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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  Get healthier this Women’s Day
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Get healthier this Women’s Day

On how women can maximize energy levels with smart eating and exercising

Replace junk food with healthy wholegrain food. Phgoto: iStockphotoPremium
Replace junk food with healthy wholegrain food. Phgoto: iStockphoto

OTHERS :

A lot has changed for women in the past two decades. The work-life balance has become multidimensional, since women now juggle a lifestyle that goes beyond home, work, children; it includes travel, working out, new hobbies and skills, networking and more. This International Women’s Day, it would be prudent to look at what the woman of today must do to build stamina to shoulder a vast network of responsibilities and manage stress.

In other words, let’s take a look at how women can maximize energy levels with smart eating and exercising. The foods that women choose to eat and combine, how often they exercise, how they eat in relation to their activity, all affects how easily they can perform numerous tasks. For the most part, women are undernourished because they tend to skip meals like breakfast, or eat on the go. This could take a toll on their health, making them feel tired, affecting their physical and mental stamina and immunity and diminishing performance.

Here are a few points to stay healthier this year:

u What is the shape of your body? Has the shape changed over the years? For instance, if you have an apple-shaped figure, with a lot of belly fat, then your diet is probably high in unrefined and fattening foods like cookies, chocolates and deep-fried stuff. Also, you may be skipping meals; and exercise may well be minimal. For some, even the menstruation cycle may have changed.

If this is so, start by replacing junk food with healthy wholegrain foods like finger millet, pearl millet, brown rice, oats, lots of leafy greens like spinach and lettuce, and multicoloured vegetables and fruits, including broccoli, purple cabbage, oranges and melons. Replace junk snacks with fruit and nuts. Start exercising for a minimum of 30-45 minutes daily. Have a salad comprising apple, almonds and walnuts with mint and lime juice as an appetizing snack.

Pear-shaped bodies, on the other hand, are more prone to thyroid disorders because they tend to have a sluggish metabolic rate. Unlike apple-shaped bodies, they tend to store fat around the hips and thighs. Pear-shaped bodies can benefit from consuming adequate protein in all meals as well as coconut-based foods. Include eggs, lean poultry, fish and skimmed paneer (cottage cheese), if you are a vegetarian. Your exercise regimen should include Pilates posture training and weight training to tone your hips and legs.

u Conversely, you may be underweight and need to gain weight. If that is so, add root vegetables like potato and sweet potato as well as peanut and almond butter to your diet. Remember to eat every three and a half hours.

u Next, take a close look at your face and nails. Sallow skin, puffy eyes, and brittle hair and nails are signs of poor nutritional choices. There could be a higher chance of protein deficiency. A diet comprising a bowl of upma for breakfast, roti-subzi for lunch, bhel or sandwich for snack, and soup and salad for dinner lacks the essential protein that supplies the building blocks for healthy skin, hair and nails. Include egg whites and oily fish like mackerel or tuna, poultry, or skimmed paneer if you are a vegetarian.

u Check for vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency is caused largely by staying indoors in air-conditioned environments; vitamin B12, iron, omega 3, healthy fat and calcium deficiencies are caused by skipping meals and protein food groups. Fasting or crash-dieting can affect concentration, result in irritability, disturb sleep patterns, affect bone health and reduce overall energy. Consult a physician and see if you need any supplementation, especially for vitamins D and B12. Increase your intake of almonds, flax seeds for omega 3 nutrition, and milk and milk-based products for calcium.

u Remember to drink adequate water every day to stay hydrated, try to sleep well and on time—usually between 10-11pm—and wake up around 6-7am. Weight-train in the gym three-four times a week to maintain and build bone health and muscle.

Remember to consult a doctor before incorporating any of these changes in your health plan.

Madhuri Ruia is a nutritionist and Pilates expert. She runs InteGym in Mumbai, which advocates workouts with healthy diets.

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Published: 07 Mar 2016, 08:37 PM IST
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