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Effect of different medications on exercise!

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statins (1) (2)

Either you or somebody you know might be on some kind of long term medications! I am not talking about somebody who takes an aspirin or a paracetamol or some antipyretic. When I say long term medications-I am talking about cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar lowering drugs. When a patient usually gets on any of these drugs there are high chances that they are on them forever!

Each one of these medications has a tremendous impact on the body which comes as a blow if you an exercise person!

Every medication has a different set of action, here are some points for you to keep in mind!

(1) Cholesterol medications

statins

  • Most commonly used cholesterol medication is statin.
  • The generic names of these drugs mostly available are Rosuvastatin, Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Lovastatin, Pravastatin, Simvastatin, Pitavastatin.

(To check which statin is your medication- check behind the tablet. Salt name is always mentioned. If in case it is not mentioned, check it on company’s site)

  • Statins deplete CoEnzyme Q10 in the body which is very important for muscles to make energy. This will affect your strength training routine. Post strength training recovery will be slow.
  • It might also lead to rhabdomyolysis which means muscle death is definitely not good!

So, what can be done?

  • The first thing which you should always try is getting off statins as soon as possible with some changes in your diet and exercise routine. You can ask your coach to help you with this! (Let your doctor change your medicines and coach can guide the path to that!)
  • While you are on a statin, you should always try a gradual progress. Do not rush into any kind of exercise routine. Give your body enough time to get adapted.
  • Take longer recovery time. Instead of having a 1-day gap between your strength training schedules you can take 2 days gap which will give your muscles more time to recover! You can do light workouts on the day when you don’t plan to do strength training.

(2) Beta blockers

beta blocker

  • This is a group of medications used for lowering down the high blood pressure.
  • Most commonly used beta blockers are atenolol, bisoprolol, propranolol, metroporolol.

(To check which beta blocker is your medication- check behind the tablet. Salt name is always mentioned. If in case it is not mentioned, check it on company’s site)

  • People who are on beta blockers see that their heart rate is always less no matter what form of exercise they do. Maintaining a proper heart rate during different activities is very important for having a good cardiac health.
  • People taking beta blockers witness that their heart rate after a sprint and after a moderate jogging is exactly the same. In fact, this shouldn’t be the case. It has to be more while sprinting than jogging.

So, what can be done?

  • Instead of checking your heart rate for your exercise progress, start checking your exertion timing.
  • If you start panting very soon, note that time. Work on your stamina and then go ahead. Beta blockers will always keep your heart rate low.

(3) ACE inhibitors

pharmacology-of-ace-inhibitors

  • These are another set of medications which are used in the treatment of lowering your high blood pressure!
  • Most commonly used ACE inhibitors are fosinopril, lisinopril, quinapril.

(To check which ACE inhibitor is your medication- check behind the tablet. The salt name is always mentioned. If in case it is not mentioned, check it on company’s site)

  • There are 2 types of people- One who has high blood pressure and is not taking any medication and another one who has high blood pressure and is on either beta blocker or ace inhibitor. If the person without the medication exercises, his blood pressure will come down automatically post exercise. This is called as post exercise hypotension.
  • This even happens with someone who is a blood pressure medication, but then it can go really very low! That’s the reason people feel dizzy, shaky, nauseous, blurred vision post exercise. Sometimes the person can faint as well.

So, what can be done?

  • For obvious reasons, you cannot skip the medications and neither can you skip your workout but you can definitely manage it.
  • For people on BP medications, you should cool down a bit longer than an average person. Instead of a 5-minute cooldown, do a 10-minute cooldown.
  • Your heart beat tracker can help you in this!
  • For example, if your heart rate is 140 beats per minute- Post workout it can drop to 110 which is ok. After another minute it might go further low to 90. Hold on. Breathe it. Stretch yourself. Your targeted heart beat should be only 10% more than your RHR (Resting heart rate) which is around 60-70 beats per minute.

(4) Blood sugar lowering medications

lower blood sugar

  • There are different blood sugar lowering medications which affect the body in different ways.
  • Either they increase the insulin function, or removes excess sugar out through urine or decreases the amount of carbohydrate absorption in the body
  • For a non-diabetic person, while exercising there are different hormonal fluctuation which happens. Adrenaline is released followed by a surge in the cortisol levels and these hormones rise the blood sugar levels. To bring this down, pancreas secretes another hormone called as insulin which brings the elevated sugars down. So, the fluctuation is not seen whereas this is not the case in people with diabetes.
  • Some medications can cause hypoglycemia (Blood sugars below 70) in diabetics.

    So, what can be done?

  • Well, in this case, nothing much can be done apart from monitoring.
  • Check your blood sugar levels before exercising, middle of the exercise and after the workout gets over.
  • Keep half glass of fruit juice or 1 glass of milk always with you and if the sugar drops please consume either of this.
  • Do strength training, reduce your carbohydrates, add enough proteins to your routine and ask your doctor to reduce your medications!

Questions for me? Please drop in the comments below!

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Should it be a Hot or a Cold shower after a workout?

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Man Shower

What’s the first thing you’d like to do after getting home from the gym? Or after a home workout, a trek and the likes?

“Drink water!” – Says my mind!

“Please go and take a bath!”- Shouts my body!

Obviously! Who likes to sit around with sweat all over! However, the question arises if to take a shower with cold water or hot water? More often than not I find people saying take a bath- with a cold shower as it makes them feel better!

But, did you know that what you choose, why you choose and what happens after you choose your bathing water has a lot to do with good health!

Let me explain this better by getting a little technical and a little scientific. Many trainers and fitness experts feel that cold shower or ice bath is the best after a sweaty workout.

Cold shower after a sweaty and hot gym is a shock to the system. The immediate drop in the body temperature directs the blood flow towards the vital organs which leaves the muscles alone to repair and manage with the lactic acid accumulation which has happened. When this happens, vasoconstriction takes place (Vasoconstriction is the constriction of blood vessels which increases the blood pressure) which reduces the temperature of the damaged tissue

Cold water prevents the swelling and typical pain which sometimes happens after any strenuous workouts. Cold water shower works in the same way as the ice pack will work for a post workout injury. This also helps in increasing the blood circulation in the body.

Hotvs Cold

If you have any post workout pain or soreness- Go ahead with cold water shower for some relief.

But, there are some do’s and don’ts while you take a cold-water shower. People with high blood pressure issues should avoid taking post workout cold water shower. Water can be at room temperature; extremely cold water is also not a good option.

Well, the argument doesn’t end here. While some experts believe that hot water shower is better than a cold shower. Let’s check the theory behind what hot water does to your body after a workout!

If cold water causes vasoconstriction as mentioned above, hot water causes vasodilation (Dilates the blood vessels which decreases the blood pressure).

Hot water shower stimulates the blood flow to the skin and helps in soothing the muscles. When the blood flow increases to the muscles, the lactic accumulation disperses out reducing the post workout soreness and reduces the uneasiness. As far as it is a soreness pain; hot water shower can work but if at all there is a post workout injury and the tissue has got damaged then please go for an ice pack and cold-water shower. Hot water might make you relax but ice will actually start healing the damaged tissue.

When I say hot water, it doesn’t mean boiling hot water! The temperature of the water can be slightly more than the room temperature which gives you soothing relief.

The argument of whether hot or cold water will always remain. Basis, the above explanation choose what suits you the best and go ahead with that option!

 

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Is DOMS stopping you from workout?

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powercouple_rotator
The moment I recommend intense workout to my players, they start saying this:-

“My body is paining, the workout which we did yesterday was not for me”

“I guess I did wrong workout, my body is paining today”

“I guess I pushed it beyond my capacity, is that the way it should be?”

In none of the above cases my players said, let me workout today and see if it is still there. Everyone says that I just cannot do the workout today, I need a break. So a question arises here is, should you workout with so called post workout pain?

Let me clear out some facts!

Technically, Soreness is of 2 types:-

(1) Acute muscle soreness

– Which is felt shortly after the workout but it disappears in few hours.

(2) The pain or the numbness which you feel post workout is not a pain. It is DOMS!

DOMS- Delayed onset muscle soreness.

– DOMS is typically begins within 12-24 after exercise and it can last up to 72 hours.

couple-workout

What happens during DOMS?

DOMS develop as a result of microscopic damage to muscle fibers which are involved in the type of exercise you are doing.

This damage can be because of the excess stress on particular part of the body during the exercise regime. DOMS is basically a side effect because of damage to the repairing process of the body.

Does lactic acid play an important role in DOMS?

Well, I have heard this quite often that the pain in my body is because of lactic acid accumulation. Just to get the facts out lactic acid does have an important role in acute soreness but not DOMS.

It has absolutely nothing to with your DOMS.

What causes DOMS?

Activities which leads to lengthening of muscles with excessive force leads to DOMS.

These are the most common examples of activities causing DOMS:-

– Jumping exercises.

– Aerobic exercises.

– Jogging.

– Crossfit.

– Strength training exercises.

– High intensity interval training.

Severity of DOMS completely depends upon the type and intensity of force applied on that muscle during that activity. Higher number of repetitions causes more DOMS then lower number of repetitions.

Can DOMS occur to everyone?

 

Well, yes DOMS can occur to everyone who is exercising. It is a myth that DOMS can occur to only those people who are new to exercises.

It can happen to people who are working out since ages as well but, the only difference will be the severity of DOMS.

If you are exercising since long time, your body gets adapted to it as a result your performance will not be affected completely.

If you keep training yourself for the same activity for years, you become less susceptible to DOMS in that particular exercise or activity.

Is soreness the only cause of DOMS?

Well no. Here are some most common symptoms of DOMS other than soreness:-

– Swelling in the area of extreme pain.

– Stiffness of joints.

– Tenderness.

– Reduced strength.

Should you workout the next day with soreness?

Most of players say, they just can’t workout because of the pain. If the pain is extreme and unbearable it is okay not to do extreme exercise but, it completely okay to do some light workouts or something as simple as stretching.

If you try and workout the next day, the symptoms of DOMS will start vanishing while you are performing the activity but there are chances that they might reoccur post workout (In your recovery process).

Don’t work out on the same muscle groups after DOMS. For example, if you are having severe soreness post jogging then you can workout on your upper body the next day. There is absolutely no need for – NO WORKOUT!

If the symptoms are extremely unbearable and excruciating then yes, do not workout.

How to ease DOMS?

 

  • To reduce the symptoms, apply ice pack on the area where it is paining.
  • Gentle massage.

These are just to reduce the symptoms but the complete healing can take place only after the exact diagnosis.

How to prevent DOMS?

 

If you undergo severe DOMS on your first day of your workout you probably have might done something wrong.

Check for these points before doing your next workout:-

* Proper form:-You need to be extremely careful while doing exercises especially the one with weights.

* Progression should be extremely personalized:- It should always be started at a slow pace and it should be light with least repetitions (2 different people cannot do the same intensity exercises- It should be personalized)

* Intensity plays a very important role:- It should be started with low intensity depending upon the muscle strength and then it should be gradually increased.

Once you start taking care about these points and train yourself, your body will start preparing itself for the same exercise in future.

Remember the old adage that says there is NO GAIN, WITHOUT PAIN!

DOMS cannot be completely avoided but, the severity can be reduced by taking care about the points mentioned above!

– Light pain cannot stop you from working out.

– Sometimes working out the next day makes you to recover faster!

So the crux of this entire article is, please do not skip workouts because of your soreness! Go ahead and do some light exercises or target a different set of exercises!

 

 

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Decoding Energy Bars!

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Energy bars have been the all-time snacking options for most. Earlier, it was popular only amongst sportsmen and women and body builders but,over time people on weight loss too have started munching on energy bars as their meal options.

The questions that most of my players ask is, how healthy are these energy bars? Would you recommend me adding these bars in my routine? Which energy bar is the best one? How to choose?

Energy bars have been a hit in the sports world but, what is bothering me is common people binging on energy bars. There is a huge range of energy bars available online or in the super markets and hence has become easily accessible.

Is it a boon or a bane?

I cannot label anything as good or bad but all I prefer doing is educating people about choosing the best one for them!

As the name suggests, energy bars were made to provide instant energy to the athletes and sports enthusiast but thesedays, it is slowly becoming meal replacement snack.

Is it worth skipping a meal? Let’s find out!

Let’s consider an Indian thali. When you eat an Indian thali, all nutrients are covered.

Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, proteins, fats)

Micronutrients (Vitamins and minerals)

  • As the name suggests, MACRO means larger quantities and MICRO means lesser quantities.

FIBRE and WATER are also very important. They are said to be most forgotten nutrient.

Depending upon the recipe, the amount is decided.

Let’s try and understand about how to read a nutritional label of any given energy bar: –

  1

 1. Carbohydrates

  • Energy bars have 10-60 grams of carbohydrates which varies from one brand to another.
  • It can be a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates.
  • If energy bars contain more of oats, muesli then it means it is high on complex carbohydrates and the form of sugar in them makes up the simple carbohydrates.

2. Proteins

  • Energy bars have 5-25 grams of proteins depending on the source of proteins.
  • If it is a meal replacement bar then proteins are higher, if it is an instant energy bar then carbohydrates are higher.
  • Pea protein, soya protein, casein or whey protein are most common sources used in energy bars.

3. Fats

  • Energy bars have 3-5 grams of fats which completely depends on its nutrients.
  • Sometimes, fat content is higher depending on the amount of other nutrient groups added.

4. Calories

  • Most of the energy bars used by the athletes and sports enthusiasts are more than 500 calories.
  • People who eat energy bars as their snacking options then they should take care about the calories mentioned on the label and should always go for calories less than 250.

5. Fibre

  • It is one of the most forgotten nutrient but when it comes to energy bar, high fibres ones are to be choose only if you are having it as a snack.
  • If you are having an energy bar to boost up your energy before workout or any sport then low fibre ones should be preferred.
  • 3-5 grams of fibre is ideally preferred if you are picking it up as a meal replacement snack.

6. Sugar

  • Energy bars might sound like a healthy option but you need to be very careful while picking one for you.
  • Most of the energy bars are loaded with unwanted sugar. Reading the nutritional label in such cases becomes very important.

Here are some key points which you should take care off before picking up an energy bar for yourself: –

  • Energy bars should have fat less than 5g
  • If you are choosing an energy bar as your meal replacement snack then go for the ones which are having at least 3-5 grams of fibre.
  • If you are having your energy bar before workout or any endurance exercises then you need to go for high carbohydrate bars.
  • If you are having your energy bar as a meal replacement snack then go for high protein bars.
  • If you are on any weight loss program, choose energy bars which are less than 500 calories.
  • If your energy bars are having large amounts of high fructose corn syrup or some other sugar source then try avoiding those bars.
  • Try to choose bars which have lesser ingredients.
  • Go for the ones with oats, muesli, honey and so on.

Energy bars are the most convenient snack option to go for but anything which is homemade has a higher preference!

Energy bars can be prepared at home with absolute ease!

Benefits of homemade energy bars: –

  • Cost effective.
  • Hygiene levels are maintained.
  • Better awareness about ingredients used.
  • Without any artificial preservatives or added colours.
  • Purest form of energy bars, can be made depending upon individual preferences.

Here are some energy bar recipes which can help you in getting a healthy dose of your snack option!

(1) Rasp-Chia Energy Bars!

  2

 

Name of the ingredients Quantity
Raspberries 1 cup
Chia Seeds 1 tbsp.
Rolled oats 1 cup
Walnuts 1 cup
Dates 1/4th cup
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Honey 1 tsp
Rock Salt ½ tsp
Lemon Juice 1 tsp

 

Method: –

  • Take raspberries, chia seeds, honey and lemon juice and place it in the food processor and keep processing it until it becomes smooth. Keep it aside for 15 mins. This becomes the chia seed jam.
  • Add rolled oats to the processor to make it as a coarse flour. Add walnuts, vanilla extract and rock salt to the coarse flour. Process it further and add seedless dates while the processor is on.
  • Once the mixture is prepared, spread it evenly on the pan and let it set.
  • Spread the chia seed jam on this mixture. Cover and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • Remove it, cut the bars in the desired shapes!
  • Enjoy!

 

Nutritional Label: –

Nutrition Facts
Nutrients Nutrition per serving
Calories 307
Protein 6 g
Carbohydrates 45 g
Fats 5 g
Fibre 7 g
Sugar 18 g

 

 

(2)  Choco-Nut Rush!

  3

 

Name of the ingredients Quantity
Raw Cashew Nuts 1 cup
Raw Almonds (Skinless) 1 cup
Shredded Coconut ½ cup
Cocoa Powder 3/4thcup
Dates 1 cup
Vanilla extract 2 tbsp.
Rock Salt ½ tsp
Cold water 3 tbsp.

 

Method: –

  • Chop cashews, almonds, dates and keep it aside.
  • Combine chopped cashews, almonds, dates, cocoa powder and rock salt in a food processor.
  • Process all the ingredients till it becomes coarse. To this mixture add shredded coconut and process further.
  • To this, add vanilla extract and little cold water till it becomes moist.
  • Spread the mixture evenly on the pan and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
  • Cut it into desired shapes.
  • You can top it up with some Choco chips as well!

 

Nutrition Facts
Nutrients Nutrition per serving
Calories 323
Protein 12 g
Carbohydrates 36 g
Fats 5 g
Fibre 8 g
Sugar 7 g

 

 

(3) Walnut-Fig Talks!

  4

 

Name of the ingredients Quantity
Raw walnuts 1 and ½ cups
Whole grain flour 1 cup
Baking soda 1/8th spoon
Rock Salt 1/4th tsp
Cinnamon ½ tsp
Honey 3 tbsp.
Figs 1 cup
Vanilla extract 1 tsp

 

Method: –

  • Chop walnuts, figs and keep it aside.
  • Combine chopped walnuts, figs, whole grain flour, cinnamon powder, baking soda and rock salt in a food processor.
  • Process all the ingredients till it becomes coarse.
  • To this mixture, add vanilla extract and little cold water till it becomes moist.
  • Spread the mixture evenly on the pan and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
  • Cut it into desired shapes.
  • You can top it up with some fresh fruits as well while eating!

 

Nutrition Facts
Nutrients Nutrition per serving
Calories 200
Protein 8 g
Carbohydrates 28 g
Fats 5 g
Fibre 3 g
Sugar 7 g

 

I hope you like all these recipes! Being a naturopath I prefer home made things over anything else!

Do give your reviews!

 

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