The magic of fresh air

An ounce of oxygen leads to the bounce in your body. As you inhale, your lungs pluck the oxygen from the air, which includes nitrogen and other gases like carbon dioxide. The lungs then circulate the oxygen through your body. The pure oxygen is absorbed by your red blood cells into your haemoglobin and these tiny sponges of oxygen bob in your bloodstream and feed the tissues (muscle, bone, nerves). A group of cells form a tissue, and a group of tissues form your organs — heart, lungs, ­stomach, etc. These sponges squeeze out the oxygen and absorb the waste carbon from your tissue. They then bob back to your lungs from where the waste gas is expelled as you exhale.

Read more

Put your backpack to good use

Your shoulders, stooped or squared, are important to first impressions. The former indicates a negative impression, and the latter, a positive one. Real-life examples for both: a village girl carrying a pot of water on her head is the rural example of the urban fashion model. Then, there is the coolie (or railway porter) carrying baggage. The above vocations are external examples of the spinal posture showing longevity and the body’s inner strength.

Read more

Swimming: the sport of champions

Yasuhiro Akumatsu developed radiation sickness after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Doctors told him there was no medical cure for his count of dangerously low white-blood cells. Akumatsu began swimming regularly 30 years later in 1975. Six years and 2,000 nautical miles later, he recovered completely. Many swimming champions have been asthmatics. American freestyler Rick Demont is one of them. He won the 400m Olympic gold medal in 1972 at Munich, but was later disqualified for using an asthma preparation held illegal by the Olympic authorities. Demont continued swimming undeterred. He swam an hour daily and represented the USA once again in the 100m freestyle event.

Read more

Skin care – more than just beauty

What really defines you and pigeon-holes you in society’s memory bank is your skin. More accurately, your colour — black, white or brown — is your most visual characteristic; it profiles you in the mental folder. Most often, your reference is not your facial features. It is the more obvious colour of your skin, and this, consciously or unconsciously, becomes your identity card. Beauty is not just skin deep. Because the skin stands for so much more…

Read more

Heart under siege

Stress is spread over our daily bread. Office work stretches beyond the eight-hour shift quite naturally. Because the sun doesn’t rise or set on it because service industries, in particular, can seldom be conveniently compartmentalised into global time zones. Back-office stress stalks the post-Covid back-to-office routine as increasing globalisation goes loco. For example, a male employee in Mumbai addresses the clients’ requirements in a Manhattan-set timeline. The man from Matunga now competes with someone from Madurai, Madrid or Mexico. Outsourced work crosses geographical borders and time zones. And the red-eyed corporate traveller catering to the western multinational corporation (MNC) is accompanied today by the India-based, blurry-eyed work-from-home/call-centred colleague. This trend is entrenched and extended as shrinking western economies seek new bases and bigger markets in Asia. And India.

Read more

Holistic health for longevity

Swedish sweat in the 19th century is the fountain-head of modern calisthenics — the prime source and course of western exercises today. It is believed that Swedish landlords were aghast when they saw the stooped and sagging peasants’ shoulders at work. The landlords wanted their subjects to be soldier-like in bearing. And hence, devised drills and movements on militarist lines. Erect spines and square shoulders were sought and taught through calisthenics.

Read more

Stay fit and flexible

Preservation begins with proper preparation. The principle is to live young as long as possible. Internally, there can be a 20-year difference between our chronological age and our chromosomes. For example, a 40-year-old could be 60 or 20 within himself or herself. Inherited genes and a gainful lifescape make the vital all-important difference.

Read more
Message Us