MassageTherapy.ie

By Stefano Manassero
NMT/Physical Therapist and former Mr Ireland ' Natural Body Building Champion ' .

Summer is approaching and some of us face the same problem every year...how to lose weight!
Keeping your weight at an optimum level is always a difficult thing to do, there are many factors to take into account:
age, body composition, diet, exercise, job, family, and so on...


So is there a "standard routine or diet" that could work for everybody?

No, for the reasons mentioned above, too many variations in peoples' lives and basic make up. What works for one simply doesn't work for another but there are general guidelines which could be helpful to become healthier and fitter:
you should exercise at least 3-4 times per week for 30-40 minutes, take long walks, light jogging, cycling and similar forms of cardio-vascular workouts ( it takes about 20 minutes before your body starts burning fats, a 30 minute walk will only give you 10 minutes of fat burning).

You should reduce your intake of calories by cutting down the amount of sugars, salts and fats in your diet.
Avoid deserts, eat more fruits and salads, eat less red and pork meat, drink less cups of tea particularly if you use milk and sugar, same goes for cappuccino and latte, and don't forget dairy products are made mostly of fats so use less cream and little or no butter.

Avoid take-aways as they are high in fats, read food labels for fats contents and sugar content" remember" excessive sugars are metabolized by the body into fat and stored ( on your thighs, bottom, stomach...) as fats.

Avoid late night meals, your body is not able to digest food properly while asleep. Late eating can lead to agitated and sleepless nights, nightmares, build up of gas, bad breath and congest the digestive system, slowing waste elimination. This in turn can manifest as fluid retention.

Lower your intake of carbohydrates like bread and pasta, but do not cut them completely out of your diet as they give you energy and help to keep your body properly hydrated by holding on to water, without carbohydrates your body cannot maintain its water balance resulting in weight loss but also dehydration.

Unfortunately here comes the ' Bad News' :
Cut down ' Biscuits ' ' Chocolate ' ' Alcohol ' there are a huge amount of calories in all of them ( chocolate bars generally contain about 350 k/calories!!!!! ).

What can help?

Fat burners Supplements like fat burners can help if combined with a healthy diet and exercise, but they are not the sole solution and they are meant to be taken for short bursts to boost your weight loss.

There are many products on the market, so choosing a safe and healthy option that works is important. If you decide to use " fat burners" make sure they do not contain ' Ephedra or Ephedrine' which are illegal banned substances and fall into the category of ' stimulants' which speeds up your metabolism giving an extra boost of energy but their big drawback is that they can make you ' aggressive' ' hyper ' ' sleepless ' and also they put a huge demand on your body resources of calcium resulting in ' sensitive teeth' and even worse ' brittle bones'.

Other adverse effects of Ephedrine are:
tachycardia [heart racing], angina [chest pain similar to heart attack], hypertension [high blood pressure]
flushing, sweating, acne, nausea, appetite loss, increased urination (dehydration) restlessness,
confusion, insomnia, psychiatric conditions, panic, agitation.
dizziness, headache, tremor, hyperglycaemic reaction.
Other fat burners may contain caffeine or "guarana" which is a natural source of energy and an appetite suppressant but it still contains high doses of caffeine.
You should not take fat burners if you are pregnant, lactating, under age 18, if you have any ill health condition or on any medication.



Replacement Meals
These are formulae which are meant to substitute one meal per day, they contain all or most of the nutrients required for you to have plenty of energy, they are easy to digest and easy to absorb, they are usually low in fats.
Note: Do not substitute more than one meal per day and do not use them long term.

Massage
Massage can help speed up a sluggish and stubborn system. Lymph Drainage is said to do that up to ten times faster. Massage of specific areas helps in the treatment of cellulite and breakdown of fats.
Abdominal Massage can break down adhesions which restrict exercise and improve digestion and elimination by working on the digestive system and it's organs to move on blockages and air pockets in the colon.

Colonic Hydrotherapy
This is fast becoming a very popular therapy. While it is not strictly a weight loss treatment it can be very helpful to kick start your diet. A good Colonic therapist can help you identify and correct "nutritional imbalances" or "bad eating habits" by "seeing and reading what goes through"( literally). If you have suffered with bloating, fluid retention or abdominal discomfort this therapy can help you lose inches from the waist and stomach giving your mid-riff a sleeker appearance and help you avoid comfort eating.
If you decide to try this treatment call the clinic first and make sure you understand the process, and most importantly make sure the therapist is up to standard. Beauty salons may offer "Colonics" but are not required to train in Nutrition or treating Medical conditions, while specialized Colonic therapists are!

Pilates and Yoga
These relaxing forms of exercise are based on Core Strengthening, Flexibility, Balance, Focus.
They might look gentle and relaxing but i can assure you they are hard work and burn plenty of calories.

Going to the Gym
The old gym is always my favourite, you can use weights or machines to target specific areas of your body which need toning. The stationary bicycle, hand cycle, cross trainers, and treadmills are all very good for cardio-vascular workouts.

Note: Obese and Super Obese population need to follow the advice of their physician and /or dietician /nutritionist before dieting or starting any form of exercise.

If you need advice contact Stefano info@massagetherapy.ie