Tag: exercise

Walking – The best and underrated form of exercise

You drag yourself from your desk to the gym, where you pop in some upbeat music and jack the treadmill up to 6 mph.

Admit it, while you’re pounding out those three miles, you’re silently judging (even if subconsciously) the person walking next to you.

But experts say we’re unfairly placing the form of exercise in the “pointless” category. It turns out, you may be missing out on an extremely effective physical activity, not to mention a mental boost, by writing off walking entirely.

“Walking can be as good as a workout, if not better, than running,” says Dr. Matt Tanneberg, CSCS, a sports Chiropractor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Phoenix, Arizona who works with elite athletes. “You hear of people ‘plateauing’ when they continue to do the same workout routine and stop seeing results. I see patients all the time that plateau from running, they will run the same distance, speed and time, day in and day out. You need to constantly be switching up your exercise routine in order to get the maximum benefit for your health.”

Yes, running is more physically demanding, which leads people to label it a “better” workout.

“While I would love to say that walking can be just as effective of a workout as running, I’m not going to lie to you. In fairness, the two really shouldn’t be compared against each other,” says John Ford, certified exercise physiologist, who runs JKF Fitness & Health in New York City. “Running, due to larger muscle recruitment, greater forces exerted and faster motion capability, will always have the proverbial leg up on walking.”

But while walking may not be a better workout, it may be a better exercise choice for some people.

“With that being said, walking is a really good form of exercise and can help you reach your fitness and weight-loss goals. As a lifelong track athlete, who has marveled at race walkers (check out the Olympic walkers on YouTube!), I don’t scoff at walking,” says Ford. “In fact, walking is the suggested workout over running for many people. For example, those with knee, ankle and back problems and also for people who are overweight to obese. Walking is a lower impact exercise and can be done for longer periods of time.”

And there is no shortage of scientific research to back up the effectiveness of adding walking to your fitness routine.

“There are many reasons to walk for exercise,” says Ann Green, M.S., past heptathlon world athlete, yoga teacher and fitness studio owner. “Walking improves fitness, cardiac health, alleviates depression and fatigue, improves mood, creates less stress on joints and reduces pain, can prevent weight gain, reduce risk for cancer and chronic disease, improve endurance, circulation, and posture, and the list goes on…”

When comparing the results of the most recent National Runners’ Health Study with the National Walkers’ Health Study, researchers found that the energy used for moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar reductions in risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease over the study’s six year period.

Which means when it comes to some pretty prominent markers of our health, walking at a moderate intensity can get the job done just as well as running, as long as you’re expending the same amount of energy. Great news for those of us that dread going on a jog.

While the physical benefits are notable, the mental boost that can be gleaned from adding a walk to your daily routine may be more immediate.

One Stanford University study found that walking increased creative output by an average of 60 percent. Researchers labelled this type of creativity “divergent thinking,” which they define as a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. According to the study, “walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”

Which makes sense, since science shows that engaging in activities that allow our minds to wander promotes a mental state conducive to innovative ideas and “ah-ha!” moments.

But it’s not only your creativity that will benefit from the mental lift. The act of walking is also a proven mood booster. One study found that just 12 minutes of walking resulted in an increase in joviality, vigor, attentiveness and self-confidence versus the same time spent sitting. Walking in nature, specifically, was found to reduce ruminating over negative experiences, which increases activity in the brain associated with negative emotions and raises risk of depression.

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Health and fitness

Health is an important aspect in anyone’s life. Fitness is a proof for a healthy person. By achieving a healthy body, we can achieve a healthy mind. Small habit changes in our day-day life will change our life completely in a healthier way. Food is the first thing to take into considering when we talk about health. There are lots of aspects to having a healthy life. I will share with you the small steps that you need to take to start your healthy journey.

Proper diet

The first thing that comes to our mind when we think about being healthy is being on a proper diet. It is not just about what we eat, it is also about when we eat. Healthy food aside, having your food at the right time every day will cut off lots of health issues. Many of us skip breakfast and eat straight at lunch time. You haven’t had anything for the past 12 hours so your stomach is literally empty with stomach acid in it. There are many risk factors when high stomach acid is secreted. The main function of this acid is to digest the food that you intake so better give it some food in the morning otherwise it will cause some serious health issues.

Keep specific timings for your breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you take food at proper timings, it will solve many health issues. Breakfasts should be taken around 7 to 9 AM. Lunch should be taken around 12 to 2 PM. Dinner should be taken around 7 to 9 AM. So make sure you stick to the timings and have a healthy diet!

Next comes the healthy food. Make sure you take vegetables thrice a week and fish twice a week (if you are a non vegetarian) and one cheat day to eat your favorite junk food. Intake of all kinds of food is important. Junk food and outside food from time to time would be fine but making it as a part of your diet would cause major health issues.

Sleep schedule

Another important factor that ruins your health is lack of sleep. I know most of us have issues with falling asleep at night time and that becomes a routine. The first step to do is to not make it a routine and not normalizing the sleep schedule. If you can only sleep at 1 then consider it a serious issue and work towards changing it.

Ways to stabilize your sleep schedule

  • Push in all your work within 11 PM and make yourself completely free at night. If you are a work from home dude then plan it accordingly, you require 6 to 8 hours of sleep, that’s all matters.
  • Avoid using mobile phone or laptop after 11 PM. Make sure you have at least 30 mins gap without screen time before sleeping.

Exercise!

Fitness is achieved by exercising your body regularly. It can be anything that you do. A simple 1 hour walk in the morning will keep you active throughout the day. There are many forms of exercises that you can do. You can workout everyday with simple moves. The ultimate goal is to exercise your muscles and not make them lazy. Some forms of exercise are,

  • home workouts
  • Going to gym
  • Morning/evening walk
  • Cycling
  • Dance workout
  • yoga

Meditation helps you exercise your mind. It calms and clears your mind. If you start doing it you will definitely see the results in your day to day life.

Conclusion

These are some factors that affects our health and if we bring more concentration into all of this, we can be healthy mentally and physically. Make time to focus on your mind and body.

The relevance of yoga and meditation in the modern lives

We are living in a complex world, it’s a changing world, nothing is permanent, traditions and values are changing everything seems to be in the state of flux. In today’s world the majority of the people are suffering from mental and physical illness.What we can do to overcome them. The simple answer to the question is that follow the path that is showed by our sages and great gurus and that is the path of yoga and meditation, the modern life is full of confusion people are generally seen obsessed with materialistic things, consideration a good house , big bank balance are the three virtues of successful modern life according to today’s man,but do they lead to real peace? Do money and modern items make happier human beings perhaps not here comes the relevance of yoga and meditation. They are the creative processes ,the discipline in our minds as well as the body, the great extra energy and power yoga exercises help us with many elements and prevent many diseases . Meditation helps our mind . to neglect other thoughts and make us feel positive .It also makes us confident and morally strong . Yoga and meditation are necessary for students too, they are generally engaged in online work be it online studying or any other business work in which there is no physical movement ,but yogic exercise and meditation can help them restore their reserves of their lost energy and power that can help them in concentration and remove tiredness too.

Some of the types of Yoga are which help are useful are:-

(1).Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

The heels root down, the muscles of the legs are engaged, the bones are stacked with the shoulders directly over the hips, the shoulder blades slump the rear , and therefore the crown of the top rises. do not forget to breathe.

(2).Garland Pose (Malasana)

Photo by Marta Wave on Pexels.com

Move your feet, bend the sides of your mat and bend your knees, coming into a squat. The toes may end up if necessary. If your heels don’t reach the ground , you’ll sit on two stacked blocks. This modification makes the pose more accessible for several people.This is an edge that’s quite natural for youngsters , but we lose the knack for it as adults. It’s great for the hips and to counteract the consequences of an excessive amount of sitting in chairs and riding in cars.

What is meditation?

Meditation refers to the practice of focusing attention on breath or on an object or thought or a mantra. Here attention is focused.

Some of the types of meditation are :-

(1) Vipasana meditation

It is also known as mindfulness-based meditation, there is no fixed object or thought to hold the attention. The person passively observes the various bodily sensations and thoughts that are passing through in her or his awareness.

(2) Kundalini Yoga

It is taught within the USA and has been found to be effective in treatment of mental disorders. The Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego, USA has found that Kundalini Yoga is effective within the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. Kundalini Yoga is a mixture or combination of pranayama or breathing techniques with chanting of mantras. Prevention of repeated episodes of depression could also be helped by mindfulness based meditation or Vipasana. This meditation would help the patients to process emotional stimuli better and hence prevent biases within the processing of those stimuli.

REASONS TO GO ON A DIET

In a world full of foodies, some people also spread awareness about the importance of going on a diet. Diet, though in modern days is used as a tool for weight loss, is not a new thing ancient India. In ancient days or even now, many people go on a fasting. Many state that to be on religious grounds. Many also state it the other way. Fasting was a little different from diet. Fasting was either no consumption for a day or two or just consumption of liquids. Many say there is a scientific reason behind fasting because many say that being on a fast on a regular basis is healthy as it gives some rest to the digestive organs in the body that are continuously indulged in the process of breaking down food. As people are more emotionally attached to food, they over indulge in the process of eating which is not good for a healthy state of the body. Though it might be nutritious, there would be no pattern of eating. Thus, diet brings a pattern and regularisation in quantity and quality of eating. Most of the people believe that the only reason for people to go on a diet is for weight loss which is actually a myth. Though it is one of the reasons but there are many other reasons too!!

REASONS TO GO ON A DIET:

  • WEIGHT LOSS-This is the reason mostly people undergo a diet regime. Due to the accumulation of toxins by eating a lot of processed foods and increase body mass index. Thus, people to reduce to their former size, go through diet. But the diet they follow may not be always right or suitable for their body. A healthy diet includes consumption of fruits, vegetables and protein rich pulses.
  • WEIGHT GAIN– There are also very skinny people, though eat a normal diet do not fit into the normal Body Mass Index (BMI). There are also people who lost huge weight due to some illness. Diet helps these people to gain weight.
  • REDUCES RISK OF CANCER– Excessive consumption of alcohol, eating packed and processed food are associated with risk of some forms of cancer. Following a healthy diet refreshes your body and maintains it healthy.
  • DECREASES GLUCOSE LEVEL IN BLOOD STREAM– This is related to weight loss. By way of diet for weight loss, one can also lower their blood glucose levels according to the “Diabetes care” 2011.
  • HEALTHIER SKIN AND HAIR– A healthy diet keeps your skin soft and supple. It keeps aging at bay. It also improves your hair condition and keeps it soft and shiny.
  • BETTER DIGESTION– While on a diet, you can control the quantity of each nutrient going to your body. An increase in consumption of fibres in diet can improve your digestion.
  • IMPROVES MOOD– Diet not only make you look better, you also feel better. Your body feels light and healthy which has a direct impact on the mind. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind.

STAY HEALTHY! STAY HAPPY!!

Relevant links: https://www.idodeclaire.com/2021/06/why-you-should-focus-on-your-diet.html

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-a-plant-based-diet-and-why-should-you-try-it-2018092614760

Is exercise necessary for weight loss?

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Exercising is a great way to be healthy and maintain your weight. It makes our body flexible, improves our metabolism and also helps with stress and depression. Many people suggests exercising for weight loss, but the question is if it is really an essential to loose weight?

We have been conditioned to believe that exercise is an essential ingredient to loose weight but according to science, it might not be that important of a factor to loose some pounds. A very uncommon fact about exercising is that it amounts to a very small calorie expenditure of your daily life. Obesity researcher Alexxai Kravitz suggests that there are three main components of calorie expenditure : 1) basal metabolic rate, or the energy used for basic functioning when the body is at rest; 2) the energy used to break down food; and 3) the energy used in physical activity.

According to Kravitz, basal metabolic rate amounts to about 70% of energy expenditure and we have no control over the same. Energy spent in digesting food amounts to about 10%. All of this included, it leaves only about 20% room for physical exercise along with daily activities like walking, carrying weight,etc. What I am trying to imply is that food we consume actually amounts to 100% of calories/energy that goes inside our body while exercising only amount to about 10-30% of expenditure. This basically shows that erasing all the fat on your tummy is not as dependable on exercise as your gym membership shows.

It is difficult to create a calorie-deficit only through exercising. To explain it in easier words, “If a hypothetical 90-kg man added 60 minutes of medium-intensity running four days per week while keeping his calorie intake the same, and he did this for 30 days, he’d lose 3 kgs.” And to compensate the exercise, if the man adds food and rest in his daily routine his weight loss will be even less significant. So for an overweight person to loose weight solely by exercise, it will take him a lot of time to reach his goal.

Studies say that generally people who exercise may consume more than on a daily basis believing they lost a lot of calories or simply because they were hungrier. “You work hard on that machine for an hour, and that work can be erased with five minutes of eating afterward,” Hall explained. It is suggested that reducing calorie intake and replacing high calorie food with low calorie ones are more helpful on your way to effective weight loss. Exercising boosts weight loss in other subtle ways but depending wholly on it may not be the best idea. We need to change the way we look at exercising, it is immensely helpful for preventing diseases and living a healthier life but it may not be the best way to lose weight. Also, it has been said many times that exercise helps in building muscles, more than losing weight. In order to lose weight there should be a balance of physical activity and calorie intake.

EXERCISE

Exercise refers to physical activity or performing some physical work on a repetitive basis to relax your body and take away out all the mental stress. Doing regular exercise is essential in one’s life.

The advantages of regular exercise are often seen very quickly during a person if he does training regularly. An individual needs to be mentally and physically fit as we all have heard, “Healthy Mind lives in a healthy body” So to remain fit and healthy one must do exercises regularly.

One must be both physically and mentally fit. Exercising plays an essential role in our lives. It helps us in staying physically meet. Out physical body is meant to maneuver. If we don’t exercise or walk daily, then we’d quickly get susceptible to different diseases overtime.

A bit like eating food, getting to work every day is a number of the essential aspects of lifestyle exercise is additionally crucial in daily lives, and one should make it a habit to a minimum of exercise 4 out of seven days during a week.

Exercise will assist you in maintaining your weight. If you’re overweight, you’ll quickly reduce by exercising as your calories will burn during your workout period.

Your muscles will develop, and therefore the rate of your body is going to be increased, which can help you in burning more calories than usual, albeit you’re not exercising. Exercise also will help in the improvement of both oxygen level and blood flow in your body.

The recondition and reviving of our full-body is helped by doing exercise. It helps us to form our muscles strong. Exercise also prevents obesity or helps in losing the load. It maintains youthfulness and delays the method of aging.

Exercise improves the functioning of the circulatory system and prevents cardiac diseases. It strengthens our network and prevents infections. Exercise improves our mental fitness and prevents insomnia and depression.

 

Diabetes

Diabetes is the most common word spoken across the globe. Fatal and contagious than any of the disease ever to be seen by humanity. It doesn’t affect directly but surely undermines the body such that various other diseases get a free pass. It is a major public health problem that is approaching epidemic proportions globally. Worldwide, the prevalence of chronic, non-communicable diseases is increasing at an alarming rate. About 18 million people die every year from cardiovascular disease, for which diabetes and hypertension are major predisposing factors. Diabetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin, which occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, or when the body does not respond appropriately to insulin. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Therefore weakness, dizziness are prevalent among the diabetic. As of yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy. Different kinds of diabetes can occur, and managing the condition depends on the type. Not all forms of diabetes stem from a person being overweight or leading an inactive lifestyle. In fact, some are present from childhood.
Three major diabetes types can develop, Type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

  • Type I diabetes: Also known as juvenile diabetes, this type occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. People with type I diabetes are insulin-dependent, which means they must take artificial insulin daily to stay alive.
  • Type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes affects the way the body uses insulin. While the body still makes insulin, unlike in type I, the cells in the body do not respond to it as effectively as they once did. This is the most common type of diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and it has strong links with obesity.
  • Gestational diabetes: This type occurs in women during pregnancy when the body can become less sensitive to insulin. Gestational diabetes does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth.

Less common types of diabetes include monogenic diabetes and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.
Since there is no cure, it doesn’t mean that you can’t live your life up to the fullest. Just a tight schedule can prove propitious. Some snacks to include in your diet to keep a close watch on the glucometer are-

  • Fresh fruit and cheese- There’s a reason why the French are known for their fantastic fruit and cheese boards! Cheese is an excellent source of protein and pairs well with carbohydrate-rich fruit to provide energy without spiking blood sugars. Good pairings include apples with cheddar, Gouda and pears, or fresh mozzarella with peaches.
  • Crunchy chickpeas- Gone are the days when chickpeas were only useful for making hummus! Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are an excellent source of fiber and protein and make for a nutrient-rich, mid-day snack. When roasted long enough, chickpeas become light and crunchy and make for a great replacement for potato chips.
  • Hardboiled eggs- Eggs are a low-calorie snack packed with valuable nutrients, such as B vitamins, zinc, calcium, and protein. Hardboiled eggs make for a healthy, portable snack that will keep you full between meals. Pair with a small piece of fresh fruit if blood sugars are dipping low.
  • Popcorn- Most popular for movie nights, popcorn is full of fiber and an excellent snack that won’t send blood sugars surge. However, not all popcorn is made with the same ingredients. Traditionally, microwaved popcorn can contain a ton of added sugars or partially-hydrogenated oils that take a toll on heart health. Look for brands that air pop their popcorn or use avocado oil, which is a source of heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Save the buttery topping or kettle corn varieties for special occasions.

There are several tips to fight diabetes. You can’t overcome this disease but surely could make peace with it. Diabetes is like an arduous trainer. He makes you do things that you should do to stay healthy and have a prolonged life.

  • Get moving – Exercise helps build muscle and lower blood sugars. If going to a gym seems infeasible then you can consider purchasing a few weights since the best way to control your sugars and your scale is to do both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Besides, adding a 15- to 20-minute post-meal stroll can help fight sugar spikes.  
  • Embrace your blood sugars, good and bad – No one likes to have high blood sugar. But even if you’ve had a few highs, don’t act crestfallen and abandon tracking your glucose readings. Along with helping your doctor determine if your diet plan and medications are working, a record of blood sugar readings will help you to assess how food, activities, and stress impact your body. Do you need to add five minutes to your walk after eating pepperoni pizza? Are your bedtime snacks keeping you from morning lows? Only your blood glucose knows.
  • Take a break – Consider yoga or meditation. Stress heavily affects blood sugars. Take time to read a book, take a nap, or talk to friends.  
  • Maintain cholesterol-  You have two kinds of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL or “bad” cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels. Too much bad cholesterol can cause a heart attack or stroke. HDL or “good” cholesterol helps remove the “bad” cholesterol from your blood vessels.
  • Refrain from smoking-  No smoking is especially important for people with diabetes because of both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels. Blood vessel narrowing makes your heart work harder. E-cigarettes aren’t a safe option either.