The Hindu Business Line : Walk your way to health

I have dust allergy. Whenever I am exposed to dust, heavy sneezing accompanied by nose block follows. Even when breathing early morning fresh air I sneeze for quite a while. I frequently contract cold and cough. Medicines give only temporary relief. Please advise. - C. Suresh Babu

Try steam inhalation twice a day for at least a week. Add a teaspoon of salt and a capsule of Karvhol Plus to boiling water and do steam inhalation. Also, drink hot, ginger tea with honey first thing in the morning and evening. This combination should clear the congestion.

Walking is a good long-term solution. Walk 4.8 km in 42 minutes 5 times a week. This will enhance your cardiovascular-respiratory system.

My weight is 75 kg and height 165 cm. I do yoga for one hour daily in the morning and follow a strict diet. But my weight is not reducing below 75 kg. As I am working, I don't have the time to go to a gym. Please suggest tips to reduce weight. - Laxmi Jayaraman

Depending on the frame of your body, your ideal weight should be 50 kg (small build); 56 kg (medium); 62 kg (large). Measure your left wrist: a circumference of 5.5 inches makes you small framed; 5.5 to 6.5 inches, medium; and 6.5+ inches large-framed.

A person who is 25 per cent more than the ideal height-weight ratio is considered obese. So, even if you are large-framed, you are pretty close to it (77.5 kg). You haven't mentioned your age and medical condition.

Do you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, etc? If so, consult your doctor and ask him whether you could walk 4.8 km in 42 minutes, 5 times a week. That would be my prescription for weight loss.

Simultaneously, watch your food. Cut out fries, sweets and fast food. Eat plenty of salads instead. Salads would be a good source of vitamins and complement your normal food. Continue with yoga for mental peace and body flexibility. Unfortunately, yoga doesn't do much for weight loss. Hence, walk your way to fitness.

I am a 21-year-old boy, smart and good-looking. The problem is I'm very slim and want to put on weight. I used to eat 3 meals a day with snacks and fruits. But my body is still the same. No improvement. What can I do to become fat? - Chandu

Count your blessings. If you are slim, smart and good-looking, you don't have a problem. Exercise to maintain and enhance strength, stamina and status quo. You could go in for weight training to enhance your muscles and attain that lean, muscled look.

I suggest you join a gym and weight-train under supervision. Also, eat 2-3 bananas and 2 egg whites per day. Bananas are a good source of energy. Egg white-protein helps build muscle.

I am 39 and have not had a physically active life. I am not a sportsperson either. However, my weight is 65 kg (5 ft 6 inches) and seems okay for my age. Of late, I have been going to a gym and doing half-hour workouts, including 10 minutes on the treadmill. Due to work pressures, I go to the gym 8-9 times a month. I want to be regular and increase my workout time to 45 minutes. How do I make the necessary transition to a more regular regime given my past irregularity, as I am afraid of injury? - Brian Desouza

Measure your left wrist. If it is 6.5 inches, you are small-framed; 6.5-7 inches would make you medium-framed and 7 inches, large-framed. The ideal height-weight ratio for these categories is 52 kg, 59 kg and 65 kg respectively. (These figures are from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and apply to national sportspersons.) But, give yourself a 10 per cent allowance as a layman. It's good you have started going to a gym. Increase your attendance from 8-9 times to 12 times a month.

I suggest cycling instead of working out on a treadmill. It is safer for your hip, knee and ankle joints and an excellent cardiovascular workout as well. Cycle at over 80 rpm (revolutions per minute) — if your cycle doesn't have such a device, count from 1 to 8 every time your knee is at a particular point — for 35 minutes, 3 times a week.

In the remaining 10 minutes (of your proposed 45-minute workout), do a combination of weight-training and abdominal exercises. Let your trainer guide you. A good supervisor should eliminate the risk of injury. Drinking 10-12 glasses of water through the day hydrates muscles and reduces the chance of injury. But, in general: train, don't strain. Start with lighter weights and move on to heavier weights only when you are strong and fit enough.

I believe in neither stop-start nor no-pain-no-gain regimes. The buzzwords are: regular and painless. The best way to be regular is to keep fixed days and a fixed time and stick to these schedules come what may.

The writer is co-author of the book, `Fitness for Life'.

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