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December 1, 2014 By Shimpli Patil Leave a Comment

Preparing for the 100 km Trailwalk – What you need to remember and do

Walking is one of the easiest things one can do. We all do it every day. But, how does it feel when I say let’s walk 100 km in 48 hours!! “Are you kidding me???” That’s exactly how I reacted when I came across the 100 km Trail walk challenge. It is indeed a crazy bet!!

I have been into dancing and fitness for years. But, I never wanted to stop at just being fit. There has always been a kind of restlessness within me, an unreasonable desire to try out something new that I would remember for life and proudly tell my grandchildren about. That’s when I decided to push my limits and test my endurance and willpower, and there was ‘No way’ I could say a ‘No’ to this breath-taking Challenge-100km Trail Walk.

I am not the only one doing this. There is a GOQii Army along with 1000s of people across India who are participating in this event, training for it day in and day out.

Apart from training, there are 2 most crucial things that we need to pay special heed to.

Nutrition and Hydration

Let’s check out what we need to do before, during and after the trail walk, considering we just have 3 days to go for the big day

NUTRITION BEFORE THE TRAIL WALK (3 days prior)-

We need to keep our Glycogen stores ready. Glycogen is nothing but a storage form of Glucose (energy), which disintegrates to release glucose in the bloodstream when body demands energy.

The only way to build up the glycogen stores is to Carbo-load our body 3 days prior to the event (exactly how the marathoners do). Many people consider it as a “golden opportunity”. That’s simply because we have all the liberty to relish the foods which are otherwise considered “fattening”.You might think I am joking, but we need this to blow up our glycogen reserves, which would ensure sustained energy supply during the event.

It’s a complete carb-treat for 3 days! We need to have a mix of complex and simple carbs. We can enjoy Rice, Rotis, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Fruits, Dry Fruits, Breakfast Cereals (Oats, Cornflakes, Wheatflakes, Muesli), whole wheat bread with Peanut Butter, Daliya (broken wheat), Idli, Dosas, Biscuits, Noodles, Whole Wheat Pasta, Spaghetti, Nachos, Tortillas. Go for tomato sauce in pasta/spaghetti/nachos instead of cheese sauce. Cheese stuff is too acidic which might just slow down our body.

Acidic body equals to Less Oxygen to the cells. Thus, along with carb-loading, we also need to make sure we keep our body alkaline. Oxygen breeds in an alkaline medium, and our cells need maximum Oxygen during this period. Quick ways to ensure alkalinity- Grab a glass of lemon water twice a day or simply sprinkle lemon over your food before you eat or go for a bowl of sliced cucumber during lunch and dinner. Stay off Naans and Tandoori rotis. Most importantly, we need to stay miles away from the road-side food or unhygienic food as we don’t want to fall ill few days before the event or ever.

HYDRATION BEFORE THE TRAIL WALK

3 days prior, we need to double our water intake. If you drink 3 litres on a regular basis, you got to drink 6 litres now. This is just to make sure our body cells are well hydrated and well energized.

NUTRITION DURING THE TRAIL WALK

Surprisingly, you don’t feel very much hungry during the walk as your primary focus is on walking and completing it. Now that doesn’t mean you should forget to eat. We need the sugar boost, we need the food! Carry dry munchies with you such as dry fruits, nuts, khakras, biscuits, cookies, rice puffs or wheat puffs, roasted chanas, peanuts, foxnuts (makhanas), soya nuts, energy bars, etc. and munch on them at regular intervals not only for energy but to prevent acidity and headache caused due to large meal gaps.

When you halt for breakfast/lunch/dinner, make sure you aren’t loading your body with too much food. It might just make you sluggish and sleepy, making it difficult for you to get going again. Ensure that you effectively follow the ‘Portion Control’ mantra rather than going overboard with eating.

HYRDATION DURING THE WALK

Though we don’t feel the hunger, our thirst centre is very much active and we need to quench our thirst at regular intervals. It’s important that we don’t GULP down water but patiently SIP it.

Apart from plain water, we also need electrolytes (Sodium-Potassium) to prevent cramps/spasms while walking. Carry a small 250 ml bottle filled with ORS (electoral/ glucon D/ enerzal/ lemon water with salt) and make sure it lasts for the 10 km distance, which means we need not even over consume the electrolytes. Remember, moderation is the key.

NUTRITION AFTER THE TRAIL WALK

Now this feels Wow!!! It’s time to celebrate! It’s time to rest and recover. Along with carbs, we now need adequate good quality proteins as well.

Look out for a good mix of carb+protein in your meals-

Milkshakes or Fruit Smoothies, Paneer Roll or Paneer toast, Hummus with Pita bread, roasted Chicken or Chicken gravy with bread/rotis, Yogurt sprinkled with crushed nuts/chopped fruits/pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds, Sprout Chaat with chopped veggies, Egg and Cheese toast, Grilled Fish with Boiled Potatoes and Salad, Bean rice (Rajma-Kidney Beans) with curd.

These are a few ways of ensuring that your muscles are well treated with proteins for recuperation and that your body is fuelled with a good power supply (carbs).

HYDRATION AFTER THE TRAILWALK-

You can get your water intake back to normal, but make sure it doesn’t go below 3 litres.

12 glasses or 3 litres is what our body needs to stay hydrated even on a regular basis.

So folks, gear up for the Mega event of your life, feel the rush and say it out loud- “BE THE FORCE!!!”

October 17, 2014 By RITA PEREIRA D’SOUZA 1 Comment

Eat Right at School

Every parent has a nightmare in planning what should they give their child in his or her Tiffin box so that their child gets healthy and adequate nutrition. Similarly, the child thinks how yummy his or her Tiffin is going to be today.

As a mother of a 2yr old, I am too concerned about how my child could eat the right type of food at school. But, being from the field of nutrition the knowledge gained has empowered me and I would like to share this knowledge with all of you so that you can plan and healthy and balanced meals for your children.

We as parents need to instil in our children healthy and good eating habits right from the start. Looking at the current scenario kids eating habits are poor and they spend lot of time indoors playing on computers and watching TV thus increasing their sedentary time which in turn increases the incidence of childhood obesity in school going kids.

We all know that kids during their growing years require eating adequately nutritious food for their overall development. Lack of any nutrient can cause deficiency and stunted growth. Also considering that high level of concentration is needed to be maintained at school in order to grasp what is taught, kids need to be fed well and this is not only in terms of quantity but quality too.

3 meals which the child eats at school can be considered as

Breakfast
Snack
Lunch

As we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day – but you will find many kids skip this meal. Kids who tend to skip breakfast happen to have low concentration levels in class. They also lack energy for physical activity and they tend to eat lot of junk available within the campus or outside.

Eating breakfast every day we will only build a stronger immune system and these good habits are carried through in life. It also helps in keeping the weight in check in kids. Breakfast also boosts body metabolism, the process by which the body converts food to energy. It also provides power to the brain therefore as parents it is very important to decide what exactly kids need to choose for their breakfast. Foods chosen for breakfast should be rich in whole grains, fiber and protein while low in added refined sugar which will increase the attention span and will boost the kid’s memory helping them grasping more knowledge.

Many a time kids skip breakfast due to reasons such as no time, tired, wanting to sleep little extra, no availability of quick readily available breakfast at home. Therefore, it is important as parents that we need to be well organised, and plan ahead for the next meal so that you don’t need to be rushing doing the same in the morning.

Examples of healthy quick fixes for kid’s breakfast are various Dosas like carrot/beetroot, small and cute coin Dosa, yummy chapatti roll stuffed with veg, idli upma, fruit smoothies, sandwiches, milk, and yoghurt

We need to prepare innovative, colourful breakfast which helps in engaging the little tummies. Another important aspect is that parents should be a role model to their child. Breakfast should be made a family affair where in all family members eat together. So if parents have a healthy balanced breakfast at the start of the day, kids too will follow you in forming this good habit.

Another hurdle why kids skip this meal is that they do not have appetite for morning breakfast so parents need to pack a healthy morning snack like sandwich, fruit bread, whole wheat or multigrain biscuits or dried foods etc.

Next we come to lunch which many kids eat at school. Lunch re-energizes our body several hours after eating our breakfast. Also many kids tend to skip their breakfast so their lunch becomes all the more important meal as it helps the child remain active for the entire day and also carry out after school activities. Lunch should be a combination of proteins and carbohydrates like chicken salad wraps, veg noodles, whole wheat pasta etc

Another aspect about eating right at school is that school canteens should have healthy menus approved by kids. The canteens should be monitored for hygiene and food quality and taste. Oily and fatty foods should be not sold in campuses. Salads should be part of the menus.

Finally, kids need to know what they are eating and therefore it is important to have nutritional healthy eating as a part of the core curriculum through which kids can develop their taste buds and understand the importance of balanced and healthy meals on the go

September 30, 2014 By Ashwinkumar Rahate 1 Comment

Drop down your Hypertension without medication

Hypertension is one of the major diseases that one develops because of a sedentary lifestyle. Hypertension refers to the increase in the blood pressure level. When the doctor says you are suffering from blood pressure (BP) or that you are Hypertensive, the next step is medication. Medication is considered the only means to bring down the blood pressure levels or hypertension. I would say, no to medication. There are other ways to bring down the BP levels.

Before that we need to know the causes for the Hypertension.

The major cause of Hypertension is a sedentary lifestyle or no physical activities at all.
Overweight and obesity also result in Hypertension
Having excessive amount of salt results in high blood pressure.
If the stress level is higher it also leads to Hypertension.
Aging or getting older is also cause for hypertension.
High level of alcohol consumption as well as smoking result in hypertension.
High intakes of tea or caffeine result in Hypertension.
Dehydration also causes hypertension
Lack of sleep results in increase in Blood pressure levels.

Following are the ways to reduce Hypertension

Do exercise or indulge in physical activity of a kind regularly. Regular exercise will help to drop down blood pressure. The exercise must consist of targeting more cardiovascular and strength training activities. Isometric contractions (Contracting holding movements) must be avoided in strength training.
Healthy food habit. Eating healthy food will result in dropping your hypertension levels. The whole day in take consists of targeting all macronutrients (Protein, Carbs and Fats) and micronutrients (Vitamins, Minerals).
Increase in water intake will also result in bringing down Hypertension. Minimum ten to twelve glass of water are recommended daily
Cut down on your Tea and Caffeine intake which will help to reduce blood pressure. Instead of tea or coffee go for green tea
Stop smoking as well as tobacco consumption. It help to reduce blood pressure
Avoid consuming alcohol
Cut down on your salt intake if you are consuming excessively.
Reduce your bodyweight in fats. If you have more fat chances of hypertension is higher. Therefore it is important to maintain your BMI and fat percentage in normal range.
Avoid taking excessive stress. Reduce your stress by meditating daily for few minutes

In a short, it all boils down to your food habits, physical activity, and stress levels and rest. If we are living a healthy lifestyle there is absolutely no need to take medications for Hypertension.

September 26, 2014 By SANA SHAIKH Leave a Comment

King sized Nutritional Breakfast for a Perfect Week!

Breakfast like a KING, lunch like a PRINCE and DINE like a PAUPER!! Ever wondered why it is said so??

It is required that we kick start our day with a good healthy breakfast, and we often tend to forget this in our busy lifestyle. The word BREAK-FAST itself implies, to break the fast that one has slipped into, over night.
Having breakfast is like fuelling the car with petrol to start it off..Without a proper fuel, our bodies and minds go in to the sleep mode, thereby affecting our concentration levels which might have a drastic effect on our work outcomes.
Many of us feel that skipping breakfast is the ideal way to curtail the calorie intake in one’s diet, however by skipping breakfast what we are actually doing is increasing our calorie intake, as skipping, often results in binging on high calorie foodstuffs in the later part of the day, in turn reducing the BMR and adding up to the dreaded waist lines!!

So Breakfast is indeed an IMPORTANT part of your day..

You need to have a breakfast that provides you sufficient amount of energy to go through the morning hours as well as enough amount of body building blocks required for the wear and tear of the body with a dash of fiber and antioxidants that would complete the nutrient requirement menu!!
Difficult to find all of these in a breakfast..?

Here are few simple ways as to how you can achieve that king sized nutritional breakfast on a daily basis through the week.

MONDAY: Egg white omelette with tomatoes & spinach with multigrain/ whole grain bread/roti and a tea spoon of flaxseeds.

Egg is a rich source of protein ( 1st class protein) paired with a carb source i.e. bread or roti with a dash of anti oxidants and other vitamins and minerals from vegetables and flaxseeds being the cherry on the cake providing omega-3 makes it a complete breakfast.

TUESDAY: Oats porridge with almonds and walnuts (4:2).

Oats porridge a mutual supplement of carbs, fibre, protein and omega-3 from nuts is a good kick start to the day.

WEDNESDAY: Ragi porridge sprinkled with flaxseeds and boiled egg white.

Expand your breakfast outlook with ragi porridge. Ragi being calcium rich and perfectly accompanied with milk, becomes a good source of carbs and protein too. Flaxseeds contain water soluble fibre giving satiety and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Egg white providing with that extra punch of protein.

THURSDAY: Multigrain/Whole grain bread Tofu sandwich with vegetables and fresh herbs.

Tofu not only is a rich source of protein but also omega – 3 fatty acids essential for brain and heart health , as well as hormonal balance. It also contains phytoestrogens, which help fight the symptoms of menopause. Hence, a Tofu sandwich is a compact and hearty option!!

FRIDAY: Scrambled egg whites with a small bowl of apple/pear/pineapple/papaya and 1tsp of flaxseeds.

A Low GI breakfast for fifth day of the week!!
Maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day as low GI foods releases energy slowly within the body. Saves you from that Afternoon slump!!

SATURDAY: Poha or Upma( small bowl)/ 2-3 small Idlis with Sambhar/ 2 small Dosas with Sambhar + a glass of milk + almonds and walnuts (4:2).

Kick off the weekend with a delightful and completely balanced breakfast!!

SUNDAY: Moongdal and oats chilla (can add some fenugreek or spinach leaves and some other vegetables) with a bowl of dahi and a teaspoon of flaxseeds.

Here’s the PERFECT weekend treat for you!!
Give an additional bounce to your routine carbs and proteins with a touch of leafy vegetables or greens giving you antioxidants, vitamins and minerals!!

**NOTE: Flaxseeds should not be treated to any form of heat. Consume it in raw form.