A Dose of Health for the Week

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Bekhsoos will be featuring a series of articles to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Questions and topic requests are welcome in the comment box!

Before thinking about losing weight, keep in mind that you should not choose extreme diets that limit your food options and keep you away from your favorite foods. When it comes down to sugary and fatty yummy food, remember that moderation is the key. Think about your weight as a series of healthy choices for a better lifestyle. A few simple changes here and there can make a big difference.

Tip 1: Avoid drinking yourself fat.

Many of us drink an excess of calories from sugar and fat without noticing. For example, a can of coke has 8 teaspoons of sugar, which already exceeds the recommended daily intake of 6 teaspoons for your body. If you’re drinking 2-3 cokes and 2 cups of coffee with 2 spoons of sugar each day, then you have already had 5 times the recommended amount.

What to watch out for? Sodas, coffee, and alcohol.

Simple lifestyle changes:

• Soda: Try to switch from soda to water or brewed ice tea without sugar. If sodas are very important to you, then switch to diet substitutes.
• Coffee: Even though most of us were taught as kids that milk is healthy, in reality it has a lot of grams of fat (1g fat = 9calories). So when ordering your favorite coffee drink ask the barista for 2% milk or (even better) skim milk.
• Alcohol: Try to stay away from fruity drinks because they contain sugar from alcohol in addition to sugar from the soda or juice added to them. There’s really no nice way to put it other than: try to limit your alcohol intake. Two non-sugary drinks per outing, 2-3 times a week, would be a good start.

Tip 2: Be more active.

I don’t mean that you must sign up in a gym starting tomorrow because I know that most of us don’t have the time or are not interested in exercise. You don’t have to go to extreme workouts if you’re not interested, but why not try some simple changes?

What to watch out for? Elevators and parking.

Simple lifestyle changes:

• Elevators: If you’re going up to the 2nd or 3rd floor, use the stairs. The first few times might be challenging to resist the elevator, but after a while you will find that it will become second nature.
• Parking: Don’t drive around the block 3 times to find a parking spot right next to your destination. Park a block or two away so that you get a little bit of walking on your away to/from the place. This can be especially beneficial if you were going for a meal. Also, if you’re on date, you’ll get the chance to have a nice walk with your lady (which can be exciting for the cheesy ones out there like myself).

See you next week!

Contributed by SuQun Al Leil

Tags: exercise, Health, sugar, tips