Combat hot weather....Heee Ya!!

Everyone has been complaining about the weather these days. The dry spell came during the Chinese New Year holidays and practically stayed on till now. This has affected many people and the first to go is always your health.

Coughs, sore throats and infections are common and with the weather condition not abating anytime soon or even unpredictable at times, I have compiled a few tips for all of you to follow and hopefully remain healthy throughout ….

1. Drink loads
Drink at least 2 Liters of water daily. As you tend to perspire more under all that heat, replenishing bodily fluid is of utmost importance to avoid dehydration. Since 70% of the body is made up of water, not drinking enough may lead to malfunctioning of the body system, including immune health. Go for fresh fruit juices, plain water or isotonic drinks. Avoid teas, coffees, alcohol and carbonated drinks as they can promote urination and ultimately, loss of water.

2. Eat better
If you have the intention of planning and eating better for 2010, this is the time to do so. Opt for more fruits and vegetables as they contain more immuno-boosting vitamins and minerals that may help to give your body a boost. Chuck away your fetish for sweets and fast foods. They are usually laden with both sugar and fats that you can do without (or less). Take less refined carbo (e.g cakes, biscuits, chocolates, wafers, white bread, white rice and noodles) and choose complex carbo instead (e.g whole-grain buns and bread, rice crackers, vegetables and fruits). Go for lean meat, eggs, fish and poultry as your protein source but trim off the fats. Method of cooking is also important as vegetable curry with santan and fried chicken will not sit well with the nutritionists.

3. Stay indoors
Hard as it seems for outdoorsy type like me, you can’t help it but to stay indoors when it is scorching hot out there. If you must, wear skincare cream with SPF protection of at least 50. Bring an umbrella and wear a cap or hat to protect your skin from getting sunburned. Sunburn skin damage leads to premature ageing and pigmentation. Excessive exposure to the sun may also increase your risk of skin cancer.

4. Do light exercise
You can still enjoy your weekly exercise regime, but do so during the morning sun (6am to 10am) or at dawn (5 pm to 7pm). Afternoon sun is the most hazardous to health. If possible, go for indoor sports such as futsal, badminton, yoga and gym instead.

5. Clothing
Wear light breathable clothing. Tight leather wear will promote perspiration and too-tight pants may increase the risk of urogenital infections in women (urinary and sexual organs such as bladder and vagina). Men are not spared either as sweat + bacteria = bad BO

6. Take more showers
Frequent showers cool the body and reduce embarrassing problems such as BO. You are also advised to take more baths if you have skin disorders such as acne or eczema as sweat may promote bacterial infections of the skin and aggravate your skin condition.

7. Supplements
This is an option really. But people who take supplements on a regular basis are better able to ward off infections compared to those who are not. Supportive nutrients are vitamin C, antioxidants, vitamin Bs and certain herbs such as garlic and Echinacea.
These promote immune health and help fight diseases of the respiratory tract or even speed up recovery.

8. Sleep well
Adequate sleep of 7 to 8 hours is advised. Night sleep is where the body rests and repairs itself from the day’s stresses and onslaughts. Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue, mood swings and sickness.

9. Manage your stress
Breathe in, breathe out………take a few deep breaths. When work is piling up, demanding and unreasonable tasks and favours can take their toll on your body. When you are not at work, do the things you enjoy most such as reading, cooking or listening to the music to relieve stress and anxiety. Try not to bring work home and switch off your cell phones (unless you are into sales). Your mind needs to ‘switch off’ to focus on more relaxing things and your body needs to unwind for the next-day battle.

10. Plant a plant
Save our planet! One of the reasons why the weather is as such is because of global warming. We are directly doing this to ourselves (modernisation and development). If you have a garden, go plant some trees, if you live in an apartment, you can have smaller shrubs and flowering plants at your balcony. Plants release oxygen and cool the air surrounding us (when the sun is up). Recycles, reuse and reduce wastes such as plastic and bio-non degradable substances. A friend of mine uses all his wine bottles as drinking water containers. Another friend simply refuses to take plastic bags from the cashier when buying groceries. I applaud their effort as all tiny steps can add up to gargantuan results to make our mother earth a better place to live in.

Do you know........

This is an attempt to compile all interesting facts or snipets on health and nutrition and i will try my very best to update this regularly........be enlightened

Do you know?

1. Taking regular naps in the afternoon raises your risk of diabetes. In addition, daytime napping tends to disrupt night-time sleep, and again those who sleep for just a few hours a night are known to have a greater chance of developing diabetes.

2. A too-tight shirt collar might be an indicator of future heart troubles. Doctors have long measured fats in the abdominal area as an indicator for cardiovascular diseases and now, the fats around the neck is also shown to be closely associated with cholesterol levels and diabetes. Got a thick neck?.........go exercise boy!

3. The hotter the weather, the more severe the headaches. Many of us can relate to this, seeing that the Malaysian weather is usually hot and humid. It is believed that warmer weather leads lower blood pressure and there is good evidence migraines are related to changes in blood flow around the brain.

What is normal eating?

Defining normal eating

Came across this interesting article on eating and what constitute normal eating (while spring-cleaning my workstation). I believe normal or abnormal eating is a very subjective matter. To me, it may not be normal, but to another, it is alright.

Normal eating is:

1. Being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied
2. Being able to choose the food you like and eat it and trully get enough of it - not just to stop eating because you think you should
3. Being able to use some moderate constraint in your food selection to get the right food, but not so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods
4. Giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good
5. Three meals a day, most of the time, but it can also be choosing to munch along
6. Overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. It is also undereating at times and wishing you had more

In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger and proximity to food. However, as normal lifestyle now requires periodic exercise, normal eating now requires periodic dieting , implying that society demands that individuals eat enough to maintain an acceptable body size and no more.

~Ellyn Satter~

Don't junk your sleep

Don't junk your sleep

I have heard of junk food....but junk sleep??

Junk sleep = the inability to gain quality sleep due to technology.

Hahahhaha.......i agree, as sometimes i enjoy watching youtube or blogging.

My body says "go to SLEEP" but my brain wouldn't let me....... sigh, what to do, I feel that we do not have enough hours in a day these days....


Pic above: Sleeping Beauty....now this is what i call quality sleep

Happy Chinese New Year Yo’ll

CNY is just around the corner. The usual tradition of visiting relatives, giving ang pows and hopefully receiving some (in my case), eating and more drinking during this joyous celebration are much anticipated.

What’s more when you also have ‘new’ addition to the family in the form of nieces and nephews, making the occasion more celebrative. This is the time where many of us also take long breaks (a week) for visiting all relatives and friends, especially, my bad, for not making time for them throughout the year (excuse: being very busy and all, which is the truth!).

But before all that can happen, several days of spring-cleaning the house, queuing at the banks for new notes (and ang pow packets) and preparing ‘soong lai’ gifts for in-laws and parents are the norm for married couples.

Children are extremely excited during CNY as this is the time they get to play dress up and receive red packets from their uncles and aunts. Grandparents, on the other hand waited eagerly to show off their grandchildren to others and the adults will definitely drink (alcohol galore), eat and play cards (tsk....tsk....) till the wee hours of the morning.

This CNY will not be any different for me. Besides being labeled a drug pusher by family members for taking orders and buying all sorts of supplements on my aunts’ behalf, this year, I would also like to take the opportunity to do some bird-watching back in Teluk Intan. My husband and I just bought ourselves a pair of Nikon Monarch 8 X 42 binoculars from Singapore (a friend once warned us that it will be a real expensive hobby…..sigh….i wonder whether this can be considered a sport for tax deduction purpose?).
To-date we have discovered 88 species of birds and still counting……yeh! It is a feat for us. My favourites are the Malkohas (long-tailed colourful birds). Good birding spots as I have come to realize are aplenty in the city…..we even managed to spot more than 10 species at the balcony of our home in Menjalara. Other birding spots we normally go to are DPC, FRIM, Sungai Buloh, Kuala Selangor and Lake Garden, KL.

“Once you are into birds, it is quite difficult to ‘switch off’ as you tend to be more sensitive towards their presence such as the sounds they make” said another avid birder friend of my husband and this is soooooo true. We also tend to look up at trees and skies more often these days, just to see whether there are any birds that we could spot. The thrill of discovering a new bird, capturing them on camera and later identifying these birds is very gratifying.

So, yes, we will be trying to squeeze in birding during CNY and hopefully these birds are as merry as us during this festive period. Before that, some tips for all you guys and gals out there:

1. Drink loads….not the alcoholic type. Drink as much water as possible to rehydrate yourselves. The hot weather and all the CNY activities can easily caused dehydration, leading to fatigue. We all love our alcohol but do so in moderation. Water fills you up more, so you tend to eat less.

2. Don’t overindulge. I know it is going to be hard but at least practise some form of self-control, especially on biscuits, fizzy drinks, fatty foods and Chinese Mandarin oranges. One to two pieces of everything is fine.

3. Wear sunscreen with SPF 50 to protect the skin against UV rays that can cause skin pigmentation and also promote ageing.

4. Exercise if you have time or simply expend more energy than you consume. Getting involved in more activities (e.g birding, photography, playing with the kids) can also take your mind off eating.

5. If you like to overindulge, try supplementing your diet with herbal tonics such as Milk Thistle and Dandelion. These herbs help cleanse the liver and detox the body.

6. Plan your journeys and drive safely. Your loved ones would like to see you arriving in one piece. If you are tired, take a short nap at designated petrol kiosks along the highways. Snacking on berries such as blueberries or drinking an infusion of wolfberry tea helps improve eye circulation and reduce tiredness. You may also get this in the form of capsules at your local pharmacies.

7. Lastly, do not stress yourselves out. Just go with the flow, don’t be too calculative and endure all negative remarks/questions thrown at you in good faith (they meant well and only wanted to strike a conversation with you, and these are the standard questions, so you can’t say you are caught off guard by them).

Happy Chinese New Year to everybody and I’ll fill you with more updates after my CNY break!

My agenda for CNY
13th Feb – Pre CNY dinner with the in-laws
14th Feb – Driving up to TI to visit David’s side of the relatives plus birding
14th Feb – Driving back to KL to meet up with mom’s side of the family at Putrajaya
15th Feb – Visit dad’s sides of the family in Klang
16th Feb – Visit relatives in Klang valley
17th – 19th Feb – road trip to Melaka
20th Feb onwards – attending friend’s and relatives’ open houses

Gong Xi Gong Xi!