Archive for category: HOT NEWS

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

As office workers, we rely on takeout for all three meals every day. By the time we get home after work, we’re usually too exhausted to even think about cooking—it just seems like too much trouble. On top of that, with our sedentary office jobs, we only manage to stick to our exercise routines sporadically. Yet, the layers of fat around our waists and the swelling in our legs from sitting too long continue to bother us. Here’s a meal plan for your fat-loss phase—be sure to save it right away!~

01 Weekly Meal Plan for People Who Bring Their Own Lunch

Losing fat isn’t something that happens overnight, and pushing too hard will only backfire. For those who bring lunch to work, you can prepare ingredients for the entire workweek over the weekend.

For example, we recommend a stomach-friendly, low-calorie multigrain rice mix as a staple. Combine white rice, red beans, red rice, and purple rice in a 2:1:1:1 ratio, soak for 2–4 hours beforehand, then cook in a rice cooker. Shape the cooked rice into fist-sized portions and store them in the refrigerator. Additionally, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin are all essential sources of high-quality carbohydrates during fat loss.

For vegetables and meats, plan your meals for the week and buy the ingredients accordingly. Of course, be sure to choose options suitable for fat loss that provide protein, dietary fiber, and healthy fats. For example, after chopping vegetables and draining them thoroughly, you can store them in bulk in vacuum-sealed bags in the refrigerator. The same applies to seafood and meats—as long as the vacuum bags are kept dry, the ingredients will stay fresh.

Now that you’ve finished prepping your ingredients, here’s a meal plan formula for efficient fat loss over the course of a week. Choosing ingredients you enjoy and simple, quick cooking methods is what will keep working professionals motivated to stick with it long-term!

 

(1) Breakfast: Starch (100g–150g) + hard-boiled egg (1) + dairy product / black coffee / unsweetened soy milk

(2) Lunch: Starch (100g–150g) + seafood or meat + vegetables (Recommended eating order: vegetables, meat, starch)

(3) Snack: You can have a small packet of nuts or low-sugar fruit (pears, apples, bananas, pomelos, oranges, etc.)

(4) Dinner: Starch (100g–150g) + vegetables (it’s actually okay to include a moderate amount of high-quality protein as well)

02: One-Week Meal Plan for Weight Loss (Takeout)

In the long run, a bland diet is likely to make people give up. So even if you’re too busy at work to cook and have to rely on takeout, the key to losing fat is simply choosing what tastes good and controlling your portion sizes! Open up any of the many takeout apps available—just be sure to avoid dishes that are high in oil and salt, and pay close attention to the ratio of carbs to fat. Don’t worry—here’s a one-week takeout meal plan for office workers looking to lose fat!

 

(1) Western-Style Fast Food: Burgers

McDonald’s

Double Cheeseburger, Bacon & Egg Burger, Teriyaki Chicken Burger, Double Cod Burger

Burger King

Fruitwood-Smoked Chicken Burger, Double Cheese Beef Burger, Spicy Chicken Burger, Little King Burger

KFC

New Orleans-Style Grilled Chicken Burger, Juicy Beef Burger, Hong Kong-Style Large Chicken Thigh (skinless), Sichuan-Style Tender Beef Five-Spice

Subway

Sliced Chicken, Roasted Beef, Classic Tuna, Teriyaki Chicken, Seafood & Crab Meat

For drinks, choose American-style coffee + a corn cup or vegetable cup (during fat-loss periods, skipping the sauce on burgers will also reduce calories)

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(2) Chinese Fast Food

Shaxian Snacks (Best Value)

Various Business Set Meals: Chicken/Duck Thigh Rice Set (recommended to remove skin; eat one-third of the rice), Beef Brisket Rice + Vegetables/Braised Egg

Spicy Hot Pot, Oden, Maocai (do not drink the broth)

Limit refined carbohydrates; substitute with Chinese yam, potatoes, or corn; Avoid processed meats and starchy meatballs; do not consume sesame paste or chili oil

Rice Bowls (High-Quality Protein + Vegetables + One-Third White Rice)

Tomato Beef Rice, Shiitake Mushroom and Tender Chicken Rice, Tomato and Egg Rice Bowl, Braised Dishes (beef, chicken thighs, duck legs), Pickled Cabbage Fish, Braised Chicken Rice, Stone Pot Bibimbap

Soup-Based Rice Dishes (Control rice portion; do not drink the broth)

Pork Tripe and Chicken, Coconut Chicken, Spare Rib Soup with Rice, Sour Soup with Beef Brisket

Noodle Dishes

Clam Rice Noodles, Cold Noodles, Tomato Rice Vermicelli, Stir-Fried Rice Noodles, Wontons, Liangpi

 

In addition to the meal recommendations above, you can use the meal pairing formula provided to supplement your choices. When ordering takeout, you can also note to the restaurant to avoid “pouring extra oil” or to reduce the rice portion. Slow down your eating pace and consciously control your portion sizes. By combining these principles with fat-loss meal planning—and prioritizing foods you enjoy—you’ll gradually learn to work with food in a way that helps you stick with your weight-loss journey over the long term.

 

Keep it up, ladies! Fat loss is really about pursuing health and happiness. Eating less doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose weight, but eating the right foods definitely will.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Many middle-aged and elderly people who are very health-conscious make it a point to exercise every day. That’s why you can see groups of older men and women exercising in parks both in the morning and at night. However, as people age, their physical abilities decline, and they may find themselves wanting to exercise but lacking the stamina to do so. If you push yourself to exercise despite your physical limitations, be careful—what’s meant to be good for your health could end up hurting you.

01 Some sports can be harmful to your health

Many middle-aged and elderly people enjoy hiking in groups, but many find that those who hike frequently often experience knee pain and difficulty walking. After medical examination, most are diagnosed with meniscus tears or muscle strains, as the damage hiking causes to the knees is nearly irreversible. During ascents, the knee joint bears three times the body weight, and during descents, it bears four times the body weight. It’s not just knee injuries—many people’s kidneys are also affected. Therefore, middle-aged and older adults must avoid strenuous exercise and choose scientifically sound exercise methods to protect their joints and kidneys.

02 These Exercises Are Not Suitable for Middle-Aged and Older Adults

1. Avoid Contact Sports

For middle-aged and older adults over the age of 50, various bodily functions gradually decline. Calcium is continuously lost from the body, skeletal muscle mass gradually decreases, and the resilience and strength of bones and joints drop significantly; bones are far less stable and much more fragile than in youth. Therefore, daily exercise routines should completely avoid highly contact-intensive sports such as basketball and soccer. These sports involve a great deal of rapid running, jumping, physical collisions, and body-to-body contact. Not only do they significantly increase the risk of fractures and joint sprains, but they also make it easy to sustain impact injuries to the lower back; in severe cases, this can affect the kidneys and lead to related physical damage. To ensure exercise safety, middle-aged and older adults should avoid such high-intensity, contact sports as much as possible.

2. Avoid “Power Walking”

Walking is a gentle form of exercise suitable for all age groups and is the most common choice for middle-aged and older adults. However, high-intensity power walking is not suitable for this demographic. As the cartilage in the knee joints of middle-aged and older adults gradually wears down and degenerates, power walking subjects the joints to continuous high-intensity weight-bearing and impact forces. This can easily lead to knee joint wear and strain, triggering problems such as joint pain and fluid accumulation; long-term power walking can severely damage knee health. If you choose walking as a form of exercise, it is recommended to wear knee braces and soft, comfortable athletic shoes, and to adopt a regular exercise routine that alternates between brisk and slow walking. By exercising gradually and progressively, you can not only improve your overall health but also effectively protect your joints.

3. Avoid High-Intensity Exercise

Intense anaerobic exercises, such as weightlifting and various weight-bearing machine workouts, place extremely high demands on muscular explosiveness and the body’s ability to withstand pressure, requiring limbs to bear significant loads during the activity. As middle-aged and older adults experience a decline in muscle strength, physical coordination, and recovery capacity, engaging in such exercises can easily lead to muscle strains, ligament injuries, and even skeletal stress-related damage. Therefore, fitness for middle-aged and older adults should focus primarily on gentle aerobic exercises. Jogging, brisk walking, tai chi, and swimming are all excellent choices. These activities are of moderate intensity and highly safe; they effectively enhance cardiopulmonary function, slow the loss of skeletal muscle mass, and improve overall physical fitness, making them well-suited to the physical condition of middle-aged and older adults.

 

In summary, middle-aged and older adults should avoid blindly following trends when exercising. They must steer clear of common fitness misconceptions, reject exercise methods that are harmful to the body, and select gentle exercises suited to their individual physical conditions. Only then can they truly achieve the goals of scientific fitness and maintaining good health.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Suppose we consume 2,000 calories a day. After subtracting the 1,000 calories required for our body’s basal metabolic rate, we need to burn at least another 1,400 calories to lose weight. Basal metabolic rate refers to the amount of calories the body burns each day to maintain its physiological functions. So, which foods in our daily lives can help burn calories and fat?

01 Water

Water is one of the essential elements for the body and is crucial for human metabolism. Our bodies need sufficient water to carry out metabolic processes. If we don’t drink water and become dehydrated, our metabolism will slow down. A healthy adult should drink 1,500–2,000 ml of water daily. If you engage in intense exercise, you should drink even more water. Therefore, it’s important for everyone to develop the good habit of drinking plenty of water.

02 Chicken, Fish, and Seafood

These two types of meat and seafood are quite common in daily life and are relatively simple to prepare. Their meat is easy to digest and is considered a high-quality source of protein. Protein can boost the body’s metabolic function, and these two meats are much lower in calories than other meats such as pork and beef, making them ideal for consumption during weight loss. Regular consumption of fish can lower levels of the hormone “leptin” in the body; a reduction in this hormone can boost the body’s metabolic function. However, it’s important to note that chicken skin contains a lot of fat, so during fat-loss periods, you should use skinless chicken. Seafood is also rich in calcium, which aids in joint and muscle recovery after exercise, and contains high-quality fats that help replenish the body’s essential fatty acids.

03 Chili Peppers
Chili peppers contain a compound called “capsaicin,” which helps the body burn fat quickly. Both fresh and dried chili peppers contain this compound. For those who enjoy spicy food, this is a hidden benefit. Capsaicin also enhances the body’s ability to oxidize fat. With the help of capsaicin in our daily fat-loss efforts, fat burning can happen even faster.

04 Coffee
The caffeine in coffee not only helps you stay alert but also boosts your metabolism. Many people who work out to lose weight choose to drink black coffee—without milk or sugar—first thing in the morning to help burn fat. However, caffeine can be addictive, and consuming too much can cause an increased heart rate and trigger symptoms such as anxiety and palpitations. You should decide how much coffee to drink based on your individual tolerance; if you experience any adverse reactions to caffeine, stop drinking it immediately.

05 Oats
One major benefit of oats is their high dietary fiber content, which helps you feel full. The body expends far fewer calories digesting dietary fiber than other nutrients, which further accelerates calorie expenditure and speeds up fat burning. Among grains, oats have a relatively low fat content, but the fat they contain is of high quality—specifically linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for the human body. It’s also worth noting that oats contain vitamin B2, a nutrient that people are particularly prone to lacking. However, it’s important to moderate your intake of oats, as excessive consumption can lead to weight gain.

06 Vegetables and Fruits
Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of vitamins and amino acids, both of which are micronutrients essential for the human body. The dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables helps improve gastrointestinal motility and boost metabolism. However, it’s important to note that some fruits are high in fructose and should not be consumed in large quantities. If sugar isn’t burned off, it’s converted directly into fat, which is detrimental to muscle gain.

If you want to accelerate fat loss and weight loss, you must limit your intake of high-calorie, high-fat foods and opt for low-sugar, low-fat, high-fiber options whenever possible. You can create a dietary cycle—for example, allowing yourself one day a week to eat high-calorie foods while sticking to a healthy diet the other six days. Setting aside a “cheat day” like this is particularly effective for those who have hit a workout plateau. If you’re currently trying to lose fat, try adding these foods to your fitness meal plan. Boost your metabolism, work out hard, and you’ll ultimately succeed in losing body fat.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Respiratory diseases should not be taken lightly. As we age, long-term improper breathing habits, unsuitable living environments, and the effects of related conditions can all trigger chest tightness and chest pain during breathing.

01 Causes of Chest Pain When Breathing
1. Diseases of the respiratory system itself, such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, can lead to chronic coughing. This has numerous adverse effects on the lungs, increasing their workload and causing significant damage to the bronchi. As medical wisdom holds, a prolonged cough is harmful to the body; it can lead to fluid accumulation and cavities in the lungs. At this stage, chest pain is not limited to coughing but is also distinctly felt during breathing.

2. When the weather is excessively dry and the body isn’t getting enough fluids, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract become dehydrated. With every breath, the dry outside air entering the bronchi and lungs feels like a burning sensation. If the environment is unsanitary, viruses in the air can also enter the respiratory tract, triggering respiratory infections and causing inflammation.

 

3. During exercise, if you exert yourself too intensely in a short period of time—exceeding your body’s capacity—or about a minute after a long run, your body may reach a “wall.” At this point, you’ll experience extremely uncomfortable pain in your chest and abdomen; even breathing can trigger heartache. This is accompanied by dizziness and a foggy head, leaving you with one overwhelming desire: to stop exercising.

 

4. As the saying goes, “Eat until you’re only eighty percent full.” There’s no need to keep your stomach and intestines at full capacity or beyond; leave a little room for them so that an overly full digestive system doesn’t squeeze the working space of your chest and lungs. Otherwise, when the lungs are compressed, breathing—especially deep breathing—causes the expanded lungs to naturally squeeze back against the chest cavity, resulting in chest tightness.

In addition, when you’re overly emotional—such as during moments of extreme sadness or anger—and find yourself unable to catch your breath, this can also lead to chest tightness and heart pain. In severe cases, it can result in fainting or a state resembling death. Excessive fatigue and staying up late put your body in a state of exhaustion, and your respiratory system will “protest” by warning you through chest tightness that it’s time to rest.

02 How to Address Shortness of Breath
1. If caused by a medical condition, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, seek immediate medical attention and receive professional treatment. Once the respiratory disease is completely cured, the chest tightness and chest pain will naturally resolve.

 

2. Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure your body gets the necessary daily fluid intake and to keep your mouth and airways moist.

3. If you experience chest tightness while exercising, you should immediately slow down and take deep breaths. The “wall” typically lasts about 30 seconds; during this time, increase your breathing volume to boost oxygen supply to your body. Once the “wall” passes, the chest tightness will disappear for good.

 

4. Massage your chest and abdomen. Warm your palms, then gently rub the joints of your chest and apply rhythmic, circular pressure to your abdomen to soothe the “little emotions” of the organs in these areas.

 

In addition, you can practice proper breathing techniques to increase your lung capacity, improve cardiopulmonary function, and enhance lung vitality.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to reach out via email to info@harisonfitness.com. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that you love your experience with us.

Being thin is often due to genetic factors, but don’t be surprised—good dietary management can also help you develop a “body that stays slim”!

01 The Gap Between Ordinary People and Those Who Lose Weight Easily

Energy expenditure isn’t determined solely by daily physical activity. The human body’s daily energy expenditure primarily consists of three components: basal metabolic rate, muscle activity, and the thermic effect of food. Basal metabolic rate accounts for 60% to 70% of total energy expenditure, while the remaining 30% represents the calories you can safely cut from your daily intake—which is also the safe range for healthy weight loss.

With this basic understanding, you’ll realize that while overeating may feel good in the moment, regaining weight is a constant source of frustration. Regaining weight isn’t just about returning to your original weight; constant weight fluctuations can easily lower your basal metabolic rate, causing fat to accumulate in your body and ultimately leading to a body type that gains weight easily but struggles to lose it. Healthy eating habits can improve your basal metabolic rate, and by managing your daily calorie intake effectively, you can develop a body that naturally stays lean. Breaking through the barrier to a lean physique isn’t that difficult after all!

02 Eat Your Way to a Slim Body Type

To develop a “body that loses weight easily,” you should first control your total food intake (an adult’s basal metabolic rate is generally between 1,200 and 2,000 calories per day) to create a calorie deficit. Second, break bad habits such as irregular meal times, relying on takeout, a preference for heavily seasoned foods, frequent alcohol consumption, and eating too quickly.

Additionally, drink plenty of water. There’s a proper way to do this: drink about 2 liters of lukewarm plain water daily, sipping it slowly in small amounts throughout the day—don’t gulp down a whole glass at once—to help boost your metabolism. Finally, maintain a positive mindset; changing your body composition takes time and consistent effort—haste makes waste.

03 Adjust Your Diet
When losing weight, adjust your diet gradually by eating fewer high-calorie foods, avoiding greasy foods, and refraining from overeating. Ensure your three daily meals are nutritionally balanced, chew your food thoroughly, and stop eating when you’re about 70–80% full. Here are some tips:

Choose Slow-Digesting Carbohydrates

Opt for whole grains, legumes, tubers, vegetables, and fruits, and try to avoid highly processed grains as much as possible. For example, replace white rice with mixed-grain rice. Compared to plain white rice, mixed-grain rice causes a smaller rise in blood sugar after a meal while providing the same number of calories. It also makes you feel fuller longer and is rich in dietary fiber, which promotes bowel movements and prevents the buildup of food residue.

At the same time, keep your daily carbohydrate intake within a reasonable range—about 50–100 grams is sufficient. This prevents excessive fat accumulation, while also ensuring you don’t get too hungry before mealtime.

Eat More High-Protein Foods

Protein is a macromolecule that takes a long time to digest in the body, so it provides a strong sense of fullness. It also helps prevent excessive sugar intake, as high-protein foods generally have a low glycemic index and thus do not lead to fat accumulation. The saying “Meat gives you strength” actually refers to how the high-quality protein in meat boosts your metabolism and promotes or repairs muscle growth. In your daily diet, you can choose foods such as skim milk, fish, rabbit meat, and boiled lean pork, beef, or chicken.

Increase Intake of Essential Fatty Acids

For good health and a balanced diet, the intake of high-quality fats is essential. Fat-soluble vitamins are primarily found in fatty foods, such as animal fats, dairy products, animal liver, and oily fish. If fat intake is too low or fat absorption is impaired, it will undoubtedly lead to deficiencies in these vitamins. Therefore, to improve physical condition and maintain a healthy body fat percentage, we recommend consuming the following foods in moderation to obtain high-quality fats: avocados, olives, hazelnuts, olive oil, and deep-sea fish such as mackerel, salmon, and sardines.

Avoid stimulating foods and eat smaller, more frequent meals

Many people assume that common stimulating foods are limited to chili peppers, black pepper, curry, and betel nuts. In reality, the coffee you drink every morning, as well as cola, hot cocoa, and tea—which you often consume as if they were water—are all included.

Stimulating foods contain substances that are easily addictive; excessive consumption not only disrupts blood sugar balance but can also, in severe cases, impair nervous system function. Therefore, aside from the occasional cup of light tea, it’s best to avoid stimulating foods altogether while working to change a weight-gain-prone body type.

 

Many people believe that body type is predetermined and unchangeable, so they give up on learning healthy, scientific weight management techniques. However, your “lean body type” and “body fat percentage” are also key factors. The root cause of changes in body type lies in dietary habits. By learning proper eating methods, you too can transform a weight-gain-prone body type into a lean one!