The new health mantras
Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai
These days, it is recommended that we walk at least 10,000 steps every day to keep fit. This translates into walking about 8km a day. Since it doesn't have to be continuous, you can jog or run around 5km a day and then hope that the remaining 3km is covered by daily activities.
To track how much of that 3km your daily activities cover, get one of those new fitness devices that can be worn on the wrist. The pedometers that counts the number of steps you take are usually sufficient and often the cheapest.
Unfortunately, the fitness readings can give many of us an unpleasant surprise. The number of steps taken seldom cross 5,000. And if you keep a close watch on the calories you take in, you will often find that the calories are greater than perceived and the exercise woefully inadequate.
If boredom is one of the reasons for your inadequate exercise, try weight lifting and high intensity interval training. This is especially appropriate for those who are always complaining about the lack of time.
During physical activity, we use two types of voluntary muscles, the red "slow twitch" muscles and the white "fast twitch" ones. Slow twitch muscles are necessary for endurance and fast twitch ones for sudden movements. Moderate activity (when it is possible to have a conversation) for 20-30 minutes uses slow twitch muscle. These use a steady stream of energy from fat. They require insulin to function efficiently. If there is a lack of insulin (either relative or due to insulin resistance) then the blood sugars can remain high even with 40 minutes of walking. Fast twitch muscles contain higher levels of a protein called BAF60c. They deplete glycogen (glucose) stores in muscles. They lower the blood sugar directly (without insulin) and blood sugars come down even with short spurts of activity.
The ratio of white to red muscle is genetically determined. It changes with age and can be modified with training. Doing weights can increase the amount of white muscle. Doing repetitions of the drill you were taught at school with 1-2 kilo weights in each hand bring the blood sugars crashing down if the diet and medication is maintained. Weight training can cause small breaks in the muscle and collagen. As these heal, the muscle and connective tissue become stronger. Posture is improved, bone strength increased and the likelihood of falls decreased.
A more efficient way to exercise in limited time is to opt for HIIT (high intensity interval training). This explosive activity of 30-60 seconds is followed by 30 seconds of rest, repeated for a total of 10 minutes. There are a series of activities that can be modified for this such as cycling, swimming, climbing stairs, walking and jogging, running in place or skipping. A simple way is to alternate sprints with walking or fast cycling with slow. But before you start this exercise regimen, check with your doctor.
HIIT has many advantages. It improves blood circulation by keeping the vessels pliable and responsive. That reduces the risk of clots, heart attacks and strokes. Patients with lung diseases do not get breathless during the short bursts of activity associated with HIIT and develop increased lung capacity. Patients recovering from a stroke and even those with Parkinson's disease can do HIIT on stationary exercise cycles and reap tremendous benefits.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her atyourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
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