Healthy Living Archives

May 10, 2021 By Akshay Karlawar Leave a Comment

Tips To Alleviate & Avoid Back Pain

Back pain usually originates from the joints, bones, nerves or muscles. It is one of the most common complaints. Back pain may be felt as mild chronic pain going on for years or just for a few seconds or minutes. It can be felt as continuous dull ache, appearing at intervals as well. Constant, sharp pain is usually found in one place or it radiates to other areas like limbs. It can also present a weak, tingling sensation or numbness.

Few Facts About Back Pain

The spine consists of bones, joints, spinal cord, nerves, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Back pain can originate from any of these or overlying muscles
In a majority of cases, back pain is self-limited. Most common back pain symptoms are due to inflammation or trauma which may be mild or severe
The two most common conditions that cause back pain are degenerative spinal disc disease and spinal disc herniation
Innocent causes of the back pain include ligament tear, muscle strain, ruptured or herniated spinal disks, and irritated joints. Environmental factors that cause or aggravate back pain include arthritis, posture at work, obesity, psychological and physical stress.
Some other causes include – lack of core strength that creates too much strain on the back, tight muscles which cause inflammation and tight hip flexors as they extend towards the lower back via the pelvic girdle due to improper posture.

Causes and Tips To Avoid Back Pain

Obesity: is a common cause of back pain. As a heavy body contributes to increased pressure on the spine, maintaining a healthy body weight can help reduce your back pain. If you’re seriously overweight, those extra pounds could be straining your spine. Lose some weight and you just might lose the pain. A weight-loss program that includes regular exercise is bound to make your whole body feel better. A nutritious diet, lifestyle modifications and healthy weight can prevent back pain.
Poor posture: is a common cause of back pain. Maintain correct postures while standing, sitting and while lifting things. While using a computer or laptop, try to take breaks frequently and practice stretches which will lower your chances of getting back pain. Take regular short breaks in between work. Just getting up from your chair can help break the cycle of clenched muscles.

Tips To Reduce The Pain

Applying a cold compress to the affected area can numb the pain temporarily by desensitizing the underlying nerves.
Heat application through a heating pad, warm bath or hot water bottle can stimulate blood circulation in the area and loosen the tight muscles.
Massage therapy could provide short-term relief from acute and chronic back pain.
Frequent massages may be costly, but getting a massage once a month can be effective and affordable as well. It is important to select the massage best suited to your problem.
Consume a healthy diet consisting of Vitamin D as deficiency and insufficiency can cause or worsen back pain. The correction of it plays an important role in the treatment of chronic back pain. Foods like Fatty fish, liver, egg yolk and mushrooms can improve Vitamin D levels.
Avoid high-inflammatory foods such as sugars, trans fats and processed foods to prevent back pain.
Train with proper form, regular rehab-strengthening of lower back with exercise such as back extension, superman holds can help strengthen rhomboids to improve posture.
Stretching itself can damage muscle fibers as you’re just tearing them by stretching them instead of contracting them. If you want to stop feeling sore, aggressive stretching is the last thing you’d want to do.
Quick fixes: A foam roller can help in releasing tight muscles. You may look a little weird if you’re the only person in your gym who doesn’t stretch before exercise and prefers to foam roll a sore muscle rather than stretch it out, but your muscles will thank you for it!

We hope this article helps you alleviate and avoid back pain. If any of the tips above helped you, do share your experience in the comments below! For more tips on improving health and fitness levels, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

Do get such tips directly from a GOQii Coach, subscribe to GOQii now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Stay home, get active and #BeTheForce

April 28, 2021 By Mrinali Dwivedi Leave a Comment

All You Need To Know About Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an umbrella term for a long standing functional (relating to the function of) gut disorder that affects around 1 in 10 people worldwide. It is more common than you may think. It has now been recognized as the most common debilitating gastrointestinal disorder in the general population globally.

Classically, IBS manifests as abdominal pain or discomfort, that is relieved by passing stools or is associated at its onset. With an alteration in the stool frequency (either an increase or decrease) or a change in the appearance of the stool (to either loose or hard). There is still a lot that is being researched about this disorder, and although there is currently no cure, we can still manage the symptoms and live a quality full life!

What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

While the main causative factors of this disorder are uncertain, it is considered to be caused by a play of numerous physical as well as emotional factors. Physical factors being lack of physical activity, improper dietary habits and poor sleep quality, coupled with a number of emotional stressors and impaired mental health. Research has shown that those who endure extended periods of stress, anxiety and depression, are more prone to experience IBS related symptoms & vice versa. However, people who consume high doses of antibiotics or antidepressants, are more likely to experience this symptom complex.

What Are Its Symptoms?

The symptoms of this disorder vary individually. They can range from constipation, diarrhoea, bowel movements that are alternating between constipation and diarrhoea, bloating and abdominal pain/discomfort. Symptoms can be exacerbated on intake of certain foods and drinks, called ‘triggers’ or on days that the individual is experiencing poor sleep or excess mental pressure.

Note: If you are experiencing any other symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, blood in the stools, a prolonged change in bowel movements for 6+ weeks or have a family history of bowel cancer, consider consulting your General Practitioner.

How Can It Be Managed?

Diet and Lifestyle

Keep a Symptom diary to help identify potential trigger foods
Practice Mindful eating: Eat slowly without any distractions like television or mobile phones
Yoga and Physical Exercise can help reduce stress and some symptoms. It also aids in maintaining a healthy weight status.
A varied diet is the key to microbial diversity. Having a balanced meal with foods from different food groups helps maintain gut microbiota
Limit fruits to 3 portions/80g a day. This is because of the fiber profile of fruits that may interact with gut mobility
Probiotics may improve symptoms, yet an individualised approach is needed

Food and Drinks

Avoid long gaps between eating. Regular meal timings and controlled portion sizes prevent symptoms from exacerbating
Consume lots of fluids, approx 6-8 glasses a day. However, limit fizzy drinks
Spicy foods can irritate the gut lining, especially if used with highly flavoured ingredients such as too much onion and garlic. Limit them!
Caffeine should be reduced to less than 3 cups a day (tea/coffee)
Reduce Alcohol intake to 30-60ml or even lesser per week
Resistant Starch is seen to exacerbate symptoms. Reduce the intake of cooked and cooled carbs like frozen pizza/cold pasta, day old boiled potatoes, etc. or refined wheat flour products like bakery products

We hope this article helps you manage Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below and share this article with someone who needs to read it! For more on living a healthy lifestyle, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

To get the right guidance for lifestyle issues such as IBS, Subscribe or Renew your GOQii subscription now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

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April 22, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

The Importance Of Knowing If You’re Thirsty Or Hungry

Am I thirsty or hungry? That’s the question I have started asking myself when I get hunger pangs. This has happened to me quite often when I have just had a meal and I feel hungry within an hour. One day, I decided to conduct an experiment on myself wherein I just placed a glass of water and a bowl of almonds in front of me on my work desk and continued working. I had just finished my meal and was waiting for the hunger pang to hit me. I got the pang and before I reached out for the bowl of almonds, I grabbed the glass of water and gulped it down. Thereafter, I did not feel the need to eat the almonds.

Why Do We Confuse Thirst & Hunger?

What exactly happened? Let’s get into the science behind it. There’s a little part in our brain called the hypothalamus which controls hunger, thirst and many other bodily functions and behaviors. Because hunger and thirst are controlled by the same area of the brain, it so happens that thirst produces a similar reaction in our body as hunger does. For instance, we get those grumbling and growling noises in the stomach or may start feeling dizzy or low on energy. In all probability, when we get the hunger feeling, we may not necessarily be hungry at all but that we’re actually thirsty! In fact, research shows that about 40% of people mistake thirst with hunger.

This confusion causes many people to overeat and put on those extra kilos. Therefore, it’s very essential to react wisely to save yourself from the extra load of calories. The best way to clear the confusion is, when you feel the hunger pangs creeping in an hour after a meal, rather than breaking into some snacks, drink a glass of water and hold on for 15 minutes as it might take that much time for the hypothalamus to send a signal to let the nervous system know that the body was just thirsty and that the thirst has been quenched. Then, you will not feel the need to eat and the growling and grumbling noises or the feeling of dizziness and weakness will be totally shooed away. In this way, you can also cut down on unwanted food intake/or unnecessary snacking which then gets stored as fat. But, if after 15 minutes you still feel hungry, then you ought to eat as you may be actually hungry.

Another interesting trick is that if you stay hydrated through the day, you won’t even get trapped in this cue-confusion dilemma. Because you know you have already satiated your thirst and you can be sure that the signals that you are getting are surely for hunger. I would say you must try both the experiments and check which one works the best for you. You see it’s absolutely essential to differentiate between the dilemma of thirst or hunger before we fall prey to overeating and gain weight.

We hope this article helps you differentiate between thirst or hunger. For more interesting articles on improving your health, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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April 7, 2021 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Improve Your Health With Lifestyle Coaching!

Have you ever accidentally stubbed your toe on the edge of some furniture in your house and writhed in pain, contemplating all the ways in which you could have avoided this agonizing experience? While nursing that bruised toe, we think about all the ways in which we could have been mindful or aware and how we could have prevented this mishap. We never realize what could have been unless it is too late. More than often, this is the case with health too.

The ongoing pandemic only made us realize the importance of health and the need to build and maintain a strong immune system. As per the India Fit Report 2020, we saw that a majority of people followed different methods to build their immunity. Some of these methods included drinking lemon water, trying Kadhas, immunity supplements and Ayurveda among other home remedies. While there is nothing wrong with using nutrition to improve your health, are you taking the right quantities? Do you really need vitamin supplements? What kind of food does your body need if you have certain health conditions? How much exercise is good for you? Are you monitoring your sleep and managing your stress?

The Need For Health and Lifestyle Coaching

If the above questions got you thinking, it’s time to connect with an expert and we’ve got a few reasons why that might be a good idea.

Modifications Based On Need: Is your goal to lose weight or gain weight? Do you want to strengthen your immunity? At this point, we’ve got to realize that one shoe doesn’t fit everyone. Each person is unique and requires a different approach to improve their health. This is where a lifestyle coach or an expert comes in and guides you based on what your health goal is.
Save Time On Scrolling: There’s nothing wrong about taking accountability of your health by trying to be your own coach but mindlessly scrolling on different websites trying to figure out the best way to improve your health can be a dicey affair. A coach interacts with you and guides you in real time and is aware of any pre-existing conditions and this can help you avoid eating the wrong food, performing a wrong exercise and helps you take better decisions for better health.
Making Sense Of Data: Using trackers and fitness bands help you monitor your health. They let you know your heart rate, step count, blood pressure and with devices like the VitalECG and the Smart Vital, you are able to track various parameters. But once lyou get that data, how do you make sense of it? You need someone to analyze your data, interpret it and find solutions to any existing problems. That someone is your Lifestyle Coach!
Improve Knowledge and Accountability: Don’t know how to deal with a persistent headache? Confused about mid-meals? How much portions should you be consuming? Which exercise can you perform to strengthen your back? A Coach can help you answer all these questions and more! Since you have a Personal Coach, you will be accountable to that person which means visible changes once you follow the modifications they suggest.
Setting Realistic Goals: The most important point! The number 1 reason most people fail to stick to their health goal is because they set unrealistic numbers. For instance, trying to lose 30kg in 2 months is not realistic and is definitely not healthy. A coach can help you understand why and how you can gradually lose weight and suggest the best practices for sustainable weight management. With correct and achievable goals as well as visible results, you’ll always be motivated!

It’s always better to rely on a Coach and have the right guidance in order to avoid making mistakes with your health. Given these precarious times, it is always better to follow the right practices and stay at the peak of your health.

If you’re unable to find a Coach, then head on to the GOQii App and subscribe for a Personal Care Plan now! Alternatively, if you’re looking for ways to improve your health, tune in to our Instagram page today for tips from some of the best health experts in the industry. To read more on how you can improve your health and lifestyle, check out Healthy Reads!

Stay Healthy and #BeTheForce

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