Why Is It Better to Consider Home Workout Than Going to A Gym?

Most of you have probably made several fitness new year’s resolutions this year in an attempt to achieve better health. Your fitness goals likely revolve around a change in diet or a subscription to a gym membership, or both, but with your busy routine and fast-paced life, goal maintenance has become cumbersome. So, as you make your 2020 fitness execution plan, you may want to consider doing at-home workouts instead of going to the gym; trust us, this will definitely increase your chances of sticking to your fitness goals. Here’s why!
With at-home workouts:

You can workout at your own time and convenience

If you workout at home, you avoid the hassle of packing up a bag, changing into your workout clothes, driving or walking to the gym, and/or arranging for child care. You save up on significant travel time and coordination and, the best part is, you get to workout whenever you like, which is perfect if you need to split your workouts or accommodate work / family commitments. 

You get privacy and can listen to whatever you want!

Although a large gym will offer you a variety of equipment, it will also come with a lot of people. This is particularly disadvantageous during peak hours as you’re likely to find yourself waiting to use equipment or machines that are already in use. Privacy is another element that makes at-home workouts more appealing, seeing how you can wear whatever you want during the workout and listen to whichever music you desire without getting self-conscious.

You get more workout variety

While there is definitely a variety of equipment at the gym, at-home workouts offer their own set of unique and refreshing options that many are now starting to prefer. Instead of enclosing you in a mechanical room or confining you to a machine, at-home workouts come with the privilege of outdoor runs or walks. You can even engage in streaming exercise classes, exergames, workout apps that track your progress, or mix things up once in a while, whether its combining weight training with cardio, or adding in some yoga. 

You benefit from lower costs

Many gyms include only the basic benefits in their standard memberships. Personal training, specialty classes, and other offerings come at an additional fee. Your best bet in this case might be to work out at home at no expense through a combination of selective exercises, minimal equipment, and quality workout guidance via you tube.

So, Are Home Workouts Effective?

The short answer is yes. Provided you are prepared to put a little more effort into your workout at home, it can be just as effective as a gym workout; it all depends on the person and his/her preference and determination. Some prefer to be around others during their workouts because that’s their source of motivation; others prefer to be away from the public and in their own private space, as it allows them to focus better. Regardless of which you choose, it is important to have the mental control to leave your problems at the door. At the end of the day, if you can put forth the same mental effort, both scenarios will prove to have the same results for you. It's just a matter of finding where you're most comfortable and are able to concentrate the best.

Why Our Kids Need A Digital Detox?

You check in to say good night to your daughter only to find her watching Youtubers on her phone.
Or your son is busy playing Fortnite when he should be studying.
Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone - 72 percent of American parents report that their children routinely engage in more than two hours of screen time per day, and it's highly likely that most kids spend more time on their screens (whether it’s a TV, laptop, tablet, video games, aor a phone) than their parents think they do. While digital media and technology have their merits, the way younger generations are embedded in them have led experts to raise some health concerns that go beyond having poor eyesight or a reduced attention span. In fact, robust research links high levels of screen time to slower child development, increased risk for obesity, and susceptibility to depression and insomnia. These long-term implications are probably why a United Nations health agency strongly recommended parents to limit, and in some cases eliminate, screen time for children under the age of 5.

Research Consensus: More Screen Time, Slower Child Development

Amongst all the literature that shows the negative effects of screen time on children, the most notable one is published in the journal Jama Pediatrics by researchers from the University of Waterloo, the University of Calgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute Researchers. In short, this study found that children who spent more time with screens at two years of age did worse on tests of development at age three than children who had spent little time with devices. A similar result was found when children’s screen time at three years old was compared with their development at five years. “When young children are observing screens, they may be missing important opportunities to practice and master interpersonal, motor, and communication skills,” the authors wrote.

To top it all off, and as mentioned above, increased screen time is also linked to depression and sleep disorders because digital media alters the release of the happy and reward chemicals in your brain and because prolonged exposure to your screens’ blue light throws off your circadian rhythm. Interestingly, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that college students who limited their screen time to less than 30 minutes a day were less lonely and depressed, even after just three weeks.

Media Guidelines by the American Academy of Paediatrics

For parents concerned about their child’s screen time, the American Academy of Paediatrics updated their media guidelines a couple years ago based on recent research. Their suggestions include:

• No screen time for children under 18 months old
• For children 18 to 24 months old, parents should choose only high-quality media and watch it with their child.
• For children 2 to 5 years old, less than one hour per day of high-quality programming is recommended, with parents watching along.

A Forewarning for Parents Embedded in Today’s Digital World

Most of the conversations on the dangers of digital screens centre around children and adolescents. Don’t forget that if you limit your kids’ screen time but do not apply some level of screen-time restriction across all family members, adherence will be short-lived. If, by any miracle, it becomes successful but you - as a parent - don’t adopt off-time from your own screen, it is likely that your relationship with your child will deteriorate. In a 2015 survey by AVG Technologies, one-third of children reported feeling unimportant when their parents looked at their smartphones during meals or when playing together. A 2016 study goes a step further, finding that this type of interrupted care can also affect your child’s cognitive development and mental health. 

So, both children and parents need to set limits to their screen time if they are to achieve any substantial positive outcomes in their personal, interpersonal, and cognitive development.

Whole Grains – Debunking the Leaky Gut Myth and Adopting a High Fiber Diet

We live in a world filled with fad diets, weight-loss bibles, and no-carb miracle regimes. That’s probably why people are eliminating all types of grains from their daily food intake, not knowing that whole grains (unlike refined grains) contain fiber and essential nutrients (such as vitamin B, copper, zinc, iron, and magnesium) that are essential for good gut health.

Whole Grains v. Unrefined Grains

First, let's establish some key distinctions between whole grains and refined grains.Whole grains are an unrefined grain, which means that their bran and germ haven't been removed by milling. The most common types of whole grains include popcorn, oatmeal, millet, brown rice, quinoa, whole rye, and barley, all of which are practical additions to one's diet. These food items contain dietary fibers that stimulate fructans and positive bacteria (called galactooligosaccharides (GOS)) and create short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that keep your colon’s health in check and boost your overall immune system. Whole grain fibers make you stay full for a longer period of time, increase your stool-weight and frequency, and help retain the GOS in your gut, freeing your digestive system of any such distress. 

Refined grains, on the other hand, have had both their bran and germ stripped during the milling process in order to give them a finer texture and extended shelf life; this refining process not only strips the grain of its bran and germ but also removes many nutrients, including fiber. Refined grains are digested quickly and can cause spikes in blood sugar, which often leads to rebound hunger, leaving you feeling hungry almost all the time. The most common types of refined grains include white bread, white pasta, or white rice, which are all less-nutritious choices and provide short-lived energy.

Whole Grains: Debunking some Myths

According to the American Heart Association, whole grains can improve cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even colorectal cancer. Despite this overwhelming positive research, proponents, authors, and bloggers of low-carb diets have labelled whole grains as a source of “antinutrients” that supposedly promote inflammation and prevent effective digestion. They state that whole grains contain two key molecules, namely lectins and phytates, that lead to conditions like “leaky gut” which, in turn, lead to chronic diseases. In fact, some folks take this argument so far as to recommend refined grain products (like white bread and white rice) over their whole grain counterparts. This contradicts US dietary guidelines, which recommend increasing whole grain consumption and making at least half of your grain consumption from fiber-filled whole grains. So, who’s right? 

While there is truth to the idea that lectins and phytates can have adverse effects, there are some major caveats. First of all, most lectins are safe to eat and while there are some foods (such as kidney beans) that may cause severe stomach pain and vomiting due to their high lectin concentrations, this can be completely avoided if cooked properly. Secondly, a multitude of research and data on lectins does not support the negative health effects that critics continue to claim. In fact, the 2014 research review in the journal of Cereal Sciences concludes that “the current scientific evidence is strong and consistent to suggest that whole grains have beneficial effects in individuals with no genetic predisposition for celiac disease, despite the dietary lectin content. Despite numerous speculative assumptions that wheat germ lectins cause intestinal damage and disease, there is at present neither evidence that this is the case nor reason to recommend the healthy population to abstain from whole grain food products.”

Closing Remarks

There is robust evidence that shows that whole grain consumption is good for your health. In some studies, participants on diets rich in whole grains have shown better results in insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol compared with those who ate diets higher in refined grains. So there is no doubt that, until new research deems otherwise, whole grain foods should be incorporated into our diets, especially considering the fact that the presence of lectins and phytates in whole grains are not a problem in a balanced diet when foods are properly prepared.