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Saturday, February 05, 2011

Shaping-up for Success!

INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES

Health trends of fast-track performers revealed!
From the days when most employees preferred to pick up their caf' latte on the way to work (much like the Wall Street banker did in most Hollywood movies) or sip on umpteen cups of tea, to the present concern of whether, 'I have had my day's intake of 2.5 litres of water,' life has been a changin' for the average Indian employee. Health consciousness in India is increasing, and the corporates are showing the way by staying in step and in shape!

Research shows that unhealthy employees create a negative impact on the bottom line. Prof. Cary Cooper of Lancaster University explains, 'The important aspect of an employee's health is workplace stress. People are feeling excessive job insecurity, which is forcing them to work for long hours, ultimately damaging their health and family life.' Many managers are micro-managing people, which contribute to individuals' sense of loss of control and autonomy, a common cause of workplace stress. Such behaviour has resulted in outcomes that indicate organisational ill-health, such as, absenteeism, presenteeism (people at work but contributing little added value to the product or service), high labour turnover, etc'

It's of little wonder that companies are taking the first step towards keeping their employees in the pink. Dr Wilfried Aulbur, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, shares, 'Our factory layout allows people to work in a very clean environment and complete their tasks ergonomically. As a consequence, we have relatively low sickness-day rates for our blue and white-collar employees.'

'Family holidays have emerged as a successful reinforcement for employees who exceed targets, bring in innovation to business. Companies like Standard Chartered, TATA Tea, HDFC Bank etc. have been using these methods to encourage employees to aim higher,' reveals Ramesh Ramanathan, MD, Club Mahindra Holidays & Resorts. Clearly, concerned companies want to help their employees strike a work-life balance.

The drink and dinner extension of daily work is inviting for the initial year or two, but the new-age employees, who have spent at least four years working, are being observed to instead prefer activities like yoga or tennis in the evenings. More people are consciously switching to handsfree for long phone calls or are using the landline whenever possible as they are now aware of the harmful side-effects of mobile phones. Food habits have changed to accommodate increased intake of fruits, soya/ brown bread and fresh juices. Employees are seen consciously controlling their tea and coffee intake, and replacing the same with green tea too. Companies have made office spaces smoke-free, but with several employees going for multiple smoke breaks, this move has also led to a substantial increase in wastage of time.

The corporate world is positive about the impact and role of healthy living. Organisations today understand that healthy employee can contribute far more to their growth. There is also a realisation that only once the people are hale and hearty, that quantum leap will be possible.

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Tuesday, February 01, 2011

If stress refuses to leave your head and workout feels like a distant dream,

pursuing some hobbies could take you closer to healthy living'

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While most of you reading this would find it difficult to relate to, some of us do fondly reminisce of a time when the fathers or husbands in the family returned from work while it was still bright outside, all cheerful and eager to join the rest of the family for the evening cup of tea and snacks and participate in discussions' patiently hearing out the children chirp about their day at school or helping out the ladies with the chores'

The situation might sound alien in context of our current lifestyles, where there's barely time to enjoy dinner and exchange a word or two with the kids or spouse before it's time to attend to the phone or start punching into the laptop. Not that you're to be blamed; yes, times are such, but while you flow with the rapids, it's also important to beware of the rocks along the way. And stress happens to be the harmful side-effect of overwork which can ramify into various health disorders. To avoid those tiring trips to the hospital and those illegible prescriptions, you couldn't merely rely on exercise alone. Hark back to your school days, when you were forced to develop hobbies: it wasn't only to help you glamourise your resume; they are also a therapeutic wellspring to draw from.

Mrs Verma had moved to Delhi from Jamshedpur, a quiet and relaxed city. She found it difficult to cope up with the hustle and bustle of the capital city and, over the years, observed her energy levels decline. On consulting a psychiatrist, she was asked to spend time on an activity that relaxed her mind. Mrs Verma started taking time out for gardening in her backyard, and within weeks her blood pressure normalised and she found that 'feel good' factor in her life. Consultant Psychiatrist at Max Healthcare, Dr Ajay Pal Singh explains that this is no myth. 'It is not scientifically proven but it has been observed on many occasions that gardening can be a stress buster. Gardening affects the mind in a positive manner because when you plant a sapling, you would want to take care of it and see it grow into a tree. This hope, in a way, gives your mind something to look forward to, which in turn affects your health in a positive way.' He further adds that it's not just gardening, but anything that relaxes the mind and especially an activity that can give one a sense of achievement should definitely be pursued. 'Many people don't realise it but it does have a positive effect and adds to one's life span. I have seen stress levels reduce in many people by pursuing hobbies like stamp collection, coin collection, visiting old monuments and antique shops. It might sound strange but it works!' said Dr Singh. Megha's father had recently recovered from a heart attack, and during one of those regular visits to the doctor, he was advised to keep a dog. 'My dad did not buy the idea. I bought a dog only to fulfill my wish of keeping a pet. And it so happened that my dog became my dad's pet. He takes care of my dog and takes him out for a walk, and my dog in turn loves playing with him,' said Megha. Little wonder that her dad's health showed tremendous improvement soon after. Doctors say that spending time with pets and seeing them react eases the mind and momentarily erases all tensions in the mind. The State University of New York at Buffalo had conducted a research comparing hypertension levels in stockbrokers. It was observed that the blood pressure of those who adopted a cat or a dog were restored closer to normal, than those without any pets. Dr Ajay Pal mentions, 'Ask anyone who has a pet, especially a dog, and he will tell you how much happiness they can get. And a happy life is a healthy life.'

Whether or not hobbies are therapeutic has yet to be scientifically proven, but it has been observed by psychiatrists and medical consultants that activities that give the mind a sense of achievement or help instill hope, is therapeutic. 'Mind games like solving puzzles, playing cards, listening to music or collecting rare objects help in de-stressing a person, and a stress-free life is a healthier and longer life,' expounds Dr Singh. So, make positive living your aim, so you don't find yourself eating more pills than meals in your twilight years.

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Diet another day!

INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES

What would you not give to look like the slim mommy in that baby foods commercial? Try not to get carried away with the newest fads and diet plans, for health is a non-negotiable issue. Dr Vinant Bhargava, Registrar Nephrologist, Sir Ganga ram Hospital, cracks down on some myths'

Building Blocks!
Myth:
All body building supplements are harmful for the body.
Truth:
'Not all body building supplements are harmful. Supplements which have steroids are harmful. Supplements like Cretin or Protein X do not have any side effects. Also animal protein does no harm to the body. It is the anabolic steroids which have several fallouts such as hair loss, rise in aggression, increase in the testosterone levels, bone fractures and Gynecomastia (male breasts).' Hence those on a staple diet of anabolic steroids who believe that they can burn it all out in the gym, please beware!

Oh Men Pause!
Myth:
Women are less indulgent and hardly turned on after menopause.
Fact:
'Menopause has no association with sex as such. It is just that the estrogen levels go down in the female body after menopause. The estrogen hormones produced by the women are responsible for the lubrication, which is necessary during sex. The desire only goes down because it isn't enjoyable anymore for the woman and may be painful too.' With markets getting flooded with a range of products (lubes and gels), maybe some considerate shopping by the menfolk would do wonders for them and the ladies too!

Bronze Age!
Myths:
Drinking water from metal utensils, especially after keeping them overnight, is a rich source of minerals.
Fact:
'Anything apart from aluminum is okay. Food cooked in aluminum utensils and water kept in aluminum is not recommended. Especially pickles kept in aluminum utensils is dangerous as the acids in the pickles could react with the metal and give rise to aluminum ions. This may lead to anemia drowsiness and irritability. Cooking or using other metals would surely give trace elements, but how much these trace elements benefit the body is unknown.'

Food for Thought!
Myth:
A proteins-only diet is the mother of all weight loss techniques.
Truth:
'Such crash diets are never helpful. They cause more damage to the body than good. If you interfere with the metabolic processes of the body, or if you reduce the body's energy source, the cells break down faster and this may also aid ageing.' If the main aim behind losing weight is to look smarter and younger, then these diets defeat the purpose as the body would be working more in order to acclimatise to such abrupt and silly diet plans.

Neuter-al fashion!
Myth:
Slim fit is in. Body hugging clothes for men have no adverse effects on the reproductive organs.
Fact:
'The male body has been designed in a way that the testicles need to be at a certain distance from the body. That's why the scrotum or the sack supports the testicles at a certain level. If one wears very tight underwear or a pair of trousers, then the space reduces and the temperature required for the production of sperm is compromised. Hence in countries with cooler climates, there are more cases of sterile men.' A slim fit suit with a pair of boxer shorts for new corporate attire, anyone?

Mal(T)functions!
Myth:
Alcohol is a sure-shot aphrodisiac.
Fact:
'Alcohol has several phases. In layman's words the first phase is that of elation in which one feels happy and relaxed. The second phase is the indestructible phase in which one feels as if nothing can harm him/her. The third one is often the stage of a heightened libido and is often termed as the aphrodisiac phase. Thereafter we have the drowsy and the half coma phases.' Alcohol might sensitise libido, but it sounds more like a stage where one drops his/her guard and it (alcohol) isn't as convincing an aphrodisiac as ginseng. If it's all about mood enhancement, then a bar of chocolate would be a better bet.

Crank call!
Myth:
More than 30 minutes of cellphone talk in a day is a sure-shot dose for brain tumour.
Facts:
Facts still need to be verified with respect to the definite time duration which is permissible for a human body's exposure to cell phones. 'The sure shot fallouts of prolonged cell phone usage are hair loss and irritability.' Studies do suggest that harmful radiations play havoc with your body, but decreeing a 30 minute usage limit is probably going overboard.

The Right Time
Myths:
Food eaten late in the night is more fattening and more fat means more cholesterol.
Fact:
'Firstly, food eaten late in the night is not fattening. It is just that the digestion is better when there is more of physical activity, so one might have sleep disorders if you sleep immediately after a late meal. Secondly, there is no relation between fat and cholesterol. A skinny thin guy might suffer from high cholesterol or a chubby guy may have fat but his cholesterol levels could be normal. Moreover, some amount of fat is essential for the body. Also, cholesterol is of two types: good cholesterol is HDL and bad cholesterol is LDL and Triglyceride.'

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