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  • Which physical activity is best to stay fit?


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    I had reduced my postpartum weight last year with the help of portion control technique. Now I am 38 years old and want to live a fit life. I want to know that which physical activity is best -yoga, walk, or simple exercises. Which one can help me in maintaining weight (I'm a foodie but tries to keep a check over my cravings) and will be beneficial for my knees and back? I am more concerned as I am about to enter into my 40s.
    Please note that I am suffering from plantar fasciitis, mild cervical, and mild rare pain in the knees and buttocks.
  • Answers

    11 Answers found.
  • Keeping physically fit is a big challenge for most of us but there are some time tested techniques and methods which generally give success in this endeavour. Let us try to understand the whole gamut of good health keeping though I am afraid that it is always so easy to tell all those things rather than practice oneself but assuming that sufficient motivation and enthusiasm is there in the concerned individuals, we try to get a feel of things.

    The first and foremost important thing is the nutrition factor and many people while on dieting do this mistake of reducing the input nutrition and invite various ailments well before the old age. A healthy person requires some minimum intake of carbohydrate, fats, minerals, water etc to keep the adequate source of energy available for the body continuously. Once this is ascertained then comes the crucial role of finding out the necessary work outs or exercises required for the ultimate goal of remaining fit.

    In the Indian culture, early morning rising is considered a good thing for health but those people who have to work late night cannot be asked to get up early as that would be detrimental for their health. For them, the simple formula of 7 hours sleep is to be administered even if it results in late getting up. Sleep is a very important need in our lives and a good sleep for adequate hours is a great support for well being.

    For those who have problem of concentrating and also problem of controlling the wandering thoughts in all direction, Yoga and meditation are the real solutions which make us calm and quiet and give us power to focus in our work and achieve our aspirations. This works in spite of all logics and arguments sometimes given condemning it.

    It is said that there is no substitute for a long walks especially for the people who have time to afford this luxury. The speed of the walk can be adjusted based on ones requirement. A slow walk is only refreshing to us but it does not decrease our weight. For that we have to jog. For more serious weight reduction a one hour to one and half an hour workout in the gym is required.

    Another option is the traditional exercises which we learn in our school days and they are good for our over all body rejuvenation. One can add to it some special exercises for back strengthening and for that what I would suggest is that a physiotherapist is the correct person to give advice on this issue. They prescribe very good exercises depending on the medical problems encountered by the aspirant.

    Knowledge is power.

  • To keep ourselves physically fit we have to follow certain norms. Many people think that eating less or not eating may bring their weight down and they will be healthy. But this is a wrong concept. One should have required food to be taken every day. One should have good food habits. Not eating Junk food and eating healthy food is always good for being physically fit.
    One should not get tensed and they should have a calm and happy mind also. That will make them mentally as well as physically happy also. For this one should do minimum yoga every day. Pranayama is one such thing that makes us mentally as well as physically fit. Every day if we spend some 10 to 15 minutes yoga including pranayama will give you physical fitness.
    In addition to the above walking, every day for about 30 minutes before eating food will be very good. Time can be adjusted based on your age and availability of time. The speed can also be decided based on your age. You will get very positive results with this. We need not run and simple walking is enough.
    This yoga and walking if you do regularly you will have mental peace and if you maintain 6 to 7 hours of sleep every day your health will be good and you will be physically fit.

    drrao
    always confident

  • Firstly, if you wish to control your weight, you need to have a balanced diet. People avoid taking food to reduce weight. This is going worsen the health condition. So please follow a balanced diet. Drinking enough water also helps in maintaining weight. You need to have enough water.

    Drink water immediately when you wake up. Have some warm water after 30 minutes of your every meal and drinking water before going to bed. Early to bed and early to rise is a healthy habit.

    Besides these, walking can help you keep physically fit. You should do this regularly and do not over do it. It should become a habit and do it by increasing the time day by day as you get used to it.

    Since you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, you should be careful on how you do this because it should not increase your pain. Wear the shoe which fits perfectly for you and walk on a flat surface also do not walk too fast. After all, you need self motivation to follow this perfectly.

  • From whatever data you have given, you need action on two counts. The first is physical exercise. You may try Yoga but keep it mild. Please be very careful not to go in for severe physical exercise, like going to a gym. Regular walks of 20 minutes each in a very calm environment, near a beach or a river or some pond near your place of residence, is advised by doctors who maintain that for those with some ailment or the other, severe physical exercise is not advisable.

    Now, the second part of your action plan. You can please have horse gram soup. This is excellent for weight loss and is a proven remedy. Please take some 10 grams of horse gram ( available in most departmental stores) and boil it in 200 ml of water. Filter it and mix it with a little pepper powder and the village jaggery ( called nattu chakkarai in Tamil). Please go to Google and type the Hindi word for this or in your mother tongue. This is also generally available in most department stores. Take the soup in a lukewarm condition. You should not add sugar.

    Please do have this soup every day, in the early morning, even before breakfast. You can go for a small walk of 15 or 20 minutes after having this soup. You are sure to reduce your weight.

    As regards diet, please do avoid all non-vegetarian food, if you are one. You need to take cooked spinach for one year, at least. This will keep you fit and also enable you to be fresh. Please do try having cabbage and carrot as a salad. For a friend who had a problem similar to yours, a nature cure doctor, had advised a similar remedy.

    Avoid any stuff that is fried in oil and please do avoid samosa and things like that. Potato chips, even the branded items, are all dangerous. Avoid them for at least one year. A fiber-rich diet is recommended, but never ever starve, thinking that it will lead to weight loss. Totally avoid any junk food.

    If you happen to visit Chennai, please do try Siddha treatment at the National Institute of Siddha. This is situated in South Chennai, bang opposite to the Tambaram Sanitorium on the Chennai Beach to Tambaram, railway line. You can take an EMU train to Tambaram Sanitorium. I Am told that the hospital doctors advise you on a package and also prescribe medicines that are made out of pure herbs. You can also go to YouTube and type Siddha treatment for your problem. A few videos are available in English. However, if you do not know Tamil, please do take the help of someone who knows Tamil as well as Hindi or your mother tongue.

    The Arya Vaidya Sala is a reputed Ayurvedic hospital in Coimbatore city. They also have a range of treatments that are totally holistic in nature. Remember, you need treatment and also exercise. These are not mutually exclusive.

  • To keep you physically fit there are certain norms to be followed helping you ultimately to reach your goals. You may try the following tips -
    1) Take care of your sleep cycle and in case it should be less than seven hours at a stretch. A perfect sleep would provide you sufficient stamina to carry on your physical and mental activities without feeling tiredness.
    2) Take care of your diets with the inclusion of balanced foods containing enough protien, carbohydrates and fats. The foods should not be too much spicy and oily. Use olive oil in preparation of dishes. Take salads of Cucumber and Tomato sprinkling with some amount of black pepper.
    3) Indulgence with yoga and meditation in the morning hours regularly for half an hour will help you in alleviating the excess stress and this will reenergise your body with positive waves.
    4) Take the consultantation of the dietician and follow the chart as suggested by him.
    5) Vigourous walking for at least an hour hour regularly keep your body fit.
    6) Get your blood tested so as to know your level of platelets counts, level of homoglonobile, TSH level, Liver Function Test, Kidney Function Test etc. Any abnormality in such tests will affect your stamina.
    7) Persue any hobby which will provide you mental stimulation.

  • The first thing is that age is just a number, so if you feel good within yourself then you will never have any health issue. Still, caution is always a good way, so it is a good idea to take care of yourself so that you can always stay fit. After this age, many changes are seen in women. There is a slight change in hormones, due to which there is a strange effect on mood and sometimes its effect is seen on health.

    1. Be physically active with regular exercise and yoga. As you told that you also have mild cervical and knee pain problems, avoid high jumping exercises. It will be very beneficial to walk but do not walk for a long time, take a little break in between.
    2. Do all these, but do not forget about pranayams, it will make you feel peaceful and will also increase your ability to control your inner power which will help you to reduce your craving for food.
    3. Even if you are exercising and taking care of your diet, it is still necessary to go for a health test to make sure that all your organs are functioning properly.
    4. Some common tests like blood pressure, thyroid, blood sugar, and cholesterol level are important to check frequently. You should also go for eye, skin, teeth, mammogram, and pelvic tests regularly.
    5.Good sleep is healthy for everyone, so take care of your sleep. sleep meaning is not just to dream only with the closed eyes at night. Rather, sleep is a long process in which we give rest to all the organs of our body so that all their processes work properly. For this, remove all the worries and tensions from the mind before sleeping.
    6.Consume calcium regularly. After a certain age, women are at an even greater risk for the condition. Be sure to eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.
    7. You should pay most attention to your food, for this, you should include fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains in your food and dry fruits must be eaten. Apart from this, stay away from eating spicy, oily, junk, and processed foods as much as possible. This food may look tasty but it does harm your health.

  • Nowadays, everybody should have a motto to be physically fit. For staying fit, we need to live a disciplined life. There are some suggestive measures to be followed for staying fit as follows:-
    1. First and foremost thing is to do exercise regularly. Regular yoga and meditation keep the body as well as mind healthy.
    2. Take balanced and healthy food. Always take seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid oily, spicy and junk food as much as possible.
    3. Daily do half an hour walking.
    4. Everyday sleep for 6-7 hours as it keeps our
    mind fresh.
    5. After 40 years our body becomes weak then it is necessary to get the body checked up. So, regularly get clinically checked up the body so as to physical problem may not arise.
    6. Develop your hobby and spent some time in that activity which gives you inner pleasure.

  • It is found that people who are active and are engaged in some sort of physical activities generally stay healthy as compared to the lazy and sedentary people. Physical activities do not mean only to go to a gym and do a rigorous workout. It could be done in many other ways also. Being a housewife I can tell that even doing the household chore is a big exercise if one is sincere and serious to perform those tasks in ones house. Some of them are very exerting and not the cup of tea of everyone. So depending upon ones profession one has to add certain exercises to keep oneself fit. For example a person engaged in fieldwork it would not be possible to go for a long workout so he can devote less time in that but more time in Yoga and light exercises like walking etc. While doing exercises one must have a balance between the exercise and food intake so that there is not any unnecessary excess of one over the other and that sometimes requires help from the dietician or some health advisor. Remaining active is a key point for better health.

    Thoughts exchanged is knowledge gained.

  • A lot of people are thinking about the topic you raised.
    1. you have to follow a proper diet. The food itself is medicine. The best to use foods that do not use chemical fertilizers.
    2. Avoid Bakery and Junk Foods.
    3. Turn half of your diet into vegetable salads. Cut rice/wheat meal in half.
    4. 1 glass of ashguard juice daily (Alternative Days in a Week)
    5. A glass of beetroot juice daily (add a quarter teaspoon of lemon juice and a quarter teaspoon of ginger juice and honey for taste) {If anyone having Kidney Problems, don't use this Beetroot Juce}
    6. Get up at least 5 am and walk barefoot for 10-15 minutes on the gravel road (if you have a baby broken stone (Baby metal) spread around the house, just walk there is enough)
    7. Use as many bicycles as possible for travel.
    (Don't do any major exercise for the time being.
    Let's practice the little things in yoga.)
    8. Drink plenty of clean water.
    You can get fit if you follow this.

    "Cheruthulli Peruvellam"
    small drops make a mighty ocean

  • Regular physical activity is one of the most important things anyone can do to manage their weight and improve their health. Continuous physical activity is very helpful in helping everyone to maintain their weight or prevent weight gain. Sitting less over a place and moving more at regular intervals have remarkable benefits regardless of sex, age, body type, or recent fitness level. Exercise or any physical activity helps in reducing diabetes, reduce weight or obesity, arthritis pain, risks of cardiovascular disease or heart disease, and improve body function, muscle strength, mood, flexibility, and quality of life.

    When starting any physical activity or exercising, do remember to start it slowly and steadily increase the power but safely with these S-M-A-R-T guidelines.
    S – Start slowly so that your body adapts to the new regime and is able to tolerate it. Start with 10 minutes at a time 2 times a day and then add activity by increasing the time or repeating the activity.
    M – Modify the activity according to your body tolerance so that you stay active as much as possible without getting hurt, pain, stiffness, and fatigue. Changing the activity level will help to get more results and have an interest in the activity.
    A – Activity should be friendly i.e. have a low risk of injury to your body depending upon one's body condition or weight. One can choose any exercise or physical activity like walking, cycling, compound exercise, swimming, aerobics, yoga, or dancing.
    R – Reach for a safe place and activity so that you do not hurt yourself while doing your exercise. The place is free of obstructions, well-lighted, and airy. Always start any new routine slowly but continue to follow it every day to get maximum return from it.
    T – Talk to certified professional (Doctor, dietician, or exercise specialist) as they will be able to guide to properly about types of activity that are best suited to your body, the amount of exercise or activity needed, your capacity as per your current health condition and also help you learn the proper way of doing that activity or exercise.

    As per your query, you can start your activity by first walking at a slow pace for 30 minutes for 3 days a week, increase it to 45 minutes for 5 days a week and then build to 1 hour at least 6 days a week with more speed. If you follow it daily, you can flush 100 to 200 calories or more per day depending upon the level of intensity of the activity. The same can be followed in our daily routine by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, Gardening, Swimming, cycling, Jumping rope, running or jogging, Playing any outdoor sports like basketball, volleyball, badminton, squash, etc. For postpartum women, try to mix your activities throughout the week at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity activities that strengthen muscles. Moderate intensity activity can be done for 5 days in a week like walking, jogging, Squats, dancing, swimming, etc. and at least 2 days a week vigorous-intensity physical activity to strengthen muscles that work for all the body muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms) like climbing or push-ups, dumbbell presses, planks, jumping rope, outdoor sports, etc.

    “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." — Morrie Schwartz

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