smiitakrishna

Laxatives

General Health, Nutrition /

Hi Friends, how are you all doing?

Am good too. Just a lot on my mind right now but I am excited too. Will share more details of it once I concretize the plans but right now, it is an absolute chaos, I swear. I am putting a lot of efforts into it, to use my experience and nutritional expertise, for a new something. Wish me luck!

Anyways, today I want to talk to you about laxatives. Why laxatives? Because if one has digestive troubles and 75% of my customers DO have them (before they start with me), laxatives seem to be their only option and an alternative to spending long hours on a toilet seat (which can result into piles for many, unfortunately).

So, here we are today discussing laxatives. Is it safe? Does it help? Let’s see now.

What Are Laxatives?

Simply put, laxatives are medicines that help treat or prevent constipation. Ideally, they should be used only if the lifestyle changes that we are supposed to be making before starting laxatives, do not help enough.

There are many OTC varieties available in medical shops ad even grocery stores today. Sometimes, even doctors prescribe a certain kind.

We can categorize laxatives into 4 main kinds:

  1. Bulk-forming laxatives – The most common kind. These work by increasing the bulk/weight of stool and pushes the bowel movement. e.g. ispaghula husk. These work slowly but are the safest of all
  2. Osmotic laxatives – These absorb more water from body and help soften stool and make the bowel movement easy
  3. Stimulant laxatives – These kinds stimulate our gut-muscles for better bowel movement. These are fast-workers.
  4. Softener laxatives – Making the stool soft and ease the bowel movement

These come in various forms such as powder, pills, syrups, suppositories etc. One needs to read the packaging carefully to understand the best way and time, to take any laxative.

There are even some natural laxatives such as aloe, prunes, castor oil etc however one should exercise caution even with these.

In general, drinking adequate water is also very important as laxatives can cause dehydration.

Are Laxatives Effective And Safe?

It depends from one person to the other (like everything else) as to which kind is your best bet but generally people start with bulk-forming ones because:

  • They don’t require prescription
  • Are considered safe in general
  • Are easily available

It is always a good thing to talk to a physician or a gastroenterologist before one moves from the bulk-forming laxatives to the other kinds. In heart-patients, it is critical.

In fact, it is important to make that visit before you start on any kind. Your nutritionist could help you too, as a diet change can help you tremendously.

Should One Take Laxatives?

If you deal with constipation and bloating on a daily basis, most likely it is because:

  • Your meals are not well-balanced
  • your fibre intake is low
  • you lead a sedentary life and do not have a regular physical activity included in your day
  • you are not drinking enough water
  • you are stressed out

If one seeks a permanent solution, without a dependence on laxatives (unless there is a medical reason for it), one needs to sort all these above-mentioned factors out.

There are better ways to treat indigestion and constipation, trust me. Using laxatives on a daily basis can be harmful because:

  • the body gets used to it and stops making an effort on its own
  • your gut-health gets affected and gut-health means immunity too
  • laxatives can have side effects – such as too much gas, cramps and bloating etc
  • dehydration is a major concern if one is not careful
  • electrolyte-imbalance in body is always a risk

What Could Be Done Instead?

It is advisable to:

  • increase fibre consumption on a regular basis
  • drink plenty of water
  • exercise regularly
  • increase wholegrains and whole foods in diet
  • reduce consumption of junk food and refined flours

I have kept today’s post very simple and to-the-point. Hope you found it useful. Do share around if you wish and do join me on Instagram, for regular stories on Health, Nutrition and Fitness…and the motivation to keep at it. I feel social media is a great learning platform if we use it wisely.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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The Truth Of Green Potatoes

Nutrition /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

Am happy to be back this Friday and a big thank you everyone, for your good wishes last week.

Today’s post is about potatoes…not ordinary potatoes though but the green ones!

We were cooking some gravy one day last week and I found a potato with a green part/stain. I promptly threw the whole potato in the trash. My Other Half thought we could have used it and that it was just a bit raw. I told him it was poisonous and he started laughing till he realized I was serious.

I WAS serious and that made me realize that many of us don’t realize that green stained potatoes are poisonous indeed. Hence the topic today.

The green part and a bitter taste both, indicate the presence of toxic substances found in improperly-stored/damaged potatoes, called solanine and chaconine.

When the potatoes are directly exposed to sunlight or are kept in open for too long, they start producing chlorophyll which turns potatoes green. This chlorophyll in itself is not harmful but it can indicate the presence of two glycoalkaloids which are natural toxins: solanine and chaconine.

Nature’s idea, in producing these toxic compounds in exposed potatoes is to save the potatoes from insects, fungi and other animals but for us humans, it doesn’t sound like a great idea.

The highest concentration is found in the skin and the sprouts.

What Are These Toxic Elements?

Solanine is normally always present in potatoes but in such low quantities that it has no adverse effects on us, even when we have lots of them. When the potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they produce more of it.

Chlorophyll stains are green in colour and in general indicate the presence of solanine and chaconine, though that’s not a thumb rule. They don’t come hand-in-hand. However, that’s a risk I am not willing to take. So, I just discard green-stained potatoes.

Solanine and chaconine are toxic phytochemical which can be:

  • damaging to our intestinal wall membrane
  • are also an enzyme-inhibitor that affects the breakdown of certain neurotransmitters

They can cause symptoms such as :

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal disturbances
  • Headache and stomach-ache
  • Fever
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Confusion

In extreme cases, solanine is toxic enough to cause paralysis and even death. In general, 1.25mg per kg of body weight is enough to cause symptoms. Sooner in children.

What Shall We do?

Taking care of these glycoalkaloids, thankfully is quite easy. Fortunately, poisoning from green potatoes is also not very common. As it is, one needs to ingest a lot of it to experience any adverse effects but still, just take care of these points and cut any risk whatsoever:

  • While buying – Keep an eye while buying potatoes and don’t buy the ones which have green spots/stains on them
  • Purchase small quantities in one go
  • Storing potatoes properly – At home, store potatoes away from direct sun-light and specifically in a deep, dark spot of kitchen/pantry. One can always store potatoes inside a cupboard too
  • Don’t consume very old potatoes especially if they were not stored properly
  • Peeling, boiling, cooking and baking does not remove these toxins from potatoes
  • Storing in refrigerator is also not ideal

Please remember that even if the green stain is removed after peeling the potato, it is best to still not consume that one. If any part tastes bitter, throw it away like it burned your hand!

Hope you found today’s post useful. Do share around so that people are aware of the truth of green potatoes. For more and regular updates on Health, Nutrition and Fitness, do join me on Instagram on this link:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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Maltodextrin

Nutrition /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

Happy Vijayadashami/Dussehra to you all!

Anything exciting at your end this weekend? I for one, am pretty excited, about turning another chapter in this book called life. I have started the very renowned ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) certification for becoming a certified Fitness Trainer!

I already am an ACSM-certified nutritionist and with this new degree, I would finally be able to offer my clients a complete package of nutrition combined with fitness. For optimal health, they both need to go hand-in-hand, don’t they?

The next few months are going to be very hectic for me. It is a hard certification to complete and requires long hours of classes, associated certificates and self-study but despite all that, am looking forward to it 🙂

Coming back to today’s post, let me introduce you to maltodextrin today.  We need to be very careful when we consume packaged foods or even so-called ‘healthy foods’. Label reading is hard for most of us and dubious marketing claims don’t help either.  Most of the ‘healthy foods’ that I see around are still quite unhealthy especially if we consume them more, thinking that they are healthy.

The front side of the packaging tells us how healthy the product is and reading the back-side turns out to be a different story altogether.

e.g. just because the front of the packaging says sugar-free doesn’t mean that it is healthy by default. It could be high on fats (to make up for the lack of taste) or it could have unhealthy artificial sugars/sweeteners that could be even worse, in reality.

Maybe, with this post today, you would be a little more equipped to read labels and moderate your intake of maltodextrin. It is usually present in small, safe amounts in products and if we are careful, we can stay safe from its ill-effects.

What Is Maltodextrin?

In short, maltodextrin is a food additive. We can also call it an artificial sweetener even if it is less sweet than table sugar. It is a highly processed carbohydrate with no nutritional value and one that comes from mostly corn but also from rice, barley, wheat, tapioca or potato starch etc

The starch is put through hydrolysis process and further acids/enzymes etc are mixed into it to break it down and finally, the white, water-soluble powder is derived. This tasteless and odorless white powder is added to various foods (as an additive) to increase their shelf-life as well as improve their texture and taste.

In small quantities, its usage as a food additive is approved by govt. authorities worldwide.

Why Is It Even Made If It’s So Bad?

There are lots of additives, preservatives and fillers used in food industry and maltodextrin is one of those. It is a thickener or an additive. It is used to:

  • to increase the shelf life of the products
  • as a thickener to improve the texture of various puddings, sauces, salad dressings and gelatins
  • combine with other sweeteners to sweeten canned fruits, desserts and drinks
  • provide a quick boost of energy to athletes, by adding to sports drinks and other performance-snacks meant for them
  • provide a lot of calories pre/post/during-workout, to bodybuilders/athletes who are trying to gain quick body-weight without getting dehydrated in return
  • help people suffering with low sugar levels (hypoglycemia) as it provides quick boost in sugar-levels
  • in preventing colorectal cancer. Long story short, it prevents the tumor growth without any toxic after-effects
  • used as a thickener in various personal-care products such as lotions, shampoos etc

Then What Exactly Is The Problem Here?

  • The problem lies in it having a high GI (glycemic index)

Compared to regular sugar (GI 65), maltodextrin has a GI of 95-136. This could be good thing when we want a quick boost of energy or calories. For athletes etc, this might a good way to consume more calories and quick energy etc.

However, for diabetics especially, high GI index of maltodextrin and products containing it, doesn’t exactly sound like a good news. It spikes up the blood-sugar levels very quickly.

So, if one is diabetic, prediabetic or insulin-resistant, the maltodextrin consumption should be kept low and the daily carbohydrate count should be made to include maltodextrin into it.

  • Another reason to limit its consumption is its negative effect on our gut bacteria

This can easily compromise our immune system by causing a disbalance in our gut and the friendly bacteria residing there. Also, if one is at high risk for auto-immune or digestive disorders, one should keep maltodextrin consumption low.

  • Though after so much processing, maltodextrin becomes gluten-free. However, people with celiac disease or IBS, are advised to avoid it as the source might be wheat-starch
  • Many a times, people sensitive to MSG- Monosodium Glutamate (E621) are also sensitive to maltodextrin as the body processes both in the same way

How To Find It On Labels?

Now, this is an important question. We might know all about maltodextrin and might want to be aware about its consumption but how to ensure? Lot of packaged foods around us have it already and we might be consuming a lot of it, unknowingly.

Maltodextrin is a common ingredient in packaged foods, such as

  • beer, soft drinks and energy/sports drinks
  • meal replacement shakes
  • work-out supplements
  • low-fat and low calories food alternatives/substitutes
  • culinary additives by chef/restaurants
  • infant formula
  • meat substitutes
  • salad dressings
  • spices, sauces and ketchups
  • soups
  • yogurt, milk shakes
  • cereals
  • Instant meals/frozen meals
  • candies, sweets, desserts and baked goods
  • hair-care products, lotions etc

Here is how we can know that the product has maltodextrin. It can be made from any starchy food e.g. corn, potato, wheat, tapioca, or rice. If the label says – dextrin, maltodextrin, corn/wheat/potato starch, modified starch, starch solids etc, E1400…it means it has maltodextrin.

You see, it’s almost impossible to avoid maltodextrin in today’s time. It is also given a ‘safe’ status by various govt authorities however high consumption can lead to various ill-effects. The best solution is to:

  • consume less of junk and processed foods. We need to focus more on whole foods and home-cooked meals
  • stay aware of the ingredients in any case
  • one can find small brands using simple/clean/fresh ingredients for various food requirements as it is not possible for us to make/do everything at home, after all. Even then, keep an eye on ingredients
  • keep a food record whenever we find any allergies or recurring issues
  • to know that just because  a product is plant-based, vegan or gluten-free, it is not necessarily healthy

In the end, let’s keep the processed food consumption to minimum, adopt an active lifestyle free of stress and trust our bodies to handle whatever comes our way.

Rather than stressing over what is inevitable, let’s focus on how to minimize it by finding alternatives and keeping our bodies healthy, inside out.

Do join me on Instagram for more updates on Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Motivation here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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The Power Of Antioxidants

Nutrition /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How was the week that went by? All good at my end too, thank you.

Today’s post is on antioxidants. Yes, the powerful antioxidants which are supposed to be a magical cure for everything, just like immunity these days. No, no, there is no sarcasm intended here, they both are truly magical and crucial to our survival.

And they are closely related, antioxidants and immunity. In fact, the whole human body is magical…so precise and self-sufficient. Hundreds of chemical reactions and synchronized movements makes it magical and I often find myself overwhelmed with the complexity of it all.

e.g. – Did you know that a human heart beats 1,00,000 times a day and the whole process of one beat and the blood pumping through our heart in itself involves an orchestral rhythm.  It involves 4 heart chambers, electric signaling in its nodes and multiple valves/blood vessels working in sync …and I have not even included lungs here!

Anyways, more on that some other day. Let’s come back to antioxidants for now.

First, let’s get familiar with free radicals and oxidative stress.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are molecules in our body with uneven no. of electrons. This uneven no. of electrons makes them unstable and they look for other molecule to attach themselves to. To create long-chain molecules. This process called oxidation, could be beneficial or it could be harmful.

Beneficial because our immunity depends on it. It fights the infections by attaching and de-activating the incoming infections just as well.

When there are too many free radicals in our body, it causes oxidative stress and high oxidative stress in our body, is not a good news. Like most things, there needs to be a balance.

Excess of free radicals or high oxidative stress in our body is linked to many diseases and even damage to our DNA structure. The other damages include:

  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular illnesses including atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels)
  • Cancer
  • Inflammation and related conditions
  • High BP
  • Neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
  • Aging

We don’t want all this damage, right? We want to keep a balance between the free radicals and the antioxidants in our body. Now the question is how to keep a balance.

Let’s get to know the antioxidants now.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in our body and keep a balance. Our body knows this and has the whole system in place for us, already.

However, lot of factors manage to shake this balance. These factors could range from:

  • Pollution
  • Smoking, drugs and alcohol
  • Radiations
  • Poor diet choices
  • Stress
  • High blood pressure
  • Infections such as bacterial, fungal or viral
  • Excessive intake of minerals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium as well as of Vitamins C and E
  • Exercising too much

Now we know that antioxidants are essential for our survival. We also know that our body has a system in place for generating oxidants. In fact, all plants and animals have such a system in place. How can we help this system or strengthen it, in our body?

Through diet. And better lifestyle choices, of course.

Too much of anything, even of good antioxidants is bad. High-dose supplements should be avoided unless your doctor prescribed them for a specific reason.

And that is why having food rich in antioxidants is generally considered safer. It is very rare to consume high-dosages through diet alone and a good diet brings about a whole cluster of other good nutrients, apart from antioxidants.

I feel this post is long enough for today. Now we do understand various terms like oxidation, oxidative stress, free radicals, antioxidants etc. better and how the whole process works.

I shall cover the rest in my next post, next Friday. It would tell us how we can improve our antioxidant intake through diet and by making better lifestyle choices.

If you want to join me on Instagram for regular updates on Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Motivation, I am here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Health & Peace

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Staying Healthy During Festivals

General Health, Nutrition /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

I am sure everything is going alright and you are smashing the goals you set for yourself, for 2021…it’s almost the year-end! I know there still are two more months to go but the way the time flies by, is crazy and we will be there before we even know it.

But right now, the festive season is upon us and we get to be merry and give this year a grand farewell.

Today’s post was supposed to be the part 2 of the antioxidants post that I did last Friday. However, when many people asked for help with festive eating on DMs and Instagram, I had to put antioxidants aside for next week…and press the emergency button on festive eating. They needed help and I guess, many others do too. I am available on Instagram here, by the way:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

It is funny how we stick to a routine for the whole year and give in to the festive-grind a little too much…and start back where we were at New Year’s. Only with added guilt and stress. Not healthy. Neither is giving up completely nor the guilt.

Truth be told, I don’t understand it. What is the issue here? Why do we need to even worry about this festival season? Ideally, it’s just another part of the year where we still need to practice mindful eating and staying active. That’s a life-long habit…it is supposed to be! Just because I ate sweets a few times won’t make my abs disappear suddenly…or increase my sugar levels permanently. The keyword here is few times.

And mindful eating sails us through any sort of days- festival, travelling or illness, it doesn’t matter.

Mindful eating lets us enjoy whatever we want to enjoy and being mindful also lets us be flexible. Just like a good diet/health plan should be – flexible and sustainable.

I have two questions for anyone with the same fear/dilemma:

  • Isn’t your health plan sustainable? Any good diet-plan should be sustainable and enjoyable
  • Second, would you be partying, eating sweets/delicacies starting from breakfast and late into night? For many days?

If the answer to first question is yes and the answer to second is no, I don’t see a problem. A couple of sweets, some heavy meals and some late-night partying, would not ruin it for us (and for anyone) provided we stayed on track, the rest of the year.

Good health is not a 21 days challenge or transformation. It is all about eating clean and balanced, day after day…it is about staying active and also about having no nutritional deficiencies as well as normal health parameters, including normal digestion.

Yes, if you have a particular goal in mind then you need to still be following your goal-plan but do know that 1-2 days of late nights and a few of festive meals won’t change it much. It is all about what you do the rest of the year!

However, having said all this, here are a few tips which would help you stay in control and on track with your goals:

  • Keep the days as normal as possible. Do not skip meals just because you are going to have a lavish dinner in night. You would end up over-eating, for sure
  • Keep the normal meals of your day heavy on veggies and include probiotics in it, to avoid unnecessary bloating and acidity. curd, curd-rice, whole grains, whole foods are great for the purpose
  • Do not leave the house hungry, have something light before you leave
  • Keep drinking water when you are out. I am sure washroom would be accessible wherever you are. In fact, the extra trips to washroom might earn your extra NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis)
  • Skip mocktails and sugary beverages. This itself would help tremendously. Take a buttermilk if eating out at a restaurant. Water is always available everywhere any which ways
  • Moderate your food consumption, stick to small quantities and split your dessert with someone
  • Enjoy the food and chew slowly…feel the flavors
  • In fact, it would be a great idea to stick to only the festival-specific food and sweets. What is the point of gobbling up all the food in one go if it is available through the year easily e.g. bhakerwadi, chakli, cookies, chocolates etc
  • Pick up some salad by default. Make sure you fill 25-30% of your plate with fresh veggies. However, be careful with the dressings such as mayo etc
  • Most people serve dry fruits today, along with sweets. Swap some for sweets and cookies. Ditto with fresh fruits, if available

Let us remember that in festive times, what matters most is the festive vibe. Celebrating the festival with family and friends is such a fresh breath of air! Let it recharge us, take a much-needed pause, look around, enjoy the beauty and decorations everywhere… and stay surrounded with our loved ones and enjoy. Vibe high!

Also, let us not feel bad when someone tries to pressurize us into eating when we don’t want to and we say a firm NO…and when people try to make us feel guilty about picking up only half of that sweet. Let us not mock someone who is clearly trying to stay on-track. Let us not equate love to force-feeding and let us focus on the true traditions of the festival, the true sentiments behind it all.

Happy Deepawali in advance, my friends. Till next Friday,

Love, Health & Peace

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Part 2: Foods Rich In Antioxidants

Nutrition /

Hi friends, Happy Friday! Happy Guru Parab and Kartik Purnima too!

I am so happy to be back after a gap of two weeks. Was taking a pause with family and the added classes/studies for Certified Personal Trainer from American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) did not make it any easier. It is a lot crazy right now and I really want to insert a crying emoji for better effects but I don’t think I can do that on my laptop.

Anyways, how have you been? Hope life is going crazily good for you ?

Today’s post, the part deux of Antioxidants, has been long due. Do read the part 1 of the Antioxidants Series here if you missed it or need to recall something. In it, we already understood what are free radicals, what is oxidation as well as oxidative stress and, what exactly are antioxidants.

There are several factors that can shake the balance of free radicals/antioxidants and cause the oxidative stress. These factors could be:

  • Pollution
  • Smoking, drugs and alcohol
  • Radiations
  • Poor diet choices
  • Stress
  • High blood pressure
  • Infections such as bacterial, fungal or viral
  • Excessive intake of minerals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium as well as of Vitamins C and E
  • Exercising too much

Antioxidants are essential for our survival and we need to support our body in keeping this balancing act, strong. Without antioxidants, major damage would happen to our body and it won’t survive for long!

How?

Do not worry much. It is not possible to completely avoid the damage done by oxidative stress. However, there are things we could do to minimize their effects on our body and ensure a disease free, long, healthy life.

One way is through our diet. Antioxidants are found abundantly in various foods, apart from being produced in our body on its own. Make sure to have a healthy, well-balance diet and include the foods below in it:

  • Rajma (kidney beans)
  • Dark leafy greens – spinach, methi, kale, broccoli, tomato, bok choy, lemon grass
  • Beans – broad beans (sem fali)
  • Beetroot, carrot, olives, onions, garlic
  • Amla (Indian gooseberry), lemon and other citrus fruits
  • Berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries
  • Cherries, prunes, stone apple (bael fruit), avocadoes, bananas, pomegranate, apricots, grapes
  • Nuts
  • Cocoa or dark chocolate (80% and above cocao content)
  • Artichokes – steaming them ensures the best antioxidant content
  • Red or purple cabbage – 4 times the regular cooked cabbage due to the red pigment anthocyanin
  • Microgreens
  • Barley flour (bajra)
  • Turmeric
  • Vitamin E, C and melatonin

Antioxidants are easy to add to the diet. There are so many options to suit all budgets and tastes. You don’t even have to calculate much, there are two simple rules:

  1. Add a variety to your diet
  2. Add colours (preferably in veggies)

Other than diet, there are a few other ways to decrease the oxidative stress in our body. These are:

  • Care for the environment and the Earth. Doing our own small bits towards reducing pollution and wastage of resources go a long way. Being mindful of our actions and their consequences to the planet/animals/humanity in general, keeps us happy and safe too
  • A regular exercise routine at moderate intensity works wonders
  • Quitting smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke, both
  • Quit or reduce alcohol consumption
  • Do not overeat and keep a routine for meals/snacks
  • Reducing our exposure to chemicals, pesticides, cleaning agents etc helps
  • Sunscreens help and I, personally struggle with this one…I always forget to put it on and these days, I have been trying to be mindful for it ?
  • Adequate sleep – differs from person to person but 6 hours of good sleep is adequate for most of us
  • Stress management

In the end, the important thing is to take care of yourself, your loved ones and Mother Earth. We will automatically be taken care of!

It is also time we start paying Mother Earth back for all that she gives us so patiently…to help us live and thrive even if we choose to do nothing in return. Not fair to give her nothing in return, wouldn’t you say?

Hope you found the series on antioxidants useful and it gave you food for thought…and some actual food ideas! Do join me on Instagram for regular updates on Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Motivation, here:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday,

Love, Health & Peace

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Core Strength

Fitness /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How was the week that went by? I am sure, went good.

Good for me too. I have soft-launched the first product from my ”Nutrition-Range”- a clean and delicious chocolate cake (available in all kinds of options – vegan, eggless, gluten-free etc.) and I hope to go about it in a bigger way once the brand/logo gets registered and the FSSAI registration is completed too.

Till then, it is just the chocolate cake but I owe you all a big “THANK YOU” (especially to those who ordered and gave positive feedbacks). I am glad you loved it and my belief that delicious food can easily be made clean/healthy with a little extra effort, holds true.

Coming back to today’s post, I want to talk about core strength. I see so many of us struggle with things and movements in life because of core-strength, without even knowing we lack in it. Unfortunately, if we don’t know, we can’t work on it and we keep suffering.

Core strength can change the quality of life, for most of us…and still we never worry about it because we never knew. Let’s change that today.

So important I find it that when I start my fitness studio (due in another 4-5 months once I complete my ACSM certification), I am primarily going to focus on core strength and movements initially. It takes a while but the results are phenomenal, trust me.

Let us see what core strength is.

First, What Is Core?

In loose terms, core is our body without limbs. Core is central to our existence. The muscles in our body (without limbs) including those in our chest, abdomen and pelvis, stabilize our body and the posture.

And Core Strength?

The stronger these muscles are, the better control we have on our body. Overall core strength actually involves many different muscles working in sync, to stabilize our spine, hip area (pelvis) and attached muscles. Not only all these muscles need to be strong but they also need to learn to work together.

The benefits of a strong core would be:

  • It stabilizes our body allowing us easy and free movements with balance
  • As it provides us balance and control, our risk of falling becomes less. Less falling, less injuries
  • It provides proper posture to our body. Better posture means less pains and less injuries
  • Everyday acts/movements become easier including household chores, bending, turning, sitting, standing etc.
  • Very Important for people who work desk-jobs to avoid postural pains
  • Lowers risk of back pain and injuries
  • Provides good posture
  • Very important for runners as well – do not underestimate core, if you run
  • Strength and balance as we age

How To Know If We Have A Weak Core?

We can take the core test also, to see where one stands. Will come to that a little later. Meanwhile, here are a few signs that would tell you that you have a weak core, without even taking any test.

  • If your back hurts after standing or even sitting for a while, you have a weak core
  • Frequent lower back pains
  • Poor posture – e.g. rounded back/hunching or drooping shoulders
  • Poor balance in general
  • Get breathless with little exertion
  • Can’t stand for long and feel a general weakness in body and body strength

Now, Core Test

There are many core-tests that one can take to assess the core strength but the easiest one is the 60-sec plank.

All you need is a mat on floor and hold yourself in plank position on elbows. If you can hold for 60 seconds, you have good core strength and if you cannot, you do not.

If you are able to complete 60 sec plank, try one sit-up and a side plank on elbows. It you can, congratulations. It is time to move up the ladder!!

How To Strengthen Core

If you cannot complete these basic tests and show/have one or many signs of a weak core as we discussed above, do not worry. It can be worked upon.Slowly and steadily though. Do not be in a hurry or you would cause more damage than gains.

I am going to share some beginner’s exercises only because it is important that you start under supervision to avoid injuries. However, if you know the proper form, ONLY THEN include these exercises in your daily routine.

  • Bridge
  • Crunch and bicycle crunch – if you have existing back pain, go very slow
  • Supine Toe -Tap
  • Bird-Dog move
  • Mountain climbers – go slow
  • Basic plank on elbows – start with however much you can hold and slowly increase the duration to 60 seconds

However, I will repeat, it is important to start under supervision to avoid injuries and if you have existing back-pain etc, go very, very slow.

It’s a slow process but the payback is huge. It improves the overall quality of our life.

Hope you found today’s post useful. Check out my Insta-feed to see that over a period of 2 years, where I have reached in terms of core strength. You can too.

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Stay consistent, give just 1-hour every day to yourself (5 days a week is good) for your fitness routine, eat well and see the magic happen. I kid you not!

Love, Health & Peace

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Weight Loss Part 1: Metabolism

Fitness, General Health /

Hi friends, happy Friday!

How is it going? I am sure, all good.

A few days back, in my Instagram stories, I ran an #ama (ask me anything) and all the questions I received on it, were about weight loss or about protein. We will come to protein some other day but let’s discuss the fundamentals of weight loss, today and in the next few posts. It is important to understand these basics of weight loss if that is your current goal.

Here is my Instagram link, in case you wish to join me there:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Weight loss and weight management are both not easy tasks, for anyone. Here, I said it. Let me also complete the paragraph by saying that it is not that hard either. A body achieves what a mind believes, isn’t it the truth?

However, it’s not as simple as losing weight through crash-diets or low-calorie diets or… long-hours/days of fasting coupled with binge-eating. Actions have consequences (good and bad) and what we eat (or not eat) impacts our health in a big way.

When we crash-diet or go on low-calorie diets, our body adapts in a lot of different ways and not all of them are positive. Our best bet is to lose weight slowly and steadily, in a healthy way – so that we can have a control over sagging skin, sunken eye’s/cheeks, hormonal irregularities, mental health concerns, slow metabolism, nutritional deficiencies, sustainability and so on…

And that is why I am starting today with first explaining a few terms that one needs to understand before undertaking a weight-loss journey, for it to be:

  • healthy
  • sustainable for life
  • bringing more positive changes as a bundle, rather then just unhealthy weight loss which would anyways make its appearance back soon, trust me

Let’s begin. Today’s post is about a word that we hear (and use) on a daily basis with ease however, if someone asks us to describe the word, I am sure most of us would not know how exactly to describe it. We know it, we are aware of it and yet, what it exactly means is not clear to most of us.

The word and topic of today’s blog is ‘Metabolism’. We use the word every day, in so many different contexts such as – “I need to boost my metabolism”, “I have a slow metabolism”, “this is good for metabolism” and “this boosts metabolism”, “she/he must have good metabolism, she/he never puts on any weight” and the kinds.

Let’s see what actually this mysterious metabolism is. To me, it seems that if we can figure this metabolism thing out, we can find solutions to many of our problems.

What Is Metabolism?

Simply put, whatever we eat or drink, is converted into energy for the body to use. The whole process of this converting food into energy is called metabolism. It is not a single-step process.

And we do need energy for everything that our body does – whether we run or rest. Body also needs energy for all the body functions that we don’t even see happening e.g. beating of our heart, circulation of blood, constant repair work inside cells, digestion and what not.

The very basic energy we require for our body’s basic functions is also called as Basal Metabolic Rate. This generally remains constant for a person and it takes considerable effort to change it. It also varies from one person to another due to many factors, such as:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Body composition
  • Body size

Metabolism, to be honest, on its own has very little to do with weight loss per se. Shocking, right! It is true. So, unless one suffers from hypothyroidism or any other medical problem which actually affects metabolism, we can’t blame metabolism for our weight gain.

You see, weight gain happens due to lot of factors such as:

  • Energy disbalance e.g. you eat more than your body burn
  • Diet composition – means that even if you eat less or okay in terms of calories but the composition is not optimum for you
  • Physical activity
  • Sleep quality
  • Stress
  • Hormonal profile
  • Lifestyle choices
  • Genetic

Then Why Worry About Metabolism?

If it is not important why do we even worry about metabolism?  No point doing any sort of physical activity also if metabolism can’t be changed, right?

Wrong. Metabolism is important. In a way you probably never even looked at. Remember what I said when we began this post. The factors that affect weight-management. Recall the third point or scroll up. Right, body composition! And then, there is diet composition.

I have thrown probably two news terms at you today and may I say, of utmost importance. These are:

  • Diet composition – what our diet is made of or macronutrients (and even micronutrients) such as carbs, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, minerals etc.
  • Body Composition – what our body is made of. Muscles or fat? What is their percentage? How much are the bones?

Now that you started to get it, let’s stop here today. Let it get absorbed. Think about these two words, their meaning and see where do you stand in both these terms.

Now, what to do about these terms, would follow in the subsequent posts and I will also keep sharing little nuggets of info (and motivation – super important, if you ask me) to work on these in my daily Instagram stories.

Hope you find what I write, useful and that it helps you in your goals and lifestyle modification efforts. All the best 🙂

Love, Health & Peace

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Weight Loss 2: Body Composition

Fitness, General Health /

Hi friends, how are you all?

In my last post, we discussed metabolism, the very foundation of weight loss. You can read it here if you missed it. We also discussed why we gain weight at all, in the first place.

In this series, I am not going to give you tips on how to lose/gain weight or how to maintain weight. What I am trying to do here is to explain, in simple terms a few things such as:

  1. Why do we gain weight?
  2. How can we lose weight sustainably?
  3. How not to worry if you are doing everything right but still not losing weight?
  4. How to lose fat and not muscles/water?
  5. How to keep that hard-earned weight-loss forever?

I firmly believe that even if weight loss/gain/management is not easy, it should be a healthy and steady process. One should be able to make healthier and informed choices.

As for question no. 1, weight gain can happen due to lot of factors such as:

  • Energy disbalance e.g. you eat more than your body burn
  • Diet composition – means that even if you eat less or okay in terms of calories but the composition is not optimum for you
  • Physical activity
  • Sleep quality
  • Stress
  • Hormonal profile
  • Lifestyle choices
  • Genetic factors – which is the reason for us to work harder rather than simply resigning to it. Afterall, it is just a higher-than-normal risk, not something that would necessarily come true!

Now that we know what are the most common reasons for gaining weight, we can see what is our weak area and work accordingly. I have written about it in past and on my Instagram stories, I keep sharing small tips and info for it too. You can join me on Instagram here, if you want:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Now, coming to the 3rd and 4th questions (will come to 2nd later), let us know what is body composition. It would tell us what kind of weight to lose and what kind to get on, even if it means no weight loss on your weighing scale!

Body Composition

Body composition is one reason why I wanted to be a Nutritionist as well as a Fitness Trainer, combined. I believe in a combined, holistic approach to health and fitness. Why? Because they go hand in hand, for optimal benefits.

In simple terms, body composition is the percentage of muscles, fat, water and minerals (e.g. bones) in our bodies. Two people with same weight can have very different body composition and thus, vary greatly in terms of overall health and fitness levels. For me (and most health experts), body composition is more important than just weight.

Body weight falling in average BMI category is very important yes, but after looking at BMI, it is also very important to have the right kind of fat/muscle percentage in the body. Too much of fat, especially around the belly area…even if your weight and BMI are normal, is still not healthy. It can lead to various diseases such as heart concerns, stroke, diabetes, obesity etc

Similarly unhealthy fad-diets, crash diets and prolonged fasting deplete our body of precious muscles. We might lose weight but most likely it would be muscles (and water and important minerals from our body). Not healthy again.

We any which ways lose muscles aka sarcopenia (and bone mass too) as we age and fastening the process with unhealthy diets and habits, just makes the matter worse.

How To Know Body Composition

There are several methods for it however, we might need one tool/machine or the other. Your nutritionist or fitness expert can help you with that. From basic tools like fat calipers to sophisticated BMI machines, pick whichever is accessible to you.

How To Achieve The Right Body Composition?

It isn’t hard. One needs to have a good balance of muscles, fats and minerals in body. Water too, of course but that’s for another day.

Right nutrition combined with a regular exercise routine can do that for anybody. It is that simple! Equally important is a right mindset which can learn to focus on a healthy weight, with a slow, steady and sustainable for life kind of approach. Throw in some muscles and you have got a winner!

Focus on:

  • Right nutrition within your calorie requirements
  • Having foods which are cleaner and satisfying
  • Ensure adequate protein and fibre intake
  • Physical activity and regular exercise
  • Good sleep quality
  • Avoid/low alcohol consumption
  • Quit smoking

In The End

Just your weight is not an indication of good health and I am sure one can feel/notice that herself/himself. Good nutrition and regular exercise are critical for a good body composition and this comes with a host of other advantages such as strength and good health, in general.

Hoping that this second post today, in the series, helped you in understanding the basic concepts of weight loss.

Till next Friday,

Love, Health & Peace

pic credit: trifecta

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Weight Loss-3: Diet Composition

Fitness, General Health /

Hi friends, how are you all? All good, I am sure. And even if there was something that is bothering you, I am sure you will soon find a way out ?

It has been quite a hectic week for me too as I finally presented Nutrition Works (my own nutrition label) to you and the world. Not in a big way still, until I am able to add more products to it. Do try the super-yummy chocolate cake, made clean and fresh, without added sugars/additives and with mixed flours…that can be customized as per your preferences/diet/medical concerns (while retaining the core-deliciousness).

My belief that one can eat healthier and cleaner with a little effort holds true with this chocolate cake (and with other products that I would introduce soon, hopefully).

To add to the chaos, my help hasn’t been around and the younger one had a birthday party planned. So, between the clients, chores, cakes, birthday planning/buying, online schooling/reviews and some time for myself and my studies…it was crazy! Good crazy though ?

Coming back to the post today, we now come to the third and the last post of ‘’Weight Loss’’ series. With this series, I have tried to give you a very important tool so that you can decide what works best for you. And that tool is – knowledge which brings the power to make right decisions, for oneself.

Because there are no thumb rules. Neither in nutrition nor in fitness. What is right for me might not be right for you. What works for you might not work for me.

And that brings us to diet composition.

What is Diet Composition?

In simple terms, diet composition is the combination or percentage of various major nutrients of our diet. The carbs, the fats, the protein, the fibre and of course, other micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, polyphenols etc).

A balanced diet would provide us with enough energy to go through the day as well as enough nutrients to maintain good body composition and…health. Sometimes, diet might be able to provide adequate energy but isn’t well-balanced! Sometimes, it can create energy-imbalance.

How much of each (as well the quality of each nutrient), is a good question and it all depends on our goals. For good health in general, it is easy to achieve though. How? We will come to it, shortly.

Just calorie-counting is incomplete in itself if the calories comes from unhealthy sources or result in nutritional deficiencies/malnutrition.

The Downside

There is a downside to diet composition too, yes. And we bring it in ourselves when we become obsessed with counting every single carb or eliminating an entire food group, from our diet…or add too much of good thing beyond our actual requirements.

So, What To Do?

There are a few things that we all could do when it comes to eating a well-balanced diet and though these would differ slightly from one person to another, due to a lot of factors including individual goals…these still hold true at a foundation level:

  • We can practice intuitive eating for one. This means that we eat when we are really hungry and not to find comfort in food. It is also an anti- crash dieting approach to food
  • Keeping ourselves occupied with things that we like can keep us stress-free.This in turn, helps us with keeping our diet (and life) on track
  • Stay active physically
  • We must eat a variety of food on a daily basis. This means that we experiment with healthier options and include all sorts of grains, vegetables and fruits to our diet. Of course, one would take care of medical concerns here and avoid foods that create contradictions with certain medical conditions/medications etc
  • Do not exclude specific food groups from diet. One can increase or decrease certain components e.g. you could add protein a little more if you are physically more active however, including everything on a daily basis helps tremendously. One can always look for alternatives if one is allergic or uncomfortable with a certain food-item
  • Keeping food clean is very important. This simple means that we reduce our consumption of highly processed food and food that we already know is doing us no good. Do notice that I said, reduce…not completely stop. It can be gradual process and a sustainable approach to food works best, in my experience
  • Practice mindful eating. Please take 10 minutes to sit quietly and enjoy the food. Observe how it tasted and how it made you feel. Chew slowly. Follow your hunger and satiety cues. And this would only happen if we make a conscious effort towards listening to our body
  • Moderation is the key to a sustainable health plan. However, some things such as smoking, are best completely quit

In the end, if general good health is our goal, the above-mentioned points would serve us well. If we have specific goals in mind or we seek disease management, best to get professional help.

Hope you found this post (and this series) helpful. Do share with people who you think might benefit from these post. In case you wish to join me on Instagram, here is the link to it:

https://www.instagram.com/healthcoach_smita/

Till next Friday

Love, Heath & Peace

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