Obesity epidemic of India

-
Image
Obesity in India is on the rise. It has reached enormous proportions. As I sit and count at airports, the number of women who look obviously overweight and obese, the figures I get is 8 out of 10. And this is around same in children of all sexes and around 6 in 10 men show clearcut overweight and obesity that is obvious even to naked eye. Anthropometric measurements might reveal more of them.  What are the likely causes? I have a theory that starts analysing these cases right from the 2000s or previous century. Junk food eating and sedantry lifestyle had already given an upward push to obesity in last century. And this also gave rise to diabetes mellitus in both men and women. Hence, such mothers also had diabetes in pregnancy. Some who did not have diabetes otherwise had gestational diabetes. From 2000 to 2026 prevalence of gestational diabetes has risen in india. It has even spread to rural areas and recent national data gives a figure of 22.4% which is almost 1 in 4 pregnant mot...
Post a Comment

COVID-19 and exercising! What you should avoid in exercises during the pandemic?

-

Coronavirus pandemic has confined people inside the four walls fo their homes. Besides, they are unable to have any outdoor exercises or walks or visits to the gyms that are now closed. How to go about maintaining fitness during the lockdown? All questions answered here! 

EXERCISES AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC

30-45 minutes of exercising daily is good for your health. It provides fitness, boosts the immune health, and also keeps weight in check. But the exercising should be done on a regular basis and not intermittently. There are various grades of exercise depending on intensity. They are meant for beginners, moderate exercisers and those that are of advanced level.

Do moderate exercise during the pandemic [Source: Infectious Disease Advisor]

One can do these exercises even at home and these would be beneficial for the overall health of the individual. But there are some exercises that are to be avoided since they increase the risk of catching COVID-19. Which are these exercise types?

EXERCISES AND IMMUNITY

Exercises gear up the immunity and keep the metabolic system active and well. Immunity helps in the fight against the germs and viruses. The additional benefit of exercise is that it reduces inflammation of any body part and also helps in excretion of harmful toxins from the body. These are also eliminated from the airways and lungs due to the higher breathing rate and depth one does during the phase of exercising. These also raise the level of WBCs and such immune cells of the body, some studies have revealed.

Avoid heavy exercises during COVID-19 [Source: The UN]

American College of Sports Medicine has warned that certain exercises are not good during the pandemic. These include the high-intensity workouts and it is best to avoid them now.

HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUTS AND THE RISKS

The journal Current Sports Medicine Reports has a study published that reveals that certain high-intensity workouts might strain the system and in fact weaken the immune system rather than helping it. This causes the individual to become vulnerable to the infection rather than fight it. This could be dangerous. Hence, these heavy-grade exercises could give a false sense of security to the person and lead him to his ill-health.

Outdoor exercising of moderate scale is good during the pandemic [Source: Youmatter]

The researchers have asked high-risk individuals to be particularly careful and avoid these strenuous exercises. They should not do exhaustive exercises, overreaching, or overtraining for this reason. This does not only reduce immunity but also increases stress. Hence with COVID-19 infection, the individual may have more complications such as respiratory distress and also more chances of death.

This is mainly due to the hormones that are released with any form of exercise but more so with heavy exercises. Based on the same mechanism, even too much exercise may be bad even if it is not strenuous. Hence stick to simple and moderate exercising during the pandemic.

COVID-19 AND GYM

Gyms have started opening but caution should be exercised there. Always wear a face mask or face shield at the gym. Do not share gym equipment. The gym should ensure proper sanitization of the place. The person should also wash hands before and after the exercise. Use outdoor spaces as much as possible so that crowding and infection risk is low. Social distancing should be maintained at all times. Do not go to the gym if you are infected.

Tips for gym exercises during the pandemic [Source: TOI]

Also, read on innovative cat foods here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dementia: problem, risks, effects, and management

-
Image
I had met my classmate around 4 months back and informed her also about my mom's death. But in a recent email, she wrote to me that I had met her a couple of years back. She also enquired about my mom. Seeing her email, the first thought that came to my mind was: is she suffering from early dementia. I hope not. Maybe, she just forgot about the time that I had met her a few months back. Maybe because it was a hurried and surprise visit.  Nonetheless, dementia is on the rise. It affects people after 60 years of age. The increased life expectancy means that one will see more of such cases in the near future.  India has around 10 million dementia cases out of the world total of 57 million. This is a huge percentage. It affects not only an individual but the whole family. There is this individual who is physically okay but mentally absent. The person needs custodial care and it could turn out to be expensive. It is also emotionally disturbing to see your loved one in that state of...
Read more

Why I decided to not attend Nepal Respiratory society conference 2025?

-
I am a super-specialist doctor. Hence, when I learned about the pulmonology conference in Nepal in September 2025, I thought of attending it since I was there for some other work.  But I ultimately decided against attending the Nepal Respiratory society conference. You will agree that 'the first impression is the last impression'. And my first impression about the conference and organizers, unfortunately, was bad.  Reasons: 1. Incomplete information on internet  No proper directions on internet. There was incomplete and wrong information.  2. No office When anyone makes a medical society or association, it needs to have a proper physical address, phone number, and email id. But this, Nepal respiratory society, lacked all of this.  3. Piecemeal information  Initially, the registration details had no details about registration for international delegates. Later, this was added. But again, there was improper info on it. At one place, the fees was 12k npr and a...
Read more

Don't sacrifice or belittle your generation for the future generation!

-
Image
Our planet, Earth is an important abode for every living being including plants and animals. Earth belongs to everyone. Humans are the superior living beings, but they are also the ones destroying nature and earth with their excessive deeds and misdeeds.  Climate change and global warming are also the consequence of wrong human activities in excess. Industrial revolution of the 19th century paved the way for this downhill process of environmental deterioration. It has reached a stage where excessive temperatures are giving rise to glacier and ice cap melting, sea water level rising, ecosystem disruption, weather crisis, and high rates of infections and allergies.  Also, read Dementia and its risks and management  Effective steps need to be taken promptly and on a large scale to mitigate this climate crisis and in the meantime, measures to adapt to the rising temperatures also are required to be started.  However, in all this, some people make such vague statements th...
Read more