Fat or Fit

Appearances are deceptive. This is especially true when declaring someone fat or fit. A person who�s overweight but athletic can be fit than someone who�s thin but does not exercise. In spite of the notion that weight loss is the ultimate reason to work out, exercise offers other important health benefits. Exercise is helpful whether you lose weight or not. High fitness levels are correlated with overall health. It's not unusual, in fact, to come across recreational joggers who may be in fantastic shape despite the extra 15 pounds they appear to carry. The reason they don't look as lean as, say, athletes or runners, is not because they're unfit, but because their workouts are less intense and frequent, and because they probably don�t adhere to the type of strict nutritional regimen often required of athletes. To better understand why people who are overweight can still be athletic, let us break down the components of fitness itself: endurance, strength and flexibility.

1. Endurance
Some people are just natural athletes with stronger hearts and lungs despite the fact that they might be overweight. From marathon runners to swimmers and those who play team sports, there are plenty of people who are fit in a cardiovascular sense, even if they can't claim low body fat percentage.

2. Strength
Carrying extra weight in the form of fat doesn't preclude having strong muscles. Some of the most powerful athletes in the world -- sumo wrestlers for example -- can cruise through a serious weight workout that would be impossible for most of us.

3. Flexibility
Weight doesn't have a direct affect on flexibility unless a person's size makes it mechanically impossible to stretch the muscles they wish to train. Inactivity is much more likely to prevent good flexibility than will a few extra kilos. You will probably now understand why we make assumptions based on what we can see, which is the weight, rather than what we can't (their strength, endurance and flexibility).

Unfortunately, fitness assessments are based almost exclusively on appearance perception. Always remember if you're not currently exercising, you're not optimizing your health, regardless of how much you weigh.

What is a Balanced Diet

Balancing your meals can be tough. For a balanced diet requires you to eat all the nutrients in the right proportion to meet the requirements of your body. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals constitute the five main nutrients of food. You get these nutrients from the food you eat. You need to know how to get the right amount of of each -- either too little or too much can be harmful. When your body gets an adequate supply of these five nutrients in the right proportion, you are eating a balanced diet.

A balanced diet can be achieved by blending the different food groups: cereals and pulses, vegetables and fruits, milk and milk products and oils and fats.

Cereals & Pulses: Wheat and rice are the two commonly eaten cereals. These should be taken in sufficient quantity as they are a rich source of protein and various other vitamins and minerals.
Lentils, dals and gram form the pulse group and are a rich source of protein, and Vitamin B complex. Complement pulses with cereals and your protein needs are taken care of.

Vegetables & Fruits: Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek, mustard leaves and other vegetables such as potato and lady finger should be consumed adequately. You get a lot of vitamin A, B and C and minerals such as calcium and iron from these. No wonder, vegetables are considered to be a potent health tonic that keep you healthy.
Like vegetables, eat fruits daily as they are concentrated sources of vitamin A,B, and C. Remember the childhood saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It's true.

Milk & milk products: Milk is one food that provides you with all the nutrients in a balanced proportion. So you need to drink milk everyday. Besides, consume milk products like paneer, that are rich in protein.

Fats & Oils: Fats are a concentrated source of energy for you and you should include both saturated and unsaturated fats in your diet. Though be careful to eat fats within limits, as an excess of these can be harmful.

Other foods such as meat, chicken, fish and eggs provide you with an ample quantity of proteins, vitamins and minerals such as iron. For a non-vegetarian diet, substitute the pulse group with the meat group but always prefer white meat over red meat.

Nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physical activity and thus there can be no one universal balanced diet. However, according to the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, a balanced diet should provide 60-70 per cent of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably starch, about 10-12 per cent from proteins and 20-25 per cent from fat. Such a combination will give maximum efficiency to the organism as a whole. In addition, a balanced diet should provide other non-nutrients such as dietary fibre and antioxidants which result in positive health benefits.

Saying No to Snacking

Do you feel hungry even after you have had your lunch or dinner? You go sneaking into the kitchen or peep into the refrigerator to look for something to munch on. This uncontrollable desire to snack, irrespective of the fact that you have just eaten a full meal, has left you bursting at the seams. No matter how much you try, you can't get over that urge to snack. Well, if you are in this situation, then this article is a must for you. Here are some easy-to-do tips that will help you fight snacking:

• Think about your hunger. If you are feeling hungry, don't just start walking towards the kitchen. Think about your hunger. Ask yourself are you really hungry. If your answer is yes, then the possible reason for your hunger is that you ate an incomplete meal and hence now you are hungry. If this is the case, then have a light snack like an apple but do not overstuff yourself and feel guilty later on. However, if you have eaten a full meal, then ask yourself why do you want to munch? Are you tired, bored, lonely or in a habit of snacking? If you are tired, relax; if you are bored, watch a movie or read a book; if you are lonely, call up a friend and if you snack out of habit, then try to forget about it and divert your mind.
• Remain busy all the time. Boredom is the main cause for snacking. Learn new activities and remain occupied with them. You could involve yourself in some productive activities like letter writing, gardening, reading, cleaning the house etc and keep your mind off food.
• Close the kitchen. This is a good technique to keep your mind off food. After your main meal shut the kitchen door. You will automatically turn back seeing the kitchen closed.
• Set your eating guidelines. You can create your own guidelines like never to eat while watching television or while talking over the phone, eating only at the dining table and at fixed times. This will enable you to eat your meal with concentration and not leave you hungry later on.
• Drink water. If you are feeling hungry, drink a glass of water. Water has the ability to fill you up. This will lessen your urge to have a snack.
• Clear your house of high calorie snacks. Remove all tempting snacks such as chips and biscuits from your kitchen shelves. Instead, stock your fridge with various fruits and vegetables and munch on these when you are really hungry. By eating such foods you will not be guilty about adding extra calories.

Choose what method suits you best, follow that religiously and you will soon find yourself saying no to snacks.