Take Charge of Your Health
BMI and the weighing scale are redundant. The real indicators of health are metabolism, muscle and bone strength, hormonal balance, gut health and the elasticity of your arteries. Healthy India must come before Fit India.
The health and wellness sector keeps witnessing paradigm shifts once in every eight to ten years. What is healthy in terms of eating, drinking, exercising and lifestyle modifications cannot be universally defined, because of the many factors that control a good healthy metabolic system in each individual.
BMI is the wrong scoreboard
BMI and weighing scales are a redundant way of looking at your health. We are all falling prey to them. We have started looking more at the quantity of what we weigh, what we eat and what we spend (in energy). We need to change that outlook — and focus on quality.
Your metabolism, oxygen and water retention, strength in muscles and bones, pulse rate, energy levels, stability and balance — these are the real indicators. That is the quality we need to focus on. Similarly, the quality of energy (calories) intake and the quality of energy spent (how we burn those calories) is more important. It is all about the biochemistry — not the mathematics.
Cholesterol is a stale story
The latest research across the globe suggests that when it comes to cardiovascular health, cholesterol is a stale story — and I have spoken about it on many platforms, including my YouTube videos. Similarly, glucose levels in blood cannot merely decide if one is pre-diabetic or diabetic. We are stuck with parameters like cholesterol levels in blood and fasting or PP glucose levels, which do not tell the whole story.
Elasticity on the artery walls, low insulin in blood, strong heart muscles and a good hormonal balance for a smooth metabolism — these are the latest research pointers.
The real foundations of health
Fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K are critical factors when it comes to our health. Minerals like calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are the key players.
A strong liver, healthy kidneys, and a healthy gut — considered the new centre of metabolism, not the brain — should be our focus areas when we try to understand good health and a happy mind. Sleep and stress management, which affect the balance of key hormones like cortisol and insulin, are important issues to address too.
Healthy India before Fit India
And while we all endeavour to become fitter, it is more important to first become healthier. Healthy India has to come before we talk of Fit India. Yes, it is time to take charge of your health.
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