weight management – Cardiac Wellness Institute

Recently, we have been faced with a few pertinent questions related to walking as an exercise.

“What is the best time of the day to go on a brisk walk?”

“If I am unable to walk for 30-40 minutes at a stretch, can I break it into small parts?”

“Does walking after a meal have an impact on blood sugar level?”

As a team of experts managing individuals with heart diseases and co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension and obesity, we are pleased to see the growing interest among our people in taking up walking as a form of exercise. We always educate our clients about the importance of warm-up and cool-down exercises as well as the need for a holistic fitness regime which includes muscle strengthening, balance and flexibility components in addition to walking.

The best time of the day to walk

The short answer to this question is there is no one-size-fits-all best time of the day to go for a brisk walk. What is important is the time that works for you as an individual trying to balance family, work, social life and other commitments.

For a mother or father caring for toddlers and young children, it might be the time of the day when the children are sleeping or away at school.

For someone who is working long hours and commuting or traveling frequently, it might be the days of the week that they are not working or working from home.

For those living in locations that have very hot or very cold weather, they may need to find the best time of the day when the temperature is ideal to step out for a walk.

Walking at a stretch versus breaking it down into parts

The maximum benefits of the exercise can be attained by walking for 30 or more minutes at a stretch. However, even short bouts of 10-15 minutes of walking have proven to be beneficial, especially for those who have desk jobs and sit for prolonged periods of time. In fact, walking up and down the stairs a few times at office is an efficient alternative if you are unable to step out. Taking a walking break is the best gift you can give yourself in between those long hours of sitting!

Walking after a meal

According to recent scientific publications, walking after a meal has a greater impact on postprandial glucose levels rather than walking after a few hours after or before a meal. Walking helps the muscles absorb glucose from the bloodstream, which is especially advantageous for people who have diabetes or are at risk of getting it. It can help avoid blood sugar increases after meals, resulting in improved long-term blood sugar control.

Note for heart patients

The important thing to note is that brisk walking or strenuous activity after a meal can pose a threat to heart patients, but gentle walking or taking a stroll after a meal is definitely a good idea. Additionally, focusing on a well-balanced meal instead of a fatty meal is equally important. Please read this related post on balanced meal planning: http://www.cardiacwellnessinstitute.com/heart-disease-treatment-prevention/uncategorized/balanced-diet-vs-crash-diet-for-heart-health/

Other benefits of walking after a meal are:

Aids in digestion:

Your digestion can be aided by movement because it stimulates the stomach and intestines, which allows food to pass through more quickly. Walking can help with bloating, indigestion and heartburns.

Helps with weight management:

We all are aware that walking helps with weight control by burning calories. A little stroll following dinner can be a useful strategy for people trying to maintain or reduce weight. It lessens the accumulation of extra energy as fat and aids in the burning of calories.

Improves quality of sleep:

Walking after dinner puts you in a relaxed state. The more relaxed you are the better is your sleep quality likely to be. Rather than using your mobile phone before sleep, try walking. Remember, there should ideally be at least 2 hours time interval between dinner and hitting the bed.

Improves your mental health:

Taking a stroll following dinner can help you feel more at ease. It’s a chance to unwind, reduce mental stress, and clear your head of worries.

Now that you are enlightened about how best to incorporate walking in your fitness regime, you may start making the necessary changes to your routine right away. If you have been diagnosed with a health condition or have some other concerns, please feel free to get in touch with us (info@cardiacwellnessinstitute.com) or your healthcare provider before embarking on any lifestyle changes.

We all know that there is a close link between body weight and heart health. In fact, obesity or excessive body weight in relation to height, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Regular exercise along with a healthy diet can help maintain physical, physiological and mental health. Many of us want to reduce weight; some of us wish to gain weight. An important thing to understand before making any weight management plan is the concept of calorie intake and calorie expenditure.

Calorie intake per day refers to the amount of calories that is being taken in the form of foods or supplements by an individual in a 24-hour period. Calorie expenditure refers to the amount of calories that is being burned out by an individual in the same time period. The overall working of our body relies on these two things, in short, on our body metabolism.

Now let us see what Positive calorie intake and Negative calorie intake are. Positive calorie intake refers to calorie intake being higher than calorie expenditure and negative refers to intake being lesser than expenditure.

Positive calorie intake = calorie intake > calorie expenditure = Weight Gain

Negative calorie intake = calorie intake < calorie expenditure = Weight Loss

In India, an average working individual consumes around 2100 – 2500 kcal in a normal day (weekday) and goes upto 3000 kcal during the weekends (outside food consumption). Our body at a resting state expends around 1200 – 1400 kcal for carrying out our basic functioning. Overall an individual has around 600 to 700 calories being left unused post consumption. This results in calorie overload, leading to weight gain.

Incorporation of physical activity and exercises can help in depleting the additional calories. Moreover, a minimal modification in the calorie intake with the help of a dietitian can help you shift from a positive calorie intake to a negative calorie intake resulting in weight loss.

Use of indoor equipments like treadmill, cycle ergometer, and cross trainer with adequate speed, inclination and resistance, burns around 300 – 400 kcal/hr. Outdoor activities such as jogging, swimming, brisk walking, hiking and cycling burns up-to 400 – 500 kcal/hr. Individuals involved in sports such as badminton, tennis, cricket, basketball, volleyball, football etc expend about 450 – 600 kcal/hr. Other activities like Zumba, Pilates, Yoga and Gymnasium can also help you loose your extra calories and attain an ideal body weight. If you are underweight and are planning to gain weight, it should be a healthy weight gain resulting from the intake of a healthy balanced diet and engaging in appropriate exercises rather than taking nutritional supplements, eating junk food and performing excessive exercises and succumbing to injuries.

Some important points to keep in mind with calories…

3,500 kcal = 0.45 kg of fat
Adequate calorie expenditure = 200 – 400 kcal/day (or) 1000 – 1500 kcal/week
Exercise 3-5 days/week for aerobic training, 2-3 days/week for resistance training and daily 15-20 minutes/day for abs and core training for more calorie expenditure
Healthy weight loss = 1-2 kg/month
Adequate calorie intake for weight loss =1600 – 1800 kcal/day
Spend more time in outdoor activities and sports that you enjoy; it will help relieve your stress and expend those extra calories
Incorporate a combination of workouts (rather than the same routine everyday) for better calorie expenditure
High intensity interval training and resistance training burns calories even after the workout session.

Regular exercise and a good diet are sure to help you reach your health goals. Additionally, having an idea of your calorie intake and expenditure is important to maintain fitness and body weight. This is especially true for those of us who are diabetic, hypertensive, obese and diagnosed with heart problems. Better weight management is a sure-shot strategy to improved health metrics. Eat right, stay fit and always believe that you can!