Tea was discovered by Chinese more than 5000 years ago. It was popularized and commercialized by the English. But did they popularize the healthiest tea?

There are three types of tea depending on the level of processing; unfermented, partially fermented and fermented tea. Actually, the correct term for the process that tea undergoes is oxidation rather than fermentation.

Based on these three processes, there is white tea, green tea, Oolong and black tea.

White tea, as the name suggests is white in colour and is the healthiest of all types of teas.

To process white tea, the buds and young tea leaves are picked when they are undeveloped, shortly before they are fully open. Sometimes the young buds are sheltered/covered from sunlight to prevent developing the green pigment called chlorophyll found in plants.

The plucked young leaves are immediately steamed and dried; these two processes are often done in the farm. Quick and minimum processing helps the white tea to retain the highest level of antioxidants and has the lowest level of caffeine than any other tea.

The closest cousin of white tea in powerful health constituents is green tea. Chinese were the first to make green tea. Chinese exposed the plucked and chopped tea leaves to vapour from hot water shortly after harvesting followed by drying in the sun. At the outset, it was thought that this was just a drying process. It is now known that the process did more than drying; it inactivated an enzyme in tea called polyphenol oxidase. Inactivation of polyphenol oxidase ensured this enzyme did not interfere with the good compounds in the tea leaves. The final colour of this type of tea remains green after processing; giving birth to the name, green tea.

Nowadays, green tea is processed by steaming (scientifically known as blanching) the plucked tea leaves and drying them immediately after cutting and rolling. This inactivates the enzymes leaving all the healthy and medicinal chemicals in green tea unaffected or slightly affected.

Green tea is well known for its super health benefits, but it is poorly received by many consumers due to its flavour. But the trend is changing.

Oolong tea is a partially oxidised tea. Processing of Oolong tea follows similar steps as green tea, but the cut and rolled tea leaves stand for slightly longer periods (usually less than an hour) before drying. The waiting period prior to drying allows the enzymes to partially breakdown some chemicals in tea leaves lowering its healthy qualities. This greenish-black tea falls in-between green tea and the well known black tea.

If the tea leaves are withered, macerated and allowed to stand for longer periods usually between 90 and 120 minutes before drying, the enzymes break down the chemicals producing the black tea. This is the most common and widely consumed tea.

Among the types of tea, green and oolong tea are commonly consumed in Asian countries mainly China, Japan, India and Thailand, while black tea is most popular in European countries, their colonies and America.

In terms of medicinal and health properties, white tea is the healthiest followed by green, Oolong and the least rated is black tea.

White tea is expensive while Oolong tea is consumed in limited countries.

Black tea’s popularity is based on its wide acceptance and consumption in Europe, America and Africa, while green tea’s popularity stems from its medicinal and health benefits.

Quantitatively, green tea has twice the amount of antioxidants compared to black tea per serving. This makes green tea more protective to the body cells against degenerative damages of oxidation.

The high levels of antioxidants in green tea are due to less severe processing. On the other hand, the long period before drying of chopped leaves in black tea causes the good chemicals to change to less effective chemicals.

The American Medical Association shows that green tea can lower cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and reduce the risk of strokes (especially in men).

The National Cancer Institute reports that because of the highly effective anti-oxidants in green tea, it can ward off various types of cancer.

There are many other therapeutic values in green tea, including, aiding digestion, blood purification, strengthening teeth and bones, boost immune system, enhance heart function, suppress aging, fights viruses, and lowers blood sugar levels.

Although black tea also offers some health benefits, it is inferior to green tea in many aspects. One of them is caffeine content.

Caffeine is good in moderate amounts; it is undesirable in high levels. Comparing the five common types of teas, black tea has the highest caffeine content followed by Oolong and lowest in green and white tea.

Addition of milk to tea (whether black or green) can interfere with the beneficial antioxidants lowering their effectiveness.

Are you drinking the healthiest tea?

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According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2010, the top 5 cosmetic surgeries for women were breast augmentation, nose reshaping, liposuction, eyelid surgery and tummy tucks. This lines up with the top Kenyan procedures according to the article - liposuction and breast reduction. For men in America, the top 5 procedures in 2010 were nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, liposuction, breast reduction in men and hair transplantation. So the popularity of lip reduction seems to be higher here than in other cosmetic surgery markets.

Is this a case of trying to erase ethnic markers? There are a number of plastic surgery procedures that seem to be most popularly chosen for the distinct purpose of removing or reducing features that are characteristic of a particular race or ethnicity. For example, “Ethnic Rhinoplasty” (they actually call it that) for reshaping broad Black noses and long Jewish ones, turning them into narrow idealized European noses. Eyelid surgery is also common for Asians looking to create a “double-eyelid” from the naturally occurring crease-less eyelid or epicanthic fold.

Is it ever okay to change physical appearance markers that are signifiers of your race? What does such a change signify – does it necessarily mean that these people would shed all racial characteristics if they could? Most plastic surgery info websites that discuss lip reduction surgery claim that full lips can hinder talking, eating and even dental hygiene. Can any big-lipped brethren testify? Do you believe that these are legitimate reasons for the popularity of this procedure in Kenya?

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I am one of those people who has been overweight for a part of my life, until i one day woke up and realised that i would end up with hyper tension and high blood pressure issues just like my mother, so I had to do something about it. I was in my early 20s so at least i had the energy and motivation since i felt awful about how i looked and i simply wanted to look fierce, chic and impressive. There are some factors though that you can control at the office which can help you stay healthy if you are already plummeting down a similar path:

• It is important to take your lunch break because you not only need to refuel your body you also need some fresh air. You should try as much as possible not to eat at your desk, it promotes laziness immensely. You may not think it, but it does.
• If you can take a walk during your lunch hour, then do so. Its always good to get out of the office and stroll a bit in town even if for only 15mins, you would be surprised at the difference it will do for your body and mind. Even though you carry packed lunch, eat first then take a stroll as it will help you refresh yourself and aid in digestion. Think about other things in life, besides your work during this stroll. Every now and then walk around the office too, as certain office errands which are one floor away from you or simply afew desks away from you should mean you wake up and walk there. If you’re confined to your desk such as cashiers, then work standing every now and then throughout the day as this helps with the blood circulation to your legs.
• Under all circumstances limit your tea and coffee intake. Here’s the thing, some offices give tea at 10 am, after lunch and again at 4pm, others have tea stations with unlimited allowance of tea and coffee, it is crucial to take care more so if you also drink tea and coffee at home. Moderation is the key, even when it comes to Sodas. Caffeine is known to dehydrate you, so instead, keep yourself hydrated with water. Nothing is as good as water to keep you going, if you need a little punch to it carry some lemons which you can slice. If you don’t like water you need to start.



• Stay far far away from the samosa, mandazi, chapo lady. No joke, those fried snacks add on the kilos like you wouldnt believe. Just as bad, is the nearest sausage, chips and bajiah joint near your office. Carry healthy snacks which are not going to do such damage on your body, like a fruit, nuts, milk, yoghurt, cereal etc. Logically speaking, you if you take fried snacks every day for perhaps two years, its simply not good to your body, and its simply a danger to your health. Don’t wait to learn the hard way, plan ahead and pack something.
• Take the stairs. You may think that there is no way in hell you can take the stairs, but you would be surprised at what good exercise it actually is. I previously worked on the 11th floor and used to take the stairs each morning, without fail. Some mornings i used to look forward to it, other mornings i loathed it but i still did it. You can build your momentum on the stairs, start slowly and build up from there. The first few days will feel like you are about to have a heart attack or three, but you shall survive more than you know. You can do a session after lunch as well with other office colleagues.

Being over weight is never pleasant, whether you are simply a receptionist or an engineer, its not easy lugging around more weight than necessary. It means you move slower than you would like to, you lose breath very easily and sometimes you sweat a lot just from doing small tasks.

Irrespective of what the story behind your weight is, it is important to maintain a healthy balance that helps you do your job even better, most importantly, its up to you to do something about it.

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This is no longer the case. Brown as opposed to white is the new colour of health cereal products. Name them; brown bread, brown rice, brown ugali etc.

Why are brown cereal products healthier than white counterparts?
Most cereal products are made from flour. The determinant of the health quality of the final product is the milling process.

For example, during the processing of the flour for making brown bread; the bran and germ in the wheat grain are not removed. The bran is the our part of wheat grain and is rich in fibre, while germ is the inner part of wheat grain which is packed with nutrients, Vitamins B and E as well as phytocemicals.

Therefore brown bread or brown ugali is made from what is referred to as whole-grain/whole meal wheat/maize flour.

White bread on the other hand is manufactured from wheat flour devoid of the bran and germ as well as bleached with chemicals to look whiter.

Wheat flour that is not stripped off the bran and germ has several advantages over white alternative.

• It is higher in fibre compared to white bread.
• White bread is lower in zinc, fiber, thiamin, niacin, trace elements and “good” fats and oils.
• White flour whether from wheat or maize is bleached with chemicals to make it white. These chemicals such as potassium bromate, benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide gas are generally not good for health.

The superior nutritional qualities of brown bread are identical to those found in brown maize flour whose bran and germ have not been removed.

Healthy benefits of brown cereal products

• The high fibre content in brown bread and ugali helps in managing diabetes by keeping the blood-sugar levels low.
• Research has shown that women who consume foods rich in insoluble fibre such as whole meal bread have lower risk of gall stones.
• The whole meal bread is associated with reducing risk of heart diseases by lowering LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol).
• The whole meal bread is good for those watching their weight since it is lower in calories and keeps you full for longer due to high fibre content.

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Sodium derived from salt (sodium chloride), which was once a darling has turned out to be a jilted lover, incapacitating, killing and killing mercilessly.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Sodium intake per day is not more than 2.4g. The Food Standard Agency, UK (FSA) recommends 6g of salt per day.  6g of salt can sufficiently provide the required 2.4 of sodium.

Putting this in context, it is equivalent to taking one teaspoonful of salt (which weighs ~6g).

The above requirement sends strong signal that we possibly take excess salt than we need in our bodies. For example chips, barbeque (nyama choma), sausages, hams, popcorns and sauces generally have very high salt content.

Below are the deadly health problems associated with high salt intake.

1. High blood pressure or hypertension
How does high salt increase blood pressure?
High salt consumption causes an increase in salt content in the blood. This causes blood vessels to retain water in order to regulate the salt concentration. This extra amount of water causes an increase in blood content in the vessels leading to high pressure.

Why is high blood pressure very harmful to health?
High blood pressure can damage our hearts. Heart is used to pump blood of a certain quantity and pressure. When the blood volume increases, pressure also increases. The heart has to work extra hard to pump the increased volume of blood which is at an elevated pressure. The overworking leads to heart failure. Malfunctioning or heart failure is manifested as heart attack or stroke.

Over prolonged time, high blood pressure can damage or weaken the blood vessels. This may cause illness or eventual death if the arteries burst.

High blood pressure can also cause blood vessels to become narrow. This occurs because the walls of these vessels have to thicken and harden due to the hard work of handling increased blood volume at high pressure. Narrowed vessels leads to decreased blood flow to essential organs eventually affecting normal functioning of those organs.

2. Cancer
High salt intake can cause stomach cancer. High salt intake is thought to strip the the lining of the stomach exposing stomach to infection by a bacteria called Helicobactor pylori. Long term infection by Helicobacter pylori is considered a major contributor to stomach cancer.

3. Kidney damage or failure
High salt intake damages blood vessels which in turn contribute to kidney damage. Once the kidney is damaged, high blood pressure accelerates its damage leading to kidney failure.

4. Kidney stones
A kidney stone is a hard mass formed in the kidney from crystals in the urine. Urinary crystals can be caused by high levels of certain salts in the urine, an uneven balance of acid in the urine, or a lack of substances that inhibit crystal formation in the urine.

High salt in the system reduces the body’s ability to absorb calcium, leading to its loss through urine and a greater risk of developing kidney stones.

5. Osteoporosis
Salt intake has a direct relationship with the amount of calcium we excrete through urine. The more salt we eat, the more salt we excrete, causing our bodies to excrete more calcium together with salt.

Excretion of too much calcium may trigger the body to compensate the excreted calcium by using calcium from bones, weakening the bones.

6. Obesity
Eating foods high in salt lead to dehydration. Thirst is mainly relieved by high sugar or high calorie drinks such as soft drinks. These may contribute to weight gain.

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What causes loss of nutrients during cooking?
There are three key factors that contribute to the loss of nutrients during cooking of vegetables whether over open fire, by hot plate, gas cooker or microwave oven.

If these critical factors are well controlled, losses are minimised and the cooked vegetables deliver high levels of nutrients.
Long cooking periods using slow methods leads to high losses while fast, short cooking periods are less detrimental to nutrients. Therefore, very fast cooking methods such as microwaving and pressure cooking are offer an advantage of minimal loss of nutrients.

On the other hand, slow cooking methods such as open fire, hot plate and gas cooker that involve long periods of cooking lead to high losses of nutrients.

During the cooking, water soluble nutrients (mostly vitamins, minerals and other health promoting compounds) migrate from the food into water and eventually get lost through evaporation. High amounts of water provide a sea into which nutrients can get lost. That is why boiling and similar cooking methods that use a lot of water lead to high losses of nutrients.

High cooking temperatures destroy nutrients. Most beneficial minerals and Vitamins such as Vitamin C are heat sensitive. They easily get lost at very high heat (temperatures). Combination high heat and long periods of cooking cause very high losses of nutrients and therefore are never recommended for cooking vegetables.

Why microwaving causes minimal loss of nutrients in vegetables
Microwave heats the food by rotating water molecules at very high speed (approximately 2450 times per second) causing them to collide and rub against each other. This leads to friction which generates heat. Therefore microwave cook foods very fast.

It is also advisable not to add any water to vegetables during microwave cooking. If water has to be added, it should be very little. Combination of fast heating and water-free cooking is the reason for minimal loss of nutrients in a microwave oven. A research carried out in Cornell University, USA, one the world’s respected University for Food Science and Nutrition found out that spinach cooked in a microwave retained nearly all its vitamin B-complex but lost about 77% when cooked on a stove in presence of water.
Other study comparing microwave cooking and conventional cooking reported that broccoli cooked in a microwave in presence of water lost 97% of compounds called flavanoids.

Similarly, preparing different vegetables by conventional cooking methods (boiling) but in water results to equivalent or higher losses of nutrients.

This shows that the actual cause of nutrients is the presence of water and length of cooking and not the microwave oven.

Tips on cooking vegetables in a microwave oven to reduce loss of vitamins and minerals.

1. After cleaning, rinse the vegetables in cold water, this leaves them with sufficient water.
2. To make it completely water-free cooking, dry the vegetables with a kitchen towel.
3. Place the vegetables in a covered, microwave-safe container.
4. Do not add water (some times it is recommended to add 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of water-this depends with the type of vegetables).
5. Heat at the recommended power as indicated on the packaging instruction.
6. For the vegetables bought in the open market, cook for three to four minutes or until vegetables are tender. This requires trial and error. Do not overcook.

Bottom line: Microwave cooking causes some loss of nutrients, but when compared to conventional cooking such as boiling and steaming, microwave cooked vegetables retain higher level of nutrients due to rapid heating and use of little or no water.

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Fast forward to present time – still an apple. The apple shape is top heavy … you know the generous boobs, equally generous midriff, slender hips and legs and pseudo waistline. I wistfully look at my pear friends – their voluptuous curves, their waistlines and wonder if I should get a butt job. Shift the belly fat to my butt. You know use what’s so readily available! To be an apple in Africa is not easy. The guys love the curves.

At 27 I contracted TB. Six months into the typical signs and symptoms I continued to refuse to seek any medical advice and simply believed I was working too hard and, of course, pressed on. I even found one major advantage… quick weight loss. Yipee! I began to look forward to skimpy tops and baring my midriff.

Well things don’t always work out the way we plan. By now skin and bones I eventually developed a terrible cough and collapsed in a pool of blood. Quarantined I fought to simply breathe and spent the next 6 months in bed on drugs and being fed full fat cream to put the weight back on.

I admit that nearly dying did put things into perspective. At the end of the ordeal I was very much alive, apple fully restored. And for a while I just loved myself completely ….

But the poor self image crept back. You see I have always hated this apple shape. I want to wear belts. I want to fill my jeans not just the tops! My bottom half is nearly 2 sizes smaller than my top end. And while the boys love the boobs I just want hips. I feel completely unbalanced.

Ladies I am of small frame and not overweight in anyway. I have a great life, kids, career, and lifestyle and avoid my full length mirror. And while I have consistently degraded myself my beautiful tummy has consistently remained the same. She has been there for me; has literally never left me no matter what I do.

What’s it going to take for me to return the love?

PS: If you follow this blog you’ll know that I’ve committed 2011 to internet chatting, meeting, kissing and dating as many frogs as I possibly can in my search for the Prince who will hopefully stick to his vows and do the happily ever after with me.

Euphoria is a wonderful thing …so what’s been happening since I made my declaration? A lot of sightings, conversations, detailed grilling by girlfriends or simply: nothing!

Will keep you posted.

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The saga began with a mix of two colours – ultraviolet black and aubergine. This was followed by some food colour, more aubergine, and some wailing with mirrors.

The first time I dyed it, the hairdresser said it was coloured, but my baby girl said otherwise. I couldn’t see purple either.

The second time, it started out purple, but darkened with the food colouring. And the third time, they let it stay on too long, so the effect was fade to black.

After each session, the hair-people swore that my hair had turned, but I was dissatisfied. They told me to be patient, and that the colour would ‘shout’ after a few weeks.

Some days later, my baby finally admitted my hair was a little tinted. I didn’t believe her.

Even when some random dude using roller blades on the road to Kibera made a comment, I wasn’t having it. He said my hair was really pretty, and asked if I’d bathed it in Kiwi.

Well, not in those words exactly, but that was the idea.

Later, I discovered the hair looks purple in certain lights [and on certain mirrors. Specifically, flourescent light and teeny weeny bathroom glass. Also, bank-queue reflections]. There are moments when it screams violet, other times it looks a little off-black, which is a pretty good colour for me.

Yesterday, I was in Eastleigh shopping for a buibui. I walked into several stalls and had all sorts of people staring at my head – including one guy who was selling by translation. He didn’t speak a word of English or Swahili … which made bargaining rather difficult.

Maybe that was the point.

I figured the reason they were staring is that my head was exposed. Women in that neighbourhood are generally covered. I didn’t discover the problem until someone said, ‘Your hair is really purple!’  The comment was promptly followed by, ‘It really works for you.’

I’ve been thinking of growing my hair longer and turning it black, or maybe burgundy. I want to grow it so that I can style it and do things with it, now  that I actually want to. I’ll mostly want to coil it up in those spirally curls  and then pile it up in dread-ful version of that tousled up crumpled-sheet hairdo.

But I got so many comments on my tiny purple hair that I’m reconsidering. Plus, you can’t have long hair that’s purple … that would just be weird. And I’m not even sure I can still get aubergine at Tuskys. Oh well.

In other news, I’ve been slacking off at the gym. I decided to sleep in for one morning and somehow it stretched to a week! I didn’t think it made much difference, especially since I was sweating much more during workouts, so I figured I was doing something right. But during the post-skiving stretch session, I was screaming like a pregnant cow. Apparently a few days skipped equal a whole lot of pain. *sulk*

I was watching Dr Phil. [Yes, I occasionally watch Dr Phil. I didn't say I was proud of it.]  He was talking about weight loss and weight gain, and he said to lose weight, you have to figure out why you eat. Some people use food as a crutch, so no matter how many diets or fads they use, they stay plus-sized.

I eat to make me happy. I’m naturally depressive, so I use food as a pick-me-up. It’s the one thing that consistently makes me smile. So after a long day, or a fight, or a sad movie, or some good news, or even a bout of PMS, I grab a plate. I’ll usually pick cookies or chocolate or ugali, blue-banded rice, sweet potatoes, and thick savoury stew. Yum. And because I’m eating to be happy, the portions increase. It isn’t enough to just taste.

To help my ‘diet’ along, I need to be conscious of when I eat. I should feed when I’m hungry – and only when I’m hungry. Otherwise I’m piling on more  calories than I work off, and all the gymming on the planet will do nothing for my kilo-count … or my aspiring hair.

I should drink lots of water, and when I get sad, instead of hunting for Dairy Milk or Maryland cookies, I should write a poem, dance to  rock song, or find me some salsa.

Yeah. That’s gonna happen.

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Does doing the daily crossword puzzle really improve your memory? The answer is: not was much as you might think.

Word games tend to be stimulating for the brain when you first start doing them. Crossword puzzles, for example, help to improve your vocabulary and challenge your brain to think about language in terms of letter count, abstractions and comparisons.

The novelty you experience when first doing crossword puzzles is a good recipe for brain exercising. But something happens after doing crossword puzzles for a little while as you start to become good at them! You start remembering all of the three letter words; you develop strategies and recognize repeating patterns. Your brain naturally adapts to the task and because of this, the task becomes easier.

Unless you diligently challenge yourself with harder and harder crossword puzzles, you are unlikely to experience the same kind of vigorous brain work out you received when first starting.

Posit Science has created a free word game called Word Wanderer that is specifically designed to overcome this issue for brain fitness. Word Wanderer’s key difference versus other word games is that it uses intelligent adaptive measures to ensure that you train at your own personal threshold, the uppermost edge of your skill level.

Word Wanderer is designed to adapt quickly to your skill level, so that you do not waste too much time working at skills that are either impossibly challenging or trivially easy. The game increases the difficulty so that you are typically training at threshold which means that you are constantly working your brain. As soon as you master a task, the program makes the task more difficult to encourage your brain to build stronger and more refined neural pathways. [To play Word Wanderer, click here]

You might compare the process to lifting weights. Imagine that you begin to lift five-pound weights. At first, it seems difficult, or even impossible. But after a week or two, your arms grow stronger and lifting the weights becomes easier.

Soon, it is no trouble at all. At that point, you have to switch to heavier weights to build even stronger muscles. Similarly, in Word Wanderer you start with four letter tiles. As your brain gets better at the task, you are challenged with additional letter tiles; at the highest level you must use seven letters before time runs out.

The key to engaging the brain machinery is learning. The brain must constantly be challenged with new tasks in order to forge or strengthen these neural pathways.

Word Wanderer is not only fun, but designed to engage the brain in a way that encourages positive change by keeping you at your own personal threshold during every turn. This adaptive component is critical in promoting brain fitness and not routinely found in online word games.

To play Word Wanderer, click here.

This article was written by our friends at Posit Science – a leading brain fitness company providing effective, non-invasive tools that engage the brain’s natural plasticity to improve brain health.

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I have a  perfectly legitimate excuse. The first week, I had workshops, so I had to leave the house earlier. The second week, my cheques hadn’t cleared and the gym subscription had run out.

I bumped into the gym instructor three days into the ‘wallet-fast’ and he told me I could come in anyway. I didn’t take him up on it. It was partly guilty conscience, but mostly oversleeping.

Somewhere amid my hiatus, I had to go to a clinic for a routine tune-up. As usual, they checked my temperature and BP, then asked me to be weighed.

I’d gained 1.5 kilos!

Either those two weeks really did something bad, or the hospital scales were wrong. Because on my home scale, I still weigh exactly the same as I did six months ago. Weird.

Maybe it’s my home scales that are broken.

Anyway, I hit the gym today. It wasn’t as hard as I expected.  I actually worked up a sweat on the bike, which I never do. I’m not sure if that’s a sign or progress.

And I felt my body warm up on the treadmaster, literally, which is another new thing.

When doing my arm work, the sweat was dripping down, which was freaky. I mean, who sweats while lifting weights? They’re only like 1.5 kilos a piece. And they’re pink!

I did manage to do 100 reps on the skipping rope, so that made me smile. On day 1, I could only do 30 reps per set, which slowly moved up to 50 per set. So when today In easily made 100, I was pretty pleased with myself.

Now I just have to move up to several sets instead of just one. I barely make it to 500 now.

I think the best way to stay motivated in workouts is to set small targets. Like, instead of looking for drastic weight loss, focus on little things.

I don’t feel any lighter, but my clothes fit better, and my blouse buttons don’t pop as much. I can skip longer without breaking, crunch mostly without whining, and the stretches and don’t hurt as much.

Even the scissor leg workouts are easier. Except my instructor has noticed it, so he made them more complex by adding depth and variation. Bloody masochist.

My next mini target is for the tummy-thigh stretches to work. I’m usually worked on while lying on my back – no gutter intended. They pull and twist the legs for a while, then they have you sit up and stretch your thigh muscles, before they eventually lay you on your tummy and pull moves uncomfortably similar an inverted submission suplex.

I’m used to all the other sessions, and my gym people are starting to wonder if they’re doing anything at all, because I don’t scream as much as I used to. But when I lie on my tummy and pull my front thigh, I cry like a little girl.

When I can handle a lying quad stretch without whining, then I’ll know I’m well on my way to true fitness. Until then, I’ll try to stay away from the scales until my dress size drops.

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Right now, I weigh 70. It’s very distressing, since even while pregnant, I didn’t go over 65. Somewhere between sun, sand, and Morocco burgers, I gained ten kilos. Luckily, the excess weight doesn’t show unless you look very closely. It’s mostly centred around the middle, and corsets do wonders to hide that. But corsets can’t stop heart disease, fit under bathing suits, or solve bedroom shyness. So now, my target is to lose 10 kg.

I’ve been hoping to do it through sheer will-power like The Secret says. After all, wisdom claims that all weight is gained by thinking fat thoughts. I don’t know about that, but considering I’ve had four years of coastal cuisine and no exercise [I lived five minutes from my office], I should be a lot heavier than I am.

Despite thinking thin thoughts, gorging on chocolate, and watching UK’s Biggest Loser for three months, I haven’t lost [or gained] an inch.

Enter my good pal, who talked me into joining the neighbourhood gym. It’s right next door to my flat, they open at 5.30 a.m., and they throw in free stretches after each workout. I’m not talking hands-in-the-air-and-reach-for-the-sky here. I’m talking actual stretches. They grab your limbs and yank them till you squeal. Then they pound on your back and massage it. It’s heavenly! When they’re done, your skin feels like jelly. I work out from 6.00 to 7.00 each morning, sometimes 7.30. Then I get stretched and rubbed, no gutter intended. After that, a protein drink, a nice hot shower, and off to work.

To help me along, I enlisted some GR2, which is a weight-loss health kit. It contains a protein shake [which mostly tastes like chalk], a fibrous appetite reducer, and a metabolic catalyser. There’s also a toning shaper that works while I sleep. In total, I take two drinks and 12 pills a day – all herbal.

The kit is organic, and it’s meant to make me burn more and eat less. I don’t know how it works on other people, but all it does is make me hungry. Plus, I hate pills. Still, I got a two week dose, so let’s see how things look after that.

I start my workout on the treadmill; 20 minutes: walking, not running. Then I either use the bike or skip to 600. This number increases by week. Next comes abdominals and arm work under my instructors, then stretch and massage.

Whoever said crunches are the worst tummy exercise lied. Crunches are easy. But those other things, where you put your legs in the air then swing, bend, cycle, scissor and sway them, those are pure torture. They work the abs like a roller – I’m not kidding! I didn’t feel it the first day, but by day three I could barely walk! It gets easier with time though, especially if you whine a lot and get the gym guy to give you less leg and more crunch.

My gym has five guys who work in three-day shifts, which means I get to work with each one of them. The upside of this is that I get lots of different training styles. There’s the soft-spoken guy whose hands are oh so gentle come massage time. There’s the torturous one who’s all fun and friendly but yells like a drill sergeant. There’s the masochist who stretches me till I scream and looks at me funny. There’s the quiet one who mostly talks in grunts if he has to talk at all. Some guys go easy on me, some push me past toleration and make me want to smack them. But they’re all great with the stretches and the back rub.

In training yesterday, I saw my reflection and got depressed. Surely after two weeks, I should look less chubby! The guys on Biggest Loser shed 10 kilos a week! But this morning I looked considerably better. Lesson learnt: never train in a white t-shirt; black is more slimming.

I don’t know how much weight I’ve lost so far. The scale in the gym claims I’ve gained five, and I almost had a stroke before the gym guy told me it was broken. It’s some kind of motivation tactic to make you work harder. Fail !! Good thing I have my own scales at home.

In one month’s time, I hope to have purple hair and a slightly flatter tummy. It’d be great to have bikini-worthy washboards, but I’m taking it in baby steps, and I’ll be glad just to have  smaller love handles.

In the meantime, I’m bonding with my girl, becoming much more lithe, and having a lot of fun for just over two thousand bob. All is well with the world.

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What Is The H1N1 Virus?
Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. It spreads mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus, but it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth. It causes a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Why Was A Pandemic Declared?
The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the H1N1 virus. WHO’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.

It’s uncertain at this time how serious or severe this novel H1N1 pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will develop serious complications or die from novel H1N1 infection. Experience with this virus so far is limited and influenza is unpredictable. However, because novel H1N1 is a new virus, many people may have little or no immunity against it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

• Stay informed.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick so as to limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

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The Main Problems
So why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are the main ones:

Too difficult. People set out with a lot of ambition and enthusiasm, and start out with a big goal. “I’m going to go to the gym for an hour a day!” or “I’m going to hit the tread mill for 30 minutes every day!” The problem is that the goal is too difficult to sustain for very long. You can do it for a few days, but you soon run out of energy, and it becomes a drag to do it.

Too many goals. Often we set out to do too much. We want to run, and lift weights, and eat healthy, and quit chocolate, and stop drinking soda. Well, those are multiple goals, and you cannot focus on the exercise habit if you’re trying to do all the others at the same time. Or we might start with one goal, but then get caught up in another goal and lose our focus on the first one.

Not enough motivation. It’s not a lack of discipline, it’s a lack of motivation. The most powerful motivators are logging your habit and public pressure.

The 4 Simple Steps
So how do we solve those problems? Keep it simple. Here are the 4 simple steps to start the exercise habit (and keep it going).

1. Set one easy, specific, measurable goal.
There are several keys to setting this crucial goal:

Written: Write this down. Post it up. If you don’t write it down, it’s not important.

Easy: Do not set a difficult goal. Set one that is super easy. Five minutes of exercise a day. You can do that. Work your way to 10 minutes after a month. Then go to 15 after 2 months. You can see what I mean: make it easy to start with, so you can build your habit, then gradually increase.

Specific: By specific, I mean what activity are you going to do, at what time of day, and where? Don’t just say “exercise” or “I’m going to walk”. You have to set a time and place. Make it an appointment you can’t miss.

Trigger: I recommend that you have a “trigger” right before you do your habit. For example, you might always brush your teeth right after you shower. The shower is the trigger for brushing your teeth, and because of that, you never forget to brush your teeth. Well, what will you do right before you exercise? Is it right after you wake up? Right after your coffee? Right when you get home? As soon as get off from work? A trigger that you do every single day is important.

Measurable: By measurable, I mean that you should be able to say, definitely, whether you hit or miss your goal today. Examples: run for 10 minutes. Walk 1/2 a mile. Do 3 sets of 5 pushups. Each of those has a number that you can shoot for.

One goal: Stick to this one goal for at least a month. Two months if you can bear it. Don’t start up a second goal during that 30-day period. If you do, you are scrapping this goal.

2. Log it daily.
This is the key habit. If you can log your workout, you will start to see your progress, and it will motivate you to keep going. And you have to make it a habit to log it right away. Don’t put it off, and say you’ll do it before you go to bed. As soon as you’re done working out, log it. No exceptions. And don’t make the log complicated — that will only make you resist doing the log. Just the date, time, and what you did.

3. Report to others.
I think this is key. You can do it on your blog, on an online forum, with your spouse, or friends or family, or a workout partner, or a coach, or a group, or a class. However you set it up, make it part of the process that you have to report your daily workout to other people. It could be using an online log, or on a forum, or through email, or the phone, or just by telling your co-workers what you did this morning. But be sure that they know your goal, and that you are going to report to them, and be sure that they are expecting it every day.

4. Add motivation as needed.
The first three steps might be enough for you to get the habit going. But if not, don’t just give up. If you miss two consecutive workouts, you need to look at why, and add a new motivation. Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes. You can add one additional motivator, and then see if it works. If you miss two more consecutive workouts at any time, add another motivator. And so on, until the exercise habit sticks.

Tell us in the comments what your experiences are with the exercise habit and what motivates you to hit the gym.

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