The Sunday Feed
Sayonara Fat, Yokoso Fitness
Well it is not a surprise that this was perhaps the most subdued festive season a lot of us must have had in our lifetime. The shadow of the pandemic that mushroomed the world was too large to eclipse the light of any minor or major achievements anywhere. The US got its oldest President in Joe Biden, something even the President will hail as his greatest achievement. I know that Britain and Ireland share a lot of unpleasant past between them, but most Brits will not shy away from saying that Joe is a good lad!
While the mood was somber, we did manage to celebrate in our own little cowed ways just to escape the air of negativity we have been breathing for almost a year now. But celebration mostly comes in the form of eating and drinking! So while the younger generation can laugh their way out of gluttony, thanks to their long list of physical activities backed by a strong metabolic rate, the adults are not so lucky. They collet the residual fat of all the merry making activities, later on seen chewing the cud of guilt while solemnly thinking how they surrendered to temptations once more.
According to the figures of 2017–18, around 67% aged 18 and over in Australia were accounted as overweight with 36% being outright obese. The parameter used to calculate if a person is overweight is called BMI: Body Mass Index, essentially meaning what you weigh as compared to how tall you stand. Those showing BMI more than 20% of their ideal level are considered obese. As of 2020, the world has around 40% people who are overweight and 13% are outright obese with small countries like Cook Islands (55%) Palau(52%) and Marshall Island(52%) being the leaders closely followed by countries like Tuvala, Niue, Tonga and Samoa topping the list when it comes to beating the meter by huge margin. However, if we look at the US, it features as one of the developed countries with the highest obesity rate of around 40%.
Physical inactivity, overeating, genetics, diet high in carbohydrates, frequency of eating and medication are seen as the biggest causes of weight gain. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not here to deride anyone or give a magic pill. I am above the ideal weight by a few kilos as well. While I was doing the research to find a relatively easy solution, I was able to conclude that 2 activities would be of great help. One, if we could increase the physical activities by walking more instead to using our cars and the other, having a better control of our diet, we could definitely cut down some of the extra, unwanted fat.
The Japanese diet is seen as the healthiest diet in the world. An average Japanese lives to the age of 84 years. Now that is some achievement. But what is most astonishing is that their average life span of the Japs has been steadily increasing since the 1960 when it was plotted somewhere around 67. I guess the affect of the toxic waste of the world wars especially the second one would have had a huge toll on them. But to remerge as winners is a marvel not many people talk about.
The Japanese diet is lean and balanced, with staple foods like omega-rich fish, rice, whole grains, tofu, soy, miso, seaweed and vegetables. All these foods are low in saturated fats and sugars and rich in vitamins and minerals that reduce the risk of cancers and heart disease. They are also seen as a major deterrent to diabetes. Also, in terms of frequency, the Japanese eat 3 meals a day. And are there any foods that the Japanese avoid. Yes indeed, the 2 foods that I cannot live without — sugar and spice! Tell you what, I might just doodle off to the corner store and do the calculations as to what stays and what goes. When I come back after an hour, I will be healthier in my mind and body. And to motivate myself, I might just practise saying, “Sayonara Fat, Yokoso Fitness” for a few days before I start and end the day. I have always had the knack of picking up bad habits all along. It’s time to choose some good ones!
