Benefits of walking after meals

Walk after meals. Stand and move after you eat. You’ve probably heard this advice somewhere. But does it really work?

If the goal is preventing diabetes, it seems to prove true—at least for a group of folks studied by Dr. Loretta Di Pietro at George Washington University.

The Study
People 60 and over at risk for type diabetes—with the extremely common “prediabetes” picture of high fasting sugar—were asked to walk. They did it two different ways—for 15 minutes after meals, or for one 45 minute session in the evening.

The Results
Both walking “interventions” improved glucose tolerance. People produced less insulin following the meal. Internal sugar levels were more  balanced.Yet the blunting of high glucoses after eating was done most effectively when people walked immediately after meals. Insulin peaks peaker lower than with the single 45 minute session.

And when people walked after the evening meal, instead of seeing sugars rise for hours and hours throughout the night, they came back to normal levels quickly. Just from a little bit of walking.

For what ails most of those who suffer from type 2 diabetes is not lack of insulin production. It’s insulin resistance—effectively a learned inability for insulin to work. In most people with type 2 diabetes production of insulin is already high—sometimes very high. It’s just that less and less of it works as messenger to let glucose in through your cell membranes to help power your cells.
In other words, type 2 diabetics are producing huge amounts of insulin—but that insulin does not have the full chance to act.

Walking after meals can dramatically shift the equation. It can decrease insulin resistance and make your body act like it’s built to do—eat, move, and rest. What I call FAR—Food-Activity-Rest.

And there’s more.

Benefits of Walking After Meals

A. If you walk after a meal you can cut back on esophageal reflux.
For when you walk, you’re standing and moving. Food flows down into gut. Gravity helps keep acid in your stomach—not jumping outside it.
That stomach acid can be ferocious. People with reflux have higher rates of esophageal cancer.

You might cut your risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease—GERD, in half—just by walking after meals.

B. You can obtain better weigh control.
Walk after a meal and the insulin peaks are less. Most folks I know want less belly fat—and here is a simple way to get it.

C. Walking immediately following the evening meal may yet more effectively control weight.
Why? Circadian effects. Eat at night and glucose and fat levels go higher in your blood than earlier during the day.

That’s particularly important to shift workers, who gain weight disproportionately by eating at times when others are resting or asleep. When you snack at night you need to get going—fast.

D. Walking makes people feel better.
Walking in light improves mood. Walking with friends increases social support. Walking in the evening can cut back on the frequent leg kicks that wake many folks all through the night, worsening their sleep—and making them hungrier come morning for fattier, sugary foods.

Walking in sunlight also helps grow brain cells—in memory areas. If you’re worried about Alzheimer’s disease, that’s something to remember.

Bottom Line

Want to prevent Diabetes? Alzheimer’s Disease? Heart Disease? Stroke? Weight gain? Various tumors? Improve mood? Feel slimmer?
 It’s all about going FAR—Food, followed by Activity, followed by Rest. It’s a natural rhythm of human beings.And using natural rhythms can make your body—naturally—feel and look better.Plus improve your chances of sticking around. Giving you a better chance to enjoy it all.

Symptoms in old age that warrant attention

Often old age comes with problems, and mostly health related. Many a times, we miss out on things that are obvious.

Especially after those youthful days when one had the attitude of ‘come what may’. Here are some old age signs you should not miss out on, and seek immediate medical attention for.

1.Low mood

Due to the many health problems at their age and the on and off aches and pains they experience, we expect a grumpy mood in most elders to be normal. However, that isn’t how it should be.

If you notice your otherwise cheerful parent, elderly relative or neighbor appearing sullen, it’s worth probing further and also seeking medical advice if things remain unchanged for long.

Elders could feel low or depressed due to loneliness, feeling of worthlessness or troubled relationships at home. Often these aspects are overlooked by them and their family as well.

2.Memory loss

We all forget things occasionally but this is one of the most common and challenging problems of the geriatric population world over. If the person forgets names of people who she/he regularly interacts with or memory of very recent events then it could be concerning. 

Forgetting things like where did they place something or why did they enter the room is normal. But if they lose  the trail of a sentence during their speech or forget words it could be a sign of dementia.

3.Lack of care

A sudden drop in the way your ageing parents dress or take care of the home should call for your attention. If you notice a lack of interest in bathing, brushing, dressing neatly then the reason should be probed. Also, if your parents have been living by themselves, keep checking on the condition of the house, especially the bathroom and the kitchen. The reason for this decline could be that they have lost confidence to manage on their own and it’s time they moved in with you or arrange for an outside support to help them with their daily chores.

4.Loss of sensation

If your elderly parent is unable to taste excess salt in the food, or has hurt himself and isn’t feeling any pain it calls for serious attention. Some amount of sensory loss is normal and expected as you age but if this becomes a hindrance then it should be fixed. For instance, loss of hearing has to be fixed with a hearing aid even if it is only a partial loss. Loss of sensation of touch should be diagnosed by an expert and treated. If not it could lead to accidents as the person may use too hot water in the bath or touch a hot utensil in the kitchen causing a burn and not even be aware of it.

  

5.Loss of appetite

Again just like children are fussy about the foods they eat, elderly become picky about foods and their appetite changes and reduces from what it used to be. If this is due to dental problems such as caries or absence of teeth, it could be fixed and normal appetite can be restored. However if the loss of appetite is due to indigestion, inability to procure or cook foods of their liking or a general loss of interest due to loneliness or depression, these concerns need to be addressed separately. They may also have a lack of taste which may make all foods taste bland.

6.Mobility

One of the biggest challenges in the elderly is to prevent a fall.

Like children, the elderly are very prone to falls and with weak bones they are at higher risk of fractures and head injuries. If balance is not good, physiotherapy exercises can help to restore balance.

Home environment plays an important role in fall prevention.

7.Loss of control in urine and stool

Loss of control over urine is a common problem with the elderly.

 In men it can be due to prostate, and in women it can be due to stress incontinence. It can happen as a result of an illness like pneumonia as well. A quick discussion, during the doctor’s visit, on this is very important to prevent emergencies like acute retention of urine. Due to embarrassment your parents may not disclose this complaint to you, so look for signs such as soiled clothes or bed linen.

8.Making the home safe for the elderly:

Encourage them to wear shoes that fit properly and wear non-slip footwear while at home. Wipe spills immediately, do not leave it for later.

If possible, opt for non-polished floors. Leave on the lights in the bathroom and passages. Use door locks that can be opened from both sides in bathrooms and bedrooms.

Keep emergency phone numbers written in big normal fonts, and stick it near the phone. Keep a fire extinguisher handy at home.

Other useful advices to make the home safe:

• Clean bathrooms regularly to avoid slipping.
• Install and use hand rails in bathrooms.
• Remove rugs to avoid tripping over.
• Use bright lights.
• Keep an emergency lamp near the bed.
• In the kitchen keep kitchen floors uncluttered.
• Stick ‘On’ and ‘Off’ position stickers on electrical appliances written in bright colors.
• Keep sharp objects in one rack
• Use labels for items that are kept in opaque boxes
• Keep cleaning materials tightly closed and away from food materials
• Use cotton clothing and aprons while cooking
• Check expiry dates of packaged food.

There’s a lot you can do for the elders of your family and

community to make them feel comfortable, wanted and secure.

But the best thing you can give them is some of your time, spent meaningfully with them.

Source: http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/8-symptoms-in-old-age-that-warrant-attention/

Hindu Festivals Part VI HOLI

Holi (pronunciation: /ˈhoʊliː/; Sanskrit: होली Holī) is a spring festival, also known as the festival of colours or the festival of sharing love. It is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities outside Asia.

It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, and other regions of the world with significant populations of Hindus or people of Indian origin. In recent years the festival has spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic, and colours

Significance of Holi Festival

One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.

Holi festival is celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated. 

Season of Bloom
Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is so gay. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes as Holi promises of bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom colouring the surroundings and filling fragrance in the air. 

How the festival is celebrated?

Holika dahan Days before the festival people start gathering wood and combustible materials for the bonfire in parks, community centers, near temples and other open spaces.


On the eve of Holi, typically at or after sunset, the pyre is lit, signifying Holika Dahan. The ritual symbolises the victory of good over evil. People sing and dance around the fire.

Play with colours

Holi frolic and celebrations begin the morning after the Holika bonfire. There is no tradition of holding puja (prayer), and the day is for partying and pure enjoyment. Children and young people form groups armed with dry colours, coloured solution, the means to fill and spray others with coloured solution (pichkaris), water balloons filled with coloured water, and other creative means to colour their targets.

Traditionally, washable natural plant-derived colours such as turmeric, neem, dhak, and kumkum were used, but water-based commercial pigments are increasingly used. All colours are used. Everyone in open areas such as streets and parks is game, but inside homes or at doorways only dry powder is used to smear each other's face. People throw colours and get their targets completely coloured up. It is like a water fight, but with coloured water. People take delight in spraying coloured water on each other. By late morning, everyone looks like a canvas of colours. This is why Holi is given the name "Festival of Colours".

Legends

A Hindu festival, Holi has various legends associated with it. The foremost is the legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made he immune to fire. Story goes that Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone.

Since that time, people light a bonfire, called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion to god. Children take special delight in the tradition and this has another legend attached to it. It says that there was once an ogress Dhundhi who used to trouble children in the kingdom of Prithu. She was chased away by children on the day of Holi. Therefore, children are allowed to play pranks at the time of 'Holika Dahan'. 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi

            http://www.holifestival.org/holi-festival.html