Lose Weight Naturally with Intermittent Fasting

We are all familiar with the term ‘garbage in garbage out’. In the same vain we also understand that we need to follow ‘calories in calories out’ to keep control over our body weight. Most often people who gain weight have a higher calorie intake than the amount of activity they undertake. For them fasting is a healthy way to keep control over their weight gain. 

Fasting is not new to us. It has been observed by most cultures for religious and spiritual reasons for thousands of years.  In addition to its religious and spiritual significance, it also gives great health and fitness benefits ranging from improved digestion, detoxification and weight loss.

Fasting is catching up and the current buzz is intermittent fasting, i.e. fasting at set intervals or on a certain day of the week.  For example, one could fast on every Monday of the week. It could also be for shorter durations like missing a meal a day. During the fast water, tea or juice only can be consumed to keep the body hydrated.

                                                                              

It is best to begin fasting slowly. Usually one can starts with a fast once a week. This can be increased slowly to two or more days in a week. Drinking of fluids during fast is necessary to avoid dehydration. Drinking warm water or tea is the best. Cold drinks should be avoided as they impair the digestive fire and cause slowing down of the metabolism.

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system, encourages fasting to improves the digestion.  Fasting gives a break to the digestive system and it uses its energy to burn off the toxins in the body.  Fasting also improves the digestion and metabolism which can help in losing weight naturally.

Modern research is also catching up with the idea of fasting for better health and longer life. The research shows fasting improves growth hormone production and also affects the sensitivity of your tissues to insulin.  This is really important because growth hormone is important for regeneration and recuperation of the body and for maintaining muscle mass.  Increased growth hormone levels also build more lean muscle mass.

Our irregular and unrestricted eating habits have caused havoc with our digestion and our health. We depend heavily on antacids to keep under control the high acidity levels in our stomach. All this is due to sluggish or inefficient digestive system. Our digestion is over-working constantly and needs rest sometimes to recover. This rest and recovery can be provided by doing intermittent fasting. By fasting once or twice a week we can once again improve our digestion, and our quality of life. We can control our weight and have a better physical fitness.

Knee Pain Relief

Knee pain is one of the most common joint problems being treated and it is reported that at least 18-20% or the US population suffers from this condition.  As a load bearing joint it takes a lot of wear and tear that can seriously affect the way one walks, functions in his or her daily life. 

Pain or weakness in this joint can seriously limit the hobbies or leisurely activities.  If the problem is serious or chronic it can even impair basic day to day functioning which can result in deconditioning, poor health or pain and problems at other joints like the back, hip, ankle and the foot. 

Various things can lead to knee pain - sports related injury, knee surgery, general wear and tear secondary to obesity or one's occupation, accidents, etc.   Regardless of the reason, getting the problem addressed early is very important to prevent long-term impairments. 

Here are some basic tips for addressing knee pain or problems:

1. It is essential to get your knee pain checked out as early as possible by either your doctor of Physical Therapist.  This will help you start the rehabilitation process early and prevent more damage to the joint. 

2. Use of ice can be helpful during the acute or early phase of the injury especially if there is a lot of heat, swelling and redness.  However most conditions do better with heat since it improves circulation and prevents stagnation.    

3.  Avoid activities that put more weight on the joint – the knee is a load bearing joint and putting more weight on it aggravates it further.  It is very important to limit walking, standing, squatting, kneeling, running, etc. avoid putting too much pressure on the joint. 

4.  Best to use a cane or crutches to support the body weight and take pressure off the knee when injured or in pain.

5. Light strengthening and flexibility exercises can be very helpful to get back the range and strength.

It is advisable to avoid performing too much exercise, walking and standing or loading the joint too early.  Following these simple guidelines can greatly reduce the risk of future problems.  It takes time for the joint to heal.  So it’s best to take care of the joint and not re-injure by overdoing activities.  However if the pain continues on must see the doctor or physical therapist immediately.