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January 8, 2018 By Vrushali Athavle Leave a Comment

Gender Specific Workouts- A myth

Gender-Specific-Workouts

How often have we asked this question of which work out is the best for me? How many of us have this myth that gyms workouts are specific to genders? Many of us do. Many a myth abounds regarding workouts and what is good for me and what is not?

It was a while before my friend and her husband decided to join the gym. I helped the couple with their Gym shopping such as shoes, water bottle, gym apparels, gym bag etc. And therefore all the more curious to know how was their first day at the Gym?

But, unfortunately, my friend’s first-day experience at the gym was very disappointing as was felt from her facial expressions. She was totally dissatisfied with her workout. Her first question to me was: “Hey I want to get in shape and lose this damn belly. I don’t want to look muscular”.

When did I ask her what had happened and what was the reason for her disappointment? She told me the reason and I burst into a laugh. But, on second thoughts I was not surprised hearing her reason. Most women gym goers are of the impression that they have special needs and that if they trained in a similar way as a man did, then they would start looking muscular like a guy

I calmed her down and explained how this was not true and that there is nothing called gender specific workouts. This whole concept of gender-specific workouts is an inbuilt inhibition of our own self. Physiologically speaking, women don’t need different workout plans. The reason being women do not have testosterone hormone which is responsible for building up massive muscles. Hence lifting heavier weights will not lead to building huge muscles unless you are supplementing it with additional testosterone.

Secondly, women tend to develop muscles at about half the rate at which men do. Therefore women who either altogether avoid lifting weights or only lift very light dumbbells for a high number of repetitions should stop having thoughts about developing huge muscles overnight.

The determination to work out or exercise on a regular basis is not about man vs. woman. It varies from individual to individual and what each person needs to be based on their body type and fitness levels.

One should make sure that you do not let anyone tell you what to do and what not to do. If you ever have a doubt you should speak to your personal trainer or coach. Your determining factor should be whether or not it is for you based on many over factors way beyond that.

The only time when a possible change in workouts may come about is during pre and post pregnancy or due to other medical conditions and advised by the doctor

Thus, safely we can conclude, both men and women need to apply the same general principles of weight training for improved fat burning and body toning, cardio for keeping the heart healthy, proper diet and enough rest to ensure overtraining doesn’t set in.

June 1, 2015 By Vrushali Athavle 1 Comment

Protein is not just about quantity. It’s also about quality

protien-rich-foods
Every weight loss or weight gain programme talks about PROTEINS. They are the building blocks for growth and repair of muscle tissues of tendons, organs and skin. Proteins are made out of smaller molecules called amino acids which are linked together like beads on a string.

Some of these amino acids can be produced by the body and are called non essential amino acids, while some cannot be produced by the body and we need to get them from our foods. These are called the essential amino acids.

The protein requirement of each individual varies based on their intensity of workouts, medical conditions, height and ideal body weight.  Before, we jump into the calculation of protein requirement, let’s first check out how to select the best protein out of the 3 major sources of proteins namely 1) Animal sources (chicken, fish, eggs, milk & milk products), 2) Plant sources (legumes, nuts, seeds and cereals) and 3) various Supplementary protein powders available in the market as protein shakes. This blog basically has two sections.

1) Protein Selection and 2) Protein Calculation

Section 1: Protein selection

Two things we need to consider while selecting your proteins source:

  1. Complete or incomplete proteins:

* Animal proteins are considered complete proteins as they contain all essential amino

acids required by our body.

*Plants sources are classified as incomplete proteins as they contain only few essential

amino acids.

* Supplementary powders have most of the essential amino acids.

  1. Bioavailability of proteins.

      Bio-availability represents the percentage of how much our bodies can make use of certain  protein sources. Animal proteins have better bioavailability than plant proteins. Supplementary proteins have highest % of bioavailability. It is important to note here that at a go our body can absorb only 15 to 20 gms of protein.

Section 2: Protein Calculation:

Calculate your protein intake by this formula:

  • Person with sedentary lifestyle, Protein intake= Ideal body weight in kgs (multiply by) 0.8 gm
  • Person with moderate workout, Protein intake= Ideal body weight in kgs (multiply by) 1 gm
  • Person with moderate to intense workouts, Protein intake= Ideal body weight in kgs (multiply by) 1.5 gm

Note:  Consult your trainer/nutritionist/doctor while calculating this protein amount as your medical conditions and intensity of workouts also need to be considered.

To consume this amount of protein, we would want to divide this intake of protein into 5-6 meals over the course of the day.

Managing this protein intake is a bit difficult for vegetarians. Even for individual who consume non-veg and take up heavy workouts, just the thought of eating six chicken breasts a day or eight egg whites in each meal can seem like a daunting task. An alternative to this is to ingest 1 or 2 scoops of protein powders in the form of a protein shake.

Conclusion:  Protein is not just about quantity. It’s also about quality. Protein intake needs to be wisely planned. Good sources of protein include high quality proteins like egg, chicken, fish, skimmed milk and soy. Red meat, egg yolk and high fat milk products are rich in saturated fats and hence should be avoided. Whole pulses, sprouts and daals(lentils)  should be consumed in combination with a cereal to make the amino acid profile complete. For eg: Roti with Daal/Rice with Rajma/Khichadi.

If required protein powders can be included. Natural source of protein is the best but, due to day to day constraints of making and eating them, you may need to add the protein supplement into your diet. Getting all your protein from powders is not the best idea, as it could potentially restrict your intake of vitamins and minerals from other foods. Selection of protein powder will be discussed in my next blog. Stay tuned!

August 5, 2014 By Vrushali Athavle 4 Comments

GOOD FAT versus BAD FATS

goodfatvsbadfat
How many of you would debate with me if I say FATS are good for your health? I think most of you would, right? I know for a fact that you will counter me on this and argue with me that fat is one of the major culprits behind heart attacks or high cholesterol levels and also that it has a very big contribution towards the distorted figure which now one is struggling with and trying to get back into shape.

Well, while I agree to an extent, I also disagree at the same time. I do not mean to confuse you. Let me simply explain this to you. All of us are familiar with the popular saying there are two sides to the same coin or the fact that there is good and bad in everything and every aspect. Same applies   to fats as well. There are good fats and there are bad fats.

You must be actually wondering when I say there are Good Fats. But, the reality is yes there are good fats. Let us now try and understand what good fats are?

There are three types of fats

1. Unsaturated fats (Good fats)

2. Saturated fats (Bad fats)

3. Trans fats (Bad fats)

GOOD FATS.

v  Unsaturated fats/ good fats are divided into 2 types:

1. Polyunsaturated fats – Omega 3 and Omega 6

2. Monounsaturated fats

POLYUNSATURATED FATS

What makes them good?

  • They help to build cell membranes, the exterior covering of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves.
  • They’re vital to blood clotting, muscle contraction and relaxation, and inflammation.
  • They reduce LDL (Bad cholesterol) more than they lower HDL (Good cholesterol), improving your cholesterol profile. Even better, they also lower triglycerides.

There are two types of polyunsaturated fats: Omega-3 and Omega-6

  • Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids

ü  Prevent and even treat heart disease and stroke.

ü  Prevent and treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Good sources: flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines

  • Omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids.

ü  Omega-6 fatty acids also lower the risk for heart disease.

Good sources: vegetable oils as safflower, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and corn oils.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS

These fats should be used as much as possible along with polyunsaturated fats to replace the bad saturated fats and Trans fats.

Good sources of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, sesame oil and most nuts.

BAD FATS

Saturated fats

What makes them bad?

  • They increase the acetate fragments in the body which is turn leads to increase in the production of cholesterol.
  • They tend to clump together and form deposits in the body along with protein and cholesterol, and get lodged in blood cells and organs leading to many health problems like obesity, heart diseases and cancers of breast and colon.
  • They build up in the arteries causing narrowing of the arteries called as atherosclerosis which consequently can lead to major heart problems.

Sources of saturated fats: Cheese, butter, cream, red meat. Saturated fat is also in tropical oils, such as palm oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter. 

  Trans fats- worst fats

What makes them bad?

  • Tran’s fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, which makes the oil less likely to spoil but difficult to digest.
  • Raises your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your “good” (HDL) cholesterol.

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