A digestive system that is healthy and functions smoothly ensures sound health of both body and mind. If the digestive system faces any kind of interference, the body will be in trouble too. Regular exercising benefits the digestive system as well as the digestive process.

Keep on reading to understand the importance of exercise on digestion:

Boosts the blood circulation: Exercise is known to boost the blood flow in the body. Blood, being responsible for absorbing various nutrients from the digested food and then distributing them throughout the body, proper blood flow becomes necessary for the digestive system to function smoothly. The better the blood flow, the more efficient will be the digestive process. It also prevents risk of developing heartburn, gas, constipation, stomach cramps, etc.
Increases metabolism: Exercise also helps in boosting metabolism. As a result, it makes the food move through the digestive system more quickly. The quicker the passage of the food, the lesser the load or work done by the digestive system. When the food fails to pass quickly, it ends up sitting and rotting in the gastrointestinal tract, causing acidity and other stomach discomforts.
Helps in maintaining a digestive routine: Exercise also plays a crucial role in helping the body maintain a healthy digestive routine. Yes, it is through exercising that you can help your body to better utilize the nutrient-rich food that you are consuming. It is not only the fiber-rich foods or necessary water consumption, but also exercise that can help in establishing a routine for the body, such as regular bowel movement.
Makes the muscles strong: The role that regular exercising plays in strengthening the muscles around the intestines as well as the stomach say a lot about the relationship of exercise and smooth digestion. Just as the muscles of various parts of the body become strong, exercising strengthens the muscles involved with the digestion process. These muscles move the food through the intestines and stomach more easily and efficiently.
Keeps the mind relaxed and stress-free: Excessive stress can cause the oesophagus muscles to go into sudden convulsion or contraction, letting the stomach acid and the gastric secretions go back up the food pipe and interrupt the digestive process. The more stressed one is, the more hampered will be the process of digesting and absorbing nutrients. It is undoubtedly through regular exercising that both the mind and body can stay relaxed, and free from troubles caused by stress.
Before opting for any exercise, it's important that you consult a doctor first. This is because sometimes you may not be aware of your physical condition. If there are any underlying health problems, they could worsen by random, strenuous exercise.


Exercise - Why Is It Important For Your Digestive Health?

Doing everything right can still make you gain weight. Irrespective of your diligent efforts, that paunch comes in the way of your crunches. Reviewing your exercise routine, diet and overall lifestyle may have no effect on the extra kilos. The reaction to such stagnation could be as many as the conspiring causes. Backpedaling into an unhealthy way of life is what cowards choose to do. The ideal way of approaching the problem is to find out the specific factors leading to excess weight.


These few factors can make you gain weight


1. Sleep deprivation results in significant bloating: You may not be aware, but a full night s sleep is indeed necessary. When a person rests, the human body carries on with repair work. Sleep helps your body to get rid of excess adipose tissues. A person who has not slept for two to three days at a stretch or has only slept insufficiently is likely to look fatter or bloated.


2. Being perpetually depressed could be the curse: Depression can lead to extreme ends; you may either gain a lot of weight or may even lose weight drastically. If your depression is at an advanced stage a medical practitioner will prescribe you with antidepressants. Antidepressants tend to fatten you up.


3. An irritable or slow bowel syndrome can prove to be adverse: If you suffer from problems related to the bowel your tummy might show. A patient of irritable or slow bowel syndrome feels bloated throughout the day. Since they face digestive problems, their bellies protrude.


4. The gray streaks of hair could be a reason: Gaining weight could also be the result of your age. If you are above thirty-five your metabolism decreases; this results in slower breakdown of food. Exercising can help, but it usually shows meager results once you have attained forty.


5. Nutrient deficiency should not be taken lightly: Being deficient in certain nutrients can also make you overweight. Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium are some of the nutrients that actively contribute to a person s body weight. A lack of these nutrients can make you fat.


6. Edema could be the underlying cause: Edema refers to a condition where a person s body retains water. Certain parts and joints become swollen. There are medications that can help push excess water out of the body through frequent urination. If not taken care of, edema could be the reason behind weight gain.

6 Strange Reasons you are Gaining Weight

Green tea has been promoted as one of the healthiest beverages around. It is made from the same kind of leaves (camellia sinensis) as generic black tea or oolong tea. The primary difference is that while processing the leaves for green tea, the withering and fermentation procedures are avoided, which helps the leaves retain more nutrients. However, green tea comes with quite a few side effects just like ordinary tea or coffee. They are:

1. Digestive problems
Since green tea is not put through the oxidation or fermentation process, the tannins present in the leaves are not removed. Tannins, can cause nausea and constipation by producing more gastric acid. Adding a little milk to your tea might help with this problem.

2. Reduced absorption of iron
Green tea contains catechins- antioxidants, which can block the absorption of iron from food. Iron deficiency has a number of negative impacts, the most threatening one being anemia where red blood cell formation is hindered. Anemia causes fatigue because sufficient oxygen is not circulated throughout the body due to low haemoglobin levels.

3. Problems with the nervous system
Green tea contains caffeine, just like tea or coffee, though its caffeine content is lower. Excessive consumption can lead to insomnia-like tendencies, heightened anxiety, frequent urination, irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps etc.

4. Risks during pregnancy
Caffeine decreases calcium content in the body, leading to weaker bones, which is an alarming symptom in an expecting mother. Also, caffeine, catechins and tannins are individually related to increased risks of miscarriage and other negative effects. Tannins and catechins passed on to breast milk can also block absorption of nutrients like proteins and fats in an infant's system.

5. Reactions with medication
Several chemical drugs are extremely reactive to the polyphenols in green tea, especially stimulant drugs like nicotine, ephedrin and amphetamine. Green tea reduces the functioning of lithium and dipyridamole. The polyphenols may also block the healing properties of the anti-cancer drug name bortezomib. Any kind of interference with your regular medication may impact your health adversely.

6. Negative impact on patients with glaucoma
The disease impairs the optic nerve and green tea increases the pressure on the eye within minutes of drinking it because caffeine accelerates intraocular pressure. The effects take more than an hour to subside.

Green Tea: SIde effects and why you may need to avoid it

How to use bananas to melt stomach fat?

Banana is one fruit that is available in all the seasons and is extremely nutritious because of presence of fibre, mineral and potassium in it. Its taste and ‘easy-to-eat’ quality makes it everyone’s favourite. It also helps in flushing out toxins from the body and enhances metabolism too. But did you know that as a result of these qualities, banana helps you with melting stomach fat also. Yes! Banana is one of those very few fruits which have a tendency to melt the stomach fat. Let’s see how and why?

1. Fruit: Banana is an excellent source of energy because it has glucose, fructose and sucrose in it. Consumption of banana decreases the feeling of hunger. So, when we take banana, we will not be hungry for a long time which will also help in lessening the stomach fat.

2. Banana Smoothie: Banana prevents retention of water in the body and because of this quality, it helps in melting the stomach fat. A banana drink is a great idea for that. Not only by adding few other ingredients it becomes tastier but also helps in melting the stomach fat easily and faster. You just have to mix things like an orange, ¼ table spoon ginger, 2 table spoons of flax seeds and whey powder, yoghurt, along with a spoonful of coconut oil in one banana. It will give good results if it’s taken on an empty stomach. It can also be taken after drinking a glass of lukewarm water early morning. But taking it just once won’t serve the purpose. You have to take it regularly to get the desired results.

3. As a Combination Food: Apart from taking banana in its original form and in the form of smoothie, mixing bananas with cranberries, raspberries or blueberries along with ginger, honey and little water will also provide the same result. Likewise, in place of berries, if you add spinach, it will also help in reducing stomach fat making you look much slimmer.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

3 Amazing Ways To Melt Belly Fat with Bananas

There is a commonly held view that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses that cause severe disturbances to a person's eating behaviors. Obsessions with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder.

Signs and Symptoms of Common Eating Disorders are discussed below...

Anorexia Nervosa-

People with anorexia nervosa may see themselves as overweight, even when they are dangerously underweight. People with anorexia nervosa typically weigh themselves repeatedly, severely restrict the amount of food they eat, and eat very small quantities of only certain foods. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder.

Symptoms:

Extremely restricted eating
Extreme thinness (emaciation)
A relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight
Intense fear of gaining weight
Distorted body image, a self-esteem that is heavily influenced by perceptions of body weight and shape, or a denial of the seriousness of low body weight
Other symptoms may develop over time, including:

Thinning of the bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
Mild anemia and muscle wasting and weakness
Brittle hair and nails
Dry and yellowish skin
Growth of fine hair all over the body (lanugo)
Severe constipation
Low blood pressure, slowed breathing and pulse
Damage to the structure and function of the heart
Brain damage
Multiorgan failure
Drop in internal body temperature, causing a person to feel cold all the time
Lethargy, sluggishness, or feeling tired all the time
Infertility
Bulimia Nervosa-

People with bulimia nervosa have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. This binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors. People with bulimia nervosa usually maintain what is considered a healthy or relatively normal weight.

Symptoms:

Chronically inflamed and sore throat
Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area
Worn tooth enamel and increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of exposure to stomach acid
Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems
Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse
Severe dehydration from purging of fluids
Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium and other minerals) which can lead to stroke or heart attack
Binge-eating Disorder-

People with binge-eating disorder lose control over his or her eating. Unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. As a result, people with binge-eating disorder often are overweight or obese. Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder.

Symptoms:

Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time
Eating even when you're full or not hungry
Eating fast during binge episodes
Eating until you're uncomfortably full
Eating alone or in secret to avoid embarrassment
Feeling distressed, ashamed, or guilty about your eating
Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss
Unspecified Eating Disorder-

This happens when the behavior do not meet the criteria for any food or eating problems but still pose significant threat and problems.
This also happens the clinician is not able to assess whether an individual is affected by a certain disorder.
Treatment-

Treatment is available. Recovery is possible...

Eating disorders are serious health conditions that can be both physically and emotionally destructive. People with eating disorders need to seek professional help. Early diagnosis and intervention may enhance recovery. Eating disorders can become chronic, debilitating, and even life-threatening conditions.

When you begin to notice that disordered eating habits are affecting your life, your happiness, and your ability to concentrate, it is important that you talk to somebody about what you are going through.

The most effective and long-lasting treatment for an eating disorder is some form of psychotherapy or psychological counseling, coupled with careful attention to medical and nutritional needs. Ideally, this treatment should be tailored to the individual and will vary according to both the severities of the disorder and the patient's particular problems, needs, and strengths.

Eating Disorders

To keep up good health, it is absolutely necessary for one to indulge in physical exercise or activities. Physical activities, in general, are linked to a host of good benefits, such as reduced stress and a healthier and better outlook, besides increasing the body's resistance against complications like heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and muscle pain among others problems.

Similarly, the practice of yoga is an ancient tradition well known for its health benefits. In addition, walking can further complement the practice of yoga and they can together prove to be highly advantageous, to the extent where they can be possibly regarded a better alternative to the act of gyming.

Benefits
Here are a few benefits of gym workouts followed by the benefits of yoga plus walking: 

Benefits of gym and other exercises:
1.  Keep muscles fit
2.  Enhance respiration and perspiration
3.  Helps in weight loss
4.  Relieve stress
5.  Increase appetite and food consumption

Benefits of yoga and walking:
1.  Keep you active throughout the day
2.  Help bowel movement
3.  Increase mind control over the body
4.  Improve blood circulation
5.  Relieve anxiety and keeps one stress free
6.  Can be practiced anywhere and everywhere

Differences
Although it can be argued that gym workouts are better than yoga and vice-versa, the subject matter is highly ambiguous and debatable. Since both activities are good for your health, physically as well as mentally, it is very difficult to say which one is better; perhaps a detailed comparison of the differences between the two may be more helpful:

1.  While gymming and other exercises focus on building the body and helping you attain the desired body figure, yoga and walking aims at regulating the entire body mechanism, with more emphasis on mental control.
2.  While gym workouts may be more expensive, yoga requires minimal accessories and is therefore, more economically convenient.
3.  Yoga is suitable for people of all ages, whereas gymming and other intense physical activities are not advisable for old people or those with specific medical ailments like hypertension and heart problems.
4.  There are minimal withdrawal effects with yoga, in contrast to gym workouts.
5.  Gymming requires you to go to the gym, whereas yoga and walking can be done anywhere and everywhere.

Benefits of Yoga + Walking Vs Gyming

Don't wait any longer, manage your Health Specialist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Health Specialist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES