Archives for March 2019

March 22, 2019 By Deepanshu Sharma Leave a Comment

Carbo-Loading: All You Need To Know!

At some point or the other, we have come across the term Carbo-Loading. While there are some people who know what it is, there are people who are unaware about this helpful hack. Carbo-Loading is the process of ‘loading’ your body’s muscles with excess glycogen. Glycogen is the energy source derived from eating carbohydrates and Carbo-Loading when done well, can lead to improvement in performance of endurance athletes.

What is Carbo-Loading?

In detail, Carbo-Loading means eating excess carbohydrates to fill the muscles with glycogen while also lowering your activity levels 3-4 days before the event.

Glycogen is the fuel which powers our body when we exercise. The carbohydrates that we eat are broken down to make glycogen, which is stored in the muscles to provide energy while exercising. The main aim of Carbo-Loading is to ensure that muscles have larger energy stores so that they don’t tire easily. Just like a car with a full tank would run longer, similarly, glycogen loaded muscles will perform longer.

Who needs Carbo-Loading?

Carbo-Loading helps athletes who compete in endurance events such as running over 10 kms, triathlons, treks, etc. Since the body already has enough glycogen stored in the muscles, it can perform short exercises with like weight training or jogging at sustained energy levels. It is the endurance runs which makes us use all our resources. This is where the extra glycogen can help to avoid cramps, prevent fatigue and keep one going till the finish line.

How to Carbo-Load?

Now this is the most important part. If done correctly, you will surely reap the benefits. If done incorrectly, it won’t help you much. It may even lead to feeling heavy before the marathon and even vomiting. You usually start 3-4 days before the event. It is recommended to start with 5 gm carbohydrates per kg body weight. You can increase it to 7-8 gm from your second attempt at Carbo-Loading.

4 Days Before the Event: You are eat the same number of calories as before but 60-70% of it should come from carbohydrates. Mostly complex carbs.

3 & 2 Days Before the Event: Eat more of simple carbs. They will provide instant energy! It is important to avoid processed forms of these simple carbs (like biscuits, rusk).

1 Day Before the Event: Almost all the carbohydrate calories should come from simple carbs one day before the event. Your last dinner before the event should be at least 12 hours prior to the race. The dinner should be heavy, made entirely of simple carbs, with little fats and proteins.

Before the Event: 2-3 hours before the event, eat a light and easy simple carb snack and also keep it for eating during the race.

Some Simple Carbs: Banana, milk, curd, honey, white bread, white rice, potato

Some Complex Carbs: Chapati, pulses, brown rice, sweet potato, green leafy vegetables, apples

Few Tips to Remember During Carbo-Loading

As it involves eating a high carb diet, people with diabetes and other medical problems which restrict the consumption of carbohydrates should consult their doctors before starting
Perform only light exercise when starting Carbo-Loading and rest the entire day before the event
Avoid adding new foods to your routine
Avoid eating fiber rich foods as they will give a feeling of satiety
Eat a moderate amount of fats and proteins
On all days of Carbo-Loading, eat 5-6 meals instead of eating only three to avoid a feeling of heaviness
After the event, have a carb-only meal to replenish the glycogen stores
Eat some salty snacks after the event (preferably salted nuts)
Drink lots of water during and after Carbo-Loading

Effects of Carbo-Loading

You will see a slight weight gain but it will only be due to the body retaining excess water. This weight will be gone in 1-2 days after the event
Expect a little stomach discomfort in this phase. It will not bother you much if you divide the total calories into 5-6 meals for the day

Have any questions about Carbo-Loading? Ask them in the comments section below!

#BeTheForce

March 21, 2019 By Twinkle Thakkar 8 Comments

Does Happiness Affect Our Health?

Happiness is a great feeling! Whether you choose to equate it with optimism, joy, wellbeing, personal achievement or all of the above, it goes hand-in-hand with healthier habits. People who are in good spirits tend to eat better, exercise more frequently and get better sleep than those who are not. In turn, these healthy habits engage the hormones and neurotransmitters that influence our happiness. When our mood is down, we are more likely to skip workouts, do some heavy-duty emotional overeating and have difficulty sleeping.

Beyond these rather common-sense associations, however, is an intriguing research that suggests there’s something more about happiness that makes us healthy.

Let’s understand the 10 health benefits of being happy!

1. Smile

Science suggests that when we smile, whether we are happy or not, our mood is elevated. When we smile, even if it is a fake one, muscles of our face are stretched and this muscular movement triggers the brain to release the “Happy Hormones” which makes us feel good and boosts our mood. Our smile not only makes others happy but releases our own stress as well.

2. Laughter

Laughter is said to be the best medicine. When we laugh, we exhale more air out of our lungs over longer periods and inhale more oxygen. Our blood gets purified more rapidly and we feel more refreshed and rejuvenated. We also feel more relaxed as pure blood circulates in the brain. Some people practice laughter just to reap its health benefits. No wonder we find laughter clubs in almost all parks and open spaces.

3. Happy Hormones

As per Psychoneuroimmunology, a new branch of science that studies the mind-body connection, the thoughts and emotions that we choose get instantly transformed into chemicals. These chemicals are, effectively, either self-administered injections of ‘slow poisons’ or of ‘healing medicines’ that eventually freeze into and become our physical states, i.e. Disease or Health. So let’s understand the role of the chemicals associated with Happiness.

Happy hormones generally refer to Endorphins, Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Phenylethamine and Ghrelin. Technically, some of these are neurotransmitters and not hormones, but we shan’t bother ourselves with those scientific details here. Let’s just understand how they help us to be healthy:

Endorphins block pain. They are the body’s natural painkillers. When rigorous exercise depletes our muscles of glycogen (oxygen stores), endorphins allow us to push on. For instance, we often feel blisters only after and not during the activity
Serotonin boosts our mood and makes us more agreeable and sociable. It prevents irritability and depression
Dopamine helps us feel mentally alert. The lack of it might cause lack of attention, lack of concentration and bad moods. It motivates us to take action to achieve the exercise goals so we can experience the pleasure of the reward
Estrogen helps form serotonin and protects us from irritability and anxiety, keeping our mood steady
Progesterone helps us sleep well and prevents anxiety, irritability and mood swings

4. Immune System

Do you know a grumpy person who always seems to be getting sick? That may be no coincidence. There is a link between happiness and a stronger immune system. Happy people have a high antibody response to any vaccine which is a sign of a robust immune system. There is reduction in the size of telomeres – the protective caps of our immune cells, which causes premature aging of the immune system in stressed out people. On the contrary happiness seems to be literally working on a cellular level to strengthen our immune system.

5. Heart

Happiness predicts lower heart rate and blood pressure. There is a link between happiness and another measure of heart health: heart rate variability, which refers to the time interval between heartbeats and is associated with risk for various diseases. Happy people are less likely to develop coronary heart diseases.

6. Blood

Happy people have lower levels of a blood protein called fibrinogen, following a stressful task. This molecule makes blood “sticky” and is vital in the clotting process, but high concentrations can signal future coronary heart disease problems.

7. Aches and Pains

Unhappiness can be painful—literally. Painful and negative symptoms like muscle strain, dizziness, and heartburn and even arthritis and chronic pain seem to be lesser painful when we are happy. Mainly because we have more endorphins in our blood stream effectively acting as natural pain killers.

8. Stress

Stress is not only upsetting on a psychological level but also triggers biological changes in our hormones and blood pressure. Happiness seems to temper these effects, or at least help us recover more quickly. Happiness also seems to carry benefits when stress is inevitable. The happier we are, the lower our cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone, of which high levels are linked to conditions such as type II diabetes and hypertension. And lower heart rates are associated with good cardiovascular health.

9. Genes

Yes, Happiness can alter our genes! People with a deep sense of happiness and well-being have lower levels of inflammatory gene expression and stronger antiviral and antibody responses. This falls into the realm of epigenetics – changing the way our genes function by turning them off and on. Epigenetics doesn’t change the genetic code; it changes the readout of a single gene to create over 30,000 different proteins. When a human being encounters happiness and love, the growth genes are activated. When a human being encounters fear, the protection genes are activated. Thus, perfectly normal genes can result in cancer or death. Vice-versa, in the right happy environment, mutant genes won’t be expressed.

10. Lifespan

In the end, the ultimate health indicator might be longevity—and here, especially, happiness comes into play. As we become older, the other condition that often afflicts us is frailty, which is characterized by impaired strength, endurance, and balance and puts us at risk of disability and death. However, happier people are less likely to be frail. In essence, true happiness – the kind rooted in virtue – can help prevent disease. It keeps inflammation – which is linked to numerous illnesses in the body, including heart disease – at bay while still fighting off infection and disease.

That’s perhaps one reason why Mother Theresa lived till the age of 87 despite being around the sick and dying for so many years.

I would like to end the blog with a quote by Voltaire – “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.”

Have you?

March 20, 2019 By Harpreet Kaur Leave a Comment

Hair and Skincare Tips For Holi!

Holi is a festival of fun and mirth with plenty of colors and zeal. The tradition is to wish a Happy Holi by smearing colors at each other. Few decades ago, the colors used in Holi were derived from dry flowers and leaves. Even sandalwood paste, saffron, turmeric, henna and fuller’s earth were used to play Holi.

However, with rapid change in times and instant solutions, came cheaper, easily available industrial colors that replaced the natural ones. These industrial colors contain a variety of harmful compounds like malachite green, auramine, methyl violet, copper sulphate, aluminium bromide, prussian blue and cobalt nitrate. They are often mixed with starch, wheat flour and micadust.

The colors are disastrous for the skin as they increase the chances of allergies and infections. The most commonly affected areas include the face, scalp, forearms, neck and hands. So, how exactly do you avoid being affected by these harmful chemicals? The answer is quite simple!

Pre-Holi Hair and Skincare Tips

Use Organic Colors: You can make skin-friendly, natural colors at home. For instance, you can use roasted chic peas powder to make gulal. If you have hypersensitive skin, it is best to avoid chemical colors
Oil Your Way to Safety: Apply coconut oil, mustard oil or olive oil on your hair and scalp before playing Holi to prevent the color from blocking the pores
Apply Aloe Vera gel and oil on your body to create a layer of protection on the skin. Don’t forget to cover the ear area
Blend Castor Oil with Coconut Carrier Oil and apply it half an hour before playing Holi. This will protect your skin from chemicals. It also helps the colors come off easily during bath
Use Vaseline on Your Lips to keep them moisturized. You can even apply it on your ears
Use Sunscreen on your exposed skin to avoid skin damage. Try keeping yourself as covered as possible
Apply Transparent Nail Paint on your nails to prevent the color from getting inside the skin
Stay Hydrated all the time by drinking water and juices regularly

Post-Holi Hair and Skincare Tips

Clean your skin with baby oil. Do not scrub the skin for at least 48 hours post Holi
Use natural ingredients like curd and chic peas flour to exfoliate the skin and cleanse it
After bathing, apply moisturizer liberally all over to seal the moisture in
Avoid using make up or anything harsh on your skin for a few days. Let your skin breathe and get back its natural moisture
Wrap a couple of ice cubes in a thin cotton cloth and use it to soothe your face and neck area. This will help protect your skin from dryness and sunburn
Mix 2 tablespoons of Olive oil with 4 tablespoons of honey and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply this nourishing pack to your hair and scalp. Leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse it off with warm water. Use a light herbal shampoo and a good quality conditioner as well

By Adopting these simple measure before and after the festival, you can make it an enjoyable experience!

Were these tips helpful? What do you do to protect your hair and skin during Holi? Let us know in the comments below!

Wish you all a Happy and Healthy Holi!

#BeTheForce

March 19, 2019 By Shimpli Patil 5 Comments

Lemon Water and Weight Loss: Are They Really Connected?

Lemon! There’s no doubt that this bright yellow, all season fruit has innumerable advantages. If I were to list down the benefits, it would be endless. The foremost advantage of lemon is its power to enhance the flavor of our kitchen. Packed with vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, pectin fiber and citric acid, this fruit has been known to boost immunity and take it to another level.

It is anti-bacterial in nature, thus protecting you from the clutches of most infections. It’s also a blood purifier and known to rejuvenate the skin by taking away acne and wrinkles. It’s a perfect morning drink! It aids in the elimination of waste products from the body and promotes quick bursts of energy.

I have seen many people using lemon water as a way to lose weight. Does it really help in weight loss? The good news is that it does! Lemon water has shown to have real weight loss powers. It actually helps accelerate the process of weight loss.

Let’s understand the Weight Loss Mechanisms of Lemon

Drinking lemon water in the morning helps activate the detoxifying process. It clears out toxins and some internal waste from the body. Once the toxins are out, it accelerates our sluggish metabolism, increasing our calorie burning capacity
It has diuretic and laxative effect, enabling smooth bowels and cleansing of colon. Lingering waste in the colon also adds on to the weight and results in bloating. Removal of the lingering waste helps drop some kilos then and there itself
Lemon water helps cleanse the liver. Some components of lemon stimulate the liver to produce more bile. Bile is a chemical that helps in fat digestion. This process helps metabolize fat faster
Having lemon water with a meal also stimulates the production of gastric juices that enhance digestion
Lemon is packed with Vitamin C. According to an article published in the “Journal of the American College of Nutrition” in 2005, vitamin C is inversely related to our body mass. Reports suggest that having enough vitamin C can stimulate a series of chemical reactions that breakdown body fat and use it as energy
It creates an alkaline atmosphere in the stomach which is conducive to weight loss and helps shed off the kilos faster
It contains a fibre called pectin (especially the lemon peel). Pectin is known to cut down hunger cravings and provide satiety effects, thus, exerting control on overeating
Last but not the least – substituting other drinks (colas/sugary fruit juices, etc) with lemon water certainly reduces the caloric consumption as lemon water adds ZERO calories to your body each time you drink it as compared to the other drinks. If you choose to replace the other drinks with lemon water every day for months or even a year, it will help you lose weight