Apple or Pear?

Lately, I have been exercising and painfully doing crunches in my attempt to shed off some excess fat in my tummy. Well, it looks disgusting already, at least for me. I'm a size XS or S, so my tummy and sides really show themselves so proudly under my shirts. Although, compared to other women, my problem isn't really that big yet. But I know, sooner or later, if I don't take control of it now, it will pose more risks to my health, now that I have discovered that I have an apple-shaped body. I've learned that though my BMI (body mass index) is within the Normal range, (calculate your bmi) the bmi isn't really a barometer of how healthy one person is or how much body fat does one have. In fact, this book (Big Fat Lies by Glenn Gaesser) I am currently reading on the web says that it's not the total body fat which you carry that is important rather, it's what area in your body are those body fats stored which will give you meaningful information about your health. Here are some things I've learned from my internet research:

Apple-shaped people means that they have more fat stored in their stomach, abdomen and chest whereas, Pear-shaped people have fat stored in their hips, thighs and bottoms. Studies show that being a pear is better than being an apple, that is, fewer health complications for the pears. It's in the kind of fat that is stored, whether it is good (subcutaneous fat) or bad (visceral fat or deep down fat). The pears have the good fat whereas the apples have the bad fat. Although the apples also have subcutaneous fat which is just beneath the skin, what pose health complications are those deep down fats that affect one's internal organs when they become coated with them, like the kidneys, liver, etc. Also, it is near the heart. That is why studies show that many apples are hypertensive, diabetic and afflicted with heart diseases. Good thing though, it is said that visceral fat is the easiest fat to burn, so consistent exercise is needed so your body won't lose the ability to burn fats.

So are you an apple or a pear? If you want to know, then take the waist-to-hip ratio test. Take your largest waist measurement divide it by your largest hip measurement. No cheating! Don't suck in that belly. If the ratio is 0.8 or below, then you are a pear. Otherwise, you are an apple. Well, I am an apple, so I really need a change of lifestyle.

The Big Fat Lies book is a good read. There are lots of information you can get there, so I do recommend it for the health conscious people like myself.

What I've Been Eating (& Drinking) Nowadays...

With my age now, and with a history of diabetes in the family (I actually had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my Anne which went away after giving birth), I am now becoming more conscious of what I eat.

In the morning when I get up, I drink a glass of water. I got this from my sister, Tett and Div. Apparently, drinking water on an empty stomach has its health benefits. Read from here http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-113.html

After sometime, an hour or so, I prepare fresh calamansi juice. I've learned from a doctor in one tv show that calamansi is not really acidic, actually it is an alkaline fruit. And it helps in alkalizing our body. Ever since I started drinking calamansi juice, my craving for coffee in the morning also went away, though I know that coffee also is an antioxidant, my coffee blend is more fatty I guess because I put too much cream. You can read more about the calamansi fruit here in this blog http://www.gonatural.com.ph/blog/?p=148

I also started eating avocado again. I love avocado but I stopped eating it when somebody told me before that it is the most fattiest fruit. Anyway contrary to this belief, it does contain a lot of fat but it is monounsaturated fat which is good for the body. Anyway, read more about it in this blog http://www.gonatural.com.ph/blog/?p=80

If you want to eat a chocolate, be sure it's dark. We had this big Cadburry dark chocolate that had been sitting in our fridge for sometime already. I don't eat too much chocolates anymore because of my fear of diabetes :=D. Anyway, since nobody likes this particular chocolate, I chopped it to small bite size pieces which I nibble every day until it's no more. Now I buy the Dove brand. What can dark chocolate do for us. Just read here in this blog http://www.gonatural.com.ph/blog/?p=115

I also drink 2-3 cups of green tea or black tea during the day aside from water. Research shows that green and black tea has numerous health benefits for our body. You can find a lot of references here in the web.

Also, I am a strong believer of Virgin Coconut Oil, so much so that even our shampoo and conditioner are those which has VCO. Our baby oil, which my two kids use, is also VCO. For some time, I did take 2-4 tbps of VCO daily for about a month. It's hard to swallow, so I follow it up right away with banana fruit or just anything to remove the oily taste in my tongue. I experienced cleansing during the first few days because I poo-pooed several times a day. After that, I just had regular bowel movement. In cooking, I now use coconut oil also as replacement for canola oil. I've been using canola oil for the longest time as it is supposed to be healthy. But I now shifted to a healthier oil.

There are many dietary food supplements flooding the market nowadays. Others are even quite exorbitant in price. My mother is taking one such kind. I've been encouraging her to take VCO but she said she can't swallow it. As for me, my philosophy is that, I'd rather take something natural, rather than food supplements in the form of tablets, capsules or juice, which I am not sure if it really contains what it say it contains. Coconut oil is a good fat, contrary to popular opinion. Clinical evidences indicate that it protects agains heart disease, aside from rom being able to cure other illnesses. In the book I am reading, it describes coconut oil as "the drugstore in a bottle". I'll share more about VCO next time.