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How Our Life Improves as We Become Strong and Healthy

In health there is freedom. Health is first of all liberties

Henri Frederic Amiel

This is what I believe
  • Exercising (both aerobic and anaerobic) consistently and challenging ourselves to become stronger, fitter and healthier –>
  • Releases BDNF (Brain derived neurotrophic factor) endorphins which fertilizes brain neurons and enables neuroplasticity –>
  • This makes you healthier and smarter than many people –>
  • Which may lead to more faith and optimistic attitude daily –>
  • Which leads to better thinking and having constructive thoughts in your mind –>
  • Which makes us feel better and feel good about gifts you have with you –>
  • Which results in better emotional intelligence –>
  • Which leads to more matured and composed behaviour –>
  • Which leads to better decision making –>
  • Which results in better choices –>
  • Which gives better outcomes and results in life–>
  • The compound effect of all these small steps taken consistently could result in you living a quality longer life.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Lifestyle Changes, Nutrition, Supplementation to Address Long COVID or PASC

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19, 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19. Among people age 65 and older, 1 in 4 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19.

Some people with COVID-19 have lingering symptoms for weeks or months after they begin to recover. You might know this as “long COVID.” Experts have coined a new term for it: post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

Broad Symptoms :
  • Fatigue
  • Getting tired very quickly physically and mentally
  • Brain fog
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Heart palpitations
  • Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions, including difficulty thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand, pins-and-needles feeling, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety
  • Joint pain
  • Muscle pain
  • Digestive issues
  • Blood clots
  • Changes in the menstrual cycle

Read more at about long Covid at below resources

Reasons:
  • Experts don’t know why people get long COVID. Research continues on that.
  • Some of the experts in the area of Functional medicine and holistic medicine claim that the virus may attack the Mitochondria in our cells. Mitochondria use aerobic respiration to generate most of the cell‘s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is subsequently used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy.
  • It is speculated that our bodies cannot generate enough amount of energy (ATP) as our cellular mitochondria are not functioning optimally. This is called Mitochondrial dysfunction. This may be the reason for all or some of the above symptoms.

Read more about Mitochondrial dysfunction at below resources

What to do Now

It is recommended to take some action with the resources we have in hand before we get clarity on the proven treatment options for Long Covid. We need to try our best to improve our lives with what we have and where we are.

Lifestyle Changes:
  • Get outside and experience natural light.
  • Spend some time in Sunlight.
  • Hydrate optimally. Drink some water in regular intervals even if not thirsty.
  • Set up a routine for everything that you do daily. Fix times for exercise, feeding, sleeping, spending time with family etc., Be regular and stick to scheduled time as much as possible.
  • Have regular physical activity and sweat it out. Do activities and exercises that increase your heart rate.
  • Regular movement every 30 to 45 minutes. Do not sit for long. Keep moving throughout the day.
  • Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after having a meal.
  • Eat healthy foods high in protein, healthy fats and fiber. Eat whole foods.
  • Do some deep breathing exercises or practice meditation.
  • Yoga or some stretching exercises may relieve joint or muscle aches.
  • Avoid snacking in between the meals if possible.
  • Avoid inflammatory habits and foods like processed foods, fast foods and deep fried foods.
  • Stop smoking tobacco.
  • Stop drinking alcohol.
  • Reaching out to an expert for training and nutrition or reaching out to a therapist for improving mental health condition is helpful.

Read more at

Nutrition and Supplementation:

One may either choose to eat foods high in below nutrients or supplement them with an expert guidance. All of the below nutrients support in proper Mitochondrial functioning apart from numerous other benefits.

  • Vitamin D3
  • Vitamin E
  • All B Vitamins including Biotin
  • Vitamin C
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
  • CoQ10
  • Omega 3 fatty acids
  • L-Carnitine
  • Resveratrol
  • Selenium
  • Caffeine

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Why We Must Involve Kids in Strength Training

Excerpts from :

https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/kids-in-the-weight-room?utm_campaign=blog&utm_medium=web&utm_source=linkedin&utm_content=kids-in-the-weight-room

Why Children Can and Should Work on Strength

Most kids are simply not strong enough in this day and age. They are less physically active than ever before. You can see this lack of strength and activity in how kids slouch at their desks or over their mobile devices. Whenever you see poor posture, you are seeing a weak body.

A child that cannot support proper posture does not have adequate muscle strength. They also have poor balance, lack coordination, and have overall bad muscle endurance.

Benefits of Weight Training for Children

  • The primary benefit is that it builds postural strength as well as trunk and joint stability. This improves the ability to support the spine and joints under load and through movement. 
  • Strength training also improves coordination. It helps with injury prevention and contributes to improvements in power, speed, and endurance.
  •  It can give a child the ability to sit, walk, and engage in all other kinds of movements correctly. This helps prevent injury, pain, and future health problems.
  • Most importantly, a youth training program can inspire a child to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Here are just a few of the benefits of strength training for kids, as supported by research:

  • Improved muscular fitness and body composition
  • Stimulated bone mineralization and improved bone mineral density
  • Improved blood lipid profiles
  • Improved mental health and self-confidence
  • Better sports performance

Some studies have also found that weight training can increase strength, overall function, and mental well-being in children with cerebral palsy. When used during rehabilitation, it can help prevent an injury, particularly to the shoulders and knees.

Best compound and multi-joint movements to improve strength and conditioning in kids

  • Push ups
  • Pull ups
  • Squats (can try different formats)
  • Deadlifts (can try different formats)
  • Bench press
  • Overhead shoulder press
  • Barbell rows (can try different formats)
  • Superman
  • Lunges

Safe Weight Training Guidelines for Children

  • Don’t Start Too Young – Generally, it is recommended that the child be at least 7 years old
  • Teach Good Posture First
  • Teach Strength as a Skill
  • Every Child is an Individual and different
  • Form Before Weight
  • Perfect the squat
  • Keep it simple and progress gradually
  • Supervise
  • Listen to kind’s body

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Best Foods For Improving Brain Health

  • Eggs
  • Nuts like Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts
  • Seeds like Flax Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds
  • Extra Virgin Olive oil
  • Cold pressed coconut oil, MCT oil
  • Avocado
  • Citrus fruits and berries (Blueberries, Oranges etc)
  • Broccoli
  • Green Leafy vegetables
  • Fatty fishes like Salmon, Cod, Tuna, Sardine, mackerel
  • Curcumin (Turmeric extract)
  • Dark chocolate
  • Pure black coffee
  • Green Tea
  • Protein rich foods like chicken, fish, dairy products, legumes, peas etc,.

*If you observe keenly, all above foods are rich in healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, polyphenols, phytonutrients, anti-oxidants. Your brain loves healthy oils in their unrefined form. Hence choose unrefined or cold pressed oils while preparing your foods.

*Amino acids derived from the protein we eat are also important for producing various neurochemicals and hormones that enable proper brain function.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Sleeping 8 Hours Daily is NOT a Must

IT IS NOT A MUST TO GET 8 HOURS OF SLEEP.

  • The truth is there are no ideal sleeping hours. There is no clear quality scientific evidence on this claim of sleeping 8 hours daily.
  • Some people may need more than eight hours of sleep while others may survive with six hours.

How much sleep does a person need? 

  • It varies from person to person, and your daily activities and lifestyle. We all are different from one another – genetics, our daily habits, diet we follow, workouts, health conditions, age, environment, working schedule etc., So, there is not an ideal way to determine how much sleep you will need.
  • How you feel when you wake up is the best way to determine how much sleep you need. After sleeping for six hours if you feel energetic then it is a good sign, else you need to extend your sleeping hours.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

You Can Live Upto 14 Years Longer By Having These Habits

You can live longer and healthier just by having these 5 key habits:

  1. Daily physical activity or exercising at least for 30 minutes
  2. Not being obese or overweight.
  3. Eating nutritious foods (whole and natural)
  4. Moderate (or rarely) alcohol consumption
  5. Not smoking

Researchers at Harvard University studied data from 123,219 patients compiled during a 34-year period in the Nurses’ Health Study and 28 years of the Professionals Follow-up Study.

The researchers found that 50-year-old women who engaged in all five low-risk factors lived an average age of 93.1 years – 14 years longer than women who adopted none of the lifestyle factors. Men at age 50 who adopted all five factors lived to an average age of 87.6, or 12.2 years longer than men who had none of the five low-risk factors.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Home Gym Essentials

At Home – Resistance Training Equipment

  • Dumbbells
  • Barbell with plates
  • Resistance bands
  • Stability Ball
  • Medicine Ball

At Home – Cardio Fitness Equipment

  • Jump rope
  • Exercise step
  • Kettlebell
  • Adjustable strapper
  • Treadmill
  • Elliptical
  • Rowing machine
  • Stationary bike

At Home – Budget tools for exercising

  • A water bottle is a great stand-in for a half KG dumbbell. Use bigger water bottle for more weight.
  • Substitute a full bottle of laundry detergent for a heavier weight.
  • Use a bucket with water to do various resistance exercises.
  • A hollow cement or mud brick.
  • Any other object that can be held properly and can be lifted.
  • Use stairs to climb up and down with proper form.
  • Use chair, sofa, cot as bench to do various exercise that need bench.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

New Research on Vitamin C Supplementation and Dosage

Vitamin C, or L-ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble essential vitamin. It is a very popular dietary supplement due to its antioxidant properties, safety, and low price.

Vitamin C is often supplemented to reduce the symptoms of the common cold.

Supplemental vitamin C is able to reduce the duration of a cold by 8-14% in any population, when it is taken as a daily preventative measure, or at the beginning of a cold.

Vitamin C sequesters free radicals in the body. It is replenished by antioxidant enzymes, and is often used as a reference drug in antioxidant research. Vitamin C’s structure allows it to act on neurology and depression, as well as interact with the pancreas and modulate cortisol. Its antioxidant properties mean vitamin C provides neuroprotective effects and benefits for blood flow. By protecting the testes from oxidative stress, vitamin C can also preserve testosterone levels.

Most studies on vitamin C prescribe one dose per day. The claim that taking 2,000mg up to five times a day to optimally reduce cold symptoms is not sufficiently tested and requires more evidence.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Reference:

https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-c/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=tip-supplementation-vitaminc-220511&fbclid=IwAR0ZjQHbpg6o2cnv_QWqdKqtcEyQBC0BCuRSpBKJq_aMmdf8DDbdDS1Lzdc

Herbs and Supplements that Lower Blood Pressure (BP)

Herbs and supplements that lower blood pressure include, but are not limited to:

  • Cod liver oil
  • Alpha-linolenic acid
  • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium
  • Potassium
  • Coenzyme Q10
  • L-arginine
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin B2
  • Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine 5 phosphate P5P form)
  • Vitamin B9 (L- Methylfolate form)
  • Cocoa
  • Blond psyllium, and other fiber supplements
  • Garlic
  • Beetroot

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

How to Improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

  • Heart rate variability (HRV) is where the amount of time between your heartbeats fluctuates slightly. People who have a high HRV may have greater cardiovascular fitness and may be more resilient to stress.
  • This variation is controlled by a primitive part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It works behind the scenes, automatically regulating our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and digestion among other key tasks
  • The brain is constantly processing information in a region called the hypothalamus. The ANS provides signals to the hypothalamus, which then instructs the rest of the body either to stimulate or to relax different functions. 
  • It responds not only to a poor night of sleep, or that sour interaction with your boss, but also to the exciting news that you got engaged, or to that delicious healthy meal you had for lunch. If we have persistent instigators such as stress, poor sleep, unhealthy diet, dysfunctional relationships, isolation or solitude, and lack of exercise, this balance may be disrupted, and your fight-or-flight response can shift into overdrive.
  • HRV may also provide personal feedback about your lifestyle and help motivate those who are considering taking steps toward a healthier life. You might see a connection to HRV changes as you incorporate more mindfulness, meditation, sleep, and especially physical activity into your life.
  • There are questions about the accuracy, reliability and overall usefulness of tracking HRV. While HRV has been linked to overall physical fitness, the correlation between changes in HRV and how your autonomic nervous system is functioning will require much more research.
  • Think of HRV as another way you might tap into your body and mind are responding to what your daily experiences.

Key points from a Harvard Health Blog post by Marcelo Campos, MD

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Spirulina – A Superfood

  • Spirulina is a dark, blue-green algae that is one of the most nutrient-dense foods and therefore also a true superfood.
  • In addition to being rich in antioxidants, spirulina contains a variety of micronutrients, as well as highly absorbable protein.

Spirulina is rich in:

  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Selenium
  • Calcium
  • Chlorophyll

Tip: Green powder containing spirulina is a great addition to green smoothies!

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Be SMART With Your Wellness Program

Specific

The goal is clear and defined. Ex: Walk 3 days a week for 1 hour, Lift weights for 3 days, Do advanced level exercises etc

Measurable

Track your progress. Ex: Write down the weights you lifted, number of repetitions you did, how far you cycled in each day or week.

Attainable

Is your goal reachable and feasible in the set of time frame your have defined.

Relevant

Clearly define why you are pursuing your health and fitness goals. Get clarity on the purpose and the ‘WHY’ behind you decision. The reasons must be strong enough to push and pull you through tough times both in short and long term.

Timely

Set a deadline . Ex: You would lose 5 KGs in 2 months, you would add 20 KG weights to barbell in 3 months.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer

Importance of Fasting Insulin Level in Your Blood Test

  • There’s one test that your doctor or lab test packages probably aren’t doing, that can detect high insulin levels before these warning signs appear and prevent type 2 diabetes decades before it’s full blown. What is it? A fasting insulin test.
  • Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas, which regulates the amount of glucose in the blood.
  • Fasting insulin is a measure of your serum insulin levels when you have fasted for at-least 10 to 12 hours. Insulin levels in blood must be low (around 5 for a metabolically healthy person) when we do not eat or drink anything for long time.
  • Fasting Insulin test catches the early signs of metabolic dysfunction while they can still be reversed using personalized nutrition, diet, and lifestyle interventions.
  • Insulin resistance if ignored would turn into pre-diabetes and later type-2 Diabetes. It might take few months to years before it turns into Type-2 Diabetes. Varies from person to person.
  • For some reason, fasting insulin isn’t included in routine lab work, and most doctors don’t order it.

How can you take control of your insulin levels?

  • Eat a low-glycaemic diet full of whole, real foods, increase your dietary fibre, include lot of protein and Un-refined healthy oils.
  • Incorporate movement daily,
  • Get a high quality 8 hours of sleep.
  • Reduce your stress levels through deep breathing techniques, yoga practice or meditation.

~Praveen Jada

*Do read the Disclaimer