‘Food, work and Rest’

Hyderabad: Do you feel weak by mid- morning or late in the afternoon even though you started your day on an energetic note?
Flagging energy levels by mid-day are a sure sign of fatigue and can be seen as you get older. But increasingly these symptoms are also felt by a lot of people in their middle age.

Multiple reasons such as lack of nutritious food, lack of proper sleep and rest, lack of exercise and physical activity coupled with increasing levels of stress make several people victims of fatigue, which later culminates into lifestyle diseases.
 
‘Lack of stamina and fatigue are early signs’

Physical activity has fallen to abysmally low levels as modern lifestyle demands sitting in offices for long hours, spending too much time commuting or browsing the Internet. Lack of stamina and fatigue are early signs of underlying lifestyle diseases. To work on the early signs requires self-motivation and commitment to working towards re-energising yourself with exercise regimes. Once exercises commence, metabolic pathways are stimulated immediately and within six to eight weeks there is substantial improvement. Dr Paripati Sharat Kumar, consultant, orthopaedic and sports medicine, Apollo Health City, explains, “Muscular strength is achieved fast but cardiovascular changes take at least six months.

While there is immediate effect shown in the body when people do different exercises, the minute they stop, detraining also happens and in this the strength that is gained by the body is lost faster. The loss is double! So people should continue exercising. It is also important to follow the routine prescribed for the maintenance period, which if not done results in significant levels of loss of strength.”

Power nap for five to 10 minutes, walking for 10 minutes after every one hour and stretching of hands and legs are good simple exercises which will help a person re-energise at work and also ensure fitness. Computer-based jobs that require eight to 10 hours of constant sitting, drain the body energy easily. So it is important that people take breaks and walk around a bit.

Dr Ritu Sharma, head of physiotherapy department at Care Hospital, says, “The body mechanism works on ‘Food, Work and Rest’. Work means extensive physical activity where the body is engaged in laborious job. This concept has now changed reducing the physical activity tremendously.”

‘Food must have the right nutrients; not just satisfy hunger’

These days, we  look at food as a means to relieve hunger or satisfy appetite rather than as sources of right amount of nutrients. K. Sunitha Premalatha, chief dietician at Yashoda Hospital, tells us what we should eat:

• Eat complex carbohydrates like whole grain cereals, millets, vegetables, peas, beans and unripe fruit because they break down slowly and provide energy over a longer period.
• Eat fibre like whole grain cereals, pulses, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
• Eat less of foods with low nutrient density. Soft drinks, chips, cakes, sweets, snack foods provide large amount of calories but few nutrients.
• Limit the intake of fat — Fat is an essential body nutrient serving important body needs and acting as a backup storage fuel. But fats take four hours to digest and if not burnt properly, lead to obesity and other health problems.

Do’s and don’ts

• Housewives generally skip breakfast and work long hours during day. They then have a sumptuous lunch and rest by either watching TV or sleeping. They need to change this habit by taking short breaks for rest.
• Teachers, professors and sales staff in malls stand for long hours. They must indulge in movements like short steps, stretching of hands and upper parts of the body as well as wear good footwear.
• Doctors, para-medical staff, politicians and also staff that go up and down buildings use a lot of their energy walking around. They must take  short steps to conserve energy.
• Those who practise gym routines, yoga and other aerobic exercises must work towards endurance training.  Because when such training is stopped, the damage is high. So, they should switch to other form of exercises.