Can Yoga Cause Weight Gain

I joined yoga last month for weight loss. I found it difficult in the beginning, due to stiff muscles. But gradually I got habitual to it. At first, I observed drastic inches loss. All my tight clothes were fitting me properly. I was very happy to see this momentous change. But my happiness lasted only for few days till the time my instructor was not replaced.

Generally, we heard that yoga aids in weight loss which is true. But if not done in a proper way can even increase your weight. Certain factors like Diet, unfocused mind, stress, improper breathing, duration of holding the posture etc. influence weight.

More often people doing gym or yoga adhere to a diet containing high calories, which actually impedes weight loss. When you consume more calorie than you burnt out, you tend to gain more weight. One should balance their diet by following a healthy plan comprising of low carb and appropriate protein diet.

Breathing also plays a significant role in weight loss. Abnormally rapid breathing (hyperventilate) raises the pH level of your blood slightly towards alkalinity. To balance that alkalinity you are more likely to crave for high protein, acidic foods after your yoga sessions, which may again result in weight gain. Breathe naturally to gain complete benefits of yoga.

Gopal Sir lets us hold the posture for not more than 30 secs, but Raju Sir compelled to hold posture for more than 1 minute which again causes weight gain. Holding muscles for a long time not only over tense your muscles but also cause unfocused mind. Yoga should always be done with a calm and relaxed mind. When done stressfully metabolism slows down, which can lead to weight gain. Over relaxed muscles has an equally adverse effect. If you don't sweat and shed calories while yoga practice then what's the use of doing it. Yoga may be equivalent to 30 mins brisk walk.

Gopal sir used to do at least 10-15 sun salutations rounds daily along with other workouts. Sun salutation is a total body workout which fast-tracks the metabolism rate. On the contrary, Raju Sir (new instructor) skips sun salutations and mostly stresses upon holding the posture for a long time which helps in building the muscles and thereby promotes weight gain. So I have put on weight again despite doing yoga exercises daily. 

However, yoga can actually transform your body if done in a correct way with proper sun salutation rounds and mediation ( pranayama ). Many Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor have acquired zero figure through power yoga only. Yoga not also provides a perfect figure but also reduces main signs of aging wrinkles and fine lines. 

Please share your comments on this. 

Cons of leading an unhealthy lifestyle - Lifestyle disorder/ diseases

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every 

human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise 

save it and preserve it.” – Plato

It seems fascinating that how a tiny sized termite eats 20 years warrantied furniture of so-called luxury brand slowly and steadily😱. From the inception, termites remain hidden in the wood and then gradually starts eating wood. By the time they are finally discovered, they had already caused substantial damage to their home. This is what exactly happening with our lifestyle in this competitive era.

By adhering to an unhealthy lifestyle, we are opening the door for lifestyle disorders that erodes our body like a termite. The onset of these lifestyle diseases is surreptitious, they take years to evolve, but once encountered cant be cured easily. Generally, people leading a sedentary lifestyle are vulnerable to such diseases. Factors conducing to such disorders mainly include bad food habits, occupational lifestyle, working conditions, lack of physical inactivity and disrupted biological clock.

Bad Eating habits- Last year I made one more resolution 😇of improving my food habits. You can read my resolution of losing weight here. People who consume more meat, dairy products, junk food, tobacco, sugary foods, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and smoke cigarettes are more prone towards lifestyle ailments like obesity, cancer etc.

Poor Eating Habits

On contrary, those who prefer low-sugar starchy foods, less meat or fat in their diet have a lower probability of getting these diseases. But, that doesn't mean starve for food. Food starvation is equally not good for health. It may not only cause malnutrition but only 'anorexia nervosa'. Many celebrities from fashion and showbiz industry encounter such disease as they literally starve themselves to maintain the figure.  

Occupational lifestyle- Not just from poor eating habits but one can even develop lifestyle disorders through certain occupational factors like unemployment, working conditions, and stress at work.

According to a survey conducted by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ASSOC-HAM), 68% of working people in the age bracket of 21-52 years were found to be afflicted with lifestyle disorders such as Obesity, Alzheimer's disease, arteriosclerosis, cancer, chronic liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Scientifically, it is proven that working for prolonged hours and under strict deadlines cause depression or general anxiety disorder. Sitting for long hours even cause obesity. 

Those who work heavily on the computer on daily basis have more chances of getting glaucoma and short-sightedness, neck stiffness and back pain. Writing blog is an exceptional case😜. The stiffening of the neck may instigate a headache, fatigue, and exhaustion. The wrong posture while working gives strain to the backbone and induces severe back pain. 

Many companies in the USA have therefore introduced the concept of the "standing desk"

Standing Desk

to motivate their workforce to work while standing thereby reducing the risk of obesity and other ailments. 

Many multinational companies like Google have given leverage of flexible working hours and frequent breaks for stretching and for other works involving physical movements to alleviate this problem. 

Working Conditions - I still remember that when I visited the cold storage, It was so chilly😨 over there that, I couldn't stand even for a single minute🙅.  I sometimes think how workers working in such cold environment work there. These workers are more susceptible to lifestyle disorders that are caused by working conditions in which an individual or staff work including heat, sound, dust, fumes, smoke, cold, and other pollutants. High temperature or pressure difference may lead to homeostasis. Astronauts and divers are therefore advised to spend some time in a closed chamber to minimize the risk of homeostasis.

Astronauts in a closed chamber

People working in high temperatures face problems related to BP, metabolism, and organ failure due to shock. An extreme cold working condition causes hypothermia and shock. Those working in fishing or shipping industry usually face seasickness or motion sickness. Once I went to a wholesale ship market to buy a fish. I couldn't bear the fish smell and almost puked🙊. 

Traffic - Due to traffic, it takes a 2-hour drive from my office to home. If I could have hypothetically eliminated the traffic, I can easily reach home within 30 mins. I got severe back problem due to prolonged driving. My doctor advised me not to drive for long hours to avoid the risk of spondylitis. I cant avoid the traffic but I can ask my hubby to drive in between so that I can relax my back muscles.

Lack of Physical Activity- Not only adults but kids may also develop such lifestyle disorders due to lack of physical activity. Well, I was a badminton champ and being a 90's kid, I always took part in extracurricular activities. That might be a reason, why 90's kids are coolest one. But on the contrary, nowadays kids spent most of their time slouched in front of the TV or PCs which is directly or indirectly hindering their lifestyle. Kids who don't participate in any sport or physical activity are more prone to such diseases.  Moreover, this competitive era not only refrains from participating in the sports activity but also induces too much stress on them, which may again lead to many ailments like depression and anxiety disorder. 

Disrupted Biological clock- That reminds me of one incident, yesterday I was watching a youtube video related to my blog topic. I got so deeply engrossed in it, that I even forgot about my yoga classes that I had to attend. I realized that unintentionally I actually disturbed my biological clock by waking up the whole night. I hardly had 2 hours of sleep and next day I got up very late that too with a severe headache. It taught me a lesson and from this very day, I promise myself not to interfere with my biological clock.

I engrossed so deeply in watching youtube video that, I disturbed my biological clock

The disrupted biological clock indicates lack of proper sleep, which dampens the brain work rate. People working in night shifts or doing late night parties face the similar disturbance in their biological clock leading to many lifestyle disorders such as insomnia, indigestion, acidity, loss of appetite, headache, irritability, hypertension, mood fluctuations and body pain. Changes in the biological process of a person, compromises his immunity, further leading to various lifestyle diseases. So let's take a wow not to touch our laptop or mobile phones before going to bed.

"Prevention is always better than cure" http://amzn.to/2o3ySCj

Always be prepared with an anti-termite 😡so that we can destroy termite before it destructs our home. You can prevent lifestyle diseases by adhering to a healthy lifestyle with balanced diet, physical activity and religiously following the biological clock. Rather than watching tv and playing video games, kids should be encouraged to participate in sports activity they enjoy so as to kill the monster named lifestyle disorder in tender age.

How Gyming can be harmful to the body

Last year, when I found that I am not fitting into my clothes anymore, I made a resolution for weight loss. 

Like others, I too joined the gym. But, it didn't help me out. I suffered from back and joint problem after doing that. So, I left the gym and joined the yoga classes. Yoga has played a significant role in my weight loss journey. 

Nowadays, the gym is known to be the most preferred source to acquire a fit body. From a commoner to celebrities everyone goes to the gym. But, do you know it has many side effects as well. Generally, people talk about the benefits of going to the gym. Today I will be discussing its negative impacts on the body. 

Negative effects of Gyming on the body-:

• Weight Gain- You might have seen that people, who stop going to the gym all of a sudden starts gaining weight. In fact, our body behaves like a balloon. When we puncture it, air escapes out of the balloon causing it to retain its original shape. Our body behaves in a similar way. We burn out more calories by doing high-intensity workouts. As an outcome, we lose weight. But, when we stop going to the gym, our body tends to gain weight rapidly than we lost.

• Prone to Joint Pain- If we don't stretch the muscles, it becomes stiff. After doing an intensive weight training exercise, our body muscles need relaxation. On contrary, we exert too much pressure on our muscles.  As a result, it becomes stiff inducing prolonged Joint Pain, which may further cause frozen elbow, arthritis etc. Therefore, it is advisable to do few natural exercise also on a daily basis to loosen up the muscles.

• Less Flexibility/Strength - One who does yoga and stretching has got more flexibility than who doesn't do it. If you stretch your muscles and breath consistently during your gym routine, then gyming won't be that bad for you. But generally, people doing extensive exercise in the gym neglect stretching their muscles. As a result, muscles start losing its strength and flexibility. Once you stop going to the Gym, muscle strength starts declining gradually.

• Muscular Pain- Lifting heavy weights can cause tension in your muscles. Some people might even encounter sprain in their body parts while doing the extensive workout. Muscle soreness can also be shown in a day or two after exercising, regardless of your fitness level. If Gyming is not done under the guidance of a trainer, it may adversely affect your body.

• Reduced Stamina - This can occur when you stop going to the gym. While gyming your fitness level is maintained. But, once you stop doing it, your body weight gains that may cause increase in cholesterol levels and thereby deteriorate overall fitness level. Your stamina also starts to decline speedily.

Don't make any preconceived notions about the Gyming. I am not saying that one should not go to the gym. Instead of doing the extensive workout in the gym, do medium intensity workout. That will also give less load to the muscles. Extensive work out can contract and bend your muscles forcefully. Alternatively, you can choose Yoga or certain stretching exercises. Besides that, it is the safest and best form of staying fit without causing any major harm to the body.

Vegan Diet - Challenges & Benefits

Generally, people mix up the vegan diet with the vegetarian diet. Vegan Diet or plant-based food is the form of vegetarian diet. The vegetarian diet can be categorized into three groups 1. Lacto-Ovo vegetarian- One who consume, both egg products and dairy product in their diet. 2. Lacto vegetarian- one who consume dairy products, but avoid eggs. 3. Vegan- those who don't include any animal products like milk, cheese, egg, honey etc. in their diet. 

Vegans do not even use cloth, cosmetic, or any other product that is either directly or indirectly produced by the animal.

It might sound easy to become a Vegan, but not an easily accomplished task. One has to be very strict in his/her diet routine and adhere to guidelines of the vegan diet. Like many other things, the vegan diet also has challenges. We will be discussing certain challenges that a vegan might face while following a diet.

1. Sacrificing favorite food- Giving up processed and unhealthy yet tasty food from your diet can be sometimes very challenging and stressful. Vegan diet compels to refrain from eating junk food, which needs a strenuous effort.

2. The scarcity of vital nutrients- Vegans might be prone to the shortage of crucial vitamins, protein, and minerals like B12, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, Omega 3 Fatty acid, Zinc that are mainly found in animals in abundance. 

3. Maintaining Nutritional Balance -  Animals products are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. Becoming a vegan means replacing the animal diet with plants diet. Although essential vitamins and minerals can also be found in plants but, in minimal amount. Procuring the same amount of vitamins and minerals from plants can be challenging sometimes.

4. Fishing expedition - Searching for correct information for vegan supplement might be a tedious job. Also, due to a lack of vegan supplements, it is really hard to find them in supermarkets. You will not get every vegan product all around (in all places).

5. Food Preparation - You should have full information about which plants contain which minerals and vitamins. Your food must be planned and prepared in such way that it must incorporate all vital vitamins, protein, and minerals. 

6. Food Craving - Cutting down animal processed food from your diet means getting rid of calories. But that may also lead to excessive weight loss, fatigue or weakness.

One who bears the aforesaid challenges of following this diet will then acquire the benefits of having a vegan diet. Now, let's talk about the benefits of Vegan Diet. Foremost, a vegan diet is beneficial for the environment, as it saves the animals. 

Prevents Heart Disease - Scientifically it has proven that a low-carb vegan diet reduces cholesterol levels, the risk for developing heart diseases. Vegan diet prevents from ingesting unhealthy animal fat (unsaturated fat or triglyceride) responsible for increasing cholesterol and thereby engendering several heart diseases. 

Healthy Married life - Plants helps in detoxification of harmful toxins and enzymes from the body. Vegan diet plays an important role in making sex life better by releasing hormones like Oxytocin.

Reduces cancer risk - Many researchers have proved that meat eaters are at a higher risk of colorectal and prostate cancers. The vegan diet comprises a good amount of legumes, fruits, vegetables, and fiber. A vegan diet helps to combat cancer, tumor, arthritis etc.

Strengthy bones - Figs, kale, spinach, black-eyed peas, and turnip greens are excellent sources of calcium. Calcium can be found in Soy milk, almond milk, vegan cheese in a generous amount. Bones also require vitamins D, Vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium which can be found in Soy, fruit, and some vegetables. Moreover, sitting under the sun at least for 5 minutes also enables the body to make vitamin D. Vegans can absorb calcium more efficiently and new bone tissues are formed much faster.

Reduce the obesity risk- Vegans tends to consume less calorie which can lead to a lower body mass index (BMI) and a reduced risk of obesity. A lower BMI is linked to lower cholesterol and low blood pressure.

Low Mortality Rate- Vegans have a lower risk of mortality and they live longer. One who eats meat is prone to heart attack. The probability for Vegans collapsing from any fatal disease is less. In particular, eating red and processed meats are linked to an increased chance of premature death.

Combat chronic disease- A vegan diet can impede an individual's genetic likelihood of developing a chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes. A recent study conducted explained that certain bioactive compounds in plants can control biological factors that combat the genetic factors inducing many chronic diseases. Antioxidants found in plants fight against the free radical cells that cause cell damage and inflammation.

Although there are few challenges of initiating the vegan diet program, at the same time it has many perks too. Again depending on your willpower, you can adhere to the vegan diet. There is no harm in doing that, provided you have done complete research on it before starting your diet.

Can we really slow down the ageing process??

While I was watching the fan-made trailer of Titanic 2 yesterday, it struck my mind. Can we actually ramp down the aging process? I was astonished seeing Jack alive in the trailer. If you have seen the old Titanic then, you must be aware that Jack died at the end of the movie, his body froze out completely and sank into the sea. In this trailer, the fan has tried to bring him back from the dead. Not only that, you will see him still in his 20’s.

 

In Bollywood and even Hollywood movies have been made on the same concept. One such Bollywood movie was Nagina in which, saint-like Amrish Puri turned into devil speculating that Naagmani can make him immortal. 

Even in Hollywood, If you remember The Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone where Voldemort wants to kill the Harry Potter for Philosophers stone ( a stone which can make him immortal. 

Anyways these movies are based on fantasy and do not relate to reality. 

The epic Ramayana talks about Sanjivini (a kind of medicine used to possess immortality). Unfortunately, we haven't succeeded in finding such Sanjivani. But through many scientific technologies, we have found out several ways to deaccelerate the aging process. I will be focussing on factors that influenced the aging process on this blog.

How do we age?

I won't cover the technical aspects of aging. I will just give you a brief understanding of how do we age and what is the aging process? 

As you start aging, your body encounters sudden physical, chemical, and biological changes. Although the actual causes of aging are vague, few biologists have considered the chromosome to be the main reason for aging. Chromosomes are the string-like structures where your 'DNA' resides. These can be found in every single cell in your body. At the end of each DNA are little-known things called 'Telomeres'. These are like plastic bits that cover the ends of your shoelaces. They control the aging process. 

One who has longer telomeres lives longer and vice versa. Their aging process delays and have more strength to combat the diseases. They look younger as compared to one having short telomeres.

What factors influence the aging process?

As we already discussed above, telomeres manage the aging process. If we can find the ways to stabilize telomeres, we can easily control aging process. For that let's talk about the factors which can balance telomeres and thus helps in retarding the aging process. 

We have already read in many books that to stay young one should lead a healthy lifestyle and improve their food habits.

Apart from this, there are several other factors which affect the aging process. 

1. Mild Exercise - Exercise can decelerate the aging process. But according to some researchers, it has proved that extreme exercise can actually be harmful to your telomeres. 
   
2. Food - Several foods help in bringing your youth back. We all know that processed food and foods containing the high amount of sugar are unhealthy. Moreover, they also make you look old. Foods like Blueberry, Dark chocolate, Walnuts, fig, avocado, salmon, turmeric etc aid in impeding the aging process. 
   
    
3. Antioxidants- Omega fatty acids, amino acids, green tea, and probiotics prevent wrinkles. 'CoQ10' prevents heart disease Alpha lipoic acid balances the sugar levels and thus may prevent Diabetes. Glutathione regulates the immune system and considered as a powerful supplement in slowing down the aging process. 
   
4. Sound Sleep - Sleeping habits also affect the aging process. If you want to look young follow your 8 hours beauty sleep routine. 
   
5. Happy married life-The more content you are from inside, the more your face will glow.  A happy and active love life may also slow down your aging. The more emotionally content you are, the longer will be your telomeres. Those who are happily married tend to look younger. 
   
6. Volunteering -  Volunteers live longer than non-volunteers. Helping others, providing social integration and support releases hormones such as oxytocin and progesterone that regulate stress.
   
7. Diligent behavior- One who is organized, dedicated towards their work, laborious, punctual, disciplined in every aspect of their life stays healthy and young.

In conclusion, We can't stop the aging process. We should embrace our age graciously. Simply by adopting aforesaid ways, we lengthen our telomeres and thereby delay the aging process.

Myths of Skipping Dinner

Everyone is running behind the success, money, and career in this pragmatic world. 

Due to this hectic and monotonous schedule, we hardly get any time to concentrate on ourselves. Acquiring a streamlined body seems to be an arduous job nowadays. Moreover, we don't get the leverage like these film fraternity people who can easily dedicate their full time to the gym. So we rather than going to the gym or doing any exercise, choose an easy option that is simply by skipping dinner. Generally, people perception is that skipping meal aids in weight loss, which is a myth.

What happens when you skip dinner: 

Most of the people have a delusion that skipping meal accelerates the metabolism rate. Some might even consider it as a weight loss remedy. We have a universal viewpoint, everything that is consumed during the nighttime converts into fat. Skipping the dinner meal might be considered as one of the most popular sources of losing weight. Unfortunately, it is again a counter-intuitive thought.

One should increase their awareness towards what their body demands rather than focusing on the time of consumption. What to eat and in what portion should be more focused. Eating junk food during daytime has an equally adverse effect on the body. There is no need for skipping the dinner, as long as you are eating in the right portion. 

Those who skip meals tend to eat more to retain their lost calories.

Your body activates a starvation mode when you skip a meal. The body remains in this starvation mode until you eat next time. At this stage, your body starts craving for food. Our body needs a certain amount of energy to breath, digest food, and to perform other functions. It will crave for food that carries extra calories to stay active. When you starve, you loosen up your muscle mass and metabolism rate degrades making your body sluggish. As an outcome, you not only reduce your fat burning ability but also accumulates more calories in the form of fat. Moreover, skipping meals makes you crave for high-calorie food containing a large amount of carbohydrate and sugar. One who skips their dinner consumes extra calories to stay energetic. This pattern induces certain metabolic changes in the body.  It can engender obesity, elevated fasting glucose, and delay insulin response which makes you more prone to diabetes. 

However few people don't skip their dinner instead, they consume only fruits or eggs for dinner. Including only fruits or eggs in your diet and refraining from carbohydrates doesn't ensure weight loss. In fact, those who only have fruits in their diet sense more bloating and fatigue. Although, fruits intake is good but not during the night time. Due to lack of any physical activity, our body is not able to digest fatty and bloaty food like eggs and fruits during night time. 

We should take green leafy vegetables, boiled chicken breast, roughage, low carbs like quinoa, brown rice instead of skipping the meal to prevent bloating and other gastric problems. 

Few people eat a small portion of meal every hour instead of skipping meals, which again provoke overeating.

Instead of starving with a growling stomach, listen to your body and obey its natural hunger. Follow a healthy diet program focusing on your body requirements. Stick to plan that works best for you and will ensure success in your weight loss endeavors. Stay Healthy :)