Right To Better Living

Drink more water to loose weight Water by far is the most neglected (it is easy to miss the obvious) ingredient in the process of fat metabolism and subsequent weight loss. Most people are taken aback when they hear me say that increasing water intake will help them lose weight and become lean. It is not surprising. There is a huge hype created around us about health and fitness. Experts often make it complicated for others so that they can make living out of the lack of knowledge thereof. To make the matters worse, markets are inundated with magic weight loss potions, electric gadgets, sophisticated fitness equipment,  special therapies that promise quick results, etc. So, "drinking water for weight loss" Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Now let's see how water promotes weight loss in human body Water is a major ingredient in body fluids. 70% of blood is water. If your body is water starved then it affects the quality and subsequently, its efficien

Well, what are the six pack abs, anyway? Is it a phenomenon associated with a bunch of guys/gals with great genetics? The answer to that question is "NO". Everyone is blessed with similar body composition. You and the guy with the biggest physique on the planet both have same structure. It is just a size that is different. Even the most obese guy around has the six pack abs. They are not visible because they are hidden behind the layer of stubborn fats called 'belly'. If you were to ask people about the most effective exercise for loosing fat around abdomen, 90% of them will say Crunches/Sit-ups. According to them exercising a particular muscle group will burn the fats stored around that area. This is known as the phenomenon of spot reduction. Many people believe it and follow it religiously. But the problem is  "spot reduction does not work" Let's see why. First of all, understand how fats are stored, mobilized and used as ener

Salt (Photo credit: AloneAlbatross ) Harmful effects of Salt Intake It is not that everyone is trying to incarcerate salt as a culprit. But the fact is, higher salt intake is linked to hypertension by several studies conducted worldwide. Importance of Dietary Salt: Sodium is essential for many vital functions at cellular level. It helps maintain fluid balance and plays a role in functioning of cardiovascular system, nervous system & digestive system. How much salt do we need? An average adult needs about 2-5 grams of salt per day, 2 grams being the minimum & 5 grams being the maximum requirement. (Actually we do not need salt. What we need is Sodium.) But average Indian adult in urban areas consumes around 9-12 grams salt per day, which is double of what we really need. No wonder 23% men & 22% women above 25 years of age suffer from hypertension (WHO 2012 Statistics). India is already a Diabetic capital of the world & we are inching closer to bec

You probably know many people who took a weight loss resolution. They get on the band wagon of strict dieting, strenuous work out schedules, sauna baths and what not. These people literally kill them selves in order to loose weight. The cumulative list of restriction can be summarized as fallows: I will get up at 5 in the morning and go for walk/jog, work out at home/gym or do yoga etc. I will stop eating sweets. No to oily food and other fats.(30% of body composition is fat. Can you imagine body without fats?) I will go on 'No Carb' Diet I will stop drinking. I will eat only raw fruits and veggies. I will use sugar free sweeteners.(anything for Bips) I will not eat at parties.(Why go to parties at all?) What goes Wrong? First, your body is accustomed to a set of lifestyle, so when you make some changes it challenges your body. It is in human psyche to resist any change that comes its way. It becomes painful to sustain that change beca

Imagine yourself as a soldier who just started his/her military training. You have to wake up early. Then you go for a morning run of up to 16-20 kilometers. Then you are grilled in parade ground with a 10+ kg rifle held over head. In the afternoon session, you are made to crawl through the muddy terrain. In the evening you are you have to complete an Obstacle training within the given time frame. Be it summer, winter or monsoon, you got to do it, period. What happens as a result of such grueling training? You become stronger,robust & develop the ability to adopt to the changing circumstances. This is exactly what is happening to viruses due over and unnecessary use of antibiotics. antibiotics have trained the organisms become "Superbugs" and now they have become so powerful that small infections are becoming fatal. We Indians have a special infatuation with Antibiotics. Whenever anyone falls ill, all he/she needs is a magic pill (read antibiotics) to ge

Well I have a bad news, some more bad news and consolatory good news. The bad news is, "We can not prevent ourselves from developing an antibiotic resistance". Another bad news is, not only antibiotics but any drug for that matter, will become ineffective in long run as our bodies grow resistant to them. You can't help it. This is how our bodies are designed. Just as humans adapt changing circumstances, bodies adapt to anything they are exposed to. But there is some good news. By making right choices about how we use antibiotics, we can delay/minimize the progression of the resistance. You may inculcate few of the following habits to not live live healthy but also prevent antibiotic resistance. Practical ways to prevent antibiotic resistance Never use antibiotics to treat common cold and flu. As these illnesses are caused by virus, antibiotics any ways do not have any effect on them. Take antibiotics when absolutely necessary. If you can avoid taking it

Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder that interferes with how sugar/glucose is utilized in our body. Every time we eat something, our digestive system converts food into sugar/glucose. This sugar is then transported to all the parts of the body through blood stream. When the blood sugar levels rise, which usually happens after we eat something, pancreas releases insulin. This insulin is responsible for making the sugar available for all cells of the body which will use for the energy needed for all the bodily functions. It is a simple lock and key arrangement. Insulin acts as key to open cell 'lock' so that the blood sugar can enter the cells for further utilization. But when someone has a diabetes, this mechanism does not work. Types of Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus In type 1 diabetes, due to some reasons (off course unknown to scientists) our immune system attacks and kills insulin producing pancreatic cells. As a