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“Pursue one sport or an activity like dancing and choose to lead a healthy lifestyle”-Kashvi Khurana

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                                                                                                         Kashvi during Active Sunday in Gurgaon

When we see kids playing on the playground, we know very well that these kids are active and love to move around. The benefits of being active as a kid are plenty namely developing strong bones and muscles, weight control, better sleep and a better attitude towards life as they grow up.

Today, we are featuring one such child – Kashvi Khurana, as one of our active Sunday players from Gurgaon.

All of 11 years old, Kashvi’s journey to be active started when she got selected in her school sports team (Athletics -Track and Field) and since then she’s been asking her mother for a fitness tracking device. Then one day her normal digital watch broke down and that is when her mother Nishi Khurana decided to replace the digital watch with a fitness tracker-‘GOQii’ after comparing many other trackers available in the market. Kashvi’s happiness knew no bounds.

Kashvi has made few lifestyle changes such as having at least one fruit each day. She has also increased the protein portions of her diet (especially dals). While she has made some progress on drinking at least 2 litres of water daily and reducing processed food intake, she has not completely achieved the target set for her on these two parameters.

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It’s nice to note that an 11-year-old is all gung-ho to wake up early on a Sunday morning and go for an outdoor exercise session. So what inspires Kashvi to do that? He mother says that initially, it was the 1000 GOQii cash that was an attraction to register for the first time. But, when she actually started attending she loved working out with the fantastic group. The Gurgaon Active Sunday group shares a great camaraderie, and they laugh and have fun while exercising. She made great friends despite being the only kid present among adults in the first few sessions.

It’s not only on Sunday’s that Kashvi is active. On a daily basis, she has a very active lifestyle. She is part of the school sports team and has daily practice (moderate to intense) every morning Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 7:30 am. Apart from that, Kashvi has been training in Kathak for 6 years and has classes twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays for an hour each. She has also been training in roller speed skating (professional inline) and classes twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday for an hour and a half. Sunday was actually the only free day on her calendar and she willingly chooses to participate in Active Sundays.

Kashvi has been focusing on being healthy and fit and loves all kinds of sports activities. Her message to all is at least pursue one sport or physical activity like dancing etc. and choose to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Know your Artificial Sweetners

What comes to your mind when you talk about artificial sweeteners? Some say it has zero calories, some say it has lesser calories than table sugar. One day one gentleman came to me for his first consultation and while going through his diet recall, I realized he has been surviving on artificial sweeteners for almost 3 years and he had a complaint saying that despite cutting down on sugar, he is not losing weight!

Diabetic people also feel that their blood sugar levels would get under control if they stop eating normal sugar. People have a common misconception that if they stop consuming sugar, they would lose weight. But, as a nutritionist, I can guarantee that this is not possible. An individual’s lifestyle, BMR, daily activity, stress all of these factors contribute to the weight loss process.

If you ask me, I would say that sweeteners are not safe in the long run. Artificial sweetener is a substitute for refined sugar which has very few calories.

‘Food and Drug Administration’ regulations permit any food product that has 5 or fewer calories per serving to be labelled as containing “zero″ calories. Personally, being a nutritionist, I feel that anything which is artificial acts as a foreign substance which can have adverse effects on the body in the long run. In fact, there are many scientific studies which have proven that using sweeteners especially aspartame leads to neurological disorders like Alzheimer, dizziness, depression in the long term which can be fatal.

Sweeteners however should be used in moderation. If consumed on a daily basis it can get addictive. Today artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as “sugar-free” or “diet,” including soft drinks, chewing gum, jellies, baked goods, candy, fruit juice, and ice cream and yogurt misleading the consumers because even though the label on the pack would show zero calories, it would have good amount of carbohydrates and free saturated fats which is not good for the body.

Today, people easily get influenced by these gimmicks without knowing the pros and cons of the product. Just because a well-known celebrity is endorsing the product it does not mean you blindly go for it. It is in no way a ‘wow factor’ nor is it very healthy. There are many leading companies which promote their products as being the healthiest because it has no calories!! There are several types of artificial sweeteners:

  • Acesulfame- K
  • Aspartame
  • Sucralose
  • Saccharin
  • Stevia

 

Acesulfame K: Acesulfame K, also known as acesulfame potassium or ace K, is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is marketed under the brand name of Sunett, Sweet One, and Sweet & Safe. It is commercially used in hard and soft candies, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, chewing gums, baked goods.

Aspartame: Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame is marketed under the NutraSweet, Equal and Sugar Twin brands. It is commercially used in baked goods and pre-dessert mixes.

Sucralose: Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is marketed under the brand name of Splenda. It is also used in soft drinks, candies, baked goods, and ice creams

Saccharin: Saccharin is 200-700 times sweeter than sugar. It is marketed under the brand name of sweet n low, nectar sweet, sweet twin.

Stevia: Stevia is a new product gaining importance in today’s world. It is a natural-sourced sweetener. (it originates from Stevia leaves). It is 400 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia can be found in thousands of food and beverage products around the world, including teas, soft drinks, juices, waters, flavoured milk, yoghurts, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings, sauces, confectionaries, and as a tabletop sweetener.

To sum it up, use Artificial Sweeteners in moderation. As it is rightly said, moderation is the key. Rather choose for healthier ones like Honey, Jaggery watching out the portion size for each!!

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Know your blood/ serum Creatinine

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When it comes to blood tests, most are aware of blood sugar, cholesterol or haemoglobin levels. In the current times, we also know about Vitamin B12, D, and Calcium etc. But, have you ever come across “blood/serum creatinine levels”?

Recently, I came across somebody I know well with high levels of high blood/ serum creatinine levels. And, observed there is a lot of confusion between “Blood/serum creatinine levels” & “creatinine” that one takes as a supplement while working out in the gym. These are two different things. In this blog, I am talking about –Blood Creatinine.

What does it means when you have high blood creatinine levels?

Creatinine is produced in the body constantly. It is a by-product of creatinine phosphate in the muscle. Its value depends on the muscle mass that one has. Creatinine is carried through the bloodstream to the kidneys. It is filtered out by the kidneys and thrown out of the body through urine. The kidneys maintain the creatinine levels in the blood to a normal range. A creatinine level is an indicator of kidney function. High creatinine levels is a warning for impaired kidney function.

High level of creatinine is found during:

  1. Impaired kidney function
  2. kidney disease like glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis
  3. Prostate disease
  4. Kidney Stones (urinary tract blockage)
  5. Heart disease
  6. Diabetes
  7. Medicines like ACE inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor antagonist (or angiotensin receptor blocker, ARB) taken.

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Creatinine Blood Test should be done if following symptoms are seen:

  1. fatigue and trouble sleeping
  2. loss of appetite
  3. swelling in the face, wrists, ankles, or abdomen
  4. lower back pain near the kidneys
  5. changes in urine output and frequency
  6. high blood pressure
  7. nausea
  8. vomiting

Normal Values of the Creatinine in Blood:

In male – 0.6 to 1.1 milligrams per dl of blood.

In female – 0.5 to 1.1 milligrams per dl of blood.

Infant – 0.2 milligram per dl of blood or above (due to less muscle mass).

A person with one kidney – 1.8 to 1.9 milligram per dl of the blood.

Lifestyle & Dietary modifications for high creatinine:

  1. Reduce water/fluid intake: Fluid intake needs to be monitored. Do not restrict fluids unless there is a fluid overload problem. If fluid retention is a problem, limit salt intake.
  1. Limit salt intake (Sodium): You should control the amount of salt going through the food. Add minimum salt as required. High sodium will cause water retention. Cut down on salt, cheese, pickles, instant soups, roasted and salted seeds and nuts & all types of fast foods. Specifically, avoid canned foods.
  1. Limit Potassium: Low-salt substitutes are not good either, as they contain high levels of potassium. Restricted eating high potassium containing such as tomato, potato, nuts and chocolates etc.
  1. Limit Phosphorus: Excess phosphorus can cause total kidney failure as well as bone disease and heart ailments. Reduce dairy products including milk, curd, and cheese. Cut down intake of foods like Shellfish, nuts, soya bean foods etc.
  1. Control Calcium: It is another concern for kidney patients, causing serious bone disease in later years if not controlled.
  1. Low protein diet: Low protein diet is recommended to reduce creatinine level. This avoids build-up of excess urea.
  1. Cigarettes and Alcohol: kill you anyway and, also does not help in the case of high Creatinine either.
  1. With diet control, the portion size also matters. If you eat in excess, the nutritional value changes considerably.
  1. Be active & Exercise regularly: High-intensity exercise could lead to impressive results. It may also help lower your risk for high blood pressure and diabetes which are the two main causes that lead to developing CKD (Chronic Kidney Diseases).

 Fruits and vegetables that are advised/not advised in kidney diseases:

  • It is advisable to take peaches, broccoli, onion, grapes, cabbage, pepper, cherries, cauliflower, apples, celery, berries, cucumber, pineapple, eggs, plums, green beans, tangerine, lettuce, watermelon and pears.
  • Restrict the intake of oranges and orange juice, asparagus, avocado, kiwi fruit, raisins or other dried fruits, bananas, cooked spinach, potatoes, pumpkin, prunes, etc.

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“All the small changes that I have made has had a positive impact on me”

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He is just 33 years of age and was on the heavier side at 87 kgs. Like most people, he was conscious he was on the heavier side and had to do something but, never did anything. It was the same usual story of no time to follow a daily regime. He had no daily exercise regime and not so very good eating habits either. But, one chance encounter with a fitness band on a shopping website and things turned around for him. Let us hear from Tarun Chadha how from being a couch potato he is now walking his way towards fitness.

While I was randomly browsing the net I came across GOQii.I just read few things about it and the reviews and decided to buy it. However, I had no specific agenda nor did I give it much of a thought as to what am I going to do with it once I get GOQii? It was a random buy. Prior to buying GOQii, I was extremely unhealthy. I had no exercise regime nor did I eat healthy. I had no plan to follow a healthy lifestyle either, I nevertheless bought the band. And, I set a goal for myself for the first time- to reduce weight to about 79 kg in about 6 months.

Thereafter, I had a call from my coach Dimple Dua. We had a brief chat and she explained a few things but, I was not very serious initially. But, on the second day when she called me again, I heard her out completely and I was quiet impressed that she had gone through all my details and had taken the pain to chalk out a healthy regime for me that included exercise and nutrition. I realized the effort my coach had put in for me.

I decided to follow her recommendations. And, am I glad to say that post availing GOQii services my whole lifestyle has changed for good, there has been a total transformation towards a healthy life. Now my routine includes a daily exercise (Walking 10000 steps and yoga), completely controlled eating habits resulting in a reduced weight of 83 kg within three weeks of being on GOQii. Now, within 5 months I am at 79 kgs thereby have achieved my first goal along with a better mind and body. Overall, I feel good about myself. All the small changes that I have made has had a positive impact on me.

I completely credit my GOQii coach for bringing about this change in me. She has been a good listener and has been able to understand my routine, my schedule and has accordingly helped me to adapt change. In my last 33 years of life no one else has motivated me to be healthy as she has done. She has been prompt in responding appropriately and possesses great knowledge in her domain.

People around me have been surprised with the changes they see in me. They find me positive. Personally, too positive outlook towards life is really helping me in terms of my appropriate relationship with everyone, be more productive at work and it has made me happy in life.My wife and other family members have also seen the change and been impressed. In fact, my wife has already enrolled into GOQIi and she also has Dimple as her coach.

What does coach Dimple Dua have to say about her player Tarun Chadha?

Tarun Chadha has been a dedicated player and is enrolled with GOQii for the last 5 months. Before, engaging with GOQii his weight was 87kg and wanted to lose weight to 79kgs.Tarun belongs to a north Indian family where alcohol and Punjabi tadkas is very common. Tarun, initially had no daily exercise routine and his eating habits were bad too. He ignored many crucial eating habits in his daily meals. But,ever since on GOQii, he is very dedicated and disciplined. He updates his daily logs and keeps me informed on everything he does. He is always ready to take up the challenges I give him. We decided to make a transformation towards a healthy life. Now, his routine includes a daily exercise (Walking for about 25minutes with high intensity,daily clocking 10000 steps and yoga), completely controlled eating habits including healthy meals, controlled meal portion size and also reduced alcohol which has helped him control his fatty liver condition which in turn has helped him reduced his weight from 87kg to 83kg in just 20days and 79 kgs within 3 months. Tarun is now motivated to work towards leading a better and healthy lifestyle.

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