Hello and welcome to another edition of Lounge's health roundup. Every Saturday, we bring you the pick of the stories from our Health section, with each of the stories designed to help you progress on your wellness journey. This time around, we focus on the things you have to do—strength training—and the things you shouldn't be stressing about—feverishly counting calories or getting 10,000 steps a day—to get fitter, stronger, healthier and stay injury-free.
So read on to know more.
Why counting calories can often fail you
Heard people tell you that all you need to do is log all your calories, ensuring that you burn more than you consume to lose weight? No, it isn't always as simple as that. Our expert, Jen Thomas, explains why most people who use calorie counting apps get it wrong, why seeing food as just the sum of its calories is problematic, how nutritional labels aren't perfect and how cooking and preparation also impact calorie count. She also offers a more sensible, sustainable way of measuring portion sizes that help people make better choices and eat more intuitively.
Why you need to do strength training to be a better cyclist
Ever since covid-19 fanned across the country in March 2020, bringing everyday life to a standstill, fitness and our attitude towards it has changed considerably. With gyms and pools shuttering down, people had to find more innovative ways of keeping fit. Therefore, home workouts and outdoor activities became more important than ever before. So it is not surprising that cycle sales doubled during the lockdown, with more and more people taking to the sport.
Shrenik Avlani writes that they have stuck to the sport since people actually enjoy cycling. However enjoyable though cycling may be, it isn’t enough to maintain optimum fitness levels—you have to strength train. Avlani’s story also offers a comprehensive workout plan for cyclists, put together by an expert. So yes, if you are an amateur cyclist wanting to get fitter, you should be reading this.
The health resolutions you don't need to stick to this year
New Year resolutions around health aren’t new, and with covid forcing us—as a society to be more mindful of health than ever before—it is very likely you’ve hopped onto the health bandwagon. However, promising yourself a six-pack or forcing yourself to drink eight glasses of water every day, even if not thirsty, isn’t necessary, writes our expert, Dr Farah Adam Mukadam. Thinking about health is good, overthinking it—not so much, says Dr Mukadam—who believes that obsessing over health is as harmful an obsession as any other. Instead, she implies that a moderate attitude towards health is more sustainable and less stressful.
