United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is situated in a tropical region with a moderate to temperate climate. However, there has been a spike in heat waves and extended summer in recent years. Heatwaves and humid weather create various health complications as well as general uncomfortableness. So how can you beat the simmering heat of summer? Let's look at some of the ways. Health complications in summer The human body isn’t designed to be exposed to extreme heat for an extended period. The heatwaves and the constant dry weather create various health-related issues. Not everyone has access to air conditioning and many people have to go out during the day for work. As a result, the risks become even more prominent. Read Oolong Tea: Health Benefits, Nutrients and Risks Dehydration The body loses excessive fluid through sweat due to extreme heat. This causes the body to get dehydrated. Muscle cramps, weakness, and disorientation are some of the symptoms of dehydration. Try to drink as much water and fluid as possible during the summer season. Sunburn The extreme heat may often cause the skin to burn. Extended exposure to the heat may cause the skin to become red and sore. The harmful UV rays of the sun cause skin cancer in the long run. Read: Pandemic Yoga: How to strengthen lungs, ease breathing problems with yoga Heat Exhaustion Overworking in the heat may cause heat exhaustion. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include nausea, dizziness, and extreme thirst. Excess exposure to direct sun rays should be minimized as much as possible. The body should be wiped with a water-soaked towel regularly. Heat Stroke Heatstroke is the advanced stage of heat exhaustion. Heatstroke occurs in patients who have a history of diabetes and other long-term diseases.  The fatality rate of heat stroke is very high. The person should be hospitalized as soon as possible if they show signs of heatstroke. Read: Best Martial Arts For Fitness How to stay cool in simmering hot weather? Drink lots of water This is the best and cheapest way to keep cool in simmering hot weather. Excessive heat not only causes dehydration but also drives up the body temperature. It's important to drink water to keep the body cool. If it's possible, use some ice cubes to cool up the water. Wear the right clothes Wearing light and breathable clothing will help you to beat the heat. Cotton clothes are a perfect choice for the summer. They are lightweight and helps to keep the heat away. You should also avoid wearing dark-colored clothes as they act as heat absorbents. Wear light and bright colors to deflect heat. Read Easy Homemade Drinks to Boost Up Digestion Power Naturally Tight-fit clothes should be avoided in summer. Tight clothes obstruct the natural airflow. You should wear clothes that are loosely attached and help in airflow. Avoid Caffein Drinking tea is very common among the people of Bangladesh. In addition to tea, coffee is equally popular here. But consumption of these drinks should be avoided in summer. In addition to being hot, tea and coffee are both rich in caffeine. Caffein is a type of anti-oxidant that induces sleeplessness and shots of energy. The chemical also causes dehydration. So, it's better to avoid tea and coffee during the days in summer to beat the heat. Choose Cooling foods Diet also plays a part in staying cool during the summertime. Most of our diet consists of rich and oily food. However, during summer days, oily foods should be avoided at all costs. Instead, light food should be incorporated into the regular diet. Rather than eating rich foods, dry and boiled foods should be preferred. Fresh fruits and raw vegetables should also be eaten as they help to keep the body cool and hydrated. Read Easy Homemade Summer Drinks to Beat the Heat and Increase Immunity Use sunscreen One of the detrimental effects of the simmering heat is skin burn. Besides making the skin-irritating, it causes redness and rashes. Flaky skin becomes susceptible to further bacterial infection. Sunscreen should be used to protect against sunburns. Sunscreen also helps to deflect the heat and keep the body temperature cool. Read: Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Wear breathable footwear This is another useful technique is to keep the heat away. It's common to see people wear shoes and sneakers all day. However, shoes and sneakers don't have any form of breathability. As a result, sweat forms as the heat becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Just likes clothes, you should wear breathable shoes like sandals. This would help to dissipate the heat and keep sweat away. Keep the house cool Now the question may arise how can you keep your house cool? Most people in Bangladesh don’t have access to air-conditioning. However, you can always make use of natural ventilation to keep your house cool. One of the ways to keep all the windows open and allow airflow. sufficient airflow will ensure that the trapped hot air gets replaced. Also, keep your fan turned on for better ventilation. Read How to Use ACs (Air Conditioners) Safely Amid COVID19 Pandemic? Use better Insulation Most of the houses in Bangladesh aren’t properly insulated. As a result, the heat becomes unbearable in the summer. In rural areas, there are some primitive methods of insulation using fodder. However, they aren’t useful and common in the city areas. For tin shed houses, an extra layer of modern insulation should be used to keep the house cool. Many people may consider this as an extra expenditure. But it goes a long way to dissipate heat in summer. For buildings, make sure false ceilings are included in the design.  False ceilings help to curb out the heat as well. Read Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea Stay indoors Above everything, to get rid of the scorching heat of the sun you should stay indoors. The heat of the summer not only creates an uncomfortable environment but also creates various health complications. While staying at home doesn’t guarantee your relief from the heat, it is still safer than being outside. You should stay indoors as much as possible and make use of home remedies against the simmering heat. Bottom Line It's not easy living in a temperate climate zone in the summer. While the heat becomes unbearable at times, it brings other hazards too. We hope that these steps would help you to better combat the heat in hot weather and stay healthy. Read Best Air Purifying Plants to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution of Home/Office

When yoga finds its way into a conversation, many focus on the weight loss and workout experience of the art. People often tend to overlook the impact of Yoga to achieve healthy wellness and a sharpened mind. During the pandemic, many people are bound to do Yoga at home, since classes are still closed in many parts of the world. The human respiratory system is always at risk, even more so now with the epidemic. Therefore, we need to know how to strengthen our lungs and treat breathing problems through yoga. Here’s how you do it. Importance of breathing Breathing is something most never think about, which begs the question “what’s the point of being conscious about it?”. As you are breathing every moment, you may not give much importance to it. However, it is an undeniable fact that breathing is the core activity of literally every exercise you try. And, it has a significant impact on how your external activities are going to affect your brains and vice versa. Read Best Martial Arts For Fitness For example, when breathing becomes erratic, the body is most likely pushing its limits - whether that be for fitness or exhaustion. Yoga poses are designed to ensure that calm breathing can center yourself and a state of intentional peacefulness can improve the mind and body. The ultimate goal is for each breath to be effortless while performing poses that can help catalyze the process. Meditation may be one of the ingredients for effective breathing, but much comes from the basics of knowing how to inhale and exhale. Read After Coronavirus: Police adopts yoga for enhanced immunity to disease What we need to know about the breathing cycle Inhale Often considered the first part of a breathing cycle, using your diaphragm and intercostal muscles deliberately is where many may have overlooked. When the diaphragm is used as a tool to let air into the lungs, ribs, and sternum should be raised as an indicator of an effective deep breath. Normally, poses that expose the front of the body are intended to focus on proper inhales so that your body has the full range of motion when it comes to taking the first step. This is why many of the breath-focused poses never have a person facing down or arching his/her body forward. Read Tips to Get Marathon Level Endurance and Stamina Exhale Interestingly, inhaling takes effort, while exhilaration is labeled as the passive process of a breathing cycle. To breathe out is effortless and involves the relaxation of the diaphragm and respiratory muscles. This is primarily the part of the cycle that highlights the sense of calmness often seen in yoga. Each pose is deliberate, meaning that the wrong technique could easily lead to breathing constraints, while proper posture will introduce a sense of serenity. Read How to choose the best shoes for running Common mistakes during breathing Yes, it is indeed possible to make mistakes even when it comes to breathing. One of the most important rules to breathing in yoga is to pace yourself between inhaling and exhaling. When transitioning from one to the other too quickly, the air gets cycled too quickly and your respiratory muscles do not have an optimal time of contraction before relaxation. Much like any muscle that needs to be trained, this is no different.  During this time, it is possibly the best time to move and this coupled can be applied beyond yoga as well. Moving during an inhale will stifle your breathing pattern and cause uneasy heaving which is the furthest thing from breathing calmly. Read Best Team Sports for Weight Loss Yoga poses to strengthen lungs and improve breathing Yogasana The merging of physical stances and the proper method of breathing is called Yogasana. This is the fundamental building block that makes for experienced yogis who can perfectly balance the body and the mind. While breathing is often referred to as ‘prana’, identifying which 'Yogasana' poses is critical to ensure that you’re getting the optimal opportunities for healthy breathing. The trick is to get into positions that usually don’t force too much exhaustion out of you so that you can concentrate on pacing each breath. It means that leaning towards cardiovascular activity could be more of a distraction if weight loss isn’t the goal. Here are a few go-to poses to immediately work on your breathing. Read What Does Yoga Do For Weight Loss? Sukhasana This is possibly one of yoga’s most iconic poses on posters and website pages. It is done by holding your left wrist with your right hand behind your back and leaning forward. It may feel strange to do it for newcomers, but the pose helps with blood flow to the lungs and also increases concentration. Better yet, this pose has been known to also ease the respiratory effects of common coughs and colds. Read Yoga vs Pilates: Which One Is Better For You? Bhujangasana Otherwise known as the Cobra pose, this does wonders for the back if done slowly and with a proper warm-up. The first step is to keep both hands on the ground while laying on your stomach. Slowly, you will want to straighten your arms and bend your back upwards and face the ceiling. It has been said that this pose does well for mental calmness and also eases the mind while strengthening it. The extension of the spine helps relieve asthmatic symptoms such as the congested chest.  Read Which Type of Yoga Should You Try? Matsyasana It is also called the Fish Pose. The first step is to put your arms under your body. With you lying down and your chest facing up, breathing in while arching your back will allow your breathing to strengthen lung muscles. It provides better circulation and blood flow. It is not one of the most mainstream poses and certainly one to add to your routine if you are looking for the best poses for improving your breathing. Read Coronavirus Tips: Free Online Yoga Courses for Stress Relief and Better Immunity Vasisthasana Vasisthasana is another flu killer that is known for being one of the best poses around for anti-inflammatory and antibiotic purposes. However, it may appear that tilting sideways with your arm up might be uncomfortable. Still, it is one of the best poses to moderate your breathing and clear the lungs from phlegm congestion. If you are in a pinch and are looking for one that can help with short-term effects, this pose is definitely worth a try. Read Wellbeing during COVID-19: How yoga can help you during quarantine Bottom line So far we have discussed a bunch of breathing techniques and yoga poses to strengthen lungs and ease breathing problems. However, it is recommended to take advice from a doctor and a Yoga expert for choosing the right pose for you.

The holy Eid-ul-Azha is going to be celebrated countrywide on Wednesday 21st July. Celebration of this holy ‘Festival of the Sacrifice’ is taking place amid the Coronavirus pandemic. There is no substitute for adhering to some precautions during Qurbani to prevent the risk of COVID-19 contractions. You need to be careful from the time of slaughtering to cooking. Taking the following precautions, you will be able to celebrate the upcoming Eid in good health. Precautions during Qurbani ritual in the Corona pandemic -        Choose a place for the Qurbani ritual. The place of Qurbani has to be a little far from home and open. If the ritual is performed at the designated place through proper management, no environmental pollution will occur. It is better to do Qurbani together in one place rather than in isolated places. It facilitates the job of the waste management authority. If the place is close to the road, it will be easier for the garbage truck to reach. -        Where the Qurbani ritual will be carried out, spray disinfectant at the beginning and end of the work, wash it well with soap and dry it. Read Digital Haat and more Qurbani Cow online shops targeting Eid-ul-Azha in Bangladesh -        Those who skin and cut meat must wear gloves, face masks, and disinfectant rubber shoes. -        Before and after work, take a bath with soap and mild hot water. -      Under no circumstances, sneezing or coughing is allowed around the place of Qurbani. You need to maintain the crowds at the social distance. -        You must wash the meat container thoroughly with soap and water before and after use. -        Avoid dumping the dung or other debris of the animal of Qurbani in open spaces or drains. At the end of the work, fill all the waste in a sealed bag and keep it in the place designated by the city corporation. On the contrary, you can put them in a hole and cover them with soil. Read  Special cattle train starts on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route -        After cutting the meat, keep the leftovers in one place. After cleaning the animal's entrails, bury the debris in a hole or a designated dustbin without leaving it open. -        When delivering meats, keep them in small packets. Put on masks and gloves and then deliver the meat inside the door to the people standing outside. Make sure they are lined up at a distance of three feet. -        Follow the hygiene rules of COVID-19 during the process of donating Qurbani meats to orphanages and Madrasas. Read Digital Haat 2021 launched with target to sell 1 lakh cattle before Eid -        Follow Corona's regular hygiene rules when taking the meat to relatives' homes. -        Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after stirring the raw meat during cooking. -        You need to cook every part of the meat properly. -        Wash raw meat pots, cutting boards, knives, forks well with lukewarm water and soap. Read Mask-wearing campaign kicks off at cattle markets in 2 cities -        When storing in the refrigerator, keep the meat in as small packets as possible. -        Disinfect your kitchen space with sanitizers and/or bleaching powder after the procedures of chopping, processing and storage of raw meat. -        Ensure your home is completely disinfected by sprinkling bleaching powder at the end of the Qurbani ritual. Read Digital Cattle Markets in Bangladesh to Buy Sacrificing Animals Online Final Word All in all, maintain these Precautions during Qurbani Ritual in the Coronavirus pandemic. You can keep yourself healthy as well as the people around you.

While traditional sports like running, cycling and swimming are seen as the face of what weight loss and general fitness looks like, many unconventional sports hold their own while teaching practitioners additional skills - martial arts being one of these activities. Skipping, jumping and static exercises are just the preliminary steps before getting into the meat of your training. While all martial arts implement some form of said exercises, here are the best ones for you to maintain the best fitness.  Top martial arts for muscle-building and weightloss Muay Thai While many martial arts are seeing proper representation by fight companies like One FC and UFC, the sport that has everyone talking is Muay Thai. It is possibly one of the most prevalent striking martial arts in the competitive and casual scene right now and for good reason. Read Tips to Get Marathon Level Endurance and Stamina Aside from being known for its eight limb technique (shoulders, elbows included), clinches and sparring are other tiring routines to expect in a Muay Thai class. As the entire body is constantly engaged, and having a larger selection of strikes than most other martial arts, it’s key to keep it all together with decent stamina and endurance at the very least. While Muay Thai may be gruelling and every strike is meant to be practical and not flashy, the classes that represent the art know better than to throw newbies off the deep end when they first start - hence the appeal to newcomers. If you’re interested in getting fit fast and having fun while learning to defend yourself, there are few striking martial arts that can top Muay Thai.  Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Many casual martial artists tend to have varied preferences that are based on body type, style and ultimately practicality. Like Muay thai, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the dominant art of its category, that being grappling. When the fight happens on the ground, there are few who know exactly what to do in situations like those to defend themselves - which is where this martial art fills a void in the industry. Many classes offer a gi-based way of training that measures skill by belt colors, but more casual versions, without grading are also available. Read How to choose the best shoes for running BJJ requires a strong core, flexibility and stamina to endure escaping locks and having strength to subdue your opponent. While cardio is important to keep going on the ground, stamina is slightly more prevalent here as your muscles will have a substantial time under tension when wrestling. If you don’t mind getting into your opponent’s face, this could be the choice for you.  Wrestling  Another grappling art that requires a lot of physical contact, wrestling has been a reliable tradition that has lasted this long due to how effective it can be when done correctly. Despite being a grapple sort, wrestling requires far more endurance than one might assume. Sussing the opponent out and finding the right opportunity for a takedown. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Going through the motion of wide-arching swings and pinning the opponent requires big movements, involving multiple muscle groups. When doing this frequently, you can imagine how easy it is to run out of breath and strength in a matter of minutes. Keeping up with an hour of lifting people and watching out for injuries can be daunting, however wrestling classes are safe hands that will prepare you for the art with a good mix of cardio and strength training. If you are slightly on the heavier side, this martial art could be made for you.  Read Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? Boxing This stylish and sophisticated martial art has been around for a long time and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. To say that boxing puts up a sweat is an understatement. While boxing favours upper body strikes and tons of different ways of punching (jabs, hooks, uppercuts, etc), the feet are doing more than meets the eye. Constantly maneuvering and bending to ensure your hips are thrusted correctly as you extend each arm for a punch can be a lot to deal with, especially when smaller movements are required for evasion of any sort. Ducks and weaves are a core buster, relying on many muscles from the hips down to the ankles. Overall, it is a well rounded striking sport that is respected for how much it keeps fighters on their feet at all times.  Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Judo Similar to wrestling, Judo does require a lot of throws and takedowns, but is slightly different from the other grapple sports. While each of these grappling techniques require the fighter to understand exactly how to safely land to avoid injury, Judo training does have a fair amount of cardio involved while also prioritising on mental wellness. This is often a gi-focused martial art which requires a proper uniform and grading system. It may not have the same level of fame as BJJ, but many professional fighters use Judo to this day for its ability to use minimal effort to get a takedown in. Judo is slightly more passive and requires more techniques that are based on reacting, but it is still crucial to maintain a good amount of stamina while waiting for the right throw.  Read The risks of the extreme diet Mixed Martial Arts Of course, this is by far the most staple “fighting style” in the martial arts scene and for good reason. In the entertainment and fitness industry, many look up to the versatility and customizability of mixed martial arts (MMA) as it can always be improved on by fighting geniuses and still be considered “correct” if it works in a competitive environment. From throwing to striking to groundwork; there are many ways to tackle your unique approach to MMA, however if you are not a risk taker, the combination of Muay Thai and BJJ will be a safe combination to try out. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Be warned that since you are juggling multiple techniques, practicing often is good in order to ensure that you are getting the most out of the different aspects of your combination. Also, keeping fit while learning these special techniques is a must and that can’t be done without practice. 

From team sports to martial arts, almost every form of exercise requires some level of physical endurance and stamina. Learning techniques in games like tennis and football for example, certainly holds a lot of value, but is eventually moot if one does not have the fundamental stamina to last an entire session of said sports. Here are some tips to get marathon levels of stamina and endurance and why it’s so important. Why Are Stamina and Endurance So Important? A comparison can be drawn to music to explain the necessity of both stamina and endurance. If one does not know how to read music or know what notes are, it is certainly not possible to even move to more advanced lessons. Stamina and endurance are the same: without both, you won’t be meeting the basic standard in the activity you are practicing. Read How to choose the best shoes for running Running out of breath after the first dance routine in an hour long class or being burnt out on the third round of an 11 point game in badminton are examples of how the basic tasks your sport sets for you can’t even be met. Naturally, not everyone can attain the peak level of human performance in sports or fitness, but some level of performance is required in order to fully participate in the fitness activity of your choice. Thankfully neither are purely genetic and can be trained with enough motivation and discipline. The deed of getting better endurance stems from the openness to break barriers. Constantly setting goals with time and pacing of your regime and surpassing previous goals is the definition of training and is the essence of building both these attributes up. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? The Partnership of Stamina & Endurance When thinking about said goals, stamina and endurance have a large part about how you establish your goals in the first place. While stamina focuses on muscle groups and its ability to perform at the height of its capacity, endurance is defined by time and how long the specific muscle group can perform optimally. Dr. Sullivan from Nova Chiropractic and Wellness Center gives the comparison between doing a push up versus running laps. Failing at the former is the result of poor stamina as the targeted muscle group is not capable of executing the task, while running out of breath after a certain number of laps is where endurance starts to dip. Read Off Road Vs Road Cycling: Know the Difference While both have technical differences, stamina is linked to performing at an optimal level, while endurance is about performing a task as long as possible - both are equally important and go hand in hand with each other for any physical activity. On a more cardiovascular front, endurance will be tested, but muscular durability will be where your stamina will be relevant. Training Stamina As it is muscle related, Strength Training is possibly one of the most direct ways to train your muscles to better endure any form of exercise. While it may appear to mirror the types of exercises done in bodybuilding, working on back, shoulders, legs, arms and core are all critical for a well-rounded improvement in stamina. Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Exercises like barbell walks, lunges, shoulder raises and even deadlifts are good exercises to train specific muscle groups, but that doesn’t mean that you need to go heavy. Seeing as aesthetics are not the goal, light weights that allow you to only tire after 20 repetitions are ideal to train your muscles to be under tension for a set amount of time. Alternatively, you can approach the weights HIITS style and time your weight-based activities to a minute and rotate between a variety of exercises. Dumbbell squats, kettlebell swings and even planks are all effective ways to either isolate or work on multiple muscle groups. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? When first starting, there could be feelings of discomfort from the sheer amount of pressure your muscles are going through. The shock will wear off after consistent practice and enough patience. You will start seeing results when your legs or back stop aching as you continue with your sport. Running, throwing, jumping and more will be seamless as you progress further into your strength training. Training Endurance Not everyone is a fan of cardio; thankfully running a marathon isn’t quite your goal either, which means starting with brisk walking, jogging and static cycling are viable options. The goal is to expand your cardiovascular system and condition your lungs in order to ensure that you don’t run out of breath after a certain amount of time. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Tempo runs are a great way to get started if jogging and brisk walking are too slow paced for you. Running certain short distances in bursts, and reducing the pace for double the time is a classic HIIT move that has proven to work wonderfully in countless fitness surveys. On a practical standpoint, it can be identical to playing team sports, where the tempo of sprinting and brisk jogging are often alternated. Unfortunately, cycling and swimming are the only other options that yield the most effective training. Both will require some time and a basic understanding of technique in order to properly train the muscles. Read Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition However swimming is more for the whole body and is a popular pick for those looking to elevate their heart rate for a gradual amount of time without pouring out tons of sweat or worrying about travelling. There is no way to escape cardio if you want to continuously improve your endurance, but setting the time alone to try and better yourself far surpasses not trying at all.

Running shoes are a critical component for performance when going for a run. Despite equipment being scarce for the sport, your shoes will define how well you perform for your daily jogs. If not chosen properly, long term injuries and other unnecessary risks could surface. Here are some tips to show you how to choose the right shoes for running.  Factor to consider while choosing shoes for running Finding The Right Fit Identifying the arch of your feet is possibly the most important thing, but the width and length of your foot in its entirety isn’t something to brush off. For example, if you have wide feet, a narrow pair of shoes may suffocate your feet and cause discomfort and even bruising. Oddly enough, the spacing between your toes and length of them from your mid foot is equally important. Cramming your toes into a nice pair of shoes won’t do you good if blisters and swells start to surface after some time. Ultimately, looking online can only help so much, but trying different pairs on will give you a proper feel that will make your decision much easier. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Knowing Your Foot Arch Other than shoe size, there doesn’t appear to be anything else to look for - but with running, you’d be surprised. Every foot has an arch and determines how well your feet can traverse terrain and how much damage one might sustain after some time. High arched feet and flat feet will cause strain to the foot and muscle aches when running long distances, and certain shoes have the proper technology to minimise said risks. According to studies by podiatrists, low arch feet are the best feet for runners as they have a higher amount of flexibility while still offering support between each stride.  Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Identifying Your Gait Now we’re getting into more technical territory. Gait is basically how your feet react when they make contact with the ground when running. Overpronation occurs primarily with those who have low arch feet who make contact with the heel before other parts of the foot. The motion is followed by the foot rolling inwards ever so slightly which will cause a lack of stability.  Neutral gaits are common for those with medium arches where the middle part of the heel makes contact with the ground before anything else. Although it will bend inwards too, there is more stability and does a better job at absorbing the impact of each stride. Supination is for those who have high arches and this results in the outer part of the heel making the main impact on the ground when running. This is possibly the most dangerous as the foot is not capable of absorbing shock when impacting the ground.  Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Knowing Your Running Route Before even choosing your shoes, it’s important to plan your route and understand whether it could affect your balance, joints and overall momentum. If your running posture is rather sporadic and has the potential to cause great injuries, simple shoes for sidewalks and brick roads would be the ideal choice. While it is rarer to find a strong community taking the time to get a jog in offroad, it isn’t unheard of and definitely can be done.  Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Setting Your Running Goals In tandem with understanding the route you want to take for your regular jogs, understanding the purpose of your runs and what you are training to accomplish is a big consideration before picking the right pair of shoes. If it is speed and racing, shoes that are better at dealing with friction would make sense. Shoes that are better suited for tar and concrete would be perfect for such a goal.  Alternatively, it could just be for keeping fit. If that is the case, you could be less picky about your footwear, however if your route has a chance of uneven terrain and even unpredictable weather, getting a durable pair of shoes would be the wisest choice.  Read How to sanitise fruits & veggies: Safety tips during the pandemic Starting With Walking The common saying is that people should learn how to walk before they can run and it is possibly the most apt adage to remember for this sport. By walking at a steady pace and observing your methods of walking, you start to have a rough idea on how you would be as you pick up speed. As your walks turn into brisk walks and eventual jogs, your arm motions, stride distances and even pacing will determine the kind of runner you’ll end up being. While it is possible to alter your running style through training and a staggering amount of self awareness, it’s easier to play to your strengths and work with what comes naturally to you.  Read Barbells vs. Dumbbells: Which is better for Workout, Strength, and Muscle Growth? Types Of Running Shoes Stability running shoes are designed for those who either have their feet rolling inward or outward most of the time. While this doesn’t hurt the feet on its own, this type of footwear does its best to restrict excess movement so that your running can have a straighter form and better stability. High arched feet will find comfort in Cushioned running shoes, specifically designed with a soft base to ensure that every impact on each step is softened, minimising long term damage.  Last but not least, neutral running shoes are for those that don't fall into extremes of arches or have glaring running habits. Medium height arches need the least amount of assistance as this archetype is better at handling impact while retaining stability. In essence, these are the most common pairs of shoes that are easy to find and simple to customise from a fashion standpoint. As these are the majority on the market, chances are that you won’t run into problems finding the right pair for you.  Read Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021

Losing weight is a daunting process that forces people to be strong-willed and disciplined throughout the entire process. Dieting alone is not only a significant aspect of it, but also a tough one. Physical activities like running and cycling may be effective for losing weight. However, doing these activities along can create boredom or displeasure. If you have a healthy group of friends or even co-workers who are on the same journey as you, here are some of the best team sports to accelerate your weight loss journey. Which Team Sport Can Help You to Reduce Weight Faster? Martial Arts While martial arts isn’t exactly a sport that involves a team, many gyms implore students to take up lessons with others to establish strong bonds, reliable sparring partners and even teammates in the competitive scene. Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu for example emphasise on endurance, conducting classes that have tons of running and skipping even before hitting the pads and punching bags. Lasting in a fight is key to success in this sport and you can be sure that you’ll get your cardiovascular fix while learning how to defend yourself and making friends along the way. Read Off Road Vs Road Cycling: Know the Difference Basketball One of the most popular sports in the entire industry, basketball has been renowned for making waves for both enjoyability, versatility and entertainment. Renowned basketball legends are known to non-players which is a testament to the sport’s impressive popularity. This reason alone should pique the interest of budding sportsmen who are keen to lose weight enjoyably. Shuttle runs, laps and jumps are mandatory and the sport can help to burn over 700 calories in just an hour! Its popularity also means that finding other players won’t be the hardest thing to do. Football When playing on an actual field, there’s no doubt that running relatively long distances would be expected. Football is one of the biggest sports in the world and places of rich and poor can get in on this passion and bring people together. Rather than running across a smaller space like many indoor sports, playing on an open field will get your body conditioned to conserve stamina over a set period of time, rather than expelling it all in one go. This is a good method to train endurance, but the lack of sprinting will offer significantly less muscle definition. Proper footwork and skills of dribbling does change up the pace if you choose to play that position, but generally, long strides across the pitch to retrieve the ball and position properly will be the main thing to expect. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Ice Skating/Roller Blading Ice skating and rollerblading aren’t exactly the most convenient sports to frequent, but there is no doubt that committing to this hobby with a group of friends will make the sport enjoyable and burning fat will not seem like a chore. Learning the rules of a sport is one thing, but the effort taken to learn how to skate can possibly rival the skill it takes to ride a bike. The added benefit is that there is a mechanical skill to improve on while working on long distance skates. This sport activates the core and muscles at the lower body - a perfect way to train your legs while burning calories.   Volleyball Contrary to popular belief, volleyball does not have to be on a beach to be playable. A court with a high net (and a ball, obviously) is all you need before rallying friends to play. Volleyball is ideally played in teams of six with each person given a role. Dives, jumps and spikes will keep the body in a confined space, but it does wonders for your cardiovascular system - elevating the heart rate and respiratory system. Volleyball is one of the most team-dependent sports and definitely worth a shot if commeradory is your forte in sports. Read Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym Badminton  Much like Volleyball, Badminton doesn’t quite give you the space a full court or field would, but your movement is constant. As a racket sport, your upper and lower body will constantly be engaged and sudden bursts of speed are necessary to act and react to the shuttlecock in game. Since Badminton strokes are done with the wrist, upper body strength isn’t so much of a priority as running is. With proper practice and a consistent routine, Badminton can definitely trip fat effectively within an hour, done three times a week minimum. Tennis While both are racket sports, a tennis court spans across far more space and uses completely different muscles when handling the racket. With big swings that use both arms and shoulders, tennis pays less attention to finesse and more on upper body strength, endurance and fast reactions. While running from side to side is expected of each player when trying to return the ball, players will also need to consciously mind footwork and hip movement to effectively play. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? HIIT Classes While this is not exactly a team sport, there is no doubt that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the most effective ways to burn calories that doesn’t involve staring ahead and spacing out. HIIT classes these days encourage communities of like minded individuals to achieve their goal as a class. Many stations in circuit training require two people (medicine ball throws, sit ups, back to back squats) and is a great way to still establish bonds. Each station is timed and things won’t get boring too quickly as your exercises are rotated every minute or so.

If you have decided to embark on a harsh diet to shed the flab, it's high time that you consulted a good doctor. This is because you might end up doing more harm to your body than good. Harsh diets can help move the needle on the weighing scale in a short time but could take a toll on your health in the long run. Let's explore the impact of harsh diets. Different types of harsh diets Crash diet plans can be of two types -- low carb or keto diet, and a very low-calorie diet. In a low-carb diet, sugary foods are excluded. The keto diet includes 5% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 70% fat. Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats are eaten more. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Low-calorie diets usually involve eating very low-calorie foods for a short time. Say, 200 calories on the first day, 400 calories on the second day, 600 calories on the third day, 600 calories on the fourth day, and then fasting. Thus the routine continues.  This type of diet plan is very tempting due to desired weight loss of 1.5 to 2.5 kg per week. Low-calorie foods include eggs, bread, salads, sour yogurt, whole meal bread, soup, potatoes, eggplant, low-fat milk, red spinach and sweet pumpkin.  Low-carb and low-calorie diets are followed by a low-fat diet. Here the diet contains less than 30% of the total calories in fat. Low-fat foods include corn, popcorn, honey, rice, oatmeal, vegetable noodles, vegetable soup, beans, lentils, egg whites and tuna. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Risk of death in strict diet An uncontrolled harsh diet can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Furthermore, it can cause death through respiratory damage, kidney failure, and multiple organ damage at the same time. The ominous impacts of harsh diet have been observed in the media world for ages. The most dangerous of these is anorexia nervosa. This is the final stage of a mental illness that results from excessive weight loss. It is mainly triggered by the intense fear of weight gain. In 1936, Irene Fenwick, the actress of the American silent film, died at 49 of anorexia nervosa, which was referred to as ‘over-dieting’ at the time. Read How to sanitise fruits & veggies: Safety tips during the pandemic American singer Karen Carpenter died of heart failure in 1983 at the age of 32. She was on a low-carb hard diet as well as taking extra medication to lose weight. In 2006, Uruguayan fashion model Luisel Ramos died of excessive fasting at the age of 22. In the wake of Ramos' death, that year Italian fashion designers banned the size zero models for catwalks. And, 2006’s Madrid Fashion Week set BMI 18 as the minimum requirement for all models. Brazilian fashion model Anna Carolina Reston followed a diet with only apples and tomatoes for years. At the time of her death in 2006, she weighed only 40 kg. Read Kick-start your day with a healthy breakfast Hila Elmalich, an Israeli fashion model, had to be taken to the hospital frequently due to excess weight loss. At the time of her death in 2007, the 34-year-old model weighed only 27 kg. French model and actress Isabel Caro (28) suffered from a respiratory illness for almost two weeks before she died in 2010. It is said that she suffered from immunodeficiency due to anorexia. German Instagram star Josi Maria (24) passed away in 2020. In social media, she shared her experiences regarding anorexia before her death. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? On October 2, 2020, Bollywood actress Mishti Mukherjee (27) died due to kidney failure linked to keto diet. English TV star Nicki Graham (38) died on April 9 in 2021. According to doctors, Nikki's cause of death was Anorexia Nervosa. The ill-effects of harsh diet  Muscle breakdown You might experience muscle breakdown as well as fat loss due to a harsh diet. When the fat-to-muscle ratio becomes unstable, muscle breakdown begins resulting a decrease in metabolic rate. Weak muscles make it difficult to carry out daily activities such as carrying groceries or climbing up the stairs. Read Intermittent Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks Dehydration The primary energy that the body uses when consuming calories or carbs comes from glycogen. It is a form of carbohydrate that is stored in the liver and muscles. Water is present in every gram with it. The fewer carbs or calories you consume, the more water you lose. This can lead to headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. Imbalance of internal physical activities Any kind of imbalance in the elements by which our physical activities are conducted becomes a cause of danger. The resulted complicacies may include convulsions, irregular heartbeat, the activity of cells, and formation of cell wall layer. Disruption of every little action might gradually lead the whole body system to collapse. Increasing hairfall Eating a low-calorie diet may increase your chances of experiencing hairfall. This is because the lack of adequate nutrition disrupts the normal functioning of your hair cells. Read Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021 Malnutrition Extreme weight loss deprives your body from the nutrients required for healthy activities. Especially, nutritional deficiencies of vitamin D and calcium can impair the normal development of health. Malnutrition might lead to diverse diseases such as anemia, weakness, loss of consciousness. Stones in gallbladder During the formation of gallbladder stones, severe pain is felt in the gallbladder. These stones are formed slowly, when the digestive juices are not excreted in the gallbladder due to a lack of digestive food. Day by day these juices get hardened inside the gallbladder and block the gateway of the gallbladder. It results to indigestion causing pain and discomfort. Decreased physical strength Excessive calorie consumption would leave a detrimental effect on your energy. Besides feeling physically tired, your brain activity would be disrupted along with your body performance. Your mood can also be affected. Severe weight loss often leads to constant anger. Read Muscle Building Diet: Best Foods for Muscle Gains, Definition and Fat Reduction Depression and inferiority complex Most diets fail. And this repeated failure leads to long-term weight loss. Chronic dieters consistently experience guilt, anxiety and frustration, lack of concentration, and fatigue. And, many people even choose to commit suicide because they are mentally depressed due to weight gain. Pilling Up Above all, to avoid the risk of a harsh diet, it is best to get enough exercise with a natural diet while maintaining your normal lifestyle. If you can get used to proper physical exercises with a balanced diet from a young age, you will benefit. Read Quit Smoking: How to prevent Nicotine addiction

The cycling industry has boomed in recent years; as Covid-19 has confined many to their quarters, more are picking up the bicycle as an outlet for fitness. As more start to commit to cycling full time, the activity becomes a hobby and the community begins to diverge between off road and road cycling. Neither is better than the other, but the skills required can be vastly different. Here is how you can know the difference between off road cycling and road cycling. Versatile Benefits of Cycling as a Mode of Transport Cycling isn’t exactly the newest sport around, but it has seemingly made a comeback with bicycles becoming increasingly popular globally, notably ever since the pandemic. According to the BBC, many have lost trust in the reliability of public transport and have found the need to get into shape whilst under lockdown. The demand has caught bike manufacturers off guard as the demand has superseded supply quite significantly.  Convenient Transport While fitness and the convenience of transport is one thing, many home delivery services have faced a surplus in business due to the majority being homebound. Therefore, orders for deliveries have spiked and the bicycle is an affordable way to get into the business for quick income.  Read:Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym Helps to Maintain Fitness While runners and joggers have seen an impressive growth since the pandemic began, the bicycle is a more versatile tool that allows for many opportunities that a simple run cannot. Fitness facilities have been closed for months in some countries and the bicycle can grant anyone a proper workout, while serving as necessary, free transportation.  Environment-friendly On the sustainable front, many progreen individuals have seen the value of a “zero CO2 emission” method of transportation. While the description may put road bikes on the pedestal due to its sheer practicality, the passion-driven off road experience is not one to disregard, as there is much to enjoy from that experience too.  Read:Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? Benefits of Off Road Cycling While off road cycling isn’t as practical as road cycling in terms of utility, there are benefits of having a bike that can excel on almost all terrain and designed for durability and a variety of weather conditions.  The first benefit that stands out is how mechanically savvy riders will have to be with the off road bikes in order to utilise all its functions. Mountain biking for example needs to balance proper weight distribution and conservation of energy in order to adapt to extreme slopes, terrain and other obstacles.  Additionally, building power and keeping momentum in your strides are important to comfortably ride on roots, rocks, mud and more as these conditions will inevitably force you to moderate your speed regularly to ensure you don’t fly off of your bike.  Read Cycling Benefits: How Indoor and Outdoor Cycling Strengthens Your Immune System Off Road bikes tend to put more emphasis on resistance and gear settings which will play a big part in making your experience easier depending on the terrain. While road bikes are generally easier as pavements would be the go-to terrain, having an intricate amount of knowledge on using suspensions, flat handlebars could expand your cycling skills as a whole.  Advantages of Road Cycling Light, narrow tires and drop handlebars are what you can expect when you opt for the route of traditional road cycling. This form of cycling is all about speed, and that is exactly what the bicycles are designed to do. Its light frame and thin tires to reduce friction are engineered to forgo unnecessary bulk to make room for aerodynamism. Read:How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? The rider’s posture is also significantly lower to enable better weight distribution for better mobility. While there is no doubt that there is skill necessary in order to make the best out of road cycling, there are significantly less variables to consider in terms of terrain and obstacles.  Many have chosen this form of transport over the off road experience as pavements are normally everywhere; from homes to schools, offices, grocery stores and more. Because of this, the bulkier tires and full suspension mechanics aren’t really needed.  Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Additionally, when it comes to convenience or doing the job, speed does matter more to most than the luxury of cycling in general. As a practical tool, the road bike is the preferred choice, but it does not come with as much as the former and it can break easier if not maintained properly.  Choosing Between the Two: Road Cycling & Off-road Cycling As stated in the introduction, one isn’t objectively better than the other, and it comes down to more of preferences than anything else.  Road cycling has a lot more practicality than off road, but if you are hoping to hone your knowledge and skills as an avid cyclist, the offroad will teach you way more. There are ‘hybrid’ bikes that blend the lightness of road bikes and Mountain bike’s ruggedness, and are possibly the most versatile as a third option. Read Top 7 Biking, Cycling Games on Android/IOS The problem with the hybrid is that the combination fails to truly excel at either extreme, which means it would lose out to more intentional models - whether it is the durability of a mountain bike or the sheer lightness of a road bike.  Ultimately, it is the user’s choice as to what he or she wants from the bicycle. Lovers for convenience and delivery services would work wonders with a road bike to reach your end point quicker, but if biking has become a guilty pleasure of some sort, the off road could be your best bet to truly explore the potential of this industry.  Read Bicycle Price in Bangladesh with Buyers' Guide

When hitting the gym, it’s perfectly normal to desire a muscular body that will grant you the attention of your friends and family. Usually when people define muscularity, large chests, bulging biceps and broad shoulders come to mind. Legs have always been the furthest thing from being at the center of attention, therefore has become forgotten in many gym rats’ routines. The oversight of such an important body part has become a regular joke on the internet and for good reason. Here are a few reasons why you should never skip leg day. Read:Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym What Is Leg Day? When people tend to take the route of body building, or muscle growth in general, it is incredibly common to split workouts into separate days based on the body part at that time. The reason for this is because when one exerts himself or herself during each workout, they won’t possibly have the same amount of energy to optimise their workouts with multiple compound exercises across various body parts. Leg Day is a day dedicated to just training legs and is often joked as being one of the most skipped days in the gyming community.  Top Reasons Why Leg Day is Important It’s Half of Your Body In terms of proportions, neglecting an entire half of your body will look strange. The term “Chicken Legs” is commonly used in the gymming scene to mock those who neglect basic bodybuilding “rules’ for short term gratification. Glutes, hamstrings, calves are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to important muscles to work on. Many jokes have been thrown around about looking like an upside down triangle and you wouldn’t want to fall under that category. Good glutes and calves will bring about a proper balance in aesthetics along with other crucial benefits.  Read:Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? To Minimise Struggle in Sports  Whether it is a team sport or a solo activity, there are incredibly few sports you’d be able to do if your legs are severely weaker than your upper body. Big bursts of sprints, shuttle run-like movement and even long jobs will become significantly less efficient due to the unbalanced weight distribution. Aside from being susceptible to injury, having an underdeveloped lower body will certainly limit you in the sport of your choosing. Clever movement and technical footwork are important for rugby, football, basketball, running and so much more. If you are keen to start taking your leg days to the next level, working on hamstrings, glutes and quads are the way to go.  To Build a Strong Body If you’re serious about working out, it’s important to know about the “Big Three’. Squats, deadlifts and bench press are the trinity that defines the journey of every lifter and missing out on one of them would hurt your overall progress. As the big three are compound exercises, you would be getting a “full body” workout when engaging the routine immediately. Putting off squats, the leg exercise of the big three, will be disregarding the body’s ability to progress in unity. Weak legs will affect your strength when you choose to do exercises like standing Military press, flies and even bicep curls. Having half a strong body will hamper your ability to perform certain movements and we highly recommend going for legs weekly.  Read:How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? To Grow Up Quickly Your body has a neat way of balancing itself as it grows so that everything will be in proportion. A huge part of this is maximising the amount of hormonal output such as growth hormones and testosterone. By limiting your bodily exertion to literally half, there will not be nearly as much of said chemicals to give you the optimal growing experience. It is noted that the more body parts that are engaged, the more hormones will be released. It means that the big three are optimal to kickstart a healthy chemical reaction, and neglecting even one of them will hurt your overall progress.  To Burn out Extra Fat and Loss Weight While weightlifting isn’t cardio by any stretch of the imagination, it can increase your body’s metabolism to an extent and it does make a significant difference. Interestingly, lower body exercises burn the most amount of calories in a single workout and tend to keep the metabolism high even after the workout has been completed. Additional factors like default metabolic rate, muscle mass and dieting are all to be considered when assessing your ability to burn fat - but skipping leg day will make a huge difference in your pursuit for weight loss and definition that add to the impact of the other variables.  Read:Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition To Minimise the Risk of Injury It’s no surprise that if you continue to work on your upper body, you will put on weight overtime. As you continue to get heavier at the top, an untrained bottom will start feeling the pain of constantly carrying a heavy top. This will not only hamper your ability to do certain weighted exercises that put pressure on the legs, but it can also result in long term knee injuries too. For example, deadlifts utilise a multitude of leg muscles, and the strain on adding more weight on under trained legs can lead to long term damage and even more severe bone illnesses.  Recommended Leg Exercises Now that we know important legs are to our gym routines, what are some of the best exercises to get started? As previously mentioned, squats will definitely be mandatory and ideally the first exercise you start off with during your leg session. Following that, dumbbells can be used with lunges. Since lunges are rather hard on the knees, feel free to use lighter weights when moving across your gym. Alternatively, you could do it stationary or without dumbbells too, this exercise is rather flexible.  Read:Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021 Lastly, machines are going to be your best friend. Leg curls, leg press and weighted calve raises are phenomenal options to ensure that you target those isolated leg muscles. These are particularly important if you are keen to sculpt your legs and ensure that your legs get a proper, all-encompassing workout. Your legs have the power to determine how much muscle you put on and how much weight you can lose, so don’t ever forget to do legs at least once a week!