Friday, December 28, 2012

6 Wonderful Lessons from 2012

Now that the year is closing down, I cannot help but reflect on the things that happened to me and around me. So, what lessons do I learn from 2012? Here goes:

1. The power of "doa". I always knew that doa is the muslims' all powerful weapon and the events of 2012 really made me realise its power and I am forever humbled and grateful for it.

2. Life is short. We all know this but always got carried away with worldy trivial issues. Since life is shorter than we know, we have to understand our role as "khalifah" and "hamba" Allah and carry out those roles to the best that we can whilst always asking Allah for guidance.

3. We must find our meaningful life. Worldly issues can make our lives very busy but quite meaningless. I have spent my share of nights wondering what on earth did I do with my time? I struggled to find and create meaning in my life. It is a continuous process but I am slowly realising that meaning in life comes from doing service to people---- 'hidup untuk buat kebajikan'.

4. Never take things for granted. Too many failed marriages and unhappy relationships were around in 2012. It made me realised that love has to be nurtured, everyday, every minute, every second. We must equip ourselves with knowledge about communication, family issues and responsibilities. We must be patient, tolerant and understanding.

5. Healthy eating and the power of exercise. Weight has always been an issue for me. This year I discovered that it is not about the weight but it is about a lifestyle choice. So, I decided to change my eating habits and become more active. Thanks to my daughter, we are now more aware about healthy foods, calories and exercise :-)

6. Life is full with 'small stuff'. I always get uptight over certain issues encountered in the office or elsewhere. Looking back I realize that they seemed overwhelming at the time, but not anymore. It made me realize that all my worries and anger were unnecessary. It was all 'small stuff' (for more of 'small stuff' visit one of my favourite authors at http://www.dontsweat.com/writings-from-richard-carlson).

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Diet?

Nak jaga diet ni bukan satu kerja mudah. Kadang-kadang kita tergoda juga dengan juadah yang kita gemari. Silap haribulan niat nak makan sedikit.... sedar-sedar dah habis satu pinggan !!

Untuk mengelak dari 'terjerumus' dalam keadaan seperti itu, di antara petua atau 'tricks' yang boleh dilakukan adalah:

1. Jangan letakkan snacks dekat dengan televisyen...ini untuk mengelakkan kita mengunyah makanan ringan semasa menonton TV....INGAT snacks ada banyak kalori dan tidak mengenyangkan!!

2. Kalau nak snack juga...makan buah-buahan.

3. Untuk mereka yang jenis 'social eaters', elakkan duduk berbual di meja makan apabila sudah selesai makan. Ini akan menghalang kita daripada makan 'secara tidak sengaja'.

4. Sekarang ini zaman IT...kalau rasa macam nak makan tetapi sebenarnya tidak lapar atau baru saja lepas makan...apa kata kita masuk Internet sehingga 'gian nak makan' tu hilang.

5. Pastikan diri sentiasa aktif (kita kan kena jalan 10,000 steps sehari). Rajinkan diri buat kerja rumah instead of lepak tengok program TV dari pagi sampai malam.

6. Ada terbaca somewhere (dah lupa kat mana) yang otak kita mengambil masa 30 minit untuk memberi signal 'kenyang'...jadi, makan lambat2...jangan gelojoh...ikut sunnah Nabi (s.a.w), kunyah slow2 hingga 'lumat' makanan tu.

7. Kalau makan di luar, pesan separuh saja apa2 juadah yang hendak dimakan, atau share dengan anak yang sedang membesar yang memerlukan lebih kalori.

8. Elakkan memakan 'benda manis' selepas main meal...kerana 'benda manis' akan membuat kita rasa lapar semula.

9. Amalkan portion, 1/4 plate nasi (atau karbo lain), 1/4 plate protein dan 1/2 plate sayur-sayuran

10. Untuk penggemar roti, amalkan makan roti 'sihat'...seperti roti wholemeal, multigrain dsbnya. Selain mengandungi serat yang tinggi, roti ini juga membuat kita kenyang lebih lama (my experience lah).

11. Untuk mereka yang sering bermesyuarat, elakkan makan kuih semasa mesyuarat. Karipap atau kuih seri muka atau kuih kasturi tu banyak sangat kalorinya....kalau 2 biji boleh sama dengan sepinggan nasi atau lebih.

12. Dapatkan rutin atau formula anda sendiri...find out what works for you and not what people say will work for you. For example for me I have to eat a high protein breakfast so kalori breakfast tinggi sedikit jika dibandingkan dengan lunch and dinner.

Itulah dia sebahagian dari perkara yang boleh dijadikan panduan.

Yang penting adalah istiqamah. It is not how much weight you lose it is whether you can sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Niat kita dalam mengawal berat badan pun mesti betul. Janganlah untuk menunjuk-nunjuk susuk tubuh yang lebih menawan kepada orang ramai.

Kita berdoalah supaya dengan gaya hidup yang lebih sihat maka insya Allah kita lebih sihat dan boleh terus beribadat kepada Allah dengan sempurna. Amin.