rediff.com: NETIZEN'S GUIDE TO ONLINE HEALTH.

November 3, 2000

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NETIZEN'S GUIDE TO ONLINE HEALTH.
Dr. Nitin Chhoda. Sports Medicine Specialist.
Ssshhh...Do you want to hear the biggest and the best kept secret in the world of fitness and exercise? The recipe that gives you all the fitness and well being that you'll ever need, all in one source? The storehouse, that will never run dry, and never pull a fast one on you, and will always stand the test of time, come rain or shine?
Well, what is it? Is it a drug? A new machine ? Some magical innovation? A herbal concoction? Here's a clue. It's not a pharmaceutical breakthrough, and neither is it related to any fitness equipment. It's not a recent innovation but it's a result of millions of years of evolution given to you in a platter. It gives you total control, it is perfectly legal, and there are no side effects, if you value the system and follow a few basic principles.
Well, what is it? (Drum roll, please)......... surprise, surprise, it's the human body.

Let's try and take a simple look at it from 3 angles, and also the relevance of these angles, in your day-to-day life. -

1. The way it's structured
2. The way it works.
3. The mental processes that govern everything it does.

The configuration of the human body consists of the body structure (bones, joints, muscles, organs etc.)

All of us have a similar structure, but some are tall, some short, some broad, and some extremely thin.

Can you change your body structure? No way, you can't. Once past puberty, height and frame are factors that you cannot change, and these are pre-determined by your genetics to a great extent. If you're parents are tall and broad, then there is a high likelihood that you could have a similar structure. Included below is a simple method for you to determine your own body structure, and the implications that it can have on your body function.

Oh, and there's this little 3-4 pound thing that that we humans have, and its called the brain. Given the fact that we could be using only 1/10000 or 1/100 of 1 percent of our possible brainpower over the course of a lifetime, there seems to be a lot of potential that is still left unused.

THE UNIQUE STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN BODY.

Thankfully, the human configuration does not have too many permutations and computations, when it comes to body frame and structure. Some short, some tall, some broader in the shoulders and some broader in the hips, we all have the same bones and joints, we just come in different sizes!!

Some of us have larger frames, some smaller. Naturally, the former will weigh a little more than the latter. The weighing scale does not take this into consideration, and it is precisely for this reason, that weighing scales can be a little misleading.

Although we are all fundamentally similar, individuals with different body types often respond very differently to exercise and diet. But how can you tell, whether you have a large frame, a medium frame or a small frame? Try this simple test.

The result of the test, as also the meaning that it could have for you, has been outlined.

Try and wrap the index finger and thumb of one hand around the wrist of the other hand.

Accordingly, click on one of the following options.

THE WAY THE BODY WORKS.

Do you have any clue how your body works? Since individuals differ, so do responses.

The body responds and adapts to the demands you place on it. For example, if you eat in excess, you put on weight. It's almost as if the body has a mind of it's own. If you appreciate it (with exercise and good nutrition) then it reciprocates by making you stronger and healthier.

Some people try excessively low calorie diets in an attempt to lose weight. Then there are those who shun weight training, claiming that 'muscle will turn into fat' once they stop exercising. There are the lucky ones who can commit the most atrocious culinary sins and escape scot free, never troubling the scale.

The following facts on crash low calorie diets and the importance of weight training, are intended to give the reader a deeper understanding of the beautiful complexity with which the body functions.

Click on the following to understand, what these could mean to you.

BODY AND MIND.

In our day-to-day lives, we might "accidentally" fall into a "rut." We might find ourselves hooked on patterns of action. These might include lack of exercise, consumption of junk foods, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol etc. Over a period of time, such 'habits', whether they are right or wrong, become ingrained, and lodge themselves in our subconscious.

Normal conventions sometime dictates that we embrace such habits. These get reinforced time and again in the human brain. We have built in mental patterns of action for how we work, how we eat, how we relate to other people, how we exercise, and so on To the brain, good habits feel just as natural and comfortable as bad ones, once they become ingrained. This is called 'engram' formation in the human brain, similar to a program in a PC.

The solution? Logic and reasoning. Improve your attitude, with the following suggestions.

If you have a basic understanding of the body, then you could have a basic understanding of almost everything you do in your day-to-day life. Every move you make, every thought, positive or negative and every breath you take is legacy of your structure, your function and your mind.

Even as your eyes move across this page, and your fingers click on the mouse to go to another page (don't leave this page just yet), your brain is firing millions of impulses, forcing your muscles to contract.

So decide whether you want to use or abuse your system. It might sound like a simple decision, but it's actually the choice of a lifetime.

See you next week.....................

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