Elliptical machine to your home workout

 Elliptical machines are a great equipment to burn calories in a low impact way. It offers a wide variety of physical and mental health benefits.

Home workouts can be challenging as it is difficult to achieve targeted results due to lack of equipment and/or space. However, considering that physical fitness is important for both mental and bodily wellbeing, a regular exercise regime is critical for your overall health. While we may not be able to experience the same intensity as a gym or park workout, certain equipment can provide us with a boost to exercise comprehensively, cut fat, and target all major muscle groups.

One such equipment is an elliptical machine, a simple equipment that, depending on the variant, simulates the movements of walking, running, cycling, and stair climbing.

What is an elliptical machine?

It is a stationary exercise equipment which helps in doing cardiovascular workouts that simulate walking, running or even stair climbing. It is a favourite amongst all age groups, as it is light on the joints, and provides a full body workout.

It has pedals, which can be moved up, down, forward, and backward. Most ellipticals have an adjustable resistance setting, which allows for regulating the intensity of the workout. Another feature available in some variants, is adjustable handles or poles, enabling you to exercise the arms as well.

Here are five reasons to add an elliptical machine to your workout

This equipment will help boost both physical and mental fitness:

1. Reduces strain on joints

Joints such as knees and hips, take a jolt when you indulge in high-impact cardio exercises like running. When you use an elliptical machine, your feet do not touch the ground because of the pedal, providing a low-impact workout. This takes away the strain from your joints. A study published in the journal ‘Gait & Posture’, found that an elliptical workout can significantly reduce weight bearing compared to running, jogging, and similar workouts.

2. Burns calories

This equipment allows you to simulate calorie burning activities such as running, cycling, and walking. Additionally, the adjustable resistance setting feature, allows you to increase the intensity of the workout, and trigger fat loss.

3. Helps recover from injury

When recovering from an injury, we are often not advised to exercise at all. However, due to the low-impact nature of this machine, you could use it to maintain a reasonable degree of fitness. The strain on your joints and muscles is far less than high-impact workouts, like running, jogging, or jumping. It will also help you to recover your full range of motion, and strengthen muscles and joints.

4. Full body workout

The adjustable handle bar or pole feature also engages your arm muscles. Hence, you could workout both your lower and upper body using this equipment. Working out on an elliptical can help improve bone strength and formation, as well as target specific muscle groups, such as biceps, triceps, chest, thighs, calf, and glutes.

5. Reduces mental stress

Exercising on this machine will help reduce the body’s stress hormones levels, such as adrenaline and cortisol. As per research by Harvard Medical School, working out in general, could stimulate the production of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.

You Don't Know What You Want

 Research indicates humans are bad at predicting what will make them happy.

If you read my work with even a cursory interest, you must know I make it my mission to convince people their minds cannot be trusted. In the past, I’ve focused on biases, and how unconscious biases work to protect the ego by distorting objective reality. This post takes a slightly different approach, and instead focuses on evidence that people generally think they know what they want, but in practice do not.

About a year and a half ago, I read a book about dating by Aziz Ansari. In the book, he uses research to fetter out problems and some solutions to dating.

Near the beginning of the section, “Most people stink at online dating,” he says, “While we think we know what we want, we’re often wrong. (p.96)”. When discussing online dating and profiles, he cites research done by dating sites that found, “The kind of partner people said they were looking for didn’t match up with the kind of partner they were actually interested in” (p.96).

At this point, I imagine a collective sigh, and thoughts along the lines of, “other people may not know what they want, but I do.” That is exactly my point. We all believe that. Just like most of us believe we are better than average (a statistical impossibility). The mind is designed to trust itself, but psychology time and time again proves it is unworthy of that reputation.

This is further evidenced in a recent episode of the “Hidden Brain” podcast, entitled, “Decide Already.” In this podcast, the host, Shankar Vedantam, interviews Harvard Psychologist Dan Gilbert regarding research demonstrating how poorly humans are at predicting their future.

Initially, the podcast focuses on ways our minds rationalize decisions, such as cognitive dissonance. My previous posts cover ways humans delude themselves already (see “The Psychology of Enlightenment," “Your Dream World," and “I’m Full of It, And So Are You," to name a few). But the podcast goes on to discuss how bad we are at predicting what will make us happy.

Dan Gilbert describes his research supporting this:

In our study, we brought students in, and we created a photography course. And we had all of them work with us for a long time learning how to do black-and-white photography.

Then, at the end of the course, we gave them two photographs that they had taken. And we said they could keep one, and we were going to keep one. Well, this was horrible for them. They wanted to keep both. They had a tough decision to make. In one group, we said, if you ever change your mind about which photograph you want, just let us know. We'll swap with you. We're going to keep this on file forever, so if you took A, and you want B, we'll swap B for A, for as long as we both shall live. Another group was told, your decision is final. Once you make this decision, the photograph that you're donating to us gets sent off to England. It'll never be seen again. (Cohen, R. et.al.).

Most people, given the choice, will take more freedom, believing it will make them happier. In this case, it is the ability to switch one photograph for the other whenever one pleases. However, as the study shows (and how Barry Schwartz describes in his book / TED Talk, “The Paradox of Choice”), more freedom doesn’t equate to more happiness. The study showed:

… that people who made an irrevocable decision - one they couldn't change - were much happier with the choice they made. When you've made an irrevocable decision, you rationalize it. Once something's gone and gone forever, the mind gets to work figuring out why what it got is really better than what it lost. (Cohen, R. et.al.).

Those who had more freedom were less happy, though most would think the opposite.

In another example from the podcast, Dan Gilbert asks people 18 years old and 58 years old to predict how much they’ll change in 10 years. In both cases, the groups severely underestimated how much they would change (as ascertained by asking 28- and 68-year-olds how much they’ve changed in the past 10 years).

Rick Hanson, in his book “Buddha’s Brain," makes similar assertions about our mind’s propensity to overestimate our satisfaction. He discusses how when we fulfill a desire, the satisfaction is fleeting. However, we expected that when we sought the satisfaction of this desire, we would feel satiated longer.

He asks, “Is the cookie really that tasty—especially after the third bite? Was the satisfaction of the good job review that intense or long-lasting?” (39). More than likely, it wasn’t. The point is that we are deluded by our minds much more frequently than we notice or believe.

We trust our thinking implicitly, though it doesn’t warrant that level of confidence. Often when I pose the approach of questioning thinking to my students or clients, the response is, “If I can’t trust my thinking what do I trust?” 

This question may be the wrong approach. It is not as simple as not trusting your thinking all of the time. Instead, it is about creating doubt and realizing your thoughts are not as important as you believe.

This can improve your relationships, your choices (as the podcast posits), and your sense of well-being. For many, myself included, realizing in a given moment that thoughts aren’t trustworthy, or at that moment are unnecessary, can bring about peace of mind, calmness, serenity. The more it is done, the more peace in one’s life.

This isn’t easy. No one (to my knowledge, at least) is doing it all day every day. But with the realization that much thought is nonsense, inaccurate, and biased, one can give it less merit, push thoughts aside more frequently, and experience what might be a taste of nirvana.

Can You Smoke Ribs In A Regular Oven?

 There are a zillion or so ways to cook meat. You can bake it, roast it, grill it, boil it, stew it, saute it, braise it, dry it, fry it, stuff it with cheese, dip it in batter, deep-fry it and serve it on a stick ... You can even, in certain circumstances, eat it raw, a la sushi, ceviche, and steak tartare. While it is hard – no, impossible – to single out any one way of preparation as the absolute best for every type of meat, there's one pretty strong candidate that most carnivores would be sure to agree on: smoking! Not only meats, but veggies, cheese, and even desserts taste absolutely incredible when smoked.

The problem with smoking, though, is that it involves burning wood to create that smoke and then containing that smoke so it can both cook and flavor the meat. This process generally requires an outdoor smoker as well as the space to set one up. Just to complicate things even further, Smoked BBQ says that there are at least 7 different main types of smokers. If you're going to be smoking food all the time, then yes, you'll eventually want to invest in one of these options, but if you just want to give smoking a test flight without the necessity of gearing up first, you may be wondering if it is, in fact, possible to smoke something like a rack of ribs using your oven instead. Short answer: yes, it is.

What you'll need to smoke ribs in the oven

In order to smoke ribs in the oven, you're going to need some ribs, of course. Livestrong has an oven-roasted rib recipe that calls for 2 full racks of ribs, which is a hefty amount. But then, if you're going through all this trouble, you're going to want to make it worth your while. You'll also need your favorite dry rub to give the ribs some flavor as well as some wood chips of the type meant for meat smoking. Hickory and mesquite go great with ribs, as do oak, cherry, and applewood. You may also want some barbecue sauce to slather on your meat after it has cooked as well as a brush with which to do the slathering.

As far as the actual cooking equipment goes, you'll need a large roasting pan, a rack that fits in the pan, and some aluminum foil (preferably the heavy-duty kind). A meat thermometer will also come in very useful so you'll know when your smoked ribs are done.

Get ready to turn your oven into a smoker

Your first step will be to thaw the ribs, after which you'll coat them with dry rub. If you don't have a favorite commercial rub or a go-to recipe, Livestrong suggests you can just make up a mixture of salt, sugar, and any spices you like. As to how much of each you need, pitmaster Brian Misko shared the magic ratio with BBQ Industry. "A barbecue rub needs to have balance," he told them, saying "that means ? salts, ? sugars, and ? fragrant spices." Once your ribs are all spiced up, put them in the fridge for at least an hour for the spices to soak in.

Meanwhile, fill the roasting pan with a single layer of wood chips, then cover the wood with water. The wood chips will need to soak for at least an hour. so you'll want them to soak while the dry-rubbed ribs "marinate." Once the wood chips are sufficiently soaked, drain off the water, but leave the roasting pan wet on the bottom. You don't want much moisture for dry smoking, but a little bit helps. After you've drained out the water, put the rack in the pan above the damp wood chips. Now remove the upper rack from your oven and move the lower rack to the bottom to provide more space. After you're done moving the shelves around, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Low and slow is the way to go

When the oven is hot, take the ribs out of the fridge and place them on the rack. Use the foil to make a tent around the meat. The tent will need to completely seal in the smoke so the flavor penetrates the meat, but you should leave plenty of room at the top so the smoke can circulate. Livestrong says 2 racks of ribs should take about 3 hours to cook at 250 degrees F. If you're not cooking 2 full racks, or you'd like a more exact method of determining the time, it should take between 1½ to 2 hours per pound of meat.

When your ribs are almost done smoking, you should check the temperature. Fully smoked ribs will read 180 degrees F on a meat thermometer. While such a high interior temperature might make it seem as if they'd be overcooked and dry, this won't be the case. The foil wrap will allow the ribs to retain moisture while the long cooking time will break down the collagen in the meat to make it tender.

As a final step, finish off your ribs by slathering them generously with barbecue sauce. Turn the oven to broil and cook the sauced-up ribs at high heat for a few minutes. This will help the sauce to take on a somewhat caramelized taste and texture. Be sure to serve your oven-smoked ribs with plenty of napkins!

Vitamin C hype for glowing skin

 Vitamin C is a raging trend when it comes to skincare, but is it worth it? We quizzed celebrity dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi about it and here is what she has to say.

We’ve all grown up reading about vitamins and obviously, vitamin C has been heard of many times. But it would seem that as grown-ups, we’ve forgotten the benefits of vitamin C. When we’re talking about its benefits, did you know that vitamin C can work miracles for your skin? Hence, it isn’t surprising that beauty products now have vitamin C as the starring ingredient.

So, what’s all this vitamin C hype about?

Well, we spoke to celebrity dermatologist and wellness expert, Dr Kiran Sethi from Isya Aesthetics, Delhi, and she gave us some insight into why vitamin C is being considered the holy grail in skincare.

Here are five benefits that will make you switch to vitamin C for glowing, healthy skin:

1. Vitamin C brightens your skin

We all want that uber glowing skin and we’ve opted for an equal number of home remedies as well as cosmetics for that. However, it is time you give vitamin C a chance and see your skin transform. “Topical vitamin C helps lends glow to the skin and prevents pollution damage along with mild pigmentation, boosting collagen, and preventing oxidative damage,” says Dr Sethi.

2. It helps with sun damage

When it comes to short-term relief, vitamin C helps reduce redness and soothes the skin affected by exposure to the harsh sun. From a long-term perspective, applying vitamin C regularly will help your skin stay protected from the sun while also healing the previous damage caused to it.

A study from the US National Library of Medicine states that “benefits include promoting collagen synthesis, photoprotection from ultraviolet A and B, lightening hyperpigmentation, and improvement of a variety of inflammatory dermatoses.”

3. Vitamin C will make those fine lines disappear

Be it worry lines or laugh lines, the appearance of them on your face can make you conscious. However, regular application of a vitamin C serum (10% concentration of ascorbic acid) can make those lighter with regular application.

A study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology noted that the participants, chosen from various age groups, who applied vitamin C were able to see an improvement in their skin in about 40 days, thanks to a boost to the collagen production! The study observed the effects of the topical application were even more visible after regular application of 60 days.

4. Vitamin C reduces hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation refers to your skin changing colour and it happens due to an array of factors. Applying vitamin C can reduce these changes caused by hyperpigmentation. According to a study published in the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology, participants noticed a 73% improvement in skin pigmentation after applying vitamin C.

5. It provides some much-needed hydration to the skin

Keeping your skin hydrated is important for not just how it looks but also its health. Turns out, vitamin C can make sure of that! Another study from the US National Library of Medicine observed that magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, one of the components of vitamin C, hydrates the skin, and most importantly, helps it retain moisture.

Sold on the benefits of vitamin C? But is it safe to use without a dermatologist’s recommendation? Well, this is what Dr Sethi has to say: “You can absolutely apply vitamin C without a dermatologist’s recommendation. Just make sure the formulation suits you.”

“Not all vitamin C preparations suit everyone. So, test them before using. If you are acne-prone, I would suggest either getting a vitamin C powder and mixing it in your cream or getting a vitamin C lotion. Vitamin C serums can sometimes trigger zits,” she concludes.

Go ahead and embrace vitamin C with open arms, and get that enviable glowing skin in return. 

Why you should indulge in a fruit salad daily

 Fruit salad is the perfect everyday meal that will help you stay full for long, and at the same time, enrich you with healthy nutrients.

Perhaps, one of the healthiest meals to consume daily is a simple bowl of fruit salad. With the right quantity and type of fruits, a fruit salad can work wonders for you, for it will provide you with a power-packed dose of fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. At the same time, you will also get a wide range of health benefits, right from lower blood pressure levels to weight management.

While you may choose the fruits of your liking for the salad, you could a;so consider adding apples as they are available all year round, and are rich in antioxidants, dietary fibers and flavonoids. Apple’s nutrient quotient helps reduce the risk of diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. You could also add a touch of citrus fruits such as oranges. Oranges are packed with vitamin B1, vitamin C, calcium, copper and will help to lower blood pressure and lose weight.

Hence, there is no right or wrong way of making a fruit salad, but rest assured that a daily dose of the same will provide you with several benefits, such as:  

1)Weight loss

Fruits consist of water and fibre, ensuring low-calorie intake and high energy levels that will aid in weight loss. For example, kiwi has high fibre and low calories, ideal for weight management. A medium-sized kiwi contains around 50 calories, and the fibre content creates a sense of fullness in the stomach.

2)Healthy nutrition profile

Fruits rich in vitamin C such as kiwi or strawberry help with the growth and repair of tissues in the body and, the fiber content is known to improve bowel function, which prevents constipation and can even help with asthma.

Moreover, bananas are a rich source of vitamin C and can help protect your body against cell and tissue damage, produce collagen (the protein which holds your skin, bones and body together) and support brain health by producing serotonin (a hormone that affects our sleep cycle, moods and stress levels). Blueberries are low in calories and packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Blueberries have up to 9.2 millimoles per litre (mmol) of antioxidants per 100 grams. Antioxidants in blueberries, called anthocyanins, reduce risk factors for heart disease, lowering LDL cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as per research published by the National Library of Medicine.

3)Improved digestion

A fruit salad, packing a high dose of fibre works brilliantly for digestion. Fruits such as kiwi contain a proteolytic enzyme called actinidin that helps break down proteins. The fibre, in fact, also improves constipation issues, because it acts as a natural laxative for the digestive system. Fruits such as oranges and bananas contain less fructose, making them easier to tolerate and less likely to cause gas and contain inulin, a substance that stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the gut.