Posted On: 27-Sep-2009 19:22:56 News Source: CosmopolitanFont Size:
Sitch: My friend and I are walking down Camden Street, London. He spots a hottie across the street, and immediately goes, "She's so fit." Slightly peeved, because c'mon, we all feel that it's a given for a woman to have curves, I ask him why he sought out muscles in every woman he saw. To his amusement and my embarrassment, he said it was only an expression the English used when they thought someone was in top shape. Oops, my bad!
Verdict: Being fit isn't just a Brit expression, but a way of life all of us would be only too happy to flaunt like a designer label. It's no less than a Dior, and that's what makes ‘being unfit' totally uncool.
Dr Bharat Inder Singh, Consultant in Sports Medicine, Convener of Health and Medical Services in the Commonwealth Games, 2010, defines it as, "It's got nothing to do with your size or shape; it is how well your body can adequately compensate your heart and lung mechanism while surviving on an adequate level of oxygen for muscles to do work."
While the medics reiterate Dr Singh's definition, on the other hand, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities.To make sure you don't lose sight of this pretty pricey designer label (your fitness levels in this case), here, a moan-list of signs your body is trying to reach out for help and how to tackle each of them…
"Damn, I have high BP..."
One in four adult Americans has high blood pressure, although 31.6% of them don't know that they have hypertension. Many people falsely assume that men are the most at risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, more women than men have died of cardiovascular diseases since 1984. The cause of three out of five cases of heart failure in women is high blood pressure. Factors that contribute to high blood pressure are smoking, lack of physical activity, being overweight, high sodium intake, high cholesterol levels, excessive intake of alcoholic beverages, and heredity.
How to tackle: If you are between 20 to 30 and have high BP, chances are you will be immediately hospitalised and put on a diet. "In case the blood pressure touches 160/110 I would advise you to be on regular blood pressure medication to lower it. Although you should start exercising, don't over exert yourself as your blood pressure needs to come down to normal at 120/80. I would recommend cardio three to four times a week coupled with strength training and yoga," says Dr Neeru Dhingra.
"Do you mind not walking so fast!"
You are climbing up five flights and are a bit out of breath — permissible. Climbing up two flights and you are gasping? Alarm bells should be clanging madly. Breathlessness due to minor physical activity is not a good symptom. For instance, the growth of cholesterol on the inner lining of artery walls doesn't show any symptoms till it is in a state to rupture the arteries or blood vessels. But they show some symptoms which we hardly notice like breathlessness at the slightest excuse, which could be due to a weight problem.
Too much fat in the body produces cholesterol that blocks the lining or arteries and reduces oxygenated blood flow to body tissues. As a result, the person tries to breathe too heavily to meet the oxygen deficiency. Aditi Gowitrikar, actor and fitness consultant for Men's Health says, "Walking up stairs shouldn't seem like a daunting chore but a breeze when you are young."
How to tackle: Dr Neera Vyas, M.D., DNV, Consultant in Preventive Cardiology, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, says, "Being out of breath is a sign of a de-conditioned body. A normal adult should walk at least 21 km a week. If that is too much to ask then you should build up your strength over a period of time with yoga and then aim at doing the 21 km a week walk."
"I hate this persistent backache."
According to Vinata Shetty, fitness expert, "Lower back pain or joint pain could also indicate low fitness levels. Rounded shoulders or hunch getting more pronounced could indicate tightness of chest muscles and weakening of upper back muscles." She adds that weak muscles or even inflexible muscles lead to poor posture which in turn puts uneven pressure on the vertebral discs resulting in herniated discs. As a result, one could experience shooting pain in the arms or lower limbs. Don't discard this pain as being too insignificant to look at as it is likely to rear it's ugly head when you are much older and not in a position to fix it.
How to tackle: Vinata Shetty suggests, "Appropriate exercise for corresponding muscles can help alleviate the problem. If no action is taken over a period of time it will result in the ‘dowager's hump' (not a pretty sight!). Strengthening of the muscles around the trunk (core) region, along with stretching tight muscles and strengthening weak ones will help restore spinal integrity."
"Lasagna without the cheese please, I am allergic to it."
Most of us would turn around and call our allergic-to-almost-everything-friend too fussy if ordering is equivalent to a checklist for her! According to Wikipedia, allergy is a disorder of the immune system often also referred to as atopy. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and a reaction to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees.
For someone prone to allergies, any food might be an allergen. The most common are wheat, milk, eggs, yeast, coffee and chocolate. These may affect most body systems, with the gastrointestinal, nervous, respiratory and skin areas affected the most when allergies kick in. Factors that might lead to allergies later on could be feeding babies solid food too early, lack of breast feeding, gluten allergies from an early consumption of grains such as corn, wheat and oats. Poor digestion also acts as a catalyst, along with stress and low nutritional levels.
How to tackle: According to Pooja Bedi, anchor and actor, "I am very careful about what I eat and make sure that I am fit at all times. However, I feel that now more than ever we are more susceptible to allergies because of our lifestyle. I recommend one goes for an allergy test which just takes about 45 minutes, especially if you fall sick too often and have a slow rate of metabolism." Where food is concerned, it's recommended that you consume lots of water, fruit juices (except citrus), all vegetables except corn and tomatoes, brown or white rice, turkey, white fish: halibut, sole, swordfish (no shellfish), almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds.
"I can make a wig thanks to the amount of hair I lose."
Fistfull of hair everywhere but on your head? There are numerous causes of female hair loss and before you opt for any particular method or solution, it is important that you identify the cause. Stress is one of the most common causes of hair loss in women. Physical as well as emotional stress is detrimental to your body; at times, they affect your hair, nails, and teeth and skin as well.
Women who usually go on crash diets tend to experience some of the most undesirable results like loss of natural glow in the skin, brittle nails and eventually thinning of hair. Vesna Jacob, Pilates expert laments, "Bad skin tone, and hair fall should be indication enough that whatever diet plan you are on or your lifestyle for that matter needs to go for a complete makeover, before it's too late." Leena Mogre, Fitness Consultant for celebrities like Bipasha Basu and Kareena Kapoor seconds that. The key is everything in moderation, which might sound easy on paper but it difficult to practice unless you remind yourself day in and day out of the horrifying consequences.
How to tackle: For starters, get off that obnoxious crash diet of yours which is making you lose more than just cellulite. Sonia Kakkar says, "If you are losing colour from your skin, and your hair is dry and brittle, it means your body isn't receiving adequate amount of proteins." First and foremost, add iron to your diet, as hair loss due to iron deficiency can be reversed if you add it to your diet. While consulting a doctor is recommended, you can try a few home remedies, for instance, massage your scalp with two to three drops of vegetable oil and later wrap the hair in a plastic wrap with a warm towel leaving it overnight for two to three hours. Eating a handful of white sesame seeds every morning is also great for your hair as the seeds contain about 1,200 mg. of calcium and magnesium which ignite the required nourishments of your scalp and help fight hair fall.
WHEN YOU NEED THE DOC ON SPEED DIAL:
Warning 1: Your ticker is racing and your chest burns.
What it may signal: Heart Attack
Warning 2: Your eyes have swollen to the size of walnuts.
What it may signal: Optic Neuritis
Warning 3: It takes forever for a bruise to disappear.
What it may signal: Diabetes
Warning 5: Vision going blurry for a long time.
What it may signal: 0Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis
Warning 6: When your mouth is on fire after medication.
What it may signal: Severe allergic reaction.
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