Life is a joyride we all wish it to be joyful, smooth and happy. But not everything goes as expected and life is no exception - the most uncertain thing is life, the only certain thing is death. The key variable factor here is the 'health'. The good thing about health is most of the times if we want it to keep, stays in our control. And the point is whether you want to control your health and keep it 'the way it is ought to be' or mend it to be destroyed with your indisciplined, unnatural lifestyle which includes poor dietary habits, sedentary style of functioning and insufficient rest (sleep).
Unfortunately we very well knowingly are turning our eyes blind to the health of our life. The indiscipline lifestyle has become indispensable driven by the necessities and luxury aspirations of our lives. In the pursuit of happiness, we are ignoring the fact that health is the base of happiness. And some, in the rat race for the success tend to ignore the quotient of health and also ignore the fact that 'the foundation of success in life is Good Health'.
Worse is some people treat their body as if they rented it from someone else, they don't take care of it well.
Most of us think very highly of ourselves in terms of health. As we are not suffering from any disease currently we think that we are safe. But we should remember that Health is not the absence of sickness. Every day you do one thing to your body - build health or produce disease.
Thus it should be our constant effort to keep the natural process of our bodies intact supplying the needed nutrients and physical activities it requires. As Jim Rohn rightly said,
Take care of your body, its the only place you have to live.
To do this first we should understand what your body is made of, then what is the present health condition and then the solution
WHAT YOU ARE MADE OF
1. Body Water
Your body is counted with more than 50% of water. Along with the blood and other bodily fluids water contains in fat and muscle.
2. Protein
Building Blocks of your body
3. Minerals
Your body contains minerals which are primarily contained in two places: in the bloodstream and inside the bone tissue.
4. Fat
The substance everyone seems to be obsessed with and is always doing their best to get rid of. However, body fat is necessary for the body to function - allows the body to store energy, protects internal organs, acts as an insulator and regulates body temperature.
The above components have their unique yet complementary role to be played in the smooth functioning of your body.
Another important portion which helps in not only building up but also the smooth functioning of your body is Nutrients. There are two kinds of Nutrients,
Micronutrients - Vitamins & Minerals
Macronutrients - Protein, Carbohydrates, Fat
MACRONUTRIENTS -
Vitamins & Minerals are the two Micronutrients which your body requires in small quantity, in Milligrams and Micrograms. There are various forms of Vitamins and Minerals,
Vitamins
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Minerals
|
|
Major Minerals
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Minor Minerals
|
|
| Vitman A | Calcium | Iron |
| Vitamin B - 1,2,6 & 12 | Magnesium | Chromium |
| Vitamin C | Sulphur | Iodine |
| Vitamin D | Manganese | |
| Vitamin E | Molybdenum | |
| Vitamin K | Selenium | |
| Zinc | ||
MACRONUTRIENT
Macronutrients, even though essential for proper functioning of the body are not produced by itself. Thus it is mandatory to fuel them from outside through diet. Macronutrients are required by the body in relatively large quantities, in Grams. There are 3 types of Macronutrients which are detailed hereunder,
1. PROTEIN
Proteins are the building blocks of life. If your muscles are a house, protein is the bricks.
A human body contains around 37 trillions of cells and Every cell contains protein. The role of the protein is, it repairs damaged cells and builds new ones. Thus it is necessary for building your muscle. This very function of the Protein helps the growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women.
If you are a sports person or doing physical activity on a regular basis, your muscle tissues (a group of cells) are damaged at increased level. Thus you need to take extra protein as supplements to repair the damaged tissues and regenerate them in a proportionate pace.
Your nutritionist, in addition to protein supplement, may also suggest the BCAA (Branched Chain AMINO ACIDS). Thus in this context, we need to also understand about the amino acids.
The basic structure of the protein is a ‘chain of amino acids'. Amino Acids, branched as chain forms the Protein. If protein is the building block of your body then the Amino Acids are the building blocks of the Protein.
2. CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates (at the chemical level) = carbon+hydrogen+oxygen.
They are the most important ‘source of energy’ for your body. The digestive system - small intestine absorbs the sugars which then enters into bloodstream and travel to the liver. The liver converts these sugars into glucose. This glucose, through the bloodstream, enters your body cells with the help of insulin. This glucose (sugar) is used as energy for your cells, tissues, and organs.
Food → Small intestine → Liver → Glucose → Cells
What if we consume extra Carbs?
The extra unused sugar is stored in the liver and Skeletal muscles (chest, arms, lats, quads, and hamstrings) and other cells in the form of Glycogen. Once the glycogen stores are full, carbs are stored as fat. So if you are consuming more Carbs than required per day then you are increasing the fat storage in your body. Thus to avoid this you need to either keep the intake of carbs minimal or keep your body more active.
What if we consume less than required Carbs?
1. Then the body will consume Protein as fuel to supply energy to the body. This is something to worry on two fronts,
one, your muscles get weaker and lose strength as a result of which your body as a whole becomes weak
Two, body using protein instead of carbs for fuel puts pressure on the kidneys resulting in the passage of painful byproducts in the urine.
2. And also without sufficient glucose, the central nervous system suffers, which may cause dizziness or mental and physical weakness
3. People who don't consume enough carbs may also suffer from insufficient fiber which can cause digestive problems and constipation.
Now the question is how much are the carbohydrates count that we need to take. The ideal intake of Carbs is around 2.5grms per kg of body weight.
However, along with the quantity of the carbs, the source of it is also important. The source of the Carbohydrates are divided into two- Simple & Complex,
Simple Carbs
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Complex Carbs
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| Source of Sugars; Are also added artificially during food processing and refining Are absorbed quickly into the blood Found in processed foods; consumption of Sugars particularly from the processed foods in which the sugars are added artificially to enhance the taste and form are bad to health. It increases cholesterol. Ex: White bread, Pastries, aerated drinks, French fries.. |
Source of Starch and Fibre Available naturally Takes relatively more time to be absorbed; Found in Whole grain bread and Cereals, Vegetables, legumes; Consumption of Complex carbs in the right proportion is healthy as it includes, Starch - helps in proper digestion and lowers blood sugars, reduces appetite Fibre - softens stool, helps maintain bowel health, lowers cholesterol level, helps in strengthening muscle |
In case of other nutrients, it is the count which is important. For example Vitamins, Minerals and Protein the consumption of grams per kg of body weight is important whereas in case of Carbs and also the Fat nutrients it is the source (simple carbs or Complex carbs) which is more important.
3. FATS
Fat is a nutrient without which we can’t live. Not only does fat supply us with energy, but it also makes it possible for other nutrients to do their jobs. Broadly Fats can be divided into GOOD and BAD
GOOD FAT
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BAD FAT
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||
Monounsaturated Fat
(Unsaturated Fat)
Lowers cholesterol thus reducing the risk of heart diseases and diabetes
Found in Olive oil, Nuts (Cashews, Almonds) Peanut Butter and Avocados
|
Polyunsaturated Fat
(Unsaturated Fat)
There are 2 types of this fat, Omega 3 and Omega 6
Lowers blood cholesterol, reduce arthritis, joint problems
Found in Fish oils, Soybean oils, Sunflower oils Nuts, Seeds, Eggs etc.
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Saturated Fat
Derived from animals
Raises Bad Cholesterol
Found in high-fat Cheese; high-fat cuts of meat; Whole fat milk and cream; ice-cream; Butter etc.
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Trans Fat
Not naturally occur; synthetically made in an industrial process. It is easy to use and cheap to produce; enhances the taste and shelf life of a product
Raises bad cholesterol
Found in most of the processed food -fries, pastries, cakes, biscuits, pizzas, burgers etc.
|
Thus if you consume good fat it is good for your body and if you consume bad fat then it harms your body. We shall know more about bad fat as the harm it creates is no less and eventually it may even kill you.
To start with, first, we need to know how the 'bad fat' is stored in your body. It is done in two ways
1. Subcutaneous Fat - that people can see,
2. Visceral Fat – Visceral fat is internal fat that develops in the abdominal cavity, gets stored around the organs, and wraps around your kidneys, intestines, stomach, and liver.
It's easy to see the Subcutaneous Fat whereas it isn’t so easy to see the Visceral Fat. This is the reason why some people are skinny but still, their BCA (Body Composition Analysis) report shows as obese. So here if your subcutaneous fat is low you may look not that fat but at the same time if you have high Visceral fat then the harm remains the same. It is called being 'Skinny Fat'.
So the bottom line is looking skinny doesn't mean you are healthy. It is dangerous to become skinny fat. How do people become skinny fat?
Skinny Fat = Decrease in Muscle + increase in fat
1. Essentially, the net result of losing muscle mass (and decreasing metabolic rate) and gaining fat mass due to high caloric intake creates the skinny fat condition.
Similarly, muscle mass decreases over time when the muscles are not being used. If you work in a 9-5 job that requires you to be seated and not move around for most of the day, skeletal muscle mass is likely to decrease over time. Fat mass will also increase as mobility decreases.
Sitting all day, eating an unhealthy diet, and skipping workouts is a recipe for muscle loss and fat gain.
2. Some people do dieting and also workout but without any result, the reason is not doing it the 'right way' - Severe calorie restriction, excessive amounts of cardio, minimal weight Training. Doing this is a Remedy Worse than disease.
If you try to cut calories, while at the same time run on a treadmill an 1 hour a day 5 days a week, your body may not have the energy it needs to perform. After a certain point, your body will start metabolizing muscle because it needs energy once the other options are exhausted. Weight loss will occur at the expense of both fat and muscle loss.
Now that you understand the cause, here is the solution.
People who want to be thin and healthy need to increase their muscle and reduce their fat. This can be done by the way of
- Compound Exercises - Cardio+Weight Training
- Eating a balanced Diet - Protein+Carbohydrate+Fat, all in good proportion
Compound Workout coupled with proper diet increases your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The higher your BMR, the more calories your body naturally burns when it is doing nothing (i.e. sleeping). The more calories you burn at rest, the greater the fat loss.
Some people who want to lose weight badly are worried that building muscle might make them look bulky instead of skinny. This is the same with the women in general. Don’t worry! because
- Muscle is much denser than fat,
- Muscle is also heavier than fat
meaning that if you were 60kgs with more fat and less muscle and now if you are 62kgs with less fat and more muscle you still appear thinner and of course healthier. We can see the same in the following picture where both people are of the same Hight - 6ft and weight - 250 pounds (113kgs) but they look different as the person in left has more Percentage of Fat (PBF) - 31% and the person on the right looks lean because the PBF (Percentage of Fat) is only 10%.
So, now you know the facts, weight is not the only parameter you should look in gauging your health. Just because someone looks skinny, don’t just assume they are healthy. At the same time just by looking at their weight don't assume they are obese. Don’t aspire to be skinny, aspire to be healthy. Because at the end of the day, being healthy is always attractive.
Fit & Healthy body is the best fashion statement.
After knowing about the nutrients we shall now see how much of them we should consume
Nutrients
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Calories
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Intake in Grams
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%
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Food (example)
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| Protein |
-
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1.5 grms/kg of body weight
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35%
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Chicken, Eggs, Fish, Paneer, Milk, Quinoa, Peanut Butter etc. |
| Carbohydrates |
900 -1300
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2.5 grms/kg of body weight
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55%
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Brown-Rice & Bread, Millets, Whole Wheat-Rotis & Bread etc. |
| Fat |
-
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0.5 grms/kg of bodyweight
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10%
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Homemade cooked oil(Sunflower, Olive), Egg yolk, Diary Products -Cheese, Milk, Curd etc. |
Food is the most powerful medicine or drug on the planet with the power to cause or cure most of the diseases - Dr.Mark Hyman
Diet decides 70% of your health. You are what you Eat. But the track of healthy diet is missed for the taste. We give importance to the taste more than it deserves. And to remind you, taste is not for the tongue but for the mind. If you condition your mind not to have the food which is not good for your health, even your tongue doesn't water for it. It's like what you do for 21 days becomes a habit and what you do for 90 days becomes your character. Eat to Live not Live to Eat.
In a nutshell, let's see what food to have and what not,
TAKE
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AVOID
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| Plenty of Water (minimum 3-5 liters) | Aerated drinks (coke, Thumsup, Maza etc); Alchohol; Smoking |
| Home Food | Outside Food- Restaurants, Hotels, Tiffin Centers. |
| All varieties of vegetables in the cooked, boiled form | Fried, deep-fried vegetables |
| Brown Rice, Millets | Minimize White Rice (don’t have to avoid) |
| Whole wheat flour (gehoon, Godhuma) | Refined Flour (Maida, all-purpose flour, white flour) |
| Brown Bread, Whole Wheat Bread | Milk Bread |
| Biscuits made from Whole wheat flour (Marigold) | Cookies and other forms of biscuits made from Refined flour |
| Protein - cakes, Muffins; Protein, Millets made chips | Sweets, Pastries, Chips and other processed junk food available in bakeries |
| Protein-rich & Trans fat-free chocolates (available in supermarkets) | Chocolates |
| Good Fat Diary Products - Greek Yogurt, Toned Milk, Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Tofu, Paneer, Butter Milk | Cream rich dairy products - Double Cream Milk, American, Mexican, Swiss, Cream Cheese, Lassi; Ice Cream |
| Peanut Butter | Butter |
| Seasonal Fruits. Don’t filter your fruit basket until and unless your doctor or your dietician asks you not to go for certain fruits. | Fruit Juices, wherein Trans Fat (sugar) is mixed; Fibre and starch is filtered; Fruits flavored, essence juices(Tropicana etc) |
| Nuts - Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews | Take Raisins & Dates in a limited quantity (don’t have to avoid) |
The single funda to be followed as told by Micheal Pollan is If it came from the plant have it if it is made in the plant then don't.
WORKOUT SESSION
Based on the above observation it is evident that we need to maintain the right proportion of the Muscle and Fat. To do this, along with the proper diet as we discussed above, we need to adopt a proper approach of the physical workout.
Now, What is the right approach to the workout?
The workout per day has to be divided into cardio and strength -
10-20 min -Cardio
45-60 min - Strength
CARDIO
We should include a maximum number of workouts and machinery to get the maximum result in a given time. Also, it is safe from injuries & muscle cramps to not continue with the same kind of machinery which puts pressure on the same targeted part of your body.
Basic Machinery to be used are (which u can find any gym)
Treadmills - 10 mins
Cross Trainer - 10min
Spin Bike
Recumbent Bike
Floor Workouts - Burpees, Stepper, Skipping…….
Follow the rotation process - a combination of two types of machinery or Floor workout per day. Then next day next round of machinery and so on.
STRENGTH WORKOUTS
Chest & Triceps
Lats(upper Back) & Biceps
Shoulder & Lower Back
Rest Day (Abs & Cardio) -During sleep, your body’s production of growth hormone increases, which aids in the repairing and rebuilding of muscles
Quads, Hamstring, Calfs
Not necessary that you follow the same order. Change it according to your convenience, depending upon your requirement, fitness goals. And it is also not mandatory that you should couple the large and small muscles in a day. Again this depends upon your requirement and ask.
Importance of Warm-up & Cool Down
Warm-up before and Cool down after the workout is the most underplayed or underestimated part of the fitness regime. Some people think it is inferior or amateurish. But it plays a very important role so as to decide the success rate of your fitness goal. What and how it does, let's see,
Warm-up
Depending upon lifestyle- body mobility, your muscles are generally in its own condition. From this set condition if you suddenly jolt your muscles it will be a kind of shock and chances of them getting injured are very high. The warm-up helps in increasing the blood circulation throughout your body, making your muscles ready for further pressure to bear.
Cool-Down
When your body is working out, be it by exercise or playing any sports, the heart pumps the blood at more than the normal rate. When the workout is stopped abruptly the blood circulation slows down and may not reach the heart and brain as usual. It results in dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting
After the workout, your muscles are charged up and are in a very high tempered condition - tight and sore muscles. If you go back home with the same condition again the chances of your muscles getting injured are high. And also after a workout session, there is a 'lactic acid' accumulation in your body. This lactic acid needs to be flushed out for the quick recovery of muscles
Cooling down your body helps the above challenges to be addressed. Walk a while and do a bit of cycling. But do remember that the stretches give the best results in cooling down your body. Stretches thus for a right reason called the mother of all cool down and also warm up workouts.
Rest your Body
The next important aspect of your health to keep it up is Rest. After a workout your muscle tissues are damaged, energy (muscle glycogen) depletes; bodily fluids are lost; chemicals like lactic acids are formed and stored in your body.
Good rest to your body along with the good diet (Micro & Macro Nutrient rich) allows optimization of protein synthesis and also increases in growth hormones - making the muscle to repair and rebuild. Sufficient rest of 6-8hrs a day also helps in replenishing the energy and also through increased blood circulation helps in flushing the unwanted chemicals formed in your body.
Myths vs Facts in regard to the diet and workout
MYTH
|
FACT
|
| shouldn't Drink Water while workout | Gulping water helps in hydrating your body |
| Abs-6 packs are made in the gym with rigorous abdomen workouts | Abdominal muscle is like any other muscle which depletes by overtraining. Abs are already made with minimal weight training. To make them visible, follow the DIET. They say Abs are made in Kitchen |
| Don’t have Rice, egg yolks, nuts, dairy products, if you are on weight loss program | Fat is not a bad word per se. we need to understand the difference between Good fat & Bad Fat; also distinguish between the sources of Carbohydrates - good source gives you more energy with fewer calories and bad carbs which gives less energy with more calories. |
| We can have immediate weight loss with Crash Diet | Yes, you can have but with the loss of all important Micro & Macro Nutrients like Vitamins, Minerals, Protein etc which only have drastic side effects later in near future. Regaining the weight is evident. |
| Cardio is for weight loss Weight training is for weight gain |
Cardio and Weight training are both complementary to each other. |
| We will gain more weight if we stop going to the gym | Yes but not because you stopped going to the gym but due to the deviation from your disciplined lifestyle of having a balance between the intake and burning of the calories which you had it while going to the gym. |
| Having Supplements may have side effects | Supplements like Protein powder, BCAA, Multivitamin & Fish Oil tablets are nothing but the nutrients which are there in your body but are supplemented according to the need of your body. There is no harm in taking them under expert supervision. One thing you should be careful is Steroids taken to increase body performance. It does have side effects. |
As we are proceeding towards the end, I hope u start a new beginning to shape your lifestyle more healthy. Do it irrespective of what is your profession or what you do. Don't say I don't have time for workouts or I am not finding time to hit the gym. Those who say I don't have time for workout sooner or later have to find time for ill health thereby having trips to hospitals.
We have read, listened to hundreds of times that Prevention is better than cure. So its always good to follow a healthy lifestyle and prevent inviting certain diseases rather than spending a lot of time, money and energy in curing them.
All you do today in your professional life is with a vision to lead a better life tomorrow. And just imagine your tomorrow's life without 'Health'. The best investment in terms of time and money is undoubtedly on your health. Make physical workout part of your life. Do it as you do other essential things of your day like eating, sleeping etc.
And to just summarise and make the whole thing simpler putting it in three sentences as to make your life Healthy, Happy and Prosperous practice this,
To reach the destination of HEALTHY LIVING, travel on the 3 wheeler -
Diet (Protein+Carbohyderate+Fat)
Workout (Cardio+Strength)
Rest (6-8hrs)
Period.
