Anger Makes You Unhealthy and Sick

April 10, 2013  

anger makes you unhealthy and sickThere is now a clear evidence from worldwide research that it is unhealthy to indulge in angry thoughts, words or actions. Anger contributes to blood pressure disorders, cancer and stress-related illnesses, as well as weakening the very fabric of our society, the family.

On one hand, an angry outburst can be a stress release, better for you than keeping seething feelings bottled up inside. But chronic anger can make you physically sick, researchers say.

Frequent angry episodes can raise your risk of heart attacks and strokes and weaken your immune system, reports the U.K. Daily Mail. Chewing over past mistakes and missed opportunities — “looking back in anger” — can make you more sensitive to pain, too, say researchers at the University of Granada in Spain.

It’s well known that anger affects the body: The heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and blood flow to muscles is reduced; glucose levels and adrenaline rise to give the muscles a shot of energy for the “fight or flight” response.

But never expressing anger when that’s what you’re feeling can be downright deadly. Swedish research shows that those who walked away from conflict without saying anything (though they had reason to be upset) had double the risk of a heart attack compared to men who challenged authority. Unexpressed anger is also linked to a lowered immune system.

Here’s what you do to break the anger cycle:

1. Keep a Diary-Write down every occasion when you feel angry in any way.

2.Cool Off-When you notice yourself getting caught up in an angry situation, apply one or more of these 5 cooling-off techniques:

- Move away from the situation, out of sight and hearing of the other person if possible.

- Drink a glass of ice-cold water to cool the blood.

- Lie down on your back until the anger passes.

- Count to 10 if slightly angry, to 100 if very angry, before saying another word.

- Do something very physical like furiously cleaning the house or garden, or a non-competitive exercise.

If none of these works, look at yourself in a mirror and see how ugly your face has become. This will shock you into banishing the anger.

3.Listen Well-When someone expresses irritation or anger towards you, try listening without interrupting, defending or attacking back. They will feel valued and understood, you don’t fuel their fire and there might be some useful tips in their complaint.

4.Accept More-A lot of anger rises up because we want people or situations to be different. Accepting things as they are is not necessarily a sign of weakness. When we choose to enjoy a rainy day even though it cancels our plans for a barbecue, that’s common sense not weakness.

5.Sympathize-A friend of mine handles customer complaints for a telephone company. When someone is angry, she sympathizes with them: “Your phone cuts out? That’s terrible! No wonder you’re upset.” The caller feels grateful at being understood and anger dissolves. Look for the hurt underlying the person’s anger – then you’ll feel compassion instead of reacting with anger yourself.

6.Be Assertive-If you say “Yes” when you mean “No”, and “No” when you mean “Yes”, resentment festers and builds up into anger. Get angry at your fear of speaking the truth, instead of feeling hostile towards the person you fear.

7.Look for the Good -Seeing only the negatives in another person can fan a small spark of anger into an uncontrollable blaze. Look for the strengths and virtues in the person you feel angry towards. Insist on thinking that way, and speak well of them at all times. This smothers the blaze and the anger has nothing to feed on.

We hope you find these few words helpful. However, it is not always easy to deal with anger by our self. Sometime it helps to discuss the matter with a professional. Don’t let anger ruin your life.
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6 Ways to Save Time at The Gym

April 8, 2013  

6 Ways To Save Time at the GymWorking all day long, family related issues, social engagements, with such hectic schedules, everybody tends to minimize the time spend at the gym. Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Here are six tips to streamline your trip to the gym without sacrificing your workout.

Prepare Yourself

Before going to the gym; make sure you are fully prepared for your visit. Untangle your headphones, create a playlist at home, fill your water bottle… all of these things add up and waste precious gym time, so make sure you’re ready to go as soon as you step onto the gym floor.

Do Something You Enjoy

Exercise can seem like a chore if it’s something you don’t enjoy, so find an activity that helps you burn calories while boosting your mood and relieving stress at the same time. After a frustrating day, for example, try a yoga class to find your happy place while strengthening and stretching your muscles.

Avoid Peak Hours

If possible; schedule your workouts around peak hours when other gym goers are also trying to fit in their workouts. That way, you have your choice of exercise equipment and avoid waiting for your favorite machine.

Utilize High-Intensity Intervals

Even though you might want to minimize the time you spend at the gym, you can still maximize your workout with some high-intensity intervals, which burn some serious calories. Try alternating one minute of high-intensity activity with two minutes of steady-paced exercise. For example, try sprinting intervals during your treadmill workout or adding bursts of plyometrics to your strength training routine.

Multitask Your Muscles

Another way to maximize your calorie burn is by performing multiple moves that work several muscles at once. For instance, do crunches on a stability ball to engage your entire core as well as your arms and legs. The more muscles you can work at once, the less time you’ll spend at the gym.

Create A Shower Strategy

If you shower at the gym after your workout, create a game plan to get you in and out of the locker room–fast. If you take a group exercise class, bring your towel and flip flops to class with you, so you can make a beeline for the showers once class is over. You’ll avoid stopping by your locker and waiting in line. Additionally, hang your undergarments on a hook in your locker, so you don’t end up fumbling around looking for them in your gym bag.

Planning head can play an important role in making your physical activity regular in your daily routine!
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The Best Time To Exercise To Stay Fit

April 5, 2013  

best time to exercise“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” - Joseph Addison

Staying fit and healthy is very important. You need to keep a close watch to your diet and make sure you eat healthy and nutritious diet every day. It is hard to find time to exercise these days especially for those who work in the office. But you need to find out the best time to exercise so that you keep your energy level high and stay fit for longer time.

There’s never a bad time to do something healthy. When it comes to maximizing your health, timing is everything so it is very well said by one of the writer Edlund “If you can get your innate body rhythms in sync with the food, activity, and rest you need, you can not only get healthier but even start feel better in your day to day regime.

Your Body Clock

Your body’s rhythm determines whether you’re a night owl or an early bird. These rhythms influence body functions such as blood pressure, body temperature, hormone levels, and heart rate, all of which play a role in your body’s readiness for exercise.

Using your body clock as a guide to when to go for a walk or hit the gym will show you the best time to exercise.

The Perks of Morning Exercise

If you have trouble with consistency, morning may be your best time to exercise, experts say.

“Research suggests in terms of performing a consistent exercise habit, individuals who exercise in the morning tend to do better,” says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief science officer with the American Council on Exercise in San Diego. “The thinking is that they get their exercise in before other time pressures interfere,” Bryant says. He recommends that if you exercise in the morning, when body temperature is lower, you should allow more time to warm up than you would later in the day.

Finding Your Own Best Time to Exercise

Work out in the morning for a few weeks, then try noon, then early evening. Which do you enjoy most and which makes you feel best afterward? The answer to this question may help you in finding the best time to exercise.”Most of all, find a time that helps you make your exercise a regular, consistent part of your life,” says Aldana, a professor of lifestyle medicine in the department of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo.

So When Should You Exercise?

If you are not currently active, and have the ability to work out in the late afternoon, start here, and see if you can develop a routine. This may be a good incentive to leave work on time, or to include co-workers or your kids in your workout routine. Plus, you can work off the stress of your day so you don’t bring it home with you. So one day, you’ll reach a point where daily exercise comes as naturally as breathing.

Try to pick up a time of a day for the exercises and that will become the best time to exercise.

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Balance Your Hormones to Lose Weight

April 3, 2013  

Balance Your Hormones to Lose WeightRoutinely cheating on your eating plan or shying away from physical activity may explain why your weight loss has come to a screeching halt—or failed to take off in the first place. If you’re not burning more calories than you take in, pounds will stick around. But if conscientious calorie counting and regular gym sessions get you nowhere, consider another factor at play in the feud against fat—your hormones. Though as yet there is no proven miracle combo of foods or behaviors that will jump-start those internal executors into setting our fat on fire, we can give our hormones a better chance by creating a stable environment in which they can work.

Eat Whole Foods

Think a diet high in fiber, complex carbs, and low-glycemic-index foods like whole grains and fiber-rich vegetables and fruit, as well as unsaturated fats, which will take longer to metabolize and help you stave off cravings, says Alice Chang, M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism in the department of internal medicine at UT Southwestern.

Eat foods in their intact form, Greene adds: whole oranges, for instance, instead of juice. “One glass of juice might take three oranges, plus the added sugar,” he says, “but if you were eating oranges themselves, you’d probably stop after one-and-a-half.” Having five or six small meals of lean protein and complex carbohydrates throughout the day will help keep your blood sugar stable.

Move

Cameron recommends exercising an hour per day, five days a week, to combat hormonal weight gain. But that doesn’t have to mean a solid hour of running: “Park the car at the end of the lot,” she says. “Take the stairs.”

Strength-training can also help with hormonal balance, says Brian McFarlin, Ph. D., associate professor of exercise, physiology, nutrition, and immunology at the University of Houston: “It alters the cortisol level, helping you burn calories and fat. Even at rest, muscle burns more calories than other tissue.”

Check Your Stress

For most people, basic stress-relief measures, such as getting a massage or seeing a counselor, “will lead to better hormonal balance,” Gluck says. A variety of research shows that people who practice yoga three times a week tend to gain less weight; one study published last year by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that middle-aged people who did yoga gained less weight over a 10-year period than those who didn’t.

Get  Plenty  Of  Sleep

A 2004 study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison revealed that subjects who slept less had lower levels of leptin [satiety hormone] and higher levels of ghrelin [hunger hormone]. Other research has shown that just three days of sleep disruption increases insulin resistance in humans.

These 10 hormones hold the secret to losing weight and feeling great.

Insulin

In essence, insulin governs your body, and it has a profound effect on aging.

Glucagon

Glucagon performs the exact opposite function of insulin—it melts fat.

Leptin

If a person is having trouble in controlling appetite, it is always a leptin imbalance problem.

Human Growth Hormone

Human growth hormone (HGH) is the quintessential anti-aging hormone.

Thyroid

The thyroid hormone keeps us fit, provides energy, improves thinking abilities, boosts the immune system, decreases bad cholesterol, and lowers blood pressure.

Testosterone

Testosterone makes men masculine, but it is also present in small amounts in women, and aids libido in both genders.

Estrogen

Estrogen increases alertness, lowers body fat, protects against heart and Alzheimer’s disease, and more.

Progesterone

Progesterone reduces anxiety and has a calming effect on mood – it makes women happy.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

DHEA is gaining ground as a hormone that improves one’s sense of well-being, relieves fatigue, fights depression, and plays a role in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Cortisol

Cortisol, a stress hormone, gives us energy. This major hormone keeps us alive thanks to its three essential and powerful properties: it increases blood sugar levels (and thus energy levels), raises blood pressure, and neutralizes inflammation.
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Got Toned & Lost 5 Kg in Just a Month!

January 23, 2013  

Dhruv luhariwal shares his experience on how Fitho weight Loss plan helped him to lose 5 kgs in a month with an easy to follow diet & exercise routine.
Story as shared by Dhruv luhariwal :


My name is Dhruv Luhariwal. I started gaining weight during my board exams when I would mostly sit on a  chair and not move around. My activity level was low & I was easily tempted by tasty high calorie food. I tried many fad diets in the past but that didn’t work for me.The problem with such diets is that they are very difficult to follow and only provide a temporary fix. As a result any weight lost, quickly bounces back once we get back to our normal eating pattern. My belly,obliques & thighs were regions of insecurity to me and I was keen on getting back in shape, so I followed many diets/exercise routines on the internet. But nothing worked until I found Fitho. Some random clicks brought me to Fitho and I’m glad I found it. Wide media coverage prompted me to try the website. I started off with the 1 month plan to see if its really effective and and interesting. Fitho’s weight loss program has worked for me like a charm. They made me realize the importance of nutrition as one of the pillars of weight loss. They provided me with a customized diet plan keeping my needs and preferences in mind .Surprisingly, the  diet  wasn’t a high protein-low carb type of diet but a well balanced diet. That ensured that I didn’t get a nutrient deficiency over a period of time, an aspect ignored by most diet plans on the internet. Coming to the diet, it was easy to prepare & follow and didn’t leave me feeling weak and hungry. It could be consistently followed for a lifetime. Consistency is the key in losing weight and this explains why most crash diets fail as they cannot be followed continuously from a long-term perspective. After just two weeks, I saw visible changes on body. I felt more energetic and livelier. My hips and love handles were noticeably reduced.The website also features bonus exercises and makes the service of a dietitian readily available. It customer support is also top notch. Overall, its an awesome find and I would recommend it to anyone, trying to lose weight.

Importance of Body Warm Up Before Exercises

December 3, 2012  

Exercise regularly is an essential component of leading a healthy lifestyle. Likewise a good warm up before exercises is an essential part of a complete and safe exercise. A good warm up will gradually increase your heart rate, increase circulation to your muscles, tendons and ligaments, and mentally prepare you for your exercise. A total body warm up is essential for your work out if you want to see maximum benefits and minimize the risk of injuries.

What’s happening to your body during warm up?Importance of Body Warm Up Before Exercises

During a warm up your heart rate increase which begins to pump blood faster around the body. Your circulatory system begins to open up more with this increased blood flow and begins to allow your blood to go directly to where it is needed which is in the muscles being worked upon.

This increased blood flow warms up those muscles which allows them work better, easier and do what they do best which is to contract and relax as you work out. As you begin by warming up your breathing rate also begin to increase which combines with that better working circulatory system to deliver oxygen to the muscles.

The Importance of Warm up before Exercises
The importance of warm up before exercises can be compared to driving your car in freezing cold weather. It is generally best to allow your car to warm up a bit before reviving it up to high speeds. The same principle applies when you exercise . You want to physically prepare your body for the demands of a strenuous  exercise by gradually increasing your body temperature.

• Warm Up to Increase Blood Circulation :  When you give your body 5 to 10 minutes of a good warm up, through walking or jogging, you gradually increase blood circulation throughout your muscles, tendons and ligaments. This is much like oiling a squeaky wheel. Your heart rate increases gradually. Your muscles warm up to prevent injury. Your ligaments and tendons become more flexible, reducing the chance of tears.

• Warm Up Before Exercises as a Form of Mental Preparation : This is especially helpful if you engage in strenuous forms of exercise such as hiking or cycling a steep hill, lifting heavy weights or taking an advanced aerobics class. Your body experiences a great deal of stress during these types of activities, so an adequate warm up and mental preparation increase your chances of enduring and benefiting from the hardest part of your exercise regimen.

• Warming up can save you from a lot of pain With the muscles warmed up and raring to go with increased blood flow and oxygen, your muscles are more enthusiastic for the upcoming challenge and they can now achieve a greater range of motion. This helps to reduce the risk of you getting an injury, as a muscle that is not warmed up properly is at far greater risk from any impacts it will receive.

So as you can see just a short 5-15 minutes warm up can really save you time later as well as help to improve your actual exercise when you actually get to it. So after reading this we don’t want to see any of you skipping that warm up, because it’s an essential part of exercising and achieving your health goal more efficiently.

 

Get Fit in Five Minutes

June 20, 2012  

HT City : Ready to get fit in five minutes.

Fitho Wellness shares with the readers of HT City the most effective  High Intensity Interval Training  program to lose weight and get fit. A quick, high intensity five minute workout routine chart for beginners and people with moderate fitness levels that can be done at home.

For more read our article.

Body Toning Exercises for Women

December 9, 2011  

If you are looking for a good body toning exercise program then you have come to the right place. Here is an effective, time saving, intense 15-20 minute body toning exercises for women that can be done anywhere. This workout will make your heart race in as little as twenty minutes.

Before you get started keep the following things in check: be adequately dressed, take short breaks of 30 secs to 1 minute before moving on to the next exercise, lastly perform as many repetitions as you can. If you feel any discomfort while performing the exercise then maybe your posture is incorrect, stop immediately, refer to the video again and then continue.

(All videos have been linked to the headings of each exercise. Click on the exercise name and it will take you to the relevant video/image)

Body Toning Exercises for Women:

Lunges: Work on the thigh muscles. Start by standing with arms at your side, abs tight, back straight, and head neutral. Step forward with your right leg while bending the left knee almost to the floor, making sure your forward knee stays behind the toe. Hold for a count of two and return to starting position. Repeat this for other leg. Perform a total of 15 reps.

Jog: Three minutes at lighter pace.

Calf Raise: While placing your hands against the wall for balance raise up high on your tiptoes. Return to the normal position. Repeat for a total of 35 reps.

Stair Climbing:  Climb 40 stairs up and 40 stairs down. If you still have stamina left you can repeat this one more time.

Standing Side Crunches:  To perform standing crunches, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. While lifting the right leg, bend the knee 90 degrees and turning thigh out to side. Place both hands behind your head and crunch your right elbow to right knee 20 times. Repeat with second leg.

Wall Push-ups: A classic toning exercise that works all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. To perform wall pushups stand about 3 feet in front of a wall, hands outstretched, facing the wall. Lean forward towards the wall with hands touching the wall. Push the body back, with your hands to return to the normal position. Repeat for a total of 40 reps.

Kick boxing Front Kick Move: Forward knees and do ghost kick. Perform a total of 50 punches which are good for working the core while also increasing heart rate.

Always give sufficient time for your home workouts to include a cool down with stretching to finish.
If you want a personalized exercise plan or want to join a group training classes please mail us at fitness@fitho.in.

Kick boxing front kick move

December 9, 2011  

Wall Pushups

December 9, 2011  

Standing Side Crunches

December 9, 2011  

Stair Climbing

December 9, 2011  

Calf Raise

December 9, 2011  

Lunges

December 9, 2011  

Fitho’s Outdoor Training Program is Your Ideal Fitness Buddy

October 28, 2011  

Have tried joining a gym but paid the entire years fee and barely saw the inside of the gym. What you need are like-minded friends that will motivate you towards sticking to a fitness regime. Fitho’s outdoor training program is just the place that you will find these people that will help you get fitter while you enjoy the workout! Besides a lot of research have been confirming the fact that sweating it out in a group of like-minded people helps you burn more calories — here’s how:

We turn you into a regular

The most difficult part of a fitness routine is being regular. Every day you find a new excuse to skip the workout. Joining a group that is friendly and like-minded makes it easier for you to be accountable and stick to your commitment. It helps you be regular resulting in better attendance meaning higher calories burned!

We ensure you get the most out of the session

When you workout in a group you stop paying attention to the time. Your energy is channelized into focusing and completing the fun group activity at hand. Friendly banter while working out further helps time fly and before you know it the session is over! When you are working out alone most of us find it difficult to even complete 15 minutes before getting bored , giving up and getting on the phone!

We plan the sessions for you

Its difficult to put together a fun workout for yourself. Fitho’s group workouts take that responsibility away from you and in return give you one hour of a super fun and energetic workout session. Group workouts are always fun as every session is planned differently. This ensures that you get a complete body conditioning without making it mundane.

Above all we make it happen for you!

Fitho’s outdoor training group helps achieve your fitness challenges and goals that you might have made and broken a million times before. The group will inspire you to set targets for yourself and then achieve them making fitness fun and easy.

Its team work all the way

Outdoor fitness group members will not let you give up so easily. They will motivate you, cheer you and sometimes even give you that competitive push to achieve your fitness goals. This also helps in making the most out of your one hour spent at the session. Imagine getting all this when you are working out all by yourself?

Fitho’s outdoor training camps are group personal training classes at your door step! All you need are 6 people and a park in your neighbourhood to get started. If you don’t know  enough people to get started and still want it then you can join the sessions at Lodhi Garden thrice a week ( mornings and evenings). For more information mail fitness@fitho.in.

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