Disclaimer No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including printing, scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. The Author has strived in every way to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this book, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within the book are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the subject. While all attempts have been made to verify every piece of information provided in this publication, the Author assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter present in this th is book. Please note that any guidelines or advice given hereof are not a substitute to medical advice. You agree to use some or all of the information given in this book at your own risk. The Author will not be responsible for any injury that may result by following the advice given in this book. If you are under medication or have doubts following the advice given here, consult your doctor without delay!
Disclaimer No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including printing, scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. The Author has strived in every way to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this book, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within the book are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the subject. While all attempts have been made to verify every piece of information provided in this publication, the Author assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter present in this th is book. Please note that any guidelines or advice given hereof are not a substitute to medical advice. You agree to use some or all of the information given in this book at your own risk. The Author will not be responsible for any injury that may result by following the advice given in this book. If you are under medication or have doubts following the advice given here, consult your doctor without delay!
Table of Contents Introduction: A Must Read Story ....................................................... ............................................................................. ...................................... ................ 7 Chapter # 1: Weight Loss – Traditional Style ...................... ............................................. .............................................. ............................ ..... 14 What Does BMI Mean? .................................... .......................................................... ............................................ ........................................... .....................14 How to Calculate and Interpret BMI ................................... ......................................................... ........................................... .....................14 What Is Muscle Mass and Body Fat Percentage?....................................................... Percentage?.......................................................... ... 15 How to Calculate Muscle Mass and Fat Percentage .................... ........................................... ................................ ......... 16 Diets and Exercise: The Most Common Methods of Weight Loss .......................... ............................. ... 17 Common Exercises that are Associated with Weight Loss (General ( General Knowledge) .. 17 Most Common Types of Weight Loss Diets D iets (General Knowledge) ........................... ........................... 21 Weight Loss Exercises That You Should Avoid .......................................... ........................................................... .................25 Weight Loss Diets That Tha t Are Extremely Harmful.......................................................... Harmful..........................................................26 Chapter # 2: Dangers Hiding in the Gym ............................ ................................................... .............................................. ............................ ..... 29 1.
Increase in the DHEA Levels......................................... Levels............................................................... ........................................... .....................29
2.
Cardiovascular Issues.......................................... ................................................................ ............................................ ................................ ..........30
3.
Muscle Breakdown .......................................... ................................................................ ............................................ .................................... .............. 31
4.
Tendonitis........................................... .................................................................. ............................................. ............................................. ............................ ..... 31
5. Joint Pain ......................... ................................................ ............................................. ............................................ ............................................. ........................... 32 6.
Immune System Impairment...................... Impairment ............................................. .............................................. ....................................... ................33
7.
No Balance in Body Fat and Muscle Mass ............................................ ............................................................. .................33
8.
Hiatal Hernia ............................................. ................................................................... ............................................ ........................................... ..................... 34
Chapter # 3: Spartan Solution for Weight Loss and Healthy He althy Lifestyle ................................... ................................... 35 Why Is Exercise Important? ....................................... ............................................................. ............................................ ................................ .......... 36 Understanding the Spartan Exercising Schedule
37
The Common Mistake You Might Be Making In the Gym ......................................... 39 1.
Not Exercising with Proper Intensity...................................................................... 40
2.
Overdoing Your Workout......................................................................................... 40
3.
Spot-Based Training .................................................................................................. 40
4.
Training at Fat Burning Heart Rate Zone ...............................................................41
5.
Following the Same Program ................................................................................... 41
6.
Using Wrong Exercising Techniques ...................................................................... 42
7.
Not Estimating the Caloric Expenditure Properly ................................................ 42
8.
Socializing Too Much ................................................................................................ 42
The Spartan exercise regimen ..........................................................................................43 Marathon Running: A Tradition Set in the Ancient Greek History ........................... 67 Chapter # 4: Meal Adjustments to Match Your Spartan Exercise Schedule .......................... 71 A Quick Introduction to Antioxidants ...........................................................................72 About the High Antioxidants Diet .................................................................................74 Chapter #5) Aging before Your Time – Causes, Effects and Solutions ................................... 81 Causes of Aging ................................................................................................................. 81 The Effects of Aging .......................................................................................................... 83 How to Fight Aging the Right Way ................................................................................ 85 Chapter # 6: Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss and Anti-Aging ............................................. 89 Breakfast Recipes...............................................................................................................91 1) Raw Nuts, Almonds and Oatmeal ......................................................................... 91 2) Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal ....................................................................................92 3) Veggie Quinoa Breakfast .........................................................................................93 4) Pizza Potatoes ............................................................................................................ 94
5) Toast with Maple Syrup and Strawberry Delight ................................................ 95 6) Apple Cobbler ........................................................................................................... 97 7) Pike Place Market Salad ........................................................................................... 98 Lunch Recipes ..................................................................................................................100 1) Artichoke and Sweet Potato .................................................................................. 100 2) Chicken with Vegetables ....................................................................................... 101 3) Stuffed Red Bell Peppers ....................................................................................... 102 4) Rajma Masala ..........................................................................................................104 5) Red Kidney Bean Soup .......................................................................................... 106 6) Bacon and Pinto Beans ........................................................................................... 107 7) Mediterranean Beef ................................................................................................ 108 Dinner Recipes .................................................................................................................109 1) Spring Vegetable Stew ...........................................................................................109 2) Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Salad ...................................................................... 111 3) Bell Pepper Soup ..................................................................................................... 112 4) Spicy Beans .............................................................................................................. 113 5) Stuffed Potatoes with Artichokes ......................................................................... 114 6) Turkey Breast with Oven-Roasted Potatoes ....................................................... 115 7) Mexican Beans .........................................................................................................116 Drinks Recipes ................................................................................................................. 118 1) Power Smoothie ...................................................................................................... 118 2) Blueberry Smoothie ................................................................................................ 118 3) Banana Smoothie .................................................................................................... 119 4) Cherry Limeade ...................................................................................................... 120
Dessert Recipes ................................................................................................................120 1) Baked Apples with Dry Fruits .............................................................................. 120 2) Pomegranate Poached Pears ................................................................................. 122 3) Blueberry Pomegranate Fruit Salad ..................................................................... 123 4) Winter Kompot ....................................................................................................... 124 Chapter # 7: Do’s and Don’ts for a Healthy Lifestyle ........................................................... 126
1.
Respect Your Meal Schedule .................................................................................. 126
2.
Adopt the Right Way of Eating.............................................................................. 127
3.
Avoid Too Many Snacks between Meals ..............................................................127
4.
Keep Away From too Many Liquids..................................................................... 128
5.
Do Not Overdo Your Exercises .............................................................................. 129
6.
Believe in the Power of Positive Thinking ........................................................... 130
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 133
“The walls of Sparta were its young men and its borders , the points of their spears”
King Agesilaus II of Sparta (444 – 360 B.C.)
Introduction: A Must Read Story Do you know what “agōgē is? We thought so. This Greek word refers to the rigorous education
and
training
regimen
mandated for all male Spartan citizens, except for the firstborn son in the ruling houses, Eurypontid and Agiad. The following is a brief history of the agōgē , which is crucial if you are to understand what excessive physical exercise can do to your body. The classical agōgē embraces males aged 7-29. There were three stages – the
paidĕs , paidiskoi, and hēbōntĕs , probably representing ages 7 –17, 18–19, and 20–29 respectively. The paides were trained in austerity, obedience, and mock battles by older youth with companies, subdivided into herds of age-mates with their own internal leadership. The paidiskoi were army reservists and participants in the krypteia, the state institution, where they could test their skills and prove themselves worthy. The hebontes joined the syssitia and army. They were allowed to marry, but remained in barrack life, competing for places among the 300 hippeis, i.e. meaning members of the royal guard of honor that consisted of 300 men under the age of 30. The year is around 500 BC. Sparta has subjugated most of the neighboring Messenia, and its population serves Spartan interest, becoming the largest city-state in Greece with a major political influence.
The newborns boys were washed in wine in order to make sure that they become strong. They were later brought before the elders, who would carefully examine them for deformities or weak nesses. If any ‘physical imperfection’ was found, the baby was thrown into Kaiada, a chiasm at a cliff of the mount Taygetos. Tyrtaeus, Greek lyric poet, writes: Here is courage, mankind’s finest possession, here is
the noblest prize that a young man can endeavor to win, and it is a good thing his city and all the people share with him when a man plants his feet and stands in the foremost spears relentlessly, all thought of foul flight completely forgotten, and has well trained his heart to be steadfast and to endure, and with words encourages the man who is stationed beside him. Here is a man who proves himself to be valiant in war…
The way Spartans were made ‘valiant in war’ has come to be despised in the modern times. Austerity, rigorous exercises, and lack of emotions are traits now looked down upon by modern civilizations. Even young boys were drilled in exercises like gymnastics, running, jumping, spear and discus throws, all the while enduring pain, hunger, thirst, cold, fatigue, and lack of sleep. They walked without shoes, bathed at the cold waters of the river Eurotas, and were dressed during the winter and the summer with the same piece of cloth provided by the state once a year. And, though the Mediterranean climate is rather mild, the average temperature in January is around 48.2 Fahrenheit degrees. We simply cannot fathom what these young men went through. We use blankets when we sleep, we are not forced to sleep on top of straws and reeds, we go to hypermarkets, fast foods and restaurants and treat ourselves with the meals that we crave for. Not to mention there are dozens of textiles used for clothing, and we buy the most comfortable furniture ever invented from IKEA, Ashley Furniture Industries or Crate and Barrel Store. The young Spartans on the other hand were encouraged to steal food to compensate for the meager portion received and then punished if they were caught. Talking about health care, modern technology allows us to virtually add years to our lives. Take a look at this graphic, showing us the average lifespan over centuries:
Average Life Span 20 Bronze Age
26 28 27 27
Clasic Rome Medieval Islamic Caliphate
35
30 32 31
Early modern Britain World average 2010
67.2 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
According to the data presented by the Berkley University, the life expectancy at birth in the US shows a significant increase over the last century:
Life Expectancy at Birth in the U.S. 1900 - 2010, per gender 90 80 70 60 50
46.3
74.7 73.1 71.1 67.1 66.6 65.2 65.6 61.6 60.8 54.6 58.1 51.8 53.6 48.3 48.4
78.8
77.4 70
71.8
79.9 74.3
81.1 76.2
40
Women Men
30 20 10 0
0 0
Year 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 To sum up, we have everything to satisfy our physical needs. Speaking of needs, remember Abraham Harold Maslow, American psychologist who, in 1943, described human needs as ordered in a prepotent hierarchy – a pressing need to be mostly satisfied before being attentive to a higher need?
Here is a graphic representation of Maslow’s pyramid of needs:
John Stuart Mill, British philosopher who lived in the 19 th century, took a different approach and discussed the conception of liberty, the need for freedom, and individual expression. Mill considered that besides the physiological needs, conceptualized by Maslow over a century later, people crave for things that make
them distinct from other beings. “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied, than a pig satisfied”, Mills wrote. That is why we not only aspire to fulfill our physical needs, but we also want to be loved, we feel the need of being beautiful, we want to be acknowledged by others, and to reach our highest potential in life. This is the subject of this book. As you will continue reading, you will find the effective techniques for increasing your lifespan by avoiding several serious conditions and becoming more youthful and attractive in the process. The exercises described in this book are inspired by the Spartans, but are adapted to our modern needs. The Spartans used to live well until their 60s and 70s (if they were not killed at birth or in the war), while the life expectancy at birth for the American men reached the 70s threshold in the 1970s. Something is wrong here. This happens because, in a world of McDonalds and Hollywood, we frequently eat fast food that is full of additives, but inspired by our favorite celebs, we make it a point to visit the gym once, twice or three times a week to stay fit and beautiful. Nothing can be more disastrous for your health!
Returning to the Ancient Greece, Plato defined the so called “golden proportions” in which, among others, the width of an ideal face would be two thirds its length, while a nose would be no longer than the distance between the eyes. Symmetry is important even today, though the definition of beauty changes almost after every decade.
Here is a painting of Marie Antoinette, by Joseph Ducreux.
As a portrait painter, pastelist, miniaturist, and engraver, Ducreaux achieved great success. He was even hired by the court of Louis XVI of France. Here is his painting of Marie Antoinette in 1769. We may not consider her to be attractive today, but Marie Antoinette, queen of France for almost 20 years, set the standard for beauty at that time. We would say that her shoulders are deformed, as we know that she was wearing a girdle that changed the formation of her bones and even her organs. If you think people were crazy back then, then think again. People are crazy even today when it comes to being physically attractive. So much so that for the sake of being admired by others, we disregard our well-being, forgetting that living well until an old age allows us to enjoy all the happiness in the world. In a similar way, the physical attractiveness stereotype is a term used by psychologists to refer to the belief that people who are physically attractive also possess other socially desirable personality traits. So while men turn their heads to see a beautiful woman on the street, that woman prefers men with defined ‘manly’ features .
This also ‘inspires’ some men to achieve the bodybuilder physique. But when done without due deliberation, resistance training ends up destroying your body, causing
premature aging, and depleting your energy. Not to mention the muscle pain, sprains, pulled muscles, hernias, inflammation, and soreness that these exercise cause. And as mentioned before, most of the time you go to the gym to make up for the fast food you had with some friends a few days ago. You are hurting yourself trying to lose weight and defining your muscular structure by using an unhealthy method. In the following chapters, you will learn how to combat the effects of weight gaining and becoming more attractive while also reducing the risk of serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart attack, strokes. Throughout the book, keep a look out for this attention button. This provides short recaps of the things you must to do to lose weight to make sure you have not skipped anything. Your wellbeing is our concern, so we want to avoid any confusion in presenting our strategy for a living a long, healthy life. Good luck!
Chapter # 1: Weight Loss – Traditional Style Becoming aware of what you are doing wrong is as important as learning what to do right. This makes it important that you first understand the methods used for weight loss nowadays, and why they can be extremely harmful for you. There are several methods that are adopted today traditionally for achieving the required level of fitness, including a number of exercises and a combination of carefully picked dietary items. In this traditional weight loss manner, the measure of your Body Mass Index counts for a lot, so that is the first thing you need to learn about.
What Does BMI Mean? BMI is a measure of your body weight in relation to your height. A simple measure of your weight is not enough to tell whether you are healthy or not. However, when calculated in relation to your height, it gives a clearer idea of your health. Taller people usually weigh more than short people but you will not call them unhealthy because their weight is justified by their height.
How to Calculate and Interpret BMI The easiest formula to calculate BMI is: =
Weight in Pound Height in Inches ∗ Height in Inches
∗ 703
The result you get from this calculation can be categorized into four key areas including:
Obese – If your BMI is 30 or higher, you fall in this category.
Overweight – You will be in this category if your BMI score lies between 25 and 29.5.
Healthy Weight – You are said to have a healthy weight when your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Underweight – If your BMI is below 18.5, this is how you are classified.
However, this factor still does not account for other factors like your built, ethnicity and age, all of which can be imperative in determining whether your weight can be regarded healthy or not.
What Is Muscle Mass and Body Fat Percentage? Muscle mass represents the total weight of muscles in your body, but also includes the weight of organs, water and bone tissues. Muscle mass percentage, also known as lean body mass, determines how much of your body weight is due to lean mass and how much weight is due to body fat. Body fat percentage, on the other hand, tells you how much of your weight is because of the fat in your body. The sum of lean body mass and body fat weight makes up the total weight of your body. While it is true that body fat percentage should be low for a healthy lifestyle, it should not be less than the essential fat requirement. The essential body fat percentage for
women is 8 to 12 percent while the limit for men is 3 to 5 percent. If your body fat percentage is higher than this, you have storage fat, which is again necessary to a certain extent. However, if total body fat percentage exceeds 25% for men and 32% for women, you are on the borderline of obesity.
How to Calculate Muscle Mass and Fat Percentage Another important calculation you can make with regards to finding out your ideal weight is calculating your lean body mass. This can be calculated in two different steps, which are: Weight of Body Fat = Total Body Weight * Body Fat Percentage Lean Body Mass = Total Body Weight – Weight of Body Fat For taking these measurements, you need to be aware of your body fat percentage (BFP), which you can easily monitor at home in a number of ways. The least common method of keeping track of your BFP is using a body fat scale. Since the equipment is large and somewhat expensive, its use in often restricted to labs and hospitals. A bioelectrical impedance analysis is another way to measure BFP where a minor electric pulse is run through your body. The fat percentage is calculated through the resistance recorded in your body. The most cost-effective and accurate method however, is the skin-fold measurement. You just have to pinch and pull a fold of skin from your body and measure its thickness using a pair of calipers. To make the measurement more accurate, take a pinch of skin fold at different locations on your body. Digital calipers will directly display the BFP figure. In case of manual calipers, you will have to calculate the percentage using the formula given in the manual that comes with the calipers. Calculating lean body mass helps you keep better track of your weight loss regimen, telling you how much fat your body is losing. If your body is losing mass instead of fat, you are following a dangerous routine that can be harmful for you.
Together, the BMI and lean body mass give a much better idea of your health compared to simply calculating your weight without accounting for any other factors.
Diets and Exercise: The Most Common Methods of Weight Loss People who are weight-conscious do a lot of things to shed off the extra pounds from their body. However, two of the most common practices that have been adopted by people over the years for weight loss are exercise and dieting. While people do find them effective, they do not turn out to be the healthiest option for many in the long run if they do not select their exercise and diet routine properly. There are certain common exercises and diet schedules that most people take up when they want to lose weight and the most common of these options are mentioned here.
Common Exercises that are Associated with Weight Loss (General Knowledge)
Walking convenient
– The
easiest
exercise
that
and can
most be
recommended for weight loss is walking. You can go for a walk when you have time and you can even take a friend or family member along with you to have a good time while you are exercising. Walking is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that can burn as much as 500 calories in an hour. It is recommended that those new to walking should start slowly. Letting their muscles adapt to the exercise before they make it too demanding.
Running/Jogging – Once you are used to walking and want to work out with something more intense, running and jogging can be the next step for you. It is a complete full-body workout that only requires you to buy a single piece of
equipment; a pair of good running shoes. Running is also known to improve your endurance level, stamina and metabolism while helping you get rid of extra pounds you have gained. However, it is always recommended that you start running slowly as running too fast can put a lot of strain on your heart which it will not be used to. Focus more on distance than speed. But, there is a downside to running: you are breaking muscles and while your organism is busy rebuilding them, you become a victim to age-causing free radicals that invade your body. You should be proper informed if you are fond of running.
Swimming – Swimming can be counted as a high-result, but low-impact exercise that can help you burn a lot of calories in little time. More importantly, swimming is known to be one of the best exercises that can bring your body into shape, toning your muscles perfectly. There are different types of strokes you can try when you swim, which is a good way to give your body a challenge and a change in activity. It is a good way to exercise all your muscles and bring a noticeable change in your fitness levels after a few laps in the pool. The downside to swimming is similar to the one associated with running. Spending too much time swimming could transform you into a victim of age-causing free radicals.
Dancing – A fun way to lose weight that is often taken up by people is dancing. Just like walking and running, dancing can also help increase your stamina and endurance level as it is another excellent cardiovascular exercise. The change in routines and rhythms that come with dancing ensures that all your body muscles are exercised regularly, not putting too much strain on one single muscle and proving to be a full body workout. To make it more fun, you can try
your hand at different dance styles. Remember just not to exaggerate while dancing. Start with simple dane styles and don’t push yourself too much.
Cycling – Another cardiovascular activity you can consider, once you have a good stamina, is cycling. However, if you are getting started with exercise after a long time of keeping your muscles at rest, it would be better to walk or run first before you start cycling as this can be a tenuous activity. Once you have enough endurance, you can cycle without getting tired and this activity can give you a lot of motivation through the competitive sports events held in cycling. Yet, cycling can be worse than running – your feet muscles are under pressure more than the rest of the body and you are constantly harming them when cycling for a longer time.
Aerobics – Aerobic exercises are also
used as a weight loss method by most people. Aerobics exercises can be a mix of cardiovascular training along with resistance and strength workout. There are several different types of aerobics programs that are currently offered by fitness trainers, and you can even get them to offer a custom program tailored especially to your needs. However, these programs can have varying levels of success, and if not chosen carefully or not done under proper supervision, they can often result in injuries and other accidents. So, although associated with weight loss, try to stay away from aerobics.
Push-Ups – While push-ups are usually associated with strength training, they are also sometimes used for weight loss. However, they are not the best exercise you can pick since push-ups only affect your upper body and abdominal
muscles. Moreover, push-ups can give you a somewhat beefed-up appearance that you might not be looking for. It is recommended that push-ups are reserved for strength training instead of weight loss. This means you should avoid push-ups if you care about both your physical aspect and health.
Crunches, Lunges and Squats – All these three exercises target specific body areas, namely abdominal muscles, thigh muscles and leg muscles respectively. In most cases, you will be recommended to add weight to these exercises once you are used to them to make them more effective. In any case, they need to be practiced under proper supervision before you add weight to the training. If you start using weights with a wrong posture, you can end up with serious injuries or long-term muscle pain. These exercises must be avoided, since they are dangerous and can have terrible side effects.
Resistance Training – Resistance training is one of the most used programs for weight loss nowadays, mainly because it is known to burn calories at an alarmingly high rate. It can be divided into different categories such as strength training and weight training. It is also said that resistance training makes you lose calories round the clock no matter what you are doing. However, the fact is that resistance training comes with a number of long-term side effects that can affect you if you are not careful when exercising with weights. Moreover, the risk of pain and injuries in resistance training is quite high, which means it is not the best option for weight loss you can go for. Stay away from resistance training!
Interval Training – Interval training includes all sorts of exercises, but they are all done at varied pace for a specific time period. For instance, if you are walking or running, you can start slow and keep a normal pace for five or ten minutes. Then, you can increase the pace or intensity of your workout for a few minutes, returning to the normal pace. This pattern can be repeated several times over the course of your workout. It is believed that the change in pace
suddenly results in burning more calories, leading to fast weight loss. But, as
we wrote down, “it is believed”, it’s not a certainty, so don’t lose your time with this.
Most Common Types of Weight Loss Diets (General Knowledge)
Mediterranean Diet – A Southern
European diet, the Mediterranean diet focuses on the diet of people living in that region. Therefore, the emphasis of this diet is more on plant-based foods, fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, cereals and olive oil. For fats, this diet relies on sources like yogurt and cheese. A little bit of meat, poultry, fish and eggs is also added per week. In the whole diet, the proportion of saturated fat does not exceed 8%. The costs of the ingredients necessary for the Mediterranean Diet are rather high and you risk being sensitive to some of them, so take care!
Raw Food Diet – In the Raw Food Diet, the focus is on eating non-processed, completely organic food. This diet also requires that that at least three-quarters of the food you eat every day should be uncooked, and a significant portion of it should be vegan. The Raw Food Diet is further divided into four key categories: raw carnivores, raw omnivores, raw, vegans and raw vegetarians.
Cooking doesn’t destroy nutrients! This is a misconception. For instance, cooking tomatoes increases by five-fold the bioavailability of the antioxidant lycopene. A child raised only on a raw vegan
diet
supplementation
without would
proper rather
develop severe neurological and
growth problems due to the lack of vitamin B12 and other nutrients. Raw Food Diets are, therefore, an extreme.
South Beach Diet – The South Beach Diet was introduced by a cardiologist and a nutritionist, focusing mainly on controlling the insulin level of the body. The diet advocates the benefits of unrefined slow carbohydrates intake as opposed to the fast, high-carb diets. This diet is based on the principle that the low-fat diet plans usually available in the market turn out to be harmful in the long run for individuals. The worst part is the fact that the South Beach Diet is actually making people feel very tired. Some of them reported headaches, mood swings and muscle weakness.
Weight Watchers Diet – This diet is based on a combination of proper food, right exercises and a support network that can together help you lose weight. Since it was created by a housewife, it has not proven scientifically effective. However, the support group for this diet is massive and you can join any time you want, getting the motivation to stay fit and slim. The worst thing that could happen during the Weight Watchers Diet is to suffer from vitamin deficiency. Also, you could increase the risk of high blood pressure, since the sodium amount you consume following this diet is much higher than the recommended daily average.
Vegan Diet – Vegan diet is more a way of life than a weight loss plan. Vegan is usually someone who does not eat anything that is animal-based. This includes animal oil, eggs, honey and dairy products. A vegan lifestyle is not always adopted for health reasons, but also because of people’s compassion towards
animals and environmental concerns. This diet is completely plant-based and the plants are grown using natural farming methods with less harmful environmental impacts. This diet is not a good idea. Why? Because vegans are deficient in many important nutrients, such as animal protein, creatine and carnosine. Creatine helps the muscles and brain function well. Carnosine is
protective against various degenerative processes in the body and it’s found only in animal foods. Being a vegan is a choice, but you should be properly informed when you go on this way.
Vegetarian Diet – Vegetarian diet is based on non-animal-based food sources. This type of diet is divided into several major categories, such as lactovegetarian, fruitarian-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, pescovegetarian, living food diet vegetarian and semi-vegetarian. In most cases, vegetarians eat only three animal-based products: honey, eggs and dairy products. While it is proven that vegetarians tend to have a lower body weight, this diet is not perfectly healthy as a lack of meat can lead to deficiency of certain nutrients in your body.
The Zone Diet – The Zone Diet is based on the principle of maintaining nutritional balance in the ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fats. The diet also focuses on controlling the insulin level of the body to control body weight. The diet is based on consuming good quality unrefined carbohydrates and good fats such as nuts and olive oil. The Zone Diet is a hunger diet. The plan even goes so far as to set out specific time intervals for meals.
Atkins’ Diet – Atkins’ diet focuses on eating more protein than carbohydrates. This is based on the belief that consuming refined carbs in large quantities can increase your insulin levels fast, resulting in an unhealthy lifestyle. According to this diet, higher insulin level will result in your body storing more fat, which increases weight. Protein, on the other hand, will keep your insulin levels well balanced, resulting in low fat storage. Some experts claim the Atkins’ Diet
raises the levels of blood fats and increases the chance of developing heart disease.
Paleo Diet – The Paleo or caveman diet is among 2014’s most famous diet plans for weight loss. This diet only includes food sources that can be fished or hunted. It can also include other natural food sources that can be collected naturally such as herbs, fruits, vegetables, seeds and eggs. This diet plan is inspired from the dietary habits of people living during the pre-development era some 10,000 years ago. This diet takes anything processed completely offmenu. In general, this diet requires a low-carb, high protein regimen that also steers clear of cereal grains, salts and potatoes. Some people on long term lowcarbohydrates diets reported hypothyroidism symptoms, such as fatigue, sluggishness and sensitivity to cold. If you are following the Paleo Diet, be sure you will have cravings.
Volumetrics – The Volumetrics diet is based on the principle that when you feel fuller, you will eat less and will not gain weight. However, to give you a feeling of fullness, this diet proposes eating foods that are low in calorie count and high on water content. This means eating fresh fruits and vegetables, mostly in raw form as salads, to stay full while staying away from unhealthy, fats laden foods. Users of the Volumetrics diet are often hungry. You might be interested to know this diet will not increase your energy levels by any means.
Macrobiotic Diet – In a macrobiotic diet, the emphasis is on eating whole foods while cutting processed food completely off the menu. Most of the meals included in this diet are fruits, vegetables and whole grains. While this type of diet does lead to weight loss due to its strict guidelines, it often leads to numerous nutritional deficiencies and is not the most recommended diet plan anyone looking to lose weight should go for.
NutriSystem –NutriSystem is a prepared meal plan that is designed for every individual separately by nutritionists and chefs together. The meals that contain a certain amount of calories is prepared and delivered to your doorstep every day. Factors like your age, gender and weight loss needs are considered carefully when planning a meal schedule for you. While it does result in weight loss, it is quite an expensive meal plan that can take a toll on your wallet over time. Also, you should consider that some users of this diet find the meals unappetizing.
Cambridge Diet – The Cambridge Diet is based on eating meal-replacement products that can result in rapid weight loss. This diet plan offers six varied plans that are flexibly designed, offering between 415kcal and 1,500kcal within a day. The right plan for you is decided depending on your personal weight loss goal and other factors like your weight and age. Food items, like protein shakes and energy bars, are used in this program as possible meal replacement supplements. This type of diet is usually considered as extremely unhealthy even though it does result in rapid weight loss.
The main issue with all these types of diets is somewhat similar. While they focus on one nutrient, they ignore the importance of all others. This results in nutritional deficiencies in body, one way or another. So, while they all lead to weight loss, they are hardly the healthiest way to fitness, and not something that will not take a toll on your body in the long run.
Weight Loss Exercises That You Should Avoid There is no doubt that exercising is good for your health. Leading an active lifestyle cannot only keep you in good shape and health, but also add years to your life. However, not every exercise plan that is available today is good for you. Moreover, too much of anything can be bad and so is the case with exercising. Doing too much too soon can be harmful for your body. Therefore, you need to be clear on two things
when you start exercising. First, select activities that will not be harmful for your body and second, do only as much as your body can take. Some intense workout schedules that people take up nowadays, like resistance training, can lead to several health issues for you in the long scheme of things. Resistance workouts include several programs based on strength and weight training, both of which have numerous side effects. On top of that, doing these exercises on a daily basis can be even more harmful for your body. Resistance exercises that make use of free weights, weight balls, weight machines, resistance bands and medicine balls are known to harm bones and muscles quite adversely. They are also known to cause damage to your immune system, weakening it to a noticeable extent. Sometimes, these side effects of resistance training become apparent in a short time, but in most cases, these effects start affecting you long after you start working out. Especially when you are working out on a daily basis, you put too much stress on your muscles with weights. The risk of injury is also high when using weights, which makes weight training an even more dangerous way of exercising. The harmful effects of these exercises on your body will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter of this eBook.
Weight Loss Diets That Are Extremely Harmful Just like exercises, not all types of diets that you can take up for weight loss are healthy, even when they do seem effective initially. Most of the diet plans lead to nutritional deficiencies, which is an accepted fact by most people today. However, some types of diets have more long-lasting harmful effects on your body, most specifically the low-carb diets and yo-yo-diets. The Case Against Low-Carb and Yo-Yo Diets – Low carb diets such as Atkins diet usually advocate that carbs should be avoided as they can cause weight gain while meals with higher protein amount should be taken. Yo-yo diets, on the other hand,
are diets that entice you to indulge in an extreme hypocaloric eating pattern, such as the Cambridge diet, where you completely replace food with meal replacements. Both these diets lead to one apparent problem. Once you stop with these diets, you start gaining weight rapidly, and in an even worse way than before. Studies show that when you start with low carb diets, you start losing weight due to the water loss from the body and not because of fat loss. This is why people who embark on this diet suffer from dehydration initially. When the body is deprived of carbs, it starts using glycogen stored in the body and the exhaustion of this glycogen and the water that it bounds results in the rapid weight loss results. Hence, the person loses around 10-15 pounds in the initial two weeks of taking up this diet plan. However, after the initial weight loss, the rate of weight loss falls. Once that happens, most people give up this diet and start cheating and that is when things get ugly. When they consume carbs again, the entire process is reversed and your body starts storing up glycogen and water once again, and you gain weight rapidly. In addition, your body is also affected by rapid inflammation once you give up this diet, increasing your weight even more. The yo-yo diet, on the other hand, is also associated with similar results. Due to the extreme diet regimen you take up, you start losing fats and muscles simultaneously when you start it. However, once you give up this diet, you start gaining both these again. However, the trouble is that your body gains fat faster than it can gain muscle. This results in your body gaining fat and muscle in an ill-proportioned manner where you end up with more fat than muscle. Moreover, this kind of intense diet also leads to food and nutritional deficiencies that can be extremely harmful for your body.
In this chapter, you learned about the different ways used today to lose weight and ensure fitness. Mainly, this includes exercising and dieting. Now there are several common exercises and diets associated with rapid weight
loss. However, most of the fads used today as weight loss solutions are not healthy, especially when you consider their long-term impact on your body. To lead a healthy life, you should try to avoid fad diets, especially the low-carbs and yo-yo diets. While they will make you lose weight at first, you will rapidly gain more weight than ever before once you stop with these diets. You should also stay away from harmful exercises like weight training and strength training since they are known to cause muscle and bone harm and can weaken your immune system.
Chapter # 2: Dangers Hiding in the Gym The first thing that people do today to lose weight is visit the gym. The perception that going to gym regularly will influence weight loss is quite common, prompting a lot of people to register themselves in different training programs. However, most of the programs that gyms have to offer are based on resistance training, including strength and weight workouts. As mentioned above, these types of training programs can have a lot of harmful effects on your health. It has been proven time and time again that resistance training, while effective for weight loss, results in health issues, especially when continued for a long time period. These exercises pose a danger to your muscles, bones, immune system and organ functions, resulting in permanent impairment in some cases. To give you a more clear idea of what dangers you are putting yourself up to when going to gym, here is a detailed account of health issues resistance training can cause.
1.
Increase in the DHEA Levels
When you lift weights, you put extra load on your muscles and bones, forcing your body to release prolactin and cortisol. This results in an increased level of DHEA in your testicles and bloodstream. For those who already suffer from sexual exhaustion, the extra release of both these chemicals can further
disrupt
HPAT
coordination,
resulting in unsustainable erection and premature ejaculation. As long as your body keeps producing DHEA in excess, your sexual performance is bound to suffer. If you continue to lift
weights for a long time, this problem can become permanent. So if you are already dealing with this issue, now is the time to refrain from any more weight training. Give your body time to recover from the sexual exhaustion it has been subjected to and consume the right nutrients that can bring your body into a state of balance. If you are still in the process of considering taking up weight training, it is much better to stay away from it if you are not willing to sacrifice your sexual performance in exchange of weight loss.
2. Cardiovascular Issues In resistance and endurance training, you are often required to hold your breath for a long time. This is especially true while you are training with weights as you are required to hold your breath every time you lift. This poor and irregular breathing pattern can have an extremely damaging effect on your heart in the long-term. When you hold in your breath for a longer time than usual, your blood pressure goes up dramatically, putting additional strain on your heart and prompting it to work overtime. Over the time, if this practice is continued, as it happens when you are weight training, you can end up with severe heart issues like enlargement of heart, strokes and heart attack. Moreover, the lack of oxygen in your bloodstream for a longer period of your time causes cell damage, which can lead to rapid aging. Therefore, anyone who plans to take up weight training is advised to consult a doctor beforehand and learn some
proper breathing techniques from a certified trainer. The best way to avoid all this, however, is to stay well away from resistance training programs.
3. Muscle Breakdown When you lift weights, muscle fibers in your body become strained and break down during the workout session. The extent of this breakdown depends on how frequently you exercise and the intensity of your workout schedule. This breakdown takes place because weight lifting leads to the lack of glycogen in body, which is a binding element that keeps muscles strengthened. Everybody who takes up weight training knows that this muscle breakdown occurs since it is an imperative part of building muscle size. If you start lifting too much weight too frequently, the muscle breakdown in your body would be more than what your body could cope with, causing serious health issues. Muscle atrophy and chronic muscle pain are some conditions that you might experience as a result of weight lifting. In addition, if you continue lifting a lot of weights despite experiencing pain, you might even end up having degenerative muscle problems that can lead to irreparable damage. This is another reason why weight training is not the best option for you if you are looking to lose weight.
4. Tendonitis The damage that lifting weights can cause to tendons is quite alarming because this part of your body is extremely slow to heal. In case you are wondering, tendons are basically non-elastic cords that bind your muscles to your bones. This connective tissue is responsible for transmitting energy from your muscles to your bones, causing the movements in your limbs.
However, the blood supply to these tendons is quite poor, which is why they are slow in healing once damaged. When you exercise too much, especially when you lift heavy weight, you put a lot of strain on these tendons, causing them to become inflamed. This is a condition that is more commonly known as tendonitis and it goes extremely painful over time. If you continue lifting weight for a long time period, the extent of damage to your tendons can get to an irreparable stage , or might require extensive treatments like injections, deep and painful massages and surgeries. To keep your tendons in a healthy form and keep yourself away from unnecessary pain, it would be better if you avoid weight and other form of trainings that put too much strain on your muscles.
5. Joint Pain Weight training, but also cardio exercises could cause a lot of joint pain if you are not careful while exercising. Joints are points where two bones in your body are combined together. These are covered at the ends by hyaline cartilage, a thin and slippery but tough material. However, due to its location, the blood supply to these cartilages is quite poor, which means that they also take a long time to heal if damaged. Frequently exercising with heavy weights or overusing your joints can cause damage to the hyaline cartilages as well, which can lead to conditions like osteoarthritis and chronic joint pain. If avoided, the arthritic joints will deteriorate rapidly until it is surgically replaced. Joint pain is not only painful, but it can also limit joint movement. So, you should not rely on weight training for a longer time if you do not want to suffer permanent damage and consider reducing the cardio exercises too.
6. Immune System Impairment Weight lifting is a form of exercise that puts your body under a lot of stress to which your body tries to adapt. However, once you start exercising too much, your body may not be able to cope with the increased pressure and can start to break down instead. When the stress becomes too much for your body to adapt, your immune system may become imbalanced and impaired as a result. This means you will find yourself ill a lot more times than usual and you will have to wait for a longer time to recover. Constant lethargy and fatigue, sudden loss of enthusiasm for your routine activities and sudden weight loss are some indications of a disturbed immune system. A weak immune system can make you highly vulnerable to bacteria and diseases . This is another reason why you should completely avoid weight training.
7. No Balance in Body Fat and Muscle Mass There is another major damage that constant weight lifting can cause: a disproportionate body. When you lift weight, your body starts gaining muscle mass, but it does not accumulate fat at a similar pace. As a result, your body has more mass and almost little or no fat. Most people think that this is the ideal situation when in truth that this can be harmful. A certain minimal amount of body fat should always be retained to keep you healthy. If you do not have any fat stored in your body, its nutritional balance will be affected, leading to several diseases. This affects you even more if you are already overweight as it can make you look massive after you work out with extensive weights. Once this proportion of body is disturbed, it becomes very hard to regain it. While trying to achieve this impossible goal, you can end up with a completely out-of-shape body. You should also consider that both weight lifting and cardio workouts are designed
to tear down your muscle tissue, so that, when rebuilt, it comes back even stronger. This should sound well. At least in theory, it does! Every time you are tearing apart your muscle tissue, you are destroying or damaging the millions of cells that
compose that tissue. This means your body simply can’t heal all those cells and many of them are mutated or are so weak that let diseases come in. Their defenses are so badly damaged that they let in free radicals, the main culprits of aging.
8. Hiatal Hernia Weight lifting is also one of the most common reasons for hernia, namely hiatal hernia, which is a condition in which a part of their stomach starts poking through their diaphragm wall. The reason this kind of hernia develops is the additional pressure your abdominal muscles are subjected to. The wall of diaphragm is highly vulnerable to damage as it is somewhat delicate as compared to other body organs. Therefore, the excessive pressure can puncture a hole in it, resulting in hiatal hernia. This usually happens when you lift weights in a wrong way frequently. However, what is more alarming is the fact that this hernia can go undetected for a long time ; and if you continue weight training in that duration, you can worsen your condition significantly. The only way to treat hiatal hernia is through a surgical procedure that comes with risks. With all this trouble, it would be much better to steer clear of weight training completely. All these disadvantages of weight training come to prove that it is not the best option for weight loss. It can cause irreparable damage to your health if continued over a long period of time, resulting in severe conditions that can lead to organ impairment and chronic pain. Instead of resorting to these harmful exercises, you can use a much safer and healthier workout regimen to lose weight. In the next chapter, we are going to discuss in detail the right kind of exercises you should perform, not only to lose weight, but also to lead a healthy life.
Chapter # 3: Spartan Solution for Weight Loss and Healthy Lifestyle Exercise is quite a buzz word nowadays. Every other person wants to stay fit and healthy by exercising vigorously. However, not many know what the concept of exercise actually entails. The term exercise is supposedly derived from the Latin word exercitium , which became popular in the 14 th century. The literal
meaning of this word is “keeping busy with forward movement” or “training”. Today, people perceive exercise as movement that can provide benefits, including a stronger heart, weight loss, improvement in athletic performance, stress reduction and beefier muscles. However, exercise is not just any type of movement. In reality, the concept of exercise is based on structured and organized form of movement that is divided into four major components; intensity, frequency, duration and mode. The intensity indicates how hard your body is made to work during the exercise. The most commonly used indicator of intensity is the heart rate. The frequency indicates how many times an exercise is repeated over a particular time period, which is most usually measured as per month or per week. The duration of the exercise indicates how long you exercised in a single day. The mode defines the type of physical activity you pursued. This can include activities like walking, running, cycling, swimming or different types of training programs you are offered at gyms. All these factors combined make up the whole concept of exercise. Movement, on the other hand, can simply be defined as a motion that your body makes. Even when you breathe, your body shows movement in the form of your muscle movement. Exercise is far more purposeful, so you need determination and intention to exercise regularly.
Why Is Exercise Important? Now the big question is: why is this purposeful movement so important in our life? Exercise is important because it can save your body from an unhealthy fate. The
simple principle of “use it or lose it” applies perfectly here. Your body is supposed to be used, and if you will not do that, your body will start deteriorating. Sedentarism is a largely prominent feature in the society today, which indicates that most people today are leading a sedentary lifestyle. This means that their most frequent behaviors in life consist of activities that do not involve purposeful movements. The behaviors that are usually identified with sedentarism include lying down, sitting, using the Internet, reading or sleeping for a long period of time. This lack of movement has become a dominant feature of life today. Unfortunately, it is also the underlying reason behind many diseases and health conditions, especially the obesity epidemic. In order to keep your body from falling victim to unnecessary diseases, keeping away from a sedentary lifestyle is important . This does not necessarily mean that you exercise; it just means adding more movement to your allday activities, even when you are not particularly exercising. However, the concept of adding more movement to your daily life may fail if you share the same busy schedule that most people follow today. Long work hours that people follow leave them with little choice to spend long hours in a sedentary way, stuck at their table. This is why exercising becomes more important. While you cannot change your entire day’s schedule, you can try to dedicate a particular time every day to purposeful movements. This will keep your muscles from going flax and add strength to your bones and body structure. Movement in large and exercise particularly, on a regular basis, can improve the overall quality of your life and
keep you away from several health issues. However, this does not mean that exercising all the time is a good thing. “Too much of anything can be a bad thing” is a principle that applies to exercise too. There is only so much additional strain and stress that your body can take due to the added movement you put it through. While you should exercise regularly, you should keep the four key components of exercise well-balanced so that you do not end up over-exerting your body.
Understanding the Spartan Exercising Schedule We have already established that most modern exercises today are unhealthy and should not be taken up for a long time if you want to stay healthy. Most of the gyms today offer programs that are solely based on different forms of resistance training, which can cause you a lot of trouble. So, how do you stay fit and in shape then? The answer is simple: do what the Spartans did, but in a more modernized way! Before we move on to explaining the modern exercises that are based on the Spartan exercise regimen, however, it is important to understand first what Spartans actually did back in their time. The basic principle behind the Spartan exercise regimen was singular: become strong enough to endure any hardship that comes their way and fight strongly with their opponents. For this reason, most of their exercises were arranged in a way that would give them more strength and power. Speed and agility was another aspect that they focused on, as they believed it was necessary to gain a victory against other warriors. To gain a true understanding of what the Spartan workout was like back then, you can take a look at the Super Spartan Race held in Las Vegas, Nevada. A leading obstacle race series, this event and its activities give you a true look at what the Spartans were made to do during their daily
workouts. The race consists of more than 20 obstacles spread out over an eight-mile course that is designed like a mud-filled battlefield to test your strength. To add the element of uncertainty, there are some unexpected obstacles added to the course, each testing your quick thinking abilities and agility. Failure to perform leads to tough penalties. Some of the common obstacles that are included in the race every year are listed below. These obstacles represent the activities that the Spartans used as a regular part of their training regimen.
Log Jump – In this activity, you have to hop on a series of logs arranged in a zigzag pattern. The trick is to ensure that you do not touch the ground even once during the activity.
Gladiator Arena – Just before the finish line, you have to get through people who are dressed like gladiators. They try to knock you down with pugil sticks, but you have to pass through them without getting knocked off.
Slippery Wall – At this obstacle, you have to sprint or climb up an inclined wall that is usually covered with grease or soap to make it slippery.
Tyrolean Traverse – Here, a single rope is tied horizontally between two posts, right above a water-filled body. You have to traverse the rope to get from one end to another. If you fall into the water, you will have to swim to the other side.
Spear Throw – During this obstacle, you are required to hit a target using a wooden spear from a distance of 10 to 20 yards. If you fail to strike the target, you will have to perform additional tasks as penalties.
Over Under Through – This activity involves a series of obstacles. You have to pass through them in a sequence. The first is climbing over a wall, followed by crawling under a wall and then passing through a hole in a wall.
Barbed Wire Crawl –In this obstacle, you are required to crawl under barbed wires, paving your way through mud. If you do not crawl low enough, you are at the risk of getting injured by the barbs. The distance of this obstacle can range between 20 and 100 yards.
Fire Jump –Right at the beginning of most races, the first difficult obstacle that you will come across is leaping over the flames. If you do not leap properly, you can get burned.
All these exercises may sound easy to you right now, but they are extremely difficult to carry out. Now you do not necessarily have to do all of these; your purpose is not to become a warrior. All you are looking for is a healthy, non-sedentary lifestyle where you can keep your body in good shape. For that purpose, you can use exercises that take inspiration from the Spartan workout but have a touch of modernization added to them, making them more manageable and less stressful. The exercises that this eBook promotes are based on an Ancient and forgotten book. This exercises are constructed for daily training, not for war. That is why you will find them very different from the ones described above. The exercises you will soon read about are meant to keep you in an every-day good shape, not to prepare you for cataclysms.
The Common Mistake You Might Be Making In the Gym While resistance training is not good, that does not mean all programs offered at the gym are harmful. If you have enrolled in a simple aerobics training program at a gym, it can definitely help you lose weight without putting you at the risk of losing your health. However, there are a lot of mistakes that people tend to make when going to the gym, making their exercise ineffective or lessening its impact on their fitness.
If you are currently going to the gym for weight loss but are not getting the results you expected, you might be making one or more of these common gym mistakes:
1. Not Exercising with Proper Intensity Intensity is one of the most important components of exercise. If you are not exercising with the right intensity, your workout is hardly going to be effective. If you are just going to the gym with the perception that moving can help you lose weight, you are wrong. Your workout should flaunt a level of intensity that is required for you to burn fat. So shift between varied modes of exercises and change the intensity during a workout routine to make it more effective.
2. Overdoing Your Workout If you start doing too much too soon, you will just end up with unnecessary injuries or pain. There are certain limits you should follow when it comes to pushing your body towards exercising. Initially, your body will not be used to any type of stress, so if you suddenly put too much stress on it right away, you can hurt yourself. With exercise, you have to start slowly and progress eventually to tougher routines, giving your body the time to get used to the added stress. If you feel constantly tired following your workout, consider this a clear indication that you are overdoing it and that your body is not able to recuperate at that pace.
3. Spot-Based Training While you can put all your effort into exercise, you cannot control your body and its functions. If you are following a training program that promises specific spot reduction results, you are completely off-base with the right way of exercising.
Exercising is all about balancing things right; spot reduction training programs completely negate that purpose. You should focus on following a well-balanced workout program instead of trying to tone down abs or glutes. Your body decides on its own from where it wants to take the fat during your workout; you have no say in this matter. The exercises this book will propose to you will regard specific body areas. But the way you will have to exercise would offer your body the freedom it needs to choose where and how to lose fat, in order to keep a balanced silhouette.
4. Training at Fat Burning Heart Rate Zone If you are a regular at the gym, you would be aware of what a heart rate zone chart is.
For most people, the most lucrative heart rate zone to workout is the “fat -burning zone” since they want to lose as much weight as they can in a short time. However, if that is your goal, this is not the ideal zone for you. The training intensity at in this zone is quite low compared to what is required for proper weight loss. Therefore, if you really want to make your workout effective, move beyond this zone and increase the intensity of your exercise, at least for a short time. If you want, you can also use the interval training technique to keep things balanced, working out at this zone normally and then pushing beyond it for a short interval.
5. Following the Same Program Doing the same exercises every day with the same pace and intensity is hardly going to give you any remarkable results after the first few weeks. The whole purpose of exercising is to bring your body out of its usual routine. However , if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, your body eventually gets used to it and stops changing. Once the change stops, the weight loss you experience initially would also start to diminish. What you need to do is to change your exercise routine often, giving your body a little surprise every now and then. Change the
pace, shift between different exercise modes, experience with intensity levels or use any other way you could think of to add variation var iation to your workout routine.
6. Using Wrong Exercising Techniques One of the most common mistakes that people make at gyms is doing things the wrong way, whether it is performing an exercise or using a machine. This will not only make your exercise completely ineffective since you are not targeting the right muscle groups, but would also make you vulnerable to the risk of injuries and pain.
7. Not Estimating the Caloric Expenditure Properly Your cardio machine is not always right about how many calories you have burned, so stop relying on it. In most cases, q cardio machine overestimates the amount of burned calories as it does not take a lot of factors into account. If you are leaning on the bars or offsetting your weight in any other way, the caloric expenditure counted by the machine is more likely to be wrong. Therefore, you should avoid relying completely on these readings if you want an accurate a ccurate account of your workout effectiveness. So, here you have it, another reason why cardio exercises are way overrated.
8. Socializing Too Much The last, and an extremely common mistake that people make when going to gym is wasting a lot of time just talking to people while spending very little time exercising. If you are constantly stopping in the middle of your workout to talk t alk to people, you In addition to spending very little time are definitely not going to get any results. results. In exercising, you also disturb the pace and intensity of your routine time and again, leaving all your efforts ineffective. So while you are at gym, concentrate on exercising and save the talking for later. Correcting these mistakes is extremely important if you want your sessions to yield effective results. If you continue your workout routine with these mistakes, you will
not be making much progress towards your ultimate weight loss goal, even if you are putting in all your effort towards the task.
The Spartan exercise regimen The exercises you are going to read about on the next pages simply involve the performance of a range of movements set over a strict amount of time. This exercises
don’t require the use of weights, abs machines or even treadmills. You can exercise at home, without professional advice. This exercises should take you no more than 15 minutes per day, 4 days a week. You will get the exact description, pictures and the time schedule for each exercise. Here are the 5 groups:
Group Alpha α :
3 legs exercises
Group Beta β:
3 arms exercises
Group Gamma γ:
2 chest exercises
Group Delta δ:
2 stomach exercises
Group Epsilon ε:
2 shoulders and back exercises Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday Friday
Saturday
Sunday
α 1
α 2
β 2
α 3
γ 1
β 1
γ 2
β 3
ε1
δ1
ε2
δ2
Group Alpha α : 3 Leg Exercises Exercise 1: Preparing for the Marathon
This exercise is meant to make you have strong muscles in your legs, as well as to improve your circulation for your feet. This helps you both on better defining your muscular structure, as well as to get rid of swollen feet. Think about the Ancient marathons! How did they do it, how could they resist running so much? They
managed… because they were trained, because, during fights, their lives could depend on this. Lie flat on one side, let’s say the left side, on a mat that feels comfortable. Without bending your knee, lift your right leg straight up into the air. Your leg and upper upper body should be pretty comfortable, but straight. Lift your right leg as high as you can keeping it straight and keep it up for a few seconds. Afterwards, move your leg l eg into a circle motion. That meaning, draw a complete circle into the air, with your leg. The
motion should be wide and ample. The size of the circle doesn’t really matter, a s much as stability and mobility do. Draw one circle, rest for 10 seconds and then draw another one. Draw 4-5 circles with each leg.
Exercise 2: Ready to kick
Lie on your side, while keeping a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Rest your head on your arm and place your free pal flat on the mat, in front of your chest. Move your legs slightly in front of your hips. Without bending your knees, slightly lift your top leg off of your bottom leg and bring it in front of you, at hip level. And back again, without moving the pelvis or crunching your lower back.
Exercise 3: Find Balance
This exercise aims at maintaining your balance during different postures while it targets the muscles of your glutes and legs. Here are the instructions to perform this exercise: Keep your body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degrees angle. Your front knee must be directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far. Your back knee must not touch the floor. Keep your weight on your heels as you push back to the starting position. Change legs and do this 5 times with each leg. Inhale. Step out to the right and shift your body weight over your right leg, squatting to a 90-degrees angle at the right knee. It should look like you are trying to sit down with your butt, while you are keeping your back as upright as possible. Exhale and push off and bring your right leg back to center to complete the exercise. Do this for 5 times with each leg.
Group Beta β: Arms Exercises Exercise 1: Pushing Shields
The basic elements of the ancient Greek Spartan body armor consisted of a shield, a helmet and a breastplate. The shield, called “hoplon”, was usually made from wood,
iron and bronze. Imagine having to carry the “panoply” (the Greek name of this military equipment) while trying to fight and the gestures. Stand up straight, facing a wall, with your face about six inches away from the wall, and place your hands on it, shoulder width apart. Step back as far as you can from the wall, while keeping both feet on the floor. Inhale as you go down into the push-up, exhale as you push away from the wall. If this proves to be too difficult to be made with a full step back from the wall, do it from a distance which you are comfortable with. Make 12-15 such pushups.
Exercise 2: Power of Precision
Your arms must be strong. The motions need to be precise. In battle every inch
mattered. A few inches movement of your sword or of your enemy’s sword could have made the difference between killing and being killed. That is why Spartans believed strong arms are not only to inspire strength, but also power of precision. While standing straight, with your feet on the ground, extend your arms out to the side, at a 90-degree angle with your body. Bend your elbows in an angle. Keeping this second angle, pull your arms, using your shoulders as far as you can to the back. Do this for about 30 seconds. Take a 5 seconds break. Lift one arm straight, while keeping the other one next to your body. Bull both of them back, changing places lifting them up. Do this for about 20 times and take a 5 seconds break. Extend your arms out to the side at a 90-degree angle with your body again and start spinning them faster and faster. Draw circles in the air with your arms, while keeping the elbows straight. Do this for about 30 seconds.
Exercise 3: Simulate a Fight
This exercise imitates the actions of a sword fight and is designed to target muscles in your core, behind and legs. Here is a step-by-step guide to perform this exercise: Stand straight with your back to a couch. Set your feet apart following your hip width. Extend your arms to the height of your chest in front and clasp them together. Now
squat down to the level of the couch’s seat by bending your knees as if you are sitting. Make sure to keep your back straight. When you are down to cushion level, sit back onto your hips and move your arm down and across to one side. Imitate the action of bringing down a sword in a slashing motion down to one side. Push through your heels and stand straight again. Do another squat, bringing down your arm on the other side this time in the same way. Continue repeating these squats for at least a minute, alternating the hands.
Group Gamma γ : Chest Exercises Exercise 1: Wide, Strong Shoulders and Firm Physic
Any woman would like to see some chest muscles and any woman would like to have firm breasts. Get on your hands and knees on the mat and place your hands below your shoulders and slightly towards the center. Contract your abdominal muscles and focus on keeping your spine straight at your shoulder moves. Bend your left elbow and reach your left hand under your right arm as far as it will go, with your palm facing up. Afterwards, extend your forearm out until your entire arm is straight and perpendicular to your back. Repeat for the right arm as well. Do this 3 times with each arm.
Exercise 2: Force and Agility
Get on your hands and knees on your mat and place your hands at shoulder-width apart; prepare to support your weight on your hands. Lift your knees up and move your feet closer to your arms; make sure your back is straight. Bend your elbows until your head is almost touching the ground and hold the position for a second. Afterwards, push your arms up until you return to the original position. Repeat this action for as many times as you can, probably 3-4 times.
Group Delta δ: stomach exercises Exercise 1: Avoid Peril
This exercise imitates the action of blocking an attack while targeting the muscles of your abs. Here is a step-by-step-guide to performing this exercise. Sit on the edge of a couch very lightly but do not place all your weight on it. Place your hands on your sides. While keeping your spine completely straight, lift your heels off the floor and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, balancing them on the toes. Brace your abs to the spine tightly and inhale. Hinge back as much as you can but do not bend your
back and do not rest the weight of your body on the couch’s back. Balance your weight on your hand. Exhale and start drawing in your knees, bringing them up to the height of your hips. Do not change the 90-degree angle and keep the back straight. Lower the feet back, touching only the toes to the ground while maintaining the hinge position of the upper body. Repeat the same procedure at least 20 times while making sure to exhale every time you pull your leg upwards.
Exercise 2: Climb the Mountains of Peloponnese
This exercise imitates the action of climbing a mountain since Spartans used to climb the Mountain of Peloponnese as part of their exercise regimen. This exercise targets the muscles of your abs and arms mostly, but it has an impact on your whole body. Here is a step-by-step guide to performing this exercise. Stand facing a couch and put your hands on the edge of the couch, placing them directly below the shoulder and extending them completely straight. Move your feet backwards and extend them as far as they go, lifting up your heels and balancing your weight on the front side of feet. Tightly brace in your abs and keep your body straight as a plank. The position should resemble that of doing push-ups. Using controlled but quick motions, bend one knee
and bring it towards your chest, imitating a “running” action. Move that knee back and bring up the other knee. Keep repeating this exercise for at least a minute, going as fast as you can and alternating between the knees. Make sure your shoulders are completely steady the entire time.
Group Epsilon ε: shoulders and back exercises Exercise 1: Crawl like Snakes
You already know agility is important. But think about the battle field during the night. As a Spartan, you need to be discreet, you need to be unseen by enemies. Spartans were not cowards, not at all, but, as scouts, they were careful, agile and could make themselves invisible in the enemy’s eyes. Lie flat on your stomach and turn your head to place one cheek on the mat. Clasp your hands behind your back and keep your shoulders and elbows on the mat. Kick both heels to the seat three times. Bend your knees and push your heels towards your butt three times, in short motions. As you lower your feet, arch your back and straighten your hands (still clasped behind your back) towards your butt.
Exercise 2: Facing the Storm
This exercise might be difficult in the beginning. Try it and soon, as your body begins to be more and more sharp and toned, you will see it becomes easy. Lie on your back on the mat and lift your legs with your knees bent. Hold your knees with your hands. Hold them for 15 seconds. Relax for about 5 seconds. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Leaving one foot in place, just bring one knee to your chest, pressing your lower back into the floor. Hold that raised knee with both hands and pull it toward your chest. Keep the knee in that position for about 15 seconds. Repeat the action with the other leg. Do this a few times, as much as you feel comfortable.
Marathon Running: A Tradition Set in the Ancient Greek History Marathons are quite famous all over the world. Every year, hundreds of marathons are conducted in different countries and millions of people enthusiastically take part in these events. However, very few people are aware of the very interesting history of marathons, dating back to the ancient Greek times. The marathon race commemorates the run of a brave Greek soldier Pheidippides. To deliver the message of victory in the famous and extremely important battle of Marathon, this brave soldier ran all the way from the battlefield based in the town of Marathon to Athens. This battle was a decisive battle fought in 490 B.C. during the first Persian invasion of Greece between Persians and Greeks. According to the legend, right after the soldier reached the courts of Athens and shouted “Νενικήκαμεν” (meaning “we are victorious”), he fell down and died.
Another interesting fact is that this was not really the first long run of Pheidippides. Just a week before this incident, he ran from Athens to Sparta and back again to deliver a battle-related message. Since both these cities are 150 miles apart, he supposedly ran
300 miles which are considered as Pheidippides’s training run. After this incident, it is said that running was made a regular part of Spartan training to build the endurance of warriors. Today, after 2,500 years, the courage of this brave soldier is honored by marathon players all around the world. The Athens Marathons,
one of the world’s most famous marathon events held annually, follows the same running course the brave Greek soldier Pheidippides did. The purpose of narrating this story is not to encourage you to run yourself to death. What we are trying to emphasize is completely the opposite. When you exercise, you have to maintain a balance between things. Instead of focusing on a single purpose, you should target your exercise to achieve a balance between defining muscles, losing weight and improving your overall health. Running in a marathon could be an acceptable form of exercise, but only if you have a clean bill of health from a doctor and you have trained well before the event to build your stamina and endurance. So, you would better leave this long races for professional athletes. An incident was recently reported where a girl fell down and died after completing a marathon. It was later discovered that she had a heart condition and was running
without getting her doctor’s permission. Putting yourself to such a risk for the sake of exercising is not a wise decision at all. Strike a balance between any form of exercise you are planning to take up to lead a fit and healthy life.
The basic principle of exercise is based on four key components: intensity, mode, frequency and duration. Exercise is a set of purposeful movements that are undertaken with the goal of achieving certain benefits from it such as weight loss or muscular appearance. The Super Spartan Race held in Las Vegas, Nevada is an obstacle race that is based on the training regimen of Spartans, filled with over 20 obstacles that test you for strength, agility and endurance. Each obstacle in this race represents a type of training activity that Spartans used to perform. Several common mistakes are repeated by people in the gym, making their exercise and efforts ineffective and inefficient. If you are constantly exercising at the gym but are not getting the desired results, it is likely that you are making one of these mistakes, and should rectify them right away. There are a number of exercises that you can perform at home, which are loosely based on the Spartan war training regimen. These exercises keep you in a good shape and build your strength while ensuring that your health is not compromised in the process. The beginning of marathon racing dates back to the ancient Greek history when a soldier Pheidippides ran the first known marathon in the history in 490 B.C. The legend teaches you an important lesson: keeping a balance in your exercise is important.
Chapter # 4: Meal Adjustments to Match Your Spartan Exercise Schedule Most modern weight loss solutions focus wholeheartedly either on diet or exercise. However, the right way to lose weight and look healthy is by combining both. Working out can strengthen your heart and immune system, prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease and increase your lung capacity among other things. Meanwhile, a nutritional diet allows you to get the vitamins and nutrients you need along with the energy required to successfully take on any workout. So, rather than being at odds with one another, exercise and diet should complement one another.
Since you’re following the Spartan solution’s set of exercises, you need the right diet to complement your new routine. Now the Spartans were not as fond of foods as most of Ancient Greece. As warriors, they put their military above everything, which is why their dietary choices matched their lifestyle. They wanted food to ensure their strength, energy and health without being too over indulgent. To achieve these goals, they chose meals that combined different food groups, such as:
Grains – Making up the bulk of the Spartan diet, heavy breads of flat cakes made from wheat and barley were consumed to provide energy.
Fruits and Vegetables – Fruits and vegetables were part of the Spartan diet
despite being expensive due to the country’s then rocky landscape. Edibles made from apricots, dates, grapes, and olives were added regularly. Topping these was olive oil, which was mixed with virtually every dish Spartans consumed.
Meat and Seafood – Spartans enjoyed their meat, which is why National Geographic believes that the Atkins diet may not necessarily be new. However, they hunted for it, which meant that they got ample exercise as well. Besides,
they consumed lighter meats such as duck and pork as both animals were domesticated and at times diversified their meals by adding seafood. Despite being different, each of these foods has one thing in common: they are rich in antioxidants.
A Quick Introduction to Antioxidants Antioxidants have become the buzzword of the 21st century, but not many people are well aware of what they are or how they can help them. For starters, one thing to know about antioxidants is that they are man-made or natural nutrients and enzymes that can prevent or delay certain types of cell damage caused by harmful molecules known as free radicals. Developed in the body either after consuming food or due to environmental elements like smoke, free radicals are responsible for the oxidative stress, which is what damages cells, proteins and DNA. Because of their effects on the body, free radicals are responsible for weight gain, especially after 30. As the body starts aging, aggressive free radicals target your cells and affect their energy production. The result of these effects is a lower hormone level and slower metabolic rate. The same damage is also responsible for the accelerated signs of aging which antioxidants are famous for fighting. As you can see, growing younger and losing weight can be possible if you tackle the free radicals in your body. For that, you need to embrace a high antioxidants diet. Now all this may sound too good to be true, but it really is. Many studies have confirmed the effectiveness of antioxidants in ensuring youth and a leaner body. First off, you have the journal entry documenting the research of Carmelina Gemma, Michael H. Mesches, Boris Sepesi, Kevin Choo, Douglas B. Holmes, and Paula C. Bickfor. Published on July 15th, 2002 under the title “Diets Enriched in Foods with
High Antioxidant Activity Reverse Age- Induced Decreases in Cerebellar β -
Adrenergic Function and Increases in Proinflammatory Cytokines”, the study followed 334 aged rats that were given apple, spirulina or cucumber either in water by oral gavage or as part of rat chow for two weeks. When examined after 14 days, spirulina, which is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), successfully reversed the signs of aging in those who ate it. Apple eaters had an intermediate effect due to its intermediate ORAC content while cucumber (low ORAC) had no effect. This comes to show how effective antioxidants can be for reversing aging.
Another study addressing age-related cardiovascular disease (CVD), another issue caused by aging, discovered that mitochondria-targeted antioxidants can reverse the effects of aging on vascular function. Published in The Journal of Physiology on June
15th, 2014, the article titled “Mitochondria -targeted antioxidant (MitoQ) ameliorates age-related arterial endothelial dysfunction in mice” discovered that oxidative stress
can be countered with an antioxidant molecule called MitoQ. MitoQ targets the mitochondria, ensuring more beneficial effects on vascular function and preventing age-related CVD.
These two studies are just a few examples of hundreds of documentations proving the efficiency of antioxidants. You are welcome to search on your own, but rest assured that these are authentic studies by some of the best universities and researchers around.
About the High Antioxidants Diet If you are finally sold to the benefits of antioxidants, you will be doing your body a favor by adding more of these nutrients to your diet. In addition to helping you look
thinner, it will make you shed many pounds off your frame and feel years younger. Since you will be losing weight and fighting the symptoms of aging, rest assured that you will prevent or even get rid of many diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. To help you start your high antioxidants diet, you need to know what to eat. In general, antioxidants are available in the form of nutrients and enzymes. Antioxidant nutrients include:
Vitamin E – A generic term which encompasses eight entities so far, vitamin E is responsible for protecting cell membranes from damage by free radicals. It also protects the fats in low-density lipoproteins from oxidization.
Vitamin C – Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that tackles free radicals inside the watery parts of your cells. It also complements vitamin E by regenerating a stable form of this nutrient.
Beta Carotene – Another water-soluble vitamin, it is considered the best quencher for singlet oxygen, which is a form of oxygen that is toxic to your cells.
Selenium – This is a mineral which forms an active site of antioxidant enzymes. However, you need to be careful and only consume small amounts since too much can affect you negatively.
The second type of antioxidants is enzymes; there are three which help in destroying free radicals in the body: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). CAT and GPx repair oxidized DNA, reduce the amount of oxidized protein, and destroy oxidized lipids. Aside from these, other antioxidant enzymes will act as a secondary defense mechanism against free radicals, protecting your cells from further damage.
While your mind may be screaming ‘supplements’ for all of these, you do not have to choose a synthetic option when Mother Nature offers you everything that you
need, and that too with a delicious taste that makes eating healthy worthwhile. The following are 20 antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables you should add to your daily menu. Food Item
Serving Size
Total Antioxidant Capacity Per Serving
Small Red Bean
Half Cup
13,727
Wild Blueberry
One Cup
13,427
Dried Red Kidney Bean
Half Cup
13,259
Pinto Bean
Half Cup
11,846
Cultivated Blueberry
One Cup
9,019
Cranberry
One Cup
8,983
Cooked Artichoke
One Cup
7,904
Blackberry
One Cup
7,701
Prune
Half Cup
7,291
Raspberry
One Cup
6,058
Strawberry
One Cup
5,938
Red Delicious Apple
One Whole
5,900
Granny Smith Apple
One Whole
5,381
Pecan
One Ounce
5,095
One Cup
4,873
Black Plum
One Whole
4,844
Cooked Russet Potato
One Whole
4,649
Half Cup
4,181
Plum
One Whole
4,118
Gala Apple
One Whole
3,903
Sweet Cherry
Dried Black Bean
Aside from these, you can add variety to your antioxidant rich diet by having a few of each of the following:
Blueberries
Ground
Blackberries
flaxseed
Raspberries
Kidney Beans
Pears
Lentils
(with
peel)
Olives
Grapes
Pomegranates
Citrus Fruits
Okra
Peaches
Kale
Nectarines
Bell Peppers
Apricots
Asparagus
Cherries
Broccoli
Plums
Red Cabbage
Prunes
Tomatoes
Banana
Pistachios
Kiwi Mango Papaya Pineapple Hazelnuts Walnuts Almonds Sunflower Seeds
Another way you can go about consuming antioxidant-rich foods is to eat those that have the highest antioxidant activity levels. According to new research, you can shed pounds easily, look your best and boost your energy levels and brainpower. Basically, your meal plan will be based on the ORAC scale, which is a value that shows the level of antioxidants in food. To ensure that you get around 30,000 ORAC points, which is ten times the recommended level and dump the useless calorie counting method, make sure to have the following 13 antioxidant “superstars”. i.
Lemon Water – You can easily gain up to 3,200 ORAC points by adding an ounce of lemon juice and zest to your daily eight glasses of water. Make sure to include the zest as lemon peel contains pectin, a fiber which can help with your weight loss efforts.
ii.
Red Grapefruit – Research shows that eating half a grapefruit with each meal will help individuals lose 3.6 lbs. over 12 weeks whereas drinking it three times a day will help them lose 3.3 lbs. Half a grapefruit will provide you with 1,900 ORAC points, but make sure to get the red variety to get more antioxidants, especially the cancer-preventing lycopene.
iii.
Figs – Two small figs can give you 2,700 ORAC points. However, that is not what gives these their superstar status; rather, it is the fact that antioxidants from a handful of dried figs can easily last in your blood for four hours, which is much longer than many other foods.
iv.
Red Bell Peppers – Red bell peppers can make your skin glow as they combine generous amounts of vitamins A, C and E. By eating half a cup, you can boost your antioxidants level by 600 ORAC points.
v.
Watermelon – Rich in lycopene, watermelon can increase your skin’s ability to resist sunburn by 33%. Enjoy a cup of diced melons and their 200 ORAC points. 78
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vi.
Beans – Rich in phytochemicals like phytic acid and protease inhibitors, beans protect your cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Half a cup of these will give you 7,800 ORAC points.
vii.
Prunes – Wrinkly and dried, prunes are excellent for boosting your antioxidant levels. Rich in vitamin K and the mineral boron, they can bolster your body and strengthen our bones. A serving of prunes, which consists of three, will give you 1,900 ORAC points.
viii.
Cherries – According to studies conducted by the University of Michigan, dark cherries contain anthocyanins, which can reduce your belly fat and lower both cholesterol and glucose levels in the body. Consuming one serving of cherry will provide you with 3,500 ORAC points.
ix.
Dark Chocolate – Yes, it may be odd to see chocolate on this list, but cocoa is very rich in flavonoids. These nutrients are very helpful for your heart since they can reduce the activation of platelets and ultimately relax the capabilities of blood vessels. Just limit your portions to one ounce of dark chocolate and you will get 5,900 ORAC points.
x.
Blueberries – Blueberries help you fight the effects of aging on your brain. They can boost your memory, cognition and balance. By eating a one cup serving, you can get 9,700 ORAC points and reduce the inflammation that can age your brain.
xi.
Cinnamon – A teaspoon of cinnamon a day can keep Alzheimer’s at bay. This spice adds 7,000 ORAC units to your diet while suppressing the effects of dementia disease cells.
xii.
Plums – Eating plums will add 4,100 ORAC points to your meals. However, their main purpose is to help you reduce anxiety and related behaviors. Some studies 79
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have even explored the potential of plums to protect against depression which accompanies aging. xiii.
Artichokes – Artichokes are low calorie edibles, offering 60 calories each. They are also very high on the ORAC scale at 7,900 points. If you need more incentives to enjoy these, simply consider that they contain phytochemicals that can easily lower your cholesterol levels.
If you are worried about consuming these, rest assured that this book has this aspect tackled. You will get different recipes in the following chapter, all of which ensure that you get the most ORAC points and a great taste. Besides, you will get many recipes to pick from according to your taste. After all, this book aims at helping you feel relaxed and happy while providing you with a way out of strict meal schedules you may find difficult to follow. On the other hand, if you are worried about the prices or availability of these antioxidant-rich foods, put your mind at ease. The last thing this book will do is put you through another difficult and expensive diet that may require products you will not find in supermarkets. You do not need more stress or else your body’s free radicals will be uncontrollable and you will end up gaining more weight and growing older faster. So, now that you have learned about the exercises and foods necessary to enjoy the same health and fitness the Spartans were once known for, let us explore the aging factor a little and find out how you can stop time in its tracks and even go back to a time you enjoyed the vitality of youth inside out. 80
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Chapter #5) Aging before Your Time – Causes, Effects and Solutions You have probably been through days when your mirror turned against you, showing wrinkles, spots and other signs of aging. However, these show that your body has been reacting to the different habits you took up, choices you made and pollutants surrounding you. Now some of these may not necessarily be bad. For example, that fine line next to your right eye may be because you have spent sleepless nights with your baby. The worry lines you hate may be the result of stress over your exams or the effort you put into your work to pay the bills. Life does take its toll over your body; but with age comes wisdom, something the wrinkles and lines may vouch for, especially if you have collected stories over the years. Therefore, you should not be ashamed of your age; rather be proud of what the years have done for you. However, even if you are aging gracefully, age does affect more than your skin. It affects your internal organs, preventing you from enjoying life to the fullest with the people you love. Your ailments may even put your relationships to the test, especially once your spouse or children have to take care of you all the time. Keeping these points in mind, you should invest your time and effort into stopping and reversing the aging process. This is what this book, especially this chapter, focuses on, so make sure to read it to the very last line.
Causes of Aging In order to understand how the solution works, you should know more about the problem. Therefore, before discovering how to stop or slow down aging, you should understand what you are up against. One of the first aspects you should learn is what else causes aging aside from growing older. 81
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Now there are seven catalysts responsible for aging, and those are: 1. Attitude – Your mind determines the pace of your aging. If you look at life in a more positive way, you will grow happier and content. As a result, you will start looking younger. This youth also affects your body, lowering your risk of developing heart disease, aching joints, and blood pressure. As a result, you will live longer. Distress and anger, on the other hand, will form lines and wrinkles around your face due to muscle memory. In addition, your temper and depression may lead to either your body breaking down on its own or with the help of addictive substances like alcohol and drugs. 2. Smoking and Drinking – Smoking and drinking affect your health since they deplete your body of important nutrients and alter your appearance by forming lines and discolored patches on your skin. Smokers tend to age quickly because they deprive their skin of oxygen as well as the necessary amounts of collagen and elastin. On the other hand, heavy drinkers whither from the inside as their livers and kidneys start dying. With more toxins in their bodies, alcoholics start aging quicker than normal. 3. Exposure to Sun or Moisture – Basking in the rays of the sun is bound to accelerate the aging process. In fact, you probably already know that sun damage is responsible for damaged and wrinkled skin. Age spots and other discoloration forms are also caused by the sun, so you may want to apply sunscreen to prevent harmful UV rays from affecting your skin. On the other hand, cold environments can rob your skin of moisture and deprive it of natural oils. As a result, your skin may appear too thin and become likely to develop wrinkles. 4. Diet – Food has an effect on your body, which is why you need to focus more on foods that can help you retain your younger body. Foods that can contribute to the 82
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aging process usually include fats, sugars, preservatives and little to no fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, edibles that can lead to inflammation, such as refined sugar, white flour and dairy may contribute to the aging process since they make the body heavier in feel and appearance. As a result, your body may have difficulty processing the nutrients it actually needs. 5. Weight – Being too heavy can speed up the aging process, but so does being too thin. In the latter scenario, your body’s natural fats will leave your face, letting your facial skin sag and making it more susceptible to wrinkles. On the other hand, overweight individuals tend to become less active as they grow older. This may lead to more aging and even more chronic health problems. 6. Habits – Your choices contribute to the speed you age in. Everything, starting from choosing TV over a physical activity to using chemical cosmetics rather than natural products, is bound to work with or against your body. Therefore, you will need to become more sensitive to your body’s messages so that you can learn what can help it and what may do just the opposite. 7. Stress – Stress is a silent killer that goes beyond your skin and all the way to your heart and other vital organs. This is why young individuals start developing problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, all of which guarantee aging quickly despite them being at the prime of their lives.
The Effects of Aging In addition to the specific effects each of the seven aforementioned catalysts cause, the following may be noticeable as your body starts aging.
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Mental Effects Aging affects the brain and nervous system, which is your body’s control center since it can control its movements, your organs and your senses, thoughts and memories. As you age, your nervous system goes through different changes. The first of these is the loss of nerve cells around your brain and spinal cord; because nerve cells are responsible for passing messages, your reflexes and responses will be slower. Another problem is the collection of waste products in the brain tissue, causing abnormal changes and affecting your senses. In addition, since slower thought, memory and thinking are normal parts of aging, expect those too. However, the intensity of these symptoms differs from one person to the other, which is why you may either suffer many or fewer changes. If you are worried about dementia, you can breathe easy. Severe memory loss is not a normal sign of aging; it is rather caused by Alzheimer’s disease, which may be due to the plaques in the brain. Delirium (the sudden and severe confusion which alters thinking and behavior) is also not caused by aging, but rather medicines or infection. Therefore, you do not have to worry about these serious issues affecting older people. Physical Effects As your body starts aging, your organs will be affected since their cells may be lost or damaged. In both cases, the organs will not function well, affecting one another. For instance, if the atherosclerosis cannot effectively deliver blood to the kidneys, the latter will function less. Now this is not as dangerous as it sounds; you can overcome some problems by slowing down or avoiding stressful physical activity. However, there is an even worse case scenario: you may be at the risk of developing disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson disease if the loss is substantial.
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Organs aside, your bones will grow weak and brittle. This is mainly because your body will not generate vitamin D and ultimately will absorb less calcium from foods. As a result, your vertebrae will change and your head will tip forward, pressing on your throat. Your joints will be just as bad once their cartilage grows thinner and you stop being able to move around. Psychological Effects With aging come a number of negative emotions ; these are further intensified when this natural phenomenon affects a younger person due to the seven catalysts mentioned in the previous section. Take for example the time you stand studying your reflection; you may feel frustrated at the wrinkles, worried about a new discolored patch or become angry at your inability to quickly apply some makeup to hide your imperfections. However, some individuals go beyond anger and frustration, developing depression because of their withering bodies and disappearing looks. Now that you understand the cause and effect of aging, especially in younger individuals who are yet to step into their mid-40s or early 50s, you are ready to discover how you can prevent this phenomenon from claiming you as its next victim.
How to Fight Aging the Right Way In order for you to stop aging, you need to tackle the seven catalysts – Attitude, Smoking and Drinking, Exposure to Sun or Moisture, Diet, Weight, Habits and Stress – first. Through this book, you have discovered the Spartan solution, which will help you with the diet and weight factors. While these two can also help with the rest, you will need to take extra measures to ensure your youth inside and outside. 85
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Developing the Right Attitude Optimism, or looking for the best in any situation, will ensure that you live longer since it wards off illness and impacts your mental health. To become optimistic, you will need to:
Believe that your actions will result in positive things
Understand that your happiness is your responsibility
Expect that more good things will come your way
Avoid complaining about the bad things that happen
Look at the big picture to determine what may have affected their work and caused failure
Embracing Healthier Habits You will need to stop drinking and smoking; the key to achieving this is by slowly reducing your intake until you do not feel the need to indulge in these. To successfully quit, you can rely on exercise and healthier foods as replacement drugs. These are more beneficial for your body and mind and will even help you look younger. Other bad habits as well as stress should also be struck off your list. You can substitute the first with an active lifestyle since that will occupy your time and complement the Spartan solution. As for stress, there are many ways you can overcome it, including:
Taking up breathing exercises
Following a healthy diet and workout regime (Spartan solution)
Taking breaks when the going gets too tough to handle
Spending time with family or friends if they are not the cause of your stress
Pursuing a passion or enjoying a hobby 86
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Enjoying a long massage
Crying out your frustration
Finding reasons to laugh and unwind
Taking Care of Your Skin Since you are bound to feel the effects of aging mostly on your skin, you may want to take care of it to ensure that it does not divulge your age. For this reason, you should:
Pamper yourself at the spa regularly
Carry out a moisturizing routine
Wear sunscreen when leaving the house or spending hours in the sun
Consume antioxidant-rich foods to get the necessary nutrients
Exercise regularly to prevent your skin from sagging So now that you know how to stop aging at its tracks, do not let it take its toll on you any longer. In the following chapter, you will discover some of the best recipes that can help you embrace a healthier diet while complementing your weight loss goals, the Spartan workout and everything you have learned in this chapter about stopping aging.
In this chapter, you discovered why you may experience aging before your time. Luckily, countering the seven main factors behind aging - Attitude, Smoking and Drinking, Exposure to Sun or Moisture, Diet, Weight, Habits, and Stress – is within your hands. If you need an incentive to take action against these, all you need to do is go over the effects of aging, which are divided into mental (e.g. loss of senses and
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memory), physical (e.g. weaker bones and joints and organ failure), and mental (e.g. anger and depression). As the consequences of these effects are far from good, you need to take anti-aging measures. Ranging from using sunblock to ward off harmful UV rays and all the way to taking out some time to socialize and meditate, these work perfectly with the Spartan solution, maximizing its effects and guaranteeing a leaner, younger you.
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Chapter # 6: Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss and Anti-Aging Eating healthy is one of the best ways to ensure that you achieve your goals of looking leaner, healthier and younger. Now, that you know all about the right exercises, you should be doing and how to stop aging at its tracks, it is time to move on to healthy eating. What you need now is some simple and healthy recipes for different meals of the day that you can prepare on your own at home. In the following pages are some amazingly wonderful and healthy recipes that will not only help you lose weight, but will also cleanse your body from unhealthy toxins, reversing the process of aging with their nutritional value. These recipes use the best of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains that are rich with nutrients and antioxidants good for your health and beauty. You can easily make and enjoy these breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes any time you want. You can even mix and match these recipes to create a daily meal timetable for yourself without any restrictions! Rest assured that each packs a balanced amount of nutrients, so you can make these recipes in any order you wish. If you like breakfast number one, lunch number 5 and dinner number 7, just go with what your heart wants. Just remember to eat at the right time. Have your breakfast ideally between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., lunch between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. and dinner between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. If you eat at the right time, your body will get the right amount of break it needs to digest and absorb the necessary nutrients while keeping your daily calorie intake quite well-balanced. Also, keep in mind that the following recipes do not make up a diet that you’re absolutely urged to follow! In fact, they do not make up a diet at all! Instead, these recipes are meant to change your life, to make you become a better you and to help you with your transition from a less than desirable person, to an absolute Spartan god! 89
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Remember that you should never diet! Rather, change your lifestyle. Redefine yourself both physically and mentally! The basic difference between a diet mentality and a lifestyle mentality is simply a matter of perspective. Having the right perspective may not make vegetables taste better than fatty hamburgers, but it can make all the difference in the world when it comes to achieving your goals, avoiding unnecessary suffering along the way, and hanging onto your achievements over the long haul. Here are seven different recipes each for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and drinks. Enjoy preparing them and eating them!
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Breakfast Recipes 1) Raw Nuts, Almonds and Oatmeal
If you have the habit of starting off your day with oatmeal, here is a simple recipe that can add a whole lot of flavors to the popular morning cereal. A power-packed combination of vitamins, protein, healthy fats, carbs and anti-oxidants, this recipe is the perfect healthy start to your day. Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 cup hemp milk
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. raw honey
Raisins or berries for topping
Instructions: 1. Soak the almonds and walnuts in water and cover them with a towel overnight. 2. In the morning, strain and rinse the nuts. In a food processor, chop them but avoid making a fine powder. A texture should be maintained. 3. Add honey, milk, oats and cinnamon to the food processor and then blend. Mix until all the ingredients are combined but keep a chunky texture. 4. Scoop out the mixture into serving bowls and top with raisins or berries.
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2) Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal
A creamy delight of oats, nuts and berries, this colorful concoction is definitely a good start to your day. Gluten free and completely vegan, this wonderful breakfast also makes for a wonderful dessert if you are craving something sweet. Ingredients:
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flake
¼ cup unsweetened dried blueberries
3 ½ cups fresh blueberries
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 ½ cups steel cut oats
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. ground ginger
A natural sweetener of your choice to taste
Toasted nuts, coconut flakes, unsweetened whipped cream and blueberries for topping
Instructions: 1. With the rack in the center, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish and lightly coat it with cooking spray. 2. Take two cups of fresh blueberries and heat them in a pan with a splash of water over medium high heat. 92
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3. When the berries start to sizzle, bring down the heat to medium and let them cook for another five minutes or until they turn saucy. 4. With a spatula, mash the blueberries to a fine pulp and turn off the heat. Keep this blueberry sauce aside to cool. 5. In a large bowl, add all the remaining ingredients except for the toppings and toss them together lightly. Add the natural sweetener according to your taste. 6. Pour this mixture into the baking dish and bake for an hour. 7. When baked, let it cool for some time at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight and let it thicken. 8. On the next morning, re-heat the oatmeal lightly. Serve out the portions, add the toppings of your choice, and scoop out blueberry sauce with each serving. 3) Veggie Quinoa Breakfast
If you do not like sweet breakfast items, this savory quinoa recipe is just what you need to start off your day. Healthy, fulfilling and scrumptious, this is a wonderful meal rich in vitamins, proteins and anti-oxidants. Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup milk
12/ cup rinsed quinoa
1 egg
½ tbsp. olive oil
Grated cheddar cheese as required 93
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Sliced mushrooms as required
Broccoli florets as required
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: 1. In a pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and sauté broccoli and mushrooms for about five minutes. When the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside. 2. In a large saucepan, put quinoa, water and milk together and cook over medium high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer until the liquid is completely absorbed. Stir frequently. 3. Add the cooked vegetables, salt, pepper and cheese to the saucepan and mix all the ingredients together. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and set aside. 4. Fry the egg sunny side-up. 5. Dish out the quinoa into a serving bowl and top it with the fried egg to serve. 4) Pizza Potatoes
Potatoes are the finest source of ant-oxidants and definitely something everyone loves to eat. If you love potatoes, this is a wonderful recipe for you to start your day. Topped with cheese, vegetable and marinara sauce, this is a delightful recipe full of flavors. Ingredients:
1 cup marinara sauce
2 cups steamed and finely chopped mix vegetables (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms)
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4 large baking potatoes
1 ½ cup grated non-dairy cheese
Dried oregano and basil
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Bake the potatoes until they are completely cooked. Let them cool until you can hold them in hand and then cut into half lengthwise. Using a fork, fluff the inside of each half of potatoes. 3. Spread 2 tbsp. marinara sauce on the top of one potato half. Add 2-3 tbsp. of cheese on top of it. Next add the steamed vegetables on top. Prepare all the potatoes in a similar manner. 4. Bake the potatoes for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cheese starts to bubble, remove from oven and serve right away. 5) Toast with Maple Syrup and Strawberry Delight
French toast is one of the favorite breakfast edibles all around the world. However, with this recipe, you can surely add a twist to its taste in an exceptionally wonderful way. A warm and delightful combination of maple, strawberries and tangy orange zest served with French toast, this is an indulgent breakfast recipe to try. Ingredients:
8 slices of cinnamon raisin bread
¼ cup non-fat milk
1 large egg white
3 large eggs 95
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3 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. grated orange zest
Confectioners’ sugar, if and as required
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. In a non-stick skillet, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is completely melted, add strawberries to it and cook for about three to four minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. When the strawberries are slightly softened, add maple syrup to them and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from heat and stir in orange zest. Set the pan aside. 4. In a large bowl, mix egg white, eggs, vanilla and milk. 5. In a large non-stick skillet, melt the remaining butter using medium-high heat. Take a slice of bread and dip it in the egg and milk mixture. Make sure to turn it over to coat on both sides. 6. When the butter is completely heated, put the dipped bread slice in the pan and cook for about two minutes. 7. Flip over and cook for another two minutes. When the piece of toast is brown on both sides, place it on a baking sheet. Place it in the oven to keep it warm while you cook the remaining slices in a similar manner.
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8. For serving, place the slices on a serving plate and top with the strawberry mixture. If you want, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top. 6) Apple Cobbler
Apple Cobbler is a wonderful recipe and definitely the favorite of many people. It is also a recipe rich with all the right nutrients that you need to keep healthy, which makes it a wonderful choice for breakfast. Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can apple pie filling
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
½ cup sugar
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. lemon juice
For topping:
2 tbsp. softened butter
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar 97
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Instructions: 1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, milk, egg and vegetable oil. Sift the flour and baking powder together then add the mixture to the egg and milk. Blend the ingredients well together. 2. Take a 13 x 9” baking pan and grease it slightly. Put cherry pie filling, apple pie filling, vanilla and lemon juice in the pan and mix them together. Pour the flour batter in the pan over the filling, spreading it evenly. 3. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients of the topping and mix them together. Sprinkle this over the batter in the baking pan evenly. 4. Set the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the cobbler for 40 to 45 minutes. When it is done, remove from the oven and serve right away. 7) Pike Place Market Salad
A delicious combination of fresh berries, herbs and nuts, this salad will give you a perfect start to your day. The berries are rich in anti-oxidants while the nuts give you the necessary fill of fibers and healthy fats. For a light and healthy start to your day, this is definitely the best pick. Ingredients:
3 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. sugar
8 cups herb salad mix
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
2 cups berries
½ cup apple cider 98
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1 tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
¼ tsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. water
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions: 1. In a small skillet, heat the sugar for about one to two minutes over medium heat or until the sugar dissolves. Make sure to stir frequently. When the sugar is dissolved, lower the heat and add walnuts to it. Cook for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. 2. Coat a piece of foil with cooking spray and spread the walnut and sugar mixture over it. Let it cool completely and then break it into small cubes. 3. Prepare the dressing by heating the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the flame to allow it to simmer. You can stop when the concoction is reduced to about two tablespoons. 4. In a small bowl, mix water with cornstarch and remove lumps properly. Bring the apple cider to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture to the pan while stirring continuously. Cook for about 30 seconds before removing the pan off the flame. Stir in salt, pepper, shallots and vinegar, and leave the mixture to cool down. 5. In a large bowl, put in the salad mix and drizzle it with the dressing. Toss everything together and divide into four serving bowls. Top evenly with walnuts, cheese and berries, and serve immediately. 99
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Lunch Recipes 1) Artichoke and Sweet Potato
If you want a savory and fulfilling meal in the middle of the day, this is a delightful recipe for you to try. Artichokes are a mine of healthy fats while potatoes are rich in antioxidants. Having this light and healthy recipe for lunch will keep you energized throughout the day. Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans
2 diced tomatoes
1 bunch scallions
1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes
½ cup chicken stock
2 ¼ cups artichoke hearts
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 2. Chop the artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Toss them in a large bowl and add olive oil, scallions, and half of salt and oregano. Mix everything well. 3. Put beans, pepper and the remaining oregano and salt in a blender and mix it. 100
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4. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and place the halves on a lightly oiled pan. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the artichokes and bean puree to the top of the potatoes. Finally, add tomato slices and the remaining seasoning before covering the pan completely. 5. Bake for about an hour or until the potatoes are tender. Bake for another 10 minutes without the cover and remove the pan from the oven once the top is golden brown. Serve hot. 2) Chicken with Vegetables
For lunch, this wonderful combination of chicken and healthy vegetables is another perfect choice. You can easily prepare it in a few minutes without compromising the high nutritional value from the lean meat and vegetables. Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless and skinless chicken breast
1 julienned red bell pepper
1 sliced onion
2 cups baby spinach
1 ½ cup cauliflower florets
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. red curry paste 101
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2 tsp. canola oil
Lime wedges as required
Instructions: 1. Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. 2. In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add onions and bell pepper to it and sauté for about five minutes or until the vegetables start softening up. 3. Add the curry paste, ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for a minute, mixing the ingredients together. 4. Add chicken pieces to the pan next and cook for two to three minutes while stirring continuously. 5. After the chicken is white on all sides, add coconut milk, fish sauce, broth and brown sugar to the skillet. Mix the ingredients together and bring them to a simmer. 6. Add the cauliflower florets and again leave the curry to simmer at a medium-low flame. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken and cauliflower are cooked through. 7. Add lime juice and spinach, and cook until the spinach is soft. 8. Dish it out in a serving bowl and garnish with lime wedges. Serve immediately. 3) Stuffed Red Bell Peppers
Crunchy, crispy and delicious bell peppers are definitely a favorite of many people. If you are one of those people, you will greatly enjoy this recipe where red bell peppers are stuffed with beef, rice, spices and herbs, making a delectable combination. Ingredients: 6 large red bell peppers 102
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1 ¼ lb. lean ground beef 2/3 cup cooked white rice 1 large egg 2 ½ cups canned tomato sauce 2 cups chopped onions 2 chopped garlic cloves 2 tbsp. olive oil ¼ tsp. ground allspice 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 ¼ tsp. salt 1 tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
6 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
Instructions: 1. Cut off the top of the bell peppers at least by ½ inch, toss aside the stems and chop the top pieces finely. Scoop out the seeds from the pepper and throw them away. 2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high flame, and add onions, chopped pepper, garlic and parsley to it. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until the onion is tender. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. 3. Add rice, allspice, salt, pepper and paprika papr ika to the sautéed vegetables and let it rest for 10 minutes, allowing them to cool. 4. Add ½ cup tomato sauce, egg and beef to the vegetables and rice mixture, and combine all the ingredients well together. 5. Stuff the peppers with the beef filling and place them in a large pot in a single layer. Pour the remaining tomato sauce in the pot around the peppers and keep the heat at medium-high to bring the sauce to a boil. 103
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6. Bring down the heat to medium low, cover the pot completely and let the peppers cook for about 20 minutes. 7. Spoon the sauce equally over the peppers, cover the pan and cook for another 20 minutes or until the filling is cooked through and peppers are tender. Serve the stuffed peppers warm. 4) Rajma Masala
Rajma masala is a popular Indian recipe that is simply made with red kidney beans and some wonderful spices. Red kidney beans are extremely rich in their nutritional value, making this curry a perfect choice for healthy lunch. Moreover, the spices used are known for their own health benefits giving this recipe extra points. Ingredients:
1 cup red kidney beans
2 chopped onions
3 chopped tomatoes
½ tsp. ginger paste
½ tsp. garlic paste
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves
2 tsp. coriander powder
¼ tsp. allspice powder (garam masala)
2 green chilies, split in half
1 tbsp. oil
1 cinnamon
1 bay leaf 104
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1 clove
1 green cardamom
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. cream
Instructions: 1. Soak the beans overnight and drain the water in the morning. Pressure cook the red kidney beans until you hear 4 to 5 whistles. When done, there should be enough water left to completely immerse the beans. Drain the water and reserve it for later then keep aside the beans. 2. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add bay leaf, clove, cinnamon and cardamom in it. Cook for about a minute and then add onion. 3. Cook the onion until it goes tender and transparent in color. Add the turmeric and ginger and garlic paste to the pan and cook for about two minutes. 4. Add tomatoes, green chilies, coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chili powder and salt to the pan. Cook for about five minutes over medium flame and then add dried fenugreek leaves. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are slightly tender. 5. Add the red kidney beans and cook for five minutes over medium heat. Add the water you reserved to the pan and let it cook for another five minutes. Add 1 cup of water, cover the pan and let the beans cook for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat. 6. When the water is reduced to a thick gravy, add the cream and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat quickly and serve the t he rajma hot.
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5) Red Kidney Bean Soup
If you have a habit of taking a light lunch, this wonderful soup is an ideal choice for you. While light and delicious, it is also fulfilling, healthy and packed with nutrients that red kidney beans are famous for. Hearty and slightly spicy, this soup is perfect for cold days when you need some warmth. Ingredients:
2 cups canned and drained red kidney beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 chopped stalk of celery
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped onion
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. red chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 chopped garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
For lime yogurt: 1 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. lime juice
½ cup plain yogurt
Instructions: 1. In a small mixing bowl, add lime juice, cilantro and yogurt to make lime yogurt. Mix them well and keep aside. 2. Take a medium-sized soup pot and heat 1 tbsp. broth in it. When it is hot, add onions to it and cook for about five minutes over medium heat. Stir frequently. 106
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3. When the onions turn translucent, add celery, carrots and garlic to it, and sauté for another minute. 4. Add tomato paste, broth, spices and kidney beans to the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes without the lid on the pot. 5. When the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat and let the soup cool. 6. In a blender or food processor, blend the soup in small portions, starting at a low speed and then increasing the speed. When the soup is finely blended, put it back in the soup pot. 7. Season with salt and pepper then cook the soup for another few minutes to reheat it. Scoop out the soup into serving bowls and add 1 tbsp. of lime yogurt on top of each bowl. Serve the soup right away. 6) Bacon and Pinto Beans
If you like bacon, there is no need to give it up for a healthy life, as long as you are eating it in a balanced way. With healthy beans added to the mix, this bacon recipe is another good pick for a healthy lunch. Ingredients:
4 slices coarsely chopped thick-cut bacon
4 cups drained dried pinto beans
1 chopped onion
2 seeded and minced jalapenos
Kosher salt to taste
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese 107
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Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions: 1. Soak the beans overnight in water and drain the next morning. 2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When completely hot, add bacon to it and cook until it turns crisp. 3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels and drain. Reserve 2 tbsp. dripping from the pan and discard the rest. 4. Heat the 2 tbsp. dripping in the same pan and add onion, garlic and 1 jalapeno to it. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions turn soft. 5. Add beans along with eight cups of water to the pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for about two hours until the beans are cooked and tender. Add more water if needed. 6. Add the cooked bacon and remaining jalapeno. Season with salt then turn off the heat and serve right away. 7) Mediterranean Beef
Nothing can be as satisfying as potato and meat, so this is definitely going to be one of your favorite recipes. You can try it as a main dish or you can use it for a sandwich; it tastes absolutely delicious both ways. Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
6 large peeled and cubed Russet potatoes
1 cup chopped onions
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. black pepper 108
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2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions: 1. Put 3 tbsp. olive oil in a large pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Add meat along with 1 tsp. salt to it and cook for about five minutes. 2. When the meat is brown, add onions to the pan and cook for another five minutes. 3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and let it heat slightly. Then add potatoes, pepper and 1 tsp. salt. Mix all the ingredients together, cover the pot and let its contents cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. 4. When the potatoes are tender, turn off the heat and add cumin and cinnamon on top. Serve immediately.
Dinner Recipes 1) Spring Vegetable Stew
A combination of meaty artichokes and tender leeks, this rich and hearty stew is an ideal entrée for your dinner. Packed with anti-oxidants, this recipe is a well-balanced combination of carbs, protein and fats. Ingredients:
4 medium leeks
6 large artichokes
¼ cup porcini mushrooms or dried morels
1 cup fresh or frozen baby lima beans
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
12 peeled garlic cloves 109
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1 large lemon
1 cup warm water
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
¼ cup fresh chopped chives
4 tsp. butter
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ cup vegetable broth (reduced sodium)
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup water
Instructions: 1. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for at least 30 minutes and then drain. Strain the water through a paper towel and reserve it. Rinse the mushrooms in cold water, drain and then chop them. 2. Squeeze the lemon juice. Take water in a large bowl and add half of the lemon juice along with lemon halves. Keep the remaining half of the lemon juice aside. 3. Take the white part of the leeks and cut it into ½ inch cubes. Remove the outer leaves from the artichokes. Peel off the stem and cut down the artichoke in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the choke and cut the hearts into quarters. To prevent them from browning, soak them in the lemon water. 4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté artichoke hearts, leeks, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and thyme for about five minutes or until they start browning.
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5. Add white wine and cook for about three minutes until the wine is slightly reduced. Add broth, the reserved mushroom water and salt to it and let it cook while covered for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the carrots and artichoke hearts go tender. 6. Add peas and lima beans to the stew and increase the heat to medium. Cook for another 10 minutes while covered. 7. Add the remaining lemon juice, butter and black pepper. Stir and cook for a minute and then turn off the heat. Serve hot. 2) Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Salad
If you want something light and healthy in dinner, you should definitely give this salad a try. Soft juicy tomatoes and spicy crunchy bell peppers are a combination to behold and cherish, not only because of the delicious taste, but also because it is very healthy. Ingredients:
2 thinly sliced green bell peppers
3 sliced plum tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. hot sauce
Juice of ½ lemon
1 grated garlic clove
½ tsp. kosher salt
Pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions: 1. In a large salad bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Mix all the ingredients well. 111
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2. Add bell peppers and tomatoes to the bowl and toss them with the dressing. Serve the salad right away. 3) Bell Pepper Soup
Red bell pepper is one of the most nutrient-rich ingredients that you could add to your meals. So, if you are in the mood for some soup in dinner, there is no reason why you should not have bell peppers in it! Ingredients:
2 large peeled and diced potatoes
4 to 5 sundried tomatoes
1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers
½ chopped red onion
2 chopped celery stalks
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
2/3 cup sour cream
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (low-sodium)
Instructions: 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté red onions, celery and potatoes in it for about five minutes. Season the mix with salt and pepper. 2. When the potatoes start getting soft, add chicken broth, red peppers, tomatoes and 1 cup water to the pot. Cover the pot completely and bring it to a simmer. Then, remove the cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes turn tender. 112
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3. Puree the soup with the sour cream in a blender until it turns smooth. Season with salt, pepper and half of cilantro. 4. Pour the soup in the serving bowls and garnish with cheese and cilantro on top. 4) Spicy Beans
There is no end to the number of times you can hear how important and healthy beans are for you; that is why here is another bean recipe, this time for dinner. Full of fiber and protein, these beans are definitely going to keep you in good shape. Ingredients:
2 diced red bell peppers
1 diced onion
1 ham hock
4 cups dry pinto beans
4 minced garlic cloves
2 sliced jalapenos
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
Instructions: 1. Rinse the pinto beans in a colander under cold water. Drain the beans and place them in a soup pot along with ham hock. Cover all with water and make sure that 2 inches are in excess. 2. Bring the water to a boil on high heat and then reduce the heat. Cover the pot and let it cook for 2 hours at a low flame. Add more water if needed. 3. Add onions, jalapenos, garlic and red bell pepper to the pot. Cover again and cook for another 2 hours, adding water in between. 113
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4. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder and then cover and cook for another 20 minutes. When the beans are completely tender, turn off the heat and serve hot. 5) Stuffed Potatoes with Artichokes
Super-tasty and super-healthy, this recipe is a favorite of kids and adults. While it does take some time to be prepared, it is definitely worth the effort you will put in. Ingredients:
4 scrubbed russet potatoes
3 chopped scallions
6 oz. artichoke hearts
2/3 cup fresh basil
½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 ½ cup cooked quinoa
1 diced plum tomato
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp. light boursin cheese
¾ cup provolone cheese
1 tbsp. capers
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. salt
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake until they are soft or for about 50 minutes. 2. In a mixing bowl, add capers, garlic, scallions, artichoke hearts, ½ cup basil, yogurt and quinoa. Season with salt and pepper and mix the ingredients well.
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3. When the potatoes are slightly cooled, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop the insides while leaving the outer shell. Using a fork, mash the scooped out potatoes and add them to the artichoke mixture. 4. Line up the potato shells in a baking dish in a single layer. Fill the shells with the artichoke mixture and top up with cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes and then add tomatoes on top. Serve hot. 6) Turkey Breast with Oven-Roasted Potatoes
Juicy and tender turkey meat has its own appeal as it invites you to indulge yourself every once in a while. So, here is a healthy turkey recipe that you can try without cheating on your healthy diet plan. Ingredients:
2 lb. peeled and halved Idaho potatoes
1 4 ½-lb. piece of bone-in turkey breast
¾ cup orange juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tbsp. butter
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 minced garlic cloves
½ tbsp. honey
½ tbsp. orange zest
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack in the lower middle. 115
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2. In a saucepan, heat butter at a medium flame. Add orange zest, orange juice, pepper flakes, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, salt and pepper to it. 3. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it simmer at medium-low heat. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the glaze is reduced by half. 4. Turn off the heat and set aside half of the glaze for use. Transfer the rest to a container for later use. 5. Place turkey in a roasting pan and drizzle it with olive oil. Place the potatoes around the meat and season both with salt and pepper. Let them roast for at least an hour. 6. Remove the roasting pan from oven and baste the turkey piece with glaze. Continue roasting the turkey, basting it regularly with glazing after every 20 minutes until the turkey turns golden brown for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Tent loosely with foil to avoid dark or hard skin. 7. Insert a thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey breast and check the temperature. The turkey will be perfectly cooked when the thermometer instantly gives a reading of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 8. When the turkey is cooked, remove it from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Carve the turkey into slices and drizzle it with the gravy from the roasting pan. Serve with baked potatoes. 7) Mexican Beans
This is another recipe with red kidney beans, but this time with a slightly Mexican touch thanks to chilies, cilantro and garlic. This wonderful recipe is going to give you a dinner packed with antioxidants. Ingredients:
4 15-ounce cans of red kidney bean 116
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2 finely diced poblano chili peppers
4 peeled and crushed garlic cloves
1 finely chopped onion
½ cup tomato sauce
1 to 3 cups water
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly grounded pepper
½ tsp. dried crushed oregano
Instructions: 1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, cilantro and chili pepper to it and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 2. When the onions turn tender, add beans, salt, pepper, oregano and tomato sauce. Mix the ingredients well and cook for a minute. 3. Add water, covering the beans by at least 1 inch. You can add more water if you like more gravy with beans. 4. On a high flame, bring the water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes. 5. When the beans are cooked through, remove the pot from the stove and serve, garnished with cilantro.
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Drinks Recipes 1) Power Smoothie
This breakfast power smoothie contains a large amount of antioxidants and other nutrients, making it the perfect way to keep aging at bay and save you from certain diseases like cancer. To retain the health benefits of this smoothie, make sure you pick fresh seasonal fruits. Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
½ cup raspberries
½ cup strawberries
½ cup blackberries
½ cup wild blueberries
Instructions: 1. Put all the berries and pomegranate juice into a blender and blend until it reaches a consistency you prefer drinking. Serve right away while the smoothie is fresh. 2) Blueberry Smoothie
This is another wonderful concoction made of fresh berries and is rich in antioxidants that give you a perfect start to your day or a refreshing edge to sunny afternoons. Honey adds to the nutritional value of this drink since it has been known to be an ingredient for good health and disease ailment. Ingredients: 1 large frozen banana 1 cup frozen and unsweetened blueberries 1 tbsp. whole flaxseeds 118
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1 cup low-fat, almond or soy milk 1 tbsp. honey Instructions: 1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend for about a minute on high speed. When it has a smooth but thick consistency, serve it right away. 3) Banana Smoothie
This is another delicious and refreshing smoothie that brings together the advantages of berries, banana, honey, and apple juice in a sweet and classic combination. Consumed in the morning, afternoon or evening, this smoothie can give you a power-up once inside you. Ingredients:
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
1 ½ tsp. honey
¼ cup blueberries
½ cup raspberries
1 sliced banana
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup ice
Instructions: 1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse them twice so that the fruits are chopped. Shake the blender to mix the fruits and then blend until it takes a smooth consistency. Serve immediately.
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4) Cherry Limeade
If you are not a big fan of smoothies, here is another drink that you are going to love. A delightful combination of cherries and lime, this drink can refresh and energize you in no time at all. Ingredients: 1 10-ounce jar of maraschino cherries (reserve the juice) 1 cup sugar 1 cup fresh lime juice 2 1-liter bottles of lemon-lime soda Thinly sliced lime Instructions: 1. Put all the ingredients into the freezer before mixing. 2. When chilled, put together all the ingredients in a large pitcher, including the cherry juice reserved. Stir the ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Put the pitcher in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. 3. Pour the juice into glasses, putting limes and cherries equally into each glass. Serve immediately.
Dessert Recipes 1) Baked Apples with Dry Fruits
Delicious golden apples baked with a combination of fruits and nuts do not make a scrumptious dessert only, but also a delightful breakfast in the morning if only you can manage to save one and chill it. Filled with antioxidants, this is a healthy dessert you would not want to miss at all. Ingredients: 120
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6 golden apples
½ cup apricot preserves
1 ½ cups apple cider
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup walnuts
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. butter
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. maple syrup
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Coat an 8x12” baking dish lightly with a cooking spray. 2. Using an apple corer, make a 1-inch wide hole and core the apples all the way through. Peel the upper one-third area of the apples. Then, using a sharp knife, core the flesh where the peeled and unpeeled flesh of the apples meet creating a circumference while cutting about ¼ inch deep into the flesh. 3. Around the top of the hole, cut a shallow crater for the filling and set aside the apples. 4. In a food processor, chop coconut, raisins/cranberries and walnuts without turning them into powder. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup and lemon zest to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix the ingredients.
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5. Place the apples in the baking dish. Fill each apple cavity with ¼ cup of nut and berries mixture. On the top crater of each apple, add a tablespoon of apricot preserves. 6. In a small saucepan, heat butter and apple cider together over low heat. When the butter is melted, get the pan off the stove and add vanilla to it. Mix well and pour this mixture over the apples and in the baking dish. 7. Cover the baking dish with tented foil and bake for about 30 minutes on the center rack. Next, remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the apples are tender. While baking, baste the apples after every ten minutes. 8. When the apples are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the baking pan itself while basting regularly. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature. 2) Pomegranate Poached Pears
Have you ever wanted to try a pink pear? If yes, here is your chance to do that with this recipe. Pear coated with pomegranate juice and topped with nuts and cream is a colorful and irresistible delight to have after a meal. Ingredients:
4 firm and ripe bosc pears
4 fresh bay leaves
4 tbsp. low-fat sour cream
½ cup pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp. sliced almonds
1 cup sweet dessert wine
1 ½ cup pomegranate juice
Instructions: 122
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1. Peel the pears completely but do not remove their stems. Also cut off the base so that the pears can stand straight. Remove the cores using an apple corer. 2. In a large saucepan, place the pears on their sides in a single layer. Pour the wine and pomegranate juice over them and cook over medium-high heat before bringing the mixture to a simmer. 3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and let the pears cook in the simmering liquid for about 30 to 45 minutes. Turn the pears once or twice and use a knife to check if they are completely tender or not. Transfer the pears into a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. 4. Continue cooking the mixture over high heat, boiling it for about 15 to 20 minutes or until just half a cup is left. Remove from the heat and set aside. 5. In a small skillet, toast the almonds over medium-low heat for two to three minutes and stir continuously. When they are light golden in color, remove from pan and set aside. 6. Take four serving plates and pour 1 tbsp. of pomegranate juice sauce in each. Place a pear upright on each plate and drizzle them with more sauce on top. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and almonds around and over the pears. Add a bay leaf and a tbsp. of cream to each plate and serve right away. 3) Blueberry Pomegranate Fruit Salad
This is an amazing and quite an irresistible salad that can easily satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising on nutrients or risking your weight loss goals. Aside from using it as a dessert, you can use it as a snack whenever you feel like some munching. Ingredients: 12 oz. blueberries ¼ cup toasted and slivered almonds 123
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1 tsp. honey ¼ cup sunflower seeds 1 cup pomegranate seeds A pinch of cinnamon Instructions: 1. Put all the ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss them until coated in the honey well. Serve it chilled or at room temperature. 4) Winter Kompot
A delightful combination of poached dried fruits, this dessert is served classically in a crystal bowl or glass pitcher. To give g ive it a slightly festive flavor, a dash of brandy is added. Ingredients:
1 cup golden raisins
½ lb. pitted prunes
1 lb. mixed dried fruits
1 lb. dried apricots
5 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 sliced lemon
¼ cup brandy
1 cup granulated sugar
10 cups water
Instructions:
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1. In a large saucepan, put all the dried fruits along with cloves, cinnamon and lemon. Add water, cover the pan and let the nuts soak for at least four hours or overnight. 2. Add sugar to the saucepan and cook the fruits over medium high heat, bringing the water to a boil. Then, lower the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Taste and a nd add more sugar if required. 3. Take the pot off the stove and let it cool. Add brandy and mix well. Serve at room temperature or warm.
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Chapter # 7: Do’s and Don’ts for a Healthy Lifestyle The fact that you need proper diet and the right kind of exercises to keep fit and healthy has been established time and again in this eBook. What you need now is a plan of action that you could work on. While we have already pointed out a few recipes and exercises that you can find useful for your cause, there are certain other things that you have to be careful about. It is not just about eating the right food and doing the mentioned exercises, but also also about about when when and how everything should be done. done. So, to ensure that your healthy eating regimen and efforts to remain youthful do not go to waste, here is a list of some crea te an order in your life. do’s do’s and don’ts that you should follow to create
1. Respect Your Meal Schedule Eating mindlessly at any time and just because you feel like it is the biggest disaster in terms of your health and fitness regimen. First off, you need to make a proper eating schedule and then you have to learn to respect it. Set three times in a day for your meals and make sure you have your meals at those specific times, no matter how busy you tend to get every day. Aside from the three meals, schedule snacks twice between meals in your daily schedule so that you can feel fuller for a longer time. Once this schedule is created, stick to it and do not eat at random times just because you are craving something or you are slightly feeling hungry. Once your body gets used to these established and timely eating routine, it becomes conditioned and you usually feel hungry at 126
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these times only. Eating without schedule or changing your schedule every other day will just make it harder for your body to process food.
2. Adopt the Right Way of Eating Not eating in the right manner is another issue that makes all the weight loss efforts of people go to waste. If you are in a habit of eating too fast and do not usually chew properly because of that, you are disturbing your metabolism. This is why it is important that you chew your food well and eat slowly instead of just stuffing yourself up. No matter where you are, at work, home or anywhere else, just take out some time from your busy schedule and dedicate it to your meals. This way, you can eat them in a slow and thorough manner. Realizing when to stop eating is also important. Do not keep eating until you feel stuffed to the throat and cannot eat one more morsel. Instead of just filling up your plate and eating or being polite and asking for second helpings again and again, learn how to manage meal portions. Learn about the amount of calories that different food items have and manage the portions with that in mind. Do not eat based on how hungry you feel; instead focus on the number of calories you take in with every meal. Right when you start feeling slightly full, stop eating. Do not wait for the feeling of being completely full to set in since that is a signal which your body sends after 15 to 20 minutes of you finishing your dinner. By doing that, you will end up overloading yourself with more food than what your body could take.
3. Avoid Too Many Snacks between Meals Balance is the key to doing things right. This rule should be applied carefully to your habit of snacking between meals. While it is not advisable to give up snacks completely, it also is not wise to keep taking snacks all the time. The maximum number of snacks that can be counted as acceptable in a day is three, and that too taken between meals at 127
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balanced time intervals. Two snacks a day is an even better number, especially when you are determined to lose weight and keep it off your body. What you eat as snacks is another matter to consider carefully. Most people turn to really unhealthy options when it comes to snacks, which can defeat the whole purpose of their diet. To give you a nudge in the right direction, here is a tip: eat more fresh fruits and nuts since they make the best type of snacks you can opt for. As you had learned from the previous chapter, you can always make salads or desserts using these things as snacks. On the other hand, the things you should stay away from strictly when it is snack time are cookies, potato chips, tortilla chips, donuts, French fries and Twinkies among many other similar junk items. These items are extremely high in calories and, combined with your meals, they will prevent your exercise efforts from being truly and fully beneficial.
4. Keep Away From too Many Liquids Liquid calories are one of the main reasons behind your inability to lose any weight after all the efforts you have been putting in. Liquid calories can come from a lot of things - coffee, juices, teas, smoothies, alcohol and sodas - all of which can lead to weight gain. However, most people do not account for these calories when they are making their meal schedule. As a result, they end up consuming way more calories than they were supposed to. Therefore, it is important to count liquid calories carefully but include them in your diet plan if you want to see effective results. A glass of smoothie can have as much as 400 calories, a wine glass can have about 100 calories and a diet soda can does not have any calories. If you tend to consume anything 128
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else aside from these three, find out about its liquid calories. The easiest way to do that is by checking the nutritional information mentioned on the packaging of these beverages. Give up the drinks that have more calories, unless and until they are considered healthy, and account for these calories in your daily calorie intake. For instance, if you had a smoothie, compensate for the excess calories by eating a lighter meal than you usually do.
5. Do Not Overdo Your Exercises One mistake that people often make is thinking that too much exercise will result in rapid weight loss. However, this is not how things actually work. Your body is accustomed to a routine; and when you exercise, this routine changes, putting additional stress on your bones, tissues and muscles. This change in routine is what brings about the weight loss as your body starts using more fat. However, there is only so much stress that your body can take. If you start putting your body through too much of this stress on a regular basis, it will start deteriorating rather than shaping up the way you wanted. During exercise, your muscles and connective tissues tear up, and they need sufficient time to heal. If you exercise too much, this healing process is disturbed and the muscle tear continues to develop, leaving your body parts in constant pain. It can also lead to several health conditions related to bones and muscles, that can often be irreparable and degenerative. This is why exercising in limits and sans weights is important for your fitness and health. If you are exercising daily, avoid doing it for more than two hours every day. While athletes do train for longer hours, keep in mind that they are supposed to take several additional steps to ensure that they do not deal with continuous muscle damage.
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6. Believe in the Power of Positive Thinking When it comes to weight loss, there is one thing that most people underestimate: the power of positive thinking. The attitude you are going to keep about your weight loss effort is going to have a significant impact on your behavior and actions. For instance, if you believe right from the start that you are not going to lose weight, you will start cheating on your exercise and diet plans more often. These self-defeating behaviors stem from negative thinking. Positive thinking, on the other hand, contributes towards high motivation and energy levels. There is quite an extensive amount of research present on this subject. Studies collectively indicate that people who believed in the success of their weight loss program lost more pounds in a given time than those who were less trusting. The power of positive thinking and attitude and strong willpower does not only apply to weight loss, but every other aspect of life as well. When the going gets tough, thinking that you can overcome obstacles will actually get you through. Your anti-aging attempts will also be thwarted if you do not give positive thinking a chance. Remember how free radicals tend to form when you stress yourself? As you pull yourself down and continue believing that things will never go the way you want them to be, you can forget about stopping aging let alone reversing it. In short, if you are not seeing positive results of your weight loss or anti-aging efforts, it may be because of your negative attitude. Luckily, your condition is easily reversible. Here are some tips that can help you change your way of thinking:
Start with Baby Steps – Always start with realistic expectations about yourself and do not be overzealous. If you set yourself for failure right from the beginning, which is what you will be doing by setting your goals too high, you will definitely feel bad and negative when your goals are not achieved. Create a diet plan and 130
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exercise schedule that you can actually keep up with and then start increasing the intensity of your program once you get used to it.
Focus on Change Rather than Weight Loss – Most of the time, people focus solely on how many pounds they have lost while neglecting everything else entirely. This can be a big mistake as lost pounds are not always the best indicator of success for your weight loss efforts. Moreover, if you want to get healthy, you should not only focus on weight loss, but an entire new way of lifestyle with healthy habits. For that, you need to focus more on changing your outlook towards things on a whole rather than making lost pounds your only focus in life.
Learn from Your Mistake – You are bound to make mistakes when you first attempt to lose weight. Do not beat yourself over this; in fact, it is not a bad thing at all. Giving up after these mistakes, however, is. Once again, your power of positive thinking is tested when you make mistakes, and you should always maintain the attitude of trying again and again until your goals are finally achieved. Rather than looking at your mistakes as failure, think of them as an experience that helped you learn something valuable about situations.
Find An Inspiration – When we are inspired by someone, we tend to follow their behaviors. You can apply this principle to your weight loss efforts by finding and following the footsteps of someone who is healthy and fit to be your inspiration. Learn about what they did and still do to lose weight and keep fit and healthy, and follow their behavioral patterns. This will give you more of a challenge and keep you motivated for keeping up your efforts.
Make Your Own Regimen – Every person is different, which is why your weight loss program may be different from another person’s, say your own inspiration. Instead of following someone else’s plan, mold their regimen according to your needs and preferences or simply come up with your own. Not only will doing so 131
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be more effective, but it will also keep you from feeling restricted and deprived. The knowledge that you have opted for something on your own free will rather than be forced into it can change the way you think about it significantly. Keep your focus on your desire to change things and then plan a schedule on your own.
Reward Yourself – Finally, it is important to acknowledge that you did a good job and appreciate your efforts through rewards. If your weight loss efforts are showing positive results and you feel like you have done a good job of maintaining your routine, reward yourself by taking a day off from this routine once every few weeks. Cheat on your exercise and diet plan for that day and indulge in some delicacies you have been avoiding in an effort to stay lean and look young. However, do not go overboard or you will end up putting back the same pounds and toxins you just got rid of.
Following these do’s and don’ts can ensure that all the efforts you put towards your weight loss program are actually giving you the results you were expecting. These are all simple things, but they might be affecting your efforts in a significantly negative way. With this, you now know which exercises to do, what foods to eat and what to do to ensure yourself of a lean, youthful body. So, start off with the Spartan solution to live a healthy, fit life and counter the effects of aging.
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Conclusion This book has been a journey which has finally come to an end. Through it, you have been liberated from many myths you probably believed to be the ultimate truths about weight loss, exercise and anti-aging. You have also taken a look at one of the least known yet highly effective way of eating and exercising: The Spartan Way. Now that you are in on the secret of the Spartans, rest assured that weight and youth will be yours as long as you abide by every word you have read so far. However, remember to follow the instructions, tips and recipes because of substantial reasons rather than superficial ones. Instead of believing that you are doing what you do just to ‘look good’, form a goal by mentally saying or writing down that you want to become healthy from the inside out. Goals are what you need to ensure that you stay on track and never cheat or stop your efforts altogether. If you need another incentive aside from those you read so far, here is one: You Are Worth It. Every person deserves to be physically and mentally healthy. However, the key to this lies in your own hands. Therefore, do not give up too easily, especially with so much still to go ahead. If you do not believe that you can go on, think about the people who would love to enjoy your company for years to come. Be it a friend or a spouse, make them your reason to stay motivated on your own journey to a leaner, healthier and more youthful you. Finally, do not keep this information to yourself. Share it with others so that they too can stay healthy and young and by your side. Life can get lonely at times, so make sure that you have the people you love around you by teaching them the Spartan Protocol or guiding them to this resource.
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