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Know Your Health

Know Your Health

Quick dose for stress-busting: Stress can be costly. It can contribute to a range of ailments - from heart disease and diabetes to depression. In this hyper-competitive, little-time-at-home, deadline-chasing world, executives cannot avoid stress. Business Today speaks to doctors, health and wellness experts on what you can do about it.
Photo: Shekhar Ghosh
Photo: Shekhar Ghosh

Take time out: Be with yourself, alone, for at least 15 minutes - either plan and allocate time for yourself or just grab it when you find the opportunity. Could be a short walk, 15 minute meditation, a little jog, if the place provides a scope for it - just stay away from your digital devices and go off the grid for a few minutes. If planned, this could be done between meetings. Make the most of travel time. For instance, try walking up and down the airport while waiting for a flight. In a one hour flight, if you cannot take a short nap, try and take a 30 minute break.

This is particularly important for travel-stressed executives.

Cut the clutter: Controlling the mind for 30 to 45 minutes could have hugely positive outcomes. The best tool is doing things that are totally unrelated to your work, say sifting though the pages of a new book or just listeningto music.

Eat on time: It helps. Stick to fixed eating hours. There is enough information on how cortisol, the stress hormone in the body, inhibits digestion. In fact, cortisol levels in the blood rise when you skip your meal and result in mood swings.

Home & hobby: When back at home, ensure you constantly nurture your hobby. Could be photography, listening to books on your phone, yoga, swimming or jogging.

Hit the gym when possible - with a headphone on so that no one gets to talk to you.

 Debate today

Illustration by Raj Verma

Everyone is talking about benefits of shifting to millet -based diet to help control diabetes and deal with obesity. So, does it really help? If it helps, what is the right intake. And, if it is not helping, why? Here is an expert take: Dr Lalithapriya, nutrition and wellness expert (she has a doctorate in nutrional biochemisty) who has been a consultant to various hospitals, including Motherhood Hospitals in Bangalore, points out that she is seeing many people today ending up with higher levels of sugar and with increased load on their kidneys and liver because of excessive intake of millets. This, she says, is a direct result of overconsumption of millet. "There is the flipside to it too when taken in excess, it can lead to higher glycemic index (amount of glucose in the blood). Therefore, take it in moderation - 60 grams a meal and three times a week - is good enough," she says.

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