Wednesday, February 11, 2015

How to Look Great!

Dear Friends,

We are at the end of the 1st month of 2017. How has the year been so far? For me the year has been great so far. I have been exercising almost everyday since the start of the week and I have been getting 6-8 hours sleep a night. The bet is who will be the first to reach the goal of reducing our weight by 4 kg. I am sure I will be able to hit the target if I can stop my habit of snacking and drinking beer.

This bring me to the subject of  "How to Look Great!". There some very simple steps you can take to achieve this goal. You have to work at it to make it a permanent feature in your life.

1) Good Posture
This a easy step but one that is difficult to maintain because you have to be conscious about it 24/7. Most of us work in front of the computer. So we have a tendency to develop a slouch. We need to consciously pull the shoulders back, chest out and suck in the tummy. This will automatically make you taller. You need to be relaxed otherwise you will get tired very fast trying hold the posture.

2) Exercise
If you exercise regularly and keep your weight within your BMI then you will feel energized and look healthier. The key is to exercise at least 150 minutes a week. You can exercise 3x a week 50 minutes a week or 5x for 30 minutes a week. You can also incorporate some body weight exercises together with cardio exercise. This can include-push ups, squats, sit-ups, chin-ups, jumping-jacks, etc.

3) Eat Healthy Food
Eating healthy is also important. You need to cut calories, eat less salt, reduce fatty food and reduce alcohol intake. I was feasting for most part of December 2016 and I gained 4kg. Beer and high carbohydrate diet was cause of this weight gain. Plus, I did not have time to exercise as I was partying. I felt tired, lousy and I looked terrible. Now since I started exercising I feel much better and I have lost some of the weight.

4) Sleep
Many people fail to realize how important sleep is. You need to sleep so that your body and repair itself. Lack of sleep has been highlighted as a cause of death. People who get only about 2 to 4 hours of sleep a night may be doing a lot of damage to their body. If you want to look fresh in the morning you should get at least 6 to 8 hours of sound sleep.Hence, I have been consciously trying to sleep by 10 pm as I need to get up by 5.45 am. There are devices like "Jawbone" and "Fitbit" that you can look up that will assist you to get fit and healthy. But you must be disciplined enough to get back on track even if you fall of the bandwagon from time to time. Otherwise having these devices may be absolute waste of your hard earned money.

5) Dress Cool & Funky
This is the easiest of the steps to achieve the goal of "How to Look Great!". But before you rush out to the shopping center and spend. Plan your purchase. If you plan to lose 5 kg of weight, that might affect your waist line and therefore the cloths you buy. If you plan to bulk up then you need to take that into consideration buy clothes that a loose fitting so that you can fit into the shirts and pants. But everyone needs a wardrobe update to look sharp and smart. Ladies will need to keep up with the fashion trends. Just make sure you do not bust your budget. Always live within your means and you don't have to buy the top brands. Some of the mid-tier brands can make you look good and you will feel rich because you can have some savings.

I hope I have covered the essential points on how to "How to Look Great!". You will definitely feel great when you achieve the goals.

Have a Great Week!

Cheers,
Mark
http://helpyourselfnhelpothers.blogspot.sg/