#FitnessGoals2018

The holiday season is over and we now welcome 2018 with anticipation. New Year equals new life, new hope, new dreams, and new goals. This is a great time to start anew and leave the bad stuff behind. Health-wise, this is also a perfect time to set our health and fitness goals. After all, we are not getting any younger, are we?

It is during this time that most people are struggling to lose weight and maintain a healthy one. But fitness experts encourage us to have more specific intention in setting our fitness goals. We have to ask ourselves, “What do I want to achieve?” Is it really enough to just shed those extra pounds that were gained during the holidays? Let’s consider adding these three goals to the list of “FitnessGoals2018”:
1. Lower your body fat percentage

Losing weight is one thing, lowering your body fat percentage is another. Ideally, when we try to lose weight we want to lose the fat, not just the water weight. We want to shift our body composition and lower the body fat percentage. You can measure this in various ways. You may ask your trainer to test your percent body fat using a skinfold caliper, or through bioimpedance analysis (BIA).

The World Health Organization has set guideline for normal range of body fat for male and female. Take note that females are supposed to have higher body fat percentage compared to men in order for them to fulfill their physiological functions. Males on the other hand have lower body fat percentage requirement because they are naturally more muscular.

PERCENT BODY FAT*
MALE	CATEGORY	FEMALE
>25%	HIGH	>35%
20 less than 25%	Slightly High	30 less than 35%
10 less than 20%	Normal	20 less than 30%
Less than 10%	Low	Less than 20%

*using a Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) machine

2. Get stronger

Do not focus on just getting skinny! There are many benefits that you can get from getting physically fit and that includes getting stronger. Make strength one of your goals. What’s good with improving your strength is it’s more quantifiable than saying that you want to tone your muscles. Strength can be measured by the number of pushups that you can do, or the amount of weight you are able to lift. You will notice it even in practical daily life how easier it is for you to lift your groceries or even your suitcase.

3. Incorporate fitness in your daily routine

Instead of trying to shape up for a specific event only (e.g. bikini season, wedding, reunion), why not incorporate fitness and healthy lifestyle all throughout the year? Keep those gym dates or regular runs in your schedule as well as your healthy diet for the long haul. While it is good that you would want to look stunningly fit in that particular occasion, would you really want to put to waste all the efforts that you’ve put in for it once the occasion is over? Motivate yourself to stick to a healthy lifestyle and you will see the difference. Try the 70/30 rule in keeping a healthy body.

You can exercise like an athlete but if your diet is poor, you simply won’t be able to lose any weight. We cannot exercise our way out from a bad diet. And this is where the 70/30 rule comes in. Seventy percent of weight loss comes from making fundamental dietary changes and thirty percent comes from exercise. So start by tweaking your current dietary pattern and try snacking on Gardenia Slim ‘n Fit Wheaten Bread, the only bread in the market that contains L-carnitine, a nutrient that helps in burning fat during workout. Two slices will only give you 145 kcal. That is even lesser calories than a cup of rice! Try Gardenia Stuffed Red Bell Pepper to spice up your Gardenialicious snacking time.

Gardenia Stuffed Red Bell Pepper Sandwich

(Carbohydrates 25g; Protein 27g; Fat 6g; Calories 262 kcal)

Ingredrients:
4 slices Gardenia Slim N Fit Wheaten Bread
2 pcs red bell pepper
2 pcs green bell pepper
300 g ground beef
1 pc carrots, small diced
1 pc white onion, small diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
desired herbs and spices
salt and pepper
60 gms quick melt cheese, grated
150 ml barbeque sauce

Procedure:

In a bowl, Combine Ground beef, carrots, onions, garlic, herbs and spices barbeque sauce and salt and pepper. Mix well.
In a pot, cook your beef mixture.
On a chopping board, cut the top portion of the bell pepper and remove the seeds. Wash it well to remove the seeds.
Trim the sides of your Gardenia Slim ‘n Fit Wheaten bread and set aside.
Once your beef mixture is cooked, scoop about 1 ½ tbsp and fill the bell pepper with it. Top it with half of the diced bread, top it with cheese and place it in the oven until cheese melts. Top it again with the remaining diced bread.
Plate and serve.

Sources:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/fitness-goals accessed 14 November 17

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/ accessed 15 November 17

https://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/lose-fat/20-tips-shed-body-fat-good-0 accessed 15 November 17

https://press-london.com/blogs/squeeze/the-70-30-rule-is-this-the-secret-to-weight-loss accessed 18 December 17