Is your New Year resolution also to work towards being fitter and healthier by the end of this year?
Here are some things doctors want you to keep in mind before you jump to get rid of all your favourite snacks or get a gym membership.
Dr Tarun Sahani, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, and Dr RVS Bhalla, Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad, give pointers to FIT.
Get Your Health Check Ups Done
Before you set up a health regimen for yourself, you need to know where your body stands, be it in terms of cholesterol, sugar, or kidney functions.
This is especially important for people above the age of 45 and those who might have diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, other age-related problems, or are smokers. Get your ECG, Treadmill test (TMT), and Echo done.
You need to know know where your body stands.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
If you're diagnosed with some illness, you need to regularly follow up with your doctor. Otherwise, preventive health check-ups are more than enough.
Plan A Sustainable Health Regimen
Setting up a regime of diet and exercise that you can sustain is of paramount importance. If you keep quitting mid-way, it’ll be harder for your body to start from scratch every time you decide to give it another try.
Sustainability needs to be taken into account. You can’t starve yourself for six months, lose 10 kgs of weight, and then suddenly quit.
Sustainability needs to be taken into account.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
Exercise In An Exponential Manner
Start slow, gradually go up, and reach a level that can be sustained. Increase your pace as your body adjusts to the intensity of exercises.
Don’t push your body more than its required to, if you can manage to go to the gym only three days a week, do that. There’s no need to do seven days a week. And don't spend too much time in the gym as well, you'll tire yourself out. 40-45 minutes is the suggested time duration for exercising by doctors.
Don't do all of this on Day 1.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
Other small but important thing to remember include:
Warming up and cooling down is important
Wear loose-fitted clothing
Don't go into a cold area right after exercising
Maintain hydration
Those with cardiac issues should not exercise after meals
Don't exercise on a totally empty stomach (morning exercises can be an exception, but some sort of protein intake beforehand is still recommended)
Balanced Diet Is Key
Focus on a balanced diet and nutritional meals. Don’t starve yourself. Occasionally binging is also okay.
Focus on a balanced diet and nutritional meals.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
Take Any Illness Seriously
If you have an illness, give it importance and treat it adequately. If there's one thing that COVID-19 has taught us, it's that you don't 'just wing' your health concerns.
If you have an illness, give it importance and treat it adequately.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
Identify Your Stress Busters
A kid, a job, and sometimes even grocery shopping is stressful. Recognise what helps you relax and make time for that.
Stress is a part of life but don’t allow it to overcome your entire life.
Stress is a part of life but don’t allow it to overcome your entire life.
(Photo: Garima Sadhwani/FIT)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)