also helps increase heart rate and improve our body's stamina.

Here are what is included: (no rest)
a) Jumping squats (quadriceps, legs and shoulders, 15 seconds) 
b) High knees (legs15 seconds)
c) Dive bombers (shoulders and legs, 15 seconds)
d) Double donkey kick (abs, bicep and legs, 15 seconds)
e) Push up quad squats (bicep and legs, 15 seconds)

Do it in a set of five for a total of 7 minutes! 

4. Fat burner and muscles stimulator workout by Jordan Yeoh (Level: Expert!)
Based in Malaysia, Jordan Yeoh is a certified personal trainer and ambassador for various health magazines. 

Here are what is included: (rest for 10 seconds after every exercise)
a) Spiderman push up (20 seconds) - tough for beginners, apply normal push up if this move is hard
b) Low squat jump (20 seconds)
c) Squat thrusts (20 seconds) - half burpee 
d) Toe tap (20 seconds) 
e) Leg raise & flutter kick (20 seconds) - aims the lower abdominal 

A total of 1 minute and 40 seconds only. But... do it for 5 sets for amazing results. Remember to rest for a minute before moving on to the next set. 

5. 8 minute cardio workout by Cassey Ho (Level: Expert!)
No need for an introduction. Cassey is someone I really respect and admire most, for she is one of the best fitness guru and Pilates instructor! What's special about her is that, her videos are made to "accompany" you to exercise with her. YES! So it all means that she is your companion throughout the workout sets!

This video will be an intense high-intensity interval training workout for cardio workout!

Here are what is included: (rest for 15 seconds after every exercise)
a) Side lunge hop (thighs, 45 seconds)
b) Butt kicks (quadriceps, 45 seconds)
c) Double leg hops (legs, 45 seconds)
d) Side knee highs (shoulders, abs and thighs, 45 seconds)
e) Mountain climbers (shoulders and legs, 45 seconds)
f) Wide squat burpee (shoulders, legs and abs, 45 seconds)
g) Criss cross jacks (shoulders and quadriceps, 45 seconds)
h) Skaters (abs and legs, 45 seconds)

Cassey strongly recommends to do this four sets of eight minute workout. Definitely, for fast results! 

#1 Four gurus recommend squats; the reason to why it is so is because squat really helps to tone muscle legs and butt apart from improving body balancing and mobility. 
#2 Four gurus recommend push ups; while push ups uses 75% of our body weight, it also strengthens and tones the entire body including arms, chest and abs!

Make sure to have your posture right before you start doing these exercises! Don't slouch or slump, alright! Chest up, and you're ready to go!

Fact101 - A good posture will definitely improve your health! 
Start burning all the fats off your body right now!

OFF TOPIC: If you wish to own a fitness timer for your daily workouts, you may download "JY Fitness Timer" under iOS and Android application (not a sponsored advertisement). The application has been a useful one for my daily workouts at home (though I'm an ultimate lazy being).

Leave a comment down below on which of these 5, is your favourite workout set! Also, make sure to follow them accordingly to achieve great results!

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you" - Fred Devito (Author of Barre Fitness)

Signing off.
Leeleng

Sources: Blogilates | Prevention | Oprah | Fitwirr 
body, cardio, health,
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Proper Intake Of Calories

What's calories, you ask?
Your closest enemy... in your food!

Jokes aside. 

Within a healthy and balanced diet, a man needs around 10,500kJ (2,500Kcal) a day to maintain his weight. Meanwhile, for a woman, she needs around 8,400kJ (2,000Kcal) a day.

Health experts recommend to focus on the nutritional value instead of calories in the food that not only helps to lose weight but also lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Meaning to say, instead of an extra concern over the amount of calories you should consume daily, you should focus on how much nutrition are you consuming daily.
Take a look at this chart by CNPP;
For a clearer explanation, head over to the hyperlink.
The chart shows an estimated amount of calories for both genders at different age groups with different levels of physical activity.
Another alternative way would be an immediate check up at Authority Nutrition to check out how much calories do you need daily and to either maintain or lose weight. Simply select your gender and key in your age, height, weight and activeness of activity to get a precise calculation.
Side note: The calculator may not work perfectly on everyone.
What really matters are the four (4) elements; age, weight, height and level of physical activity done whether or not it is vigorous or leisure. All these are taken into account on the amount of balanced calories you should consume.

Aside from these four, other factors such as hormones, sick and medications can affect the amount of energy you burn daily.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, worry less! As all you need to do is to eat healthily, increase your physical activities and consume food with lesser calories!

Experts and doctors have revealed a few great tips for weight lost!

1. Replace mineral water with lemon water!
"Adding the lemon helps detoxify the liver and metabolizes fat. That burns 100 extra calories a day!" - Warner 
Jackie Warner, a fitness and celebrity trainer recommends drinking 3 litres of lemon water daily.

2. Saladay, everyday
"Replace heavy lunch meal with with a large portion of green salad! Add some lean protein if you're a meat eater." - Ingber
Mandy Ingber, a celebrity yoga instructor emphasizes on eating salad daily. Eating clean helps a lot in losing weight and enhances skin.

3. Juice-DAY
Tara Stiles, a yoga instructor recommends juicing as the best thing she did for her health.

4. Hands on almonds
"Each type of nut has great benefits. Walnuts have omega-3s (helps in blood clotting, growth, digestion and fertility) and almonds are high in vitamin E (heart disease and blood pressure)." - Mc Gee
Kristin Mcgee, a Pilates instructor and yoga teacher including her clients recommend having raw almonds daily.

5. Fix on Greek yogurt
"Greek yogurt is a better option. It contains protein with minimal sugar." - Dull and Collier

Fact101 - Not all yogurts are a healthy snack. In fact, most low-fat yogurt contains high level of sugar.

6. Replace mayonnaise with spicy mustard
"Drink a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of hot spicy mustard before dinner, to increase metabolism and lessen appetite." - Anderson 
Dr Lynn Anderson revealed that spicy mustard helps create a heat effect in the body which boost up the metabolism. In addition to that, mustard seeds are good in a sense that they are antioxidants and contains omega-3s!

7. Stop drinking sugary drinks!
Why harm your body with overloaded calories? If you're a heavy soda drinker, slowly cut down on that. 
Fred DeVito, a professional trainer advises to cut the intake of sugary drinks including diet sodas which can trigger cravings for sweets. 

Leave a comment below of what you've taken for lunch today and how much calories do you think it contains?

But, really though. 
We should all stop calculating the amount of calories we're taking daily. Instead, start up a healthy diet! 

Signing off.
Leeleng
advice, calories, experts,
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5 Minutes Breakfast

Late for work?
No time for breakfast?
Or.. are you too lazy to even make your own breakfast?

FRET NOT! 

This week's entry will definitely ease your burden and cure a little bit of your laziness. 
Sounds convincing enough?

I have personally, hand picked four (4) recipes which I think you readers will love making it for breakfast!

1. Avocado Toast
Preparation time: 5 minutes

What you'll need:
a) Two (2) slices of wholemeal bread, toasted
b) One (1) avocado, sliced
c) One (1) tablespoon of olive oil
d) One (1) teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
e) Kosher salt
f) 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Directions:
a) Slice and mash the avocado with knife and fork.
b) Toast the two slices of wholemeal breads.
c) Once toasted, top the breads with the mashed avocado.
d) Drizzle olive oil and fresh lemon juice on the mashed avocado.
e) Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some red pepper flakes.

Additional: Make a poached egg or cut a few slices of strawberries to your liking and add them on top of your mashed avocado!

Fact101 - Why avocado? Yes. Believe it or not, avocado contains over 20 vitamins and minerals which brings extra benefits for you! Avocado not only helps to lower cholesterol, protects eye health, may help prevent cancer and symptoms of arthritis. 

2. Yogurt and fruit parfaits (A MUST TRY!)
Preparation time: 2 minutes

What you'll need (4 servings):
a) Three (3) cups vanilla non-fat yogurt
b) One (1) cup fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries in juice
c) One (1) pint fresh blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
d) One (1) cup good quality granola

Directions:
a) Layer 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt into each cup/mug.
b) Combine defrosted strawberries and juice with fresh berries.
c) Alternate layers of fruits and granola with yogurt until cup/mug is full.
*Parfaits must be served immediately to have a great and crunchy granola.

Note that the fresh berries could be changed with other fresh fruits according to your liking. Examples, grapes, peaches, kiwis, sliced bananas and oranges.

 SIDE NOTE: I started making this using Nestle's yogurt with using oats and fruits like pomegranate, slices of bananas and grapes. Result? AWESOME! 

3. Overnight oats
Preparation time: 5 minutes

What you'll need:
a) 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
b) 1/2 cup (heaping) oats
c) 2/3 cup of unsweetened milk (of your choice)
d) One (1) tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxmeal
e) 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
f) Two (2) tablespoons peanut butter
g) Two (2) tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
h) Pinch of salt
i) 0-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

Directions:
a) Whisk and mix together all prepared ingredients into a bowl.
b) Pour all mixture into an enclosed jar.
c) Refrigerate for at least four (4) hours before eating (preferably overnight).

Fact101 - The nutrient composition in oats is well-balanced. It contains more protein than any other grains. Oats helps reduce blood pressure, lowers sugar level, reduce cholesterol, improves insulin sensitivity and most importantly, helps you to lose weight!

4. Energy wrap (SUPER EASY!)

Preparation time: 3 minutes

What you'll need:
a) Peanut butter
b) One (1) or two (2) slices of wholemeal breads
c) One (1) or 1/2 sliced bananas
d) Sliced strawberries
e) A dash of cinnamon

Directions:
a) Spread some peanut butter over the sliced bread.
b) Place the sliced bananas, strawberries and cinnamon as the toppings.
c) Tortilla wrap it.

Additional: Vegetables such as fresh basil and tomatoes can be replaced without the peanut butter. 

Now that you've come to an end, don't you think those recipes including images are so tempting? Well, try making them for breakfast tomorrow! You'll definitely love the end result!

"When you feel good, you feel that you look good, and then you perform even better. It's an amazing cycle." - Cassey Ho (Blogilates)

Comment down below if you have tried any of the recipes above or extra recipes to share with us!

Signing off.
Leeleng
breakfast, eating clean, food,
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Eating What Is Right

Hello readers!
Many of you might not know this but you could have been eating the wrong type of food all these while! "The food you eat react chemically to your blood type." - Peter J. D'Adamo.

Oh well, it isn't too late to start now!

First off, know your blood types, whether you're an O, A, B or AB category?
Fact101 - Dr. D'Adamo, a naturopathic physician recommends plenty of fruits and vegetables and eating enough protein through meat, poultry, soy food, seafood and low fat diary. 

Aside from eating accordingly to your blood type, make sure to have more greens in our daily diet as well!

Blood type O: You rely mainly on animals protein, poultry, fish and vegetables to survive on intense physical exercises and less well on dairy products and grains. Always remember to have a moderate portion of seafood (if you're a seafood lover), which lowers your level of iodine to prevent thyroid diseases.
! Dr. D'Adamo said that the reason to weight gain for the Os are because of gluten found in wheat products.
Fact101 - Blood type O is the oldest blood group of all.
Blood type A: You have to consume more organic products and vegetables to stay adjusted to your sensitive immune system. Semi-vegetarian, it is! Your diet should include yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and peppers as well as various types of fruits excluding papaya, mangoes and oranges. These three will lead to extra stress to your digestive tract.
Blood type B: Studies shown that you are one lucky blood type that is able to resist most of the many severe diseases such as cancer and heart disease! Bs should have turkey instead of chicken meat and red meat such as lamb, venison and beef. You should also be consuming dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt as there is sugar to maintain your diet daily.
! The factors to weight gain are corn, buckwheat, peanuts and sesame seeds.
Blood type AB: You are definitely a mixture of blood type A and B. Do focus more on tofu, seafood, dairy and green veggies. However, it is said that ABs have a weaker immune system than others. So, a good intake on vegetables and wheat will definitely benefit you! ABs must consume more fruits which are rich in vitamin C for a balanced health diet and immune system.
Fact101 - New and rarest blood type found in less than 5% of the population.

Now that you already know what to take moderately and what not to, shouldn't you start doing it later for dinner?

Here's an idea of what you should have for dinner:
O: Lamb/Chicken meat with asparagus stew, steamed broccoli and sweet potato, and mixed fruit.
A: Tofu-pesto lasagna, broccoli and frozen yogurt.
B: Broiled fish with roasted yams and rosemary, steamed vegetables and mixed fresh fruit.
AB: Tofu-omelet with stir-fried vegetables and mixed fruit salad.

Remember to follow the guidelines above which helps mainly to loose weight, prevent diseases, digest food more efficiently and having more energy in your daily life!

"If you're not going to start doing it today, then when will it be?"

Do leave a comment down below should you have any doubts.

Signing off.
Leeleng

Sources: Watson | Lam | Passell | Bonci
blood types, food, health,
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