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KEEP YOUR KIDS HEALTHY

By Team Wellzee | January 27th, 2015 | LEAVE A COMMENT

Reducing Health Profile Of Kids

The World over, kids are getting more unhealthy. Each successive generation is being trained by parents to be unhealthy without realizing it. Young parents themselves are into an incorrect lifestyle mode; Whether it is the nature of activities, over working, no recreation, poor eating, drinking and sleeping habits and an inability to handle situations. Their children are going to learn the same. This is reflected due to some startling facts about kids:

  • An increasing number of children are getting high blood pressure. Between 7% to 10% of kids below the age of thirteen have this problem.
  • Very broadly, one in every three kids is overweight across the world.
  • Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus or Type 2 Diabetes in children is increasing rapidly.
  • Over 90% of children are reporting actual stress. More often than not, it is triggered or caused by parents.
  • More children the world over are getting short sighted. This is because playing and outdoor activities have almost stopped in many parts of the World. Parents want kids to play video games and entertain themselves on tablets, television and the Internet.
  • Children are eating more but are getting poor nutrition. Lack of exposure to sunlight, wrong eating habits and a predominance of packaged foods is ensuring onset of severe deficiencies at an early age.

What Are Parents Doing Currently?

One of the best things we can do as parents is spend a lot of time with our children. At least a lot of our ‘non-work’ time.

However, most of us do it the wrong way, especially in most Asian and South Asian Countries. The ideas of a family outing or get together are going shopping, for a movie and inevitably, eat outside. That too, junk food or unhealthy food. The other thing we do is land up playing online or video games or work on ‘projects’ on a computer.

Some of us also try to keep our children busy with constant tutorials, hobby classes and other indoor, structured activities. Most children today have less time than adults.

Why Is The Parents’ Solution Bad?

We create more stress as we go on shopping sprees or argue with our children on what not to buy or demand. We may get into gaming zones which are mindless in nature with no real informative value add or physical activity.

Further, there is excessive exposure to lights, colours and sound which also causes physiological stress and alters the working patterns of a childs’ brain.

These kind of family outings ensure that all of us become unhealthy and more prone to cravings, greed, anxiety and a lot of stress. Such individuals will be unhealthy and get diseases at an early age.

Giving our kids electronic toys to play with is more of laziness on our part. We want them ‘out of our way’, at some level and yet not feel that we are being a bad parent. The impact on children is massive as we are already witnessing. It is just that we think that all this happening to someone else, not us. We are in denial.

The Solution

The solution is very simple.

  • Plan activities which are more outdoors.
  • Activities which are sports and nature oriented are essential. This could be going to the swimming pool, cycling or walking together, playing some actual sport or going for nature walks and treks.
  • If you are not in a physical condition to play sports or undertake outdoor physical activity, encourage your children and go with them. It is fine if you do not know how to swim. You can always accompany your child.
  • If nothing else comes to your head, encourage them to play outdoors during the day, everyday. Let them explore, jump, shout, get dirty and have a whole lot of fun. Let them get tanned in the sun. It is healthy.

All of this will ensure great balanced development for your kids. Not only is it much more fun, but all of this will make your kids healthy and the whole family joyful. If you want your children to succeed academically, then opt for our Kids’ online yoga program.

Ideally, parents should also opt for one of our balanced diet plan or online yoga programs from Wellzee.

RISK OF DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BOTTLES

By Team Wellzee | January 21st, 2015 | LEAVE A COMMENT

Utility Is Toxic

All of us today are dependent on plastic for storing food, drinks and water. Today, we all store and drink from plastic bottles without exception. It is rare to find metal containers or glass bottles today. Plastic is a petroleum product. So what we do not realize is that plastic is extremely toxic. Toxins from plastic keep getting released all the time and mixing with our food and drink. This is a slow and steady process but the effects are negative. Plastic which gets absorbed by the body is also carcinogenic (cancer causing) in nature. However, we have got so used to plastic, that it is almost impossible to imagine a life without plastic. 

Heat And Plastic

The problem of these plastic and petroleum based toxins is compounded when plastic is exposed to heat. Even slightly higher temperatures cause plastic to slowly become unstable. Plastic placed in sunlight or next to an oven or stove will become very toxic. Plastic has to be kept at much lower temperatures than room temperatures. In warm regions, plastic has to be kept refrigerated at all times and away from sunlight. Even exposure to sunlight causes plastic to become unstable and start releasing toxins and vapors. It is slow and subtle, but very damaging to health.

We are exposed to these toxins throughout our lives now, as we drink from plastic and eat from plastic. You can imagine the damage we are doing to ourselves.

Health Effects Of Plastic

The adverse impact on health is very high. There are many things happening to us and we do not even know it. Some of the problems plastic can cause are:

  • Impairing the lungs and their functioning, leading to lung and breathing related diseases.
  • Hardening and clogging of the arteries and blood vessels leading to heart related problems, brain strokes, clotting and diseases related to the circulatory system.
  • There is a link emerging between certain types of cancer and the use of plastic.
  • Damage of the skin. Losing luster, skin related disease and faster aging.

Problem With Plastic Bottles

Most of us in office, gym or even at home, tend to fill up plastic bottles to drink through the day. This is a complete health hazard. Toxins from these plastic bottles find themselves in the water. Even exposure to slightly higher temperatures does this, even if not opened for the first time. You may keep your bottles and food packages in refrigerators but when they are being filled and transported, they are not kept in a refrigerated environment. So the damage is done right from the start.

Practical Solution For Drinking

The solutions are simple for this challenge. Please keep a good quality bottle at all times to drink water from. A high grade, thick and good quality plastic bottle should be fine. However, destroy and replace it every few months. Keep metal bottles for storing your drinks whenever possible or practical. Use glass if metal is not available. However make sure the lids and caps of these bottles are not made of plastic.

Some awareness combined with a practical approach will go a long way in preserving health. In addition, eat healthy with wellzee balanced diet plans; and yes, after the meal, do not drink water from a plastic bottle. 

HIDDEN SALT WILL KILL YOU

By Team Wellzee | January 19th, 2015 | LEAVE A COMMENT

Excess Salt or Sodium

The body requires sodium which it obtains from various food sources. However, an excess of sodium is harmful for the body. It is now a known fact that excess salt causes high blood pressure. This in turn opens up the body to many other diseases, subsequently. There are various recommendations given as to how much of table salt we should take. This ranges from three grams to five grams of salt in a day. Even if we stick to these recommendations, we land up having much more salt than we need.

Hidden Salt

This excess salt intake occurs because there are various food products which have a lot of sodium content and we consume them without realizing it. Some of the foods to watch out for are:

Breads – all breads by default have high sodium content. This includes the whole wheat and multi grain varieties. One large piece of bread can have as much as 230 mg of sodium. The commercial baked bread cannot taste good or achieve its consistency without salt and sugar.

Pizza – Once large slice of pizza (even the thin crust, health food variety) has over 700 mg of sodium. Pizza tastes great because it has salt.

Poultry – All chicken contains sodium. Even raw chicken these days has a lot of sodium. This may be due to chicken feed which is provided or other contaminants. But it is difficult to find chicken with less sodium.

Cold Cuts and Cured Meats – Cold cuts and cured meats stay preserved and taste good precisely because they have high amounts of salt. A standard pack of even high quality meat can have as high as 1000 mg of salt per packet.

Fast Food – Fast food is addictive and tastes good not only because of the high fat content but also because of the high salt content. Ever wondered why those delicacies never taste the same when you make them at home? Excess salt and excess cooking medium is the key.

Seasoning, preservatives and binding agents all form part of packaged foods; even the health food variety. These are key ingredients for food to look good, smell good, taste good and to make it last longer. Therefore these key ingredients, all contain salt.

Coloring and texturing agents – Practically all food produced, prepared or packaged outside contain these agents. From foods to drinks, these are to be found in practically all products sold outside. These contain salt as the texture and the color of the food or drink, improves.

Fermentation – Fermented foods contain much more sodium than foods not subject to the fermentation process. This is due to baking and leavening agents and the changes they bring about in the food.

Other Products – Products which enhance flavor and taste also have high sodium content like soy sauce, ketchup and MSG (ajinomoto). No wonder then, that Chinese food from outside tastes delicious.

Where Do We Get Salt From?

Salt is required by the body, but most of the salt we need gets fulfilled through the natural salt content to be found in various foods like grains and vegetables. Therefore, the extra requirement is not more than 5 mg per person per day. This requirement is much lower for children. Even if we go without table salt in today’s day and age, we will get enough salt and sodium.

Excess Salt Consumption

Various studies have been found that an average person today consumes as high as ten mg to fifteen mg of salt without even realizing it. Excess salt is one of the key causes of high blood pressure in addition to disturbing the osmotic cell pressure. This imbalance in osmotic cell pressure, gradually leads to certain types of diseases.

What Can We Do?

Excess salt kills slowly, so do take care and reduce your salt intake to negligible levels. Stay at a two mg to three mg level per day to remain healthy. To be even more fit and healthy, take one of our (wellzee) balanced diet plans.  

SIT CORRECTLY AVOID HEART PROBLEMS

By Team Wellzee | January 8th, 2015 | LEAVE A COMMENT

Heart Ailments as a Focus Area

One of the most important focus areas for individuals is a healthy heart. All nations, races, sexes and age groups are now equally prone to heart related ailments across the World. This problem is even more acute in areas where there is a genetic predisposition to heart problems; like the Indian subcontinent. It is estimated that over the next couple of decades, one in every three individuals will have some issue related with the heart by the time they reach their fifties.

Reasons For Heart Problems

There are so many reasons given for the increasing incidence of heart related problems. This is true even for young, healthy people and those who do not have a genetic predisposition. Some of the reasons which impact the heart are:

  • Exposure to pollution, whether environmental or noise.
  • Food sources are posioned across the world. Everything we eat has chemicals, hormones and impurities, including the freshest of sea food.
  • Impure milk and milk products.
  • Drinking water is contaminated. Treated water has excess amounts of unwanted elements and minerals which also cause damage.
  • Stress levels.
  • Lack of sleep or other sleep related problems.
  • Incorrect lifestyle.
  • Bad eating and drinking habits.
  • Alcohol, tobacco, coffee and drugs.
  • Excessive, unrequired or over-the-counter medication.

The Most Important Factor For Heart Problems

Most of these risk factors are known to us even though we may not pay attention to them. However, one of the most important factors is the way we sit. The modern way of sitting is one of the main causes which accelerates or initiates heart problems.

How we sit has a great impact on the entire body, especially on the heart. As highlighted above, one of the biggest contributors to heart disease and blood pressure is the way we sit. The worst way to sit is on a chair or a sofa with your feet down. This is how we all sit today all the time, even at home.

The reason is that sitting like this increases the work load for your heart. The heart has to practically increase its efforts by over sixty percent to pump back blood against gravity and get it to circulate across the body. This puts an amazing amount of extra strain on the heart. The wear and tear is surer and faster. In combination with the other causes mentioned above, imagine the load on the heart.

The Solution; How To Sit

What is the correct way to sit? This is the logical question. The answer is thousands of years old and given by the Yogis and Rishis of the past:

  • Preferably sit on the floor. If you are on the floor itself, there is less work to do, to pump blood upwards.
  • If you cannot sit on the floor, then sit with your legs up in different positions. Sitting with your legs up cuts out the effort of pulling up blood from the waist downwards, because the body is folded closer to the heart. So the heart now has to pump that much of a distance less (the length of your legs, waist down is more than the upper body), against gravity. That is fifty to sixty percent of the effort gone.
  • Try sitting with your legs crossed over each other or intertwined. This locks the legs and blood requirement reduces dramatically to the lower limbs. Initially you may find you get pins and needles but with practice, this becomes very comfortable. Keep shifting your legs every few minutes in different positions. Once you are used to it, there will be no discomfort.

Other Benefits of Sitting Cross Legged Or With Legs Up

  • It has been seen that sitting in this position uses up less energy than sitting on a chair and sometimes even better than lying down.
  • In addition, sitting in this position and also eating in this position creates a very positive pressure on the digestive organs. In a short span of a few weeks you may notice digestive problems will reduce.
  • Sitting like this helps keep the spine supple and maintains your balance. It is good for spine health, back aches and also reduces the load on the lower spine.

This ideal position in Yoga is called Sukhasana. If you cannot sit cross legged, start making it a habit to sit with your legs up as much as you can to keep your heart healthy.

For other such wonderful practices for the heart and mind, do opt for one of our online yoga programs.

 

YOUR BRAIN SUCKS BLOOD

By Team Wellzee | January 2nd, 2015 | LEAVE A COMMENT

Brain, The Most Active Body Part

Our entire body is working through the day. The internal organs never stop and keep working. Some of the most active internal organs which never stop working are the heart and lungs. In addition we have hands, legs, muscles and other parts of the body which are involved in some form of activity or another.

We feel that all of these external organs or maybe the heart and lungs are the most active parts of our body. This is partially true. There is one part of the body which is most active out of all these at all times. Surprisingly, this is the brain. The brain is the most active part of the body. Even though it is not involved in any physical motion like the arms or legs or muscular motions like the heart and lungs, it does more work than any other organ or limb.

Continuous Work Load And Multitasking

This is because the brain (or mind) never stops working. It is always thinking, processing, dreaming, working and directing other parts of the body even while you are asleep. This is not the only form of activity the brain has. The difference is that the brain is also multitasking unlike other parts. Lung has to only be involved in breathing or the heart is involved in maintaining blood flow. The arms are used for grasping and legs for locomotion.

The brain has to direct and oversee everything. All internal functions as well conscious external actions are all directed and controlled by the brain. In addition, most of its job is not mechanical. This is because The brain also controls and directs the rest of the body, receives inputs and takes decisions. Now this is a whole lot of work for one small part.

We are aware that any activity requires energy. Now try to think how much energy is required by the brain. All of this thinking, processing and directing requires probably more energy than strenous physical activities. In addition, one thing which is definitely required is a lot of fresh oxygen and nutrients all the time, even while sleeping.

Blood And Energy Requirements Of The Brain

We feel that when we sleep we need minimal nutrients or energy. This is true in relation to the physical body because it as rest. Even the heart and lungs are very relaxed and require minimal energy, nutrients or blood flow. But the brain keeps working. Even when we are sleeping, the brain continues to require nutrients and energy. This is obtained through one source which is the blood. The purpose for blood circulation is to provide oxygen and nutrients to all the cells and organs in the body. The same applies to the brain.

You will be shocked to know that the brain alone requires twenty percent of all our blood as well as blood circulation effort. This is the minimum required to function normally. This requirement shoots up when there is stress, worry or any kind of negative emotions going through the mind.

Implications Of Stress, Worry And ‘Over Thinking’

When we are thinking in a negative fashion or thinking too much all the time, the brain is more active than usual. It will therefore need more blood to be pumped towards it all the time. The implications are serious:

  • the other organs start getting deprived of their quota of blood. This results in diseases and lowering of immunity. So even if you think you are healthy, you will fall ill if you think too much, worry or get stressed.
  • Excessive pumping of blood to the brain against gravity puts an extra load on the heart. This leads to cardiac problems even without any plaque formation, cholesterol or hardening of arteries.
  • Extra requirement of blood means greater stress on the circulatory system. This may lead to high blood pressure.
  • Greater oxygen requirement will push the lungs to work harder. This could lead to respiratory problems. This is one of the reasons why asthma is also triggered due to stress.

How To Manage The Brain

We have now understood that, the lower the blood requirement of the brain, the better it is for us. The more calm we are, the lesser we worry and the lesser we think, the better it is for the mind, heart, lungs and the rest of the body.

To calm your mind, opt for our stress management program. This program will help you to improve the mind, reduce the blood flow requirements to normal levels and keep you healthy and relaxed.