Archives for June 2014

June 30, 2014 By Vrushali Athavle 18 Comments

Health benefits of eating a bowl of salad daily

Traditionally salads were known to be prepared of only raw vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, cabbage and onion which are cut into slices and sprinkled with a pinch of salt and lemon. They were either served as the smallest portion among the other food items in the meal plate or totally ignored.

Hey folks, if you have also been doing the same, it’s now time to change.

But, let me first tell you the importance of having salads which will definitely lead you to start having salads with your meals. You can also be very creative in making your salad colorful, tasty, crunchy, balanced, appealing to eat and obviously healthy.

Why salads?????

· Starting your meals with a bowl of salad will help you attain weight loss. Not a joke, it’s true because salads are low in calories, high in fiber and rich in other nutrients. Fiber helps you feel full making you eat, the remaining meal less and ultimately lose weight.

· Eating a high fiber salads aids in lowering cholesterol and also is known to prevent constipation.

Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables in salads appears to help your body absorb protective phyto-chemicals (known to protect against cancer and heart disease), like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.
Best way to skip croutons (deep fried pieces of wheat bread) which are few in nutrients and have a high glycemic load is to replace them by nuts and seeds and maintain the crunchiness in the salad.
Want to balance it with proper carbohydrates and protein to make it a whole meal; you can add brown rice or protein packed Quinoe, grilled chicken, low fat Paneer, Tofu or Sprouts.

· People, who do not like to eat fruits, can relish on salads which combine fruits and vegetables and eat it as a whole meal or in between snacks. This will provide them a host of powerful antioxidants which will protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

Now let’s have a look at some tips to prepare a healthy salad

· Salads are known to be rich in Vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K cannot be absorbed and used by the body without the presence of some fat. So go for the unsaturated (good fats) olive oil or canola oil. Toss the oil with vinegar which helps to prevent blood sugar spikes after meals.

· The best way to include greens like romaine, radicchio, iceberg and spinach in our daily diet is to mix them all up or use one at a time in salads.

· Don’t forget to add the medicinal herbs like basil, garlic, lemon juice or parsley to the salad for that strong punch of flavor and loads of disease fighting antioxidants. The more flavorful your salad is naturally, the fewer high calorie ingredients you will need to add for taste like extra cheese and cream.

· Pack your salads with as many other veggies or fruits as possible to get the synergetic effects. Carrots, cucumbers, different colored peppers, broccoli, peas, artichokes, strawberries, raspberries, or pears are great choices to get in different textures as well as plenty of filling fiber.

Hope reading this will add a lot of nutrition to your food plate and lead to your ultimate health goals.

June 27, 2014 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi Leave a Comment

GET CHILDREN ACTIVE AND KEEP THEM HEALTHY

You would have read my colleague’s blog on benefits of Physical activities. This is not true of adults alone but also true for children. I remember as a child I would love to play in the outdoors. Everyday my friends and I would spend at least an hour playing all kinds of games from football to cricket to various other physically taxing games. But, today its sad that we hardly see kids playing in the outdoors.

Children of today’s generation are born with technology gadgets around them and by the time they are 5-6 years of age they are so hooked to these gadgets such as Ipads or laptop or mobile phone etc. Most are gaming addicts and are interested in indoor and cyber games than playing in the outdoors.

But, sitting at home in front of the computer or playing on the Ipad is not good for children. These have a bad effect on the child’s physical strength, growth and fitness. Children should play in the outdoors and exert themselves in physical activities for at least an hour (60 minutes) daily. This is the minimum that a parent should see to it that the child follows. And, you’ll soon discover all the easy and enjoyable ways to help your child meet this regime. Encourage your child to participate in activities that are age-appropriate, enjoyable and offer variety! ‘

Three types of physical activities are very important that every child must follow

1. Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activity should make up for most of your child’s 60 or more minutes of physical activity each day. This can include either moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, or vigorous-intensity activity, such as running. Be sure to include vigorous-intensity aerobic activity at least 3 days per week.

2. Muscle Strengthening
Include muscle strengthening activities, such as gymnastics or push-ups, at least 3 days a week as part of your child’s 60 or more minutes.

3. Bone Strengthening
Bone strengthening activities include jumping rope or running, at least 3 days a week as part of your child’s 60 or more minutes activities in the outdoor.

Tips to help kids get active

** Encourage walking to school and getting active as a family

** Get them to cycle or run instead of getting a ride

** Ask them to walk the dog with you

** Have them carry the groceries from the market

** Encourage them to dance to their favourite music

** Replace computer and TV time with something active

** Build active opportunities into daily classroom routines and encourage students to join a school sport team

** Take kids to the playground or to the park to play

** Reduce screen time

This will help them to achieve the physical fitness and stay fit which will help them throughout their life.

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June 26, 2014 By Ashwinkumar Rahate Leave a Comment

Benefits of Physical Activities-Part 2

In my previous blog I explained what is health and fitness. This blog is a continuation from where we left. In this I shall detail the importance of physical activities and what role it plays in maintaining a good lifestyle.

As per ACSM (American College of Sports and Medicine) guidelines, a person must involve himself with physical activities at least 3 days a week. The benefits are divided into three categories Physical, mental and social benefits.

Physical benefits of exercising:

Keeping away from the hypokinetic medical condition: This is one of the major benefits for a person who involves in a physical activity. Hypokinetic condition arises from the complications occurring due to a sedentary lifestyle. This condition include cardiovascular diseases, Obesity, Lower back pain syndrome, Type II diabetes, Hypertension, etc…

Increases BMR.

If you are regularly involved in some kind of a physical activity it results in an increase in the (BMR) (Basal metabolic rate). BMR refers to the minimum amount of energy in the form of calories that our body requires to complete its normal functions such as breathing, breaking down food which we eat, Heart and brain functioning.

Joint mobility and flexibility

Regular physical activity improves your joint mobility as well as flexibility.

Boost the immune system.

Regular and frequent exercising helps in boosting the immune system. Exercises help to flush bacteria out from the system and lungs which in turn help avoid the chances of catching a cold, flu, or other viral infections. Exercise temporarily increases the body temperature it may prevent bacterial growth.

Improve bone density

Bone density refers to amount of the mineral matter per square centimetres of the bones. Physical exercise helps to improve bone density. If the bone density improves there is less chances of osteoporosis and fractures.

Better body composition

Body Composition is used to describe percentage of fats, muscle, bone and the water in the body. If we say better body composition it means more muscles and less fats, good bone weight and desired water level.

Exercise act as an anti-aging agent as well as increases life expectancy.

Proper and regular exercising e and targeting basic components of fitness will result in stronger heart, good bone density, increase in muscles. As a result it will work as an anti-aging and because your body is functioning well and effectively, the life expectancy increases.

Increases HDL level which helps in Smooth blood flow

Regularly doing cardio exercises results in increasing HDL level. This is because cardio training helps to supply oxygenated blood to the working muscle and that makes the heart stronger and helps in smooth blood flow.

Low risk of heart attack and stroke.

Exercise helps to strengthen heart and the cardiovascular system. It improves blood circulation as a result it lowers the risk of heart attack and strokes.

Following are the some Mental Benefits of Physical Activity

Release endorphins

When any person involves in physical exercise related activity it improves his or her mood, because our body release the chemicals which known as endorphins. Which create filling of not only happiness but also euphoria.

Exercise is a stress buster :

This is one of the most important benefit of exercise that is a good stress buster. This is not only reduce the physical stress but as well as mental stress

Remedy for insomnia

Regular involvement in an exercise is a medication alternative to improvement in sleep. Its remedy for the chronic insomnia

Improves Memory and brain power

Regularly engaged in proper physical activity helping sharpen memory and ability of learning new things rapidly and increasing brainpower.

Exercise Boosts Confidence

When person involve in the physical activity he will changes in his body when he see changes in the body defiantly the changes in the attitude the person will think more positively and productively as well as confidently .So we can say exercise boost confidence.

Help in control or elimination bad addiction or habits.

When we exercise regularly our brain release dopamine which is critically important in rewards and motivation. Dopamine is a brain chemical messenger in brain that makes feel and do happy thing unfortunately same chemical our brain release taking drugs and alcohol, having sex, eating junk food. So our habits of the bad habit turn into good habit due to exercise our brain release dopamine

Following are the some Social Benefits of Physical Activity

Improvement in the social status

When person involve in physical activity emotional health and confidence increase the social relationship is also improve.

Developing new contacts:

Participating in sports or group fitness activity will help to develop new contacts. If the person fit and healthy the appearance of the people of the society is also change towards that person is also positive.

Increase productivity and efficiency

If the person regularly exercising he is more productive and efficient employee for the organisation. Because he work think and act smartly

Reducing generation Gap

If person goes gym, group fitness activity or sports activity like marathon may lead to reduction in generation gaps

Spending on surgery and medications is not a right option. Spending money and time on Exercise is not an expenditure it’s an investment on your life; because our health is our wealth.

All the benefits of physical exercise we well get only when we are targeting all the health related components of the fitness.

June 25, 2014 By Ashwinkumar Rahate Leave a Comment

Understanding Health and Fitness-Part 1

We often speak and hear about health and fitness. Both these words in today’s times have become part of people’s daily lingo. But, how many actually know the meaning of these words or is it just a fad to talk about health and fitness.

In reality, both the words health and fitness have totally different meanings and concepts.

Let us first try and understand the term ‘HEALTH’. There is well known adage- ‘HEALTH IS WEALTH’. Health refers to the absence of disease and that all the systems in the body be it the Central Nerves System, Cardio vascular system, respiratory system or any other systems they are working perfectly and together. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) health is a state of complete physical mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Now let’s understand what’s fitness? Fitness refers to the degree of body functioning and ability of the body to handle physical demands. If the body is functioning more effectively and more efficiently it indicates greater or higher level of fitness. Any physical activity strenuous or non-strenuous requires one to have some basic fitness. Even climbing stairs requires one to be fit.

Involving yourself in physical activities can bring about some basic level of fitness. Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by the skeletal muscles that required energy expenditures. Physical exercise is as much as important as food and sleep.

If we do not use the organs of our body then our body responds saying ‘Use it or lose it’. Leading a sedentary lifestyle leads to hypokinetic complications. Proper and regular exercise results in handsome amount of benefits that includes physical as well as mental benefits.

To take up any physical activity you need to set for yourself a fitness goal. The goal is set as per your requirement and the way your body responds. While setting a fitness goal for yourself make sure you are not focusing only on the fitness aspect but, also taking into account the health aspects.

Regular involvement in physical activity results in physical, mental as well as social wellbeing.

To be contd…..in Part 2