Exercises for staying mentally fit

Staying fit mentally is as important as maintaining our physical health. It is vital to exercise our brain regularly just like we exercise the rest of our body.

According to studies, physical activity and brain exercise programs help reduce anxiety and depression in individuals. Moreover, such programs also play a key role in enhancing the plasticity of the brain which is its ability to continue to develop and change throughout your life. Due to this unique physical process of brain plasticity, people can grow and develop their mental capacities throughout their lifetime. There are various ways by which you can stimulate your brain to strengthen its functioning and remain fit mentally. Read on...

Solving puzzles: Did you know that brain growth in humans is a continuous process? Even in old age, studies have shown that the brain can rewire itself and grow new neurons or brain cells. Whatever, age-related memory loss occurs is due to the lack of adequate mental stimulation. Stimulating your brain with crossword puzzles or Sudoku helps to improve brain function and prevent any form of cognitive decline. According to Cognitive Rx, such exercises particularly help to improve your left brain function which uses logic, knows facts and is detail oriented. You can even add complexity to such exercises by choosing puzzles with hidden themes.

Strategy games: Games of strategy like card games or board games are regarded as great brain stimulators. This is because they enable a person to think in logical patterns. With advancement of technology, computer or gaming systems also offer a great opportunity to challenge one's cognitive functions. However, it is imperative to avoid playing the same games at all times. Strategy games should be subjected to frequent alterations in terms of nature of the games and complexity.

Cardiovascular fitness: An effective way to boost your mental fitness is by indulging in cardio trainings. Besides improving your mental health, such form of exercises also prevents the fall of brain cells with age. Hence, cardio workouts are regarded as a great way to prevent age-related memory loss like Alzheimer's disease.

Neurobic exercises: These exercises involve intentional stimulation of the brain for increased mental fitness and flexibility. Wondering what is so specific about these exercises? For an exercise to be regarded as neurobic, it involves using more than one of your senses at a time for performing an ordinary work. Taking a shower with your eyes closed or using only visual cues while eating are all examples of neurobic training. This also involves breaking routine habits in an unexpected, novel way like taking a new route to work.

Relaxation techniques: The beneficial effects of relaxation techniques for stree relief have been known since a long time. Merely grabbing a few extra hours of sleep is not sufficient to combat stress. You need to activate the natural relaxation process of your body with the help of specific techniques. This involves practicing deep breathing techniques, meditation, visualization, rhythmic exercises and yoga postures. All these fitness modules will enable you to overcome stress when it becomes overwhelming at times.

(Source: Livestrong.com, Learning Rx, Helpguide.org, Influence of Exercise on Mental Health report)

 “Exercise is a tonic to good health.” Dr Kurien S Thomas

How Diet Foods and Drinks Can Actually Cause, NOT Prevent Diabetes

Many people equate eating sugar with the development of type 2 diabetes, and in an attempt to be healthier choose sugar-free diet products instead.

Imagine the irony if those diet products actually contained substances that cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels and contribute to the onset of diabetes. Now stop imagining, because this isn't just a fantasy … it's the disturbing result of a newly published study.

Two Toxic Food Additives Common in Diet Foods May Cause Diabetes

A new study using mice as models showed that two additives often put in everyday foods to enhance flavor and reduce calories can actually cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels, and contribute to the onset of diabetes. The toxins in this startling new study are aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG), and the evidence is stacked against them both.

The research showed that aspartame alone can cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels and reduced insulin sensitivity. But when the two additives get together, they become partners in crime and cause an elevation in both weight and fasting glucose levels.

This is the first study ever to show the hyperglycemic effects of chronic exposure to a combination of these common food additives. Indeed, the consumer must exercise caution, as many mass-market foods contain both aspartame and hidden MSG – the perfect combination for diabetes development.

Researchers noted:

"Aspartame (ASP) and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) are ubiquitous food additives with a common moiety: both contain acidic amino acids which can act as neurotransmitters, interacting with NMDA receptors concentrated in areas of the Central Nervous System regulating energy expenditure and conservation."

What You Need to Know About Aspartame and MSG

Many conventional nutritionists will actually recommend artificial sweeteners like aspartame as a smart choice over sugar, especially for people with diabetes, but you should know that, as a result of its unnatural structure, your body processes the amino acids found in aspartame very differently from those in a steak or a piece of fish.

Largely due to the unnaturally high ratio of this amino acid resulting in relatively dangerous levels, the amino acids in aspartame literally attack your cells, even crossing the blood-brain barrier to attack your brain cells, creating a toxic cellular environment of overstimulation called excitotoxicity. MSG is also an excitotoxin, and works synergistically with aspartame to create even more damage to your brain cells.

This is one of the major reasons why I do not recommend taking isolated amino acid supplements.

But the damage does not stay confined to your brain, as food additives like artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and MSG can lead you down a path of food addiction, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, while increasing your risk for numerous chronic diseases.

Consider MSG, which is added to 80 percent of all flavored foods. MSG excites the part of your brain that's in charge of your fat metabolism and storage, and has even been shown to scar the hypothalamus gland, inducing what is known as hypothalamic obesity.ⁱ So while MSG is most known for its excitotoxic properties, it's also used to fatten up mice in scientific studies. Yes, MSG is the perfect obesity drug.

Aspartame and MSG Can Make You Fat

It's speculated that the hormone leptin may be involved in weight gain, as those who consumed more MSG also produced more leptin.ⁱⁱ Researchers noted that MSG consumption may cause leptin resistance. The way your body stores fat is a highly regulated process that is controlled, primarily, by leptin. If you gain excess weight, the extra fat produces extra leptin that should alert your brain that your body is storing too much fat and needs to burn off the excess.

To do this, signals are sent to your brain to stop being hungry and to stop eating.

It is very important that your brain is able to accurately "hear" the messages leptin sends it, as otherwise you will continue to feel hungry and will likely continue to eat and store more fat. Leptin resistance occurs when your body is unable to properly respond to leptin's signals, which means your body can no longer hear the messages telling it to stop eating and burn fat -- so it remains hungry and stores more fat.

This will not only contribute to your weight gain, but also increase your risk of many chronic illnesses, as leptin resistance plays a significant, if not primary, role in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself. How does this all happen? By overexposure to high levels of the hormone, which is triggered by the typical American diet full of sugar, refined grains, and processed foods -- including those that contain MSG.

Animal studies have also shown that dietary MSG induces markers of insulin resistance,ⁱⁱⁱ a direct cause of type 2 diabetes, while prior research by Ka He and colleagues found the additive may increase your likelihood of being overweight by three-fold.^iv

Similarly, one reason for aspartame's potential to cause weight gain is because phenylalanine and aspartic acid – the two amino acids that make up 90 percent of aspartame -- are known to stimulate the rapid release of insulin and leptin, which are both intricately involved with satiety and fat storage. Insulin and leptin are also the primary hormones that regulate your metabolism.  So even though you're not eating calories in the form of sugar, aspartame can still raise your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels, in turn, are two of the driving forces behind obesity, diabetes, and a number of our current chronic disease epidemics.

Why Our Food is Making Us Fat

It's likely that the cumulative effects of food additives in a highly processed diet are in large part to blame for the rising rates of obesity in the United States and other developed countries. This includes not only MSG and aspartame, which the featured study showed work synergistically to cause even more health damage, but also other ubiquitous food additives like corn and sugar.

Indeed, corn's weight-promoting property is highly prized in animal husbandry where it is used to fatten up cattle before slaughter. Corn oil is commonly used in fried foods, which are notorious for their ability to pack on the pounds. But corn's main deleterious effects come from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is used in so many processed foods that it's now almost impossible to avoid thanks in large part to the collusion between the food industry and government that serves to provide lavish subsidies to grow corn, which manipulate normal market forces.

Ultimately, sugar in all forms (including fructose, date sugar, molasses, coconut sugar, agave syrup, HFCS, etc.) increases your insulin and leptin levels and decreases receptor sensitivity for both of these vital hormones, and this is another major factor in premature aging and age-related chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as a leading cause of the climbing rates of overweight and obesity in developed countries. So while MSG and aspartame in diet foods should certainly be avoided, the answer isn't to simply swap them out for sugar-laden processed alternatives...

Number of Kids Hospitalized With High Blood Pressure Doubles in 10 Years

This startling statistic is another product of our increasingly nutrionally devoid, food-additive-laden processed diets. The number of kids treated in U.S. hopsitals for high blood pressure nearly doubled from over 12,660 in 1997 to more than 24,600 in 2006.^v The researchers speculated that the biggest factor behind the massive increase is the corresponding rise in childhood obesity.

Unfortunately, children often mimic their parents, and without a positive role model for healthy diet and exercise, may fall into the same traps that many adults are finding themselves in. But the key to remember is that swapping out your child's regular soda for diet soda is not the answer... swapping out most processed foods for pure, healthy, whole foods is.

Rising Diabetes Rates Worldwide May Have Unforseen Consequences...

Also an interesting study came out last month that showed rising rates of type 2 diabetes in Africa could actually encourage the spread of malaria. As diabetes rates rise, so do cases of hyperinsulinemia, or high levels of insulin in your blood. Insulin actually suppresses mosquito's immune systems, which means that as more insulin enters the mosquito, their imune systems become less able to fight off the malaria infection, which means they are much more likely to spread malaria among humans.

Every year, malaria results in about 1 million deaths—which is half as many people as are killed by HIV/AIDS annually. It is such an enormous problem in Africa that each African child has, on average, between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malaria fever every year, so the fact that it could get even worse -- because of the ill effects of eating a poor diet, which is increasing rates of type 2 diabetes -- is an alarming prospect.

Did You Know Type 2 Diabetes is Nearly 100 Percent Preventable... and Reversible Without Drugs?

It's important to understand that many of the conventional recommendations for treating diabetes are not only flawed but dead wrong, and I discussed the reasons why in this previous article. To reverse the disease, you need to recover your body's insulin and leptin sensitivities – the ones that are so badly upset by eating a poor diet. So the ONLY way to accomplish this is through proper diet and exercise. There is NO drug that can correct leptin signaling and insulin resistance...  

Adhering to the following guidelines can help you do at least three things that are essential for successfully treating, and reversing, diabetes: recover your insulin/leptin sensitivity, help normalize your weight, and normalize your blood pressure:

·     Severely limit or eliminate sugar and grains in your diet, especially fructose, which is far more detrimental than any other type of sugar. Following my Nutrition Plan will help you do this without too much fuss.

·     Exercise regularly. Exercise is an absolutely essential factor, and without it, you're unlikely to get this devastating disease under control. It is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance. I recommend reviewing my exercise program for tips and guidelines. It is also critical to work your way up to include some Peak Fitness exercises.

·     Avoid trans fats.

·     Get plenty of omega-3 fats from a high quality, animal-based source, such as krill oil.

·     Optimize your vitamin D levels. Recent studies have revealed that getting enough vitamin D can have a powerful effect on normalizing your blood pressure.

·     Optimize your gut flora. Your gut is a living ecosystem, full of both good bacteria and bad. Multiple studies have shown that obese people have different intestinal bacteria than lean people. The more good bacteria you have, the stronger your immune system will be and the better your body will function overall.

Fortunately, optimizing your gut flora is relatively easy. You can reseed your body with good bacteria by eating fermented foods (like natto, kefir, raw organic cheese, miso, and fermented vegetables) or by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement.

·     Address any underlying emotional issues and/or stress. Non-invasive tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be extremely helpful and effective.

·     Get enough high-quality sleep every night.

·     Monitor your fasting insulin level. This is every bit as important as your fasting blood sugar. You'll want your fasting insulin level to be between 2 and 4. The higher your level, the worse your insulin sensitivity is.

"Attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference." Dr Kurien S Thomas

Things you don't find in parenting books

First-time mother and author, Trupti Vyas lists a few essentials parenting books skip out on

The minute most women discover that they are pregnant; they go into an overdrive of trying to acquire as much information as possible on what to do in the months ahead. When Trupti Vyas, a 34-year-old firsttime mother found out she was expecting, she did the same, and hit bookstores with a vengeance. "I was eager to know what I was supposed to do. Almost all the books I picked up told me about dieting, what to eat, what not to eat, how to take care of myself medically, be positive in my attitude, etc. None however, told me how to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for this monumental experience in my life. Nothing on how to keep happy with a hundred doubts and insecurities about being able to handle motherhood." After giving birth, Trupti, a compliance officer with an investment firm, wrote a book Journey of 9ine months.

From Womanhood to Motherhood, based on her personal experience and the information she gathered on how to emotionally and mentally be ready for motherhood. Here are a few key points she notes, that can come handy when you're done reading What To Expect When You're Expecting—

Thought process
We no longer live in a world where babies just happen. It's usually a very planned event, and according to studies, a planned baby is always more welcome than an unplanned preg nancy. Whatever the case may be, it's always good to be prepared for parenthood from the get go. Our lives these days are filled with stress, anxiety and hectic routines. So a new baby that's going to demand a lot of time and attention needs careful evaluation. Nothing is worse than being an irresponsible parent. Plan for it, physically and mentally.

The child's health to a great extent depends on the health of its parents before conception. The man's health is just as important as the woman's. Hence if you're planning for a baby, ensure you both avoid smoking, drinking, eat healthy and exercise at least six months prior to conception.

Right influences
With the internet, all sorts of information is just a click away. While a lot of literature is available on pregnancy, it needn't all necessarily be helpful. One should pick up books that give information on basic dos and don'ts during pregnancy. But people seem to have a strange obsession on scouting for information on child diseases, fatalities during child birth and other health problems. While these are extremely important to know, dwelling on them and preparing for the worst when it hasn't even happened, takes an emotional toll on the mind. By thinking of negative events, we send negative vibrations to the mind and that's counter productive. On the other hand, try reading literature that's encouraging, positive and that helps you look forward to the arrival of your baby with joy and excitement.

Mental makeup
We are all aware about what is going on in our conscious mind but what we attract in our lives, the successes we are likely to achieve, the fulfillment of our dreams, desire, wishes, everything is driven by what is going on in our subconscious minds. The thoughts in our subconscious mind get transferred to the child in the womb. In other words, it influence how the baby is going to be, that is, happy, contended, cranky, sad, moody, loner, friendly, etc. Hence feeding the right emotion to your subconscious mind is crucial for the temperament of your unborn child. It's a myth that one should turn into a couch potato after testing positive. Getting into a pampering mode is going to make you weak. Keep yourself busy with things you enjoy doing such as reading, exercising. An idle mind is a direct invitation for negative thoughts like depression, nervousness and unnecessary tensions.

Stay positive
You can be happy if you decide to. It's that simple. Your mental state of happiness will help you deal with your pregnancy with ease. Think of it this way, countless women do such a wonderful job at raising children. Why won't you be able to do it? Soak in and enjoy all the attention you get at work and at home, especially by your partner. The key here is to celebrate yourself and your body, and this special time in your life. Accept your whole being completely by being aware about what's going on within you. To share a healthy loving relationship with your child, it's essential that you feel in love with yourself. Pregnancy is a time when you are preparing for a lot of things. Don't forget to focus on yourself as well so that you can pass that on to the baby. Be comfortable with yourself and accept your and your partner's imperfections. Be aware of how you're feeling and have complete faith in your capabilities.

Take it easy
A lot of women get stressed out during their pregnancy trying to keep up with their mental image of the perfect pregnancy, perfect health, sleep, doctor, environment, hospital, etc. While trying to get these in order can be a task, one ends up creating unnecessary anxieties and harmful stress. All you really need to do is take it easy on the stress.

Things will work themselves out. Slow down and don't bother yourself by standards of perfection laid down by others. Take care of yourself most definitely, but don't let things get to you.

 "Happiness comes when your work, words and action are of benefit to yourself and others." Dr Kurien S Thomas

Why smart girls play dumb!

The Silly Me Syndrome (SMS) is not a new affliction. Most women, at some point in life, have fallen prey to it. Rachel Fernandes tells you more.

Picture this scene: You walk up to that dream dude, introduce yourself and you two hit it off really well. You think, 'Wow! am I lucky or what?'. Smooth sailing till now. Then bam, right out of the blue he makes a factually incorrect statement or pronounces a simple word wrong or looks at you absolutely baffled when you mention a well-known classic that happens to be your favourite book or movie. But instead of correcting him, you play dumb and pretend it never happened.

And before you relegate this incident as a piece of fiction ladies, stop and think. At some point or the other, you, too, will have experienced a similar incident and reacted in the very same manner. Yes, SMS or Silly Me Syndrome, is a common female affliction, Unfortunately, it could be quite damaging to one's well being and mental health. So when exactly does SMS affect women? Put simply, it happens when a woman chooses to play dumb just so that she doesn't offend the man she is out with or the man in her life - boyfriend or husband. Interestingly, there is no start age for this syndrome because women learn to adjust to the intellectual gap from an early age. However, once in a relationship or when they are ready to get into one, the desire to get one from the opposite sex to like them becomes a growing distraction.

"There is a dearth of quality men around and these women know that if they play smart, they will not have as many men as they would like. Hence, they are willing to compromise," explains Varkha Chulani, clinical psychologist and counsellor. According to her, this symptom is not restricted to just dating, one also finds women cutting themselves short in the corporate world. "They'll compromise and allow the man to have an upper hand so as to not lose him, especially if she realises that he has a fragile ego. This is mainly a relationship-saving tactic," Varkha says. According to clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Seema Hingorrany, it's mainly insecure women who fall prey to this syndrome. "Though these women know they are intelligent, they are aware of the fact that they are lonely. Also, in an earlier experience, the woman would probably have been told that the man is intimidated by her knowledge, position, behaviour, etc. Hence, even though they find it difficult to play dumb, they do it. They refrain from discussing the kind of books they read or the movies they watch or some serious topic that they know the guy won't be able to comment on. Many a times, family members pressurise women into not showing their smart side just to impress a potential 'good catch'," she says.

Many women have a pre-conceived notion of what qualities their life partner should possess. And often, if the man does not fit the bill, he's out of reckoning. However, experts warn that while average intelligence is a must, one should not set very high benchmarks and expect the other person to be a replica of themselves. As for the effects of this behaviour, Varkha says that if a woman is doing it to save a relationship, it will not affect her. "However, if she feels compelled to do it way too often, she will eventually begin feeling bitter and resentful," she adds.

Seema adds that women who are constantly forced to downplay their smartness and intelligence are always stressed out and in a high anxiety mode as they are fully aware that they cannot be their actual selves. "That apart, in the search for intellectual stimulation and satisfaction, they may end up cheating," she adds.

Achala Sachdev:
It's quite ridiculous if you can't be yourself with your partner and personally, I feel it's an unrealistic way to live. Yes, I've seen these experiences happening among my friends. But I think it's deceit, both to oneself and to the other person.

Gauhar Khan:
Intelligence is the first and most important thing about a man that attracts me. Thankfully, I've not had this problem of having to act dumb or silly to impress a man. Fingers crossed.

Candice Pinto:
I'm sure the experience differs from woman to woman. As for me, I'm quite straightforward in nature. I'd rather say what I have to now, than wait till it could be too late. Also, I believe that first impressions are the lasting ones and hence, I'd rather let him know of my intelligence in the beginning than lead him on and then have to dump him.

 " Sometimes it’s wise to be foolish." Dr Kurien S Thomas

Why being housewife is a big deal

Actress Penelope Cruz recently said being a housewife is the "best thing in the world". Cruz who is married to Javier Bardem, has been staying at home since giving birth to 17-month-old son Leonardo.

She said, "I'm a housewife and it's beautiful, the best thing in the world. I know how to cook and it's important to me to make fresh food every day," contactmusic.com quoted Cruz as saying.

Sounds familiar? Yes, it does to every woman who has become a mother. They say Motherhood changes you, your priorities change and your one big goal in life is to give the best to the child and make your child the best gift to the world.

What is it about giving birth that changes highly careeristic woman to give up a fancy job and do the thankless job of a housewife? The role she plays here is real and unlike professional life, there are no appraisals every year or for that matter for life.

Says Pallavi Sri who bid adieu to her monthly income of Rs 45,000, "It's sheer joy. You never know till you experience it. It cannot be explained. End of the day, you may not get an award for being the best employee. But when you see your child's milestones, you can silently thank yourself to have brought him to that stage with your little effort and at the same time be proud of the achievement."

There are many actresses who chose to stop acting when they were at the peak of their careers. Says Anjana Jaiswal, a homemaker who gave up her managerial job when promotion was due, "It's not easy to throw away your job that's given you an identity, financial independence and respect in the society. However, you have to learn to accept changes and be willing to take the risk. And if it works, nothing like it. It's so tempting to stick on to a high-paying job. But the joy of watching your kid grow and being there by his side, motivate him and push him to achieve more milestones is priceless!"

It's easy for the outside world to write off a woman (especially a star) as 'not bankable/no market woman' once she's married or has a child. The recent example being the beauty queen and reigning Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She's enjoying her motherhood and wants to take time to get back in shape. However, her detractors are working overtime to suggest this is the end of her career.

Even Kajol who is busy playing mommy to her two kids in a recent interview said, she enjoys being a mother and to quote her said, "Looking after babies is a full-time job, trust me!" Says Renuka Prasad, "Women face challenges at every stage of their lives. If they are married and working, people blame them for neglecting their families. Now, if a woman wants to give up her career to take care of her child, they make her feel miserable with all such stories. What a strange world we are living in where people are not allowed to live life their way."

Tamil actresses Jyothika, Shalini who are married to actors Suriya and Ajith are content with their lives. Both actresses stopped acting when they were on top. However, they have no regrets because nothing can match the roles they are playing in their real life — being a perfect star wife and a great mom.

New mommy Shilpa Shetty too recently tweeted, "Glad I have the luxury of time to take off but hats off 2 all those moms who multitask home chores/work after a baby single-handedly. Phew." She was also all praises for women who multitask. She tweeted, "Being a mother is a full time job! One has 2 be ready 2 give 25hrs a day 2 the baby or don't do it! Amazin how our mothers did it all without any help."

There's this post doing the rounds on Facebook which perhaps would be an apt conclusion to this article. Here you go...

'Just a mom?! I can't stand it when people say, "You're JUST a mom?" with their annoying gestures. " Yes! I am a mom!" (and a Damn good one!) That makes me an alarm clock, cook, maid, waitress, teacher, nurse, referee, handyman, security officer, photographer, counselor, chauffeur, event planner, hairdresser, personal assistant, ATM & I scare away the boogie man or any ghosts that haunt my kids at night. I don't get any paid holidays, sick pay or days off. I work DAY & NIGHT. I am on call 24/7 for the rest of my life. That's just BEING A MOM! I may not be anything to you, but I am everything to someone. Enough said.'

 "Relationship is not an examination but an opportunity where you care for someone more than yourself." Dr Kurien S Thomas