It doesn’t much matter if a person isn’t inclined to do it anyway, the way I look at it.

All this is pretty much according to your individual personality and individual schedule.  I don’t think we should be too rigid in our opinions.

I’ve given a lot of thought about doing a serious work out during working days.  Working out once a week is hardly enough to lose weight and keep fit.  As I remember it, a friend once told me that if I was really serious about keeping fit, I should work out at least three times a week.  The way I see it, I have two choices: work out before or after working hours.

If I was to hit the gym before work, I figure that I should wake up much earlier that I usually do in order for me to spend the proper amount of time for working out.  This means that I should wake up at least 1 and a half hours earlier than usual.  I’ve read in an article that adults need at least 30 minutes of exercise for four or five days in a week in order to achieve optimum health benefits so I have to give enough time for my work out and still get to work on time.   If I decide to work out before my shift at the office, I have to reset my sleeping habits and I might not have enough energy to keep up with the people at work.

Now, working out after my day at the office might be better for me if I was 10 years younger because it will give me more free time to spend at the gym.  After a long day at the office, I find myself already tired at times so I may not be able to handle a strenuous activity anymore.  Of course regular exercise will boost my endurance so I may be able to handle it after in the long run.

But the benefits are clear.

Consider this.

Taking the stairs- is it for you?
Aside from proper diet, the best way to get in shape is by working out but if you are busy with your job like I am, you might find it difficult to schedule a visit to the gym.   I’m concerned about my health but I also have to keep my job.   One day one of my co-workers told me to take the stairs instead of the elevator on my way to the office, so I did.  Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and since I can’t ditch my job to work out, I walk on my way to the office instead. Sure some people gave me odd stares because I was walking three or four floors up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, but I’d gladly give up simple convenience for the benefit of my health.

Of course I take the stairs not only to work but on my way out as well.  Sitting all day at the office tends to stiffen up the muscle and loosening them up by walking feels great.   It may not provide a complete cardiovascular workout like I’d get spending an hour on the treadmill, but doing it every day will still provide much needed exercise for me and it doesn’t get in the way of my job.  It also doesn’t take too much out of me so I still have energy left to face a long day at work.   Of course, there are other ways to sneak in exercise at work; I just have to think of more creative ways to do that.

Twenty years ago it meant going out and eating a good portion of dead cow (steak) and also having alcoholic beverages.  Man, how things have changed.

I noticed having a co-worker that goes back to the office from lunch wearing a different shirt when he came in earlier every day.   Of course that intrigued me since I can’t imagine why he’d have to change clothes every day after lunch, and he didn’t look like someone that gets more food in his clothes than in his mouth during meals.  So I came up to him and asked him why the daily change of wardrobe.  He told me that he jogs a couple of blocks everyday during lunch.  He brings two extra set of clothes at work, one that he wears during jogging and another to shirt to change into after exercise.

That example got me into thinking if I should jog during lunch as well.  The thing is, I’m not as young as that guy when he was doing it and I don’t want to spend the rest of my shift lethargic and out of breath and it’s too much of a hassle to bring extra sets of shirt and running shoes every day.  I was thinking that instead of jogging I could walk around for a few minutes during lunch time.  I read an article somewhere that walking for 30 minutes every day does a great deal of good to avoid gaining weight.  That still leaves 30 minutes for me to eat and go back to the office and I don’t spend that much time eating so I think a 30-minute walk during lunch is feasible for me.

I’m lookng for alternatives.

A friend mentioned that walking up the stairs to work and talking a stroll a couple of blocks or so during lunch break as ways of getting some exercise at work.  I thought of other ways to sneak mini-work outs during working days, whether at work or at home.

At home, doing chores such as raking leaves and even cleaning the house could also be a form of exercise.  Gardening could also be done too.  Instead of asking a young man to do my chores for me I could do it myself.  Not only will I be using reserved energies but it’ll save me a few bucks since I don’t have to pay anyone to do something I could do myself.

At work, if I need to deliver a message to a co-worker, instead of sending an e-mail, I could walk over to his or her desk and have a little chat while I’m at it.  This way I could hit two birds with one stone, aside from giving my muscles the time to stretch, it also serves as a means to promote office relations with some of my co-workers.

Other ideas I’ve come up with include getting a pet dog, an active one preferably.  Playing with a dog could also provide some exercise and I could have fun in the process.  Having a pet dog means I have to take it out to walk, so I will have myself a walking partner.  A short 10 minute walk a day should do. I figured that even if these activities won’t be the same as a hitting the gym, little exercise is better than no exercise at all, right?

It would be nice if I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel… like if someone has pursued the facts already and sorted them out from the hype.

I did some more research on fat burners and found a few alarming facts.  Most fat burners contain herbs and other naturally occurring substances that manufacturers claim will eliminate fat.  I looked at the ingredients of some of the most popular brands of fat burners being sold today and checked what kinds of long term effects it may have on the body.

I’ve noticed these recurring ingredients in most fat burners in the market today:

•    Chitosan – this substance is found in exoskeletons of marine animals like shrimps and crabs. According to manufacturers, chitosan helps attract fat and remove it from the body through digestion.  Since chitosan works during digestion, the fat will not be absorbed by the body and will pass as waste product.  Well, I haven’t read an expert opinion that backs up those claims.  In fact, some are concerned that chitosan acts as a deterrent in the body’s absorption of carotenoids which is turned into Vitamin A.

•    Ehpedra – another popular ingredient in fat burners.  I’ve heard that ehpedra is actually a potent herb grown in China and has been used as a medicine since 3,000 BC by the Chinese.  Ancient China used ehpedra as a cure for asthma and the common cold.  One of the effects of this herb that caused me some degree of alarm was that it constricts blood vessels which increase the blood pressure.  I also found out that in 1994, the FDA received reports of ehpedra’s side effects which included irregular heart rate, seizures, stroke, heart attacks and even death. I want to lose weight but I don’t want my overall health to suffer in the process.

There are other ingredients in fat burners but these two are the most common.

Hopefully I’m just achy from the fall, and there is no lasting damage.

So much for the idea that being outside can make you live longer.  Not today anyway.

But seriously, at my age, I need to do everything I can in order for me to maintain a healthy body.  Regular exercise and proper diet are great ideas but health supplements can also play an important role to my goal.   Obesity during mid-life can cause a lot of health problems, the risk of certain diseases are higher since the body is slowing down.  According to some studies, most adults don’t get enough Vitamin D.  It is funny because Vitamin D is the easiest and cheapest Vitamin one person can acquire naturally; by sunlight.

I hardly go out to bask in the morning sunlight anymore.  Sitting around all day inside the office with glass windows prevents me from getting much needed sunlight.   Vitamin D, while technically not really a vitamin, has a plenty of benefits.   For one, it has been shown to reduce blood pressure, which seems to be looming over my head if I don’t get in shape soon.  Vitamin D also helps the body absorb more calcium which helps prevent the occurrence of rickets and other bone diseases.

Acquiring my daily dose of Vitamin D by getting some sunlight may seem such an easy task but with my work getting in the way, I have to get creative.  I suppose walking during lunch will also provide another benefit, aside from the activity itself by allowing me to get some rays.  Maybe I could also park a block or two away from our building and walk over there during morning.  Of course I have to regulate this habit of getting sun rays because there is the risk of me getting skin cancer if I’m not careful.

There sure are alot of folks out there making claims about things.

Clearly, technology has made our lives easier.  When was the last time we actually changed the TV channel without using the remote?

One of the upsides of technology is that it has allowed us to live convenient lives.  The downside is that it has made us lazy because now we have tools to make chores easier.  No wonder we’re so fat!  We have so many ways to get around doing physical, manual work.  We’re so used things moving at light speed, that even weight loss should be nigh-instantaneous so people resort to fat burners.
We’ve all seen it on numerous informercials before.  A supplement or drug that promises to burn fat away in a random amount of time.  The promised results are usually said to be seen within a few weeks after regular use.  Aside from melting the fat, these products are advertised as having the property to suppress appetite and/or increase the metabolism.  It may seem too good to be true, so do these products really work?

No one really knows for sure whether fat burners really work.  Some people may say it made some difference, with the results varying depending on individuals.  Of course, there will be skeptics, who say that it’s just a big scam and that these products might do more bad than good to our health.  It’s a good thing I didn’t jump on the fat burner bandwagon, I don’t want to take something hasn’t been totally proven to benefit my health.  Before I go taking these types of product, I’ll pay a visit to my doctor first.

The most recent thing to hit my radar is Starbucks.

This is one of those occassional pleasures I would just as soon not have to give up.

So I started looking in to it.

First I wondered if it might actually be good, like could it boost endurance?

I’ve never been a big addict of coffee, but I sure do drink it every now and then, but I can still function normally even if I haven’t taken a cup at the start of the day.  It’s not that I hate it; I just don’t get some people’s obsession about this drink.  So if I’m not into coffee, why am I writing about it?  Well, I recently learned that the caffeine in coffee not only wakes up the senses but could also boost a person’s endurance.

Some athletes actually take caffeine supplements before a running a marathon or training session.   It has been reported that caffeine affects the overall performance of endurance athletes by giving them staying power.  At first experts thought that it’s because of caffeine’s more well known ability to give an energy boost because it is a potent stimulant.  However, further research shows that caffeine deters the onset of central fatigue.  Central fatigue is a condition where the brain is not efficiently relaying its signal to the muscle which causes fatigue.  Come to think of it, I may have this condition since I often find myself out of breath.

Caffeine intake does not come without its risk.  Being a stimulant in nature, caffeine may cause restlessness and even heart palpitation if too much is taken.  After researching I’ve found out that the suitable amount of caffeine a person should take every day is around 3-6 milligrams per kilogram of the person’s body weight.  So if a person weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds), the recommended caffeine intake should be around 600 milligrams of coffee. So I think a couple of cups a day before working out shouldn’t be too much.

This is unacceptable.

I need to ask my buddy or look up how to cure this.

This blog is probably as much psychological as anything else.  We all have our issues, I suppose.

For me I’ve always hated my beer belly and would do anything to get rid of it.  Aside from working out, having a proper diet is one of the best way to lose some pounds.  All I know is that I have to eat less what I am taking in now in order for me to shave a few inches from my tummy.  I am not a big fan of rich and fatty foods but somehow, everything I eat always seems to end up in my belly.  Not to mention the calories from beers that I occasionally drink, occasionally used loosely in this case.  I almost never resist the temptation of drinking a few bottles of beer after work especially if a few of my co-workers ask me to drink with them.

I don’t know what’s wrong with my diet but I do know I need to change it.  I have to cut back on my weekly beer intake as well if I want to get in shape.  Of course, I have virtually no idea what kind of diet I should take, if I should take any at all.  If I recall correctly, a nutritionist is the right person I should visit and ask for advice regarding the type of diet I should have.  I don’t really know any nutritionist by name but I’m sure there’s at least one that works in the local hospital.  I just hope I can maintain the diet recommended by the nutritionist.

Not too complicated.

I’m hoping to share some of what I learn along the way about fitness, etc, although I should say I am a consumer not an expert.  Basically I’m just trying to fix myself, and if I write things down, maybe I will remember them better and motivate myself and also perhaps help someone else.

I am tired of being embarassed by my gut.  I am not comfortable taking my shirt off whenever someone else is in the same room as me that’s why when I rarely go to the beach.  I just don’t like what I see and I fear that people will be disgusted with how I look.  I’ve lived with this beer belly for as long as I can remember and I’m ready to part ways with it.  Even at my age, I know it’s still not too late.  I know there’s still something I can do to reduce, if not totally eliminate, my beer belly.

Initially, I thought of focusing on my tummy if I am to work out.  Sit ups and crunches are two of the types of exercise I know will help me.  I’m not trying to have washboard abs, I don’t need that and I don’t want to set my goals too high.  Anyway, I think I’ll start with doing at least 20 abdominal crunches everyday to get my body used to it.  I’m afraid I can’t push myself to do sit ups immediately with my tummy getting in the way and all and I’ve heard about people getting whiplashed because of incorrect execution.

I think I’ll start doing crunches early in the morning and as time goes by I’ll increase the repetition and maybe divide it into different sets, like the one done on TV.  I’ll try doing 10 this week, then 20 next week and so on.