This one we need to remember: Staying healthy is a triumvirate of exercise, nutrition and detoxification. Any individual with the goal of living a longer, more meaningful life should know this, says fitness director Kyle Matthews.
Matthews–who hails from Durban, South Africa, has attained internationally-recognized qualifications as a personal trainer, fitness instructor and nutrition coach–emphasized that people should set manageable and realistic approaches to long-term goals to help them achieve their potentials.
But what exactly are the health basics that people need to know about the triumvirate to be better aware of their bodies?
Matthew, who works for the Fitness Center of Crystal Serenity, one of the ships of internationally-acclaimed company Crystal Cruises, shares interesting facts and figures to guide us onwards to a healthy journey:
* The best exercise routine is three times a week with a duration of 20 to 60 minutes a day. This should be a realistic goal for every individual even the busy ones. When eating, note that your meal should consist of 40 percent protein, 30 percent carbohydrates, and 30 percent fats.
“We need a balanced diet to keep us going,” he said. To make it easier to do portion controls, remember this: Your protein should be the size of your palm, carbohydrates the size of your fist, and your fat should be your thumb’s size.
* Never skip a meal because starvation makes you lose muscles not fats–and if your goal is losing weight or having a flatter stomach, you are well on your way to failure.
* Your liver has more than 500 functions but its two major functions are burning fats and removing toxins. When your body has too much toxins, the liver focuses on removing toxins thus burning of fat slows down. Avoid sodas, sugar, and alcohol.
* As a general rule, anything processed is not good. What’s good protein? Matthews said anything with two or no legs. That means chicken and fish… so as much as possible avoid red meat. On sources of fat, he said sunflower oil is better than cheese. There are fewer options for good carbs but brown rice or “any grains from the earth” are healthier alternatives.
* Detoxification can be done internally and externally. A seaweed bath is a good external detoxification activity. Internal detoxification can be consuming fresh seaweeds or taking seaweed tablets. While it is important for people to listen to their bodies, Matthews suggests that people also undergo inbody analysis to find out how much muscle and fat you have on each limb and trunk. A proper analysis also helps you learn your metabolic rate, your body fat percentage. Knowing the level of fat around your heart can also be determined with an inbody analysis as well as water balance in the body (and find out if yours is balanced or not due to acidity).
