It can be stressful taking care of a newborn, adjusting to a new routine, and recovering from childbirth. On top of that achieving, a healthy weight post-pregnancy could be a struggle. Women within a healthy weight range who are carrying one baby, gain up to 11.5-16 kg. Approximately 25% of women have major postpartum weight retention, defined as > 4 kg, at 1 year postpartum.  The consequences of keeping on some of this extra baby weight after pregnancy include: Increased risk of being overweight Heightened risk of diabetes and heart disease Greater risk of complication ..read more

WHAT IS STRESS? Although stress is a typical response to regular pressures, it can become unhealthy if it interferes with your daily activities. It involves changes affecting nearly every system of the body. The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your spouse, your kids, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about your circumstances.” Stress has the ability to affect a person’s physical and mental health leading to changes in a person’s eating habits. Mechanism behind Anxiety? Adrenaline/epinephrine is a neurotransmitter and a hormone released by ..read more

Sleep is the most essential for the rejuvenation of our body and the amount of sleep affects healthy weight loss. But unfortunately, many people are not getting enough sleep which in turn causes an imbalance in hunger hormones leading to obesity. Sleep is one of the fuels which the brain requires to function normally. This requires at least 7-8 hours of sound sleep. Anything less than this or disturbed sleep triggers cortisol to spike which is a stress hormone. This increase in cortisol levels causes a sugar spike causing type 2 diabetes and blood pressure to rise causing hypertension. Sleep A ..read more

Weight loss is a popular goal for many people trying to improve their health. There are many indicators of health, and weight is just one of them.  Although it sounds straightforward, losing weight is not as easy as “intake calories, burn calories.” Age, exercise level, body composition, illness, injury, and other factors all affect how many calories you need each day. The amount of energy (calories) our body uses each day is also known as our metabolism. There are 3 ways our body burns calories in addition to the calories we expend while exercising: The energy takes to digest what ..read more

Being overweight or obese means a person carries extra fat on the abdomen region.  Extra fat in the body is active & sends out signals to the rest of your body. These signals can tell cells in our body to divide more often which can lead to cancer.   WHAT DOES FAT DO IN THE BODY? It has 2 main functions- acts as a store of energy Constantly sending messages to the rest of your body which affects cell growth, chemical reactions in cells, and the body’s reproductive cycles. These signals affect-       Growth hormones – Increased visceral fat trigge ..read more

HORMONAL IMBALANCE: Women with PCOS have more androgens (MALE HORMONE) than normal. Higher than normal androgen levels in women can prevent the ovaries from releasing an egg (ovulation) during each menstrual cycle, and can cause extra hair growth and acne.   DIABETES: Insulin is a hormone that controls how the food you eat is changed into energy. Insulin resistance is when the body’s cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result, your insulin blood levels become higher than normal. Many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, especially those who have overweight or obesity, have ..read more

Anyone who works beyond a regular shift of 9-5 pm or 10-6 pm is considered a shift worker. Working in a shift can have a serious short and long-term health impact. Short-term impact includes gastrointestinal issues like upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and heartburn, increased risk of injuries and accidents, Insomnia, obesity, mood swings, and depression. Long-term effects are life-threatening which include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Following are the healthcare tips for shift workers: Take an hour or two to relax after work, whether it is day or ..read more

What is Physical Activity? Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. Physical activity encompasses all activities, at any intensity, performed during any time of day or night. It includes exercise and incidental activity integrated into daily activity. Why Physical Activity is Important? Physical activity or exercise can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity and exercise c ..read more

Excess body weight is the sixth major factor contributing to the overall burden of disease worldwide. The body mass index (BMI) has been considered as a useful index for assessing obesity and is known to be causally associated with hypertension, which can be reduced by weight loss. Obesity is a term used to describe people with a body mass index (BMI) above 30, and it is a major risk factor for high blood pressure. Based on population studies, there is a risk of at least two-thirds of the prevalence of hypertension that can be directly linked to obesity. Obesity is generally characte ..read more

Ever wished to wear your favorite outfit but were scared of oops moment because of stretch marks? Or felt embarrassed due to bands of white lines prominent over your belly, hips, thighs, or arms! What are stretch marks? Stretch marks are long, rippled, and disfiguring streaks develop on the skin over a period of time due to overstretching of skin or extension. Stretch marks are not all the same. In the beginning, they may look like thick red or pinkish lines whereas over a period of time it fades to blue or brownish fine lines. Major causes of stretch marks are: Stretching of skin: Stretch m ..read more