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Health for frequent travellers while on the move

fitness

A little extra load of work and our daily fitness routine goes haywire. Imagine the plight of frequent travellers. In order to earn our daily bread and butter, travelling to and fro, battling between time zones , drastic weather changes, irregular eating habits and non availability of space and time for exercise can surely make our lifestyle goals hard to attain.

Like every other problem, this one too can be tackled intelligently but, only if you are honest, motivated and determined.

I have gone through this phase in my life too, so here are a few ways, how you could go about in terms of nutrition and activity.

NUTRITION:

  1. DRINK DRINK DRINK!
    Keep sipping water all throughout the journey. Be it via road, rail or air, specially, while taking long flights to combat dehydration (the fatigue it causes), and avoid extreme jet lag. The cabin air is much drier so remember to drink few glasses water before boarding, then another one each hour in flight.2. Organise every trip of yours well to avoid stress. Stress is the main trigger for junk eating.

    3. Avoid leaving home hungry. Eat a quick snack at home so that you are not carried away by the food counters at the stations or terminals.

    4.  Carry some fresh fruits, dry non-perishable snacks along like roasted munchies, nuts, un salted popcorn.

    5. Avoid stopping at take away counters/convenience stores for packaged foods during halts. Opt for something local and fresh.

    6. If you are flying, don’t depend on the airport and airplane food. Either get your own mini meal packed or check out the options available.

    7. Avoid getting BORED !
    Sometimes long hours of travel can lead to boredom snacking . Carry some boredom busters wit you like a great book/audio book. music player, magazines, crosswords/puzzles or just pen down random thoughts.

    8. Keep your meals high on fibre as travelling often means missed bowel movements. Salads, fruits, whole grains do the trick.

    9. Get your daily protein quota. Travelling is a type of stress for the body and a frequent one can lead to more wear and tear.

    10. Lastly, log in your meals. It will help you keep accountable.

    ACTIVITY: 

    1. With regards to activity, if not dedicated exercise, try being as active as possible.

    2. Invest in some travel essentials like ear plugs, eye mask and neck pillow. Remember, exercise will be the last thing you would like to do if you end up having a stiff neck.

    3. Book a room on the third floor and take the stairs. Walk whenever you can between meetings.

    4. Get up and stretch yourself after every 45 minutes to 1 hour as sitting for long can be damaging to our posture. Walk the length of the plane, every hour or two to keep your back happy, your muscles supple, and your blood circulating.

    5. Indulge into some deep breathing exercises, it will help you keep calm or even put you to sleep.

    6. Plan your week in advance so that your travelling time becomes your rest day.

    7. Use the long corridors and long waits for a quick brisk walk in airports / stations. Take stairs rather than escalators.  After all, you have to sit for hours in the plane so make the most of the time you have while you wait.

    8. If driving, take a break every 1-2 hours, and walk around the parking lot of a rest stop.
    – never forget to pack your workout clothes and shoes. They are anyways light.

    Go ahead, have a safe, healthy and active trip.

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Learn and know the symptoms of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

PCO

You must have come across many women among your friends, neighbourhood and even within the family having PCOS, a common endocrine system disorder among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have enlarged ovaries that contain small collections of fluid — called follicles — located in each ovary as seen during an ultrasound exam.

A woman with PCOS disorder feels that she has acquired the most dangerous disease and that she will never be able to conceive after that, periods/menstrual cycle will not be regular and she will continuously gain weight and inflate one day. They reel under negative thoughts and stress which further only worsens the condition. They visit gynecologists and the line of treatment is oral contraceptives, hormonal pills, insulin sensitizers, diuretics which only treats the symptoms but doesn’t reverse it.

In my 4 years of practice as a dietician, I have come across many women having PCOS disorder and by purely bringing about a lifestyle changes I was able to reverse PCOS in them and not only that many have been able to conceive and deliver healthy babies too.

Just for you to understand and relate to this condition better, putting below some information pertaining to PCOS and ways in which you can reverse the condition.

Signs and Symptoms of PCOS:

  1. Irregular or no menses- leads to weight gain
  2. Acne and oily skin
  3. Hirsutism Facial hair growth , Abnormal hair growth and distribution
  4. Obesity- increases insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance
  5. Dandruff- Excessive flaky skin
  6. Skin discoloration
  7. Hypercholesterolemia- due to faulty foods and lifestyle
  8. Hypertension- due to weight gain, exerts pressure on walls of the arteries
  9. Diabetes- Insulin resistance- leads to weight gain

Causes:

  1. Obesity- Especially abdominal fat/ obesity
  2. Stress-Stresslack of sleep leads to excess formation of stress hormone cortisol which increasesblood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Indirectly also helps in belly fat accumulation
  3. Lack of exercise- Exercise stimulates / sensitizes insulin and helps in better uptake of glucose. Also, the endorphins which is a feel good hormone curbs the cortisol levels too.
  4. Excessive intake of aerated drinks- They contain HFCS (High fructose Corn Syrup) which doesn’t get metabolized and is stored in the form of fats in the belly area

What do you think should the treatment be for the above symptoms discussed?

Just a lifestyle change should do all the wonders. A good exercise regime daily, regular and controlled meal pattern and a stressfree life can reverse the conditions.

So you would want to know what should be done and how, right?

Some do’s and don’ts:                                                                        

1. Meal patterns:

-Consume whole grain products over refined ones.

-Stop consumption of aerated drinks

-Include good amount of different colored veggies which are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals

-Consume atleast 2-3 liters of water a day

-Choose foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids like flaxseeds, almonds, nuts, fatty fishes

-Soya is rich in phytoestrogen which helps in improving estrogen levels in women. –Consume atleast 3-4 servings of soya per week. Processed form of soya is better than the unprocessed one as processing helps in removal of the natural inhibitors.

Avoid alcohol consumption

2. Physical activity:

Make it a point to indulge in one physical activity atleast for half an hour to 1 hour daily. This will help produce endorphins, a feel good hormone and help in relieving stress by curbing cortisol levels.  Exercising helps in better uptake of glucose thus normalizing the blood sugar levels. It also decreases insulin resistance. Exercising burns calories, aiding in weight control. It also helps in increasing HDL cholesterol

And reduces blood pressure

3. Reduce stress:

Stress plays a major role in acquiring lifestyle related disorders

It is very important to keep your stress levels under control.

Ways to reduce stress levels:

  1. Get good sleep daily
  2. Practice pranayam (deep breathing exercises)
  3. Meditation
  4. Indulging in your hobbies/ sports
  5. Take some time out of your schedule to spend with your near and dear ones.

With an active body, peaceful mind, and healthy food habits you can reverse most of the lifestyle related disorders. The solution and power to change lies within you and you just have to take a step ahead and choose what is best for you.

 

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Stay Fit While Traveling

 

man-traveling1

Do you live out of your suit case? Does your job demand that you be travelling atleast 15 days in a month? And is too much of travelling your excuse to skip a workout?

Well if all of the above is true then it should not be so. There can be no excuse to skip workout unless of course you are ill or injured. Otherwise travelling regularly out of the city should not hamper your workouts. I believe that if you are travelling, you have more options to workout and be active. Whether you travel for work or want to see the world, jumping from one hotel room to the next, indulging in breakfast buffets and lounging in front of a TV while you raid the mini fridge are not the best ways to stay fit.

With regards to the Healthy Eating you can go through the following blogs written by my fellow coach Satish Kurapaty :

https://goqii.com/blog/eating-right-even-while-partying/

https://goqii.com/blog/healthy-indian-street-foods/

More often than not excessive travelling does hamper normal routines. For instance if you have been working out in a gym, suddenly you might not have access to any equipment, if you have been running in your neighborhood there could be a situation where you no longer have a familiar path to follow and friends to accompany for a run and if you’re used to a good night’s sleep, suddenly you’re sleeping at odd hours in different time zones.

We are creatures of habit hence we are bound to follow our daily routine as per our habit which we have set for ourself (wake up at a particular time that we have set, eat all meals on time, work out on time and go to sleep at the same time). However, while travelling our whole routing gets hampered. We might not be able to do everything at the said time that you have been following back home.

But, nothing is impossible. Theer is a solution to every problem.

Here are some helpful tips to work out while travelling:

  1. Use the Airport: Airport is a huge area to walk, utilize it and if you have time to board – try to walk as much as possible within the airport premises instead of sitting around and reading a book or listening to music or watching a movie.
  1. Use the Hotel Room: You can work out in your Hotel room. Try to use TABATA as a workout. It will take only 4 min to compensate your GYM session. To get more information on TABATA you can ready the following
    Blog: https://goqii.com/blog/just-4-minutes-of-tabata-for-a-healthy-life/
  1. Site Seeing: Go for a walk – try walking EVERYWHERE. In a big city? If it’s nice out walk instead of taking a cab! Go for a jog around your new surroundings…just stay active.
  1. Beach Holidays: If you are planning a beach holiday, you have lots of options to do a workout. You can go for beach running, water sports. Water sports is a healthy sporting option that one can engage in. In water, you are forced to work harder and you are face to face with a wide range of challenges, which can present many more opportunities to boost your fitness regimen. Indeed, there are many water sport health benefits – no matter if you are kayaking, white river rafting, or even swimming.

Too many people take holidays knowing they will get fat, become overweight, and lose a level of their fitness, yet they do nothing to combat it.

So my advise to you would be that whether you have a gym or not, there is always something you can do to stay active. So follow some golden rules and you can enjoy your travelling be it for work or for a holiday without any guilt.

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Exercising Too Much – Think Twice

exercising

Is too much exercise bad for you?

Many once have got on to the fitness path think that if they do too much of exercise they will achieve their goals faster. Is this true let’s find out?

It is always said that too much of good is also not very nice, including exercise. Too much of exercising is actually damaging.

Everyone believes that “Exercising is good for him/her, and that more exercising is considered better…”, this is a myth. The fact is that too much exercise could actually harm you rather than benefit you. In the excitement of doing too much exercise one does not realize they can harm themselves. You will end up facing problems related to physical and emotional conditions such as injuries, bone loss, muscle loss and sometimes even heart failure.

Adequate amount of exercise helps you to build good muscles. Then you become an “exercise freak”, same like the eating disorder. And, eventually you get devastating results.

You lose weight, yes, but not the way you should– your body goes into starvation mode and releases cortisol (Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands in your body when you are under stress. Cortisol will increase production of a neurotransmitter called neuropeptide Y, which can increase cravings for sweet or starchy foods – bad for health and fitness).

Increased cortisol inhibits any fat metabolism and breaks your muscle mass — your body basically starts eating itself. So instead of becoming a lean, mean fitness machine, you find you’ve less strength and also a weakened immune system.

Make no mistake about it, regular exercise is probably is the biggest factor in living a long and healthy life (not discounting healthy eating).

Here are several ways to tell that you’re working out too hard or Effect of too much Exercise can lead to:

  • Dizziness
  • Trouble breathing or maintaining a conversation
  • Disorientation, foggy mental processing
  • Rapid heart beat
  • Dehydration
  • Injuries
  • Loss of lean muscle mass
  • Heart failure in the absence of proper nutrition. Your heart is a muscle and over exercising could weaken it, leading to potential failure
  • Weakened immune system
  • Cessation of menstrual cycles, a condition known as amenorrhea
  • Research shows that many female athletes who over train begin to experience bone loss that apparently can’t be reversed if the amenorrhea persists long enough.
  • Sleep disorder
  • Eating disorder such as anorexia
  • Irritability, depression and low self esteem

Here is a checklist which will help you judge on your own if you are doing too much exercise:

  1. Make up for one missed workout by doubling it the next session
  2. You will force yourself even when you don’t want to
  3. When you over eat, you prefer to exercise to burn all extra calories
  4. You set the intensity of your exercise based on your food intake
  5. You might feel guilty when you miss your exercise session
  6. You become very upset if you miss a workout
  7. You always have a fear that you’ll gain weight if you miss the exercise session for a day
  8. You will miss the pleasure during exercise
  9. You can’t bring yourself to take a day off from exercise

So the next time you go to exercise stop worrying. Just have fun and enjoy your workout.

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