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October 25, 2017
Pramod Pathak
Ever wondered what happens to your body when you start walking?
Here's a minute-by -minute rundown of the amazing chain reaction walking and exercise has upon your body, it's truly amazing!
Minutes 1 to 5
Your first few steps trigger the release of energy-producing chemicals in your cells to fuel your walk. Your heart rate revs-up from about 70 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), boosting blood-flow and warming muscles.
Any stiffness subsides as joints release lubricating fluid to help you move more easily. As you get moving, your body burns 5 calories per minute, compared with only 1 per minute at rest. Your body needs more fuel and starts pulling from its carbohydrates and fat stores.
Minutes 6 to 10
Heartbeat increases and you're burning up to 6 calories a minute as you pick up the pace. A slight rise in blood pressure is countered by the release of chemicals that expand blood vessels, bringing more blood and oxygen to working muscles.
Minutes 11 to 20
Your body temperature keeps rising, and you start to perspire as blood vessels near the skin expand to release heat. As your walk becomes brisker, you'll be burning up to 7 calories a minute and breathing harder. Hormones such as epinephrine and glucagon rise to release fuel to the muscles.
Minutes 21 to 45
Feeling invigorated, you start to relax as your body releases tension, thanks in part to a dose of feel-good chemicals such as endorphins in your brain. As more fat is burned, insulin (which helps store fat) drops--excellent news for anyone battling excess weight or diabetes.
Minutes 46 to 60
Your muscles may feel fatigued as carbohydrates stores are reduced. As you cool down, your heart rate decreases and your breathing slows. You'll be burning fewer calories but more than you were before you started. Your calorie burn will remain elevated for up to 1 hour.
All this happens without a single conscious thought from us - the human body is amazing.
Stay blessed -Stayfit
Walk / Exercise.
There are millions of people who experience migraines. But three
times as many women than men experience migraines. In fact, about 70% of all migraine sufferers are women.
Migraines not only ruin the quality of your life, they can leave you on a
roller coaster of doctor’s visits, prescription drugs and their side
effects, with migraine sufferers using twice the amount of prescription
drugs and visiting doctors and emergency rooms twice as often as those who don’t have the disorder.
For many, no matter how many doctors they visit, no relief is in sight. And, even when prescription drugs help, they bring their own dangerous side effects to the mix, like fatigue, racing heartbeat, difficulty thinking, tightness in the chest or throat and more.
It’s no wonder that more and more people are looking for natural relief from their migraines. If you’re one of them, here’s a list of the top seven
natural ways to get rid of your migraines and get back to your life.
· Exercise- Regular exercise can reduce the frequency and intensity
of headaches and migraines. In fact, one study showed that exercise was as effective as taking a prescribed migraine medication, at preventing
migraines. It works because when you exercise, your body releases
endorphins, which are your body’s natural painkillers. Exercise also reduces stress and helps you to sleep at night. This is vital since stress and lack of sleep are two of the most common migraine triggers.
· Quit smoking- Tobacco is a known trigger for headaches,
specifically migraines. And, one study demonstrated that not only do smokers have more migraine attacks but that smoking more than five cigarettes a day results in these headaches.
· Maintain a healthy weight- Carrying around extra weight isn’t just bad for your joints, it can actually cause migraines. In fact, the combined results of 12 studies showed that people with obesity have a 27 percent higher risk of migraines than people with a normal weight. The study also showed that being underweight carried risks as well, with a 13 percent higher risk than people with a normal weight.
· Establish a sleep schedule- lack of sleep is a common migraine
trigger. Keeping a set schedule and getting at least eight to ten hours of
sleep per night is vital to reducing the number of migraines you have.
· Practice good posture- Poor posture causes a strain on your neck
and back muscles and can result in a migraine. Practice good posture and
strengthen your postural muscles to help alleviate your headaches. Check
your posture throughout your day. Is your head back? Is your spine straight?
Are your shoulders hunched? Correct any problems you find. And, don’t forget the importance of balance. If you’re carrying items, try to distribute the weight evenly rather than holding all of the weight on one side, which
throws off your posture.
· Reduce stress- Since many migraines are caused by stress, you want to take steps to lower your levels and learn to relax. Yoga, meditation and aerobic exercise are all good stress relievers. Or, just soak in a bath of Epsom salts with a good book. This gives you an added boost of magnesium, also good for preventing migraines.
It’s important that we don’t just head straight for the trash can. As a friend’s grandmother always said, "When you throw something away, where’s 'away?’" If we know something is going to a good home where it will be used, it makes it so much easier—and more rewarding—to let go, so donating really is the best option.
Less obvious places to donate.
If you’ve ever been to a large nonprofit donation center, chances are you’ve seen bins and bins overflowing with stuff. While these centers are certainly helpful in many cases, and definitely better than a landfill, it’s easy to wonder if there are any better options out there.
Here are some lesser-known donation organizations I’ve discovered over the years of sending off my clients' gently used goods:
1. Nonprofits for kids in foster care:
Kids in the foster care system don’t know a stable home, and many of them are constantly moving from place to place. And more often than not, these kids show up at their court hearings and temporary homes with all their belongings in a black garbage bag. All foster agencies accept donations of suitcase, duffels, and backpacks. Make sure they are clean, have working zippers, and aren’t too heavy.
2. Animal rescue organizations:
If animals touch your heart, think about donating your old sheets and towels to a local animal rescue. While you don’t want to use a towel stained from the last "skipped the hairdresser dye disaster," the dogs and cats waiting to be adopted won’t notice the stain on their new cozy bed.
3. Women's shelters:
One of the great indignities of being homeless is a lack of access to bathrooms. For women in particular, there is the added challenge that feminine hygiene products and clean underwear are often difficult to come by. If you buy a brand of pad or tampon that you don’t end up liking, or even buy an extra box next time you are at the store, consider donating them. Also some shelters take clean and very gently used underwear. Call your local shelter to ask about their guidelines.
4. Homeless shelters:
Do you hoard travel soaps and shampoos from hotels, leaving you with a drawer full of products you’ll probably never use? Throw them in a shopping bag and drop them off at your local homeless shelter. Personal hygiene products are much needed and the small size is greatly appreciated.
5. Classrooms:
Do you (or your parents or grandparents) have a giant collection of National Geographic magazines? Maybe you swear they’re worth something. Well, I hate to break it to you but they’re probably not. However, they could make for a great kids’ art project. Donate any stockpiled magazines to a local school and you could make a teacher very happy.
6. Chemo treatment rooms:
Unfortunately, most of us know someone who is battling cancer. And if you have ever sat with someone during their chemo treatments, you know it’s a long, tedious, and uncomfortable process. I love to pull together a bag full of beautiful magazines and lighthearted books to drop off for patients and their companions to enjoy.
I know this fine grain of donating will take a little more work on your end, but don’t let it hold you up! Make a plan to get it done. Call to see if the organization does pickups or, if you don’t have time, maybe hire someone to drop it off for you.
You are not only making your home a more peaceful and calm place to live, but, in the process, you are helping someone in need out AND keeping stuff out of the landfills. A win for everyone.
If Travel features in your Diwali holiday plans, then this is a good recipe to check out. Easy to make, sweet and healthy too.
Ingredients
3 bananas, peeled and mashed completely
2 cups oats semi ground with lots of texture
1/2 cup of mixed nuts and seeds of your choice
2-3 tbsps black raisins
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
A pinch of salt
Method
Preheat oven to 180C for 10 mins.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a big bowl mix all the ingredients together really well till all ingredients are coated with the banana.
Spread it on the baking tray in a half inch layer and press it down with your palms.
Cool completely before cutting.
There’s something about the colour red that lights up the eyes and fires up the belly. But more than stimulating your appetite, the colour red happens to have several potent heart-healthy benefits… And it’s all due to the pigment that gives pink and red-colored fruits and veggies their irresistible hue — the carotenoid known as lycopene.
· Lycopene balances cholesterol levels - LDL cholesterol is a key player in the formation of plaque that can coat your arteries, especially small dense LDL particles. Plaque buildup stiffens and thickens the arteries and is responsible for the most common type of heart disease – atherosclerosis. While keeping LDL cholesterol levels lower can help, having high enough levels of HDL cholesterol is equally important. And it seems that lycopene may lend a helping hand in balancing both LDL and HDL…
And when people increase their lycopene intake over a 12-week period, either by diet or supplementation, it leads to enhanced function of HDL cholesterol.
· Lycopene supports great artery function-Free radicals in the body can lead to a higher rate of oxidized LDL. Oxidation of LDL is where risk of plaque increases and damage to the delicate cells in the artery walls occurs — increasing your risk of atherosclerosis with the possibility of eventuating in a deadly heart attack or stroke! That’s where the antioxidant activities of lycopene come into play…
Lycopene scavenges free radicals and prevents LDL oxidation while at the same time providing a promising 53 percent improved artery function, especially in patients who already have a heart condition.
· Lycopene prevents inflammation-induced heart issues- It is well known that atherosclerosis has a strong inflammatory component underlying its initiation and development.
Researchers have tested the effects of lycopene on several types of heart-related cells. Their explorations have found that not only does lycopene decrease the production of proinflammatory molecules, it prevents the proliferation of immune cells responsible for chronic inflammation, by as much as 40 percent! As a consequence, artery damage and risk of plaque formation and development significantly decreases.
So where can you find this incredible red -
Tomatoes are the most common source of lycopene in the diet, accounting for 80 percent of most people’s intake. This includes fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato soup, tomato paste and tomato juice. In fact, a tomato-rich diet may provide a 30 percent reduced risk of heart disease and up to 59 percent reduced risk of stroke — bring on the tomatoes! Other lycopene food sources include watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit.
The suggested daily amount of lycopene is between 10-30 mg and you can easily meet this goal by enjoying a few servings of red and pink produce each day.
Tomato paste (1/4 cup) = 18.8 mg
Watermelon (1 slice) = 14.7 mg
Raw tomato (1 medium) = 3.7 mg
Pink grapefruit (1/2 fruit) = 4.9 mg
Tomato juice (250 mL) = 25 mg