Search Results for: fat

September 10, 2014 By Shimpli Patil 3 Comments

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol is something which most people regard as a “villain” of health. All thanks to the increasing rate of heart disease and other related complications. It’s true that a diet consistently high in cholesterol and saturated fats takes a person on the path of heart ailments, but it’s also true that if one were to totally shun cholesterol, one would age very fast as the cell replacement would be hampered, the skin would become loose and premature wrinkles would appear. Does that surprise you? Oh yes it will! So, cholesterol is bad…and cholesterol is good as well. While too much cholesterol can be harmful, just the right amount of it does a lot of important work in the body.

Majority of the total body cholesterol is synthesized in the liver and some of it is obtained from foods. Among the food sources, cholesterol comes only from animal foods. Foods that contain saturated fats (dairy products, hydrogenated vegetable oils, egg yolk, red meat, coconut, cashews, etc.) are the indirect sources of cholesterol as saturated fat is converted into cholesterol when it enters the body.

There are various functions of Cholesterol which are indispensible to the body:

Cholesterol plays a very important role in both the creation and maintenance of human cell membrane
It helps produce bile acids which aids in digestion and vitamin absorption.
It aids in the synthesis of Vitamin D
It plays a role in producing hormones such as oestrogen in women and testosterone in men.

Let’s understand that all cholesterol isn’t the same. There’s good cholesterol called HDL (high density lipoprotein) and bad cholesterol called LDL (Low density Lipoprotein).

HDL cholesterol sweeps away the extra cholesterol from cells and tissues and takes it to liver where it is broken down and passed from the body. A healthy range of HDL cholesterol is known to protect against heart diseases, while low levels have been shown to increase the risk of it.

Whereas LDL cholesterol, the “bad man”, contributes to plaque formation, a thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries making them less flexible which sets the process of heart disease in motion.

In order to prevent heart disease, it is very important to maintain the good and bad cholesterols in their healthy range. LDL Cholesterol should always be under 130 mg/dl and HDL should be above 60 mg/dl, and the total cholesterol ought to be within 200 mg/dl.

How do we maintain these healthy levels? In terms of diet, the high-fat diets that raise LDL also raise HDL, while low-fat diets lower both. However, there are certain foods which lower the LDL and up the HDL levels. These are the foods rich in omega 3. Omega 3 is a miraculous nutrient found in walnuts, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, fish, fish oil, chia seeds, etc. which helps maintain the healthy ratio of HDL:LDL. Apart from diet, of course exercise, genetics other lifestyle factors also play a role in maintaining the levels. People who exercise, don’t smoke and maintain a healthy weight tend to have higher levels of HDL.

Thus, all that we need to make sure is to eat wisely, exercise regularly and thereby maintain the healthy lipid levels and secure your heart!

September 10, 2014 By Mitali Ambekar 2 Comments

Smart Girls use Dumbbells

As a sports nutritionist, I have in the past only worked at various Gyms. My primary job was to plan diets. At times I even had to look at client’s workout schedule to be then able to accordingly plan a diet for them. It is during this stint that I realised that most women clients would either only do cardio and stretching or do weights with the same amount of weights for almost 3months continuously. They would lift minimal weight of 2.5lbs/5lbs and that too they did as their trainer told them. I then had to spend extra time with these women and explain to them that they should start their weight training initially with lower weights but gradually increase the weights to higher pounds to achieve the necessary results or the goals they have set for themselves.

Ladies..Wake up!! Today its women power and we women are walking shoulder to shoulder with men in varied fields. There is always this fear I have seen among women who go to gyms to lift weights. So don’t be afraid to lift weights and do as men would do. Or at least get closer.

Don’t worry!!You will not put on those extra muscles that will make you look manly because we women have been blessed with some lovely hormones that give us the beautiful body. So, irrespective of how much ever weights you pick up you will never look manly. It will only tone your body to make you look more beautiful, energetic and fit.

Women are the master of all trade and we often work towards keeping one and all happy. We are very good at multi-tasking and most of us do it with ease. And to be able to perform all of these duties to the fullest we have to have amazing energy levels, great stamina and a strong willpower too. And after doing all this if we want to look good and maintain ourselves there is nothing wrong with it at all.

Many women who are not fit or not into regular exercising often face lot of menstrual problems, pregnancy issues, Post pregnancy weight issues etc.. All of this can be sorted out with regular weight training.

Women can achieve the stamina, long lasting energy, good looks, a toned body and beautiful skin with a good workout. Maintain the same consistency of one day gym and one day cardio.

Listing the benefits of weight training for girls/ladies/mother/grandmother.

1. Strong Bones : Most of the women face bone density issues, especially in old age. Weight training helps you in increasing the bone density. In younger girls it makes it stronger.

2. Lesser Body fat: As you gain muscle with weight training your metabolism will increase, in turn making you burn more calories, thus leading to a toned body and lesser fat %.

3. More Energy: Exercise helps you in boosting your metabolism, thus more energy.

4. Stronger Body: Exercise helps in stronger muscles thus helping you maintaining your daily chores easier like picking up grocery bag and carrying children around, picking a bucket etc.

5. Fights depression: Exercise releases certain hormones in the body which makes you feel good and enhances your mood too.

Manages chronic conditions: Chronic conditions like Aches and pains in the joints, blood pressure, Heart disease etc., and their symptoms reduce with regular weight training
Eases Menstrual Issues: MS and menstrual pain, one of the biggest concerns for females, is taken care of if Regular exercise is a part of daily routine.

8. Post Pregnancy weight: If you are weight training regularly, even after pregnancy getting back in shape becomes easier.

9. Skin & Hair : As blood circulation increases due to exercise, your skin and hair become more healthy and better.

10. Thyroid & PCOD: Weight training helps insulin resistance and reduces body fat, thus helping cure both Thyroid and PCOD.

There are numerous such small but good benefits for women in including weight training as a part of the exercise regime.

So go Pump The Iron Girls!!

September 8, 2014 By Satish Kurapaty Leave a Comment

All you want to know about hormonal imbalance and weight issues

This is a topic that is on most people’s minds but never knew where to get their answers and solutions.

Have you wondered why sometimes despite a healthy diet and regular exercise, many individuals gain weight especially between the ages of 35 and 55. This is often caused by a hormonal imbalance.

At every stage of life body goes through various hormonal changes. Your hormones control every aspect of weight loss including your metabolism, where you store your fat, your appetite and even your cravings. This means any form of hormonal imbalance will sabotage your efforts – regardless of your diet and exercise habits.

Extra belly fat can indicate one or more of the following hormonal imbalances: high estrogen, low testosterone, high cortisol. Abdominal fat also sets a risky stage for aging, increasing the risk of chronic health diseases like heart disorders and diabetes. To get rid of this stubborn fat, one must include proper diet, exercise, sleep and, of course, motivation.

Hormones

1- Cortisol

2- Testosterone

3- Estrogen

4- Progesterone

Cortisol – Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s response to fight stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body.

To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the future.

Testosterone– Testosterone is the main male hormone, produced in the testes, which stimulates the development of male sex characteristics (like body hair and muscle growth) and is essential in the production of sperm. Low levels of testosterone can cause male infertility. Testosterone is also produced in smaller amounts by the ovaries in women.

Estrogen-Estrogen is a hormone secreted primarily by the ovaries, but it is also secreted by the adrenal glands and from fatty tissues. While we often refer to estrogen as a hormone alone, estrogens are actually a group of like hormones, which include estrone, estradiol and estriol. Estrogen affects the body in many ways, but its main duty in the female reproductive system is to signal to the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, to grow. Estrogen is also responsible for the increase in fertile cervical mucus and increased sexual desire that comes just before ovulation.

Progesterone – This hormone is naturally produced by both males and females, however its level in females is at peak during menstruation and pregnancy. This hormone helps people to both maintain a healthy body weight and avoid weight gain by limiting the production of excess fat, and may also reduce the food cravings caused by hormonal imbalance. Also, Progesterone typically increases a person’s metabolism which can help facilitate weight loss.

People should be careful while taking any hormone tabs. These should be taken only under medical guidance.

September 4, 2014 By Ashwinkumar Rahate 1 Comment

Change your workout, change your diet and overcome the Plateau

When I started exercising, I lost about 13kgs but, my target was to lose eight more kgs but, that was not happening and it was stagnant. I realised initially with exercising I could easily gain muscle weight but after a while it was not showing any results. If you have encountered a similar situation and stopped going to the gym or given up exercising …don’t …do not run away from such a situation. If your body is not responding to your workout routine or diet routine it’s known as plateaus.

Here are some reasons for the plateaus

Same workout routine

If you have been working out for a long time, initially you will get the results you want but, later after a while you will not get it because your body will become used to with the same workout routine. If you want changes in your body you must have changes in your workout routine every four to six weeks. A change is either in the progression of exercises or you can change your entire workout schedule if your body is not responding at all. While, changing your workout schedule be specific on your fitness goal whether it is fat loss or Muscle gain. When you work out continuous progression in the workout is required.

Same Diet

If you continue with the same diet plan with no modification, the diet body will not respond after a while. As a result your body will become stagnant. If your goal is weight loss then based on your BMR drop your calorie intake. If your intake of calorie is 2500 in the first month of training cut down by 250 and make it 2250. Bringing about continuous changes is very important. For the muscle gaining add 250 calories in your diet.

Same workout routine and same diet

This also results in body plateaus. When your workout routine and diet remains the same your metabolic rate remains same. And when your metabolic rate remains the same you will end up being where you were before e you started exercising. Therefore, change your workout routine and change your diet to break the plateau.

If you are doing the same thing you will be getting same results. It’s important to constantly change the routine in order to break the plateaus.