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Dos and Don’ts of Trail Walk

 

trail-walk

When I was told to be a part of the 100km Oxfam-Goqii trailwalker team, I immediately agreed. My initial reaction was there is nothing new about long distance walking. I do it all the time and do it in the Himalayan and the Shayadri hills. But, yet there was something new about this 100 km trailwalker. It was going to be a challenge for myself- a challenge to test my own endurance as I had never done a 100 km trail walking in 2 days.

Honestly, I will reiterate this point again that there is nothing tough about walking long distance. Walking 15-20 miles (24-32 km) daily is what human bodies are built for. But, sadly none of us do walk that much even in a week in our normal course of routine. So for many when they end up taking up such a challenge of 100 km they get a bit perturbed.

I would say first and foremost think and figure out why are you doing this? Are you doing this for yourself and to build your own endurance? Are you doing it because you are being forced -because you think you will be judged based on doing this challenge? Are you doing this to prove a point to others ? Once you have the answer for why you are doing it you will be at ease in deciding your next step. I would say do it for yourself.

While this is an Endurance Challenge it is also largely about team work and a strategy game. It’s

about patience and temperament.

I am a rookie to the 100 km challenge but, I know for sure I am mentally prepared and I ain’t thinking too much about it. Initially, I was not sure what to expect but after two practice session of 25 km each at Garudmachi also known as the Eagles Plateau, I am clear of what to expect.

With exactly 10 days left for the D -Day, here are a couple of dos and don’ts for the trailwalker that might help. This is based on a few learning from my practice session.

Dos: Get your footing right during your practice session especially if you are doing treks. Do not

injure yourself during the practice. Do enough strength training for neck, shoulders and legs.

Dos: Ideally it would be good to practice in a mixed terrain ( both tar and hillocks) so you are

comfortable on the day of the walk.

Dos: Be positive and happy all along the trail. Sing to yourself, laugh and motivate yourself.

These ease the pressure on you and your team mates.

DOs: On the day of the trailwalk try and rest a bit at checkpoints and then move forward. Target

to cover 60% on the first day . Believe me the remaining 40% will be easy on you.

DOs: learn to walk in the heat no matter how grim, awful and humid you feel.

Dos: Remember to thank your support crew after the event is over. Because they are going to be the ones who are going to be there for you waiting to make you feel comfortable with whatever you might need after long hours of walk. They will motivate you and make sure you do not have to think about anything else and just concentrate on your walk. So thank them.

DON’T talk much on the trail. Conserve energy. But do not be afraid to communicate uneasy.

DON’T over load the backpack you are carrying with you on the trail. 1 to 2 litres of Water is essential and your personal medication if you need anything on the trail. You really don’t need so many eats and energy bars on you at all times. Let your support crew carry the extras.

DON’T argue with your teammates. Always try and come to a consensus on any issues that may arise.  Remember this is a team effort.

DON’T get overexcited early on in the walk. Walk at your pace lest you end up getting tired very soon.

Don’t: Walk with earphones on it could prove dangerous.

Don’t: Lastly do not litter. We are all educated people. However, tired you may be and might just want to throw away that bottle down.. do not do it. Keep it with you in your bag and dispose it off later.

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Drop down your Hypertension without medication

highbp

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.

 

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All that you should know about brown sugar and white sugar

brownsugarvswhitesugar

 

Most of us are aware of the fact that brown rice is good for health and therefore better than white, Brown bread is better than white, but does this same logic apply to brown sugar as well?

Once, while with a friend at a coffee shop, she suddenly came up with this thought that white sugar is unhealthy and brown is very healthy and will help you not gaining weight. I wondered really?

I went back home and pondered over what she said. Next thing I decided do was to research on the subject-which sugar is better white or brown? Both tastes similar in sweetness and both have calories but, when I researched deep into the topic, I got to know lot more.

Let us first take a look at its nutrition value and after that we will look at its relation with weight gain

Although many people are of the opinion that brown sugar is a healthier option than white sugar, the truth is that they only have certain different nutritional values. White sugar is actually 99.9% pure sucrose, while brown sugar is 97% sucrose, 2% water and 1% other substances.

A teaspoon of white sugar contains 16 kilocalories, whereas one teaspoon of brown sugar has 17 kilocalories.

The molasses in brown sugar contains a number of minerals, which include calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron, but since only very small amounts of these minerals are present in brown sugar, they do not bring any health benefit to the body. It is known that sugar has very little nutrients, and both white sugar and brown sugar do not do much to promote health.

Because of its molasses content, brown sugar does contain certain minerals. (white sugar contains none of these). But, since these minerals are present in only minuscule amounts, there is no real health benefit to using brown sugar. The real differences between the two are taste and the effects on baked goods. Brown sugar is more likely referred as “raw sugar” because it is not refined

So now that it has been proved nutritionally, “Brown sugar and white sugar are not much different”, let us now look at the other aspects of sugar and weight loss. It is said that a person should have a minimum of only 2 spoons of sugar in a day but there again it’s a misconception, so how much of sugar a person should have in a day?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. Some people can eat some sugar without harm, while others should avoid it as much as possible.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are

  • Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
  • Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

But, if you ask me I would say one should avoid excess sugar as much they can.

Whoever out there are consuming brown sugar as an alternative for weight loss or diabetic reasons should look out for better option and go in for natural sweetner’s like honey, jiggery, sugarcane, dates as these would be beneficial and more healthier for you rather than any white or brown or both.

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King sized Nutritional Breakfast for a Perfect Week!

breakfastBreakfast 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.

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