Khanyisile Nkosi
Khanyisile Nkosi
Women, it seems, are their worst enemies when it comes to adopting a healthy-living lifestyle that will bring about positive change in their lives.
Mali Ramara, a personal trainer and sport nutritionist, says women often have more excuses than men for not exercising and eating healthily.
"Most women do not have the mental discipline to stick to an exercise rhythm or even healthy eating. Contributing factors are that women have more on their plates than men have. Besides laziness and hectic work schedules, women have to take care of the kids and hubby and this leads them to believe that they have no time for any other activity," says Ramara.
She says another thing holding women back from achieving desired bodies is that they think they need to go to the gym to exercise.
"Exercises can be done anywhere. What matters is how much effort is put into it. Women can incorporate exercises in their existing schedule and make it part of their lifestyle. All they need is 20 to 30 minutes a day," Ramara says.
How to do it
Find 30 minutes in your daily schedule and spread it into 10 minutes throughout the day.
Choose an activity that you enjoy most, such as walking, jogging or dancing. The important thing is to work up the sweat and get the heart to pump faster than normal to help burn excess fat.
When you clean the house or sweep the floor do it consciously. Move your arms, accelerate your movements to work up the sweat.
When playing with the kids, run after them. Do this for about 10 minutes or until you sweat.
How to do it at work:
Buy a speedometer that measures how many steps you take a day. Ten thousand steps is equivalent to 30 minutes of walking.
Spread the 30 minutes into 10 minutes. This is how you do it to make up the 10000 steps:
Park your car very far from the entrance and walk to your office;
Use the stairs instead of lifts.
Instead of taking a smoke break, take a walking break.
When walking to the taxi rank on your way home, walk consciously. Move your arms and increase your walking pace. It will help you burn fat and reduce stress.
For people who have a gym membership, there are people at the gym who are paid to help you achieve your goal. Ask them for a 30 minutes work-out programme.
Drink plenty of water and have a healthy eating programme.
For questions on nutrition and healthy living, e-mail Khanyi at nkosik@sowetan.co.za
Dance or jog to health
Khanyisile Nkosi
Khanyisile Nkosi
Women, it seems, are their worst enemies when it comes to adopting a healthy-living lifestyle that will bring about positive change in their lives.
Mali Ramara, a personal trainer and sport nutritionist, says women often have more excuses than men for not exercising and eating healthily.
"Most women do not have the mental discipline to stick to an exercise rhythm or even healthy eating. Contributing factors are that women have more on their plates than men have. Besides laziness and hectic work schedules, women have to take care of the kids and hubby and this leads them to believe that they have no time for any other activity," says Ramara.
She says another thing holding women back from achieving desired bodies is that they think they need to go to the gym to exercise.
"Exercises can be done anywhere. What matters is how much effort is put into it. Women can incorporate exercises in their existing schedule and make it part of their lifestyle. All they need is 20 to 30 minutes a day," Ramara says.
How to do it
Find 30 minutes in your daily schedule and spread it into 10 minutes throughout the day.
Choose an activity that you enjoy most, such as walking, jogging or dancing. The important thing is to work up the sweat and get the heart to pump faster than normal to help burn excess fat.
When you clean the house or sweep the floor do it consciously. Move your arms, accelerate your movements to work up the sweat.
When playing with the kids, run after them. Do this for about 10 minutes or until you sweat.
How to do it at work:
Buy a speedometer that measures how many steps you take a day. Ten thousand steps is equivalent to 30 minutes of walking.
Spread the 30 minutes into 10 minutes. This is how you do it to make up the 10000 steps:
Park your car very far from the entrance and walk to your office;
Use the stairs instead of lifts.
Instead of taking a smoke break, take a walking break.
When walking to the taxi rank on your way home, walk consciously. Move your arms and increase your walking pace. It will help you burn fat and reduce stress.
For people who have a gym membership, there are people at the gym who are paid to help you achieve your goal. Ask them for a 30 minutes work-out programme.
Drink plenty of water and have a healthy eating programme.
For questions on nutrition and healthy living, e-mail Khanyi at nkosik@sowetan.co.za