Weight Loss is 50% mindset and the other 50% is mostly eating well. Exercise does not have more than 10% role to play in weight loss but it is critical in weight maintenance. Since my problem is not weight loss (I have lost my total body weight at least 3 times in my life), exercising 5-6 days a week on an ongoing basis and the right mix of aerobic, weight training and stretching is key to the longevity of my weight loss.

I do yoga 4-6 days a week so stretching and weights are not a challenge for me. The last time I did aerobic exercise was when I ran after a client to return his sunglasses to him. I have not been walking, biking or running regularly for at least a year. This post, gentle reader, is way to commit myself to doing aerobic exercise 5-6 days a week. I walk and bike. Will report on how both are going in a few weeks.

We need 3 kinds of exercise for optimal health:

1. Aerobic
2. Stretching
3. Weight training

Research shows that an hour of exercise 6 days a week (330 minutes) is great if you can do it. Of this ~50% should be devoted to aerobic activity and the rest divided between stretching and weights.

If you have to choose one, data shows that it should be aerobic exercise. Research shows High Intensity Intervals (HII) are superior to other kinds of aerobic activity in following effects:

• Keep blood vessels clean to prevent heart attacks and strokes
• Chase away depression and anxiety
• Produce the most weight loss
• Help retain sharp memory well into old age
• Produce a sense of wellbeing by making endorphins, the neurotransmitters that make the brain feel that all is well with the world.

To be effective aerobic exercise has to have the following characteristics:

• Frequent (5-6 times a week)
• Containing at least some periods of intense activity (high intensity intervals)
• It can be Short (17 to 25 minutes)

Here is short primer to help you get started on how to do high intensity aerobics. Good Luck!

Very few exercises are truly aerobic.

1. Brisk walking
2. Running
3. Elliptical
4. Stair master
5. Cross country skiing are all truly aerobic.
6. Swimming and bicycling are somewhat aerobic but not ideal since we do not carry the full weight of our bodies. The water and bike buffer our weight.

High Intensity Intervals (HII) are the quickest way to get aerobically fit and are great for both cardiovascular and mental health. Here is how to do HII. Say walking is the aerobic exercise of your choice.

1. Warm up for 3 minutes.
2. Now go all out; walking as fast as you can for 30 secs.
3. Now walk at an easy but not slow pace for 3 minutes.
4. Again walk as fast as you can for 30 secs.
5. Repeat the above intervals until you have completed 4 “As fast as you can” intervals.
6. Cool down at an easy pace for 3 minutes.
7. The whole workout takes 17 minutes.
8. Do not walk fast for longer than 30 secs otherwise you will start pacing yourself but in those 30 secs give it all you have.
9. Go as fast as you possibly can. You should be gasping towards the end of that 30 sec period and the 4th interval should be significantly harder than the first one. If it is not, you are not pushing yourself hard enough during the fast intervals.

The primer on High Intensity Intervals is reprinted with permission of Zanjabee Integrative Medicine from Patient Resources section of www.zanjabee.com. Thank you for letting me use it!

My name is Zywie and I have decided that I am going to lose the hundred pounds that I have been trying to lose for the past decade this year. I am young enough to remember a time when I thought I would live forever and old enough to know that I will not. Since I will not live forever, might as well enjoy the time I have at a weight where I can wear clothes that look somewhat decent and more importantly, I can physically do the things that I like to do. Up until now, vanity was the main driver of my weight loss efforts. Since I am still overweight, vanity is obviously not very important for me.

In the last 2 years I have noticed that my feet get very tired if I am on them for a long time. My knees crackle and I get short of breath when I try to climb even a couple of flights of stairs. This is not on. Abundant physical energy is part of essential me. The weight was OK when it did not interfere with energy but since it now is, the weight has to go.

Data shows that losing weight is mostly a matter of mind. If I can make the mindset that is making me write this blog my new norm, I will be thin in a year. If not, well let’s not go there. Writing this blog is an effort to affirm and hold onto the mindset of living the best life possible I can. Hence, you my dear reader are as much a part of this effort as I am.

In my journey, I am going to focus on 4 areas.

1. Mindset to keep me motivated
2. Eating well
3. Exercise
4. Latest research on weight loss

Today, I am sharing a recipe for stir fried veggies that I made for myself this week. I recommend using organic veggies but honestly for taste freshness of veggies is much more important. Fresh veggies from Market Basket or Russo’s (which do not have large organic selections) are often better tasting than limp organic produce. Early Saturday mornings are a great time to buy the freshest produce from grocery stores.

Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients

1. Cabbage – Medium and cut into thin strips
2. Carrots – 2 large and also cut into thin strips
3. Cauliflower – 1 small divide into florets and cut into sort of equal sizes
4. Yellow beans – ends cut off and cut into equal lengths
5. Arugula – 1 cup wash and set aside in a colander
6. Minced ginger– ½ tsp
7. Minced garlic – ½ tsp
8. Olive oil – 1 tbsp
9. Cumin – ½ tsp
10. Red pepper flakes – to your taste
11. Worcestershire sauce – 2 tbsps
12. Apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsps
13. Brown sugar – 1 tbsp
14. Low salt soy sauce – 2 Tbsps

Method

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a roaring boil in a sauce pan.

2. Dunk in the shredded cabbage for 2 minutes and then remove with a slatted spoon to a large colander.

3. Put in the carrots into the same pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes and remove them to the colander as well.

4. Simmer the cauliflower and yellow beans in the boiling water for 3 and 2 minutes respectively and remove to the same colander.

5. Lightly brown minced ginger and garlic in olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over a medium flame.

6.Add all the veggies to sautéed ginger and garlic and mix well.

7. Push the veggies to the side and add cumin and red pepper flakes to the bottom of the pan on the side. This allows dry roasting the spices to enhance flavor.

8. Mix the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar into a bowl and pour over the veggies. Shake the pot rather than mix with a spoon to distribute the sauce evenly.

9. Taste to see if more olive oil, vinegar, salt or sugar is needed to bring the stir fry to your taste. Make sure it is right flavor for you otherwise you won’t eat it.

10. Now add the cup of arugula on top of the veggies and cover the pan for 2 minutes.

11. Your veggies are now ready. They are delicious with plain boiled brown rice or quinoa. When cooked right, all the veggies are tender but not limp and the flavors have seeped into every strip and leaf.

12. You can add chickpeas, chicken strips, thinly sliced tofu or seitan as protein to the stir fry if you like.

Let me know if you liked it!