Category Archives: Healthy Living

Eat healthy, live healthy and ensure healthy lifestyle Columns, Opinion October 16, 2020 , by News Desk 14

By Muneer Shamee

After the COVID-19 spread and life threat over the world it has severely effected the socio-economic, travel, tourism, health and medical challenges. The UN Division of Sustainable Development States, End hunger, achieve food, security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 193 countries around the world unanimously decided and committed in ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030 with the aim of amplifying awareness and action about the malnutrition and hunger as well as obesity to the larger extent around the world and ensure safe and nutritious food for all. We all know that poor and unhealthy diet causes higher deaths than Cancer, Tuberculosis, heart attack and higher blood pressure. Well balanced diet minimises physical ailments and decreases our ageing process. Our happiness is a reflection of good health- a divine wealth. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) observes World Food Day on 16 October to pay tribute to its inaugural day.

Despite the scientific progress and prosperity, we have failed miserably in the food production, proper food processing, equal food distribution and its procurement. Nearly 25% of worlds people struggle to procure the healthy and wealthy food items. Aftermaths of Globalization has resulted in the massive wastage of food items we are equally accountable for it. Frequent lockdowns and complete shutdowns have acutely affected in demand, supply, purchase and consumption of food items. Limited physical movement, social interactions, closing of hotels, restaurants have restricted and disrupted the food supply chains. People avoided and being afraid in purchasing food items with the possible threat of virus infection. With the outbreak of Corona virus, there is heartfelt effect in dietary patterns and shortage of food items. Farmers and field workers toil hard in food production and its availability to the common man.

On its 75th anniversary FAO promotes to help those who are worsley affected by hunger and malnutrition especially during COVID-19 pandemic that has accentuate the significance of food for healthy living and sustenance. Thanks to the farmers for their sincere endeavour, whole-hearted devotion and timely production and supplying fruits and vegetables everyday. These unsung corona warriors are laudable and real heroes of mankind. Due to unavailability and failure of transport services in India during pandemic many agricultural goods and raw materials are devastated. Plenty of foods available for human ingestion get wasted at several stages of food production, procurement and consumption stages. There is glaring demarcation of people suffering from obesity at one level and hunger at another level. Billions and billions of people have no access to internet which are helpful in alterations and intrusion of modern technology in agricultural sectors.

As our global population reaches to 10 billion by 2050, the UN has its commitment of providing secure, healthy and plentiful for nearly 2 billion people. Nearly 80% of chronic diseases are controllable by healthy nutrition, frolic activity. People who take care of their life enjoy happy and blessed life, lowering the risk of long-term disease or fatal injury. Good food helps in more sustainable and efficient recovery of vulnerable disease. What we sow today may reap tomorrow. By collective collaboration of individual and government we can improve our food system and remain healthy. Preserving food is vital response during Corona crisis. Government policies and programmes should be convenient for survival and ensuring decent incomes for small stakeholders, farmers and food chain workers.

On World Food Day every government, private, business, NGO play their role in promoting virtual activities, events. Online support in preserving food for future use, safe and proper nutritious food for one and all is the chief motto during COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim would be respecting food heroes, choose seasonal food, grow food at home, choose and buy locally grown food for strengthening the local businessman and boosting economy. We should choose healthy food which is essential for healthy growing of food crops which lessens the burden of agricultural production and maintaining biodiversity. Private firms, business organizations and multinational companies can help in improving economic and food systems by promoting food related business, exploring research resources, expertise in preserving climate change. On this auspicious day various cultural events, display, participation, celebration take place to commemorate healthy eating and buying habits on World Food Day through Social media platforms.

(Muneer Shamee can be reached at muneer.udl@gmail.com)

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Eat healthy, live healthy and ensure healthy lifestyle - Avenue Mail

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Doctors say early detection is key to fighting the disease.

SEATTLE - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and some facilities are getting creative and taking mammograms to the streets.

Hearing the words"you have cancer" can be shocking, isolating and downright unimaginable. For health coach Deborah Enos, her breast cancer diagnosis was absolutely unacceptable.

Complete shock. Imean honestly, Idropped the phoneIthought, do you have the wrong number? Are you kidding? Theres no way with my lifestyle Icould possibly have breast cancer.Idont fit the mold and Ihave zero family history!

Out of the 10 risk factors for the disease, Deborah only has two.

"Im a woman, and Iam over 50. Thats it.

While the diagnosis was unfathomable for Deborah, things could have been very different if she had waited, or worse, skipped her mammogramthis year.

Instead of being the stage Iam, which is stage zero, which is so treatable, my doctor said Icould have been easily a stage two, a one or two by the time Icame back.

Doctors say breast cancer doesnt discriminate and women should start getting annual mammograms between 40 and 45 years old.

While there are obviously some fears of going to doctors offices in the middle of a pandemic, most facilities are taking extreme precautions to keep patients safe.If youre still not convinced, there are other options to consider.Swedish Medical Center deploys 2 mobile mammography coaches into communities where women may not have access or not have had the chance to get a mammogram,

Laura Roberts is a manager of the program.

"We decided that the mobile coach is probably the safest place for a patient to be because it is easily contained," she says. "We additionally break down those barriers that you might have within certain ethnicities, and we just bring the coach right to them, then theyre not afraid.

Through the program, a patient's insurance is billed, but if that is not an option, the team will help line up resources to make it possible,as they stress the importance of screening mammography is really, early detection.

Breast cancer caught early enough is totally treatable. Theres a significant decrease in mortality by doing routine screening mammography.

In a normal year, the coaches will see roughy 6,500 patients, but are seeing a decline because of the coronavirus.

Last year, they were able to diagnose 14 cancer cases through mobile mammography.

Deborah says the test was a game-changer for her.

The mammogram,its not perfect, but it caught thisand Iam so grateful that it did.

Deborah has already had two surgeries, and says because it was caught so early, she doesnt have to ungero chemotherapy, but she will do radiation.

"I am on my soapbox now saying to women, honestly, if you can go out and get your nails done, you can get a mammogram, it is about the same amount of exposure as far as being with another person.

Deborah is taking a class to learn more about breast cancer as she is adament about helping other women who are struggling with their own diagnosis.

If you want to take advantage of the mobile mammography program, you do need a primary care physician so that if something is caught on a scan, they have a place to send the results to.

Click here to see locations and more information on the SwedishMobile Mammography program.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance also has a program you can look into here.

Overlake Hospital, where Deborah is being treated, is starting their mobile mammography program in 2021.

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Healthy Living: Deborah Enos, in the fight of her life, encouraging women to get mammograms - Q13 FOX

Truck driver Carlos Soto understands how hard it can be to stay fit as a truck driver, but instead of giving in to the ease of an unhealthy lifestyle, he has made his health and wellbeing a priority with just a few changes to your exercise routine and food.

Soto spends at least 10 hours a day driving his truck up to 4,000 miles a week not exactly the perfect formula for a fit lifestyle so he finds whatever opportunities he can to work out and eat healthy, even if it takes a little extra focus.

As a trucker, all you do is pretty much eat, sleep and drive, and its easy to be unhealthy, he said to Mens Health. So many people in my line of work get knee problems, diabetes and have high blood pressure, because youre not moving and eating crap. Your body just starts shutting down. It feels like thats true for 90% of the industry. Theres a lot of truckers in their 30s or 40s who are already walking like 80-year-old men when they leave their truck, because they dont walk or run or get any activity.

As many as 50% of American truck drivers are obese according to the National Institute of Health, and Soto says he used to be one of them, weighing in at 250 pounds. But once he decided to make a change by working out at home, he started seeing results and knew he had to take his new healthy-living initiative on the road.

My body fat went way down, he says. It was important for me to maintain muscle in my fitness journey, though. I do more heavy weights than cardio for my workouts, and my muscle has gone up as a result Ive been able, through workouts, to never have problems with my lower back. Im sitting for 10 hours, so I often emphasize my quads through machine workouts and exercises like deadlifts and squats to keep them strong.

He soon realized that his new healthy lifestyle had more impact on his life than just the visible changes.

I feel amazing these days, he says. My energy levels and strength after many years are totally different. Im stronger and healthier, even after so many years of driving. I wanted to shock the stereotype of all truck drivers being out of shape My ultimate goal, though, is to look at myself in the mirror each morning and feel healthy and happy. I want to play soccer with my son and be in shape for that. I want to be healthy for my job and have a long, healthy and productive career.

Now, Soto makes a concerted effort to workout when he can, meal-prep healthy meals for OTR, and never lose focus on what matters most his wellbeing.

Sometimes its very hard, often the only time I have is around 2 to 4 in the morning. Sometimes Ill plan my routes to target 24 hour Life Time clubs. I try to get to Life Time the night before, park my truck, sleep in the parking lot and in the morning after 8 hours of sleep, I wake up, work out, get breakfast and hit the road for 10 more hours.

Although it takes effort and intention, Soto says its worth every extra step to feel as good as he does and keep his body moving.

For people who are new to fitness, I always tell them that you have to do it for yourself. Do it to be more productive and healthy for your lifestyle and family. I know a lot of people, they dont want to have health problems. Exercise is a great way to fight that. Its also amazing to feel good about yourself. I meet a lot of depressed truck drivers who are overweight. Even the money theyre making right now, theyre miserable. Everything can be accomplished with a few changes to your exercise routine and food.

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Looking to stay healthy OTR? Let this newly-fit trucker show you the way - CDLLife

October 16, 2020 6:17:28 pm

Written by Amit Chhabra

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are today a primary cause of mortality in India and in the coming few years, it is expected that CVDs will carry a much significant economic and social burden on the Indian population. Cardiovascular diseases are a combination of various kinds of heart-related disease, stroke and ailments of blood vessels nourishing the body parts.

As per a study published in the popular health journal The Lancet, until the year 2016, the estimated frequency of CVDs in India was 54.5 million. However, deaths due to CVDs in India have increased from 1.3 million in 1990 to 3.7 million in 2019.

Today, one in four deaths in India is because of CVDs with ischemic heart disease and stroke responsible for more than 80 per cent of this burden. Unfortunately, more than half the deaths caused by heart-related ailments are in individuals less than 70 years of age.

Lately, it has been observed that CVDs tend to affect people in the most productive years of their lives and result in catastrophic social and financial consequences.

As per the study findings, Indians are 10 times more likely to die of CVDs than people in other parts of the world, and this primarily because of the genetic make-up of the Indians. Another leading factor why Indians possess the highest risk of CVDs is the consistent lifestyle change they have undergone over the last few decades.

Some major reasons for the ongoing cardiac disease crisis are unhealthy diet, air pollution, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Considering the given factors, it is crucial that each one of us must take a step back and start working towards ensuring a healthy heart.

Ensuring a healthy heart not only means living a healthy lifestyle but also means securing yourself against the massive expenses of unexpected CVDs. And this is because it is not always important that a person living a healthy lifestyle will never be affected by a CVD. Though chances are quite low that people living a healthy lifestyle will get a CVD but there have been several incidences where people following a strict lifestyle have also become prey to the cardiac disease crisis. Over this is the exaggerated cost of treatment for heart-related ailments.

In order to undergo angioplasty to unclog the arteries may cost you anywhere between Rs 3 Lakh to Rs 5 Lakh in a metro city. Similarly, an open heart surgery costs Rs 5 Lakh to Rs 8 Lakh while valve-related surgeries cost anywhere between Rs 4 Lakh and Rs 7 Lakh. It is not always possible for everyone to have enough finances to cover this huge cost and take the best possible treatment.

It is only possible to easily cover these costs by financially protecting yourself through a comprehensive health insurance policy. Your health insurance policy will cover you against all possible health care expenses for the treatment of CVDs and every other disease as well.

A health insurance plan covers you for all hospitalisation expenses along with pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses as well. Moreover, considering the rising incidences of cardiac disease in India, numerous insurers have even come up with customized fixed benefit health plans that only cater to conditions related to the heart.

These plans provide financial protection in case you are diagnosed with a cardiac condition. Just like a fixed benefit plan, under these plans as well the entire sum insured is paid out to the insured on diagnoses of a CVD. The payout amount can be used for the treatment of the illness and even compensate for the loss of income due to the recovery period.

The author is the Head- Health Insurance at Policybazaar.com. Views expressed are that of the author.

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Importance of having a heart care insurance policy - The Indian Express

The first day of early voting is far from over, and more than 70,000 people have already cast a vote in Harris County.

Long lines have been reported at about 10 voting locations, so it's important to remember you can vote at any Harris County location during early voting, which lasts until Oct. 30.

Why not use that time to get some exercise in?

Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox

"The most important exercise to do is (your) exercise to vote, so way to go for getting out there and making your voice heard," said Shelby Saylor, association director of healthy living of YMCA of Greater Houston and a personal trainer.

Saylor and SilverSneakers 2019 Instructor of the Year Eliot Perez have some quick socially-distanced exercises you can do while waiting in line to perform your civic duty.

1. Calf raises

Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift your heels off the ground for a few seconds at a time for 10 reps. Repeat as often as you like.

2. Stationary knee lifts

Stand with your legs hip-width apart. Slowly lift your right knee up to your chest. Set it back down and repeat, with your left knee. These are also called "high knees," but refrain from jumping while in line.

3. Ankle twists

Ankle twists are great for mobility. Stand up straight and lift the right foot a few inches off the ground. Try to trace the alphabet with your big toes, which will exercise the ankle. Do the same with the left foot. Trace the alphabet at least three times with both feet.

4. Squats

Stand with legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart, and squeeze your glutes when you sit down into the squat and again, when you stand up. When youre in the bottom of the squat, make sure your torso is not out beyond your knees. If your knees start hurting, take a rest. For toned inner thighs, do the squats with a narrower stance. Do reps of 10-12 and repeat as often as you like, or hold the squat until the line moves again.

How To: Build your own squat challenge

5. Lunges

Stand with your legs more than shoulder-width apart and lunge forward with the right leg. Try to keep the lunge stance for as long as you're in that spot in line. When the line moves again, switch to the other leg.

6. Wall-sit

This only applies if you're near a wall. Lean with your back on the wall and move to a sitting position with your knees and hips making a 90-degree angle this strengthens your quadriceps. Hold until the line moves again.

7. Sun gods or arm circles

Stand up straight and lift your arms to shoulder height. Make small circles with your hands, and gradually work up to bigger circles at the shoulder. Do reps of 20 and repeat as often as you like.

8. Stretch

Stand up straight, bend over and try to touch your toes. Swing your arms back and forth. Rotate your head backward and forward, side-to-side.

9. Jog in place

Make sure you have space between you and others in line before you attempt to jog in place. Also, if you don't think you can do this with a mask on, don't try it.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie

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9 exercises to do while waiting in line to vote - Houston Chronicle

Written by Dr Shwetambara Sabharwal | Mumbai | October 16, 2020 11:40:56 amCovid-19 exposed us to many changes all at once. (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

In the last few months of therapy and interactions with people across the globe, I have heard of people moving homes and countries, choosing to homeschool children, mending and healing relationships, choosing minimalism, quitting jobs and discovering new passions or following their long-buried dreams. This crisis led a lot of us to take notice that what we were constantly invested in or distracted with, was trying to control things around us, an idea Covid-19 shattered, loud enough for the world to hear.

Covid 19 exposed us to many changes all at once. Staying home all day, for several days, with kids and family, working out of home, staying indoors, no weekend roadside chaat, having to wash hands multiple times a day and no socialising. Probably the hardest one for us Indians, is maintaining a two-arm distance from others and not breathing down the neck of the person ahead of us in a line. These are only a few in the list of many adjustments.

ALSO READ | Matters of the Mind: The business of finding happiness

As we made these lifestyle and behavioural changes, we swallowed the tough pills of loss of control, limited freedom, harder physical labour, social isolation, ambiguity and loss. One of the biggest emotional ordeals the world felt in waves was fear. The virus poked and tugged at some vulnerability in us all. As it stealthily penetrated all borders, air, land and sea, leaving no cave or cover for safety, one thing became crystal clear, the world as we knew it, was going to change.

With subjective circumstances and abilities to cope, we learnt new ways of living, working, surviving, nurturing and communicating the best we could, initially with much gusto. There was a sudden shift in active neuronal pathways and staying home, cuddling kids and walking aimlessly around the house in pyjamas was gratifying. Videos of celebrities sweeping homes, baking cakes and cooking curry became a way of saying, We have got this.

Covid-19, unencumbered by racial injustice, Bollywood scandals, US elections and human violence comparable to the viruss own sinister intent and exploitation, proliferated and shook us some more. Pushed to the edge of endurance, fear for our loved ones, uncertainty no matter how much we tried to get a grasp around our tomorrows, we were forced to learn and stretch new muscles to quieten ourselves, cope and survive.

Alongside, something else happened. Arrested in the quiet of our concrete home and mental walls, hearing our inner voices, uninterrupted by social chatter or peer pressure, caressing our partners and holding our children without being elbowed by external distractions, observing our breath and realising how that is the only most precious possession we have, we found ourselves awakening to deeper realisations. We began questioning, reviewing, rewiring and finally focussing on what matters the most.

ALSO READ | Matters of the Mind: Self-discipline is a necessary tool to overcome crisis

There has been a significant tide-shift on mental health awareness, a kind I honestly did not think I would see in my lifetime. Ironically, it took a perilous threat to the body for us to understand that the quality of our life depends upon health, attitude and grit of the mind. Depression, anxiety, PTSD and emotional wellbeing have become admissible conversations and therapy is being spoken of as a valuable intervention. Emotions and empathy have drawn the attention of corporates, news and magazines. Social media is inundated with content on healing, health, family and growth. School children suddenly want to opt for psychology as it a worthy career option.

Nutrition, better quality of sleep, exercise, yoga, meditation and breathwork have become irreplaceable for a healthy lifestyle. The Bhagavad Gita, Rig Ved and Yoga-sutra by Rishi Patanjali have listed the benefits and powers in yoga and meditation but paradoxically it is the pandemic of 2020 that will go down in history as having brought about a health revolution.

In the wake of this pandemic, we have found ourselves a voice, a mind and the resolve to prioritise health, happiness, realisation of what and who we value the most, and even if some havent so far, at least we know the revolution has begun.

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Matters of the Mind: Pandemic 2020, a truly life-changing experience - The Indian Express