Go Physical This Christmas

CEBU, Philippines - If you can't stop the binge, go physical… that is, go for physical exercise. Except perhaps if you live on food rationing, you are not among those who are exempted from food indulgence.

While we have been trying to persuade and convince readers to regulate food intake if only to keep readers healthy and not necessarily sexy, but then health journalism has its own limits - it does not always mean that readers will take and faithfully comply with a dosage of advice seriously.

There is however an equation that ought to give a sliver of encouragement. The weight management equation is calories in must equal calories out. Or, calories in = calories out. Weight management carries with it intrinsic complications and must be done with circumspect. This is because weight management covers a range of issues including lifestyle, nature of job, body mass index and even culture. The Christmas culture has always been a culture of binging, indulging and feasting. If you can't get away from the culture, can't get away from the food, then the best thing to do is to make sure you don't go away from physical exercise.

What exercises are recommended to shed off calories? You can try brisk walking, jogging, aerobics, circuit training regimen and ballet workouts. You must exercise 45 minutes to one hour or more to make sure all the calorie intake gets burned before it gets stuck as stored fat and bad cholesterol.

Fear From The Middle.

Perhaps a little fear factor will help. When you eat too much, your torso, your tummy and your abdomen expand first. In one word, these are the bilbil (belly fat) that accumulates on the sides. Why does the bilbil accumulate first? When you eat too much, your body has to manage your weight automatically - this simply means your body adjusts automatically so you are able to resist gravity and stay upright.

When an intensity 7 quake hits a 400 year old church, vertical structures would necessarily cave in and collapse because churches are not built with automatic reflex structures to keep it upright. God, the Master Designer of the universe and humanity, designed the human body such that it would have its own intelligence to stabilize weight when the load gets too heavy from the top and from the bottom.

Thus, it would need a strong middle to keep top heavy load of the head, shoulders and arms upright. That strong middle is needed so that the legs, buttocks and thighs are able to endure as the load becomes topheavy. The bilbil or belly fat that often accumulates in the torso, tummy and abdomen is part of the automatic structural adjustment that the intelligence of the human body executes to keep topheavy load of the head, shoulders and arms from falling and crumbling. The same bilbil does the job of keeping the thighs, legs and buttocks balanced to support top heavy load. The bilbil was created not just to remind you that you are getting fat. More than that, it is to caution you that if you eat and indulge too much, the vertical structures of your body are compromised.

Notice that your gym instructor or fitness trainer would often ask you to execute several repetitions of leg and arm exercises. This is to help you restore the balance of your vertical structure by shedding off the bilbil.

Regulated Fast.

The other solution is to go on fasting. There are days when you simply have to force yourself to starve. Or if this is difficult for you, go on a fruit diet. One way to go on regulated fasting is not to eat the whole day but if the pangs of hunger become disturbing, prepare a fruit shake. That's all. If you can go on a fast for three days, that will help you reduce weight significantly. Why fast? Fasting helps to make your digestive systems rest and heal. When you eat too much, your digestive systems are overworked and have to work overtime. And when they have difficulty digesting all that food, your body deposits and distributes the excesses in different areas like the back, arms, thighs, buttocks, to name a few. Of course it gets to the face but not as much as the rest of the body.

Notice that fat women often do something about their facial looks because it is difficult to do something about distorted and deformed looks of the body.

As you plan the parties you will hold and attend this Christmas, include when to go physical and go on a fast in your calendar. While it may take only a few minutes to binge on calorie intake, it takes months to trim and shed off that ugly bilbil just to get those calories out. (FREEMAN)