Prioritize health: Exercise & nutrition for women in 2022

Biologically speaking, men and women have health needs that are programmed differently from conception. These differences often affect disease prevention rates, medical diagnoses, and treatments accordingly. However, women’s health has traditionally been considered a subset of healthcare, instead of being expanded upon. While COVID-19 has had a major impact on the mental and physical health of everyone regardless of gender, the new realities of Work From Home (WFH), higher rates of unemployment, home-schooling of children, and a distinct lack of in-person contact with other family members, friends, and colleagues has affected women disproportionately, as they are often caretakers as well.

As reported by Hindustan Times, women account for about 80% of purchasing decisions in the healthcare industry. Hence, it is crucial to raise awareness and create programmes that lead to better health outcomes for women.

Fitness tips

Vijay Thakkar, Fitness Entrepreneur & Functional Medicine Coach, emphasized the fact that being a "healthy woman" doesn’t always mean that one must "weigh under 50 kgs" or "have a waist circumference under 30 inches". Now is the time for everyone to understand that good health and fitness are multi-dimensional aspects of life, where certain baselines differ for all persons.

Here are some of Mr Thakkar's tips for women to maintain their fitness levels:

• Build lean muscle - Building lean muscle tissues helps you become stronger, burn more calories even while resting, develop a better immune system, attain higher levels of flexibility and helps improve the body's metabolic rate, ultimately resulting in better overall health.
• Natural supplementation - Certain hormonal changes start in the 20s. Supplementing Vitamin D through sunlight or by ordering other supplements helps strengthen the body and develop a healthier lifestyle.
• Metabolic changes - Women's metabolism tends to slow down during middle age, usually around the time when they reach menopause. Making certain sustainable changes in the diet, such as increasing the intake of protein and iron, along with exercising on a regular basis, can help maintain the body's metabolism.
• Avoid stress - Though unavoidable at times, high levels of stress may be responsible for many hormonal diseases, autoimmune disorders and even unhealthy weight gain in women. Hence, it’s important to "detox" oneself from stress and anxiety.

Diet tips

Dr Babina NM, Jindal Naturecure Institute's Chief Medical Officer, is of the opinion that, while alternative therapy options can help treat diseases or reduce the impacts of diseases through different practices, diet remains an important building block for all other methods to maintain good health. She said, “Yoga is an activity that incorporates physical movement as well as greater self-awareness and mindfulness, which promotes healthy eating.”

She also mentioned, “Many people who practise Yoga on a daily basis are of the belief that Yoga increases their motivation to pick healthy foods, helps them to be more mindful while eating on the quality and quantity and reduces food cravings. Along with choosing the right food, we must also learn to develop good eating habits.”

While there are no rigid guidelines for one's diet, Dr Babina shared some healthy eating tips for women:

• Protein is key - Proteins are essential for the body and should be an integral part of one's diet. A few protein-rich foods - Broccoli, lentils, soybeans, asparagus, low-fat dairy, and spinach.
• Green leafy vegetables - Just like in our childhood, green leafy vegetables should be included in the diet. They provide high amounts of iron, proteins, calcium and fibre.
• Better eating habits - One of the simplest ways to digest food is to chew it properly. Many people often eat their food in a rush and don't chew their food properly. Although what you eat will eventually be digested, barely chewed food often takes more time and effort for the digestive system to break down properly. Additionally, chewing is also a good form of exercise for the jaw.
• Mind your food - Nowadays, people tend to mindlessly eat their food while texting or scrolling through social media, not keeping a count of how much they eventually eat. This leads to situations where even though the stomach is full, the brain misinterprets this due to a lack of attention, often resulting in overeating. Being mindful of the food, allows you to eat only as much as your body requires, leading to better diet control and healthier living.

Health should always be a priority

As more and more women enter highly demanding jobs and make a name for themselves, it is easy to forget self-care. A big part of maintaining good employee health and well-being is to keep track of one's nutrition and exercise habits. This post is a good starting point in recognizing the importance of a healthy diet and making sustainable changes to live a healthy, productive and successful life!

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