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STAIR climbing – One of the best exercises
You can run a 5k but running up a couple of flights of stairs tires you out? You can squat heavy and lunge with weights, yet walking up a couple of flights of steps makes it feel like a whole other workout?
Here’s a workout that can actually challenge your body, endurance and actual strength and stamina.
Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises when it comes to pure FAT BURN, strengthening the lower body, toning the butt, thighs, calves, losing inches from those love handles and belly and building great abs. Along with these benefits is the immense good it does for your lungs and cardio vascular system.
- It is totally free and just about all of us can get access to a set of stairs
- It leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn
- It is a relatively intense exercise that quickly increases our heart rate and in doing so can greatly improve our cardiovascular fitness
- It helps strengthen and shape our most common problem areas like calves, thighs, buttocks and tummy
- It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise
- It can easily be mixed with other exercises, like walking, skipping and weight training, to maximize results and stair-climbing workouts are easy to build progression into
- It can be done by almost anyone, regardless of fitness level
- Because it is weight bearing, it helps build bone strength
- It is low impact and safe for the knees (providing correct technique is used and a preexisting condition doesn’t exist)
The way forward with exercise is quality over quantity. Too many people fix a ‘one hour’ work out in their mind and if they can’t find time for that ‘1 hour’ they just don’t do it.
Aim for power workouts, 25 to 30 mins max, where you max out your reps, burn those muscles and really get your heart rate up. 35 to 40 minutes should include a great warm up and an extremely important cool down.
You can burn more calories walking/running up steps in 30 mins than a 1 hour run or walk, plus it challenges your body.
Start off with a couple of flights, Walk and run slowly. As you get better, run and then skip 2 steps at a time and run or walk.
In a nutshell –
Burns more calories: Stair climbing engages your body’s largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step. Thus using your muscles to carry your own weight is far higher to running as compared.
Maximises your cardio efforts: It also raises your heart rate immediately thus maximizing your cardio benefits.
Increases core muscle strength: Climbing stairs is a great way to amp your core muscle strength.
Tones and sculpts your body: It also engages every major muscle in your lower body – glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs and calves to exercise and thus tones your body better.
Low impact workout: You don’t have to ideally sweat it out while climbing stairs. Just a few stairs every day will give you a good workout.
Safety first: Never run down the stairs, be confident while running up, take a break when needed.
Start doing this regularly and soon, you will be running up flights of stairs, feeling fitter, younger, stronger and leaner.
We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.
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Dark Chocolate: A Delicious Path to Better Health
Who does not love chocolates? Everybody does but, chocolate and especially (75% and above) dark only a few of them. One needs to cultivate a taste for it. And, believe me, once you have developed that eating dark chocolate can be super beneficial.
How? Well, let me take you through the benefits ….
(1) Dark Chocolate Cuts Stroke, Heart Disease Risk
I recently read an article in an English Tabloid that said mentioned that dark chocolate is good for the heart.. Quoting from the article, according to one of the researchers Simin Liu, “The analysis found that Cocoa flavanol intake may reduce dyslipidemia insulin resistance and systematic inflammation, which are all major subclinical risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases”.
As per another new study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, eating flavanol-rich dark chocolate has been found to protect against the risk of heart disease and stroke by improving platelet function within two hours of consumption.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health examined the effects of consumption of dark chocolate that was enriched with cocoa extract in the blood of 42 healthy volunteers, 26 women and 16 men. They compared platelet function of the participants who ate enriched dark chocolate with those who ate dark chocolate that contained a lower cocoa and flavanol content, and white chocolate.They found the dark chocolate enriched with flavan-3-ols significantly decreased platelet activation and aggregation in men, but only decreased platelet aggregation in women.
“Taken together, these findings support the notion that flavanol-rich foods, including cocoa products, may help to promote cardiovascular health,” Dr.Kelm said.
(2) Dark Chocolate helps in increasing endothelial function of SMOKERS…
The researchers studied smokers because their blood vessels tend to respond poorly to changes in blood flow, possibly related to impairments in how nitric oxide sends signals to the inner lining, the endothelium, of blood vessels. This impaired endothelial function is a marker for increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
A dozen smokers (six men and six women) in their early 30s, who did not have any known health problems, were enrolled in the double-blind crossover study to compare the effects of a cocoa drink rich in flavanols to a cocoa drink that tasted the same but contained very low levels of flavanols. Circulating nitric oxide levels and blood vessel responses (flow-mediated dilation) were measured before drinking the cocoa and again two hours later. Each participant drank flavanol-rich and flavanol-poor cocoa drinks during different testing sessions.There were significant increases in circulating nitric oxide and flow-mediated dilation after ingestion of drinks. These changes correlated with increases in flavanol metabolites. In addition, the improvements were reversed when the participants were given a drug (L-NMMA) that interferes with nitric oxide signalling, thus supporting the idea that the flavanol-rich cocoa drink produced its effects by influencing the nitric oxide system.
The researchers pointed out that the cocoa drink they used was specially processed to retain much higher levels of flavanols than are typically found in commercially-available cocoa drinks; so it is unlikely that drinking more hot chocolate would produce a similar effect. Nevertheless, the conclusion drawn from these results have to be interpreted with caution, because it is not known whether or not the chronic consumption of flavanol-rich foods leads to sustained increases in endothelial function and the prevention of future cardiovascular events. In particular, in smokers, it is unlikely that cocoa can completely attenuate the deleterious effects of continued smoking, the study says.
(3) Dark Chocolate helps in preventing the development of Atherosclerosis
A flavanol-rich drink is capable of increasing nitric oxide levels in the blood and reversing the detrimental effect of smoking on vascular adaptation. It remains to be seen whether the acute beneficial effect of a flavanol-rich drink translates into a long-term benefit, in terms of attenuating or preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
(4) Dark Chocolate helps in improved thinking, decreased appetite, obesity, as well as type-2 diabetes.
Cocoa, the basic ingredient of chocolate, is one of the most flavanol-rich foods around. That’s good for chocolate lovers because previous research has shown that flavanols in other foods such as grapes and tea can help fight weight gain and type-2 diabetes. But, not all flavanols, which are a type of antioxidant, are created equal. Cocoa has several different kinds of these compounds. Researchers found that adding one particular set of compounds, known as oligomeric procyanidins (PCs), to the food made the biggest difference in keeping the weight down if on high-fat diets. They also improved glucose tolerance, which could potentially help prevent type-2 diabetes. Oligomeric PCs appear to possess the greatest antiobesity and antidiabetic bioactivities of the flavanols in cocoa, particularly at the low doses.
5.Dark Chocolate helps in Lowering blood pressure
In particular dark chocolate which contains higher levels of flavanols than milk chocolate, may protect against the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure, blood flow, and improving blood lipid levels. The link between cocoa and blood pressure stems from the discovery that the indigenous people of San Blas Island in Central American, who drink flavanol-rich cocoa drinks every day, have normal blood pressure regardless of age. However, flavanol concentrations in cocoa and chocolate products vary according to cocoa processing procedures and types of chocolate, so it is difficult to establish the optimal dosage for an effect.
Satisfy your sweet cravings guilt-free with dark chocolate, a delectable treat packed with health-boosting properties. From enhancing cardiovascular health to supporting weight management and improving endothelial function, dark chocolate offers a myriad of benefits. Embrace the power of dark chocolate and indulge in its delicious goodness for a healthier, happier you!
So go ahead and be a Chocoholic!!!! For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.
#BeTheForce
7 Yoga Asanas For Good Heart Health
Stress, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can have serious long-term health consequences. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are just two among many of the consequences of not treating your body well. Just know that even during the current times, you can make a positive U-turn and get active! Try yoga for good heart health!
How Does Yoga Help Heart Health?
Yoga, as a practice, emphasizes on breath, focus and meditation. Apart from building awareness of your mind and body, yoga also helps heart health by boosting blood circulation, keeping blood pressure in check and relieving stress.
Let’s take a look at 7 Asanas you must practice for good heart health.
1. Virabhadrasana or The Warrior Pose boosts energy in the body and mitigates stress. It is ideal for heart patients as it keeps blood pressure in check.
2. Sukhasana greatly improves the breathing pattern, which in turn enhances blood circulation.
3. Uttanasana helps relax the muscles and eases the mind. It lowers high blood pressure and ensures that your heart remains healthy!
4. Setu Bandhasana or The Bridge Pose is an excellent yoga asana for heart patients as it improves blood circulation, lowers blood pressure level, and stretches chest muscles. It can lessen depression, stress, and anxiety too.
5. Trikonasana or Triangular Pose relaxes the mind and calms down anxiety levels. This pose also opens and strengthens the chest area, and improves the digestive system.
6. Shavasana is another ideal asana for heart patients. This asana helps in repairing cells and tissues. It reduces blood pressure and assists in developing a better balance of the air element in the body.
7. Bhujangasana or The Cobra Pose is good for heart patients as it expands the chest area and relaxes muscles. As a result, blood circulation gets better and the heart feels reinvigorated.
In my practice, these Asanas are beneficial! But, before you begin practice, consult your doctor or physician especially if you have had any major/minor surgeries or other health issues. If you’re a beginner, check out some of these Myths and Facts about Yoga. For live sessions on yoga, practice with experts on GOQii Pro within the GOQii App, who will guide you on the correct form and posture in real time.
We hope this article has helped you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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