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contents
features
106 13 DRUGS YOU SHOULD AVOID
These drugs are banned and with good reason.
Make sure you go through this list and choose
safe alternatives
114 GOOD-BYE BELLY FAT
Lose inches and get toned in 6 weeks with
high-energy walks, power Pilates, and the
best flat-abs foods
124 LOSE WEIGHT LIKE A GUY!
He drops kilos overnight. You gain just by
glancing at chocolate pastry. Here are
5 reasons for his success.
134 SUPPLEMENTS ROCK!
Ideally you should get your nutrition from
food. Supplements bail us out in the real world.
Add them to your diet for extra benefits
142 JOY: HOW TO MAKE IT LAST
How we think and what we do can intensify,
even prolong, the best moments in life
148 SUMMER ON ICE
4 cool new ways to enjoy the seasons ripest,
juiciest picks
always
4 from the editor
5 faces of Prevention
10 my Prevention
156 pic of health
158 pets
160 5 to 9, after-hours stuff
162 reflections
62
BURN CALORIES, SCULPT MUSCLE AND SHED FAT
JULY
NUTRITION
37 News & Trends
39 Natural Healer:
Carrots
40 Ask the
nutrition expert
42 Calorie Counter:
Southern comfort
45 Grocery Guru:
Biscuit truths
48 Diet Series: Get rid
of acidity
50 Easy power foods
departments
COVER
STORIES
114 Goodbye
belly fat
Lose inches, get
toned quickly and
boost energy
32 Look and feel 10
years younger
Supplements
that work
124 Lose weight
like a guy
106 13 drugs you
should avoid
50 Easy power foods
62 5 best moves to
flatten your belly
COVER
CREDITS
DESIGN
Sadhana Moolchandani
PHOTO
Ritesh Sharma
HAIR & MAKE-UP
Ramesh Kondapuram
SOURCING
Sahiba Kaur
STYLING
Sahiba Kaur and
Rima J Pundir
CLOTHES
Top & Capri: Mango
FITNESS
54 News & Trends
56 The Walking Page
58 Success Story:
Exercise and diet
go hand-in-hand
60 The Motivator: Get
up and get moving
62 5 moves that firm
YOU
89 News & Trends
90 Coping Skills
92 Energy fix: Sleep
to energise
99 Work-Life
Balance
100 Real Life: Never
tired of this life
102 Get more pleasure
in your life
FAMILY
71 News & Trends
72 Healthy Home:
Soak in the monsoons
76 Healthy Family:
Fight computer-vision
syndrome
80 Bonding Rx:
Rediscovering zest
82 Perfect timing
82
contents
JULY
000 JULY 2008
47 16 30
54
HEALTH
15 News & Trends
19 Health Quiz: Health
screening IQ
22 Executive Health:
My kids are my Zen
masters
BEAUTY
25 News & Trends
27 Editors Picks:
Shower power
28 Solutions: The
inside story!
30 Real-Life Beauty:
Get the liner look
32 Anti-Ageing Arsenal:
Look and feel 10
years younger
34 Beauty on the
bottle
99
2
Packaged Juices
Juices can make an ideal beverage.
But most of us dont want to go
through the trouble of squeezing a
fresh glass of juice. Packaged juices
come as a relief. Besides being
hygienic, modern packaging tech-
nologies ensure that essential nutri-
ents and the goodness of fruits are
retained. Available in varieties
from the exotic Cranberry, to all-
time favourite Orange Juicethe
shelves have it all. Packed with Vita-
mins A & C, Orange is an ideal juice
that boosts immunity. One great
option is Daburs Ral Orange Juice,
a simple & delicious way to have
Vitamin A & Cthe necessary nutri-
ents that keep you active all day long.
Fun, taste and health
all in one
We eat right, but when it comes to beverages, we undermine the
importance of choosing the right beverage
Be Label Savvy
Fruit Juice and Fruit Drink are differ-
ent! By governments definition, any fruit-
based beverage with over 85% fruit
content classifies as a juice and only they
can be branded as fruit juices. A fruit
drink has only a minimum of 10% fruit
content, with sugar, water and artificial
preservatives making up the rest. In juices,
market leader Ral offers upto 8 times
more juiceand, thereby, nutritionthan
a fruit drink. Since you buy fruit juices for
health reasons, always buy products
labelled Fruit Juice and not Ready-to-
Serve Fruit Drink or Juice Drink.
Examine the ingredients and avoid
fruit-flavoured beverages - they tend to
shape a childs taste towards excess sweet-
ness leading to obesity.
Buy juices in tetrapak packaging as
fruit drinks today come in PET formats
or plastic bottles.
Advertorial
Some suggestions to help you buy the
right juice
YOUR
experts
Alternative Medicine
Dr Issac Mathai, medical
director, SOUKYA, Interna-
tional Holistic Health Centre,
Bangalore, and a renowned
holistic physician.
Cardiology
Dr K Srinath Reddy, presi-
dent, Public Health Founda-
tion of India and former
head of cardiology, AIIMS,
Delhi. A consultant with
the WHO and considered a
global authority in his field.
Chest/Pulmonary
Dr Randeep Guleria, profes-
sor of Medicine, AIIMS. A DM
in Pulmonary Medicine, he is
an advisor on various com-
mittees of the GOI and WHO.
Dermatology
Dr Rekha Sheth, founder
president of Cosmetology
Society (India) runs Yuva,
a chain of medispas-cum-
cosmetology clinics. She
has carried out research
projects for HLL and Givau-
dan Roure, Switzerlandthe
worlds largest producer of
fragrances.
Endocrinology
Dr Nikhil Tandon, profes-
sor of Endocrinology and
Metabolism, AIIMS. His areas
of interest include diabetes,
thyroid disorders and meta-
bolic bone diseases including
osteoporosis.
Fitness
Nisha Varma, a Reebok
University Master Trainer,
yoga instructor and an aqua
instructor certified by the
Federation of International
Sports, Aerobics and Fitness,
Singapore.
Gastroenterology
Dr Samiran Nundy, head of
surgical gastroenterology,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,
Delhi. He has edited several
medical journals including
The National Medical Jour-
nal of India and the Indian
Journal of Medical Ethics.
Gender issues
Dr Kamini Rao, president,
Indian Society for Assisted
Reproduction and chair-
person, the FIGO Womens
Sexual & Reproductive
Rights Committee.
Preventions Advisors
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FROM THE EDITOR
FITNESS FIRST
JULY 2008 000 PREVENTION
SANGHAMITRA CHAKRABORTY
Editor
At a life-skills workshop I
attended recently, the trainer
asked us to list what we wanted
from life. Along with love, happi-
ness, world peace and a beach
house, many participants said
they wished they could eat what
they wanted and not exercise!
I think a lot more people
outside that room secretly wish
this were true and quietly stress
about eating bad food and not exercising enough.
Having experienced slowing metabolism, inches that
lovingly gather around the waist and breathlessness while
climbing a flight of steps, I know this is very real.
But whats even more real is that I did nothing about it
until my clothes stopped fitting me and my family started
saying I looked a bit too healthy.
Body image drives a lot of womenand meninto
fitness. Fortunately, when they actually get into it its no
longer about fitting into their old pair of jeans (although
that can bring great joy!). Its about being healthy.
Shilpy Tandons experience (p 58) with a designer who
made her feel small for being a large-sized girl is scary.
Will size define us? I worry about it sometimes.
Body image and obsession with slimness had triggered
an epidemic of eating disorders and cultural fat-phobia in
America in the 60s and 70s resulting in knee-jerk reac-
tions like the fat feminist movement, which believed that
women were being discriminated against because they
were overweight.
I am not suggesting there will be armies of cucumber-
munching fitness police walking the streets in India. But
the line is thin between fitness for the sake of health and
fitness thats only about how you look. Prevention helps you
approach this better.
This issue is a fitness special that celebrates health. Good-
bye belly fat (p 114), 5 moves
that firm (p 62), Get up and
get moving (p 60) are full
of easy, doable tips that will
help you be your fittest.
Stay with health, stay fit!
4
YOUR
experts
GO IN FOR
CARDIO
EXERCISES
SUCH AS
WALKING,
JOGGING AND
RUNNING. DO
ANY OF THESE,
AN HOUR EVERY
DAY, 6 DAYS
A WEEK.
The only way to lose excess weight is to
burn more calories than you consume!
This can be achieved through diet,
exercise or a combination of both. The
latter is preferable as it leads not just to
weight loss but also a healthy lifestyle.
Go in for some cardio exercises such as
walking, running, swimming, dancing
and kickboxing. Do any of these, an
hour every day, 6 days a week. Consult
a dietician to find out how best you
can keep your weight in check. Before
you start exercising make sure you
are physically fit and have the right
exercise gear.
I AM 38, 5 FT TALL AND WEIGH 61
KILOS. MY VITAL STATS ARE 34-30-41.
COULD YOU PLEASE SUGGEST SOME
EXERCISES? I WISH TO COME DOWN
TO 50 KG AND 34-24-34.
SHIKHA SHEORAN VIA EMAIL
YOU ASK
OUR EXPERT ANSWERS
Preventions Advisors
Youve either overdone your treadmill exercises or you are
suffering from early osteoarthritis of the knee. A clinical
examination, a plain X-ray and an MRI would help diag-
nose your condition. If you have a meniscus tear which can
occur after exertion, the torn part can be removed arthro-
scopically. The choice of drugs can be decided on the basis
of the findings. Regular quadriceps exercises are a must.
I HAVE A HISTORY OF KNEE PAIN AND
RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL FOR
A BRIEF WHILE WORSENED IT. THE
DOCTOR SAYS THAT MY CARTILAGE
HAS WORN OFF. HE HAS PRESCRIBED
GLUCOSAMINE. IS A COMPLETE REPAIR
POSSIBLE? RASHI VIA EMAIL
YOU ASK
OUR EXPERT ANSWERS
DR P K DAVE,
Orthopaedic surgeon,
chairman Rockland
Hospital, Delhi
Send us your questions at
prevention@intoday.com
with YOU ASK in the
subject line
Mental Health
Dr Prabha Chandra, profes-
sor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS,
Bangalore. She specialises in
post-natal depression.
Nutrition
Dr Kamala Krishnaswamy,
president, Nutrition Soci-
ety of India and a council
member of the International
Union of Nutritional Sciences.
She is a former director, Na-
tional Institute of Nutrition,
Hyderabad.
Orthopaedics
Dr P K Dave, former direc-
tor, AIIMS, and an eminent
orthopaedic surgeon (joint
replacement & spinal
surgery). He is professor
emeritus and former presi-
dent, National Academy of
Medical Sciences, Delhi.
Obstetrics
Dr Indira Hinduja, consultant
gynaecologist, KEM Hospital,
Mumbai. Dr Hinduja has
worked on Gamete Intra Fal-
lopian Technique or GIFTan
assisted conception method,
and gave India its first GIFT
baby in 1988.
Oncology
Dr S H Advani, director,
Medical Oncology, Jaslok
Hospital & Research Centre
and chief medical oncolo-
gist at the Asian Institute of
Oncology, Mumbai. Formerly
with the Tata Memorial Hos-
pital, Mumbai.
Paediatrics
Dr Arvind Taneja, director
and chief, Paediatric Ser-
vices, Max Super Speciality
Hospital, Delhi. Recipient of
the Distingushed Physician
award of the Delhi Medical
Association.
Yoga
Yogacharya B K S Iyengar
pioneered the world-famous
Iyengar Yoga. He has been
practising and teaching yoga
for more than 60 years and
has authored many books
on yoga including the best-
seller Light on Yoga.
NISHA VARMA
Reebok Master Trainer
Delhi
FACES
OF PREVENTION
PREVENTION 000 JULY 2008 5
Editor Sanghamitra Chakraborty
Deputy Editor Sakina Yusuf Khan
Associate Editor Shobita Dhar, Radhika D Srivastava
Sr Features Writer Ankita Agarwal
Editorial Coordinator Shilpa Negi
Art Director Sadhana Moolchandani
Designer Sheetal Bhat
Photo Coordinator Raman Pruthi
DTP Designer Keshav Kapil
Deputy Chief Production Surendra Kumar
Production Coordinator Raj Kumar Pandey, Gajendra Bhatt
Publishing Director Mala Sekhri
IMPACT Team
Sr General Manager (North, West & East) Gauri Damodaran
General Manager (South) Neeta Kamath
North Mary Mehrunnisa
Bangalore Shveta T M
Mumbai Suman Sharma
Kolkata Tanima Saha
Marketing
Head Marketing Mini Seth
Sr Manager Pankaj Kumar
Dy Brand Manager Neha Chandra
Assistant Brand Manager Vikas Monga
Trade Circulation
Executive Director (Newsstand Sales) Vivek Gaur
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Dy General Manager (East) Rajeev Gandhi
Operations
General Manager S Sridhar
Consumer Marketing Services
Sr General Manager Poonam Sangha
Prevention Foreign Editions/Editors
United States Liz Vaccariello
Latin America Soledad Aguirre Gil
Continental Latin America Paola Romero
Greece Anna Kouvara
Poland Agnieszka Swiecka
Ukraine Olga Kovalskaya
THE PREVENTION PLEDGE You can count on the
recommendations you find in Prevention to be checked
thoroughly for accuracy and supported by the opinions of
leading experts and up-to-date research.
Sagarika Ghatge, is
an actor who made
it big with her
debut in Chak de
India in the role of a
hockey player. Very
few people know
that she loved play-
ing hockey during
her college years.
Get to know how
this sporty lady
stays t on p 156.
COVER
ON THE
MEET
SAGARIKA
GHATGE
HOMETOWN: Mumbai
RODALE INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
Michelle Meyercord
Vice President, Director
Robert Novick
Executive Director
Finance
Kevin LaBonge
Associate Business
Development Director
Seana Williams
International Business
Manager
Lucio Grimaldi
Associate Marketing
Director
Linda Stevens
International Marketing
Manager
EDITORIAL
Jeff Csatari
Executive Editorial
Director
Darleen Malkames
Senior Production
Manager
Laura Ongaro
Senior Editor
Veronika Ruff
Associate Editor
Jessica Campbell
Contracts Analyst
Denise Weaver
Production Coordinator
Editor-in-Chief
Aroon Purie
Chief Executive Officer Ashish Bagga
FACES
OF PREVENTION
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JULY 2008
MY FITNESS
REGIMEN IS A
COMBINATION
OF CARDIO AND
WEIGHT TRANING
000 PREVENTION
6
FACES
OF PREVENTION
Volume 2 Number 4
2007 RODALE INC. All rights reserved. Published under license
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
DR SANCHITA
BHATTACHARYA
A physician by profession,
Sanchita has branched
out and specialised in nu-
tritional supplementation
in recent years. She has
been taking Omega-3 and
vitamin supplements for
the past 4 years and says
they keep her energy levels
high. Here she shares her
expertise on food supple-
ments with you on p 134.
YOU
SHOULD
MEET
I have been reading Prevention for the past one year and trust
me, it has become my lifeline. I am a medical student. Three years
ago when I joined medical college, far away from home, I had no
clue about how to take care of myself. As a result I fell ill and lost 7
kilos in 2 months. My poor health continued till I picked up my first
copy of Prevention. Now, thanks to it, I have regained my lost health
and weight, and my face is glowing. Hats off to Prevention for help-
ing me out. Keep up the good work. Ankita Sangwan, Jamnagar
I have been reading Prevention for sometime now. Its an extremely
informative magazine. I suggest you do an article on Systemic Lupus
Erythematosusan auto-immune disorder which is difficult to diag-
nose and affects mostly women of child-bearing age. I have Lupus. I
was lucky to go to a doctor who diagnosed it right. As Prevention is
targeted at women, you would help a lot of people, creating awareness
about this disease. Kalpana Palaniswamy via email
I am a regular reader of Prevention. Recently, I lost my newborn
baby to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Sadly, there is not
enough awareness about this condition in India. I would request you to
carry a comprehensive article on SIDS in one of your forthcoming
issues so that more and more women know about it. Chhaya via email
CONTRIBUTORS
Mail your letters to the editor to: Editor, Prevention, 9th Floor, Videocon Tower, E-1,
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DR SANJAY
DHAWAN
He is a senior eye surgeon
and heads the Max Eye Care
department. In a career
spanning 15 years he has
taught at reputed institutes
such as Manipal College of
Medical Sciences, Nepal and
also performed surgeries at
free eye camps. Dr Dhawan
specialises in Lasik surgery.
On p 76 he tells you how to
deal with computer-related
eye problems.
8
68 USEFUL THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH: A TEAR-OUT CHECKLIST
GET MY BP READ-
ING RIGHT (p 15)
AVOID caffeine and
cigarettes at least
30 minutes before
taking the reading
EMPTY my bladder
before checking my BP
KEEP my feet flat
on the floor and rest
my arm on the table
while the doc moni-
tors my pressure
TEST again if the
reading seems oddly
high or low
USE SUPPLEMENTS
BETTER
TAKE Vitamin E to
protect my skin from
ageing and Vitamin C
to fight free-radical
damage (p 54)
TRY ginseng, a
herb that boosts
immunity and delays
ageing (p 54)
TAKE beta-carotene
supplements for
their anti-oxidative
properties (p 54)
TRY aloe vera to
promote overall well
being (p 54)
OPT for a supple-
ment that provides a
mix of nutrients, such
as a multi-vitamin
(p 134)
READ the label of the
supplement carefully
to look for possible
allergens (p 134)
BUY brands that fol-
low good manufactur-
ing practices (p 134)
GET RID OF
ACIDITY (p 48)
INCLUDE fennel,
cumin and mint in my
daily cooking
DRINK cabbage juice
for heartburn
EAT small but fre-
quent meals
KEEP AWAY from
high-fat meals, proc-
essed foods and
non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs
AVOID drinking
water during a meal
TIPS FOR DRY EYES
(p 76)
KEEP the TV/PC
screen at least 2-3 feet
away from my eyes
BLINK every 1-2
minutes while working
on a computer. Make
sure I dont stare at the
screen for long
TAKE a 5-minute
break every hour
AVOID eye strain by
not sitting right under
or in front of the AC
DO regular eye
exercises
USE lubricating eye
drops for relief
FOLLOW NEESHAS
TIPS TO START
EXERCISING (p 60)
START slow on a
routine and make
small changes in my
existing schedule
RELY less on tech-
nology. Avoid using
the remote, get up to
My Prevention
change TV channels
WRITE about my
fitness goals
MONSOON CHECK-
LIST FOR MY HOME
(p 72)
ENSURE there are
enough umbrellas,
raincoats and gum-
boots at home
CHECK if the com-
munity garbage bin is
cleaned regularly
KEEP the water
tank properly covered
FIND MORE ONLINE
www.thehelphub.org log on to this
website if you want to help out the needy
in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. It lists products
and services required in these places. At
the moment a 9-year-old boy in Mumbai
needs a hearing aid.
www.obesity-india.com provides
medical information on morbid obesity.
It also explains how bariatric surgery can
help people with this condition.
www.nutritionvista.com visit this web-
site to get details of a nationwide essay
contest that aims to create awareness on
childrens nutrition.
www.indianchild.com lists yoga asanas
for pregnant women.
DEAL WITH RUDE
PEOPLE (p 90)
AVOID confronta-
tion with rude people
at work
USE humour to
reply to a rude
comment
DONT take
comments of a rude
person to heart
TEACH my kids the
importance of being
polite
PREVENT INGROWN
HAIR (p 28)
SHAVE in the direc-
tion of hair growth
AVOID wearing
tight-fitting clothes
USE a shaving gel
instead of regular
soap
EXFOLIATE regu-
larly with pumice
stone while bathing
HEALTHY COOKING
HABITS (
p
50)
WHEN making a
curry, cook tomatoes
first
ADD a few cloves
of garlic to home-
made chutney
ADD coriander and
mint to my salad
REFRIGERATE mari-
nated kebabs/paneer
tikkas before grilling
them
ADD lemon juice to
chicken soup
CUT vegetables
into large pieces
COOK potatoes and
egg plant with their
skins
TIPS TO BEAT
STRESS (
p 102
)
WATCH a comedy
film
COSY UP with a
romantic novel
GO for a swim
GET myself pam-
pered at a beauty
salon
PUT on some great
music and dance!
LOSE WEIGHT (
p 124
)
SNACK on an egg
sandwich made of
wholewheat bread
LIFT heavier weights
GIVE IN to my crav-
ing for my favourite
foods once in a while
AVOID emotional
eating

TRY THESE
RECIPES
Watermelon
granita (p 151).
One portion of
this dessert is
equal to three
portions of the
fruit in a day
Chocolate
strawberry ice pop
(p 152)
Creamy honey
dew soup (p 154).
A serving of this
soup satisfies
nearly half of your
days requirement
of Vitamin C
Panna sticks
(p 154). Sucking on
to these will make
up for the loss of
salt and minerals
through excessive
sweating
Marinated carrots
(p 39). Carrots
improve night
vision, digestion
and can also treat
urinary tract stones
Plus, see
prevention.com for
more tasty recipes.
DOC-TESTED
FERTILITY
BOOSTERS (p 82)
USE tepid water for
baths
LOSE weight to fend
off fibroids; they may
prevent conception
(p 68)
USE purified,
bottled water instead
of a lubricant (p 70)
TAKE a multi-
vitamin with folate
EYE LINER
FUNDAS (
p
30)
OPT for creamy
pencil liners
USE a gel liner to
dress up my eyes
CREATE a dramatic
look with a liquid liner
(write them here!)
My
Goals
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Health Feature
Health Rules You Should Break
Beauty Feature
Face Facts About Sugar
Anti-Ageing Arsenal
Beauty Supplements
Beauty Solutions
The Truth About Hair Dyes
Fitness Feature
Buff Body Yoga
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Plus...
Fitness Motivator: Exercise with
your children
Natural Healer: Ginger
Healthy Family: Is your parent
depressed?
Diet Series: Food for healthy hair
Whats the Alternative: Fight
water infections, naturally
JULY 2008 PREVENTION 000
If youre on hormone therapy, think before you drink. Even just
a glass of wine could be a health risk. A new Danish study of
more than 5,000 women found that HT users who had one
to two drinks a day increased their breast cancer risk three-
fold. Alcohol may prevent the estrogen in HT from being fully
metabolised, theorise researchers; that leads to a higher blood
level of estrogen, which is linked to breast cancer.
On hormones? Skip the drink
health
For HT users
having three
drinks daily
the risk is five
times higher
OR 2 DRINKS A DAY
INCREASES BREAST CANCER
RISK THREEFOLD FOR
HORMONE THERAPY USERS
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health
NEWS+TRENDS
Just cant resist the styl-
ish stilettos but worry
your knees will one day
pay a painful price for
your footwear choices?
Fear not. New research
suggests that high heels
may have gotten a bum
health rap.
Twice as many women
as men suffer from knee
osteoarthritis, leading
doctors to speculate that
high-heeled footwear
explains this joint-pain
gender gap. But when
British researchers asked
111 women about their
shoe styles and knee
pain, 67% of the pain-free
group reported regularly
wearing 3-inch heels.
Real knee risks: smok-
ing, excess weight, previ-
ous injuries, and doing
heavy housework while
kneeling down.
Blood pressure dos
and donts
If your last blood pressure check found you
perched on the examination table, chatting with
the doctor shortly after your third cup of morn-
ing coffee, get a retest. Improper formand
other BP-altering no-noscan falsely raise
or lower your numbers, leaving you and your
doctor in the dark about your true risk of heart
attack and stroke. For an accurate blood pres-
sure check, take these steps:
Before Avoid caffeine and cigarettes for at least
30 minutes because both increase BP. So can a
full bladder, so visit the bathroom just before
your appointment begins.
During the test Sit with your back supported
(lack of support raises BP), your feet at on
the oor, and your arm resting on a table. The
midpoint of your upper arm should align at
midchestheart level. Dont talk. Engaging
in conversation, even as a listener, can falsely
elevate your numbers.
Afterward Test again if
your BP seems oddly
high or low (it uctuates
naturally). And if youve
never done so, have
your BP checked in both
arms (it can vary by 20
points); thereafter, use
the arm with the higher
reading.
High heels:
not all bad
16
health
NEWS+TRENDS
KEEP YOUR COOL! Inability to
control anger can slow recovery
from an injury, according to Ohio
State University scientists. Among
100 volunteers who received an
identical blister on their forearms,
the hot-tempered subjects took
four times longer to mend than
non-volatile types. The suspected
culprit: increased levels of the
stress hormone cortisol, which
can suppress your immune sys-
tem. If you get worked up, make
sure to moderate it. Among those
who expressed anger calmly,
there was no delay in healing.
AWKWARD QUESTION OF THE MONTH
When I exercise, I often leak
urine. How can I prevent this?
A
Youre not alone: urinary incon-
tinence during exercise affects
a third of women over age 30. Its
called stress incontinence and usu-
ally happens because the muscles
in the pelvic floor or sphincter have
become weak or damaged. Try pel-
vic floor exercises or Kegel exercises
(see www.prevention.com/links for
info), which can reduce leakage by
as much as 70%. It can take a month
or two to see results, says Dr Kamini
Rao, MD, Prevention advisor on gen-
der issues.
She recommends you:
Watch your weight
Wear a tampon during exercise
Ask your doctor about estrogen
suppositories or creams
Q
BREAKTHROUGH
DETECT OVARIAN
CANCER EARLY
In whats being hailed as a mile-
stone in womens health, a team of
researchers led by Yale University
School of Medicine gynaecologist
Gil Mor, MD, PhD, has developed
a simple blood test that was 99%
accurate at detecting ovarian
cancer in recent studies, even in
the diseases earliest stages. The
screeningwhich examines six
proteins in a womans bloodwill
become widely available after the
results of its current phase III trial
are approved as expected. Ovarian
cancer kills thousands of women
a year; its often symptomless and
not detected until in the advanced
stages. Visit prevention.com/links
for more on the test.
How to heal faster
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health
NEWS+TRENDS
Answer It would be in your best interests to indicate to
your gynaecologist that you have had multiple sexual
partners. You do not have to go into graphic detail, but
for instance, if you have an infection that could have
been sexually transmitted, it would help the gynae-
cologist to have this information, especially if you have
changed partners recently, or, currently, have more than
one partner.
If you are single, it is even more important to state
that you are sexually active, because, unfortunately, in
India, gynaecologists assume that single women do not
have sex. This is important to counter because under
this assumption, gynaecologists may refrain from doing
tests like a PAP smear (a test that women over 30 years
of age should do annually. It detects cervical cancer,
which if caught early is treatable). And, sometimes,
instead of a vaginal ultrasound they will prescribe an
anal ultrasound, which is no more efficient and far more
uncomfortable. So, for all these reasons, do be open
about your sexual engagement. And, in case, you are
lesbian and unwilling to come out to your gynaecologist,
just say that you are sexually activein most cases, your
gynae doesnt need to know.
RADHIKA
CHANDIRA-
MANI is executive
director of TARSHI,
an organisation that
works on issues
of sexuality. She is
a trained clinical
psychologist.
ASK
RADHIKA
MUST I TELL MY GYNAECOLOGIST THE TRUTH ABOUT

HOW MANY SEX PARTNERS IVE HAD?
Name withheld
SEXUAL HEALTH QUESTION
Write to her at radhika.c@preventionindia.com or call the TARSHI
helpline at 011-24372229, Mon-Wed, 10am-4pm.
READ IT
HERE FIRST Ease asthma symptoms
Thanks to the Georgia Tech Research Institute, asthma sufferers soon may be
able to wear sensors in their pockets that monitor the air quality and discover
environmental causes of their attacks. Researchers will use the sensors test
results to identify common triggers. >>> Scientists at the University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston have determined that proteins found in patients
air passages may indicate different asthma subtypes. They hope this leads to
more targeted therapies. >>> A new drug called Pitrakinra blocks the bodys
response to allergens and successfully reduces asthma symptoms, according
to a study. Maker Aerovance, Inc., is now planning longer clinical trials.
18
QUIZ
health
5
Sure you feel
greatbut if you
want to help
prevent future
health problems,
you must stay on
top of your screen-
ings and tests. Find
out whether youre
up-to-date on
the latest recom-
mendations.
Amanda
MacMillan
1. FALSE. Doctors initially
embraced CAD software
because it picks up more
irregularities, but a new
study shows that because
of its sensitivity, it actually
increases the rate of false
positives, without nding
early breast cancer.
2. FALSE. Over 50% of
sexually active men and
women become infected
with HPV, and it can
remain dormant for years
before its detectable. And
HPV screenings in women
can spot warning signs
of cervical cancer if a Pap
test is unclear, research
nds. To be safe, if youre
over age 30, ask for both,
every 3 years.
3. TRUE. You need a fast-
ing lipoprotein prole once
every 5 years, starting at
age 20. If you have high
blood pressure or diabe-
tes, are over 50, or are
overweight or sedentary,
get screened more often.
4. FALSE. Being heavy
might lower riskthe
estrogen in fat protects
against osteoporosis.
Unless you have other risk
factors, get a test at 65.
Get screened early if you
weigh under 57 kilos.
5. TRUE. Thyroid disorders
are common but treatable,
especially in middle-aged
women. Signs you may
need the test earlier:
fatigue, confusion, or sud-
den weight gain or loss.
ANSWERS
For your annual mammogram, you
should request a test centre that uses
Computer-Aided Detection (CAD)a tool
that improves accuracy. [T/F]
If youre in a monogamous relationship,
theres no need to be screened for the
sexually transmitted human papillomavirus
(HPV) that can cause cervical cancer. [T/F]
If you have no risk factors for heart
disease, you dont need your cholesterol
checked annually until age 50. [T/F]
You should be screened early for
osteoporosis if youre overweight. [T/F]
All healthy women should get a thyroid test
every 5 years, starting at age 35. [T/F]
Health Screening IQ
TRUE OR FALSE?
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000 PREVENTION
A WORKING WOMANS HEALTH DIARY
health
JULY 2008
Shes a busy media professional. Her
job and her two kidsSharanya (3)
and Suvarn (15 months)keep her on
her toes 24/7. That, says Shruti Bajpai,
is the secret of her health. The 36 year-
old head of HBO admits she does not
make any special effort to stay t.
Shruti Bajpai joined HBO in
November, 2000 and has been
involved with the English movie chan-
nels operations since its launch in
India. Prior to joining HBO, Bajpai
was a brand manager at Nestle India.
After acquiring a bachelors degree in
economics and statistics from
St Xaviers College, Mumbai, Bajpai
went on to do her MBA from Jamnalal
Bajaj Institute of Management
Studies, Mumbai.
Lets hear from her what keeps this
super-busy mom of two, healthy and t.
My good health mantra
Id like to think I am health-conscious.
After all, I won the healthy baby com-
petition for a record three times as a
toddler and have never managed to
shed the puppy fat! But I maintain a
healthy lifestyle. My health guru is my
health-conscious mother. I am embar-
rassed to say that I usually dont take
her seriously till I see the same advice
in the media.
My fitness funda
With two toddlers, I dont have the
discipline to work out every day. Any
young mother of two energetic kids
expends a lot of energy keeping up
with them! I do try and nd ways to
exercise within my routine. I climb
stairs whenever possible, I dont sit too
long at my workstation and dance and
play with my kids. I also swim. The
two things I do religiously are to nish
dinner before 8 pm and spend 10-15
Shruti Bajpai, Country Manager, HBO South Asia, shares her good
health mantra with Nikita Kalra
MY KIDS ARE MY ZEN MASTERS
22
health
EXECUTIVE HEALTH
minutes doing Pranayam (breathing
exercises) every morning.
My diet decoded
Being a vegetarian, I am a fruit and
yogurt person. I try to eat at least
two to three different fruits every
day and probiotic yogurt for lunch. I
avoid carbs in the evening as I need
to shed post-pregnancy weight.
My day begins with several cups of
ginger tea and cereal. For lunch, it
is salads, daal and dahi. At dinner,
I have vegetables, paneer and dahi.
I do have my vices. I have a shame-
ful sweet tooth and nd it difcult
to refuse a piece of chocolate or ice
cream. I try to avoid aerated drinks
and maida-based foods.
My stress-busters
I begin my day with meditation. It is
my way of focussing and being grate-
ful for the gift of life. A healthy body
is not possible without a healthy
mind and a peaceful inner self. Ive
attended various health and wellness
workshops like Art of Living and
Baba Ramdevs yoga camp and prac-
tise my own cocktail of meditation
and breathing exercises.
How I find my Zen
My two kids are my Zen masters.
They have taught me the basic quali-
ties of life: laughter, living in the
moment and unconditional love. I
respect women who multi-task suc-
cessfully. I can maintain a work-life
balance largely because of a support-
ive husband and parental backing.
My husband, Mayank Trivedi, heads
the dairy division of South Asia at
Nestle and has a demanding sched-
ule, but we try to adjust our routines
so that one of us is around with the
children when the other is out of
town. We make frequent short trips
with the family. My husband and I
are great movie buffs and unwind
over the weekend in front of our
home theatre. I dont eat out much,
since I am happy relaxing at home.
My Health Query
I have stubborn under-eye circles
that refuse to go away, despite
seven hours of sound sleep. What
should I do?
DR APRATIM GOEL
REPLIES:
Its not just lack of
sleep. Dark circles
could be a pointer
to nutrient de-
ciency, allergies,
exposure to the
sun and even heredity. Smoking and
drinking too much coffee, soda or
cola may make them worse. Camou-
aging with foundation and powder
is the easiest, cheapest and safest
way to deal with them. Use a good
under-eye cream. It will moisturise
the area and improve circulation.
Make sure you use sunglasses when
you step out of the house. A sudden
transition from shade to light can
darken the under-eye area.
(Dr Apratim Goel is a Mumbai-based
cosmetic dermatologist)
23
PREVENTION 000 JULY 2008
Small steps do make a difference. For instance washing your
face before going to bed every night will help you look younger.
A new study by the British Skin Foundation nds that 50% of
women dont wash their faces at night, a habit that can hasten
the onset of age. Leaving dirt, excess oil and make-up over-
night can enlarge pores and irritate dry skin, says Robin Ashoff,
MD, a dermatologist at Hackensack University Medical Centre,
US. Make sure you use a a mild facewash or cleanser.
Splash on to look younger
Wash your
face before
going to bed
beauty
PER CENT WOMEN
DO NOT WASH THEIR
FACES AT NIGHT
50
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JULY 2008
beauty
NEWS+TRENDS
000 PREVENTION
ON THE SHELVES
LOREAL PARIS MADE FOR ME
NATURALS
If you like wearing subtle
make-up, this new trio eye-
shadow palette is for you.
It contains 2 eye-shadows
and 1 eyebrow shader. The
colours will create
a soft and
natural look
for all skin and
hair tones.
Available at all
LOreal Paris
counters,
Rs 500.
DABUR ACTIVE BLOOD PURIFIER
Neem, with its anti-
bacterial properties,
and manjisthathe most
powerful blood purifier
according to Ayurveda
come together
in this drink.
The bitterness
of neem and
other herbs is
overcome by
honey which
is also an
ingredient.
Available at
retail and
drug stores,
Rs 68.
NO MARKS ZAP N CLEAR
An Ayurvedic pimple
zapper, it contains natural
plant and herb extracts.
We tried it on a pimple-
prone chin and got
LOREAL PARIS RESIST AND
SHINE UV COLOR PROTECT
If you love nail paint, you
would know that sunlight
discolours it. LOreal Paris
comes to your
rescue with this new
product that has
an inbuilt SPF and
claims to stay on for
7 days and nights.
Choose from
brown, pink, and
3 different shades
of red. Available
at all LOreal Paris
counters, Rs 350.
THE BODY SHOPS
SEAWEED IONIC CLAY MASK
It is a godsend for people
with oily and combination
skin types, it is a deep-
cleansing mask which
absorbs excess oil and
impurities from the skin.
Minerals such as iron,
calcium and magnesium
revitalise the complexion.
Use it once a
week. Avail-
able at all
The Body
Shop
stores,
Rs 1,095.
As much as
half of your
exposure to
the UVA rays
that cause sun
spots and fine
lines occurs
while you are
indoors, finds
a new study
in the Journal
of Drugs in
Dermatol-
ogy. The main
source is
light coming
through
windows
(window
glasses
block only
UVB rays),
says Vermen
Verallo-
Roswell, MD, a
dermatologist
at the VMV
Skin Research
Centre in the
Phillipines.
To save skin:
wear a broad-
spectrum
sunscreen
every
dayeven if
youre staying
indoors.
Rebekah
George
HIDDEN
SKIN
AGERS
good results. It reduced
the growth of pimples.
Apply it twice a day
morning and eveningon
a just-washed face. Avail-
able at all retail stores,
Rs 79.
26
SHOWER POWER
Sweaty skin bothering you this season? Keep it clean with these
shower and bath gels BY SHOBITA DHAR PHOTOGRAPHED BY RITESH SHARMA
beauty
EDITORS PICKS
1. Clarins Paris Eau Tranquility
It does not alter the skins pH and also
neutralises the drying effects of hard water on
the skin. At Clarins Paris counters, Rs 1,033
1
4
2
3
5
PRODUCTS COURTESY: DAMINI, M-BLK MARKET, GK-I, DELHI;
PROPS COURTESY GOOD EARTH, SAKET, DELHI P
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5. H2O+ Kiwi-Cassis
This bright green gel can uplift your mood with the
freshness of kiwis. Shea butter, vitamins and aloe in it
cleanse the skin thoroughly without leaving it dry.
At H2O+ stores, Rs 1400
6. Palmolive Aroma
It contains essential oils of lavender, patchouli and
ylang-ylang that relax and calm the mind and also
hydrate the skin. At retail stores, Rs 95
2. The Body Shop White Musk
A soap-free gel. Organic honey and glycerine
in it moisturise the skin. It foams up well and
has a pleasant fragrance. At The Body Shop
stores, Rs 1,070
3. Essenza Di Wills Inizio Aqua Homme
A 2-in-1 product for men, it is a hair and body
shampoo. Which means it can be used as a
shower gel too. Gift it to the man in your life.
At select stores, Rs 450
4. Dove Moisturising Body Wash
with Sandalwood
A creamy body wash, it foams well. The sandal-
wood essential oil in it prevents infections and
also gives the product a pleasant fragrance.
At retail stores, Rs 170
000 PREVENTION
beauty
SOLUTIONS
BY DR APRATIM GOEL
THE INSIDE STORY
Ingrown hair can be a problem. Heres how to prevent and treat it
MAINTAIN GOOD PERSONAL
HYGIENE AND STAY WELL-
HYDRATED TO PREVENT BO
When you wax or shave your legs, you
want them to feel as smooth as a high-
way. But some people get annoying
bumps on the way. These bumps are
ingrown hair. Sometimes a hair shaft
fails to grow out of the follicle and stays
embedded in the skin. It then starts
growing back into the skin. Ingrown hair
is nothing serious, but can be painful and
an ugly sight. And if left untreated they
can become infected.
Ingrown hair, often called razor
bumps, occurs most frequently on
the beard area (in men), or in other
frequently shaved regions. They typically
look and feel like small pimples or cysts
and may contain pus. They can cause
skin irritation and are more common in
individuals with curly and coarse hair.
Causes of ingrown hair
Dry skin.
Build-up of dead skin cells in the pores
and on the surface of the skin.
Genetic predisposition.
Improper shaving technique;
mainly reverse shaving or shaving the
hair too close.
Hair-removal methods such as shav-
ing, waxing, tweezing and electroly-
sis often irritate the hair follicle. This
results in a boil which traps the hair, and
leads to its growth inside the skin.
Wearing tight and tting clothes also
results in ingrown hair. If the surface
of the clothing is too close to the skin,
it changes the direction of hair growth
leading to ingrowth.
Prevent and treat
ingrown hair
The most effective way to get rid of
ingrown hair is to banish unwanted
body hair! A laser treatment is an effec-
tive and permanent way of hair removal.
The most commonly used laser for this
purpose is the NdYAG laser. While it
usually takes 5-6 sessions of this treat-
ment to get rid of the hair permanently,
the problem of ingrown hair can be
AVOID WEARNG TIGHT
CLOTHES TO REDUCE
INGROWN HAIR
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addressed in just 1 or 2 sessions. The
coarse hair becomes much softer and
ner in a couple of sessions.
There are some short-term treat-
ments as well:
Your parlour staff advise you to rub
your skin with pumice stone while
bathing to reduce ingrowth of hair. It
is a long-term method and does not
always give desired results. If you exfo-
liate after waxing or shaving, it will
remove the thin layer of the topmost
skin and set the ingrown hair free.
Wear loose clothes. After shaving,
tight clothing is the most frequent
cause of ingrown hair, particularly
on the legs. Try wearing looser pants,
skirts or shorts, and see if the problem
goes away.
Shave correctly (see the box).
Unclog your pores. Use an exfoliating
product or an acne cream containing
salicylic acid.
Manual removal of
ingrown hair
Apart from the above methods, you can
also try to remove the hair manually.
Remember this is a tiring and time-
consuming procedure and you need to
be very careful.
Apply a warm compress on the skin
to make the hair visible and bring it
closer to the skin surface.
Use a sterile needle or tweezers to
gently tease the hair out of the skin.
Dont pluck the hair out completely;
just make sure that the ingrown end is
out of the skin.
There may be inammation after this
procedure. If that persists for more
than a few days after the hair has been
freed, consider visiting a dermatolo-
gist. Oral antibiotics should be taken in
case of pus boils.
PREVENTION 000
Dr Apratim Goel is a Mumbai-based dermatologist.
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JULY 2008
ROLL-ONS AND SPRAYS ARE
POPULAR FORMS OF DEODORANTS
SHAVE RIGHT
Exfoliate before shaving
Shave on wet skin. Use lukewarm
water to soften the skin
Foam up with a shaving foam. Regular
soap will not do
Use a razor with lubricating strips and
pivot heads
Shave along the direction of hair
growth, not against it
Avoid shaving too close or shaving the
same spot more than once
Always, apply oil or a moisturiser on the
shaved surface after a shave. This will
soften the coarse hair and it wont easily
grow inside the skin
EXFOLIATING WITH
A PUMICE STONE
ELIMINATES
INGROWN HAIR
29
GET THE LINER LOOK
beauty
VIDYA TIKARI
is a well-known
make-up artist. She
runs a beauty studio
in South Delhi where
she offers courses
in professional and
personal make-up.
Write to her at
Vidya.t@
preventionindia.com
REAL-LIFE BEAUTY
Eyeliners are a perfect make-up tool. Use them right
For a lot of Indian women
everyday make-up means
doing up their eyes
either with a swipe of kohl
or an eyeliner. If done the
right way, it can be dressy
enough without the hassle
of making you spend too
much time in front of the
mirror as you grapple with
rushed mornings. Eyeliner is
used to make the eyes more
prominent and create an
illusion of thicker lashes. You
can achieve a range of looks
with eyeliners, so always keep
this multi-tasker at hand.
Types of eyeliners

Gel eyeliner A new entrant
in the market, it is thick in
texture and is applied with a
stiff angled brush. Compared
to pencil liners, gel liners are
gentler on the eyes as they
IF DONE THE
RIGHT WAY,
LINERS CAN
BE DRESSY
ENOUGH
WITHOUT THE
HASSLE OF
MAKING YOU
SPEND TOO
MUCH TIME IN
FRONT OF THE
MIRROR
dont pull the skin while
being applied.
My picks MAC and Lancome.
Pencil eyeliner These have
been used for long and nd
favour with a majority of
women. They can be powder-
or wax-based. I would advise
using a cream pencil liner as
it is easy to apply.
My picks LOreal Paris,
Revlon, ColorBar, Chambor
and MAC.
Kohl eyeliner Kohl or kaajal
is indigenous to India and has
been in use for centuries now.
Home-made kohl is the safest
option for eye make-up. Herbal
kohls by Biotique, Himalaya
Herbals and Shahnaz Husain
are also healthy. The only prob-
lem with kohl is that it gets
smudged easily.
OPT FOR
DARKER
SHADES SUCH
AS MAHOGANY,
CHARCOAL
OR NAVY TO
DEFINE AND
OPEN UP EYES.
BONUS: THESE
DARKER TONES
ALSO CREATE
AN ILLUSION
OF THICKER
LASHES
BOBBI BROWN
PREVENTION, (US)
make-up expert adds:
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My picks Diana of London,
Chambor andLakme.
Liquid eyeliner Use it if
you want to create a dramatic
yet dened look. Not many
people prefer liquid liner as it
is difcult to apply.
My picks Lancome Artliner,
Lakme and LOreal Paris.
Glitter eyeliner It is
popular with young girls.
It comes in a tube and
contains chunky, shimmery
particles. Use it directly or
as a top-up on your regular
black liner for a spicier look.
My picks Chambor, MAC,
and The Body Shop.
Different looks with
eyeliners
Follow these easy eyeliner
tips that showcase your oh-
so-expressive eyes.
Look 1 Daytime casual
Line only the upper, outer
eyelid.
Dot the liner onto your
top lid, getting as close to
your eyelashes as possible.
Use a cotton swab/a small
make-up brush/the sponge
tip that is on the opposite
end of some liner pencils to
blend the dots together so
the make-up looks natural
and almost undetectable. I
like this look with no eye-
shadow and no
mascara.
Look 2 Perfect
for work
Apply a neutral
eye-shadow.
Next, line just the
very outer corners
of your upper and
lower lashes, using the dot-
on-then-connect method.
Blend together the liner at
the corners of your eye, in an
angled V-shape.
Smudge the liner so that a
hard line is not visible.
Revlon Colorstay liner is the
perfect choice for this look.
Look 3 Evening out
Apply a light-coloured,
shimmery shadow in the half
of your eye.
Next, use a darker shade
from the midpoint to the
edge and up to the crease.
Now apply liner on the
upper outer lid with a light
hand. Use the dot method or
short, quick strokes of tiny
lines connected together.
Do the same on the bottom
outer lid. Smudge the line on
top and bottom lids. When
you use a creamy pencil liner,
pair it with powdered eye-
shadow for added staying
power. This is another reason
why eye pencils are preferred
to liquid eyeliners.
LIQUID EYELINERS
CREATE A DRAMATIC
YET DEFINED LOOK
31
DR REKHA SHETH
is a leading cosmetic
dermatologist. She
is founder-president,
Cosmetology Society
(India) and also runs
Yuva, a successful
chain of skin clinics.
Write to her at
rekha.s@
preventionindia.com
LOOK AND FEEL YOUNGER
Supplements that work for your skin and hair
beauty
ANTI-AGEING ARSENAL
JULY 2008
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A lot of people ask me if
theres an ultimate way to
stay young. My answer to it
is both yes and no. There
is no one thing that you
can do, consume or apply
that will banish wrinkles,
neck bands and age spots
forever. However, there are
health practices which when
followed from an early age
can help you stay and feel
young longer. The most
important practice is to exer-
cise regularly and to eat a
balanced, healthy diet. On a
daily basis consume:

3 cups of skimmed milk.
2-3 bowls of vegetables.
2-3 fresh fruits (seasonal
fruits will do).
In addition, one can take
supplements under the super-
vision of a doctor (many
of them have side
effects). Most
beauty supple-
ments have
a cocktail of
anti-oxidants,
herbal extracts
and enzymes.
Read this 2-part
article to know
the positive and negative
effects of various anti-ageing
supplements. Look out for
this space next month, too.
Anti-oxidant
supplements
As I have mentioned in my
columns often, anti-oxidants
are chemical compounds that
ght damage done by free
radicals (molecules that harm
healthy cells). Thats why
most beauty supplements
contain one or the other anti-
oxidant as an active ingre-
dient. Some commonly used
anti-oxidants are beta-caro-
tene, vitamins B6, C, E Coen-
zyme Q10, and avanoids.
Vitamin E found in anti-
ageing supplements protects
the skin from ageing. Vita-
min E acts as a moistur-
iser and helps to improve the
resilience of the skin. Simi-
larly Vitamin C and green tea
extract have been found to
ght free-radical damage to
skin and hair.
Glutathione
It is an amino acid that is
found naturally in food and
is made by every cell in our
body. It is also found in cruci-
ferous vegetables: Brussels
32
AS ANTI-
AGEING
SUPPLEMENTS,
ANTI-OXI-
DANTS HAVE
BEEN KNOWN
TO BE
SUCCESSFUL
IN COMBATING
DAMAGE
BY FREE
RADICALS
sprouts, cabbage, cauliower,
broccoli, and in fruits such as
watermelon, and grapefruit.
Glutathione levels are boosted
by Vitamin C and selenium.
Coenzyme Q 10
Coenzyme Q 10 also known
as CoQ10. It is one of the
recent rages in the supple-
ment eld. It isas is clear
from its namean enzyme. It
is produced by the body and
is also found in fatty sh such
as sardines, organ meats such
as liver and kidney; it can also
be found in spinach, broccoli,
soya and peanuts.
Ginseng
Ginseng is another supple-
ment which may delay ageing
or reduce the appearance of
wrinkles and ne lines. It can
also boost the immune system
and act as an anti-oxidant. It
can also up your energy levels.
CAUTION People suffer-
ing from hypertension or
hypoglycemia should avoid
this supplement.
Echinacea
It is a plant that can treat
a number of infections. It
can help boost the immune
system.
CAUTION It may cause a rash,
itching, wheezing and facial
swelling, particularly in people
with asthma and allergies .
Aloe vera
Available in the form of a
drink. There are indications
that it may cause a general
feeling of well-being and that
it has regenerative and anti-
ageing properties.
Beta carotene
This compound is found in
abundance in orange and
yellow vegetables such as
carrots, sweet potatoes and
squash. Beta-carotene has anti-
oxidant properties. It may help
in the repair of skin cells.
CAUTION Some studies suggest
that beta-carotene supple-
ments may increase the chance
of lung cancer for smokers.
To be continued...
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CONSULT A DOCTOR BEFORE
STARTING ON A SUPPLEMENT
33
beauty
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
the best products for your skin?
Then you probably rely on label
claims such as fragrance-free and
hypoallergenic to help you in your
hunt. The hitch: despite wide-
spread use, there are no standard
denitions for such terms, and
no one regulates how they should
be employedsome companies
abide by their own strict inter-
pretations, while others arent as
careful. Still, you dont want to
discount them. Labels can
give you a good starting
point for picking the
right products, says
John Bailey, PhD,
executive vice pres-
ident of science
at the Cosmetic,
Toiletry and Fra-
grance Asso-
ciation (CTFA),
US. So learn
precisely what
the jargon on
your tubes and
jars meansand
doesnt mean.
If information
is power, this
guide will make
you queen of the
beauty aisle.
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on the
BOTTLE
beauty
Learn to decipher labels so
you can buy the perfect
product for your skin
BY JOLENE EDGAR
ADAPTED BY DEBARATI BHATTACHARYA
34
beauty
Dermatologist-Tested
YOU THINK IT MEANS A skin special-
ist found the product to be effective and
non-irritating.
THE REALITY Testing can vary widely.
A dermatologist may have given the
product to staffers to try or she may
have conducted a legitimate, controlled
trial, says Ranella Hirsch, MD, presi-
dent-elect of the American Society of
Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic
Surgery. In India, Hindustan Unilever
Limited conducts fresh trials for their
skin products. At Vichy all products
undergo clinical trials like pharma
products. They are tested on different
skin types: high pigment, low pigment,
dry, very dry, oily to normal, and also on
Asian skin types, says Vivek Saraswat
of Vichy Laboratoires.
WHEN ITS DONE RIGHT A large-scale
study on carefully selected, randomised
volunteers will have been carried out.
Such testing is the norm for big brands
such as Olay, Neutrogena, LOral, and
Vichy. In fact, Vichy tested its Nutrilo-
gie 2 Intensive Nourishing Moisturiser
Cream on 114 women in four countries.
Other tip-offs that the derm-tested claim
is valid: the package insert may elaborate
on the role the doctor played in testing,
says Jeannette Graf, MD, an assistant
professor of dermatology at New York
University Medical Centre.
Fragrance-Free
YOU THINK IT MEANS The product is
unscented and wont irritate skin.
THE REALITY Fragrance free usually
means that no scents were added, and
this does reduce the likelihood of allergy
for women with sensitive skin. Dont
be surprised, though, if a fragrance-
free product has an aroma. Ingredients
have their natural aroma too. Products
labelled unscented, on the other hand,
do contain low levelsless than 1%of
fragrance, called masking agents, to cover
up the sometimes unpleasant natural
odour of raw materials, explains Yohini
Appa, PhD, executive director of scientic
affairs at Neutrogena.
WHEN ITS DONE RIGHT Companies
are aware that its usually women prone
to fragrance sensitivities who shop for
these products, so those containing any
form of fragrance will have undergone
a battery of safety checks to ensure
that they dont irritate or cause allergic
reactions. In India, Neutrogena, Vichy,
Kaya have a wide range of aroma-free
products. Despite a products claims
and whats mentioned on the label, its
always a good idea to check for ingredi-
ents you know might irritate your skin.
Hypoallergenic
YOU THINK IT MEANS Products
labelled this way arent as likely to
cause allergic reactions.
THE REALITY Cosmetics manufac-
turers arent required to substantiate
this claim, so it can mean whatever a
company wants it to. Some marketers
use it in a meaningless fashion, while
others test their products on panels
of people with allergic potential, says
Mort Westman, a cosmetic chemist in
the US. If nothing else, These products
are denitely less allergic than others,
says Dr Aparna Santhanam, Mumbai-
based dermatologist.
35
beauty
WHEN ITS DONE RIGHT No repu-
table company would ever release an
allergenic product, which is why its
best to purchase brands that you know
and trust, says Leslie Baumann, MD, a
professor of dermatology at the Univer-
sity of Miami, US. Certain brands, such
as Clinique and Dove have built reputa-
tions on avoiding allergenic ingredients
and testing for sensitivity. Clinique, for
example, uses the term allergy tested in
its taglineand every Clinique product
isas its website statestested multiple
times on 600 people. If even one person
has a reaction, the product isnt released.
Non-comedogenic
YOU THINK IT MEANS It wont clog
pores, which can lead to blackheads
and whiteheads (comedones, in medi-
calese) and acne.
THE REALITY The pore-plugging
powers of ingredients are often evalu-
ated by applying them to a rabbits
eara test thats far from foolproof,
given that our skin is very different from
rabbits skin.
WHEN ITS DONE RIGHT Reputable
companies always test nal products
not just individual ingredientsfor
comedogenicity in controlled trials, says
Nikita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist in
New Jersey, US. A trained technician
will examine panelists skin and count
their existing blemishes. After testers
use the product as specied, their skin
is re-examined. If theres a dramatic
increase in pimples, the company either
wont release the product or wont make
the claim, says Wilson. Non-comedog-
enic products should have less parafn
or oil-like ingredients that trigger acne
and other break-outs, says Dr Navin
Taneja, Delhi-based dermatologist.
Oil-Free
YOU THINK IT MEANS Theres no oil in
the product to clog pores.
THE REALITY Oil-free products dont
contain ingredientssuch as mineral or
plant oilsclassied by the CTFA as oils,
says Wilson. But they might still include
oil-like emollients such as silicones,
waxes and vegetable fats, that can trigger
outbreaks in some cases.
WHEN ITS DONE RIGHT Its virtually
impossible to make cosmetics without oil-
like ingredients. Theyre often used to give
products a silky feel or to bind ingredients
together. If your skin is acne-prone, its
wiser to choose a non-comedogenic prod-
uct over one labelled oil-free. Or as Taneja
suggests, Opt for medical brands such as
Lactocalamine lotion, and other water-
based serums and cosmetics.
Corn does double duty as both a veggie and a whole grain.
It is loaded with fibre and high-quality complex carbs that
help tame cravings. It also makes the heart and eyes healthier
with ample stocks of folate and lutein. Feeling low on energy?
Munch on a corn. One ear of corn has more than 25% of the
RDA for thiamin, a mineral, that helps your cells convert car-
bohydrates in food into energy. Roast them, boil them, or toss
a salad for a perfect monsoon snack.
Nothing corny about it
This pop
stars got a lot
more than a
sweet side
nutrition
PER CENT OF YOUR DAILY
NEED OF FIBRE CAN COME
FROM ONE EAR OF CORN
15
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NOVEMBER 2007 000 PREVENTION
nutrition
NEWS + TRENDS
Given todays hectic lifestyles which
makes eating healthy tough, you may
need supplements to fill the nutritional
gap (read more in Supplements Rock!).
Organic India with its supplements range
is trying to bridge that gap for you.
Brahmi for memory support, Bowelcare
for IBS and Liver and Kidney care, are
some of the products. Made with organic
herbs and ingredients, they are
supposed to be veg-
etarian (made of
plant cellulose and
not gelatin). Avail-
able in packs of 60
capsules. Check
with your doctor if
you need to start
on a supplement.
Kids are back to
school. Here is something to make their
lunch exciting and healthy. Assorted
snack packs from Zipouch are made ex-
clusively for kids. Made of food-grade
material it is safe for packing your
childs lunch. They also
claim it retains freshness
longer. The best feature:
zippers that stop leak-
ages and a messy school
bag. The packs are de-
signed with factoids and
cartoons on them.
DHEA
(Dehydroepiandrosterone)
Need food for your brain! Dont forget water
amongst all those Omega-3s. Like every other
organ, your brain needs water to perform
its best. So drink-up when you feel stressed,
lethargic or need an instant mental boost.
Smart sip
WATCH THE SHELVES
WHAT IT IS DHEA, a hormone, is con-
verted to testosterone and
estrogen, and may help slow
down ageing
PRODUCT
CLAIMS
Restores energy; helps
burn fat; builds muscles;
regulates blood sugar
levels
THE
RESEARCH
Evidence supporting DHEAs
claims is scant and mostly
animal based
PROS It may be of use to people
in whom DHEA production
falls. Otherwise no other
advantages known so far
CONS Boosts hormone produc-
tion, so it may increase risk
of breast and endometrial
cancers. It might be unsafe
for people whove had
hormone-related cancers,
including breast, uterine, and
ovarian
BOTTOM
LINE
Take supplement only if
advised by a doctor
DOSE No recommended dosage
HOW TO
GET IT
Capsules, anti-ageing pills
38
NATURAL HEALER
This crunchy vegetable powers you up with health BY MEERA UBEROI
nutrition
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CARROT
Meera Uberoi is the author of many books, including
The Penguin Book of Gardening In India.
WHAT MAKES IT A LEGEND Car-
rots are native to some parts of
Asia and have been cultivated
since classical times. Ladies in
the court of Charles I used the
pretty foliage as adornment in
place of feathers. Carrots come
in many colours. In Asia you
will find carrots that are dark
red, orange red, yellow, white
and purple-black.
WHAT MEDICINE SAYS The
whole plant is nutritive and
medicinal. Carrots are easily
digested and contain good
amounts of natural sugar, fibre
and carotene (a source of Vita-
min A). Regular use of carrots
improves calcium absorption
and vision, especially night
vision. A rich source of anti-
oxidants, it soothes and cleans
the digestive tract. Carrots
are used to treat urinary tract
stones, cystitis and infections
of the digestive system. Car-
rot juice makes for a healthy
snack. Carrots are also an
excellent source of Vitamin B1,
B2, potassium, sodium and
silicon. Carrot leaves are also
nutritious: they are rich in pro-
teins, minerals and vitamins A,
C and K. The leaves also con-
tain a Vitamin-E rich oil.
EAT IT IN
7 carrots, trimmed and cut into 4 sticks
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1
/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp minced parsley
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp dry thyme
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the soup to boil and add the car-
rots. Cook, stirring frequently, without
covering the pan till carrots are cooked
but firm. Drain and set aside. In a
ceramic bowl combine oil, vinegar,
onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
Add carrots and toss. Cover and refrig-
erate for an hour. Sprinkle lemon juice
and parsley before serving. If desired,
remove the garlic before adding the
lemon juice and parsley.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
619 Kcal, 8.7 g pro, 59.1 g carb,
41.5 g tot fat, 5.4 g sat fat,
13.5 g fibre, 0 mg chol
MARINATED CARROTS
Nutrition info from Puja Sharma Vasisht.
000 PREVENTION JULY 2008
Question I GREW UP DRINKING MILK ALL MY LIFE, BUT
NOW I THINK THE WISDOMS CHANGED. WHATS THE
BOTTOM LINE ON MILK?
nutrition
ASK THE NUTRITION EXPERT
ISHI KHOSLA
Clinical nutritionist
and director,
Whole Foods, Delhi.
Mail her at ishi.k@
preventionindia.com
Answer Its good that
you had milk in your child-
hood, when bone-building
activity is at its peak. But milk
might also be needed after 30
years of age, when bone degen-
eration starts. At this stage
you need to supplement your
diet with adequate calcium to
prevent bone loss.
Good or bad?
Milk is one of the rst things to
be sacriced when people start
a low-calorie or low-cholesterol
diet. But the jury on dairy still
seems to be divided.
The anti-milk or dairy
people have several expla-
nations for abandoning it.
The reasons include weight
gain, increased risk of cardio-
vascular diseases, cancer
and allergies. However, so
far evidence against milk
or dairy is not sufcient, for
those who can tolerate it.
Most dietary guidelines
include low-fat dairy as an
integral part of a healthy
diet. Interestingly, besides
its commonly known bene-
ts, that include bone build-
ing and extremely valuable
nutrition prole (calcium,
magnesium, vitamins A
and Bespecially riboa-
vin and proteins), its role in
weight management has also
been investigated. Research-
ers believe that certain
compounds in dairy may act
as adjuncts to dietary calcium
in addressing obesity. These
compounds may be whey
proteins, conjugated linoleic
acid (CLA), and branched-
chain amino acids.
In fact, milk is consid-
ered a complete food, which
provides almost all essential
nutrients barring Vitamin C
and iron.
M
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JULY 2008
Milk is essential for calcium
Adequate calcium intake is
important for maintaining
normal blood pressure, blood
clotting, and nerve impulse
transmission. It may also help
in reducing pre-menstrual
symptoms and risk of colon
cancer. The calcium require-
ment for a woman is 1000 mg/
per day. 1 cup of skimmed milk
has 300 mg calcium. So 2
cups of milk, along with other
calcium-rich foods, will help
you reach your target easily.
Bottom line
It is safe to consume low-fat
milk if you are not allergic to
it or have not been advised by
your doctor or nutritionist to
give it up. Aim for at least 2-3
servings of low-fat dairy daily.
The best way to take milk
Milk is important especially
for vegetarian adults, but
after 2 years of age, only low-
OF ALL DAIRY
PRODUCTS,
NON-FAT MILK
AND YOGURT
ARE MOST
NUTRITIOUS
BECAUSE OF
THEIR HIGH
CALCIUM
AND LOW FAT
AND CALORIE
CONTENT
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fat milk should be consumed.
Various versions of low-fat
milk are available commer-
ciallytoned (3.5% fat),
double toned (1% fat),
skimmed (<1 % fat). Boiling
full cream buffalo milk, keep-
ing it in the refrigerator and
removing a layer of cream the
next day, is one way of reduc-
ing fat but it will still contain
about 4% fat. Cows milk
however, has 1-2% fat. But
there is yet not enough proof
of the benets of cows milk
for infants.
For dairy intolerants
Dairy intolerant people can
get similar benets from
foods rich in calcium such as
soya and soya products like
tofu, soya milk, green leafy
vegetables, seaweeds, miso,
sesame seeds, axseeds,
sunower seeds, poppy seeds,
almonds and other nuts, ragi
and amaranth. .
nutrition
1 serving= 1 cup milk (250 ml)/1 cup yogurt (175 gms)/
2 cheese slices (50 g)
AGE GROUP SERVINGS
PER DAY
Children (4-9 years) 2-3
Youth (10-16 years) 3-4
Adults 2-4
Pregnant and lactating women 3-4
RECOMMENDED DAILY SERVINGS OF DAIRY PRODUCTS
(Source: Canadas Guide to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity)
41
nutrition
CALORIE COUNTER
SOUTHERN
COMFORT
BY DR SONIA KAKAR
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WHAT YOU HAVE
2 medium idlis, 78 Kcal
Sambhar, 1 medium-size katori
(160 ml), 200 Kcal
Nariyal chutney, 2 Tbsp, 130 Kcal
Total calories, 408 Kcal
Calorie benet Skip the chutney. The
chutney uses oil for tadka and coconut is
high in calories. Also, when making sam-
bhar, omit the tadka. Add the masalas as
the last step and then bring it to a boil.
This way the taste is not compromised
and you get to save on 150 Kcal.
Nutrient benet Mix chopped vegetables
(carrots, cabbage or beetrootif you dont
mind the pink colour) in the idli batter. This
will increase the volume and hence satiety.
The idlis will also be made with a smaller
quantity of batter (always a good
thing!). Also load the sambhar
with veggies.
MAKE IT VIRTUOUS
Calorie benet Cut back on one idli. This is
easy with vegetable mixed idli batter as the
veggies make up for the volume. Also, this
will reduce the quantity of sambhar you
consume. Calories saved, 80 Kcal.
Nutrient benet Veggies, veggies and more
veggies. Have them in every possible way.
Veggies are loaded with bre, which helps
you slim down. They are also
very high in nutrients and
anti-oxidants. Total 178 Kcal
MAKE IT BETTER
Total
258 Kcal
TOTAL
CALORIES
SAVED
230 Kcal
The love for a plate of freshly
steamed idlis is universal (well,
almost). Idlis make the perfect
meal anytime: breakfast, snack or
dinner. They are light to digest and
being fermented, they are rich in
gut-friendly bacteria too. Whats
more, with the combo of a spicy
sambhar, they make a lling and
tasty meal. Here are some ways to
make them healthful.
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PREVENTION 000
Answer Perhaps your
husband is not eating the right
kind of food and so does not
give his body time to repair,
and rebuild. His body digests
but does not use food.
Our body uses nutrients
from food to produce energy.
The best energy-giving food is
a fresh fruit. Fruits take only
20 minutes to get digested and
so are a quick source of energy.
Vegetables, nuts and sprouts
are other options. I do not rec-
ommend wheat or milk as they
are difficult to digest.
Ideally, your husband
should have a lot of fruits till 12
noon. Eat fruits on an empty
stomach 30 minutes before a
meal or 2 hours after a meal,
so that it can be optimally
digested and utilised by the
body. Calories and sugar from
fruits is a healthy source of en-
ergy and will not cause weight
gain. He should avoid cereals
for breakfast as they are heavy
on the digestive system.
Start his lunch with a raw
salad which will put his diges-
tive juices into action so that
cooked food is easily broken
uestion MY HUSBAND IS 28, 84 KILOS
AND HAS A NORMAL DIET, YET COM-
PLAINS OF LACK OF ENERGY. CAN
YOU HELP WITH A DIET? Deepthi via email
DR VIJAYA
VENKAT
is a nutritionist and a
strong advocate of
natural and organic
diets. She runs a
successful low-cal
dabba service in
Mumbai.
Q
ASK THE WEIGHT-LOSS COACH
JULY 2008
nutrition
Send in your weight-loss
queries to prevention@
intoday.com
down. After this, he can have
some rice with cooked veggies.
Rice and veggies are healthy
carbs that release energy.
In the evening he can snack
on fruit, fruit juice or dry fruits
(dates, figs, apricots, raisins).
After an hour, he can have nuts.
Based on our body rhythms, 4-7
pm is the time when our energy
is being created for the next day
and this is the time when it is
crucial to eat right.
He should start dinner with
a raw salad and then have any
or all of the following: soup,
sprouts, stir-fried vegetables,
daal or whatever he likes. Avoid
cereals, though. For dessert, he
can have some dry fruit.
These changes should help
him gain energy. If theres no
improvement, see a qualified
nutritionist with his medi-
cal details.
GROCERY GURU
A snack bordering on the divine that you need to
choose with care
BISCUIT TRUTHS
nutrition
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JAYASHREE
JOSHI
EASHWAR
is co-founder and
COO, Dubdengreen
The Organic Store
And More, Delhi. Also
an editor and market-
research consultant,
she has had a lifelong
passion for food.
Write to her at
jayashree.e@
preventionindia.com
CHOOSE PLAIN
BISCUITS, LOW
ON SUGAR
AND SALT,
WITHOUT
COLOUR OR
SYNTHETIC
FLAVOUR AS
IN CHOCOLATE
BISCUITS AND
ONES WITH
JAMS AND
CREAMS!
000 JULY 2008
Everybody and their dog love biscuits. Sweet, salty, 50-50,
high fibreeat them with a healthy yogurt and celery topping, or
piled up with cheese and tomatoes.
They are practical and handy. You can eat them anywhere (even
carry a pack if you are trekking to high-altitude terrains!) I would
say they are much better than chips, fries and pakoras. You can
do much more than just snack on them: use them as a base for
cheesecake, for shortcut desserts in a jiffy, or turn them into finger
food with toppings galore
Sure, biscuits are versatile but get this straight: they are not a
healthy snack, unless you stop at two or three. Remember, what
makes them delicious is the fat, sugar/salt and flavour.
Apart from maida, there are many ingredients in biscuits
which health experts dont feel good about: hydrogenated fats/
margarine, food colouring, synthetic flavouring (nature identi-
cal), chemical additives and preservatives, emulsifiers, raising
agents, dough conditionersCant believe theres so much in those
small bites! Read the list of ingredients and youll be surprised at
45
Chemicals are added to give shelf-life to products, for flavour, or as substitutes for
the real thing. Here are some popular additives de-coded. Parents take note.
MSG or mono-sodium glutamate can be hidden under the name of glutamate,
gelatine, textured protein, yeast or malt extract etc. MSG has been linked with
reproductive disorders, migraine and damage to the endocrine system.
Trans fats exist as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or dalda.
Various studies have linked it with obesity, diabetes and cardio-
vascular diseases.
Sugar free versions could have aspartame, an artificial
sweetener, linked to certain forms of cancer, neurological and
behavioural problems.
Low-fat may be hiding calories! Fat may be replaced by sugar
and feeling less guilty about it, you may over-indulge. (Journal
of Marketing Research).
Anti-oxidant 310-312 and 319-321 are not healthy natural
anti-oxidants but are chemicals used to stabilise oil/
butter used in biscuits. They are associated with
asthma, insomnia, depression, tiredness,
learning difficulties and behaviour problems
in children.
Preservative 322 used as a dough-
conditioner can aggravate asthma (Journal
of Paediatrics and Child Health).
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nutrition
what is going into childrens stomachs on a
regular basis!
NOTE Biscuit packs proclaiming butter,
often also have hydrogenated oil (trans
fats/dalda) in them.
Research shows that the chemicals
used in them ingested over a period of
time (the time for side effects to show up
depends on how allergic you are to the
chemical) can lead to, or worsen aller-
gies, such as eczema, asthma, hives, and
have even been linked to cancer. Additives
also deplete Vitamin B from the body.
A study funded by the Food Standard
Agency of the UK government has drawn
a link between temper tantrums and poor
concentration in children and additives.
Dont want to play spoil sport, but Id say
go easy on biscuits. Buy from a good local
bakery that bakes fresh every day and
therefore doesnt need to put most of the
offending chemicals to increase shelf life.
Good bakeries also use butter instead of
dalda; ask and they will tell you. You will
be amazed at the variety and fresh, whole-
some taste of bakery biscuits. It comes at
an extra price but so does your health.
With biscuits, the plainer the better.
Choose without artificial flavour or colour.
Make up for chemicals with fun toppings
such as fruit on crackers and yogurt dips
and herbs. Stop at one or two and fill your
stomach with juice or cold milk.
Im not a masochist, but it would be
ideal to bake biscuits at home! Freeze
the dough and bake fresh. You can use
a variety of different healthy flours and
flavours. You will get better health and
will be amazed at the great taste. Not the
least, the aroma. Sigh!
LEARN TO READ THE LABELS
46
MAKE IT QUICK
nutrition
SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI PASTA
TOTAL TIME 20 MINUTES
SERVINGS 4
500 g broccoli florets,
cleaned and trimmed
from ends
450 g tricolour
wholewheat fusilli (or any
pasta)
1 Tbsp olive oil
170 g chicken sausage,
cut into
1
2" slices
4 pieces sun-dried
tomatoes, roughly
chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
As quick as it gets, this pasta is both healthy and tasty
BRING a large pot of
salted water to a boil.
Add broccoli florets and
blanch. Remove from pot
and plunge into a bowl
of cold water (save pot
of hot water for pasta).
Drain and set aside.
ADD pasta to boiling
water and cook 10
minutes or until tender.
HEAT oil in a large non-
stick pan, over medium
flame. Add sausage and
saut for 5 minutes. Add
tomatoes, garlic and
broccoli and cook for 2
minutes.
DRAIN pasta, reserving
1
4
cup of water. Add pasta
and reserved water to
pan. Toss with sausage
mixture. Serve.
NUTRITIONAL INFO PER SERVING
553 Kcal, 29.4 g pro,
89.4 g carb, 9.3 g tot fat,
1.8 g sat fat, 7 g fibre,
25 mg chol, 103 mg sod
Nutrition information by Puja Sharma Vasisht.
If you have a healthy recipe (with fewer than
6 ingredients and 20-mins cooking time) send
it to us at makeitquick@preventionindia.com
20
minutes
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GET RID OF ACIDITY
DIET SERIES
nutrition
Acidity is a common complaint. Food fixes to get rid of it
BY MEGHNA NANDA DASGUPTA
Judging from the many ads for
over-the-counter relief for heartburn,
indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux
disease (GERD), acidity could be more
prevalent than we believe. With eating
out getting more common, drastic life-
style changes and work-related stress,
our stomachs are taking a hit it seems.
What is acidity?
The stomach normally secretes acid
(HCL) that is essential in the digestive
process. This acid helps in breaking
down the food during digestion. When
there is excess production of acid in
the stomach, it results in the condition
known as acidity. Normally, there are
some protective mechanisms against
the acid, in the stomach and proximal
intestine, but an imbalance between the
protective mechanisms and the level of
acid secretion can cause acidity.
Symptoms to look out for
Heartburn A burning sensation in the
stomach and/or chest caused by stomach
acid backing up into the esophagus.
Dyspepsia A burning or an aching
pain in the upper abdomen, sometimes
described as a stabbing sensation pen-
etrating through the gut. In rare cases
there may be no pain, but only a feeling
of fullness, bloating, flatulence or nausea.
Cure it with food
Simple changes in food can rid you of
this trouble.
Eat a wholesome diet rich in fresh
fruits, vegetables, grains and high-fibre
foods. This will ensure that you get the
whole array of nutrients for the optimal
functions of the body and its systems.
Increase your intake of fruits such
as papaya and pineapple. These are high
in digestive enzymes such as papain and
bromelain that aid digestion.
Use fennel, cumin and mint in your
daily cooking for their carminative
properties (improves digestion and re-
lieves gas and colic).
48
Cabbage juice is particularly good for
heartburn. Its high glutamine content
(the digestive tract uses this amino acid
as a fuel source and for healing) must be
the key to its success. It has a strong taste
so blend with other vegetable juices.
Drink peppermint and ginger teas
30 mins before meals to stimulate the
secretion of digestive juices.
Eat the right way
Avoid drinking water in-between
meals as it dilutes the digestive juices
produced in the stomach.
Eat regular, small meals throughout
the day to avoid overburdening the di-
gestive system.
Change your eating habits. Do not
eat on the run. Eat slowly and enjoy your
food. Savour every morsel and chew well.
Must avoid
Citrus fruits and tomatoes if you
are prone to acidity as these are acidic
in nature.
Fried foods, processed foods and very
spicy foods. If you cant avoid it, limit
your intake to 1-2 times a week.
High-fat meals such as those from fast
food chains. High-fat foods remain in the
stomach longer as they are harder to di-
gest, overtaxing the digestive system.
Acid indigestion could be caused due
to food allergies or sensitivities: so you
need to zero in on whats yours and avoid
it. See a doctor or a nutritionist for advice.
Limit alcohol, chocolate, foods con-
taining caffeine (coffee and tea) as these
are acidic in nature. They are also stimu-
lants and initiate the stress response in
the body.
Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs (NSAIDs) can also cause acid-
ity. If you suspect that this is the case,
consult your doctor for an antacid along
with your medicine.
Lifestyle dos
There is a higher incidence of acidity in
highly emotional and nervous individu-
als. Under stress the body sends energy
to the muscles, via the blood stream, to
help the body cope with a stressful situ-
ation. This means that enough blood
is not flowing to the digestive system.
When digestion is slowed down, undi-
gested food and gastric juices remain
in the stomach much longer enhancing
the occurrence of acid reflux. Learn to
de-stress. Work exercise and relaxation
time into your busy schedule to help
your body cope with stress. Yoga or tai
chi classes can help to bring the body
back into balance after a hectic day!
CABBAGE JUICE
HELPS RELIEVE
HEART BURN
49
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9 quick tips to chop,
saut and stir your
way to better health
EASY
POWER
FOODS
Beat disease,
shrink your waistline
nutrition
BY RACHEL MELTZER
50
Stocked up on leafy greens? Super.
Did you know that sauting them in a bit
of oil instead of steaming them will help
you absorb up to 5 times as much of the
vision-protecting anti-oxidant beta-
carotene? Buying healthy food is just the
rst step toward a better diet; preparing
it correctly can make or break your
nutrient bank. Keep reading for even
more surprising nutrition-enhancing
healthy cooking tips.
Tip 1
Fire up heart protection
Heating lycopene-rich tomatoes
instigates a chemical change that makes
the heart-healthy nutrient much easier
for your body to absorb.
When making your favourite curry,
cook tomatoes rst. Another way is to
halve tomatoes lengthwise, arrange on a
baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and
season with salt and pepper. Grill for 15
to 20 minutes, until slightly shrivelled.
Use this to make a quick paste for your
aloo-mutter. Adding tomato paste to
recipes works too, because they were
heated during processing.
Tip 2
Maximise cancer
prevention
High temperatures destroy allinase,
garlics most important cancer-ghting
and immunity-boosting enzyme. After
chopping, let crushed garlic stand for
about 10 to 15 minutes before adding
it to a sizzling pan. This allows the
pungent herb to generate compounds
that blunt the damaging effects of heat,
report scientists at Pennsylvania State
University and the National Cancer
Institute in the US.
No time to spare? Add a few cloves to
your home-made green chutney and
store it in the refrigerator. It will keep
for a few days. You can always enjoy
raw garlic, too. We love rubbing it on
toasted brown bread and topping it with
chopped tomato and onion and a dash of
olive oil for a simple bruschetta.
Tip 3
Double the anti-oxidants
Dressing your salad with herbs can more
than double its cancer-ghting punch,
according to an Italian study. When
compared with garden salads made
with no added herbs, those featuring
lemon balm and marjoram (available at
exclusive food stores) had up to 200%
more anti-oxidants per serving. Spices
such as ginger, coriander, mint and
cumin also up the anti-oxidant quotient.
Tip 4
Strengthen eyes and bones
Adding nuts, olive or other healthy fat
sources to red, green, orange and yellow
fruits and veggies increases the amount
of fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, E
and K. These nutrients boost vision,
SPRINKLING HERBS
ON YOUR SALAD
INCREASES THE
ANTI-OXIDANT COUNT
nutrition
51
nutrition
improve immunity and protect against
stroke and osteoporosis. Fat acts as a
transporter for them, explains Cynthia
Sass, MPH, RD and nutrition director at
Prevention, US. The same strategy works
for carotenoids, the compounds that
give tomatoes and carrots their bright
hues. Proof: a study from the Ohio State
University Comprehensive Cancer
Centre found that men and women who
ate salsa containing chunks of avocado
absorbed 4.4 times as much lycopene
and 2.6 times as much beta-carotene
than those who enjoyed plain salsa.
Tip 5
Stock up on calcium
If youre preparing home-made chicken
soup, its smart to add a hint of lemon
juice, vinegar, or tomato, to the mix.
Pairing a slightly acidic broth with
on-the-bone chicken can up the soups
calcium content by 64%, according to
researchers at Harvard University and
Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. (This
stock dissolves the bones calcium more
easily than a non-acidic one would.)
Bonus tip Other research that was
referenced in the Harvard/Beth Israel
study showed that slathering spare ribs
with an acidic vinegar-based barbecue
sauce increased the calcium content. Do
the same to your grilled chicken.
Tip 6
Grill without worry
The high heat needed to grill meats
can create carcinogenic compounds
called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), but
marinating can help. When researchers
at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory in Livermore, CA, soaked
chicken breasts in a mixture of brown
sugar, olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic,
mustard, lemon juice and salt for 4
hours, they developed up to 99% fewer
HCAs after 20 minutes of grilling than
unmarinated chicken did. Try the same
marinade or add an extra anti-oxidant
kick with this herb-packed soak: cup
of balsamic vinegar; 2 tablespoons of
fresh rosemary; 1 tablespoon each of
olive oil, honey, and minced garlic; and
teaspoon of black pepper.
USE A BIT OF OIL
TO COOK YELLOW
VEGGIES. YOULL
ABSORB MORE
NUTRIENTS.
nutrition
Bonus tip When making kebabs or
paneer tikkas, marinate them and keep
them in the fridge for a couple of hours.
This makes the marinade settle and
cling on the kebab better and ensures
that it doesnt run off during grilling.
Tip 7
Fight colds and u
When youre slicing and dicing fresh
produce, cut large pieces. Lots of small
portions expose more of the fruit or
vegetable to nutrient-leaching oxygen and
light. A larger cut allows you to hold on
to more Vitamin C, which helps bolster
immunity, says Roberta Larson Duyff,
RD, author of the American Dietetic
Association Complete Food and Nutrition
Guide. Quarter carrots, potatoes and
tomatoes instead of dicing them; slice
melons into crescents rather than cubing.
Tip 8
Retain key nutrients
Save yourself some timeand some
key nutrientsby not peeling eggplant,
apples, potatoes and other produce
before using. The peel itself is a natural
barrier against nutrient loss, and many
vitamins and minerals are found in the
outer skin, or just below it, says Shikha
Khanna, chief dietician at Delhis RML
Hospital. Yam skin is loaded with bre,
and zucchinis is full of lutein, which
may help prevent age-related macular
degeneration, for example. If baking
potatoes in their jackets, remove grit and
pathogens with cold, running water and
a soft-bristle brush.
Bonus tip Add citrus zest to your
favourite recipes. A University of
Arizona study linked eating limonenea
compound in lemon, lime and orange
peelto a 34% reduction in skin cancer.
Tip 9
Get 10 times the iron
Cooking with tomatoes or lemons? Heat
acidic foods like these in a cast-iron
pot to spike the amount of the energy-
boosting iron you absorb by more than
2,000%, says a Texas Tech University
study. Some iron from the skillet leaches
into the food, but the particles are small
enough that you wont be able to see or
taste themand its perfectly safe.
Bonus tip You dont have to pull out a
pan; coupling certain iron-rich foods
with high-acid ones gives a tenfold
boost to your iron absorption. While
the iron in red meat (heme iron) is
easily absorbed on its own, the type of
iron found in beans, grains and veggies
(non-heme) isnt. Khanna says, Vitamin
C makes iron bio-available to the body
and so its absorption is better in food.
When making mustard greens, add a
dash of lemon juice. Or when tossing
a spinach salad, add mango slices to
increase the iron payoff. Other healthy
combos: beans and tomato sauce.
With inputs from Shivangi Anand.
CRAVE MORE CALCIUM?
ADD LEMON TO YOUR
CHICKEN SOUP
53
fitness
10
THE NUMBER OF
MINUTES OF
MODERATE
ACTIVITY NEEDED
TO IMPROVE
YOUR MOOD
Feel happier,
less stressed
and more
revitalised
with each
workout
Get twice the post-exercise bliss
Maximise the mood-boosting power of your exercise routine
by sticking to it long term. A study done by VA Medical Centre,
Sacramento, US found that adults who worked out 3 times a week
for 6 months felt happier and less stressed out and got a bigger
energy and mood boost than non-exercising adults who worked
out for just one session. Stay motivated when you are starting
out with a reward system: put Rs 10 in a jar every time you log a
kilometre and use it to get yourself a treat.
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JULY 2008
Having fun with aqua aerobics!

Builds strength and exibility
Makes you more agile; boosts
your metabolism
Limits your chances of injury
while working out
The resistance provided by
water tones your muscles
Benets of aqua aerobics
When you can play around in
water in the name of work (I was
asked to do an assignment on
water aerobics), you feel lucky. I am
a water baby and an hour of cardio
in a pool seemed just the thing
for me! I was to attend a class at
Amatrra Spa in Delhis Ashok Hotel.
The trainer, Sonia, was extremely
helpful and answered all my ques-
tions patiently before we started.
My class started at 6 pm. There
were 5 other students with me.
They had been training for some
time now and this boosted my
condence. The class began with
some warm-up exercises such as
on-the-spot marching and jog-
ging. Sonia stood outside the pool,
demonstrating the poses and we
did them in the pool. With music
playing in the background, it was
an exhilarating experience.
After the warm up, we got on
with serious actionjumping jacks,
squats and some dance moves.
We also used some interesting
equipmentplastic ns and rubber
dumb-bells, which increased the
resistance provided by water, and
we ended up burning more calories!
For instance, we were made to hold
the rubber dumb-bells sideways at
shoulder-level and then slowly bring
them down under water. It sounds
easy, but I can tell you I did not
sail through! I had to muster every
ounce of strength in me to get them
under water. Phew! And before I
knew, 1 hour was over and I had
burnt around 400 calories!
After the class I felt great. My
mind was relaxed, I felt a comforta-
ble stretch in my abs and shoulders
and most importantly I felt happy!
The water pressure on my body
acted like a massage.
By Shivangi Anand
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FIRST PERSON
fitness
WALKING PAGE
fitness
uestion I AM 37, HEIGHT 5 6 AND
WEIGH 69 KG. I WALK ON THE TREAD-
MILL 5 DAYS/WEEK AT 5.5 KM SPEED. IS
THIS OKAY OR SHOULD I SPEED UP
AND WALK MORE? Cherry Hurra via email
NISHA VARMA
is a Reebok Master
Trainer based in
Delhi. Write to her at
nisha.v@prevention-
india.com
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KEEP YOUR
SPINE STRAIGHT
AND STRESS-FREE
WHILE WALKING
ankles or the lower back,
reduce the speed, but main-
tain the time. For better
results wear comfortable
walking shoes with arch
support and do not lock your
knees while walking. Stride
with a heel-to-toe movement
and swing your arms along-
side your body to increase the
intensity of the walk. If you
are in the habit of holding on
to the treadmill while walk-
ing, the intensity of the exer-
cise will be reduced.
Maintaining a proper
posture while walking is also
important. Pull your shoul-
ders back and down, and
keep the neck and shoulder
area relaxed. The lower back
too, should be free of stress
and your stomach sucked in.
Monitor your intensity by
keeping track of your breath.
You should be slightly out
of breath, but you should
be able to hold a conversa-
tion. If you cannot talk while
exercising, then reduce your
speed. Drink water before
during and after the exercise.
Q
Answer The duration
on the treadmill is impor-
tant. Your speed is okay but
you have to walk for at least
an hour every day. If you
feel too comfortable at this
speed, increase it. If you feel
any discomfort in the knees,
WHILE WALKING
DONT HOLD ON TO
THE RAILING OF THE
TREADMILL
WALKING PAGE
fitness
JULY 2008
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Question I AM 30, MARRIED AND A HOMEMAKER. CAN I
INCREASE MY STAMINA AND OVERALL FITNESS BY
WALKING? HOW OFTEN AND FOR HOW LONG SHOULD
I WALK? Sudha Malkani, Jodhpur
Answer As a tness
trainer I have observed
that most home-bound
women tend to be seden-
tary, except for that half or
one hour of walk. The key
to building stamina and
energy is to stay active
through the day. Avoid
sleeping in the after-
noon. Keep your activ-
ity levels high through
the day by doing chores
such as cleaning, shop-
ping and ironing. You can
also join an activity class
or volunteer for commu-
nity service. This will
help you burn more calo-
ries. Let me assure you
that walking is a great
way to build stamina. At
the same time, it is also
important to focus on the
right diet. My feeling is
that a lot of homemakers
dont get adequate nutri-
tion through their regu-
lar diet.
As doctors and tness
experts will tell you,
walking every day is
good for health. You can
walk twice a day if you
dont have any medical
problems. A medium-
to brisk-paced walk is
recommended
for overall
good health. A
warm-up and
cool-down are
essential before
and after a walk;
they prevent post-
exercise muscle
soreness. To warm
up, walk at a slow pace
for the rst 5 minutes
and stretch the lower
back, neck and shoulders.
To cool down, again,
reduce your pace, and
stretch the lower body
calves, thighs and lower
back muscles.
If you cannot nd one
hour in the morning for
your exercise, you could
break it up into smaller
segmentsone in the
day and the other in the
evening. Do keep in mind
that being active through
the day, going about your
daily chores at home also
helps burn calories and
keeps you healthy.
EXERCISE
AND DIET GO
HAND-IN-HAND
I was always over-
weight, the fattest girl
in the class, butt of all
jokes in school and
college. Trendy clothes
never fitted me. But I
longed to look good
and be appreciated. It
was during my college
years that I decided to
do something about
my weight.
Even though I was
determined to shed
the excess kilos, it took
some shock treatment
for me to plunge into
it finally. It was my par-
ents 25th wedding an-
niversary. I had gone to
KILOS
LOST
30
Shilpy Tandons amazing weight-loss story
EARLIER
WEIGHT
85
Kg

WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS STORY
fitness
58
a designer to get a dress
for myself for the occa-
sion. I chose something
really pretty. But the de-
signer snatched the dress
away from me and bluntly
told me that I was not thin
enought to fit into it. This
incident was the last straw
and it compelled me to
change my life forever
and for good.
AT THE START
I did not step into a gym
to lose weight. I decided
to work on it myself. I
knew my body the best
and simply applied com-
mon sense to take charge
of the situation. I stopped
taking unnecessary and
excess calories, and
switched to a fibre-rich,
balanced diet. My diet
would consist of:
BREAKFAST 2 pieces of
brown bread, half a glass
of toned milk and a
fruit, preferably an
apple.
LUNCH 2 chapattis, a bowl
of curd, daal and veg-
etables (mostly cabbage
which is rich in fibre).
DINNER A bowl of to-
mato soup and a slice of
brown bread.
In addition, I walked,
walked and walked. I also
drank a lot of water to feel
full, and keep cravings
under check. I used to do
45 minutes of cardio in
the morning: this included
jogging and walking. In
the evening I would do
strength training exercises
with 1 kg dumb-bells, fol-
low it up with half an hour
of jogging. I would walk
for another two hours
after dinner.
There were times when
I would feel really tempted
by food. I realised crav-
ings were natural during a
strict diet regimen. I used
to tell my parents not to
bring my favourite snacks
home, and used to lock
the kitchen to avoid giving
in to cravings. If I felt an
extreme longing for a cer-
tain food, I would take a
small bite of it. That would
be enough to satisfy the
craving. It is during
these times that
the familys
support
is crucial. I must say my
family and friends were
great: they stood by me
all through. I lost 30 kilos
over a period of one and a
half years!
MY LIFE AFTER
WEIGHT LOSS
Truly, hard work never
goes waste. Now, at 25, I
get noticed and appreci-
ated by people every
where. I wear whatever
I feel like. And it's not
about clothes anymore.
I am focussed on health.
My body has become
more agile and active. My
weight-loss journey got
me interested in fitness
and I ended up training
as a fitness professional.
Now, I work as a trainer
at the Amatrra Spa in
Delhis Ashok Hotel.
Awesome is how I would
describe my life now.
Weight loss is possible.
Set realistic targets and
focus on the diet as much
as on workouts. So put
on your walking shoes,
munch on an apple and
get going! As told to
Debarati Bhattacharya
P
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I
ARE YOU A SUCCESS STORY?
Send a 200-word synopsis and
before and after photos
to weight-loss@preventionin-
dia.com
fitness
59
Small steps yield big results
GET UP AND GET MOVING!
THE MOTIVATOR
fitness
NEESHA
MARIA BUKHT
is a certified fitness
trainer from the
International Sports
Sciences Association
(ISSA). She works
with Talwalkars
Gym, Mumbai. Bukht
writes regularly on
fitness and is also a
certified dieti-
cian. Write to her at
Neesha.b@prevention-
india.com
JULY 2008
Getting started on a fit-
ness programme maybe one
of the best things you can do
for your health. If your doc-
tors OK with you exercis-
ing, go right ahead. Physical
activity can reduce your risk
of chronic diseases, improve
your concentration and coor-
dination, help you sleep bet-
ter and even improve your
self-esteem.
Start small
Exercise is not an all or none
endeavour. It is a continuum.
Keep in mind that a little is
better than none. You can do
something today; dont worry
about what you
will do next.
Start where
you are
Your exercise pro-
gramme doesnt
need to be elabo-
rate. Look at your
current routine
and you may dis-
cover you already
walk 15 minutes
at a time: tak-
ing the dog for a
walk, or walking
to the ofce from
the bus-stop/
metro station. Do crunches
or push-ups during TV com-
mercials, pedal your exercise
bike during your favourite sit-
com, meet friends for walk-
ing dates rather than dinner
and drinks. Thats exercise.
You can use it as a jumpstart
and add another 5 minutes,
or walk at a faster pacestart
from where you are.
Go low-tech
Technology is wonderful, but
it makes us lazy. If you want to
t activity into your daily life,
just go low-tech and you will
burn more calories. Walk for
errands; take the stairs; give
up your television remote and
get up to change the channel;
walk down the hall to your
colleagues workstation rather
than calling her. These small
steps yield big results.
Be in fit company
If all your friends are couch
potatoes, the odds are you will
have a hard time becoming
active while hanging out with
them. If you surround yourself
with people who are healthy
and active, chances are it will
be easy for you to stay active as
well. Peer pressure is a wonder-
ful thing if you use it well. P
H
O
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O
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H
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L
,

J
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,

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SET WEEKLY
FITNESS GOALS
Set weekly goals
Check in with yourself each
week by setting realistic
goals. Try to set a plan to go
faster or farther with your
routine. You can even set
nutrition goals such as get-
ting 5 servings of fruit and
vegetables each day. Your
goal can be as simple as tak-
ing a daily 15-minute walk,
or as intense as completing
your rst marathon. Only you
know what is realistic for you.
Try something new
Do you drop out of your rou-
tine often? Chances are you
are getting bored with the
type of exercise you do rather
than the exercise itself. Add
variety to your routine. Mix
and match different work-
outs. Sign up for a yoga class
or a dancing lesson. Keep
your options open till you nd
an exercise you really enjoy
and then stick to it long-term.
Write it down
Keep an exercise journal.
Writing down what you did,
for how long and how you
felt, can be great motiva-
tion. Not only can you view
your progress and look back
at your accomplishments,
you can even plan ahead and
decide where you want to be
in a week, a month, or more.
Find a buddy
Even if this person doesnt
exercise with you, let some-
one know of your plans and
goals to help support your
efforts. Making yourself
accountable to another per-
son is a great way to stick to
your goals.
Make exercise
a priority
Do you always talk about
wanting to get active, but
never actually do anything
about it? It just means exer-
cise plans and goals are at
the bottom of your prior-
ity list. You are unlikely to
achieve them. You have to
believe in the importance of
exercise to make it happen.
Get honest with yourself
about what you really want
and how much you are will-
ing to work to make it hap-
pen. Youll be surprised how
easily it falls into place once
you put your energy into
action rather than excuses.
Good luck!
WHEN
STARTING ON
AN EXERCISE
ROUTINE,
BEING
DISTRACTED
BY MUSIC,
TV OR THE
TRAINER CAN
ACTUALLY
HELP YOU
STICK TO IT
P
H
O
T
O
:

M
A
N
D
E
L
,

M
I
T
C
H
;

M
O
D
E
L
:

R
O
S
E
N
,

L
E
N
I
S
E
MIX AND MATCH WORKOUTS
TO KEEP YOUR INTEREST
LEVELS IN EXERCISE HIGH
61
BODY BY DESIGN
fitness
Burn
calories,
sculpt
muscle, shed
fatand
you dont
even have to
leave your
living room
BY LIZ PLOSSER PHOTOGRAPHED BY DORIT THIES
P
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O
S

B
Y

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;

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B
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J
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B
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F
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M
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;

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Workout Basics
THE EQUIPMENT A kitchen timer,
or a clock with
a second hand
that you can
easily see,
and either a
staircase or an
8- to 12-inch
step (beginners
use a one-level
step, advanced exercisers,
a two-level version).
THE ROUTINE Warm up for 5 min-
utes by marching or jogging in place.
Then do the ve exercises, devoting 1
minute to each. Rest for 1 minute and
repeat the circuit.
Beginners Do 3 complete circuits.
Advanced Do 5 complete circuits.
The plan Do this workout 3 times a
week, on non-consecutive days. Once a
week, skip the timer and do 10 reps of
each exercise, concentrating on form.
WEVE PUT TOGETHER a
workout that produces major
resultsnamely, sexy shoul-
ders, a atter tummy, and a
rmer butt and thighsin 6
short weeks. Plus, All of these
exercises involve multi-joint
movements, so youre rm-
ing up individual muscles
while training them to work
together, says Benjamin Hen-
drickson, an ACE-certied
personal trainer at the Sports
Centre at Chelsea Piers in New
York City, who designed this
innovative strength-training
circuit. That means better bal-
ance and more coordination.
Because youre moving your
body weight instead of sitting
stationary at a machine, youre
also getting a metabolic boost.
Best of all, you can do these
moves in your living room.
Moves
that firm 5
62
BODY BY DESIGN
JULY 2008
STEP-UP
WORKS GLUTES,
QUADS, HAMSTRINGS,
CALVES, CORE
Stand in front of staircase
or step with feet together,
arms at sides. Place left
foot solidly on step,
keeping head up and abs
tight. Lift body onto step,
raising right knee until
thigh is parallel to oor as
shown. Hold for a second.
Lower right foot to oor
behind step, then left.
Repeat with right foot and
raise left knee. Continue
alternating legs.
WHY IT
WORKS
In addition to
mimicking real-
life demands, such as
climbing stairs, the step-
up forces you to engage
your core; raising the knee
challenges your balance.
fitness
ELBOW-TO-KNEE SIT-UP
WORKS ABS
A. Lie on oor with knees bent, feet at on oor. Place hands behind head and lift
head and feet a few inches off oor, pointing elbows toward knees.
B. Contract abdominals and rock up so elbows meet knees and youre resting on your
buttocks. Hold for a second, then lower. Keep head and feet off oor during entire
minute. If this is too challenging, keep midback on oor and lift hips and shoulder
blades to bring knees and elbows together.
WHY IT
WORKS
Bringing elbows to your knees forces you to coordinate your upper and
lower body, increasing abdominal strength and body awareness.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
WORKS GLUTES, QUADS, HAMSTRINGS, CALVES, CORE, CHEST

Assume a push-up position, with hands at on oor beneath shoulders and feet
hip-width apart, balancing on toes. Bend right knee and plant ball of right foot
beneath torso, as shown. Spring off toes and raise hips into the air, switching
legs, so right leg is extended and left is bent. Repeat, alternating legs.
WHY IT
WORKS
This oldie-but-goodie keeps your
heart rate high, cranking up your
calorie burn to melt fat.
A B
fitness
ROTATING
SIDE LUNGE
WORKS GLUTES, QUADS,
HAMSTRINGS, OUTER THIGHS,
OBLIQUES
Stand with feet hip-width apart,
arms extended at chest level,
hands clasped. Take giant step to
left, rotating upper body toward
left. Bend left knee and lower
hips, keeping left knee over foot
as shown. Press into left foot to
return to starting position and
repeat. Do a full minute, then
switch sides.
WHY IT
WORKS
This move forces you
to balance and
coordinate your upper and lower
body while moving from side to
side. Its a great exercise for
strengthening muscles that often
go under-used in daily life, says
Hendrickson.
PUSH-UP
WORKS CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS, CORE

Place hands on oor beneath shoulders and balance on toes, feet hip-width
apart. Bend elbows out to sides and lower body almost to oor as shown. Keep
abs tight and body in straight line from head to ankles.
Rest knees on oor, keeping toes tucked, and push back up as shown. At the top
of the movement, straighten legs and repeat.
WHY IT
WORKS
This hybrid of the standard push-
up and the less-demanding knees-
down version allows you to quickly build
upper-body strength, for a attering gure.
Count each completed rep as a point, and after
each exercise, tally your points. Aim to increase
your total with each workout, but dont sacrice
good form to do more reps.
Quicktip
HOTELS
Please rate on the scale of 1 to 5, do not put a tick mark
LUXURY HOTELS Hygiene Service Dcor Facilities Location
Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur
Amanbagh, Alwar
Devi Garh Palace, near Udaipur
Mahua Kothi, Bandhavgarh
Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur
Other (specify one)
SPA Hygiene Service Dcor Facilities Location
Wildower Hall, Shimla
ITC Sonar, Kolkata
Ananda In the Himalayas, Rishikesh
Quan Spa, JWT Marriott, Mumbai
Sereno Spa, Park Hyatt, Goa
Other (specify one)
BUSINESS HOTELS Hygiene Service Dcor Facilities Location
Trident, Gurgaon
Oberoi Grand, Kolkata
The Park, New Delhi
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai
The Leela Palace, Bangalore
Other (specify one)
ECO-FRIENDLY HOTELS Hygiene Service Dcor Facilities Location
Rain Tree, Chennai
Barefoot at Havelock, Andamans
Orchid Hotel, Mumbai
ITC Maurya, New Delhi
Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom
Other (specify one)
HERITAGE HOTELS Hygiene Service Dcor Facilities Location
The Grand Palace, Srinagar
Neemrana Fort Palace, Alwar
Judges Court, Pragpur
Malabar House, Fort Kochi
Fort Tiracol, Goa
Other (specify one)
AIRLINES
DOMESTIC AIRLINES Punctuality Service
In-ight
Comfort
& Hygiene
Value for
Money
Ground
Facilities
Jet Airways
Kingsher Airlines
Indian
Paramount Airways
JetLite
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Each participant will win
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India Today Travel Plus
is the leading travel and
lifestyle monthly in the
country brought out by
the India Today Group.
With expertise and
an information base
spanning over 12 years,
combined with a strong
people network and
research team spread
across the country, we
are uniquely placed to
give the reader action-
able and topical travel-
related information and
advise. So here it is,
our very rst Readers
Choice Survey: India
TopList 2008-2009!
HOW IT WORKS
Rate all the parameters
given for each nomination
on a scale of 1 to 5, where
5 is the highest and 1 the
lowest. For example: In
Hotels, all 5 parameters
Hygiene, Service, Dcor,
Facilities and Location
must be rated on a scale
of 1 to 5, where some
or all parameters can be
rated the same or differ-
ently. Leave a blank space
wherever you have not
personally experienced a
nomination, or one of its
parameters.
IndiGo
GoAir
MDLR Airlines
Deccan
Spicejet
RESTAURANTS
FINE DINING Food Service Hygiene Dcor Location
Olive Bar and Kitchen, Mumbai
Sunnys, Bangalore
Magique, New Delhi
Fiesta, Goa
China Garden, Mumbai
Other (specify one)
LOCAL FLAVOURS Food Service Hygiene Dcor Location
MTR, Bangalore
Kesar Ka Dhaba, Amritsar
Tunde Ke Kebab, Lucknow
Parathewali Gali, Delhi
Ponnusamy, Chennai
Other (specify one)
RESTAURANTS IN HOTELS Food Service Hygiene Dcor Location
Bukhara, ITC Maurya, New Delhi
Karavalli, Taj Gateway, Bangalore
Zodiac Grill, Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai
Ban Thai, Oberoi Grand, Kolkata
Dakshin, ITC Park Sheraton & Towers, Chennai
Other (specify one)
CAFS Food Service Hygiene Dcor Location
Samovar, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
All American Diner, New Delhi
Flurys, Kolkata
Koshys, Bangalore
Glenarys, Darjeeling
Other (specify one)
NIGHTCLUBS
PUBS Drink/Food Service Safety Dcor Buzz
Someplace Else, Kolkata
Titos, Goa
Pecos, Bangalore
Ricks, Delhi
Caf Mondegar, Mumbai
Other (specify one)
LOUNGE Drink/Food Service Safety Dcor Buzz
Tabula Rasa, Delhi
PLEASE TURN OVER LEAF>>

T
E
A
R

H
E
R
E
Blue Frog, Mumbai

Prive, Mumbai
13th Floor, Bangalore
Shiro, Mumbai
Other (specify one)
CLUBS Music/DJ
Bar-
tending
&
Liquor
menu
Dcor,
Design &
Service
Space/
Crowd
Location
Elevate, Delhi NCR
Spinn, Bangalore
Polyesther, Mumbai
Enigma, Mumbai
Fuga, Bangalore
Other (specify one)
DREAM DESTINATIONS
ADVENTURE Safety Facilities
Access-
ibility
Excitement
Value
Unique-
ness
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
Manali, Himachal Pradesh
Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir
Havelock, Andamans
Lohit Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
Other (specify one)
HERITAGE Safety Facilities
Access-
ibility
Excitement
Value
Unique-
ness
Hampi, Karnataka
Pondicherry
Golden Triangle, Agra-Delhi-Jaipur
Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Other (specify one)
WILDLIFE Safety Facilities
Access-
ibility
Excitement
Value
Unique-
ness
Kaziranga, Assam
Kanha-Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Corbett, Uttarakhand
Nagarhole, Karnataka
Periyar, Kerala
Other (specify one)
BEACH Safety Facilities
Access-
ibility
Eating
Options
Entertain-
ment
Kovalam, Kerala
T
E
A
R

H
E
R
E
Om Beach, Gokarna, Karnataka

Anjuna, Goa
Gopalpur on Sea, Orissa
Radhanagar Beach, Havelock, Andamans
Other (specify one)
CITY Safety Facilities
Access-
ibility
Eating
Options
Entertain-
ment
Mumbai
Delhi
Bangalore
Pune
Chandigarh
Other (specify one)
PERSONAL DETAILS Tick your answer
SEX MALE

FEMALE
YOUR AGE EDUCATION

Below 30 years SSC / HSC
30-40 years College but not Graduate
40-50 years Graduate / Post-Graduate General
Above 50 years Graduate / Post-Graduate Professional
YOUR MONTHLY HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS
Less than Rs. 25,000
Rs. 25,000 - Rs. 50,000
Rs. 50,000 - Rs. 1,00,000
Above Rs. 1,00,000
OCCUPATION
Self-employed
Salaried
Field of work
E-mail ID
Name
Address
Telephone
MAIL YOUR
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OR
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PVN
T
E
A
R

H
E
R
E
Novelty is the spice of lifeand of a good marriage, according

to studies by Stony Brook University social psychologist Arthur
Aron, PhD. A weekly dinner date wont stoke your passion,
Aron says; instead, tackle a fun new challenge togethera
hike, painting class, or even learning a new language all qualify.
Rewarding experiences may flood the brain with dopamine,
a mood-enhancing chemical: If your partner is present, that
feeling becomes linked to him, says Aron.
Simple secret to a happier marriage
Formula for
a successful
marriage: try
out new things
together
JULY 2008
family
PREVENTION 000
P
H
O
T
O
D
I
S
C
,

G
E
T
T
Y

I
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S
/
A
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71
JULY 2008
family
HEALTHY HOME
72
JULY 2008
The rains can bring on a rash of concerns. Heres a checklist to
help you enjoy the romance of the rains.
BY BENITA SEN
family
HEALTHY HOME
Health problems come down on
us with the monsoon rains. With a
little planning, caution and forward
thinking, you can steer clear of those
puddles and enjoy the rain.
WATER WOES
The rains often send stomach health
packing. Says Dr D M Abbey a Delhi-
based general physician, The number
of cases of acute gastroenteritis due to
water-borne organisms rises dramati-
cally during the rainy season. So do
cases of acute viral hepatitis, which
can go up as much as three times as
compared to winter and summer.
Most of these problems are caused by
germs that thrive during this season.
Warns Abbey, If youre travelling,
dont drink water from hand pumps or
other public sources. Do not consume
milk products like lassi from a halwai
or juices from open stalls. Be careful
about sweets like rasmalai and bever-
ages like badam milk. Avoid salads and
cut fruits if you are eating out.
Make sure the paneer you picked up,
is cooked within 24 hours (even if you
refrigerate it). At home, get the water
lter or Reverse Osmosis (RO) system
serviced to make sure it can lter out
mischief-makers. Follow the instruc-
tions of the lter company before you
use this water. Most advise you to
throw the rst container of ltered
water away after servicing.
Another tip from doctors: wash your
hands as often as you can with an anti-
becterial soap like Dettol.
THE MEDICINE CHEST
Dont forget to ask your doctor to
prescribe anti-diarrhoeal medicines
for an overnight attack. Keep fresh
oral rehydration salts (ORS) packets
at hand. Stock up on antispasmodics
and antacids, since muggy weather can
make digestion sluggish.
SOAK
IN
THE
MONSOONS
!
73
EYE CARE
With rains there is a spike in cases
of conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers.
Advises Dr Rishi Swarup, consultant
ophthalmologist, LV Prasad Eye Insti-
tute, Hyderabad, Avoid rainwater from
going into the eyes. Rainwater is not as
pure as it used to be. With rising pollu-
tion, it is turning more acidic. Not
only can the pH be harmful to the eyes,
but also the microbes oating in the
air come down with the rain water, he
points out.
Be particularly careful about hygiene
to stop the spread of conjunctivitis. Wash
towels and handkerchiefs regularly. Be
careful not to share towels. Wash your
hands frequently, especially before you
touch your face. If you wear contact
lenses, clean them carefully every day.
This is also a time for fungal infec-
tions that thrive on moist skin. So dry
your toes out, and brush with powder,
especially if you are diabetic.
MONSOON WARDROBE
If you commute by public transport, get
yourself appropriate rainwear. Cotton
would soak in the water, so you may
prefer fabrics like synthetics that dry
fast. Colours matter. Lighter colours
show up water stains and your contours,
so a darker palette would be preferable.
If you get wet, cotton churidars and
denim trousers take long to dry. Opt for
synthetic salwars on a rainy day.
Delicate leather sandals can snap if
they get wet. Pick up waterproof or at
least water-resistant footwear and bags.
Says banking executive Deepa Singh of
Mumbai, who commutes by local train:
I keep an entire set of clothes, footwear
and a clean, dry towel in ofce.
If you do get wet, dry up fast and sip
something warm. Keep away from an
air-conditioned room till you are dry
and comfortable. Dont self medicate.
If you believe that frequent sneezing is
just a sign of things to come, reach out
to your doctor.
THE HEALTHY HOME
Check on raingear before the rains
strike. Do you have enough umbrellas
for the family, including the domestic
help? If your child goes to school by bus,
invest in both an umbrella and rain
coat. If you live in a locality that suffers
waterlogging, you may check out
gumboots for children. Put in a small
hand towel in your childs schoolbag.
Check out your roof and storm water
drains before the rains. If necessary,
have the drainage cleaned out. Make
sure doors and windows t well.
Make sure the neighbourhood
BUY A RAINCOAT FOR
YOUR CHILD BEFORE
THE MONSOONS
O
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PREVENTION 000
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HEALTHY HOME
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garbage dump is cleared regularly.
Accumulated wet garbage can attract
all sorts of germs and parasites.
Make sure the water tank is covered
tight so that no rain water drips in.
Empty out coolers (if not in use) and
buckets; they are breeding grounds for
mosquitoes.
THE LARDER
If this isnt the time for papads and pako-
ras, no other season is! However, food
gets damp, stale and attracts insects in
the rains. So, buy smaller quantities of
our, sooji, besan and pulses. If you need
to buy large quantities, buy several small
packets. Open the second only when the
rst has been used up.
THE GARDEN
This is the part of the home that needs
least attention during the rains. Says
Sumita Das, a Mumbai resident, who
has a small collection of indoor plants,
I drag all my plants out so that they
can get hydrated by the rains. Make
sure no water collects in the pots.
Increase drainage in the soil while re-
potting, and add sand and leaf mould
to allow the water to drain out. Till you
can do that, bring the plant indoors
or tip the water out regularly, or even
slip a pebble under the pot to tilt it.
There are some, though, that may not
enjoy the rains. These include cacti and
succulents, which must be protected
from rain.
THE FAMILY PET
Just as you catch a cold more easily this
season, so do animals. Keep your pet as
dry as possible. Says Poonam Saxena, a
Delhi-based maketing executive, whose
dog dislikes water, I made my dog a
raincoat of plastic sheeting. This keeps
her coat dry when we take her for her
constitutional walk.
If she does get wet, dry the coat
vigorously and use a prescribed pet
powder and brush to dry. De-tick and
groom your dog more regularly than in
any other season.
With all these precautions, youll have
lots of happy reasons to sit back and
enjoy the pitter patter of raindrops!
AVOID CUT FRUITS FROM
THE ROADSIDE VENDOR
BRING PLANTS INDOORS
OR TIP THE WATER OUT
REGULARLY
75
Your laptop may be your best buddy at work and at play, but your
eyes will disagree. Heres how to get them to see eye to eye
After your morning cup of tea, the
rst thing you reach forperhaps even
before you grab the newspaperis the
on switch on your PC or laptop. At
home, at work, back home again, it isnt
uncommon today for us to spend over
10 hours each day at arms length from a
comp screen. Technology has its advan-
tages, but there is a ip side to it too.
Add Computer Vision Syndrome to
the list of modern urban lifestyle mala-
dies we must contend with. But better
computer habits can help you overcome
the problem.
Are you a victim?
The answer could be yes if you live with
these problems on a daily basis, week in,
week out : Eye pain Reddened eyes
Watering eyes Headache Fatigue
Irritability Poor concentration on the PC
Why this is happening
Contrary to what the ofce grape-
vine says, it really isnt the PC thats the
problemthat friendly monitor is not
emitting any harmful rays or radiation.
Whether black-and-white or colour, the
tubes not the culprit.
BY DR SANJAY DHAWAN
FIGHT
COMPUTER
VISION SYNDROME
000 PREVENTION JUNE 2008
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HEALTHY FAMILY
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The real causes of your
trouble
Constantly xing your gaze at a point
very near your face (the position of the
monitor for most of us). Convergence
fatigue is what we ophthalmologists
call it.
Infrequent blinking (while you surf
and type at top speed gazing at the
monitor).
Convergence Fatigue
When we look at an object placed close
to our face, both our eyes move towards
each other to x on the targetin other
words, they try to converge (the extreme
case of which is crossed eyes!). Con-
sider how tough it is to stay cross-eyed
for more than a minute. Its not that
extreme, but even a lower convergence
is a strain when you hold it too long.
And thats what prolonged sessions
with the monitor do to you. Result:
fatigue in the eye muscles, responsible
for focussing them to converge. Force
them to keep at it, and you end up with
eye strain, painand a headache. This
is like any other prolonged activity
leading to sore muscles. What your eyes
want and need is rest.
Infrequent blinking
You may not realise it, but you always
have tears standing in your eyes! That
lm of moisture over the front of your
eyes keeps them well lubricated for
health and comfort. Its from those
tears that your eye tissues get oxy-
gen and nourishment. Just like the
computer monitor needs to refresh
constantly to keep the picture clear,
you need to keep blinking to wash and
bathe the eyes in tears. When you dont
blink enough, that lm of tears starts to
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TRY OUT THESE EYE BALL ROTATING EXCERCISES TO STRENGTHEN YOUR EYE MUSCLES
77
HEALTHY FAMILY
family
Our eyes are parallel to each other
while looking straight ahead at a far
off object. When we look at a near
object the two eyes move towards
each otherconverge. Normally
the eyes can converge to look at an
object as close as 5-8 cm from the
eyes. In convergence insufciency,
this point recedes to more than 12
cm away and you can no longer
focus on objects very close to your
face. Weakness of convergence can
occur in individuals spending long
hours reading, writing or working at
a computer (as well as appear as a
symptom of certain systemic illness-
es). The exercise described below
can help improve the convergence,
over a period of 4 to 8 weeks.
Exercise steps
Sit or stand straight and look at a
far off small object.
Hold out a pen at an arms length
and look at its tip.
Slowly bring the tip close to your
eyes, keeping the tip level with
your eyes.
Hold the tip for about 10 seconds
at the point where you feel some
strain or heaviness in the eyes. The
tip should continue to appear clear
and single (no blurring or double
vision).
Again, take it back to arms length
and hold it there for 10 seconds.
Slowly bring the tip close to your
eyes to the point where you feel a
slight strain.
Repeat this 10 times and then
again, look at the far-off small
object. Then repeat the whole
cycle.
To begin with, do this exercise
for 5 minutes in the morning and
5 minutes in the evening at a time
when you are relatively fresh.
Gradually increase the duration
of the exercise to 15 minutes over a
period of 2 weeks.
CONVERGENCE EXERCISES
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dry up or sag. Soon, you start feeling the
drynessas irritation, then redness and
nally, as a protective reex, increased
watering of the eyes.
What you can do
Computersand other screens, like the
wide at screen TVare here to stay.
You can, quite literally, blink the eye
pain away!
1. Monitor yourself
First of all, push the monitor as far
as you comfortably can. About 2-3 feet
away from your face is a good distance.
Do not stare at the monitor for too long.
Take your eyes off the screen every 5-10
minutesset a reminder if you have to.
Every half an hour or so (yes, set a
timer), close your eyes for 1-2 minutes to
give them rest.
Every hour or so, take a 5-minute
break. Indeed, itll do your whole body a
world of good to stand up, stretch, pace a
littleor go run a short errand. Desker-
cises (exercises you can do sitting at your
desk) are also a great idea if your work-
place just isnt conducive to getting up
and walking around.
Make a conscious effort to blink
often! Ask colleagues or children to
warn you if they nd you staring ahead
without blinking.
Avoid sitting right under, or in front of
an air conditioner, so that the air draught
doesnt hit your face. The gust dries your
tears faster.
2. Counter convergence fatigue
Exercise your eyes regularly to prevent
the pain of working too long at the com-
puter (or even of reading or writing for
hours at a time). So this is for all profes-
sionals who work at a PC daily, as well as
for students, and others who spend long
hours at the computer, who said yes to
the symptoms abovefollow the exercise
regimen mentioned above (see box).
That said, make sure you also get your
eyes tested by an eye surgeon to catch
incipient eyesight problems and con-
vergence insufciency (eyes that are too
tired to deal with near-distance work).
3. Lubricate your eyes
Ask your ophthalmologist to recom-
mend lubricant eye drops to counter the
dryness and irritation. You can use these
3-4 times a day to soothe the redness
and burning. Over-the-counter (OTC)
options includeTears Naturale and
Addtears, amongst others. Very rarely,
these drugs cause an adverse reaction
if there is any irritation, redness or
swelling, discontinue at once and report
to your doc.
Dr Sanjay Dhawan is head of the department and
senior eye surgeon Max Eye Care, Delhi
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79
BONDING Rx
family
Many 40 plus women are redefining their bonds with
new energy and passion. Are you?
REDISCOVERING ZEST
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JULY 2008
I must admit that there is
something magical about
touching the 40th year of
my life. And when I look at
other 40 plus women around
me I cant help but marvel
and reect at this unique yet
fascinating phenomenon. As
a friend told me recently, I
feel that my soul which had
been condensed for so long
has nally been given a
chance to expand. She
had just returned from a
holiday in the mountains.
Though married with
children she had decided
to take this pilgrimage
alone. And whats more, her
family loves her for it. Her 15-
year-old daughter told me,
She is so much
more at peace
and eager to
connect.
And if I
were to describe
these incredible
women I can think of three
remarkable characteristics
that come to mind.
Zest for Life
Margaret Mead in her work
had talked about PMZ (post-
menopausal zest), which in
keeping with the current trend
can easily include pre-meno-
pausal zest too. PMZ women
are full of energy, passion,
curiosity and a will to explore.
Many women take to activities
they would have never thought
of trying a decade ago. They
climb mountains, go snorkel-
ling, paint, play the guitar,
learn Spanish. I recently
came across a daughter-in-
law and a mother-in-law pair
who had started dance classes
together! Their zest reminds
me of the wild energy of pre-
adolescent girls before they
are lost to the Bermuda trian-
gle of adolescence, when, as
Simone de Beauvoir put it,
Girls stop being and
start seeming.
Authenticity
Mary Pipher, describes
authenticity as owning
of all experiences, includ-
ing emotions and thoughts
that are not socially accept-
able (Reviving Ophelia,
Ballantine, 1994). It is the
disowning which starts at
adolescence and can continue
well into the 30s. This can
make women, feel frag-
mented and lost in their
DR SHELJA SEN
is a clinical
psychologist, family
therapist and trainer
at Sitaram Bhartia
Institute, Delhi.
Write to her at
shelja.s@
preventionindia.com
culturally sanctioned
roles. I believe that
apart from thoughts
and emotions, PMZ
women also start
owning their body.
They start enjoying
their body as never
before and it de-
nitely shows. You can
see it in their eyes,
voices and posture.
Sensuous, sexual and less
repressed, they take on life
with open arms. At this
age there is also a deep and
profound need to explore
their spiritual self. And
what is most intriguing is
how they are able to own so
many different and paradox-
ical dimensions with great
ease. Playful, sexy, assertive,
spiritual and yet nurturing.
Capacity to Love
Ironically, by putting them-
selves in the centre of their
own worlds PMZ women
rise up in most situations
to be most forgiving, empa-
thetic and loving. By enrich-
ing their own lives they
multiply their own capac-
ity for giving and caring.
As another PMZ woman
remarked, I have realised
that sweating at small stuff
is only going to make me
bitter and resentful. I have
learned to be accepting and
it has transformed my rela-
tionships. For the past 4
years she has taken to spend-
ing a week every year in a
spiritual retreat. Reintegrat-
ing their fragmented selves,
they passionately reach out,
reconnect and rejuvenate
bonds as wives, mothers,
daughters and friends. There
is no holding them back. A
big salute to the daring PMZ
women out there!
Some of you might feel
that PMZ has eluded you.
Maybe you feel that you have
lost that re somewhere
down the line. Do nd some
time for yourself every day
to reect and listen to your
heart. What makes you tick?
What do you feel passion-
ately about? What was your
childhood dream? What
makes you happy? Then go
ahead and reclaim your life.
One step at a time.
Good luck for your mean-
ingful journey!
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BY PUTTING
THEMSELVES
IN THE CENTRE
OF THEIR OWN
WORLDS PMZ
WOMEN RISE
UP IN MOST
SITUATIONS
TO BE MOST
FORGIVING,
EMPATHETIC
AND LOVING
ENRICHING THEIR OWN LIVES
THEY MULTIPLY THEIR CAPACITY
FOR GIVING AND CARING
81
Fertility
awareness
is crucial if
youre trying
to conceive.
Heres your
guide on how
to get pregnant
BY MARY KITTEL AND
DEBORAH METZGER
family
PERFECT
TIMING
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LACK OF KNOWLEDGE about a
womans cycle has sent countless frus-
trated couples to fertility clinics. The
encouraging news is that about 20% of
the couples who suspect theyre unable
to have children arent infertiletheyre
simply timing intercourse incorrectly.
If youre under 35 and have no known
risk factors for infertility, youre as
likely to get pregnant using well-timed
lovemaking as you are, using in vitro
fertilisation (IVF)and at considerable
savings. (And, more pleasure.) Even if
youre over 35, knowing your cycle could
help conception happen sooner and at
the very least will give your doctor vital
information for evaluating your men-
strual history, says Dr Kamini Rao,
director of the Bangalore Assisted Con-
ception Centre, and Prevention advisor
on gender issues.
Many couples need a reality check.
They are not so much misinformed as
they are just slightly on the far side of
understanding how individualised the
menstrual cycle is, Rao points out.
Below are a few of the common myths
that may be misleading you.
Myth A womans menstrual cycle is 4
weeks long.
Reality Cycles are shorter or longer
than that for 80% of women.
Its a rare woman whose menstrual
cycle is exactly 28 days long; most
women have cycles that fall within an
average range of 24 to 36 days. In fact,
at any given time, nearly 75% of women
will enter their fertile window before
day 10 or after day 17, says Toni Weschler,
developer of the Fertility Awareness
Method of ovulation detection and
author Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
Myth Ovulation happens on day 14.
Reality Ovulation timing may vary
from month to month.
Even if your period is as predict-
able as the sunrise, you may not always
release an egg. Stress, illness, and inter-
rupted sleep can disrupt ovulation.
Given that we often ovulate before or
after were supposed to (and sometimes
not at all), its crucial that women who
want to get pregnant learn to recog-
niseand act onthe subtle and not-
so-subtle physical signs that theyre ripe
to conceive. Unfortunately, few of us
were taught to recognise these signs.
Myth Daily or every-other-day sex
around mid-cycle will get you pregnant.
Reality Learning to recognise your
JULY 2008
PREVENTION 000
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unique, 5- to 6-day fertility window
could double conception odds.
Your menstrual cycle is synchronised
by various hormones that are released
at precise moments and in carefully cal-
ibrated amounts. Each hormone helps
ready your body for possible pregnancy
and triggers physical fertility clues you
may not have noticed.
Recognising and monitoring these
cluesby using the fertility aware-
ness techniques described
belowcan go along way
in helping you determine
the days when youre most
likely to conceive.
In one year, a woman
with normal fertility whos
having regular intercourse
has about an 85% chance of getting
pregnant, says Victoria H Jennings,
PhD, director of the Institute for Repro-
ductive Health at Georgetown Univer-
sity School of Medicine. But unless a
woman monitors her fertility clues, her
chances of conceiving in any given cycle
are only about 25 to 30%, she notes.
Thats because a sperm can live only 5 to
6 days inside the uterus and an egg no
more than 24 hours after ovulation.
Your chances of conceiving, how-
ever, arent equally high on all 6 days. A
sperm has a better chance of success if
it is ready and waiting in the reproduc-
tive tract when the egg begins moving
down the fallopian tube at ovulation,
says Jennings. Indeed, these early-bird
sperm have a 25 to almost 35% chance
of meeting an egg if theyre on their way
2 days prior to ovulation. After that, the
odds of fertilisation occurring drop pre-
cipitously, she says.
Myth Fertility awareness methods dont
work for women with irregular periods.
Reality Fertility awareness is crucial
A SPERM CAN LIVE ONLY 5 TO
6 DAYS INSIDE THE UTERUS
AND AN EGG NO MORE THAN
24 HOURS AFTER OVULATION
85
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Avoid hot water baths
In a Kaiser Permanente study of more
than a 1,000 women, hot-tubbing
even once a week doubled the risk of
miscarriage. Warm baths are okay in
winters, but prolonged hot water baths
may affect embryo development.
Avoid bathing with hot water; use
tepid water.
Shower instead
Wannabe dads are wise to take normal
showers and stay out of warm baths.
Sperm are very sensitive to heat.
Studies show that just a 5 minute soak
twice a week can impair their ability to
fertilise an egg for up to 3 months.
Let him recharge
If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle,
have sex no more than once a day on
days 12 through 16 of your cycle. The
24-hour time-out allows your mans
sperm count to return to normal level,
improving your chances of conception.
Tell the truth
Tests for sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs) like Chlamydia, that can cause
infertility, arent routine. So be honest
with your doctor and volunteer
information about your sexual history.
Fend off broids
Uterine broids can make it difcult to
conceive, or even threaten a developing
embryo. One way to ward them off is
to lose weight. Fat tissue produces the
estrogen that feeds broids.
Drop pounds before IVF
Obesity causes hormonal imbalances
that make it harder to conceive with
IVF. Losing just 5% of your body weight
before trying IVF may increase your
chances of success.
Have ouch-less sex
If you still need some vaginal lubrica-
tion after foreplay, try puried bottled
water. Even at very low concentrations,
ordinary lubricants have been shown to
slow down or even kill sperm.
Share the folate
Being folate decient may cause
breaks in chromosomes carried by
sperm. A multi-vitamin with folate
guarantees guys get all they need.
8 DOCTORTESTED FERTILITY BOOSTERS
86
family
for women with long or short periods.
By carefully charting your cycles, Jen-
nings says, you may nd that youre not
that irregular at all. Your body may simply
follow its own rhythm, ovulating every
35 days, say, instead of every 28. Track-
ing ovulation also can help you uncover
potential fertility problems sooner.
FERTILITY CLUES
Fertility awareness methods dont just
up your odds of conceiving, says Jen-
nings. Couples whove used them report
that the experience drew them closer.
And as women become more adept at
reading their bodies, they tend to feel
a new sense of control and condence.
Here are the fertility clues to chart:

As ovulation approaches, your cervix
softens, opens, and pulls back further in
your vagina.

Your cervix begins to manufacture
clear, stringy mucus that helps sperm to
enter the uterus and fallopian tubes.

Your resting basal (resting) body tem-
perature (BBT)taken when you wake
up in the morning before you get out of
bedrises nearly 1 degree at mid-cycle
and remains higher until your next
period. This happens after an egg bursts
from an ovary and begins its journey
through the fallopian tube. The follicle
that held the egg in the ovary, called
the corpus luteum, begins to produce
progesterone. Its this hormone that
prompts a rise in body temperature.
TRACKING SYSTEMS
Heres a rundown of the most common
fertility prediction methods. Under-
stand, though, that its not yet known
which method helps a woman conceive
most quickly. Research suggests, how-
ever, that methods that identify the 5- to
6-day fertile window leading up to and
including ovulation are more likely to
result in pregnancy.
Cervical Mucus Method
With this technique, you check the con-
sistency of your cervical mucus daily,
starting the day after your period ends.
This method may be all you need to pin-
point your most fertile days.
As ovulation approaches, vaginal
secretions become clear, more abun-
dant, and slipperyand may stretch 2
or more inches between your thumb and
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forenger. This sperm-friendly mucus
resembles your partners seminal uid,
providing a temporary alkaline envi-
ronment in the normally acidic vagina.
Its your bodys way of ensuring that
sperms are protected and mobile. This
is the best time for intercourse.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
In a normal cycle, a womans basal tem-
perature rises almost 1 degree just after
ovulation and remains higher until
menstruation. With BBT, you take your
temperature rst thing each morn-
ing with a basal thermometer. When
your temperature rises, youll know you
have ovulated. Its important to take
your temperature before you even get
out of bedno brushing your teeth,
making coffee, or wearing contact
lensesbecause movement affects body
temperature. Some experts say to avoid
even slight movements, such as speak-
ing, that could raise your temperature.
Illness, lack of sleep, and having a drink
the previous evening also can throw off
your temperature.
Using basal body temperature alone
isnt your best option, because it cant
detect peak fertility days before ovula-
tion. But it can spot problems, such as
indications that your hormones are out
of sequence.
Symptothermal Method
Women who use this approach observe
more than one fertility indicator, most
commonly BBT, cervical mucus, and the
position of your cervix. If you want a more
complete picture of your menstrual cycle,
STM is the way to go, says Weschler.
Standard Days Method
Women whose cycles are from 26 to 32
days long can use this variation on the
Rhythm Method. You track your fertile
days with a string of colour-coded beads
called CycleBead, a system developed by
the Institute for Reproductive Health at
Georgetown University. To use Cycle-
Beads, a woman moves a ring over a
series of colour-coded beads that rep-
resent her fertile and low fertility days.
The bead colour lets her know whether
she is on a day when she is likely to get
pregnant or not. The Standard Days
Method allows you to calculate the 12
most fertile days of your cycle, and it
seems to effectively indicate this con-
ception-ready window.
family
Adapted from Stay Fertile Longer by Mary Kittel;
Medical Advisor, Deborah Metzger, MD. Source:
Prevention, US, Guide on How to get Pregnant
HAVING A DRINK THE
PREVIOUS EVENING
CAN THROW OFF
YOUR BASAL BODY
TEMPERATURE
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Feel calmer by Friday
A new meditation form called integrative bodymind train-
ing (IBMT) boosts energy and reduces stress after just 20
minutes daily for 5 consecutive days, say scientists at the
University of Oregon and three Chinese institutes. Try this
exercise to initiate yourself in IBMT: sit quietly in a comfort-
able position. Close your eyes and think of your mind as a full
cup; as thoughts come and go, keep returning to an image of
the cup becoming empty. Repeat for 5 minutes.
PER CENT REDUCTION
IN STRESS HORMONE
LEVELS IN WOMEN
WHO MEDITATE,
COMPARED WITH
NON-MEDITATORS
66
you
Put yourself
in a Zenlike
state in less
than a week
89
JULY 2008
COPING SKILLS
you
That costs 200 rupees. You
still want me to show you the
material?
I stood slack-jawed in the
store at the rude gambit. I
had just walked in and his
presumption that I couldnt
afford or wasnt going to buy
his wares ensured Id never
walk in again.
Rudeness lurks everywhere.
Is it global warming, fear of
survival or special DNA that
make humans randomly rude?
From conversations and con-
dences with family and friends
I have realised that this is
really a universal experience
and some remedies for rude-
ness that various people have
offered have really helped.
RUDENESS AT A SERVICE
COUNTER
If someone serving you
is rude, escalate this to
a senior person, but its
important how you word
the complaint: I was
disappointed with this
behaviour and doubt I will
come here again, focusses
on the behaviour of the
service provider rather
than the person. It under-
lines that there are conse-
quences to impoliteness.
RANDOM RUDENESS
This knocks you out because
you just dont know how to deal
with it: taxi drivers, policemen,
front ofce people. Dont stress;
try humour instead. Like my
nephew did at a red light when
an aggressive driver shouted
an obscenity. He rolled down
his window, smiled, wagged his
nger and said: Naughty boy.
The rude guy was stunned.
RUDENESS AT WORK
Particularly stressful, because
these are the people you spend
maximum hours with. Analyse
the rudeness. A person who
is rude by nature, proba-
bly doesnt hate you but hates
himself, and is simply trans-
ferring inner anger outwards.
Avoid confrontation and keep
interactions to basics. Is the
person rude only sometimes?
Hey! He might just be having
a bad day. Offer empathy: You
were just not yourself yester-
day. Feeling better today?
RUDENESS AT HOME
Your own kids whom you love
may be turning on you. One
scenarioyoure cooking for
son and ask him how hed like
his sandwich. Answer: (with
annoyance) Im watching this
How to deal with aggression thats lurking everywhere
MAYA SAMI
is a writer and a
creative director
in the field of
communications.
She is also a singer
and composer. Write
to her at maya.s@
preventionindia.com
SURVIVE RUDENESS
I
L
L
U
S
T
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S

B
Y

M
A
M
T
A
000 PREVENTION
90
show, cant you see
that? God! He then
turns his attention
back to the TV, ignor-
ing you completely.
Other answers include
whatever or silence.
Firmness and calm-
ness are a must. You
could say: I assume
you dont want the
pizza since you didnt
answer me. Or simply
sit your kid down and
explain that there is a
politeness policy
in the house, and
underline that viola-
tion will result in loss
of privileges.

HERE ARE TIPS TO HELP YOU
HANDLE RUDENESS
Kill them with kindness If
you are especially kind to the
person being rude to you, youll
probably frustrate them and
be a good example for those
around you.
Take it with a grain of salt Dont
take it personally. The person
might have had a bad day, or
may be a jerk. You are not the
reason for their rudeness. Dont
let it eat into you all day and
build up bad vibes and stress.
If things become heated Make
sure someone else is there to
back you up. In some situations,
its good to have a witness so
things dont get out of control,
especially in the workplace, in
case the issue becomes larger.
Avoid being exposed If you can
avoid interacting with some-
one who is continually rude, do
so. Limit encounters to a bare
minimum. Always address the
business at hand and end the
encounter immediately.
Prevention is better than cure
Especially with kids, giving
them a solid good manners
value system will stand you,
them and their future circle of
people in good stead.
Laugh it off Combating rude-
ness with humour is the best
solution. Make yourself laugh
and the rude one crack up. It
lightens the atmosphere.
you
SOME MAGIC
POTIONS
TO SEE YOU
THROUGH
RUDENESS:
COUNT TO 10
A GAZILLION
TIMES.
TAKE DEEP
BREATHS.
OR SIMPLY
TUNE OUT BY
TUNING INTO
YOUR IPOD !
91
JULY 2008
ENERGY FIX
you
P
H
O
T
O
D
I
S
C
,

G
E
T
T
Y

I
M
A
G
E
S
/
A
S
S
I
G
N
.

S
E
R
V
I
C
E
S

Get up at the same
time every day.
This enables your
circadian rhythms
(24-hour cycle in
the physiological
processes of living
beings) to stay in
sync with your day.
Get into bed at the
same time too. Your
body will attune
itself to sleep and
release energy
accordingly.
1 Dont take work to
bed. Banish clutter and
busy thoughts from mind
and room.
2 Calm down with
music, or breathing exer-
cises, 15-20 minutes before
your regular sleep time.
3Avoid stimulants such
as coffee, alcohol or spicy
food before bed-time.
A serotonin-activating
warm milk drink will work.
SLEEP TO ENERGISE
Paradoxical as it may sound, sleep is an
active process of your body. Explains Dr
Atul Prasad, consultant neurologist, Artemis
Health Institute, Gurgaon, During sleep, the
neuro transmitters in the brain get active
and de-clutter the brain of the days
unwanted memories. This releases blocked
up energy and prepares your brain
to start afresh the next day.
Sleeping well can work wonders for your energy levels
BY ANKITA AGARWAL
SLEEP WELL
minutes of an afternoon
catnap is enough to make
up for a lost slumber.
Experts say that if youve
been up late, dont sleep
in more than an hour
longer than usual This will
help avoid disturbing your
body clock.
30
MAINTAIN
ROUTINE
92
JULY 2008
Answer Most business
travellers carry the burden of
missed family moments a
childs rst word, a birthday,
a school play. But there are
ways around this.
Matter above money
Dont compensate for your
absence with giftsit could
create an unpleasant sense
of materialism in the family.
Instead, prepare your family
in advance before a long trip.
Plan a treasure hunt and
leave messages for kids in
their wardrobes, school bags.
Instead of focussing on miss-
ing mom/dad at bedtime,
they would look forward to
the hunt. When possible, call
and give them clues. This way,
youll be there with them even
while being away.
Let your partner know how
much you miss him/her
call up or bridge the miles by
sending a handwritten letter.
If youre not the type for such
notes, theres skype.com read-
ily available for free interna-
tional calls.
On the side
Enjoy the perks of your exten-
sive traveltake family vaca-
tions on your frequent ier
miles; stay in great hotels,
courtesy the points system.
Encourage your spouse to
enjoy the alone timethey
could listen to music that you
dont enjoy or renew a long-
forgotten interest or catch up
with their friends.
Absence is tough on sex
life but keep the spark alive.
A naughty note in her make-
up bag or a truly mushy
voicemail will keep the re
burning, wherever you are.
Travelling is stressful and
can put people on a short
fuse when they get home. So,
dont go into overdrive on
your return. Gently ow back.
Make each moment count.
The greatest happinesses
in our lives can come out of
family time!
you
Question MY JOB DEMANDS FREQUENT TRAVEL. HOW
DO I MAKE UP FOR MY ABSENCE FROM MY FAMILY?
SANJAY SALOOJA
is as an educator,
corporate philosopher
and a life coach. He
has a PhD thesis on
Building Optimism in
Indians.
Write to him at
sanjay.s@
preventionindia.com
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
STAY CON-
NECTED
THROUGH FRE-
QUENT ONLINE
AND OFFLINE
CHATS
you
NEVER TIRED OF THIS LIFE
I suddenly froze one day. The story of how I used meditation to
stay afloat BY ANJANA RAJGURU ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAMTA
Life was like anybody elses, a mixed
bag of highs and lows, until one morn-
ing in 2004, when it changed all of a
sudden. I was driving back after drop-
ping my kids (then 5 and 7) to school.
Suddenly, I realised I could not move
my upper back and chest at all. I was
immobilised at the wheel, standing in
the middle of the road, with other driv-
ers honking at me furiously. No matter
how hard I tried, I just could not budge.
A quick call to my husband and with
the help of a doctor, I was wheeled into
the emergency. Injections, X-rays and
ultrasounds followed. But nothing
helped. I was advised laser therapy but
it only made my condition worse. With
every passing hour I kept losing strength.
I was unable to fathom what was going
on inside me. One minute I was an active
homemaker and in no time I became a
bed-ridden, immobile patient. There had
been no symptoms, nothing. Just a nag-
ging upper back pain. Dont most over-
worked mothers get it now and then?
But this was clearly different. I
realised I could not even move without
being completely fatigued. I could barely
keep my eyes open. I could not brush my
teeth, comb my hair or even eat on my
own. My entire right side would tighten
up. Breathing itself was a huge task. I
could see the anxiety on my childrens
faces. My parents moved in with us to
help us out. My husband took leave to be
by my side. I could see how painful it was
for everyone. Nobody knew what was
wrong with me: whether I would ever be
normal again, whether I would live at all.
There were no answers.
Doctors struggled with my diagnosis.
One prescribed valium and advised me
to believe I was ne as though it was all
in my head. Valium kept me somnolent
for days together but my fatigue refused
to go away. Another diagnosed me with
Polymyalgia Rheumatica, but I did not
t the age prole. I was only 33, whereas
this disease is said to strike much older
people. I lurched from one expert to
another, but got no answer.
All tests, big and small,
drew a blank except one
blood test that suggested
an auto-immune disorder.
I began to lose hope. I felt
my system was giving up.
My limbs did not move. My
lungs refused to ll up with
air. I couldnt speak and my
REAL LIFE
head hurt so much that I felt I was black-
ing out half the time. I was beginning to
surrender myself to an unknown disease
and a vegetated life. The undying support
of my family and friends kept me going.
I then heard of Dr Gauri Devi, senior
consultant neurologist, Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital, Delhi, and a pioneer in neuro-
muscular disorders. She gave my illness
a nameChronic Fatigue and Immune
Dysfunction Syndrome. I seemed to
have all the symptoms: muscular pain,
acute headache, inability to perform
small tasks, irregular heart beat, short-
ness of breath, orthostatic intoler-
anceas I could neither sit nor stand
for long, gastrointestinal disturbances,
repeated infections because of lowered
immunity, giddiness after eating, food
allergies, chemical sensitivities and of
course, extreme, indescribable fatigue.
Although I now had a name for my dis-
ease, I was devastated to know that mod-
ern medicine was yet to nd a cure for it.
Devi advised yoga and meditation. I went
from one guru to another, tried many
meditation schools and reiki healers, but
came away more hurt than healed. I spent
thousands buying crystals but those pieces
of glass failed to bring in any ray of light
into my diseased life.
Yoga gurus told me I was unt for yoga.
Luckily, I came across Yogi Ashwiniji of
Dhyan Foundation. He made no prom-
ises and charged no money. He guided me
and taught me ashtanga yoga and sanatan
kriya, both of which help a person attain
physical and emotional balance.
Slowly, I started responding. Along-
side, Dr Arvind Kishore, a Delhi-based
homoeopathic expert, helped ease my
symptoms with homoeopathy. Both
systems helped me improve. I could
stand and walk for a while. The allergies
reduced. I could even drive occasionally,
talk to my children for a few minutes
without opping back on the bed.
Today, I live with my disease by work-
ing around the limitations. From hav-
ing food allergies to doing food reviews,
from being totally dependant to inde-
pendantly working as a freelance writer,
from hunting for yoga teachers to guid-
ing people into yoga under Yogijis guid-
ance, I have indeed come a long way.
But there are many more miles to go.
you
If you have a similar story to share, send it to us at
real.life@preventionindia.com
101
GET MORE
IN YOUR LIFE
PLEASURE
20 ways, from the sublime to the slightly silly, to
remind yourself of all there is to savour
BY MARIA RODALE
We women are so good
at serving others. Putting our fami-
lys needs before our own feels like
second nature. Day in and day out, we
automatically say, Its my pleasure,
as we cook, clean, shop, and care for
our partners and kids (or moms and
dads) and bosses. But when it comes
to claiming pleasure for ourselves, we
often feel guilty or selsh. The irony is,
the more we meet our own needs, the
easier it is for us to help others without
resentment or anger, and the healthier
we become.
Here are 20 ways you can begin en-
joying all the benets that pleasure can
bring to your life and start saying, Its
my pleasure, right now.
you
Watch a funny movie This one is
easy. Dont try to make the rest of your
family happy with the choice. Pick out
a movie that only you want to see. It
can be a whacky, slap-stick Bollywood
ick or something more subtle. It will
not only make you feel good, it will also
help keep your blood vessels healthy, say
researchers at the University of Mary-
land School of Medicine. Adds Neeru
Kanwar, A funny movie changes your
mood and helps you to do something
better. Also laughter eases a lot of stress
by releasing feel-good chemicals such as
endorphins in the body.
Do something youve never
done before Rutgers University
anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD,
reports that doing novel things actually
boosts brain levels of dopamine, which
increases feelings of pleasure. Try
learning a new skill, like tai-chi, music,
or salsa dance. Or just check out a new
storeand dont be afraid to try on a
designer dress, wild earrings, or other
stuff you might never buy.
Savour a romantic novel Speak-
ing of novel things, reading books with
happy endings is one of lifes great-
est pleasures, and that happy feeling
lingers long after the book is done. Try
curling up with a Jane Austen or other
similar classics of passionate and funny
stories of love conquering all.
Go for a swim Find a place where
you dont mind revealing your beauti-
fully imperfect body and jump in. Dive.
Waddle in water. Float. Or if youre
feeling energetic, you can melt away 340
calories by swimming laps for half an
hour. Kanwar says that any kind of water
interaction cools the mind somewhat to
develop a better sense of equanimity.
Write a letter Get out your good
paper and a fancy pen and write a letter
to a long-lost friend or family member.
Pour your heart out. You dont even have
to send it if you dont want toin fact,
dont, if its an angry missive. The only
place to send irate letters is to your local
newspapers editorial page. Expressing
your feelingseven the angry ones
keeps your immune system humming.
Create your own prayer Make it
as personal and specic as you want.
Write it down. Say it every night before
you go to bed, silently if you like. Every
time I take off on a plane, I pray for
protection and safe travel, and pledge
my service and gratitude. The combi-
nation of lifting off and surrendering
to the will of the universe gives me a
powerful feeling of safety.
Spend an hour alone in your
room Close the door and do whatever
you want (except clean). Dream, dress
up, or whatever.
GET IT ALL OUT,
SAFELY, ON PAPER
O
P
E
N
I
N
G

I
M
A
G
E
:

S
T
O
C
K
B
Y
T
E
;

T
O
P
:

P
H
O
T
O

A
L
T
O
,

D
O
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L
A
N
D
,

J
O
H
N
103
Take a snooze break Dont worry
about when youll wake up. Open the
window and breathe in the fresh air.
Even a 15-minute nap will make you feel
alert and ready to tackle anything, say
Japanese researchers at the National In-
stitute of Industrial Health in Kawasaki.
Sleep in your birthday suit Close
the doors, switch off the lights and go
ahead, get naked. Feel the soft sheets
against your bare skin and imagine
what it felt like to be a babysafe, cosy,
and blissfully unaware of any problems.
Have sex- deux, or alone From
ancient Roman times to the prudish
Victorian era there actually was a name
for the illness women got from not hav-
ing enough sex: hysteria. The honest-
to-goodness cure was called medical
masturbation, and doctors invented the
vibrator to make it easier. Since then, sci-
entists have gured out why it works: an
orgasm boosts levels of estrogen, which
lifts our moods, and endorphins, which
D
I
G
I
T
A
L

V
I
S
I
O
N

C
D
If we could put aside de-stressing or me
time, we would feel a lot less frazzled. Dr
Bhavna Barmi, senior clinical psycholo-
gist at Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi offers
some useful tips
7 (give or take an hour) hours of good
rejuvenating sleep
1 hour of quality time for personal hygiene:
good shower, body-bufng, moisturising
and the works
1 hour of quality time for yourself (exer-
cise, deep breathing, a constructive hobby
or watching television)
1 hour of quality time for meals
This will leave you with 14 hours of work and
travel. Follow principles of de-stressing to
make the most out of these.
Delegate and prioritise work
Maintain a sense of humour
Take breaks during work
Be assertive: say no if you need to
Respect others, their time and maintain
humility
Manage time to manage life
BASK IN SOME
CUDDLY CONTACT
you
are natural painkillers and depres-
sion ghters. So if you have symptoms
of crabbiness, overwrought emotions,
crying ts, and a high-strung, nervous
constitution, follow doctors orders: have
an orgasm. Repeat if necessary.
Play with some animals Yours if
you have them, others if you dont. Its
time well spent: studies have shown
that stroking an animal counters stress.
Play fetch, or just take them for a walk.
Snuggle with your pets, your
kids, your partner Get close and just
enjoy the wonderful feeling of warmth
and love. Youll benet from the con-
tact: frequent hugs help keep blood
pressure low and hearts healthy, report
researchers at the University of North
Carolina. Experts say that snuggling
gives you a great sense of being cared
for and nurtured.
Document a special occasion
with photos Make a story out of it.
Only pick pictures of things you really
want to rememberthe kids puppet
show at your sisters wedding, or the
three-tiered cake at your anniversary
party. Imagine your great-great-grand
kids laughing and crying over the images.
Give yourself a day off for good
behaviour Dont wait until youre sick
or depressed. Take a day to do whatever
you want to do to reward yourself for all
your hard work. Spend all day reading in
bed, plant a new garden, or clean out a
closet. Play music and sing along.
Eat out solo Order whatever you
want. Enjoy the indulgence and the
silence. Savour the food, and the great
company. Dont be surprised if its hard.
But the rush of pride you feel when its
over is better than any dessert.
Develop a craft Always wanted to
learn how to knit, or paint? Make time
to do it. Youll enhance brain power by
forming new neural connections.
Give yourself a beauty treatment
Take a relaxing bath and give yourself a
non-polish manicure (push back cuticles,
le and buff), slather herbal mask on your
face, or deep-condition your hair. Or book
a day spa appointment for something
youve never tried before but have always
been curious abouta hot stone massage
or a chocolate body wrap. Skip the stuff
aimed at making you look better for oth-
ers, and focus on what will make you feel
your best. You are already beautiful.
If you have access to a giant
trampoline, jump on it Youll feel like
you can y and wont be able to help but
laugh. Dont try crazy moves, however,
just jump! Youll be giving your coordina-
tion, balance, and agility a big boost.
Dance Put on some happy music and
waltz around. Grab anyone who happens
to be nearby or just do it on your own.
Put on any rhythm you love and lose
yourself to some uninterrupted pleasure.
Lie on the grass and look up at
the clouds Try to remember what it was
like when you were a kid, and see if you
can recall what you wanted to be when
you grew up. What would your little-kid
self think of who youve become? If she
would be bummed, think about the kinds
of changes youd have to make in order
to make her happy. Then ask yourself,
whats stopping you? Dont let fear hold
you back. Follow your pleasure.
SET ASIDE ME
TIME OUTDOORS
D
I
G
I
T
A
L

V
I
S
I
O
N
( Maria Rodale is chairman of the board at
Rodale Inc., publishers of Prevention, US. With
inputs from Shivangi Anand)
105
These drugs are banned and with good reason. Yet
they continue to float in the market. Make sure you
go through this list and choose safe alternatives
BY RADHIKA D SRIVASTAVA ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAMTA
These medicines are bad for the
Americans, the British, the Mexicans,
but not for Indians, apparently. Or
so our health administration seems
to believe. Take Refecoxib, a pain-
killer. Even though the Central Drugs
Standard Control Organisation, the
government regulatory body, banned
it in 2003, following Mercks decision
to withdraw the molecule from world
markets (because it was found to have
an adverse effect on the heart), it con-
tinued to oat in chemist shops long
after that. Medicines banned abroad
are freely manufactured, marketed
and prescribed in India. Unsuspecting
patients, oblivious of their side effects,
take them and often end up with
problems they would never attribute
to these drugs. So far, 77 drugs and
formulations have been banned in the
country. But the ban is hardly adhered
to. Who is to be blamed for this mess?
The supremely disinterested health
administration? Doctors who blithely
prescribe these potentially dangerous
drugs? Or patients who do not bother
to nd out enough about the medicine
they are taking? All of us must share
responsibility. As patients we need to
be well-informed and more vigilant.
We need to ask the right questions and
demand safer alternatives. After all,
its about our health and well-being.
YOU SHOULD
AVOID
13 DRUGS
Heres a list of medicines that are no
longer in use in the developed world.
Next time your doctor prescribes any
of these, tell him its on the banned list
abroad, and ask for safer alternatives.
THESE MEDICINES ARE BAD
Drug: Cisapride
Used for: Gastric trouble
and nausea
Side effects: Can cause
irregular heart beats
Banned in: The US
According to Dr Anil Arora, con-
sultant gastroenterologist at Delhis
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Cisapride
was a very frequently used medi-
cine for gastric trouble
and vomiting. But re-
cent US research
shows that
this drug
has several
side effects
including
damage to the
heart. It has
been banned in
many countries,
but not in India.
I do not prescribe
Cisapride to my
patients any more.
I prefer safer alterna-
tives, he says. Many
doctors, perhaps not
aware of this nding, continue
to prescribe it.
OUR TIP Never self medicate. Check
with your doctor before taking an
OTC drug. However, doctors prescribe
Ranitidine as an alternative.
Doctors point out that there is not
enough original drug research being
done in India. The least they can do
is to keep abreast of research abroad
and take cognizance of a ban or
adverse nding. The problem, says
Arora, is that when a person clears
the MBBS exam in India, he or she
is a doctor for life. In other countries
doctors need to pass an exam every
ve years to renew their licence. This
way they are forced to stay in touch
with the latest in their eld.
Drug: Loperamide,
Quniodochlor
Used for: Controlling diar-
rhoea
Side effects: Optic
nerve damage
Banned in: The US
and countries of
the European
Union (EU)
These anti-diar-
rhoeal medicines
have been banned
in almost all
western coun-
tries for many
years now. But
hop across to a
chemist anywhere
in India, and you will
nd both these medicines,
said to cause damage to the
optic nerve, available readily. Quni-
odochlor, despite its side effects, is
freely prescribed because it is the
cheapest drug for diarrhoea. But many
doctors are wary of prescribing them.
These drugs are not safe at all. We try
108
and prescribe medicines which treat
the cause of the infection, rather than
diarrhoea itself, says Arora.
OUR TIP Consult your doctor to as-
sess your condition and prescribe the
right treatment. Dont go for alterna-
tives that are commonly suggested by
lay persons.
Drug: Isoxsuprine
Used for: Premature labour pain
Side effects: Maternal respiratory
distress
Banned in: The US and EU
Though banned abroad because
they are said to cause respiratory dis-
tress, these drugs are widely used in
maternity units across India, says Dr
Anita Kaul, senior consultant, foetal
medicine at Delhis Apollo Hospital.
The new generation of doctors in the
UK have not even heard of these medi-
cines. They havent been used there for
the past 40 years or so. But in India,
these are freely prescribed. Newer
and safer options are available abroad
but these havent entered the Indian
market yet. The government needs
to have a policy to proactively bring in
safer medicines and also regulate their
prices so that they become affordable,
says Kaul.
OUR TIP Always check with your
doctor to conrm whether your
abdominal pain is actually linked to
uterine contraction. Very often, its just
gastric trouble.
Drug: Combinations of
Rosiglitazone, Metformin and
Glibenclamide (combination
diabetes drugs)
Used for: Controlling blood
glucose levels
Side effect: Toxicity in case of
overdose
India is perhaps the largest market
for xed-dose combination medicine.
Such combinations do no exist in
the developed world, says Dr Ambr-
ish Mithal, senior endocrinologist at
Delhis Apollo Hospital. Diabetes
medicines available in our country
are the ones that sell abroad. But the
difference is that here we have pills
with three different medicines rolled
into one. These combinations are not
tried and tested but sell a lot, he says.
Clearly, they are being prescribed
randomly. These drugs have three dif-
ferent compounds and can be harmful
for diabetics who do not need all three
components.
OUR TIP Discuss this with your
doctor if you are taking combination
diabetes drugs.
Drug: Combination of calcium and
alfa caldicol (active metabolised
calcium)
Used for: Kidney and thyroid
problems
Side effects: Overdose and coma
Nowhere in the world would you
nd a xed-dose combination of na-
tive calcium and active metabolised
calcium. This is just not done. Both the
ingredients should be sold separately
as it happens in other countries. We
urgently need to regulate such combi-
nations, says Mithal.
In India medicines approved for
use in a particular condition are often
prescribed by doctors for something
else. Active metabolised Vitamin D, a

Youve been to a doctor and have
a prescription in hand. Before you
leave the clinic read it carefully. Look
for sufxes such as OS, TZ, DS or any
other. It could mean its a combination
medicine. If it is, ask your doc if you
really need both. Combinations are not
always undesirable. But there has to be
a strong therapeutic justication for it.
In many conditions like tuberculosis,
where combination drugs are pre-
scribed, xed dose combination helps in
improving patient compliance because
the number of pills a patient needs to
take comes down, says Guleria.
Always ask your doctor if any of the
medicines prescribed is controversial.
Ask for a safer option wherever
necessary. Asking questions and clear-
ing your doubts is better than going
back home, unsure of whether you
should be taking this drug, or worse
still, discontinuing it abruptly.
If you are on a regular medicine and
your doctor decides to change it, nd
out why. Ask if the new medicine is
safe. Also ask if the medicine is used in
other countries.
When buying a medicine from the
chemist, read the label carefully. See if
there are any warnings or any caution-
ary notes printed on it. If there is, its
best to check with your doctor, express
your fear and ask for an alternative.
Always ensure you buy only what
has been prescribed by the doctor.
Be careful to tally the spelling on the
prescription and the medicine label.
Remember, a change in a letter here or
there, could be very dangerous.
How to ensure your
medicines are safe
110
medicine for kidney failure and para-
thyroid is sometimes prescribed to
osteoporosis patients who can go into
coma with this, warns Mithal.
OUR TIP See what you are buying.
Watch out for the OS sufx.

Drug: Antibiotic and ameobocidal
combinations (Norfloxacin and
Tinnidazole, Norfloxacin and
Metronidazole)
Used for: Stomach infections
Side effects: Can lead to cancer
Such combinations are commonly
prescribed for a stomach infection.
In the west, combinations of Nor-
oxacin and Tinnidazole, Ooxacin
and Tinnidazole, Noroxacin and
Metronidazole or other combinations
of antibiotics and ameobocidal
medicines are banned. These medi-
cines are available only in their indi-
vidual salts, explains Arora. A patient
may actually need only one of the two
salts, but ends up having the other
salt unnecessarily, in a combination
medicine, he says. But then the type
of infection is ascertained only by a
laboratory test that is neither pre-
ferred by patients in India nor very
reliable in many cases. Hence, com-
bination medicines are prescribed as
they cover all possibilities. In very
sick patients, or when there is a doubt
of mixed infection, combination
therapy may at times, be advised. As
many doctors want to play safe, there
is a tendency to use multiple anti-mi-
Ravi Kant, Assistant Drug
Controller, Delhi government:
Whenever the government
bans a drug we get in touch
with the drug company and
ask it to withdraw its stock
from the market with imme-
diate effect. We also get in
touch with various associa-
tions of chemists and drug
retailers to prohibit the sale.
However, effective enforce-
ment is not always possible.
Delhi has 29 drug inspectors
to keep a tab on 11,000 regis-
tered drug dealers in the city.
Which is why, it takes a while
before the banned drug can
be removed from the shelves.
So sometimes, it stays on.
ENFORCING A BAN IS
NOT EASY
DRUG ADMINISTRATION SPEAK
111
DRUG USED FOR SIDE EFFECTS BRAND NAMES
Cisapride Gastric trouble and
nausea
Can cause irregular
heart beats
Floperamide,
Quniodochlor
Controlling
diarrhoea
Optic nerve
damage
Isoxsuprine Premature labour
pain
Maternal respira-
tory distress
Combinations of
Rosiglitazone,
Metformin and
Glibenclamide
(combination
diabetes drugs)
Controlling blood
glucose levels
Toxicity in case of
overdose
Combination of
Calcium and Alfa
Caldicol (active
metabolised
calcium)
Kidney and thyroid
problems
An overdose can
lead to coma
Antibiotic and
ameobocidal
combinations
(Noroxacin
and Tinnidazole,
Noroxacin and
Metronidazole)
Stomach infections Can lead to cancer
Combination of
paracetamol and
nimesulide
Bringing down fever Liver damage
Droperidol Anxiety Can cause heart
damage
Furazolidone Diarrhoea Carcinogenic
Phenylpropanol-
amine
Cold Heart and brain
damage
Tegaserod Gastric trouble High blood pres-
sure, back pain
Phenolphthalein Laxative Carcinogenic
DRUGS YOU SHOULD AVOID
Heres your checklist. Tear it out and pin it on your board. Get the brand names from
your doctor
112
crobial combinations which often is
unjustied, says Dr Randeep Guleria,
professor of medicine at the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.
OUR TIP Do not pop these without
your doctors advice.
Drug: Combination of paracetamol
and nimesulide
Used for: Bringing down fever
Side effects: Liver damage
Banned in: Across the developed
world
Dr Anjali Mathur, senior paedia-
trician at Moolchand Medcity says
that she keeps her distance from
Nimesulide syrup, used in India to
bring down fever in children, but
banned in the US. Our rst line
of treatment for fever is always
paracetamol. But I often
see prescriptions with
drugs containing
combinations of
both paracetamol
and nimesulide.
Such combinations
are banned abroad
and are quite
harmful, says
Mathur. These
medicines, when
given to very young
children, can cause
hypothermia
which can turn
fatal, she says.
Besides, these
strong medicines
bring down the body
temperature for
12 hours, making it
difcult to ascertain
whether a child has
continuous fever
which could be a
symptom of typhoid,
or intermittent
fever which could
be due to malaria,
explains Mathur.
OUR TIP If pa-
racetamol is not
effective, speak to your
doctor about mefenamic
acid. Never give your
child any medicines with-
out consulting a doctor.
Alert your doctor in
case you cannot nd the
brand prescribed. Ask for
the generic name.
(With inputs from Ramesh Menon.)
Ajay Pal Gupta of Yamuna
Chemists in Delhis Lodhi Col-
ony: Most of the combination
medicines are not allowed
in other countries. But these
are very popular in India. We
remove stocks only when we
receive a notication from the
government. Whenever there
is a ban, the drug control-
lers ofce sends a copy of
the Gazette notication to the
associations of chemists and
doctors which then pass it on
to the members.
WE STOCK WHATEVER
IS POPULAR
CHEMIST SPEAK
113
GOOD-BYE
Lose inches and get toned in 6 weeks with high-energy
The advanced version
of the Breaststroke
improves body toning
while it targets the abs
BELLY FAT
walks, power Pilates, and the best f lat-abs foods
BY ELENA ROVER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID MARTINEZ
Sounds familiar? You exercise and eat right, but
your waistline refuses to budge. Sadly, after age 40 you
need to work harder to whittle your middle. But with our
science-backed, three-part plan, you can get a atter belly
in 3 to 6 weeks (the bigger your bulge, the faster you lose).
A recent study done by Skidmore College, US shows that
a programme of challenging strength exercises, vigorous
cardio, and a slight shift in food choices (not a diet!) cut
twice as much abdominal fat as the typical low-fat and
cardio plan, while slashing more than an hour a week off
your workout. Our version combines ab-targeting Pilates
moves, high-powered walks and fat-busting foods to slim
your midsectionand reduce your risk of diabetes, heart
disease, and other life-threatening health issues.
Youll notice less all-over jiggle in 3 weeks as you build
muscle and shed fat. In 6 weeks, youll trim inches off
your waist, thanks to a loss of 4 to 5 kilos. Keep going
for a rmer stomach in about 6 months. Happier,
healthier, stronger, slimmerthis is life after 40!
THE EXPERTS
Los Angeles trainer
Kathy Smith, author
of the Power Walk
for Weight Loss
DVD, designed the
walking workout.
Pilates instructor
Lara Hudson, author
of the Prevention
Fitness Systems
Slim, Strong & Firm
DVD, designed the
strength routine.
WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6+
Power
Walks
Triple-
Decker
Walks
Pilates
Power
Moves
3 days,
20 min
1 day,
18 min
3 days,
easier
versions
or main
moves
3 days,
25 min

1 day,
24 min
5 days,
easier
versions
or main
moves
3 days,
30 min
1 day,
30 min
3 days,
main
moves
3 days,
30 min
2 days,
18 min
5 days,
main
moves
3 days,
30+ min
2 days,
24 min
3 days,
harder
versions
3 days,
30+ min
2 days,
30+ min
5 days,
harder
versions
YOUR WORKOUT AT A GLANCE
YOUR EATING PLAN AT A GLANCE
5 easy tips, 7 days a week: Make simple substitutions in your food choices to
reduce abdominal fat without feeling deprived
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116
POWER WALKS
Improve your bodys calorie-
burning ability and shrink fat
cells. Start with 20 minutes,
but if you feel ready for
more, go for it! The key is to
walk with focus, pumping
your arms and working every
muscle, to maximize your
calorie burn:
Use your full stride. Land
squarely on your heel, then
roll through the foot to push
off strong with the toes.
Make it brisk. Be sure to
keep your breathing regular
and controlled, but main-
tain a pace that makes it a
little difcult to carry on a
conversation.
Add new challenges. If you
can talk easily at a brisk
pace, go even faster, climb
steps, or increase the incline
on the treadmill to ramp up
the intensity.
POWER WALKS
Improve your bodys calorie-
burning ability and shrink fat
cells. Start with 20 minutes,
but if you feel ready for
more, go for it! The key is
to walk with focus, pump-
ing your arms and working
every muscle, to maximise
your calorie burn:
Use your full stride Land
squarely on your heel, then
roll through the foot to push
off strong with the toes.
Make it brisk Be sure to
keep your breathing regular
and controlled, but maintain
a pace that makes it a
little difcult to carry on
a conversation.
Add new challenges If you
can talk easily at a brisk
pace, go even faster, climb
steps, or increase the incline
on the treadmill to ramp up
the intensity.
1
The Scissor Works abs,
quadriceps, hamstrings,
biceps, shoulders
Main Move Seated, place
centre of band around ball
of left foot, grasping one end
in each hand. Roll down, back
on oor, legs extended, feet
exed. Curl head, neck, and
shoulders up, pressing belly to
spine. With upper arms on
oor, bend elbows, bringing sts
to chest. Lift left leg straight
up over hip (1a). Using a rapid,
controlled motion, inhale and
kick left leg down, stopping
just inches from oor, while lift-
ing right leg straight up. Exhale
and switch legs. Repeat for a
total of 8 reps. Switch band to
right leg and repeat.
MAKE IT EASIER Rest head and
shoulders on oor (1b).
MAKE IT HARDER Grasp band
closer to foot to increase
resistance.
TRIPLE-DECKER WALKS
These intervals (see Your Workout at a
Glance) let you burn more calories for a
longer period of time, which translates
to more all-over slimming:
Warm-up, 3 min Go at an easy pace
that allows you to sing.
Level 1, 2 min Stride comfortably but
purposefully, not so fast that you cant
carry on a conversation.
Level 2, 2 min Bump up heart rate by
climbing a set of stairs or a steep hill.
Level 3, 2 min Challenge yourself with a
steeper hill or quicken your pace.
Cool-down, 3 min Walk leisurely
enough that you can sing.
Weeks 1 & 4 Repeat each level twice.
Weeks 2 & 5 Repeat each level 3 times.
Weeks 3 & 6 Repeat each level 4 times.
6 PILATES POWER MOVES
These six exercises are graceful, but theyre
also intense. Precision is vital to results,
so start slowly. Try the main moves rst; if
theyre too strenuous, stick with the easier
versions, and try to take it up a notch around
week 3 (see Your Workout at a Glance).
Compared with crunches, most Pilates
ab exercises challenge the abdominals to a
greater degree, says Michele S Olson, PhD,
a professor of exercise science at Auburn
University, US. For an even faster payoff,
we paired the moves with an exercise band
(available at sports goods stores). Research
shows that adding extra resistance to
strength-training almost triples the benets.
These sessions deliver results similar to
those experienced by the Skidmore study
subjectsatter abs in shorter workouts.
1a
1b
118
2
2c
2a
2b
Seated Side Twist with Triceps
Works obliques, back, quadriceps,
triceps, shoulders
Main Move Sit tall, legs extended, toes
pointed. Bend left knee, foot on oor, and
place centre of band under ball of foot,
holding band ends in left hand. Turn torso
to face left knee, wrapping right hand
around left knee and squeezing shoulder
blades (2a). Exhale and lift and extend
left leg to 45-degree angle with oor
while straightening and extending left arm
back at shoulder height and turning to
face left hand (2b). Keeping back erect,
inhale as you bend and lower leg and arm.
Do 8 reps, then switch sides and repeat.
MAKE IT EASIER Keep both feet on oor.
MAKE IT HARDER Instead of holding knee,
extend free arm toward toes at shoulder
height and hold there for entire move (2c).
Double Leg X
Works abs, back, shoulders,
quadriceps, hips, biceps
Main Move: Seated with knees
bent, place band under balls of
both feet. Criss cross band, holding
one end in each hand, and slowly
roll down until back is on oor,
keeping knees bent and bringing
thighs close to chest, feet exed.
With upper arms on oor, elbows
bent and tucked in, raise head
and shoulders (3a). Thats the start
position. Inhale and straighten
legs out to sides while raising arms
out and overhead to form an X
(3b). Keep movement controlled.
Hold for 1 count and return to start.
Repeat for a total of 8 reps.
MAKE IT EASIER Keep feet on oor
for rst 5 reps.
MAKE IT HARDER Hold extended
position for 5 counts on each rep.
4
3
The Breaststroke
Works back, abs, shoulders,
arms, hips
Main Move Kneeling, toes curled
under, place centre of band around
balls of feet, holding one band end in
each hand. Slowly walk out on hands
and lie facedown on oor, feet exed,
hands on oor directly beneath
shoulders, elbows tucked in. Contract
abs and back muscles to lift head and
shoulders gently; exhale and extend
arms forward at shoulder level, lifting
feet at the same time. Circle arms out
to sides (4a), then in towards legs
and down. Inhaling, circle wrists to
bring hands back to oor under shoulders, lowering feet. Do 8 reps.
MAKE IT EASIER Hold chest closer to oor; dont lift feet.
MAKE IT HARDER As you circle arms to sides,
open lifted legs wide and hold for 3 counts before lowering
and completing arm circle.
3a
3b
4a
120
4a
5
5
Starsh Extension
Works obliques, upper back, outer thighs, shoulders
Main Move Sitting with knees bent, feet at on oor, place band around ball of right
foot, grasping both ends in right hand. Roll onto left side, legs stacked, knees slightly bent,
and rest right hand on hip (5a). Aligning left elbow under shoulder (left hand forward,
ngers spread for support), lift hips to make a straight line from knees to head. Exhale as
you lift right leg, straightening knee and extending right arm overhead (5b). Dont sink into
shoulder. Inhale on release. Complete 4 reps, then switch sides and repeat.
MAKE IT EASIER Keep hips on oor.
MAKE IT HARDER Straighten bottom leg to form a straight line from feet to head (5c).
5b
5a 5c
121
You cant down 3,000
calories a day and expect to lose
your belly, but calories arent the
entire story. Certain foods seem
to pack kilos on the midsec-
tion: experts from the Framing-
ham Nutrition Studies in the US
reported that women who ate
almost 400 fewer daily calories but
chose the least nutritious foods had
a 2
1
2 times higher risk of abdomi-
nal obesity than those who ate
that much more but made better
choices. They also had dramati-
cally higher risk of such serious
health issues as type 2 diabetes and
heart attacks, says Barbara Millen,
the studys director of nutritional
research. You dont have to diet:
just fold these strategies into your
life and watch ab ab pare down.
1. EAT FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES
Especially orange ones. Women
trimmed their waists by replacing
rened grains like white bread and
simple or added sugar with carbs
from fruits and vegetables, according
to the latest review from Copenha-
gen University Hospital, US. Besides
packing in the bre, which keeps you
feeling full longer, researchers sus-
pect its the rich anti-oxidants, such
as Vitamin C and beta-carotene, that
ward off ab fat. Carrots, mangoes,
pumpkin and peaches are great
5 FOOD FIXES
FOR FLAT ABS
The Hundred
Works abs, triceps, shoulders
Main Move Seated with knees
bent, place centre of band under calves,
just below knees. Criss cross band over
shins and hold one end in each hand, next
to legs. Touching ngertips to backs of
thighs, exhale and slowly roll down until
back is on oor. Lift knees over hips, with
lower legs parallel to oor. Curl head, neck,
and shoulders up, pressing belly to spine.
Grasping band in sts, reach arms straight,
parallel to oor (6a). Inhaling, pump arms
rapidly up and down 5 times. Exhaling,
pump arms 5 times. Repeat for a total of
10 breaths (100 arm pumps).
MAKE IT EASIER Rest head and shoulders
on oor during exercise (6b).
MAKE IT HARDER Grasp band closer to legs
to increase resistance.
6
6a
6b
122
sources of beta-carotene, while oranges,
berries, and amla provide a good dose
of Vitamin C. To keep calories down, pick
veggies, like bell peppers, before fruits,
and choose fruits over juice.
2. GET MORE SELENIUM
This cancer-ghting mineral is also
linked to lower rates of abdominal
obesity, according to a survey of
more than 8,000 people. People
with low blood levels of selenium
and other anti-oxidants had bigger
waistlines than those with higher
levels. Selenium is a trace element
required in small amounts by
our body. Common food sources
containing selenium include milk
and milk products, beans, sh and
chicken, onions and garlic. If you
do not consume these foods regularly, you
could get your dose from a food supple-
ment. Do consult a doctor before starting
on any dietary supplement.
3. ADD SOME PROTEIN
Eating more protein keeps you full and
boosts energy, which leads to over-
all weight loss andfor those over
40reduces ab fat in particular, accord-
ing to ndings from Skidmore College
and Copenhagen University Hospital. But
studies show that eating high amounts
of protein may stress the kidneys as they
work to eliminate the excess, which can
also cause calcium loss. Aim to get 25%
of your calories from protein (if you eat
2,000 calories a day, thats 500 from
protein). Just make lean choices such as
low-fat yogurt, fat-free milk, sh, and poul-
try. Nuts are another great source but can
be high in calories: have just ve 30-grams
servings a week (about 24 almonds, 18
cashews, or 35 peanuts).
4. DRINK WINE
Dont start drinking wine just to ght
ab fat, but if you enjoy a glass every now
and then, its a great benet. Some studies
even suggest that light to moderate
drinking protects against female midsec-
tion weight gain, compared with teetotal-
ing. Based on a review of
data collected by the
National Centre for
Health Statistics, US one
10-ml glass of red or
white wine most days a
week (up to 20 a month)
seems to be best.
More, however, is
not better. That extra
glass of wineor even
just one cocktailadds
inches, found the Copen-
hagen study, while other research impli-
cates beer in the proverbial beer belly.
5. EAT THE RIGHT FATS
Research from Spain shows its easier to
stay slim eating mono-unsaturated fats
(such as olive oil) and Omega-3s (found
mostly in sh but also in axseed and
walnut oils and tofu), while Omega-6
fats (prevalent in cereals, corn oil, baked
goods and eggs) caused ab fat to pile on.
Fats that should be eliminated com-
pletely: trans fats, which have no nutri-
tional value and are mostly found in
calorie-dense fried goods and chips.
In a Wake Forest University, US study,
monkeys eating a typical American diet
for 6 years gained the human equivalent
of 4 kilo more when the fat they ate was
all trans fat, compared with those eating
mono-unsaturated fat. Worse, 30% more
fat was added in the abdominal region,
and they had early signs of diabetes,
says researcher Kylie Kavanagh. B
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123
000 PREVENTION
uy
like a
we ht
lose
BY DENISE FOLEY
He drops kilos
overnight. You gain
just by glancing at
chocolate pastry.
Here are 5 reasons
for his success. Steal
them today and look
slimmer tomorrow
g
Think the most infuriating thing
men can say to you is, Yeah, it does
make your butt look big? Wrong.
The one phrase that can turn any
relationship into a nuclear winter is: I
need to lose 5 kilos, Ill cut out the beer.
And here is the ugly truth: one beer-
less T20 game and your husband is
back in his college jeans. You, on the
other hand, could forego beer forever
and be about as close to getting into
your college jeans as you are to tting
into one of your daughters Barbies
gowns. Its not fair.
Face it, men are just losers. Well,
better losers than we are. We know
everything there is to know about
calories and tnessthey have
the physiological edge. When HR
executive Prakash Mathur decides to
drop a few kilos, his wife Rashi says, it
seems to happen overnight: It looks
like he had a cushion under his shirt,
and then a day later, he takes it out
and theres a slim guy underneath. It
really annoys me.
Mens bigger muscle mass helps
them burn 30% more calories than we
do, says nutritionist Cynthia Sass, RD,
co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me
Crazy. They have other advantages,
too: for one, their hormones dont leave
them waterloggedand heavier1
week each month. We generally have
more body fat and are biologically
more inclined to store it (possibly to
nourish those dozen babies nature
wants us to have).
The bad habits guys overcome (beer
and chips) seem to result in instant
weight loss, while ours (mistaking a
packet of Kurkure for a therapist) seem
emotionally hardwired to short-circuit.
Finally, in the gym, they grab the big,
macho barbells and do routines that
make them grunt. Our weights tend to
be pink...and puny.
But all is not, ahem, lost. We women
may never have the biological or
psychological weight-loss advantages
men enjoy, but we are clever enough
to learn new tricks. In other words,
if theres no way to beat
them at the dieting game,
we might as well join
them. Here are ve guy
habits that can help you
lose weightand keep it
off. Happily, none of them
involves testosterone.
Guy Thing 1
He doesnt crave sweets
Both men and women have cravings,
and no, he doesnt have an easier time
ghting them off. But your comfort
food is likely to be chocolate, aloo
tikki, or a cheese burger, while his
is a juicy, roasted chicken breast. A
recent Cornell University study found
that women seek out sweets to ward
off the blues; men turn to meat when
they want to indulge. The weight-loss
advantage of his choice: protein, that
MENS BIGGER MUSCLE MASS
HELPS THEM BURN 30 PER
CENT MORE CALORIES THAN
WOMEN DO.
126
will help ll him up far better than
your cheese cake. A study published
by researchers at the University of
Washington School of Medicine
found that the secret weight loss
weapon of low-carb diets is protein,
because it promotes satiety, the
scientic term for fullness, which
curbs overeating. If cravings are your
downfall, you have a choice of weight-
loss tips here:
Eat a little protein When cravings
hit, have a granola bar, a cup of cold
coffee made of skimmed milk, a
wholewheat chicken sandwich, or cut-
fruit salad. Downing a glass of water
will also help.
Guy Thing 2
He doesnt berate himself
when he screws up
Okay, you blew it. You had PMS,
or your maid chose to bunk work the
day you had a late night at work, and
the chocolate doughnut hollered: Eat
me! What do you do next? If youre a
woman, you throw up your hands, tell
yourself what a bad person you are,
and reach for another doughnut. Then
you wallow in self-loathing for days.
And what does a guy do?
He feels okay, maybe even good, and
really enjoys that doughnut, says
emotional-eating expert Edward
Abramson, PhD, a professor emeritus
of psychology at California State
University, US and author of Body
Intelligence. But unlike you, he doesnt
eat another onehe climbs back on
the weight-loss wagon, no harm, no
foul. The best way to beat that diet
busting trap:
Apply his 80% rule Most guys
avoid anything that even smacks
HAVE A PROTEIN SNACK
WHEN CRAVINGS STRIKE
M
A
N
D
E
L
,

M
I
T
C
H

C
O
R
B
I
S
of perfectionism, and that applies
to dieting, too, says Pamela Peeke,
MD, an assistant clinical professor of
medicine at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine and author of Body
for Life for Women.
When women start a diet, they
go from zero to 100they try to be
perfect overnight, which is a hallmark
of failure. Thats why I developed the
80% rule: Hit your weight loss goals
80% every single day you can. One
day, it ll be 120% because it happens
to be a great day. Other days, you ll hit
50% or even 20% when youre dealing
with PMS. Just make sure it averages
out to 80%.
Guy Thing 3
He goes for weights
with muscle
Women are catching onto strength-
training, but some experts think
women ought to approach weights
more like men. When a guy goes to
the gym, hell usually pick an exercise
that allows him to use the most
impressive-looking weights, says
Lou Schuler, a certied strength and
conditioning specialist and author of
The New Rules of Lifting.
The result: muscle building in less
time, working a range of muscles at
once instead of one in isolation. A
woman, on the other hand, will go for
light dumb-bells and do an exercise
that allows her to use perfect form
but will do the least amount of good.
All those little exercises are like
Chinese water torture for your
muscles: a little drip here, a little
drip there. You think if you do them
enough then these nice, streamlined
triceps and biceps will show up, but
no, they wont. So, stop wasting your
time, and do what the Y chromosome
folks do:
Drop the Barbie weights If youre
doing two sets of 12 or 15 reps, your
weights are probably too light,
says Schuler. Graduate to the black
weightsthe ones made of real iron
and move towards higher poundage
LIFT WEIGHTS THAT WILL
TONE ALL YOUR MUSCLES
128
that makes you strain to do 8 to 10, says
Schuler. Once your body is used to 10,
then increase the weight until youre only
able to do 3 reps. At sports medicine
conferences, Ive seen scans of womens
upper arms before and after this kind
of training programme, and the girth of
their upper arms hasnt changed, but you
can see the fat tissue is reduced and how
much more muscle there is.
Work out in lifes gym Daily tasks
offer opportunities to strength-train.
As you boogie through your day,
advises Peeke, say, No, I can lift those
grocery bags. I dont need a man to
help me.
Guy Thing 4
He doesnt use food
as a therapist
Women are twice as likely as men
to binge because theyre depressed,
reports a 2004 University of
Minnesota study that examined the
eating behaviour of 1,800 people for a
year. Women are also twice as likely as
men to be depressed, which makes for
a lot of eat-a-thons.
Dr Sadhana Vohra, Delhi-based
clinical psychologist, however, has a
different explanation. Both men and
women give in to emotional eating, or
drinking as observed often in case of
men. What women tend to do more is
feel guilty about bingeing. And then
they eat more to assuage the guilt, and
get into a viscious circle of guilt and
emotional eating.
Confessed one woman (who
requested anonymity because her
boss reads this magazine): When Im
Good Morning
Works butt and legs
Stand with feet a few inches
apart, knees bent slightly
Hold two 2- to 5-kg dumb-
bells against your chest
With back at and abs tight,
slowly hinge forward at hips,
lowering upper body while
keeping back at
Dont go beyond parallel to
the oor. Pause, then stand
back up. Do three sets of 8 to
10 reps
Dumb-bell Clean and Press
Works butt, legs, arms, and
shoulders
Start in a squat, feet
shoulder-width apart and knees
bent
Hold an 3- to 5-kg dumb-bell
in each hand, at sides, palms in
As you curl weights up to
shoulders, straighten legs and
rise up onto toes
Lower heels as you turn
palms out and press weights
overhead. Pause, then lower
weights, return to starting
position, and repeat
Do three sets of 8 to 10 reps
GUY exercises
for GIRLS
129
really depressed, Ive been known to
wheel into McDonalds and order two
shakesone for me and one for my
invisible friend in the back seat. No
kidding: one vanilla, one chocolate.
Bottom line: no guy thinks he can
boost his mood by attacking a plate of
pakoras. You shouldnt either. Get off
that circuit with these tips:
Identify whats behind your need
to feed Start making the connection
between stufng your face and
stufng your feelings. To do this, think
Richter scale, says Santa Barbara,
CA, psychotherapist Gloria Arenson,
author of Five Simple Steps to
Emotional Healing. Rank your desire
to eat on a scale of 1 to 10 as if it were
an earthquake, 10 being Watch out! If
its an 8, then look at what in your life
was an 8 that day. Your boss yelled at
you? Your best friend left for the US?
Your kid got into trouble at school?
By matching your numbersthe
craving and an equivalent stressor
youll soon learn how to determine
whether youre hungry or medicating
a bad mood. The technique works
by erecting a mindfulness roadblock
between you and that soothing piece
of chocolate pastry. With practice,
most people who use the rating system
stop themselves before taking the rst
bite, says Arenson.
Take time for yourself Men do it,
says Sass. Theyll say, I need to get
away, and go out and play bridge or
golf with their buddies. Women dont
say, I need to take the day off and
get pampered. For many women,
their only pleasure, their only source
of gratication and reward, is food.
Starting today, snag a few hours for
yourself, but dont use it to meet your
girlfriends for lunch. Give yourself
something inedible to look forward
to, whether its a morning walk at the
neightbourhood park or a soothing
pedicure at a spa.
Get physical with anger The
standard prescription for a guy whos
angry is to go out and pound nails,
not eat chocolate, says Abramson.
Guys are more likely to do something
physical to dissipate their negative
emotions. Women tend to swallow
themusually with an entire packet
of deep-fried crispies. So when you get
mad, get moving.
PAMPER YOURSELF, GO
ON A SHOPPING SPREE
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130
Stop making such a big deal
Men may be less vulnerable to
emotional eating because they tend
not to dwell on things. Women, on
the other hand, can spend hours
turning one small negative thought
around in their minds, adding a
few others, and whipping it all into
critical mass, says Yale University
researcher Susan Nolen-Hoeksema,
PhD, author of the new book Eating,
Drinking, Overthinking. Thats called
rumination, and research suggests it
can lead to depression, which itself
can lead us directly to where weve
hidden the choco-chip cookies.
Again, theres biology involved: in
the brain, thoughts are linked in a
network of associations, so Im a fat
pig lives on the same neural pathway as
Im a lousy cook and youre not going
to amount to anything (that ones from
your mother). Think about one and the
others light up like an old-fashioned
switchboard. Dont fall into the trap of
using food to snap out of it. Instead, try
this suggestion from Nolen-Hoeksema:
pick a word or phrase that makes you
aware of what youre doing and helps
you gain control (like Knock it off! or I
wont let myself get sucked into this).
Guy Thing 5
He doesnt give up
stuff he likes
Austrian researchers, looking at
gender differences in eating and
dieting, found that mens approach
toward nutrition is uncomplicated and
pleasure-oriented. For women, its
more punitive. Peeke agrees: When
guys go on a diet, they dont give up
eating, or drinkingthey negotiate.
The big match is coming up. Ill have a
third of the beer I usually do, but I will
have some beer and roasted namkeen.
We, on the other hand, approach
weight loss like ascetics, depriving
ourselves of all those luscious
forbidden foods until we cant
stand it any longer. In fact, studies
by University of Toronto obesity
researcher Janet Polivy, PhD, found
that restrained eatersthats the
average female dieterare more likely
to not only overeat after dieting but
also to gorge themselves if they just
think theyre going to go on a diet.
Scientists call it the last supper effect.
Here are suggestions to push away
from this table:
Diet like a guy For the most part, men
dont diet. Or, when they do, they make
the commitment to eat less, dont agonise
EAT PLENTY OF SALAD
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131
a lot, and wham, bam, there they are, all
svelte again. Peeke calls it Home Depot
Syndrome. A guy looks at his need to
lose weight and sees it like a blueprint
for building a cabinethe has that much
emotion about it, she says.
Its a job, he gets his supplies, and
he does it. If he thinks hes fat and out-
of-shape, he just says, Well, I guess I
got myself here and I gotta get myself
outlets get this show on the road.
You can do the same, says Peeke, if
you make these words your mantra: of
course I can lose weight. Will it take
longer than it takes my hubby? Yes.
Do I have the patience? I doand the
journey begins today.
Dont ban your favourite food Men
dont give up pleasure without a tussle.
But one of the rst things women
forget when they try for weight loss
is that life without chocolate is not
worth living. Nothing can scuttle your
good intentions like feeling deprived.
I order my clients to have something
they love every daya portion of ice
cream, a small cupcake, says Arenson.
In fact, Toronto-based weight-
loss coach Mary Crawford lost more
than 20 kilos on what she calls the
Enjoyable Dieta programme she
developed that allowed her to eat
whatever she wanted, every day. The
catch: she restricted herself to 800
calories every other day and didnt
diet on the alternate days. It may
sound odd, but it helps you overcome
that girly dilemma: I want itlots of
itbecause I cant have it.
Go for another consuming pleasure
So many times women are told, If
you feel like youre going to overeat,
distract yourself by cleaning the
house, says Sass. Thats like torturing
yourself. No man in his right mind
is going to do chores to keep himself
from overeating. A guy will nd a more
hedonistic distraction, like dunking
a few basketball shots, strumming
the guitar, or making something with
a life-threatening tool. Take a cue
from him and look for something
enjoyable that engages your hands and
mind. Pottery? Gardening? Jewellery
designing, anyone?
Bottom line weight loss is as much
about attitude as it is about aptitude.
And adopting a male mindset, at least
in this arena, can make you a leaner,
more-in-control woman.
DO HAVE YOUR
FAVOURITE FOODS
ONCE IN A WHILE
P
H
O
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O
:

H
I
L
M
A
R
;

M
O
D
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L
:

V
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K
O
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,

J
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Q
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133
Ideally you should get your nutrition from
food. Supplements bail us out in the real
world. Add them to your diet for extra benets
BY DR SANCHITA BHATTACHARYA AND ANKITA AGARWAL
Supplements are all the rage
today. Not just in health circles, even
lunching ladies will arch a brow if
they hear you are not on supplements
now. Have you had yours today
dahling, they ask, air kissing their
friends. And not without reason. In
an ideal world, we would be healthy
with nutrition from foods. However,
thanks to pollution, pesticides, stress
and meals-on-the-run lifestyles,
nutrition is often the rst casualty.
The West discovered it early, but
Indians are now converting to the new
faith rapidly. Brands like Nutrilite,
GNC, Himalaya and Organic India
have quickly moved in on desi dining
tables. These multi-coloured pills help
you meet your required daily allow-
ances of nutrients such as vitamins,
minerals, trace minerals and some
enzymes too.
Heres a low down on why you need
supplements and how to get the best.
Why supplementation?
The food we eat has a huge impact
on our health. It can up your health
quotient, boost energy, maintain ideal
weight and keep you t, prevent life-
style diseases, delay ageingideally
all that you want. But eating healthy
all the time is tough. Theres often a
gap between what you eat and what
your body needs. This gap can exist
because of several reasons.
Lack of variety in the diet People
tend to eat only what they like and miss
out on other foods. Variety is essential
even with all-good fruits and veggies,
SUPPLEMENTS

ROCK!
found a study published in the Journal
of Nutrition, August 2006. According
to the study, a botanically diverse diet
is associated with greater anti-oxidant
activity. Says Pratima Kaushik, a Delhi-
based nutritionist, Getting a little of
various nutrients is better than getting
a lot of few nutrients. All food groups
require variety. To get the right dose of
protein, you should eat at least 3-4 types
of daals a day for different amino acids.
TIP: Have one type of daal as sprouts for
breakfast and a different daal for lunch.
Too many fast and processed
foods A snack often means biscuits,
namkeens or chipsall rened and
processed items. Rening strips food
of benets such as bre and complex
carbs that are needed by the body.
Moreover, packaged food usually has a
high content of synthetic fats (prima-
rily hydrogenated fats that give them
a longer shelf-life), preservatives and
additives. The Nurses Health Study in
the US, which studied around 80,000
nurses over 15 years showed that the
risk of cardiac disease amongst those
with a high intake of trans fats was
higher by nearly 60%.
High levels of pesticides 42% of the
food we eat contains pesticides, chemi-
cals that can have far-reaching health
complicationsulcers, tumours, aller-
gies, even cancer (Centre
for Science and Environ-
ment report, Nov-Dec,
2003). Buy organic as far
as possible.
Lower nutrition in
everyday food You might
be eating the required
servings of all food groups and yet the
doctor could put you on multi-vita-
mins. The reasons could be many. Soil
depletion for one. Our farm soil is be-
ing depleted of essential minerals such
as selenium and chromium, required
by the body to maintain blood sugar
levels and other body functions. Inten-
sive farming and the use of chemical
fertilisers may be the cause of this de-
pletion. Also, produce start losing their
nutrition within half an hour of being
harvested. When food is transported
long distance (in case of imported
fruits and vegetables), the loss of
nutrients is substantial. It maybe as
O
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G

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M
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:

P
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;

T
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:

P
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C
DEPENDING ON YOUR NUTRIENT
INTAKE, THE DOC WILL ADVISE THE
RIGHT SUPPLEMENT FOR YOU
FOR BETTER HEALTH, EAT A
VARIETY WITHIN A FOOD GROUP.
THIS WILL GET YOU A MIX
OF NUTRIENTS
136
PUMP UP ON PROTEIN
Proteins provide energy and are the
building blocks of the body. They help in
building muscles, formation of enzymes,
hormones and carry out maintenance
and repair of cells and tissues. The
National Institute of Nutrition pegs our
protein requirement per day at 1 g/kg
body wt. for adults, 1.5 g/kg body wt
for children. Dietary proteins are broken
down into amino acids and absorbed by
the body for various functions:
Children need protein for growth,
physical and mental
Adults need it for maintenance of tis-
sues and to offset the effects of stress
The elderly require protein for healing
and maintenance of muscle and energy
Proteins also work as anti-bodies and
help the body ght against infections
For those who exercise protein sup-
plies body-building material and makes
good the loss due to wear and tear
More Protein=More Weight Loss
Studies show that the amino acids help
you with weight loss. A diet that con-
tains 30% of high-protein foods helped
19 overweight people with an average
of 11-pound weight loss, found Univer-
sity of Washington research
For great skin: collagen, a protein,
provides skin its elasticity and helps
keep off wrinkles. It also provides the
scaffold for the growth of nerves, skin,
and bones that normally attracts cells
to close up a wound.
Food sources of protein
Milk, eggs, meat, cheese, nuts and
chicken are some good sources of pro-
tein. Soy protein is one of the richest
sources with low cholesterol, carbohy-
drates, fats and essential vitamins. Soy
protein is especially recommended for
post-menopausal women who com-
plain of hot ashes and night sweats.
Protein supplements are needed
by those who do not eat adequate
amounts of protein-rich foods. Chil-
dren, pregnant and lactating women
also require additional protein doses.
But consult a doc before you take one.
high as 30% in case of imported and
hybrid fruits and vegetables (source:
Dr Ray Strands Book What Your Doc-
tor Doesnt Know on Nutrition, Maybe
Killing You). According to Kaushik,
whats left in imported fruits is perhaps
just glucose. So eat in season, eat fresh
and eat local.
Free radical damage When the
body burns carbs to produce energy,
free radicals are released as by-prod-
ucts. They are unstable chemical
substances minus an electron. They
go around the body searching for an
electron to stabilise themselves and in
the process nip off electrons from the
PURPOSE SUPPLEMENT FOOD SOURCE
For energy and general tness Multi-vitamin/Multi-mineral/
Omega-3/Soya protein
Fish, nuts, soya bean, seeds,
lentils
For optimal bone health Calcium/Magnesium/Vita-
min D3/Soya protein
Milk and dairy products
For optimal heart health Omega-3/Soya protein/
Folic Acid/Anti-oxidants/
Vitamin C, E, Selenium
Fish, fruits and vegetables,
green tea, walnuts
For joint health Glucosamine/Omega-3/
Calcium
Milk and other dairy products,
walnuts
For lung health Multi-vitamin/Multi-mineral
containing selenium
Fruits and vegetables, lentils
and wholegrains
For anti-ageing Anti-oxidants/Soya protein/
Omega-3
Wholegrains, fruits and veg-
etables, sh, nuts
For brain health Omega-3/Ginseng Fish, nuts (especially walnuts)
For skin, hair and nails Vitamins B,C,E/Omega-3/
Soya proteins
Soya beans, fruits, vegetables,
wholegrains and nuts
REQUIRED DAILY ALLOWANCES
For a woman weighing 50 kgs, with a calorie intake of 2200 Kcal (Source Nutritive Value of Indian Foods)
HERE IS A READY RECOKNER OF SUPPLEMENTS. BUT LOOK DOWN THE FOOD AISLE BEFORE YOU
MOVE INTO THE SUPPLEMENTS AISLE.
NUTRIENT RDA
Protein 50 g/day
Fat 20 g/day or less
Calcium 400 mg/day
Iron 30 mg/day
138
blood-vessels, HDL (good) cholesterol,
immune system or other cells and also
at times from your DNA, resulting in
heart disease, hyperten-
sion and other lifestyle
diseases and even cancer.
The reasons: processed
food, pollution, stress
common, but unavoidable
conditions. Free radicals
are neutralised by natural
and healthy anti-oxidants (certain
vitamins, minerals and many plant
factors and bioavanoids) found in
fruits and vegetables.

Who needs supplements?
Just about anyoneyoung or old, espe-
cially the elderly for whom absorption
and utilisation of nutrients such as
vitamins C, D, B6, B12, and folic acid,
and minerals, such as zinc, is difcult.
Pregnant women, pre-puberty girls,
children and those on low-cal diets
may do well to check with their docs if
they need to take supplements.
Vegetarians often do not get enough
protein, iron, Vitamin B12, zinc and
calcium from their diets. If you are a
vegetarian or heavy smoker or drinker,
you too, are likely to fall short in the
nutrient race. Check with your doctor
if you need supplements to meet the
nutritional gap.
Can supplementation
go wrong?
Supplementation is not about prevent-
ing vitamin deciencies but about
providing optimal nutrition to the
body cells so that they function well
and neutralise the damage caused by
free radicals. But that doesnt mean
you need to keep popping these pills.
Supplements are no substitute for
good food. Dr Sudeep Khanna, consult-
ant gastroenterologist and hepatologist,
PSRI, Delhi, in his report, Rational Use
of Vitamin Supplements in Clinical Tri-
als, says: A vitamin pill is no substitute
for a healthy lifestyle or diet, because
B
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A
S
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L
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SUPPLEMENTS ARE NO
SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD FOOD. EAT
HEALTHY WHENEVER YOU CAN
SUPPLEMENTATION IS NOT
ABOUT PREVENTING DISEASES,
BUT ABOUT PROVIDING OPTI-
MAL NUTRITION TO THE BODY
139
P
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foods contain additional important com-
ponents, such as bre and essential fatty
acids. In particular, a vitamin supple-
ment cannot begin to compensate for the
massive risks associated with smoking,
obesity, or inactivity.
Supplementation can lead to toxic-
ity in some cases. A meta-analysis of
studies published in the Ob. Gyn. News
found that women who took large doses
of vitamins that are part of the anti-oxi-
dant family (C and E about 1 gram and
around 400 IU per day, respectively)
had a 50% higher risk of gestational
hypertension and a two-fold increase in
the risk of stillbirths.
The reason, probably, is
that high measures of
anti-oxidants (in sup-
plement form) produce
too many free radicals
(as a by product) which
can be harmful.
Apart from toxicity, supplements
can cause other problems as well. An
intake of preformed Vitamin A (reti-
nol) in the range of 10,000 IU per day
or higherhas been associated with
an increased risk of hip fracture. Daily
intake of approximately 10,000 IU
during pregnancy has been associated
with specic birth defects but conr-
mation of these associations is
needed.
Protect
yourself.
Supple-
ment
the right
way!
To make sure that you get the maxi-
mum benets, follow these rules:
Dont stick to just one supplement,
for example, only Vitamin E tablets.
Get a mix of nutrients from supple-
mentssuch as a multi-vitamin or
multi-mineral.
On the other hand, just picking up a
multi-mineral when you actually need
extra iron, will also not do you good.
Never self medicate.
Read the label carefully for poten-
tial allergens.
Reading labels will help you maximise
your supplement benet, for instance, it
might tell you whether to take supple-
ments with meals, before or after.
Ask your doctor how long you need
to continue with the supplement.
When buying, choose a brand that
follows the GMP (good manufacturing
practices) for pharmaceuticals.
If you take a combination of pills, or
are on medication, check
with your doctor about
any drug interactions.
NEVER SELF-MEDICATE WHEN IT
COMES TO SUPPLEMENTS. CHECK
WITH YOUR DOC WHATS GOOD
FOR YOU AND IN WHAT DOSAGE
Dr Sanchita Bhattacharya
has specialised in preven-
tive and promotive health
from Apollo Education
Research Foundation. She
has over 15 years of field
experience.
141
joy
how to make it last
How we think and what we do
can intensify, even prolong, the best moments
in life. Heres how to tune in to the small
stud and reap huge rewards!
by SIRI CARPENTER
illustrations by TINA BERNING
But every few days he likes to wake up
early to soak up a sunrise...the serentiy
of fresh morning aira pleasure
worth stopping for.
Perhaps Lal understands implic-
itly what Loyola University, Chicago
social psychologist Fred B Bryant,
PhD wishes he could impart to all of
us: nding joy means opening your-
self up to it. The value of taking time to
appreciate positive experiences seems
obvioustrite, even. Yet its a skill that
few people have mastered. The reason
is simple: were busy! Therell always
be other sunrises, but if we dont hit
the shower soon, well never beat the
trafc to work. Under the weight of our
daily responsibilities it becomes easy to
ignore the spontaneous events that, if
we let them, could bring us deeper joy
and greater health.
For more than 20 years, Bryant has
worked to understand what he terms
mindful savouring: the things we think
and do to intensify or prolong positive
feelings. We all know people who are
like this, Bryant says. Theyre the life
of the party, and theyre the rst people
you want to turn to when something
good happens. What is their gift?
Across the different cultures that Bry-
ant has studied, women tend to possess
this skill more often than men do. And
this means more sustained happiness
for women.
Mindful savouring doesnt
only enhance our feeling of well-being.
It may also improve health, Bryant
notes. A substantial body of related
research indicates that people with a
sunnier outlook about growing older
recover more quickly from illness and
live longer7 years on average
than people who have bleaker views.
People who scored highest on a test
Bryant designed that measures savour-
ing ability also reported fewer illnesses.
According to Dr Bhavna Barmi ,
senior clinical psychologist, at Escorts
Heart Institute and Research Cen-
tre, Delhi, happiness is an important
contributor to building positive think-
ing. This, in turn creates energetic,
condent vibes along with alertness of
mind. This also brings about a feeling
of well-being and eventually calmness
and peace in life.
Needless to say, its easiest to appre-
ciate good when fortune leans in our
favour. But when we are ill or anxious
or beset by tragedy, savouring posi-
tive events is all the more important.
Happiness, Bryant says, broadens our
perspective and helps us recognise
adversity. Bad things will come
we cant avoid them, he says. As
many a poet has written, joy is eeting
and elusive. But if you know how,
you can go hunting for it, and you can
make it last.
Mohit Lal, 27, is an upcoming musician and a member
of the fusion band Advaita. When he is not performing,
or teaching music, he is practisingsometimes up to 6
hours a day and nds little time for indulgences.
144
Here are 10 surere strategies that
Bryant says everyone can use to
develop and sustain the kind of joy
from everyday moments.
1
BUILD
memories
Take mental photographs of memo-
rable moments that you can draw on
later. Recall vivid, specic events and
pinpoint what brought you joy. Do you
love your red scarf because its stylish
and gets you compliments, or because
it smells of your moms favourite per-
fume? According to Barmi, taking
charge of the mind is a powerful tool
in inducing positive thinking. Just be
careful not to over-analyse and lose the
wonder of the moment, else they will
seem ordinary. Dissect your experi-
ences just enough to appreciate how
theyve helped form you.
2
SHARE
positive feelings
Let your children know how great it
feels to spend time with them. Tell your
spouse about the compliment your boss
paid you. Email your best friend a silly
picture from your last trip. Sharing
happy memories or experiencesor
even simply anticipating doing sois
one of the most powerful and effective
ways to prolong and magnify joy, Bry-
ants research shows. It helps sustain
emotions that would otherwise fade,
he says. Afrming connections with
others, he adds, is the glue that holds
people together.
3
SAY
thank you!
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, Bry-
ant says. Acknowledge the source of your
happiness: a party invitation, a patch
of shade, or a warm hug. Its not always
necessary to outwardly express grati-
tude, but saying thank you to a friend,
a stranger, or the universe deepens our
happiness by making us more aware of it.
4
AVOID
killjoy thinking
There is no dearth of pessimists.
Negative thoughts like self recrimina-
tions or worries about others percep-
tions tend to shorten the lifespan of a
good moment. When you nd yourself
awash in happiness, give it space to
growdont mull or over-analyse why
you dont deserve a good thing or what
could go wrong. Barmi adds that in
such situations one should repeat the
positive words to oneself with full con-
centration and belief in them. Make a
conscious decision to embrace joy.
5
FINE TUNE
your senses
Close your eyes and taste the salty sea
air. Roll a square of dark chocolate over
your tongue and savour the bitter-sweet
taste or eavesdrop on your grandchil-
drens play and laughter. Shutting out
some sensory stimuli while concen-
trating on others can heighten your
enjoyment of positive experiencespar-
ticularly those that are short-lived.
145
6
SEIZE
this moment!
Positive moments may seem to evapo-
rate quicklya surprise toast to your
accomplishments at work; your sons
rst tooth. It seems obvious that the
more quickly a positive experience
evaporates, the more difcult it is
to savour. Yet paradoxically, Bryant
has found, reminding ourselves that
time is eeting and joy is transitory
prompts us to seize positive moments
while they last.
7
FAKE IT
till you make it!
Fixing a happy faceeven if you dont
feel like itactually induces greater
happiness. So be exuberant. Dont just
eat the best litchi of the seasonluxu-
riate in every lip-smacking mouthful.
Smile at the mirror. After all a sure way
to kill joy is to suppress it, says Bryant.
One can take this very moment to prac-
tise inducing a more positive non-ver-
bal communication like: smile more,
walk taller and talk slower. Methods
like auto-suggestion would work best
before sleep as this is the time when the
conscious mind is slipping into the sub-
conscious mind. This is the point where
self-hypnosis-of-sort would be most
productive, say experts.

8
ABSORB
the moments
Some joyful moments may call for con-
scious reection. At other times, we
savour it best when we simply immerse
ourselves in the present moment, with-
out deliberate analysis or judgment.
Listen to your favourite music with
headphones in a dark room. Lose your-
self to a novel. Set aside time on week-
ends for your favourite hobby so you can
attain a level of absorption known as the
ow state.
9
COMPARE
downward
Comparing upward makes you feel
deprived, but comparing downward can
heighten enjoyment. Think about how
things could be worseor how things
used to be worse. Just keep it lightyou
dont have to relive a cancer diagnosis
or revel in a neighbours misfortune.
Simply take note: is today sunnier than
promised? Are you tter than you were
a year ago?
10
CONGRATULATE
yourself
Take pride in a hard-won accomplish-
ment. If you spent a year sweating at
the gym to reach a tness goal, bask in
your successand share it with others.
Self-congratulation doesnt come easily
to everyone. A lot of people have trouble
basking in an accomplishment because
they feel that they shouldnt toot their
own horns or rest on their laurels, Bry-
ant says. Its a ne line between joyous
self-congratulation and shameless self-
promotion, but dont worry: youll know
if youre crossing it!
(With inputs from Nitya Shukla)
147
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4 cool new ways to
enjoy the seasons
ripest, juiciest picks
By JACKIE NEWGENT AND TANNIE BAIG
ITS SERIOUS FRUIT SEASON. Melons, mangoes and
other refreshing favourites are at their peak avour
and nutritionright now. So pass on the ice cream
shop and head to the produce stand for these 4
inventive recipes that put a healthy and sophisticated
spin on frozen treats.
SUMMER
ICE
ON
TIME 15 MINUTES + FREEZING TIME
SERVINGS 4
6 c seedless watermelon chunks or balls (about
1.5 kg with rind)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (
1
2 lemon)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (
1
2 lime)
1
2 c ginger ale
1. PUREE watermelon, lemon juice and lime juice
in blender. Slowly pour in ginger ale.
2. FREEZE in 8x8 baking pan. During freez-
ing, rake with fork or stir with whisk (be sure to
scrape sides of pan) every 30 minutes for 2
1
2
hours, or until nearly frozen but not completely
solid. Rake with fork and serve.
77 Kcal, 2.7 g pro, 18.1 g carb, 0.3 g fat,
0.03 g sat fat, 0.95 g bre, 0 mg chol, 3 mg sod
TIP One portion of this refreshing granita counts
as three servings of fruita full days worth.
WATERMELON GRANITA
Whats better than a slice of watermelon on a
hot summer day? An icy granita thats bursting
with natural sweetness but doesnt leave you
with sticky ngers! Simple yet elegant granitas
can be made with all sorts of fruits, juices,
and herbseven coffeeusing the same basic
technique of mixing, freezing and raking.
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CHOCOLATESTRAWBERRY ICE POP
Think of these as frozen chocolate-covered strawberries on a stickjust as
decadent but longer lasting. These pops are full of avonoids and other health
promoting nutrients a triple whammys worth from strawberries, chocolate and
soya. You can nd moulds for them at most kitchenware stores.
TIME 10 MINUTES +FREEZING TIME
SERVINGS 6
1 c thinly-sliced fresh strawberries
1
2 c chocolate chips
1
1
2 c chocolate soya milk
1. FILL 6 ice pop moulds evenly with
strawberries, then chocolate chips, then
soya milk. (Note: There should be about
1
2 of space at the top of each mould
to allow for expansion during freezing).
Insert handles/sticks into moulds.
2. FREEZE at least 4 hours.
3 g sat fat, 1.5 g bre, 3.1 mg chol,
44 mg sodium
TIP Wash strawberries. Dust lightly with
crushed sugar and place them in an
air-tight, zip-lock bag. Put them in the
freezer. They make for an instant des-
sert, or as a base for shakes, ice creams
or pops.
JULY 2008
152
JULY 2008
153
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CREAMY HONEYDEW SOUP
TIME 15 MINUTES
SERVINGS 4
4 c cubed honeydew melon
1
4 c yogurt
1 Tbsp light floral honey
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (
1
2 lime)
1
2 Tsp freshly grated lime zest (about
1
2 lime)
PUREE melon, yogurt, honey and lime
juice in blender until smooth. Pour into 4
small bowls and sprinkle with lime zest.
Serve cold.
0.1 g sat fat, 1.3 g bre, 0.7 mg chol,
41 mg sodium
TIP A serving of this soup satises nearly
half of your daily Vitamin C requirement.
This cool, fruity soup is an ideal way to start or nish a light dinner on a too
hottocook night. The key is a juicy, ripe melon (with green esh); immature
honeydew is hard and tasteless. Look for a creamy white rind, a velvety (not
smooth) skin, and an overall heavy feel. (If under-ripe, wrap in newspaper and
place on the counter out of direct sunlight for a few days).
PANNA STICKS
TIME 20 MINUTES
SERVINGS 6-7 POPSICLES
1
2 kg raw mangoes
150-200 g sugar (can be adjusted to taste)
1
2 tsp powdered jeera and hing powder
A big pinch of black salt
Table salt to taste
A few mint leaves
1. BOIL mangoes with a glass of water.
Remove skin and seed and separate the
pulp. Put in a blender and make into a
paste.
2. MAKE a sugar syrup by boiling sugar
in water. Add to the mango paste. Dilute
the mixture with enough water to make
a thin drink. It needs to be slightly con-
centrated in taste to come out well, after
being frozen.
3. ROAST jeera-hing powder until fra-
grant. (This can be stored in an air-tight
bottle for future use).
4. MIX this jeera-hing powder with salts.
5. POUR in popsicle containers. Add a
few mint leaves and deep-freeze
250 Kcal, 1.1 g pro, 65 g carb, 0.33 g fat,
0.08 g sat fat, 2.2 g bre,0 mg chol,
2 mg sodium
TIP Raw mango is packed with vitamins
C, B1, B2, and B3. Sucking on a popsicle
or drinking it as panna will prevent loss
of salt and essential minerals from the
body because of excessive sweating in
summer.
Want something tangy rather than sweet? Try this traditional cooler with a
twist. Make it into a granita by raking frozen panna or into ice-pop, or simply
freeze in ice-tray and suck on as cubes.
154
JULY 2008
155
You know her as the
vibrant Chak De girl.
Here is a peep into her
health secrets.
Ive always been sporty
I studied in a board-
ing school, so athlet-
ics has been a part of
my life since my school
days. Now I am into
gymming. My tness
regimen is a combina-
tion of cardio and weight
training, designed by
my trainer. A trainer
is important as he can
guide you on whats right
for your body.

Food funda
I eat everything except
junk food. I have
three proper meals
with carbohydrates
and proteins. Im not
too much into salads,
but follow healthy
diet practices such as
more wholegrain than
rened. I am a non-
vegetarian and unfor-
tunately, have a very
bad sweet tooth. I am
trying to curb my crav-
ings, though.
I hit the gym to
de-stress
When I dont exer-
cise, my system takes
a plunge. Exercise
puts me back on track.
Every time I feel that
things are getting to
me, I go for a work-
out. A stimulating
bout of exercise, and I
feel mentally relaxed.
Im not much of a spa
person, but a head
massage is my weak-
ness. When they
drench your scalp in
oil, it feels divine.

My beauty mantra
I dont use make-up
every day. The day I do
wear make-up (when
I am shooting), I take
care to clean my skin
before going to bed. I
believe in using prod-
cuts with an SPF
though enough has
been said about sun
damage to the skin
we dont take it seri-
ously. So yes, I do use
SPF. Clinique and
Neutrogena are my
favourite brands.
FIT AND FINE
Athletic and agile Sagarika Ghatge exercises to de-stress
BY RIMA J PUNDIR

PICTURE OF HEALTH
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MARCH 2008 000 PREVENTION
Advt.
To get the maximum health benefits from your workout
it is important to wear the right apparel. For instance,
running requires apparel made from breathable fabric
that will keep your body temperature low and also
absorb sweat. Similarly, wearing the right pair of shoes
makes the workout more efficient and injury-proof.
It is important to wear shoes specific to your workout.
Read on to know more about different fitness apparel
and accessories.
FITNESS GEAR
UPPERS
Reebok Long Bra Top ( Rs 2,999 ) and Fusion Layered
Bra Top ( Rs 1,999) made with the PLAY DRY technology
fit your curves snugly and also let the body breathe.
SHORTS
Reebok Instructor Shorts (Rs 1,499) have a fitted
silhouette with an elastic waistband and an internal
drawcord. Plus, they have reverse entry key pocket
and an anti-bacterial gusset. The fabric boasts of
PLAY DRY technology.
LOWERS
Reebok Premier Run Boot Cut Tight Pant (Rs 2,499)
are made with PLAY DRY technology and are ideal for an
outdoor run. Lowers should be made of soft fabric that is
easy on the skin. Pure cotton may be rough on the skin
while exercising.
ACCESSORIES
Reebok Performance Training Visor (Rs 699)
and Water Sipper (Rs 499) will enhance your
workout experience. Keep sipping water during
your workout to avoid muscle soreness.
SHOES
Reebok Premier Hatana (Rs 4,990)
and Hex Ride Rally (Rs 6,490) are ideal for
running. They provide proper arch support
and heel cushioningmusts for an
injury-proof workout.
pets
Years ago my dog Sereno broke
through a closed window of my SUV
when someone set off a small re-
cracker about half a block away. I was
pulling away from a red light when I
saw him launch into trafc. I jumped
out and sprinted after him, but he was
running for his life. After crossing two
busy streets with me screaming behind,
he ran into someones mostly fenced
backyard. I caught him there
panicked but unharmed.
Sereno was a smart dog, but
reworks made him do crazy things.
Thunderstorms have the same effect on
my current dog Bonny. Her body
shakes, her teeth chatter, and more
often than not, she starts digging into
my pursewhich is less than a quarter
of her sizeas if all would be ne if she
could just climb inside.
Bonnys response may be unusual,
but her fear isnt: Anxiety is a huge issue
for pets, says Andrew Luescher, DVM,
PhD, director of the Animal Behaviour
Clinic at Purdue University. According
to Luescher, who specialises in this area,
many behavioural problems in pets are
actually signs that theyre suffering
from high anxiety levels. These include
aggression, destruc-
tive behaviour,
excessive vocalising
(aka barking,
squawking, or feline
yowling), soiling the
house, or being overly
excitable or submis-
sive. In my years as a
vet tech, I saw cats,
dogs and birds whod
torn out their fur or
feathers over things
like a move or a death
in the familyor just
because their owner
changed brands of
food.
HELP FOR SCAREDY CATS
(AND DOGS)
If fireworks, thunderstorms, or passing shadows make your pet
nervous, heres soothing advice BY REBECCA SKLOOT
COAX FIDO GENTLY OUT OF
HIS HIDING PLACE
The quality of life for animals is not
good when they have high anxiety,
Luescher says. They are suffering and
need help.
Of course, if your dog isnt well
trained, that may be the reason hes
jumping on people or soiling the house.
But if youve done that work and Fido
(or Fluffy) still displays any of the
common anxiety-related behaviours
above, talk with your vet about
solutionsmedical and behavioural.
Luescher recommends the following:
SPOT TREAT WITH DRUGS
Same-day tranquilizers are your best
bet if your pets anxiety is situational
say, only during reworks, thunder-
storms, or a party with lots of guests.
Your vet can prescribe them. (For
safety, keep your dog or cat indoors and
block access to stairs or balconies.) A
longer course of an anti-depressant or
sedatives can be helpful for more
pervasive anxiety. Whether drugs are a
one-shot deal or a long-term commit-
ment, use them in conjunction with
behavioural modication techniques.
But never self-medicate.

CALL A PROFESSIONAL
An animal expert can help your pet
associate frightening situations with
positive outcomes (such as linking trips
to the vet with getting treats, not shots),
or help you desensitise your pet by grad-
ually exposing him to the source of his
fear. Ask your vet for a recommenda-
tion. He might be able to guide you to
the right kind of animal behaviour
expert or a trainer.
RELEASE SOME PHEROMONES
These natural chemicals are produced
by animals; some trigger sexual interest
or aggression, but studies show that
others can be soothing. Calming
pheromones are available in room
diffusers. Cat nips might work for cats;
otherwise, check your local pet shops.
Music therapy may also help, Luescher
saysclassical or soft instrumental
seems more effective than jazz.
Dr Pradeep Rana, a leading
companion animal practitioner,
Niti Bagh Pet Clinic, Delhi
suggests ways to get your pet to
overcome his fear
Keep them indoors at the time of a
thunderstorm or fireworks. Play loud
music so that they get used to the
noise, yet are distracted from the
source of their fear
Gently persuade them to come out
of their hiding place in such scenarios.
Cuddle them to reassure them that
you will always be with them
If you have a scaredy pet on
hand, spend more time, on a daily
basis, with him
Give him an extra treat at the time
of the thunderstorm, fireworks or any
of his fear zones
If your pet gets nervous
repeatedly, take him back to
a training centre for therapy
Rebecca Skloot, was a veterinary technician for 10
years before becoming a science writer. Her work
appears in the New York Times Magazine and others.
With inputs from Shivangi Anand.
159

5 to 9
AFTER-HOURS STUFF relaxation, music, reading & more

BOOKS
Racing through the day, do you tend to overlook your physi-
cal and mental needs? Incorporate yoga in your daily routine
to lead a healthier life and attain greater peace of mind.
International yoga experts, George Feuerstein and Larry
Payne, in Yoga for Dummies explain yoga asanas that will
help you deal with health problems such as stress, backache,
poor libido, PMS and others. The book uses simple language
and illustrations to demonstrate the asanas. A good pick for
yoga enthusiasts. Shilpa Negi
MUST READ
Yoga for Dummies
By George Feuerstein,
Larry Payne and Lilias Folan
WILEY INDIA, PRICE RS 299
1 Fertility & Conception
By Ian Green
HarperCollins, Price Rs 295
2 The Art of Staying Young
By Ritu Seth & Adil Hassan
Published by Ritu Seth, Price Rs 299
3 Health, Healing & Wellness
By Robert Van De Weyer
Orient Paperbacks, Price Rs 195
4 Exploring Meditation
By Susan G Shumsky
New Age Books, Price Rs 225
5 Low Calorie Food
By Rano Suri
Wisdom Tree, Price Rs 85
3 2 1
1 The Music Therapy Series
Jeevan, Tanav, Vishram, Nidra
By Various Artistes
Genre Classical
Times Music, Price Rs 750
2 Best of Sitar
By Ustad Vilayat Khan, Shahid Parvez
and Shujaat Husain Khan
Genre Hindustani Classical
Music Today, Price Rs 199
3 SympaticoLive at Saptak
Festival
By Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma & Pt Kishan
Maharaj
Genre Classical
Times Music, Price Rs 295
4 Music for Relaxing (Vol 1)
By Amrita
Genre Instrumental
New Age Music, Price Rs 299
A step-by-step yoga DVD featuring film actor and producer
Shilpa Shetty. It begins with Shetty telling viewers how yoga
helped her overcome her problems. Shetty starts with chant-
ing Om and follows it up with performing different yoga
poses all with great ease and grace. Every pose has a detailed
description of how each limb should be positioned, and fo-
cusses on breathing right. An easy way to incorporate yoga in
your life. Radhika Srivastava
MUST TRY
Shilpas Yoga (DVD)
By Shilpa Shetty
SHEMAROO, PRICE RS 295

WE RECOMMEND
MUSIC
3 2 1
160
WE RECOMMEND
Fun options for staying fit
1 DinazsA Fitness Studio
Dance Aerobics
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Tel (040) 23314607
www.dinazs.com
2 Talwalkars
Rotary Hip Exercise
Mumbai and major cities
(022) 28325842/46
www.talwalkars.net
3 Reebok Fitness Club
Regular Gym and Aerobics
Delhi
(011) 41660856
4 Pink (Fitness One Club)
Belly Dancing
Annanagar (W), Chennai
(044) 26211222
www.fitnessoneclub.com
WHAT Spinning
WHY For greater
fitness
WHERE Golds Gym,
Bangalore

You have lifted weights, walked the treadmill, done the
usual cardio routine at the gym. Now, try spinning. A
high-intensity cardio workout, spinning helps you torch
an average of 500-800 calories in a 60-minute ride. It is
a heart-pounding yet low-impact exercise that helps you
burn maximum calories without any complicated moves.
Try it out at Golds Gym. They have certified instructors
and good quality equipment. A spinning class consists of
a warm-up, a 60-minute cardiovascular workout followed
by a cool down and some stretches. A month-long course
costs Rs 2809. Check out the details at Golds Gym, Con-
vent Road, Bangalore, or call (080) 41477626/27/28, or
email at richmond.bangalore@goldsgymindia.com
If you are tired of ordering pizzas or chicken tandoori at
home, experiment with something new. Authentic Japanese
food is just a call away. Sushi King, a Gurgaon-based home
delivery and take-away service, offers interesting options of
Indianised sushi. The non-veg platters include cooked and
raw fish and meat. The veg options include asparagus and
tofu sushi. Meal accompanimentsteriyaki grill and tep-
panyaki rice and noodles complete the experience. Prompt
delivery in smart packaging makes Sushi King more fun. A
meal for two costs around Rs 500. Call (0124) 4005000 or
order online at www.sushiking.in Shilpa Negi
MUST EAT
FITNESS FUN
MUST VISIT
MY LOW-FAT DIET
MUST BE WORKING.
THE FAT HANGS
LOWER EVERYDAY!
HEALTHY LAUGHTER
WHAT Sushi King
WHY For home-deliv-
ery of great sushi
WHERE Delivery in
Delhi and NCR
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161
One of our readers wrote to
me mentioning the impor-
tance of mirrors and her let-
ter made me think. A long
time ago, my aunt said to
me, When I look in the mir-
ror, I dont like what I see.
I remember my youngest
brother standing in front of a
mirror making faces at him-
self. When I asked what he
was doing, he replied, Im
telling myself a story.
We tend to take our mirrors
for granted as we busily get
ready for work in the morning
or prepare for bed at night. We
often glance at our reection,
but do we really see ourselves?
Did you ever think of your
mirror as having a soul, reect-
ing your feelings? Has your mir-
ror ever said Good morning to
you, or, better still, have you said
Good morning to your mirror?
When you look in the mirror
in the morning, do you see the
weight of unresolved problems
carried in your mind through
the night? Or do you see your
smiling face as you anticipate
joy in the coming day?
Your smile, your frown, your
dreams, your hearts desire are
all reected in your mirror. Stop
and say hello to your soul friend
who is looking back at you.
Smile, and you will get a smile
in return. Ask yourself, what is
my dream for today? Will I get
rid of all doubts because I want
my dreams to live?
I attended an Omega Insti-
tute conference, Being Fear-
less. One speaker mentioned
that we are like seeds planted
in the garden of our minds
and we can grow messages to
keep heaven inside us.
Every morning, when you
look in the mirror, you plant
a seed for that day and for the
future. The growth of those
seeds will show you how well
you live and love. Each of us
has the choice to be what we
see in the mirror!
Remember to put your best
face forward when you look in
the mirror. Be condent and
tell yourself, I can rid myself of
fears and worries. Hold your
head high and face your feel-
ings knowing that you can be
seen, understood, and loved!
Every day you can have sun-
shine in your heart. Tell your
mirror image the words of
Maya Angelou: I am working
toward a time when every-
thing gives me joy!
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The mirror tells you all
Think positive when you glance at your reflection
reflections
ARDATH
RODALE is chief
inspiration officer of
Rodale Inc., the
publishers of
Prevention in the US,
and author of
Reflections; Gifts of
the Spirit: True
Stories to Renew
Your Soul; and
Climbing Toward
the Light.
JUST BY LOVING
YOURSELF, THE
WHOLE WORLD
OPENS UP
Love,
162

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