Dr. Ranjeet Kale

If there is blood in your urine, it is a sign of renal illness. While this could be happening because of various reasons, it is advisable to see your doctor soon.

Following are the causes of blood in your urine:

1. An enlarged prostate - An enlarged prostate is a common cause of the appearance of blood in the urine in men who are in their middle ages or older. Enlargement of the prostate gland causes the urethra to be compressed. This prevents the urethra from getting fully emptied while urination.
2. Cancer - A cancerous kidney, bladder or prostate gland can also cause blood to appear in the urine. It is another major cause of hematuria but usually occurs in older patients.
3. Infection - Infections like urethritis, pyelonephritis, cystitis or infection in any other body organ along the urinary tract is one of the most common causes of hematuria. Such bacterial infection in the urethra can also infect the kidneys and the urinary bladder. It results in the urge to urinate frequently and also causes blood to appear in the urine.
4. Kidney stones and bladder stones - Another reason that can cause blood to appear in the urine is the presence of stones in the kidney or bladder. These stones are crystallized minerals that are formed in the kidney or the bladder but fail to pass through the urinary tract. They cause blockage and pain and result in hematuria.
5. Polycystic kidney disease - PKD is a kidney disorder in which cysts filled with fluid form in the kidneys and impair the kidneys, causing them to fail entirely at times. It is an inherited disease and causes blood to appear in the urine.In children who are between 6-10 years of age, kidney disorder after streptococcal glomerulonephritis can be a possible cause of hematuria.

According to many fitness experts, swimming can be an effective and rigorous fitness workout for people of all age, and everyone should try to hit the pool every day. While this is a regular regime for some, many are into a misconception that swimming is like child’s play. There are also those who think that swimming is not an effective form of weight loss. But the reality is that swimming is one of the best cardio exercises, and you must include it in your regular fitness regime.

And, in case you are running out of reasons to indulge in swimming, here are a few important points to convince you.

1. Swimming is good for heart health: Swimming is known to provide an unparalleled conditioning of cardiovascular health if you can practice it with an untainted consistency. Even though other kinds of exercise such as running or cycling can be more effective to boost the levels of metabolism, you should include swimming in cross-training routine. Pushing yourself to swim regularly will improve the overall fitness.
2. Helps in balancing the structure of muscles: Swimming aids in building longer and leaner muscles which complement the denser muscles produced from weight training. These newly formed muscles also aid in speeding up the metabolism process for keeping the calorie for burning longer.
3. Swimming is an excellent form of cross-training: Swimming helps in improving the cardiovascular capacity and increase muscle strength. But the reason why swimming is famous among fitness enthusiasts is that swimming offers the much-needed break from the high impact workouts such as weight-lifting, running and basketball. It allows athletes a respite from the regular intensive routine and helps the body to heal properly without compromising the daily fitness sessions.
4. Swimming helps in improving the overall flexibility of the muscles: Hitting the pool gradually relaxes the major muscle groups in the body and increase flexibility along with stretching it. If you indulge in lactic acid building workouts such as weight-lifting, cycling and running, swimming for half an hour assists in flushing out the toxins and spare the muscles from becoming tight and sore the following day.
5. Assists in strengthening the core: One of the most prominent reasons why you should hit the pool regularly is that it helps in improving the core body strength. This is due to utilisation of the major muscle groups at the same time. Even though about 70 percent of the body’s effort rises from the upper portion, moves such as fin and kickboard can offer an excellent lower body workout.

To sum up, these benefits are definite to compel anyone to consider swimming on a regular basis and improve the quality of life without hurting the muscles. And in no time, you would start enjoying it too!" If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a physiotherapist.