5 HEALTH HACKS , WHO NEEDS THEM ANYWAYS ?

 

NEERAJ MAHAJAN

Have you ever come across naysayers? Especially, the know-all types sermonising always? Don't do this don't do that and do this if you want to get to your goals fast?. Unluckily, such self-styled gurus abound, and stay clear of them should you bump into any one of them. I am talking in a health context here. Five powerful myths that I, myself come across regularly, are, very disturbing. They are powerful and kind of stick around. They are potentially derailing and can keep you away from what your bodies are truly capable of. Here’s the thing :

                                                        IMAGE BY ADOBE STOCK

DON'T GIVE A GAP IN BETWEEN MEALS

Do you know steady linear eating is the biggest cause of Metabolic Syndrome ( MS) in the modern world yet, it is endemic?. It kills millions especially the rich every year. In fact, many health practitioners as dieticians advise eating regularly too !. It is appalling. MS is a motley of factors inside us that can lead to Heart disease, Brain Strokes, and Diabetes Miletus (Type2 Diabetes). So what exactly is wrong with eating 3,4 or7,8 small healthy meals in a day? After all, It has carbs, proteins, fat, minerals, vitamins everything that your body needs to stay at its optimal best. Seems pretty much benign, innocuous. Nope.

The Fact is that you don't need more than 1 or 2 meals a day!. The problem is with the elevated glucose levels in your bloodstream. Eating intermittently leads to frequent bursts of sugar spikes in your bloodstream. The pancreas secretes Insulin to neutralize its effect. Over time, Prolonged iteration can lead to your body cells becoming insensitive to insulin floating all around resulting in Type2 Diabetes. And Diabetes, as you already know is the precursor to many deadly diseases.

And even so, if you are eating a healthy, regulated diet, do you know its effect on your sugar levels?. Do you wear a Glucose Monitor to know for sure? Probably no!. Even if you are already doing so, there still is a long way to go before you can optimize your key health markers like lipid profile, HB1AC, etc. Optimizing your health is a never-ending and continuous process. You can scarcely afford to let your guards down!

Despite being the biggest cause behind MS in developed societies, regular calorie consumption, shockingly, is the holy grail of wealth. As counterintuitive as it may sound, eating like a mendicant has the potential to keep you healthy. This is how your bodies have evolved. Don't trust me, read this. Intermittent fasting to cure MS.

Lemme elucidate. Do you know that your genes have not changed since almost 2000 centuries? Yeah, That's 200000 years! So your genes developed when your ancestors foraged for food in The AfricanSavannahs; ate whatever and whenever they could find to ward off starvation. Walked endlessly in search of prey and often without food for weeks on end. Survived on water. Starvation deaths were common though. With this Savannah inheritance, you have morphed into New York, Paris, Milan, San Francisco, Singapore, and whatnot. This is where the dichotomy begins.

The truth is that the Savannah genes don't gel with your modern lifestyle and eating habits. While on one hand, you have stopped walking long errands in Sunlight, the food abundance has strengthened the Availability bias all around, on the other. You eat 24"7. Even if you don't need to. Your bodies bear the brunt of relentless eating. Lifestyle diseases High BP, CHD, Sugar, obesity, Cancer, Asthma, MS are its denouement. Steady linear eating is a potential killer. Intermittent fasting (IF)is the panacea to this dichotomy. It puts you in a state to reap the benefits of Autophagy. Call your Doctor if morbid before initiating any action.

YOU ARE TOO DAMN OLD TO LIFT WEIGHTS

While there is considerable interest in the developed world about lifting weights and its radical benefits, countries such as India are lacking in awareness. Ever since I started training a year ago in Callisthenics, I have come across many in their 30s and 40s who are ill at ease with weight training. They associate it with machismo, high-tech gyms and usually see it as a prerogative of the teenagers or the pros. They think they are too old to lift weights. Here's the thing.

Contextually, they are wrong, and the system is flawed too. Muscle Strengthening Exercises (MSE) like Push-ups, Pull-ups, Squats, Machine weights, Free weights( dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells)are highly underrated and deemed unnecessary. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Strength training ( a part of MSE) can cause Reverse Aging as per the online journal of the Public Library of Science(PLOS). An MSE study was conducted on 25 healthy 70+ and equal no. of 26+ for 6 months. 24000 genes were compared out of which only 600 were different. After 6 months of training, seniors became 21% stronger than the younger ones. Your muscles are desperate for stimuli and more so if you are past 35+.

One of the best books I recommend to believers is Body by Science by Dr. Doug Macguff M.D. and John Little. Dr. Macguff is a unique rare combo of a Practitioner and Post doctor who has helped many become stronger in his high-tech precision gym in the US. I read him a year ago and have followed many methods he advised in his book. A few of them that should work for you should you follow him too are viz:

1. Regained muscle strength and size
2. Enhanced Walking endurance
3. Controlled resting B.P.
4. Improved Metabolism and Lipid Profile
5. Elevated Spirit
6. Better GI activity.
7. Better regulation of body temperature.
8. Improved bone mineral density
9. Improved Arthritis &
10. Fat loss
11. Can get rid of most medicines

The above-mentioned MSE is a remedy for both young and old. As you already know, your muscles follow the second law of Thermodynamics. You are losing them steadily after 35+ if you don't stimulate them. If you are younger, keep adding to your muscle mass. It will keep sarcopenia at bay during advanced years with lesser effort.

And to those seniors, who have dug up a deeper decompensatory hole by degrading their muscular system, you have everything to gain by taking up MSE in right earnest. Remember muscles have a strong memory. A good trainer can make you young again. (Pl read Chapter 11 of Dr. Mcguff's book if you are a senior).

HORMESIS IS BAD FOR YOU

Anything that doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. This is Hormesis. How many times did you get this advice?

1. Don't bathe in cold water. it's too cold?
2. Don't step out. it's too hot outside?
3. Don't go too long without eating?
4. Don't jump from 5 feet. you can break your bones?
5. Don't Lift very heavyweights. It can damage you?

Many times I guess. I keep getting it though. The problem with this advice is it is ill-founded. If you ignore all the above, you will be much better off from a health standpoint. Did you try bathing in cold water on a freezing day? Try it for a few days. it will surprise you. These are stressors which your body needs to be at its best. Doing all the above in moderation, a step at a time can take you far in disease-free life and longevity.

DON'T EXERCISE POST-DINNER

If a single lifestyle regimen can have an exponential effect on your health, it is Exercise three hours post-dinner. For years, I didn't follow it due to reasons you guessed by now. A year of diligent workouts post-dinner has transformed me. This is magical. So what can you get out of this? Immense :

1. Your body will reap the benefit of Autophagy as discussed above.
2. You will enjoy a sound sleep
3. Better sex life
4. You will get up fresh in the mornings
5. Better Metabolism
6. Faster Gastro-Intestinal (GI)activity.
7. Elevated Spirits &
8. You can get up in the mornings as you like.

And if you are already doing it, still a way to go before you become the best version of yourself.

BRISK WALKING /RUNNING IS GOOD FOR YOU

In as much as long brisk walking or long-distance running may be good for your cardiovascular health, it is potentially debilitating to your lower limbs. Unless you train your leg muscles with rigor, running will weaken them. You essentially need short interval high Intensity runs to build muscle mass. Even skipping can do the job for you. So, what if you love long walks in the Sun listening to your favorite audiobook or a podcast or chitchatting with friends?. Here is the thing:

The Barbell strategy by Nassim Taleb is the best. A barbell is perfectly balanced at its both ends :

A barbell: A Perfect Balance

If you can excuse my not-so-great artistic skills, the above is an illustration of lucidity as learned from Taleb. It is a perfect balancer in keeping both your ends balanced to achieve a perfect version of yourself

Thnx for reading me. I hope you had a good time riding here with me

Goodbye and take care

until next time,

Neeraj Mahajan                

If you have any constructive suggestions please message me at  https://twitter.com/MahajanNeeraj7?s=09

PHOTO CREDITS: ADOBE STOCK & UNSPLASH

#FITNESS THROUGH IGNORING  WRONG ADVICE

#FITNESS THROUGH LIFTING WEIGHTS

#FITNESS THROUGH INTERMITTENT FASTING

DISCLAIMER: As I am not a licensed medical practitioner, please consult your doctor before initiating any action