Swim to stay trim. Adults and kids alike love to plunge into the cool sea for a relaxing dip, especially during hot weathers. A new study has found that people who swim or indulge in water sports in the sea are at a higher risk of experiencing stomach bugs, ear aches and certain other illnesses compared to others. This study result would be a disappointment for water-sport lovers or those who wish to take a jolly ride to the sea and spend some time having fun with friends in the sea water swimming to their heart’s content.
The research was conducted on a large group of participants from different countries (high-income ones) and the study concluded that compared to non-sea swimmers, individuals who used the sea suffered from 77% increase in earaches and 29% increase in gastrointestinal illnesses. Many high-income countries, such as UK, feel that there is not much of a risk involved in swimming/playing a sport in the sea. But this study proves such perceptions wrong as it explicitly shows that the chances of developing certain illnesses such as ear problems or digestive problems such as stomach ache and diarrhea are exceedingly higher. Researchers believe that pollution must be the major factor affecting those swimming in sea water along with other contributing factors such as industrial waste or sewage. This study was not conducted with the intention of preventing people from entering the sea water for swimming or sports. There is no intention of scaring people and asking them to refrain from their physical activity, wellbeing and their happier ‘me’ times with nature. It is only that individuals must be aware of the risks involved and take an informed decision after analyzing the pros and cons. This research is also an alarm bell to all countries across the world to come up with effective strategies to clean up coastal waters and take the right measures to bring down pollution levels. Pollution levels are way beyond the recommended levels in most of the countries and this is a major cause of for several illnesses. To get a list of the all the illnesses that can be caused due to pollution exposure, please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Alzheimer’s disease is bad for the patient and the people around him/her. Trying to deter the disease by any means is a big sigh of relief for all individuals. While exercising has been upheld to protect against Alzheimer’s, the latest is that bilingualism or having the ability to speak two languages can delay Alzheimer’s by as much as 4.5 years. This is just not hypothesis but the result of deep-rooted research that studied MRI data to understand brain areas responsible for cognition and language. Read more on Alzheimer's disease at www.firsteatright.com.
Mild, cognitive impairment (MCI) is the precursor to Alzheimer’s and the research included a combination of individuals who had MCI or Alzheimer’s and who were monolingual or multilingual. If you look at the structure of the human brain, the medial temporal lobes are primary for memory formation. The study found that multilingual patients (MCI and Alzheimer’s) had thicker cortex than the monolinguals. Such patients make up for the AD-related tissue loss by searching for alternative networks or brain regions for processing. This study also gives scope for further research into cognition as it puts forth the fact that, people speaking more than one language have better chances of cognitive reserve. By cognitive research, we refer to the brain’s ability to tackle a tricky situation by finding other ways to finish the task. What diet worked for your friend or even your husband might not work for you! Losing weight too takes trials and errors sometimes to work just fine as genes, family and the environment define what, why and how much you eat. If one diet did not do the trick, try adapting some other diet. Some are for a low-carb diet and some others support a low-fat diet. There is no more need for confusing yourself any more as studies have proved that 1-year weight loss was similar with a healthy low-fat or a low-carbohydrate diet. Also, neither insulin secretion nor genotype proved useful to decide whether one diet was better over the other for any individual.
This study also falsified two of the most common assumptions:
We discuss over different diets and repent why certain diets don’t work for us when it has done wonders for our friends! Instead of focusing on the best diet plan, it would be great if we divert our attention on the best diet for us as diet works differently on different individuals. The participants included in the study were educated and could afford high-quality foods. All of them were between 18 and 50 years (mean age 40) of which 57% were women with a BMI of 28 to 40. The study did not include postmenopausal women or individuals with too much hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome or other criteria. The participants were given a set of general instructions that asked them to:
One thing that is proved beyond doubt is that, any kind of diet insists on eating less sugar and refined flour and eating more vegetables. Also, this kind of diet plan would not be a one-time plan but a kind of plan that could be incorporated into your daily lifestyle. So low-fat or low-carb, neither is more or less effective and both help you shed excess calories in the same ratio. The best way to pursue a diet plan is to get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com who can design the best diet plan suitable for your body composition. A bloating tummy immediately calls for a change in diet plan, cutting out gluten from the diet, eating probiotic yoghurt or investing more time exercising but never would anyone imagine it to be an important sign of ovarian cancer.
There could be other reasons such as irritable bowel syndrome and pre-menstrual syndrome, but if the pain remains and does not come and go with intermissions, it is necessary that you get it checked out. Ovarian Cancer Feeling bloated for more than three weeks can indicate ovarian cancer and this calls for immediate intervention by a physician. Other common signs include:
Most women with ovarian cancer get themselves diagnosed only after the disease has spread and this makes it too difficult to treat it. If more women become aware and start linking bloating symptoms with cancer at an early stage, it is possible to prevent more women from dying. Dietitians and nutritionists are often bombarded with questions on frozen foods, organic foods and white foods based out of popular nutrition advice. People keep avoiding foods that supply us with health benefits or sometimes adopt peculiar eating patterns that don’t do any good. Given here are such false advices that we often hear but should never follow:
Advise: Never eat frozen foods. Reality: Frozen hot pizzas, fried onion rings, French fries, hot pockets and other refined processed foods should definitely be avoided but never should any individual avoid frozen produce. Read more on processed foods and their effect on our health at www.firsteatright.com. Interestingly, frozen fruits and vegetables might contain more nutrients than fresh ones as they’re picked and frozen with the nutrients intact. On the other hand, fresh produce loses some of its nutrients as it’s constantly exposed to air, light and heat during transport. If you live in a farm and could pick produce and eat it immediately it’s well and good. Otherwise you can in fact choose frozen produce over fresh produce for its high nutrient content. Advise: Organic products are the only go-to option for health. Reality: Organic products are firstly too expensive. Secondly, it prohibits you from eating the one thing everyone needs to eat for improved health-vegetables. Thirdly, organic products don’t contain additional nutrients than normal ones. Research proves a direct link between eating vegetables and reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity as they are loaded with antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Advise: Eat breakfast as soon as you get up. Reality: This advise is impractical and makes you end up eating more calories. For instance, if you get up at 6 am and eat your breakfast immediately, you are sure to feel hungry by 10 am and snack on something again. Rather, if you drink a glass of lukewarm water as soon as you get up and give yourself sometime before breakfast, it is better. Individuals planning to workout out early in the morning can eat half a portion of fruit before hitting the gym. Advise: Never eat anything white. Reality: It’s true that whole grains are recommended in place of white flour or other refined grains, but not all white foods are inedible for health. Suppose you follow this advice, will you stop eating cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic, parsnips, radish, cabbage, fennel, beans, tofu and white corn? Funny right? These foods are rich in vitamins, fiber, protein and antioxidants which are essential to boost your health. Beyond transparent tattoos that take the form of the skin, the latest is the e-skin frenzy that is taking science to the next level.
Electronic skin or e-skin is a thin, translucent material that can replicate the functions and mechanical properties of human skin. As more and more hardcore evidence keeps appearing every other day on the uses of this e-skin in the medical, scientific and engineering domain, different types and sizes of wearable e-skins are produced and marketed. The new e-skin is multifunctional:
The e-skin has been designed to mimic our natural skin. For instance, the era where robots will take care of babies is not a distant dream but a nearby reality. In this case, we would love to incorporate the e-skin on the robot fingers that can feel the pressure of the baby. The baby would have the feeling that he/she is carried by his/her loved ones. Recycling the skin is not much of a difficult task and all you have to do is soak the device in recycling solution to degrade polymers into oligomers and monomers that are soluble in ethanol. This makes the silver nanoparticles sink to the bottom of the solution. These nanoparticles and the recycled skin can then be used to make new, functional e-skin. What Makes this E-skin Extra Special?
‘Preach what you practice’ is not mandatory always. Our society expects a science professor to know the A-Z of science, a chess professional to be aware of every possible chess move and a physician to be trim and fit without any health issues. Individuals looking for a weight loss program expect their nutritionist/dietitian to be thin in the first place rather than fit. One look at a slightly plump dietitian and your mind voice questions you, ‘How is this fat dietitian going to help me lose weight?” One survey conducted on overweight doctors and their influence on obese patients shows that such doctors imparted greater influence on helping their patients successfully lose weight and were more confident in prescribing weight-loss techniques.
Obese Doctors Better Understand Obese Patients Most patients complain of lack of physical empathy from their doctors. Such patients feel that obese doctors may show greater empathy towards overweight patients compared to their normal-weighted counterparts. These patients trust their heavier doctors when they are given diet recommendations too. Fat female patients feel more comfortable in the presence of a fat doctor as they experience fat-shaming otherwise. Some patients even cancel their appointments with a physician until they lose a kilogram or two. Most people tend to brand obese individuals as lazy, sluggish personalities who don’t take any effort to stay active or fit. But, an overweight doctor is more unlikely to brand such people negatively which helps to build a better physician−patient rapport that is critical for seeking the patient’s trust. Empathy is critical for a physician and when a doctor understands the staggering difficulties that exist underneath the blanket of ideal body weight, he/she is sure to show more empathy towards patients. Why Doctors Avoid Discussing about Lifestyle Changes? Most doctors don’t bring up the topic of a healthy lifestyle unless it is essential due to various reasons:
One other reason why a doctor might be a motivating factor for increased weight loss is that a doctor will be able to assess multiple factors such as diet, exercise and medical history and conclude whether the patient is at an increased risk of obesity. But, one common problem is that doctors don’t take much time interacting with their patients. If there are more conversations happening, the patient might open up on his//her lifestyle issues, troubles faced while trying to follow a healthy lifestyle and so on. Hence, regardless of whether the doctor is thin or fat, patients follow their doctors’ advice regarding lifestyle modifications and healthy eating. If you are looking for a healthy lifestyle/weight loss program, you can get in touch with nutritionists/dietitians at www.firsteatright.com who can help you with healthy diet modifications and accurate guidelines to stay fit. Medicine or without medicine, cold takes the same time to heal. Taking vitamin C every day to fight against cold will not do you any good either and it might only slightly decrease the time duration of the effect of cold. This slight decrease in duration is also effective only when vitamin C has been taken even before the occurrence of cold and has no effect when an individual takes it after getting any symptoms.
The Feasibility of Treating Vitamins and minerals are called as essentials as our body does not make them and can only be acquired through foods. We need vitamin C for immune function, bone structure, iron absorption and healthy skin. Many of our everyday fruits and vegetables such as green vegetables, tomatoes, strawberries and most of the citrus fruits are great sources of vitamin C. Our body needs only 90 milligram of vitamin C daily and these foods contain almost 10 times the required amount of vitamin C. Human body cannot store the excess vitamin stores and they are flushed out of the body via urine a few hours later. One hardcore review of numerous randomized trials on over 11,000 participants consisting of marathon runners, skiers and Army troops involved in intense exercise in subarctic conditions proved that taking 200 mg of vitamin C daily decreased the risk of acquiring cold by 50%. But it did nothing to reduce the risk for the general population. Taking 200 mg of this nutrient reduced the symptoms of cold by an average of 8% in adults and 14% in children. This is good news as common cold is the reason for 23 million lost days of work annually. Anyone who wants to reap the benefits of consuming vitamin C for cold should consume it every day and not eat it like a medicine after getting your first cold symptoms as this is not effective. There is no need to take supplements for this nutrient as it is abundantly present in the daily foods that we eat. The best way to equip your body with the required vitamin C levels is to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. If you want a well-planned diet to nourish your body with all the essential nutrients, you can get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com. Although the excess vitamin C is excreted via urine, a daily dose of 2000 mg or more of this nutrient can make you suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and also might affect the blood sugar test results. So, ensure that you take reasonable quantities without overdoing it. Social media is gaining popularity for all negative aspects nowadays! It is having a worse impact on mental health. We need to enforce strict rules and educate the society to use social media in such a way that it is helpful than harmful! Some commonly faced problems by parents across the world due to social media access by kids include:
Put a Full stop Parents should take every possible action from their end to stop such social media addiction in their kids. It is the duty of the parent to regulate:
On the Brighter Side
Anything has its pros and cons and so does social media. If you look at it from the positive side, social media is the best platform for introverts to start mingling with people, at least virtually initially. Also, research has found that many kids use social media sites to cheer their friends when they are upset or share happiness with them. Social media sites are also introducing various methods to regulate access to kids. Some governments have suggested these sites to provide a flashy pop-up message alerting people who have been accessing the internet for prolonged periods and asking them to give a ‘break’. Although the lower age limit is 13 years to enroll in some of the social media sites, many children don’t follow this, and parents too don’t pay attention. The age between 8-13 is when kids neither listen to their parents nor are capable of taking decisions on their own and these children believe in what they see. Allowing them to access online sites at such a tender age can cause anxiety, stress and depression in these children. It can affect their food choices, dressing style and lifestyle choices due to the various ads and videos that spring up in these sites. Take Action There are an increasing number of social media-based depression cases that are diagnosed by psychiatrists and the situation is only worsening. It is critical that physicians sit down with parents and guide them on age-appropriate use of any media including television, radio, music, games and the Internet. Parents might be awed by their kids’ Internet handling ability and might even be confused if they should curb them from using the net or not. A wise parent knows how to encourage his/her children to use the Internet for beneficial purposes and also knows how to create a safe environment for such usage. Prolonged use of media can affect a child’s postural development, increases risk of obesity, denies social participation and makes the child develop addiction towards the media platform. There is also the lingering concern of young children getting exposed to pornographic sites. Parents must use technology to block access to such sites but should also supervise their kids’ media use regularly. The Internet has a wealth of information which can be used for both, good and bad purposes. Families must explore media together and must be encouraged to voice their opinion, appreciation or criticism on what they see in the media. Older children can plan for some weekend activities, parents can chalk out creative ways to spend time together and should follow the rules themselves. Parent holding on to their mobile phones all the time and advising their children to refrain from using it is not good parenting. The rule remains the same across all age groups. Schools should also speak about the Internet and encourage children to use it wisely. The mention of Parmesan, Mozzarella and cottage cheese makes your mouth water and increases your appetite. There is no need to stay totally away from these luscious products anymore as it turns out that eating cheese every day can be good for your health, according to a new research study. Almost 15 different studies happened over a period of more than 10 years to find out the effect of consuming cheese on the risk of cardiovascular health, stroke and coronary heart disease. The study mostly included people who wee not affected by cardiovascular disease at the start of the study period. Surprisingly, the study concluded that in comparison to people who never/very rarely ate cheese, individuals who ate a balanced quantity of cheese were at a 14% reduced risk of getting affected by coronary heart disease and a 10% reduced risk of stroke. By balanced quantity, we mean that the individual consumed about 40 grams of cheese a day. Don’t misinterpret this study and start gobbling down slices of cheesy pizza everyday or eat tons of it in the form of other cheese products. Beware that it is easy to overconsume cheese and underestimate the quantity consumed. What Makes Cheese a Good, Often-consumable Food Product? Cheese has so many health advantages that diminish the disadvantages of high levels of saturated fat in it. It has an unsaturated fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid that can lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and increase ‘good’ cholesterol levels. Read more on good and bad cholesterol at www.firsteatright.com. Cheese is also a good source of vitamins, minerals and proteins that offer protection to cardiovascular health. It is surprising that a food that tastes good and also pairs well with a glass of red wine can be good for health. We have an eye for every little detail, such as calories burnt, distance covered and speed, except for heart rate while running on the treadmill. Already perspiring and out of energy, heart rate would be the last thing in our priority list right then. But, knowing the right rate can help you with other information as well about your body.
Never push yourself too much that you finally experience breathlessness, pain or inability to workout as long as you had planned to. These convey just one fact-you are not fit enough to withstand the exercise intensity to which you have subjected yourself to! Heart rate is nothing but the measure of how quickly your heart is beating. Our hearts keep pumping oxygenated blood more quickly to match the demands of the activity done and this can also protect our heart from cardiovascular problems. Overdoing it can sometimes even negate the positive effects of physical activity on our body. Age Defines Your Heart Rate Resting Heart Rate Knowing your target heart rate helps you get your exercise numbers just right, neither permits you to over-exercise nor allows you to under-perform. The basis for all this is resting heart rate, the number of times your heart beats per minute while at rest. The best time to get this checked is as soon as you get up in the morning and right before going to bed in the night. For all individuals above 10 years of age, the resting heart rate is normal if it is anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute while it should be 40-60 beats/min for well-trained athletes. Target Heart Rate Check your pulse by placing two fingers on the side of your neck or on your wrist and counting the numbers for 15 seconds. Multiply this number by six to find beats per minute. Get your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. You would prefer to stay between 50 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate which gives your target heart rate. For example, if you are 20 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 200 (220-20) and your target heart rate would be anywhere between 100 and 170 beats per minute. Heart rate during moderate-intensity exercise is about 50-69% of your maximum heart rate and heart rate during hard physical activity is about 70% to less than 90% of maximum heart rate. Math & Numbers While these heart rates are reliable, they are not most accurate and might make you over- or under-train. Extremely high heart rate numbers denote that you’re straining too much and its time to slow down. If you feel that you are under-performing, you need to push yourself further or exercise harder. Start exercising in the lower ranges of your target zone (50 percent) and gradually proceed to the higher ranges (85 percent). Almost after six months or so, you would be able to exercise comfortably at up to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Your response/feeling while exercising is as important as the numbers on the heart rate monitor. Two persons doing the same workout might feel differently. Anytime when your body indicates you to slow down or take a break regardless of your heart’s rate, please do so. Some other factors that indicate your exercise pace include:
One day we hear that sitting idle for hours together can increase risk of heart disease. Some other day we hear another news that nullifies this risk of heart disease. The latest is one such news that comes as a boon to inactive, middle-aged men and women. A new study reveals that when such individuals start performing some workout, aerobic workout, cardio or something else of their choice, this might prevent or reverse their risk of heart failure.
Normally, individuals who lead a sedentary lifestyle sitting together for long number of hours working or lying down while watching television are at an increased risk of getting their heart muscle shrunk and stiffen during their late-middle age which is one of the major criteria for increasing their risk of heart failure. To check whether this can be prevented or stopped, researchers encouraged a group of more than 50 men and women aged between 45-65 to start working out either on aerobic schedules, yoga or strength training programs. This monitoring by researchers continued for two years. Individuals on aerobic exercises participated in high- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise at least four times a week. Another group of individuals did yoga, balance training or weight training thrice a week. Heart health of each individual was noted down at the beginning and end of study. Individuals who were subjected to aerobic exercise had better oxygen utilization and decreased cardiac stiffness, two indicators of good heart health. But, these measures remained unchanged in the other group where individuals underwent balance or strength training. Hence, doing the right kind of exercise at least 4-5 times a week during the late-middle age can improve heart health greatly. If you are in your late-middle age and need recommendation on following a healthy diet chart along with recommended physical activity, get in touch with a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com. An individual scratching his/her skin in public makes the viewer cringe with disgust. Hives (called as urticaria in medical terms) are itchy red rashes that appear raised on the skin surface. This might occur in one part of the body or spread across multiple areas. They appear in different sizes, starting right from the size of a pencil tip to that of a dinner plate. Sometimes, multiple rashes might come together to form larger welts.
Causes Behind these Ugly Welts Hives are usually allergic reaction to certain foods and medicines. An allergic reaction causes the release of histamine and other substances into blood that results in itching, swelling and other symptoms as well. Other causes include:
Almost 50% of patients with chronic hives develop angioedema, a deeper swelling of tissues. Angioedema can affect any part of the body, but the commonly affected areas include the eyes, lips, genitals, hands and feet. Symptoms & Treatment Itching is a visible symptom of hives. Other common symptoms include swelling on the skin surface, appearance of red or skin-colored welts that often join together to form larger welts of different shapes that appear/disappear within minutes or hours. A physician can diagnose a hive by simply looking at the rash and asks you for history of skin allergy. Rarely, he/she asks the patient to get a skin biopsy done. In most cases, there is no treatment offered as the rashes disappear away on their own. Some precautions that need to be taken while suffering from hives include:
Although hives don’t alter our body conditions or induce pain, living with a long-term condition is depressing. Chronic hives can negatively affect a person’s mood and life. Even one study has found that one in seven people with chronic hives underwent psychological or emotional problems such as stress and depression. This is understandable as swelling in the eyelids or lips makes an individual feel embarrassed to be socially active leading to isolation from his/her friends, family and the society as such. Talking to closed ones can encourage such people to come out of their shell and behave normally with others. In general, most individuals don’t find/have time to do just 30 minutes of cardio on at least 5 days of the week, involve in weight-training exercises on at least two days of the week and fit in exercises such as yoga that involve mind-body coordination, flexibility training and other physical activities in our daily schedule.
The important element in exercising is to try to do more than what we are currently doing. Rarely, people find time to exercise and the successful ones are those who ‘make’ time to exercise. Once an individual tunes his/her mindset to start exercising, the next question is when to exercise? While we know that early morning is the best time to exercise, the practical solution is to do your exercise on the time of day when you are most likely to perform. Best results are achieved when you stick to your workout timings and do it at the same time every day. Also, weather and traffic are other important deciding factors that must be taken into account before jumping into some exercise routine. You can’t go for a hike in the winter due to the cold temperature nor can you do an effective bike ride in the evening traffic. Get ideas on effective workouts that can be done anywhere and anytime irrespective of the weather outside at www.firsteatright.com. Athletes are bound to consider factors such as circadian rhythm, core temperature and hormone levels when they workout, but for an average individual trying to exercise the main factors he/she should bother about are consistency, routine and convenience. Every time of day has its own pros and cons. Decide when you want to exercise depending on your availability. The Early Riser Many people love to start their day with exercise as they feel that this helps them choose healthier foods during the rest of the day. People also feel that physical activity in the morning helps them maintain regularity, prevents them from skipping workout quoting bad mood or tiredness and above all, gives them a dash of energy when they involve in exercise first thing in the morning. The main disadvantage here is that you need to wake up early which is the most difficult task for many people. Out of enthusiasm you might set your alarm for 5.30AM in the morning and start your exercise plan. But, ask yourself if you can maintain this time all days of the week or try getting up on one or two days. See how it works and adjust your bedtime routine as per this requirement. Afternoon Birdie Some people love to choose mid-afternoon for workout as they feel refreshed and motivated to work after an enriching session of cardio workout or a simple walking session. It can be the much-needed break from your hectic work schedule and can help you focus better on your work at office during the latter part of the day and stay productive throughout. The main drawback here is the time constraint. When you exercise between office hours, you get limited time and also, getting away from your busy day at office is quite challenging. Your workout would include dress change and a shower that might take away some more time and your actual exercise time is decreased leaving you with little time to workout. Eating your lunch can also be tricky as you are confused if you should workout and then have your lunch (this would delay your lunch time drastically) or have your lunch and then take a break again after some time to exercise. Late-evening Player Evening workouts are also popular among many individuals who find it easier to find a workout partner in the evening than find one who is ready to get up at 5.30 a.m. for a workout session. Also, gyms offer many late-evening group workout classes that can be fun, motivating and an effective stress buster after a day filled with ups and downs right from the morning. The main downside of exercising in the evening is to really understand whether you are ready to exercise overcoming all your fatigue and mood swings after a hectic day. Also, the energy boost that your exercise offers would be a hindrance to your sleep routine. It takes a lot of willpower to exercise regularly in the evening for which enrolling in a group class or tagging your friend along can prove to be worthy alternatives. Whatever time of day you wish to workout, the main factors to be kept in mind are consistency and regularity. While studies might prove some time of the day to be more effective that the rest, this is a minor factor when you think about the advantages of improved health and fitness that comes with the overall effect of exercising regularly. Find your convenient time, enroll yourself for a class and start immediately. Right now, is the good time to start exercising. Gym centers witness people coming inside leisurely and going out hurriedly. This is because, many individuals want to just get right out of the gym after a productive workout session to move on with the rest of the day. There are certain small things that can be done after your gym session to stay healthy and equip yourself for another productive workout the next day. It would be best for you, if you are doing most or all of these actions every time after your workout: Cool-down A proper warm up and cool down are essential during every workout session. You might feel obligated to run straight to the locker room after cardio. But that’s not a good idea and few minutes of light movements help you stay safe at the gym. Heart rates increase while exercising and cooling down helps bring heart rate to normal levels, prevents lightheadedness from blood pool in lower extremities and helps you feel at ease when you gradually decrease workout pace from moderate/intense exercise. Shut Down the Workout App Workout apps are useful in a way. They help us compare our workout productivity, improve speed and motivate us to work towards our goal. The downside of these apps is that, some apps are smart and stop automatically once you are done exercising while most apps don’t, and we must turn them off manually. If in case they run continuously, all the metrics get messed up. To avoid this, you can set a reminder for your workout sessions, for instance, your daily Zumba class or weekly fitness class. Stretch Out Stretching is an integral post-workout routine and doing it when your muscles are warm can help you improve your posture, mobility and help the muscles to relax. Make it a ritual to stretch for a few minutes before heading out as this helps you to mentally relax before gearing up to face the real word problems. Hand Wash This might sound surprising as you often don’t hear people advising you to wash your hands after a workout session. But, this can help your workout sessions proceed long-term regularly without any breaks due to illness. Sweat is an indispensable part of any gym and many people come and go every single hour in a gym. People sweat over gym equipment such as dumbbells, weight machines, kettlebells and bike handlebars. Ensure that you have a quick shower or thoroughly wash your hands and feet before heading out of the gym to prevent germs from spreading around. Hand washing is an art that needs to be done the right way to get rid of germs and to learn this art effectively, please visit the website www.firsteatright.com. Don’t Mix Up Gym Shoes with Regular Ones Avoid using the same shoes that you use for your outings to serve your gym purpose. Change to your normal ones before heading out of the gym and make it a habit to wear a designated pair of shoes at the gym only. This helps your new shoes to stay bright for a longer time and keeps the gym floors cleaner too. Get a Water Refill We drink water before and during workout as the water bottle is at arm’s reach. Once done with the workout, people forget about staying hydrated. It is better that you refill your bottle before leaving the gym as this can help you sip small mouthfuls of water throughout the day to avoid any dehydration. Eat a Healthy Post-Workout Snack Try consuming a healthy snack about 30 minutes after a moderate/intense workout session. Snack on something that includes a healthy combination of carbs (replenish glycogen) and proteins (repair muscles). Eat a plain yogurt smoothie or munch on a whole-grain bread with some almond butter spread. Equip Yourself for the Next Gym Session Soon after coming back from the gym, prepare your gym bag for the next session with a neat towel, socks, shoes and anything else you need. By doing this, you are ready for the next session without fear of insufficient time to get ready and this works as a great motivator too for you to workout. We don’t hesitate to change our style of cooking, embrace millets and even change the color of the rice we consume to stay healthy, but cannot give up on junks, sugary foods or even do basic exercises to stay healthy. Type 2 diabetes is present in almost 1 in 3 people in the world and more and more children are being affected by diabetes.
White rice is the result of removing the bran and germ portion of the brown rice and almost three-quarters of the people in India consume white rice. Researchers are taking steps to change this dangerous scenario and are studying the effects of brown rice and white rice on the health of a diabetes patient. They conducted a study that showed the association between consuming white rice and diabetes and prepared questionnaires on diet, lifestyle and health conditions that were answered by individuals involved in the study every four years through the study period. Correcting and setting the age and lifestyle factors, the research team found that individuals who consumed five or more servings of white rice a week were at a 17% increased risk of diabetes in comparison to those who ate less than one serving per month. Meanwhile, consuming two or more servings of brown rice every week reduced the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by 11% in comparison to eating less than one serving of brown rice per month. There are many other varieties of rice such as black, red and purple each having its own nutritional content which have been explained in detail at www.firsteatright.com. Logical Intervention Glycemic index of white rice is comparatively higher than brown rice due to the refining process that also results in loss of fiber, vitamin, magnesium and other nutrients that aid in defending against diabetes. This index measures how fast a specific food increases blood glucose levels and studies show that brown rice does not increase the blood glucose levels as much as white rice does after any meal. Study also claims that people who eat maximum quantity of white rice were likelier to have a family history of diabetes. Eating brown rice has nothing to do with staple food but individuals do it because of health consciousness. Even from a general health perspective, nutritionists/dietitians and health experts advocate the use of whole grains, instead of refined carbs such as rice, as the primary source of carbohydrates. This is because, refined grains are unhealthy not only for people with diabetes but can also increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and other health problems. Not all babies are born hale and healthy. The pregnant woman might be in good health and active, but babies born to such women are also sometimes defective. When this is the scenario, what about women with increased glucose or blood pressure levels?
A new study has found that when pregnant women have increased glucose levels during the early stages of pregnancy, they are at an increased risk of having a baby with heart defects. Here, there is no need for a full-fledged case of diabetes in the pregnant woman, but a small increase in glucose levels is good enough to cause heart defect. The study involved around 19,000 women from two different hospitals out of which 811 gave birth to babies with congenital heart disease. Babies with congenital heart disease is a saddening affair which is elaborated at www.firsteatright.com. The data here includes glucose readings taken before four weeks of conception and during the 14th week of gestation. The heart is one of the organs that develops in the early stages of pregnancy. The fetal heart begins to beat at around the third week of conception and the heart chambers develop by the eighth week of gestation. The shocking find here is that, for every 10 milligrams per deciliter increase in plasma glucose, there is an 8% risk of giving birth to infants with heart defects after controlling and maintaining all factors such as maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index and the presence of pre-existing maternal diabetes. This study is useful in different ways. Firstly, the heart defect risk is a modifiable risk factor which is only due to varied health characteristics in the pregnant woman. Secondly, it can mostly be prevented by practicing daily physical activity from the early stages of pregnancy. An hour of walk every day helps to improve insulin sensitivity. Following a healthy diet along with this helps the pregnant lady to fulfill the requirements of leading a healthy lifestyle. |
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Dr. Nafeesa Imteyaz of First Eat Right clinic, is the Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Bangalore. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Pune. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Hyderabad. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Chennai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Mumbai. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Delhi. Best Dietitian Nutritionist in Kolkata.