Healthy Habits

Q: I am a 25-year-old girl with weight 69kg and height 5'3 inches. Can you tell me some exercises that I may easily do at home to reduce fat accumulated at my back. Madiha
A: The most effective way to lose general body fat (and thus from the thighs and hips) is a combination of strenuous training and exercise, accompanied by a proper diet.
Do the following simple exercise: stand against a wall. Bend knees forward while allowing hips to bend back behind, keeping back straight and knees pointed at the same direction as your feet. Descend until your thighs are just past parallel. Extend knees and hips until legs are straight.
Perform 3 sets of 15 reps for each exercise in this workout, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Q: I am a 23-year-old girl with weight 40kg and height 5'3 inches. What should I do to gain weight? Hira
A: You need to consume more calories every day from healthy and nutrient rich foods in order to gain healthy weight. Do not skip your breakfast. Add healthy calories to breakfast which can be done by including cereals, eggs, milk, cheese, chapatti, French toast and paratha. Eat five or six smaller meals per day rather than eating three large meals, especially if you are not used to eating much at one meal. Give special attention to your between-meals snacks. Select nutritious snacks like dried fruits, yogurt, lassi, flavored milk, ice-cream or a bowl of fruits. Try to consume less sugary and fizzy drinks as they only add calories and do not provide any other nutrients. Try to eat home-cooked food.

Q: I am a 16-year-old girl with weight 64kg and height 5'4 inches. Can you suggest a diet plan and some exercises for me to lose weight? Farina
A: In your case daily brisk walk is adequate to bring down your current weight. Few useful dietary tips for you are:
• Try to reduce intake of butter, fatty/cream cheese, cream, mayonnaise, chips, nimko, sweets and all the fried food that is a part of your diet.
• Also be careful about your food portion. Take small portion of food.
• Take more fruits and raw salads without any creamy dressings.
• Eat home-cooked food.
• Cut down the intake of confectionaries, soft drinks and sweets.
• Switch to low-fat milk, low-fat cheese and low-fat yogurt.
• Consume ample amount of water.

Q: I am wondering if you can help me. I am only 5 feet tall and slightly below 200lb. I think I have a lot to lose and I don't know where to start. Can you help me? Salman, Karachi
A: Yes, you are right in saying that you have a lot of weight to reduce. Ideally your weight should be around maximum 50kgs i.e. approximately 110 lbs. You need to reduce almost 40kgs. These kgs can not be shed off by following general dietary tips. You have to go on a regime of diet and exercise which should be customised according to your body's needs and requirements. This regime should be monitored closely by a professional dietitian with regular follow-ups. I would suggest you should visit a dietitian who can help you in losing weight in a strategic manner.

Q: I want to reduce fat around my hips and stomach. What should I do? Please suggest some tips. Anon
A: You can only get rid of the excess fat around the stomach and hips with the proper combination of a healthy diet and exercise. Both these factors will help you in weight loss and reducing the excess fat. Spot reduction (in your case – your belly and hip fat) does not work unless you exercise your whole body. You can do aerobics, brisk walking, cardio exercises along with sit-ups. Crunches are best to tuck in your tummy. You can also try the following exercise to reduce your tummy:
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet raised and your hands at the sides of your head.
2. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, keeping your knees bent and your legs steady.
3. Do not pull your head up with your hands.
4. Lower your head and shoulders.
5. Do 15 reps with 3 sets. Rest 60 seconds between sets.
For reducing hips please refer to the answer of question # 1.

Q: My age is 19 years and I'm 5 feet tall. What should be my ideal weight at this time? Karim
A: Your healthy weight should be between 45.5 to 54.5kgs.

Q: What can I do to tone up my flabby arms? I am a 37-year-old female and I work out regularly! Rubina
A: If you workout regularly then do more exercises/stretches which will help in reducing your arms. Some times there are areas in our body which are difficult to reduce or tone so these areas need a more aggressive approach.

Q: I'm finding it hard to give up sweet things for snacks. I would like to know how to go about ignoring my craving for sweet and fattening snacks like chocolate, biscuits etc? Sana
A: Many people suffer cravings for sweets. The causes of these cravings can vary widely. Some of these reasons could be hormonal imbalances especially in insulin and serotonin, unhealthy dieting, adrenal fatigue, various eating disorders, in females it could also be linked with premenstrual syndrome. In order to find out the cause of this craving you should consult a doctor. You have not mentioned any details about yourself, therefore, I cannot suggest something specific but do try to get your sugar levels checked.
If you cannot completely give up eating these foods, at least reduce their intake. Some ways to do this are:
• Try to eat them in small portions. Do not eat these items from packets or boxes as you cannot quantify how much will you eat and how many calories you will consume.
• Replace sweets and sugar with fruits. The sugars in fruits are digested differently than the empty calories of white sugar that are in most candy and processed foods. The fiber in fruit also slows the absorption of the sugars so you don't get as high a sugar rush.
• Have small, frequent meals to help keep your blood sugar level stable and eliminate your body's need for a quick sugar fix. Avoid skipping meals especially breakfast.
• Always try to take out food in a plate/bowl before eating, because this way you will know how much you are eating.
• You can also eat healthy foods like fruit or yogurt before having these, as this will lower your appetite and you will eat junk food in a smaller portion.
• Avoid eating food when you are watching television or working on the computer.
• Eat healthy foods in your main meals like fruits, veggies, milk and home cooked food. Moreover, try to be physically active. Participate in sports at your school, be active at home and walk regularly.