So here’s the truth: Everyone bloats. It’s not normal for someone to have rock hard abs all throughout the day (unless you don’t eat or drink). Food and liquids take up space inside your stomach and intestines, which causes your tummy to expand. Eating certain foods may also cause more gas to be produced in the stomach than others, which increases the bloat. The good news is that while we can’t fully avoid bloating, there are 3 simple ways to reduce it (hooray!).
There’s a common misconception that drinking more water increases bloating, but on the contrary, increasing your water intake actually helps to reduce the bloat! Your body retains water when you don’t drink enough; in a bloating situation, you should be drinking more fluids instead of restricting them. At the same time, avoid high-sodium foods such as processed and packaged foods as this triggers water retention.
A handy tip to keep track of your water intake is to refill a 1 litre water bottle at least 3 times a day! Another way to fight the bloat effectively is to add a slice of lemon to warm water. Consuming warm lemon water reduces water retention as lemons are a natural diuretic.
Try swapping high-sugar carbonated drinks for healthier options. If you enjoy more flavour in your water while beating the bloat, try this delicious recipe: Watermelon Celery Cucumber Juice. However, juices have frutose and frustose is a type of sugar, so don't go too crazy over the juices!
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as glycogen, which is a form of backup energy source. However, a high glycogen storage is unnecessary unless you have a vigorous exercise routine in place. Every gram of glycogen is stored with approximately 3 grams of water. By decreasing your carbohydrates intake, your body can then burn off the stored fuel while draining off excess fluids.
Compared to carbohydrates or protein, fatty foods take a longer time to pass through the digestive tract, and are the last thing to leave the stomach. If you want to avoid bloating, you might want to think twice before eating that basket of truffle fries (Candice: did you hear that?!) or that mouth-watering korean deep fried chicken.
Of course, I’m not saying that you have to ban yourself from fast food forever. You can have 1-2 cheat days, but the bulk of your diet should be healthy and nutritional. Remember, balance is key!
A 2008 German study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases examined the effects of walking at a leisurely pace on a treadmill after eating a large meal. Results showed that walking helped move food through the stomach more quickly. When the stomach empties faster, gas is able to move more quickly into your small intestine, reducing the amount of bloat.
Strengthening your abdominal muscles with routines such as Pilates also helps in moving gas through the intestines. You will not only achieve a toned appearance that results in a less bloated-looking belly, but also improve your core strength which is essential in supporting efficient bodily movements and reduces the risk of injuries.
Bloating is a common issue that can be easily reversed with the right diet choices and regular exercise. Let us know if these tips worked for you! Fight the bloat and book your next Pilates class here. See you in class soon! 🙂
HELLO!
Do you know we started Pilates Fitness Monthly Flow Challenge back in 1 October 2015? It's been almost 10 years! We are glad that our members are still motivated by Monthly Flow Challenge and continue to benefit from it through the thousands of FREE classes we give out monthly.
Start acting by block booking the recommended classes till November 2015!
With planning, determination and execution, you would not only be able to complete Flow Challenge, but also get a fit and pain-free body.
We have exactly 19 days to go before we end the 28 Days Pilates Challenge!
We hope that you are seeing the results from following our workout plans. As your fitness, strength and stamina improve, you may face what we call the fitness plateau - working hard as normal but seeing very little results. At this point in time, integrating your workout routine with high intensity workouts will push you past the plateau into the next stage.
We have prepared 3 workout plans to meet 3 fitness goals, namely:
We have also uploaded 2 HIIT Mat Pilates workouts into our Youtube channel.
The easier version is the 10 minutes HIIT Mat Pilates with 40 seconds workout and 20 seconds rest. The more intensive version is the the 10 minutes HIIT Mat Pilates with 50 seconds workout and 10 seconds rest.
Follow these workout plans to get your fat burn going and body aches melting away!
With planning, determination and a little strategy, you would not only be able to complete the 28 Days Pilates Challenge, but also get a fit and pain-free body ready for the year end celebrations.
Remember to do your Body Composition Analysis every week to track your progress! You can use your unique ID, to see how you pit against other challengers at our scoreboard.
Hi!
Steps:
1) Set a (realistic) target for yourself.
You can refer to the table below as a guide for your ideal body fat percentage.
2) Break your target into bite-size weekly milestones.
Plan and track the number of classes you need to lose your desired body fat percentage.
So here’s a very real problem that most people face in Singapore: We are starting to be more health-conscious. We want to look good. We want to keep fit and eat healthily. But being in Singapore aka Food Paradise, we also want to eat as much local food as we can without putting on weight!
We are spoilt for choice at meal times. Roti prata for breakfast or a plate of carrot cake instead? Chicken rice or mee rebus for lunch? How about laksa or hokkien mee for dinner? We all love our cheap and convenient hawker food, and we are proud of it. Yet, hawker food goes against the notion of healthy eating - it is extremely high in sodium and saturated fats, which satisfies our tastebuds, but is detrimental to our waistlines.
Luckily, the Health Promotion Board realised this problem and launched the Healthier Hawker Programme back in 2011, which made healthier hawker food possible by providing "500 calorie" meal options like brown rice, wholegrain noodles, less salt and healthier oil - at no extra cost!
Will eating healthy hawker food help you to lose weight? Generally, if your calorie intake is lesser than calorie output, you can expect to shed some pounds. Healthy hawker food options like wholegrain noodles and brown rice can help in the process by providing fibre, which helps to keep you fuller for a longer period of time. The healthier oil used to cook hawker foods is lower in saturated fats, which contributes to a calorie deficit as well.
Healthy Chicken Rice - infused with brown rice, less oil, without chicken skin
(Source: www.hpb.gov.sg)
So, the good news is that it is possible to lose weight while eating the local delights you love! The key here is having a well-balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and protein-rich foods.
We've prepared a 7 Day Weight Loss Meal Plan which incorporates healthy hawker meal options below:
(See the list of hawker centres that provide healthier options here.)
Other Weight Loss Tips while on this diet:
1. Drink at least 3 litres of water a day.
2. Don't finish all the gravy/soup in your hawker food.
3. Remember to include at least 30 minutes of exercise daily or clock in 150 minutes of exercise per week. Book your next Pilates class here!
Have fun scouting for healthier hawker options! Share your healthy hawker experience with us by tagging us @sgpilatesfitness and hashtag #healthierhawkermeals!
