Things to Know About Drug and Alcohol Detoxification

Making a decision to seek treatment for addiction to drug or alcohol, and then sticking to it is very difficult. A great deal of courage and grit is required to accept the fact that one needs treatment for attaining sobriety. Detoxification, which helps remove the toxins from the body accumulated for years due to continuous drug and alcohol abuse, is the first step toward the recovery process.

However, many people have preconceived notions about detox that might be deceiving. One needs to understand that a successful recovery is a grim affair without detox. Listed below are some of the facts that an individual needs to know about the detoxification process:

• Drug and alcohol detox is the first part of the treatment process: Just by opting for a drug or alcohol detox does not make you sober. A comprehensive treatment follows detoxification that includes therapies, medications, counselling, and alternative treatments, etc. Detox helps to free the body of all the harmful toxins accumulated due to the prolonged abuse of a drug or alcohol and also helps manage difficult withdrawal symptoms.
• Detox must be completed before starting the next part of treatment: The body should be free of all the toxins before a comprehensive process of therapies and medications can be administered to a patient.
• Detox should be done under a medically controlled setting: Quitting the substance of abuse without any medical supervision can have adverse consequences. Detox must be carried out in a clinically controlled setting, under the supervision of medical professionals who are able to handle the painful withdrawal symptoms.
• Undergoing detox is not easy: The process of detox is not easy. The body will crave for the substance during the process and there will be withdrawal symptoms. However, doctors are well equipped to handle such situations and a focused mind can help a patient come out of the agony of drug abstinence.
• Detox length is not same for all: The detox length is not the same for all. It will depend on the severity of the condition, the type of drug or alcohol consumed, his/her ability to overcome the withdrawal symptoms or any other mental health condition, etc.
• Relapse after detox can increase dependence: One should try to avoid drugs after detox because relapse will only increase dependence on the drug. In fact, seeking detox treatment from clinically supervised treatment centers helps in relapse prevention and prepares the body for a holistic treatment.

Benefits of detox

Detox is the first and an indispensable part of the recovery process because it frees the mind and body of drug and alcohol dependence. As the body gets rid of the toxins, an individual regains control over his behaviour and the body slowly starts to heal from the acute exploitation by the drugs or alcohol. Patients regain their brain chemistries with their health getting back on track. The risks associated with drug or alcohol addiction start minimizing once the body is cleansed.

It is, however, true that detox is not the first and last step of a recovery process. It needs to be followed by proper therapies, medications and other alternative treatments, like yoga, meditation or exercise, which can help an individual thwart the ill effects of long-time drug or alcohol indulgence.

How to Create an Exercise Routine and Make it a Habit

We've all been there. We go to the gym for a few days, maybe a week, and the next week rolls around and we give in to laziness or exhaustion. We find ourselves disappointed for not going. Despite all that determination you had in the beginning, you find it difficult to make daily exercise a habit and a priority. What is wrong with these people who are able to run every day? Why can't I do that too?

The problem isn't motivation or determination. You've probably got plenty of both. The problem is that you didn't keep at it long enough for it to become ingrained in your schedule. It wasn't a habit, but rather a temporary fix. So, how do you make exercise a priority in your life rather than something you do on a whim of inspiration?

In 5 easy steps you’re ready to go

Schedule The Time: Take your day and break it into hours on a piece of paper. Now, pencil in your workout time. It's recommended by many experts that you exercise in the morning. Not only do you burn more calories at that time, but it will energize you for the day. Plus, a bad day at work or an exhausting day at school won't keep you from getting your exercise in if you do it beforehand.

Choose Your Workout: What do you like to do? Whether it's swimming, running, cycling, or lifting weights, find something you enjoy. If doing the same thing daily bores you, do something different every day. Switch it up. Make it fun!

Set Your Goals: What do you want to get out of this? Do you want flat abs, skinnier waist, more muscle and bulk? Whatever it is, write it down. Post a note by your bed with that goal written on it to motivate you to get up in the morning and actually get out the door.

Stick to Your Plan: You wake up one morning and you're feeling a little sleepy. Once you decide you're going to do something, stick to it. This will be difficult and don't think that it ever will be easy. If you can make it through the first few weeks then you're fast on your way to making exercise a habit.

Reward Yourself for Good Behaviour: Is there a new pair of shoes you've been eying? How about treating yourself to a small piece of your favourite dessert? It's okay to reward yourself for being good. If it keeps you on track to creating a habit out of exercise, then go for it (as long as it's safe, healthy, and legal!).

What exactly does building a habit do for you? Most importantly, it makes exercise a priority in your life. Just like someone who makes a habit out of drinking coffee, someone who has a habit of exercising won't feel right if they don't get in their daily exercise time. And think of it this way: what a great thing to become addicted to! Most importantly, try your best. If you fall off track, don't get discouraged. Get right back on track and don't give up!

Unable to lose weight post delivery- Try these tips

Welcoming a new member in the family is an awesome emotion. On one side, a mother is filled with joy of bringing a cute little angel in the world, while on the other side she is anxious about whether she’ll be able to lose weight and cope with post-pregnancy hormonal changes. During and after pregnancy, a woman gains weight, which is completely normal.

Putting on weight during pregnancy is crucial as the baby requires the right nutrition and it is under developing stage. Post delivery, mothers are on a look-out for methods which can help them shed extra fat. After going through rigours of childbirth, women can use these tips to reduce but only after consultation with their gynaecologist.

Bring regulation in your diet

It is critical for mothers to eat a balanced diet as they have to breastfeed the baby. It is essential to keep a tab on what you consume as it will affect the milk formation. Therefore, your diet must contain high nutrients such as fruits, whole grains, green vegetables, lean meat etc. Avoid aerated drinks at any cost. Limit the amount of sugar in your tea or coffee. This will assist in losing weight.

Exercise

Strenuous exercise is not the need of the hour but an easy walk in the morning/evening can help you to lose weight if you steadily for few kilometres. This implies that minimum of 20 minute walk is required if you wish to burn fat. Other options include cycling, swimming or games like badminton or squash.

Yoga

Yoga under supervision can bear fruitful results for you and that too swiftly. Yoga can rid all anxiety issues which often perturb new mothers. The onus is upon you to ensure that these workouts are regular and consistent.

Drink Lots of Water

Consuming large quantities of water is known to regulate the flow of milk and simultaneously helps in removing body fat. Gynaecologists recommend 8-10 glasses of water daily.

Weight loss post delivery is something that should not give you headaches. However, practice your weight loss program through appropriate consultation and management.

Common Myths about Getting a flat Belly

Clinical and sports nutritionist Shwetha Bhatia says that one of the common misconceptions that people have when it comes to exercising belly fat is that spot reduction is the answer. “People believe they can achieve a flat tummy by doing 1000+ crunches a day. Fat actually accumulates in that area due to the genetic tendency for the fat storage there. How you lose it, depends on your genetic make-up. When a structured diet and fitness program are followed, all fat cells are equally targeted. Nevertheless, the fat cells in the abdominal area have fewer receptors for release and more receptors for storage.”

Shalini Bhargava, founder and director of JG’S Fitness Centre, explains further: “The abdominal muscles are covered by a layer of adipose and fat and unless that is not reduced, the muscles will not be seen. No doubt that crunches will strengthen the ab muscles and the tone will be set but unless the covering layer of fat is not removed, these will not be seen.”

Another widely accepted myth is diet-related. Nutritionist Rina Baliga of Gold Gym says, “A universal misreading that people have is that you need to avoid carbohydrates or starve in order to get a flat stomach. The truth is that you can consume carbohydrates and still slim down. You need to include wholesome carbs such as brown rice, whole grains and oatmeal and you need to avoid refined carbohydrates and processed food.”

Fitness solutions for a flat tummy

The first thing to remember when it comes to fat reduction on the belly, says fitness guru Vinod, is that spot reduction absolutely does not work. “If you focus on developing bigger muscles in legs or back, you will burn more in an hour as compared to working on the smaller muscles in your abdomen. No matter what part of your body you workout, you burn calories and lose fat overall, not from that specific spot.”

Include Yoga, breathing or Pranayam and other exercises like calisthenics, aerobics or cardio activity with brisk walks on a regular basis. Exercises when done regularly will not only improve your stamina, strength and flexibility but boost your metabolism resulting in more weight loss. The following exercises are excellent for the abs and need to be included in your schedule crunches, reverse crunches, leg raises, sit-ups and side bends. Also include yoga stretches like surya namaskar, naukasan, bhujangasan and dhanurasna which are stabilizers and core-strengthening exercises.

Also important is strength training. Do strength training to build muscle. It will increase your metabolism, so you’ll burn calories faster overtime. 

These little secrets can keep your heart healthy

With so many heart diseases on the rise, most health-conscious people strive to find ways to keep their heart healthy.

It is a serious misconception that being in excellent physical condition makes you less vulnerable to heart diseases. It is true that good levels of physical conditioning are a contributing factor in keeping your heart healthy, but it is not the only one. In short, fitness and health may be two different subjects if we look at it with intricacy. It is not an absolute necessity that a bodybuilder is less prone to developing a heart disease than an average man.

Take The Green Initiative

When we speak of the heart, we cannot ignore the importance and benefits of plant-based foods. Vegetables are an excellent source of Glutamic acid. It is a class of amino acids which helps to keep blood pressure at lower levels; safe levels, so to say. What's more? Veggies lack cholesterol, fat and even calories, which otherwise tend to be the common culprits for causing heart diseases. Not to mention, the amount of vitamins and minerals that vegetables provide.

Stay Active

Without the aid of daily exercise, maintaining your health is a daunting task. Exercises not only improve heart function, but also help in lowering blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in the body. A mere 30 minutes daily walk works well for the heart. It is said that sprinting is more beneficial for the heart than jogging.

Minimise the consumption of oil

Although, you cannot avoid oil completely, you can keep its consumption to a minimum. As oils are a storehouse of calories mostly consisting of fat, they have high chances of leading to the development of plaque in the arteries. This gives rise to some nasty heart problems. However, not all types of oil are unhealthy. Fish oils contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help in preventing cardiovascular diseases and reduce instances of heart attack.

Say no to smoking

If you think you cannot shun the habit of smoking, then you might as well know that you cannot do anything good for your heart. One of the most severe risks of smoking relates to heart diseases in almost every smoker. Quit smoking, and you have done half the job in keeping your heart healthy!

Shed the excessive fat

If your figure is slim, and belly flat, then you may have less things to worry about heart diseases. Being overweight puts extra load on the heart, thus increasing the risk of heart conditions. So, consume less sugary foods and more fibre, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the basic necessities for a healthy heart today.

Add More Fibre

Fibre exists in two major groups; soluble and insoluble. Although both types are beneficial to health, it is the former type that does way better to reduce cholesterol levels in the body. Due to its soluble nature, it binds with the cholesterol in the intestines and keeps it from being absorbed. A healthy person requires a serving of 5 to 10 grams of soluble fibre a day to avail this benefit of low cholesterol. Foods rich in this fibre include apples, peas, prunes, etc.

Beware of Saturated Fats

It is important that you limit the amount of saturated and Trans fats you consume. These spike cholesterol levels in the body, thus increasing the risk of coronary disease. So avoid or limit consumption of food such as red meat, dairy products, coconut oil and palm oil. These are rich in saturated fatty acids. To avoid Trans fats, eat less fast food, bakery products, snacks, crackers, and margarine. Go for foods rich in healthy fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

Eat Less Salt

Sodium is good for the body, but in small amounts. High salt intake means high blood pressure, which eventually points out to heart conditions. When sodium starts accumulating in the blood, it attracts water which in turn, increases the blood volume. Now to keep this blood circulating through the blood vessels, the heart has to work harder thus, causing high blood pressure. The recommended amount of sodium in the food per day must be less than 2300 milligrams.

Take the Right Medication

In most cases, heart diseases are also related to the use of drugs. So, it is important that you take medicines as prescribed by the doctor, or get them altered if necessary.

Manage Stress

Stress has also been known to be one of the common culprits of heart problems. Any stressful situation elevates blood pressure and this response takes its toll on the heart. So, keep yourself relaxed by practising meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques.

Yoga healing for back pain

There are a lot of activities we engage ourselves in everyday, which we do not even know the effect it creates. If you engage in activities such as driving a car, spending hours on a computer, watch television, sit on the job, stand on the job, carry groceries and many others, then chances are there that you could develop some back pain. These modern ways of living can wreak havoc on your back. The most intriguing thing about this whole process is that we all tend to pay little or no attention to alignment. This predisposes us to back pain as well as dysfunction.

On many occasions, the only way to recover from back pain involves taking prescription medicine or going for surgery. Even while doctors prescribe many treatment options for their patients suffering from back pain, they seldom include yoga. There have been different studies and documentation about yoga. Yoga has great benefits and can help you fix your back pain related issues. It does not only strengthen your core as well as improve posture, it also teaches you to move with awareness and respect the limitations that our bodies present to us. There are some bad habits, which are peculiar to many people. For instance, assuming a wrong posture when we sit or stand is a habit. People just find themselves doing such without them noticing it. Yoga can help in this kind of situation. It can help to break us from bad habits and instil the right alignment in us.

For example, a forward bend is considered as one of the most basic movements that we humans do. The question now is how often do we bend down to pick something off the floor? Are we truly mindful of alignment? On several occasions, we round our back as we bend down and this puts some form of pressure on the vulnerable discs of our lumbar spine. Years of moving in this manner or sitting in a wrong position over a computer, all this can cause bulging discs and so much pain. Uttanasana teaches us to fire up different areas of our body like core, feet, as well as legs. It teaches us to fire these parts of our body and let them do the work for us, rather than our backs when we bend and come up again.

Back pain is commonly attributed to cases like weak back, sore muscles, as well as poor posture. Yoga is a great way to improve strength as well as help prevent our back problems from developing into something else. However, it is important for people with back pain to follow the advice of their doctors and avoid forward bends in cases like this.

International Day of Yoga: Why Yoga is better than hitting the gym

While deciding any type of exercise over the other, your approach and purpose behind making a choice is very important. Let's say yoga is the best. But, it is not like an intensive 15-day routine that will help you lose extensive fat in a week. Though, if you seek complete health, it is the perfect option for you.

In this age of race and competition, what we continuously aim at is achieving a balance. That is what yoga teaches us; to balance, not only through physical postures, but throughout several facets in our life. According to Patanjali, yoga is 'Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha', or the cessation of mental fluctuations. Calming the mind is what yoga is all about. So, gym or yoga? Which is better? Let's find out.

Why Yoga is Good For You

Tones the Body and Mind: Going to the gym mostly trains only the physique. It strengthens the muscles and makes the body sturdy and well-built. Yoga, on the other hand, tones the body as well as the mind. Flexibility is attained when you practice different asanas (postures); these make you lean. But yoga is not merely about the asanas, as it also includes various breathing practices that ensure a healthy and peaceful mind.

No Equipment Needed: Except for the fact that you must be awake, yoga requires no preparation or any heavy equipment for a workout. It can be practised anywhere. All you need is perhaps a mat (a carpet works too). That is definitely affordable.

No Risk of Injuries: Another point where yoga wins over training in the gym is that it is free from any risks of physical injury. You do not have the chance of accidentally hurting yourself because you lifted weights, or because you were in an uncomfortable position. In yoga, you move and stretch with ease, and only where you can.

Improves Metabolism: Metabolism refers to the chemical processes within our body that break down matter (food) to produce energy components like proteins. Digestion is an important element of metabolism. Yoga improves your digestive system. If you do not feel hunger, you would start to, or if you tend to overeat, you would begin to cut down on some comfort food.

Non-competitive: The environment in a gym is different, where you tend to compare yourself with the people around you. How much faster, how much better than others can I do, is the goal while you are walking on a treadmill or in an aerobics session. You tend to simply follow the group in a gym routine. On the contrary, yoga requires you to focus on yourself, no one else matters. You may be a little bulkier than others, but the shape of your body is not important here.

A Stress Buster: After a heavy workout at the gym, you may experience fatigue and tiredness. Alternatively, with yoga, which mostly ends with a few minutes of breathing and meditation, you don't experience that. It is a powerful stress buster, as it heals you from both, the outside and inside.

Healthy Eating Habits: A routine in the gym may make you feel hungry after exercise, and also stressed out at times. You may end up consuming as much calories as you burned, or even more. The goodness of yoga lies in that it naturally directs you to healthy dietary habits. You tend to eat at the right times, and the right quantities of highly nutritious foods.

Breathing Connects the Mind and Body: Mindfulness, being in the present and introspection occurs, of course, when one practises yoga. Any change in our emotions alters our breathing pattern. So, our breath is the only powerful tool to control our emotions that further helps us maintain a healthy body. We learn about our body through a variety of postures. The mind-body union, which is the basic underlying concept of 'yoga' also, improves memory and the ability to concentrate.

Saves Time and Money: One of the simplest reasons of why yoga is good is that it saves a lot of time and money. You need not waste your time in travelling to the gym, nor adjusting yourself to the gym timings. Also, the fees you pay to get in shape seem a waste when you again put on weight, because you discontinued the exercise. Yoga saves you all that trouble.

Physical exercise combined with meditation inculcates happiness and peace within. So, especially today, when most of the stress is mental and psychological, yoga provides a better way to find your own self, and accept it happily.