Fitness: Wholegrain & Healthy Choices

At The Marriott today where I was having brunch with a few bloggers, my leaner face received welcome compliments. After a week of reducing rice and pumping up on fruits - I am surprised the difference is quick to be noticed. I am not new to healthy eating, I was a fitness nazi just a few years ago, ate healthy whole grains, went to the gym, and practiced yoga.



All thanks to this show I watched called "10 days to a new you", I remembered how a few healthy choices can make you look and feel better in 10 days or less - in my case, it was just 5 days.



So thanks to the nice words I received, I am more than ever committed to reclaiming the fitness nazi title. I went to Rustan's today and bought a few more items to keep me on track:

• Wholegrain bread

• Wholegrain pasta - in case I crave spaghetti

• Tuna in water - to make wholegrain tuna sandwiches with

• Jacob's Hi-Calcium Vegetable Cracker - a lot of celebs raving about it on Twitter, so I thought I'll give it a try

• 2 kilos of Papaya fruit - Me and my son love eating fruits now, especially after meals and for snacks.

• Salmon sashimi - for my Omega 3 needs, the good fat!

My partner says he'll run with me if I run every morning, the problem is I haven't gotten to buying a new pair of running shoes. Plus, I hate waking up too early - 6AM?! Although I was running way back in college, I dearly hope I get the drive to run again.

Losing Weight with Tuna

First off, a healthy disclaimer - the following are my personal ways of losing weight by consuming a healthy amount of tuna. Before using the information below, seek your doctor's approval :)


The sexiest stays sexy with San Marino Tuna

Tuna is packed with protein, a 150g serving can contain up to 6-9 grams. This is about a cup of tuna which are readily available in can. Protein as a muscle builder, makes it easier to lose weight because more muscles mean more calories burned per activity. Tuna also has less calories at around 60 calories per serving compared to other protein sources like meat. Personally, the more tuna I consume, the less I crave other types of food like sweets or desserts. It satisfies the stomach quickly and is digested periodically by the stomach.

Here are ways to lose weight with tuna:


1. Quick Tuna Sandwich in the morning - if you want to go fast and easy, grab an egg - separate the whites and pour it in a microwave safe bowl. Add your desired amount of tuna, dash a bit of pepper and salt. Pop it in the microwave in low for about a minute. Scrape the egg which would now have the tuna in it in a round shape. Place in between wheat bread and enjoy!

2. Replace rice with tuna - there are tuna variants without any flavor and you can replace rice with a cup of tuna. Consume your viand as usual, as you would with rice. This will lessen your carb intake while increasing your protein sources.

3. Or, eat your rice with tuna - if you simply cannot fathom giving up rice, mixing it with protein such as tuna will already make it healthier. The proper serving of rice is no more than a cup. There are tasty canned tuna that goes well with rice such as the new corned tuna by San Marino. San Marino corned tuna also comes in chili flavor which is more enjoyable to eat than just plain tuna. The Omega 3 content of San Marino corned tuna is 390mg more which will help in preventing heart disease and heart attacks. I find that San Marino tuna also has less oil and simply more tuna in every can.


Stock up and eat straight from the can!

Eat your tuna after a rigorous activity or exercise, your muscles will absorb them even faster for ultimate muscle building and calorie burning power.

Measure Up and Lose the Fat

Want to lose weight but don't know where to start? It may sound daunting but measuring up is a good motivation to a healthy, hotter you. At the Julius Maggi Kitchen, together with Nestle's Wellness Team - everyone was taught how to measure their Body Mass Index (BMI) and know about their current body shape.



The Body Mass Index (BMI) measures your weight in relation to your height. Through the BMI, you can see if your weight falls under nomal, obese, or underweight. As much as all of us would like to be underweight like a supermodel - being in the normal scale spells wellness which leads to a longer and happier life.

Download Nestle's BMI Calculator

Are you an Apple or a Pear?


The ideal waist circumference for women is below 31 inches.

Download Nestle's Test Belt or divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. If your score is .80 or above you are an apple, if your score is below .80 you are a pear. If you are an "apple-shape", you tend to store fat in your abdomen and you are more prone to heart disease and diabetes. You are a "pear-shape" if you store fat in your thighs and hips and you are prone to osteoporosis, varicose veins, and eating disorders.


Wellness Warriors: Lester, Jaymie, Au, Lace (not me), and Chef Tess

Now that you know your numbers, you are on a better road to wellness. Don't lose hope if your abdomen seems not to get any smaller. It is the last to go and the first to return (bummer). It's a good idea to measure yourself along the way, to see if you are doing the right fitness and diet regimen. Learn more and be guided on your little steps to wellness (and a hot body) by visiting choosewellnes.com.ph

Stressed? Go Bananas!

Who would not be stressed when the recession is affecting our lives including our closets? Here's a cheap and healthy way to get out of the rut - bananas!

If you don't know yet, bananas are big in Japan now because of a new diet fad called Banana Diet. Japanese girls are literally going bananas after an actress lost a lot of weight just by eating one banana every morning with a glass of room temperature water. Interestingly, a lot of Americans are also taking anti-stress vitamins whose component is found in bananas. Time to put bananas on the limelight!

Bananas are big in vitamin B6 and Potassium. A single serving of banana can give you 41% recommended Daily Value of vitamin B6 that allows your body to efficiently break down protein, fats and carbohydrates - thus, releasing energy when you feel under the weather. After all, we feel stressed when we have to do a lot more but don't have enough energy to do so.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

Vitamin B6 in Bananas also helps keep the immune system strong and your hormones balanced while allowing your blood to carry more oxygen to your tissues and organs including your brain. Hence, allowing your entire body to take a breather ~whew~

Aside from stress relief and weight loss, eating bananas can make your skin clearer. Studies show that Vitamin B6 that are found in bananas can fight off acne, carpal tunnel syndrome , and depression.

Potassium on the other hand, helps maintain healthy blood pressure and prevents hypertension. It's also used to treat patients who feel weak and lack energy. Bananas have 23% recommend Daily Value of Potassium.

So, aside from an apple a day, add one banana a day too! Not only would you eliminate stress but you'll also score a healthy, head-turning body.