immunity Archives - Page 7 of 7

September 29, 2018 By GOQii Editor Leave a Comment

WHOLEHEARTEDLY HEART HEALTHY

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Death rates due to heart diseases continue to rise in India, claiming 1.7 million lives in 2016, as per the Global Burden of Disease report released exactly a year ago in September 2017. Recently, a national daily in India published a report stating that deaths in India due to heart disease have risen by 36% over the past 26 years. GOQii India fit report released early this year finds that there has been a rise in the number of lifestyle diseases among Indians. Of these, an increased number of people have high cholesterol with data showing an increase from 9.4% in 2016 to 10.1% in 2017.

Given the above statistics, Heart health is something that needs immediate attention. Today is World Heart Day and let us all be responsible and consciously make simple changes to our life to improve our heart health. In this blog, we have jotted down few simple lifestyle tweaks that you can implement in your life if you already have not done so.

Love your couch a little lesser:

After a hectic workday at your desk, we love to get cosy on the couch, even though it isn’t the best thing to do. Did you know that people working desk jobs are more prone to contracting a heart disease than the others? You might begin to see the connection here. Yes, being physically active has a big impact on achieving a healthy heart. Start slow, even a short walk after every meal will help you in many ways. Along with improved blood circulation, factors like obesity and blood pressure can also be controlled by giving your body the exertion it craves.

2. Toss the butt for good:

Kicking the butt is always tougher than picking up smoking. Smokers who try to quit, regress many times before leaving it completely and this is totally natural. But the determination to come back on a healthy track is what really matters. If you think you can’t do it alone, try counselling or other methods like nicotine patches, nicotine gum etc. Forget heart health, if you want to be healthy in general, the time has come to say goodbye to your cigarettes.

3. Stop stressing out:

We totally understand why you think it is impossible, considering our busy schedules and the endless deadlines which are caught in a loop. The problem is that high amounts of stress cause strain on the heart due to the release of adrenaline, making the heart beat faster and also narrowing your arteries. It also harms your heart indirectly by contributing to factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity. To keep your stress levels in check, choose a program such as yoga, meditation etc. that’s convenient and suitable for you and stop stress from overpowering you.

4. Keep the weight under control:

Overweight and underweight conditions like obesity or anorexia attract heart diseases easily. So calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to check for the category you fall in and if you do not fall under the normal category, you need to gain or reduce some weight. More than being healthy, a change like this will boost your self-confidence and help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.

5. Eat Healthy To Stay Healthy:

This is one of the most important steps towards achieving a healthy heart. At the end of the day, it is what we eat that constitutes the state of our body. Most importantly, stay clear of saturated fats and oil as this increases the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, which is extremely bad for your heart. Foods like red meat and processed food with high sugar and corn syrup content are all to be frowned upon, to achieve a healthy heart. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and lean protein foods like skinless chicken and fish (not fried). This not only helps in maintaining a healthy heart but also increases your quality of life.

Alcohol Consumption:

In the book “The Heart Truth” by Dr Aashish Contractor, it is stated that alcohol may be beneficial in raising good cholesterol (HDL) as well as other anti-oxidant properties when consumed moderately. If you are someone who hasn’t consumed alcohol before, please don’t start now thinking it’s good for your heart! But if you are someone who enjoys a drink or two, then do so in moderation. Dr Aashish personally defines moderate as one or two drinks, three days per week and the optimum amount of liquor to be 45ml a drink. It is important to remember that excessive consumption can cause harm and damage your heart and other organs. So drink responsibly folks!

Stay positive, Stay Motivated:

Pessimism lurks in each and every one of us. Sometimes, we decide to give up not realising how close we have come to our goals. When maintaining a healthy heart or being healthy in general, it is very important to know what you want and be clear about it. Self-doubting is natural but steering through that phase keeping a positive mind towards it is difficult. Don’t be another brick in the wall, be the one to achieve and prove it is possible. GOQii wishes the best for all of you on this World Heart Day!

July 30, 2018 By Arooshi Garg Leave a Comment

Improve your immunity with yoga

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Our immune system does a remarkable job of defending us against disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails: A germ invades successfully and makes you sick. Is it possible to intervene in this process and boost your immune system? Can some exercises help in improving our overall immunity? Yes! Certain yoga asanas can definitely help in improving our immunity if done on a regular basis!

How does yoga boost immunity?

Yoga helps in stimulating the physiological systems directly linked to the immune system, i.e. the digestive, circulatory, endocrine and nervous systems.
It also helps in detoxifying and oxygenating the body and increases the circulation of lymphatic fluid. This fluid moves through the body, collecting bacteria and viruses, and filtering them through the lymph nodes.
Yoga helps in stimulating and balancing the body’s biochemistry through the thymus gland, and thyroid glands.
It largely helps in reducing stress and fatigue, two factors that compromise the immune system.
Also, it assists digestion, which improves the utilisation of nutrients and the release of toxins.

Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani)

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Viparita Karani is often called Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose. There are many benefits to inverting the actions in your body. When you put your legs up the wall with your pelvis, lymph and other fluids that can lead to swollen ankles, tired knees, and congested pelvic organs flow into the lower belly; this refreshes the legs and the reproductive area

Method to do it: Arrange your body on the floor in a way that your legs are up on them. Next, move your hips as close to the wall as possible, then start walking your feet up the wall until your body is in a somewhat L-shaped position. Make any adjustments to facilitate a more relaxing space– maybe place a pillow under your head, or let your arms rest on your belly or out to the sides. At this point, focus on your breath– try elongating your breath, taking a deep, slow inhale through your nose and a deep, slow exhale through your nose. Try to stay in the pose for at least 5 minutes for optimal benefits.

If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees and bring your seat away from the wall to allow your body to relax into this pose.

It helps in relaxation, facilitates venous drainage and increases circulation, soothes swollen or cramped feet and legs, stretches the hamstrings and lower back, relieves lower back tension

Precautions: Avoid practising this pose if you have:

Glaucoma
Hypertension
A hernia
Cardiac issues

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

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This pose helps to stimulate the thymus, an organ located behind the chest bone that is responsible for the growth of T-cells(a type of cells that provide us immunity)

How to do it: To get into this position, come onto the ground on your stomach. Place both palms under the shoulders. Draw your elbows towards your side body. Keeping the gaze down towards your mat, maintain a neutral neck. As you inhale, push down through the palms and lift the chest, engaging the core and lifting the quads off the ground. Tops of the feet should still press into the ground. The neck remains neutral and the gaze stays on the ground^.

Cobra Pose will leave you feeling revitalized and will also provide a boost of energy after a long day of sitting in the same position.

Precautions: Common postural errors during this asana include overarching the neck and lower back. One recommendation is to keep the gaze directed down at the floor and focus on bringing movement into the area between the shoulder blades (the thoracic area, or middle back).

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

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This is a restorative pose, which helps open up the heart and lungs, breaking up congestion in the lungs and sinuses. When we sit hunched over our desks all day, our breath becomes shallow and stagnant. This is one of the best poses to access a deep diaphragmatic breath and helps balance an agitated nervous system.

Matsyasana expands the chest and stimulates the thymus. This helps improve the body’s immunity level. This asana allows the spine to be twisted all the way from the base of the spine to the very top. This asana tones the spinal nerves and ligaments, and improves digestion and also improve liver and pancreas health

How to do it: The asana is a backbend, where one needs to lie his on their back and lift the heart/ chest area by rising up on the elbows and drawing the shoulders back. The neck is lengthened, and the crown of the is “pointed” toward the ‘wall’ behind. As the arch of the back deepens with practice, and the heart and throat open further, the top of the head may brush the ground

Downward Dog Asana (Urdhav Mukha Svanasana)

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This asana stretches the shoulders, legs, spine and whole body; builds strength throughout the body, particularly the arms, legs, and feet; relieves fatigue and rejuvenates the body. It improves the immune system, digestion and blood flow to the sinuses. It also allows congested sinuses to drain.

How to do it: Stand on four limbs, such that your body forms a table-like structure. Exhale and gently lift your hips and straighten your elbows and knees. You need to ensure your body forms an inverted ‘V’.Your hands should be in line with your shoulders, and your feet in line with your hips. Make sure that your toes point outwards. Now, press your hands into the ground and lengthen your neck. Your ears should touch your inner arms, and you should turn your gaze to your navel. Hold for a few seconds, and then, bend your knees and return to the table position.

Bridge Pose- Setu Bandhasana

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This is a deep, but gentle backward bend. It opens and expands the chest area, releases tension in the back, hips and shoulders.

How to do it: Slowly lower the feet, keeping knees bent and feet hip-distance apart. Slowly uncurl the spine onto the floor and, when the head reaches the ground, relax completely as you exhale. On an inhale, press into your feet and raise the hips and lower back off the mat. Interlace fingers underneath you. Shift from side to side to get comfortable, and breathe deeply.

A recent study found that practising yoga can alter gene expression that boosts immunity at a cellular level!

With monsoons restricting outdoor activities and workouts, what better than improving immunity and staying fit as well with these yoga poses which can be easily done in the comfort of your home!

October 22, 2017 By AMINA AZMI 1 Comment

Kiwi – Berry of a woody vine-It’s health benefits

I hear of Kiwi and my taste buds get active and when I heard of its nutritional benefits, I started loving it even more!! The colour and the look of the kiwi slice will definitely make you fall in love with it and its taste is an icing on the cake. Kiwi tastes just awesome.

A little history about the fruit tells us that Kiwi fruit, native to Northern China was first cultivated in New Zealand at the turn of the 20^th Century and was known as Chinese Gooseberries. Later it was christened as Kiwi fruit in New Zealand because the fruit shares characteristics with New Zealand’s national bird Kiwi which is also small, brown and fuzzy.

Kiwis are rich in nutrients with low calories. It is packed with vital nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, copper, choline, Magnesium and Phosphorous.

Who does not want to look and feel good? Everyone likes to and Kiwi helps you feel just as good, as it has a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin E which are antioxidants that prevent from skin degeneration and keeps your skin wrinkle free and makes you look younger.

Antioxidants also boost immunity.

Kiwis are rich in fibre that binds to toxins and flushes them out of the body. Fiber also binds to cholesterol and removes them from the body and thus kiwi also helps to reduce cholesterol.

Studies show that Kiwis have a mild laxative effect and hence good for constipation.

Fiber and Potassium in kiwis are good for heart health. Kiwi’s high level of potassium helps to keep the electrolytes in the body balanced thereby countering the effects of Sodium. Low sodium helps to reduce the risk of heart disease.

High potassium intake also helps to reduce the risk of stroke, loss of muscle mass. It also preserves the bone mineral density and there is a reduction in the formation of kidney stones.

Kiwi has a very low glycemic index i.e. it does not increase the blood sugar quickly which makes it a good fruit for diabetics as well.

Kiwi falls in the category of most alkaline fruits and thus helps in balancing acidic and alkaline food consumption. Few advantages of a properly acid/alkaline balanced body are youthful skin, deeper sleep, abundant physical energy, fewer colds, less arthritis and reduced osteoporosis.

Kiwi Fruit also protects from eye problems. Kiwi’s high level of lutein and zeaxanthin-both of which are natural chemicals found in a human eye prevents from eye problems Who ever knew this small fruit can be so beneficial. Truly said,” Big surprises come in small packages.”

I have made it a point to have at least one kiwi a day. What about you????