Freedom from Fear : Frontal Knife Threat.

“As long as men are the sole agents of aggression and women are the casualties of their actions, the victims on the pointy end of men’s violent entitlements, there will NEVER be a balance of power between the sexes. Women will remain relegated to a subordinate status, too powerless or simply too fearful to resist the dominance and brutalities of others, limited by social contract and constraint in the ways in which we can express our own ferocities, yearnings, and fighting spirit.

The gig is up. We must no longer outsource our protection to men– to fathers, husbands, brothers, boyfriends or saviors in khaki or uniform blue. It’s time to bring this power home, refasten it to our womanly roots, to reap its fruits, harvest its furies and acquire the skills to Self Defend. It’s time to rekindle this flame, lionize ourselves, and raise FIRE FROM FEAR.

       Each and together may we become outposts of courage.”

Krav Maga classes have a dimension beyond being fit ,fighting and strong .Every session we confront some dark fear lying curled in the basement of our hearts and learn how to release ourselves from its vice like grip.
Seeing these techniques ,trying them out and then internalizing them in our muscle memory is what our training is about .
Writing what I learn, is also a part of it -in a way.

All drills have some common things :

• Getting out of the line of attack ( whether knife ,lathi,gun ) while protecting your vital parts face /head
• Face/Groin attack while clearing the weapon by twisting wrist/ fingers.

KNIFE DRILL

This drill is specifically for a situation where an assailant is frontally threatening you with a knife .The attacker who springs in front of you with a knife in hand wants something out of you .Money ,getting in a car, raising hands etc.

While engaging the assailant verbally , negotiating for mercy/ release we go for a sudden action:

• Locking the weaponed arm by pushing it down and back and simultaneously using an explosive open palm jab on the nose. Locking the arm is fully extending it at the joint e.g a swiss knife is opened at 180 degrees: if you push it anymore it will break .
• Wrist Release :Almost seamlessly with the above, we step to the attackers dead side (ie behind the locked hand) and twist and press the wrist joint to get the knife released.

The fun in not having a Birthday Party.

After coming to Delhi we realized that kids Birthday Parties are the school days equivalent of post IPL match parties. In a class of thirty kids ,your kids social calendar gets marked by these do's to which all the others are compulsorily invited .Even if they are not on talking terms with each other .Because a show does not mean anything if the audience is missing .

The do's are categorized ,of course,by the kind of pyrotechnics on offer .The themes,the goodie bags ,the *fun * activities like tatoo making, nail-printing ,kite flying, pot making whatever  for the kids.By the poshness of the venue.

All this made my two gaon ka bacchas  miss their much loved Gwalior days even more.Where kids of all hues and backgrounds gathered together, and decided what all would be done. And then put the proposals forth to parents ,which after due audit were passed . The whole fun was in putting up the ballons and taking out the chairs which the kids did with some adult help.It was a complete bonding with everyone, eating and dancing together, time in the truest sense.

In Delhi, its about who is my Dad and what he can spend  *event *. It needs strategy,deep pockets,party planners and a whole lot of sho-sha.

Thats why my kids mostly do not participate in these, except when a close friend or a neighbour has invited .

Because they found the birthday events they did go to, so awful and contrived , my daughter decided not to have an event this year.But instead have a day of unadulterated and uncensored fun.She spent time with a much loved aunt who bakes fabulously watching her bake a cake and learning (hopefully) too.
She cut three cakes - one with her Nanajee ,one with her aunt and one with her parents. She got her favourite Lays and Nachos as a gift too because it was her day to forget food rules .At night she dined out on Gol Gappas and kulchas - her favourite fast food. The day after she is going on a short trip with all of us to Simla .

Her friends are quite mystified by her strange celebration. But I hope it starts a trend . Your days are not your Parent's days ,not networking opportunities ,not times for vulgar over-consumption by kids weary of excess .

They are a time to discover what truly makes you smile for a long long time and to go ahead and do that.

The fun in not having a Birthday Party is that it releases you from obligatory funs and let's you find deep enjoyment.Even if you are just a child.

Krav Maga : Communing with your Inner Warrior .

 In Krav Maga classes one thing that is drilled ( in more ways than one) into us again and again is to *Never Give Up * because giving up means putting control in the attacker' s hands. Apart from knowing techniques to oppose ,defuse deflect ,there is a huge psychological component to this . Because the best techniques will not help if we freeze in face of an attack.

To not give up mentally and physically we do a lot of Drills :

• Agression Drills 
• Stress Drills
• Conditioning Drills

Aggression Drills consist of getting angry ( oh yeah !) and translating that anger into all out kicks and punches .The first time I did them I realized that aggression tastes good . And the  key to becoming a warrior is converting from  a meek and harmless looking woman into a porcupine with raised quills in less than five seconds .

Stress Drills consist of one person being attacked by a revolving chain of attackers .The person being attacked can dodge/block/deflect but not hit back.And as the attackers are fresh they hit with full force and the defender must keep on fighting even as she gasps for breath, staggering and tanked out. Sometimes you may be asked to defend with only one arm or keep one foot off the ground.After the third or fourth person comes lunging at you this one gets beyond awful for the best .We just want to run and show our backs.But the chorus of keep going makes us wheeze and stagger our way through.And the surprising part is, just when you get over that *I cant do this* feeling, you find a second wind hiding inside -that helps you fend off the last of attackers ! Of course it goes without saying that having a good Instructor is  a plus point.Mr Dadhwal knows exactly how long and how hard to push each of us as well as our individual weak and secret (even for us) strong points

Physical conditioning drills consist of quickening your reflexes,speed and power.We do a lot of shuttle runs,box runs,zig-zag runswhich involve quick twisting and turning around narrow angles created by plastic cones.We laso hit hard surfaces with knuckles,elbows,forearms and hands: just to get used to the idea of  getting hit and hitting back,without getting nervous about bruises and aches.They come and go quite fast and before a couple of weeks pass you are already tougher.

I know all these drills might sound awful to you .But to be able to act smartly in face of awful stuff happening to you or around you , your definition of awful needs to be updated.You need to up your physical queasiness or uneasiness towards use of force. Legitimate self defence is not violence, it is your ability to do awful stuff to folks trying to do awful stuff to you. 

We don't really die when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones.We are training to make our bodies learn the correct reflexes in times of acute stress.The blocks,the dodges,the quick flight responses need to be hardwired into our muscle memory ,so that these are our instinctive responses in any dangerous situation.What I have learnt is that discomfort training gives you a high psychological comfort level : about your competence in face of fear.It empowers me in a way that yakking about Patriarchy never can. It’s not a feeling of invincibility– fighting off an attacker in the real world would of course be different than attacking a pad or a friend in class.  However,just knowing that I have the skills to stun,incapacitate and escape from  anyone trying to attack me is  beyond awesome.Thats why I love Krav Maga.

Curing Diseases Before They Occur is Wise, Brave and Wonderful : Also Lucrative :

I love reading the Sunday Astro columns . Mostly because they tell me the odds of my having a good day or bad ."Risk of theft in insecure places .You may develop health problem if you stay out in cold hours . Wear Red to ward off jealous relatives." It is hugely entertaining.But would it remain half as entertaining if these predictions carried ominous certainty of fruition?

For many who have faith in Astrology, these predictions are indeed Real and they spend time and money taking elaborate preventive measures . PLU with scientific temper and middle class poverty often ridicule them . Some of us even while doubting, take some minor measures like wearing a finger load of colourful rings and doing poojas to ward off evil eyes. No wonder the field of  Babajis is very lucrative .Because they deal in future problems and no one has seen the future.Everything depends on your Threat Perception and the Babaji's personal charisma holding you in thrall .

But what if your bearded, pony-tailed, 10th fail ,cross-eyed Babaji was replaced by a Genomic Baba Ji ? He does not use the Janm Patri but the Genome Patri :) And his predictions have the added ring of Scientific Authority . " Baccha there is 90% Risk of you becoming Brain Dead in another decade or two : it runs in your family .Please get preventive Lobotomy. If you get rid of the damn thing now, it can not die later. Fees $ 10K only."
Angelina Jolie had so much faith in her Gene Test Report confirming a Bad Gene which increases her risk of getting Breast Cancer to 85% ; that she got a bilateral mastectomy as a prophylactic measure.

So now we can cure diseases even before they dare to occur. And everybody is hailing it as a wonderfully Brave and Courageous thing to do !
But should this be taken as an inspirational example or as a cautionary tale ?
To decide this , women need to know  how predictive  genetic tests are.

Prof Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist at King’s College London , has studied   36 pairs of identical twins, of which only one twin had breast cancer. These “genetic clones” had a few crucial differences. In the twin who developed the breast cancer, several hundred genes had been switched off.

Spector says that " scientists in the field remain puzzled by the fact that most identical twins (who share 100% of their genes) do not die from the same diseases. As a result, many in the scientific community are beginning to predict a decline in the role of the gene in pinpointing the root causes of diseases."

While 10 to 15 years ago geneticists  thought that they would be using genetic tests to predict all sorts of diseases but it  turned out to be wishful thinking.

“We used to think there might be five to 10 genes involved in a disease, but we now know there may be thousands for a single disease and each contributes a tiny amount and they all  interact with each other.”All that the Genome Project ever confirmed on its conclusion 13 years back ,is that Genes are a lot more complicated than simple cause and effect and same genes have strong /weak effects depending on Lifestyle and environmental factors (epigenetic factors) .

The genetic tests when they were developed were aimed at enhancing the understanding of how diseases develop and to help in developing effective treatments .Not as Prediction Tools. For every geneticist knows, that a lower Risk may still lead to a disease given a certain incubating environment and a higher Risk may still leave you disease free if the epigenetic factors were in favour of health rather than disease.Also many dreadful Breast Cancers ,Diabetes,Heart Diseases do get cured by treatment and lifestyle modifications.Even if you discount Epigenetics ,genetic testing for breast Cancer  has severe limitations .

Testing is not 100% accurate. A positive test result can only estimate your risk of getting cancer, but it cannot predict with certainty whether or not you will get cancer.

Test results can't determine your exact level of risk, at what age you might develop cancer, how quickly the disease might progress, or how likely you are to die of the disease.

A negative test result doesn't mean that you won't get cancer - only that your risk is the same as that of women without the BRCA mutations, and that you should follow normal screening guidelines.

Genetic test results sometimes are uncertain, or may show abnormalities in the BRCA genes that have not yet been linked to cancer, so they don't provide any information at all about your cancer risk.

Controversy on the efficacy of BRCA1 testing is persistent .

• "Although more than 100 BRCA1 mutations have been identified to date, the molecular mechanisms underlying breast carcinogenesis and the relationship of these mutations to other known and hypothesized environmental, genetic, and hormonal risk factors for breast cancer are poorly understood. Additionally, the role of these genes in sporadic cases of breast cancer has not yet been clearly defined. Mutations in BRCA1 are seen in a small percentage of young women with breast cancer who do not have strong family histories of breast or ovarian cancer. Conversely, the absence of a detectable germ-line mutation in a woman should not lead to the false assumption that she will not develop the disease. "

But the thing is the Bad genes are in hands of Bad Corporates,who own them (Myriad in case of Breast Cancer) .Having found the Genetic Goose that lays Golden Eggs, all  the Gene Corporate  needed was  Hype and a trend setting Diva as their Poster Girl.They have it .

How Krav Maga won me over :

About Self -Defence I have always had two minds.

I do not think that teaching women ways to defend themselves would reduce violence against them,even though it may make Government agencies / educational institutes/police stations who are organizing these classes feel optimistic in this regard.Because as statistics tell us, 80% of assault cases are by known people/family members and only 20% are stranger danger cases. Moreover , what if ,despite taking these classes  a woman wusses out/freezes at the precise moment ? Is she then to blame for not being prepared ? So how is that different from blaming skirts ,cell-phones,pubs and chow -mein?

On the other hand we all do take useless courses in our school and college without batting  an eyelid.So even if self-defence is completely useless ,it is not harmful : Its better to know it and not need it ,than need it and not know it .

So that's how in my four plus decades I did not cultivate a more than passing acquaintance with martial arts .Did take a couple of Taekowondo and karate classes at the University .But they had little carry over to real life situations and I did not get enamoured. Also ,post Strength training ,I thought that being stronger physically was enough ,because the strong will win any battle.

Post 16 December, once again women's self -defence training has become a buzz word in Delhi . One ho-hum office day a month ago, I happened to attend a seminar on women's  safety in my Organization. It made me sit up because the hands-on techniques that the girls from Delhi Government schools were being taught were a form of Israeli street fighting known as Krav Maga.
The thing that made me sit up was that KM was not about absolute strength.Or learning stylized Katas (postures) or doing rotational jump kicks,breaking bricks with bare hands and such other feats of preening warrior-ness. It was about quick reflexes and smart techniques . Both to read and to avoid  an escalating situation using  verbal and non-verbal cues.

Body Combat was also there. But the purpose was  to quickly defuse and  open an exit route .This was done by identifying the vulnerable body parts of the opponent and using one's body's levers with devastating intelligence and ruthlessness . A well directed poke in the  eyes , an upward smash in the chin an elbow in the solar plexus while requesting  the uncle jee to let you go in a helpless whine . After that yell like hell and fire your quads in 400m dash .Its not about contest .Its about survival.Simple tricks to undo someones grip on your wrist, neck or chest by breaking their lever and of blocking an attack.It is all frightfully simple and yet most of us do not have an inkling ! Even my kids now know many of these !

Wow ! this was bio-mechanics : the use of levers ,the acceleration of force by small increases in distance travelled by your punch and kicks.This was also about cunning.
This was about focusing NOT on how Big or Strong the assailant was but on how he, like all predators  had the same weak medulla oblongota and solar plexus, same squishy eyes, same pulpy adam's apple and groin, the same cracky elbows,knees, shins and feet as you. And as the Instructor said : who says you can not defuse /disarm /block the over-friendly uncle ? The barriers to self defence and the image of self defence usage is in your mind not in the technique.

a workshop in progress .

 And the instructor really knew his stuff. So it was that I got acquainted with Mr Rajesh Dadhwal ,Krav Maga expert Instructor with whom I train. He is an ex -SPG commando trainer ,who has among other things, been responsible  for training successive batches of SPG  and for the security at 10 Janpath and PM House too.He knows a lot about various forms of unarmed combat .He has learnt Krav Maga from IDF (Israel). He has now taken VRS and set up his security training business catering to corporates. But his passion had always been imparting training to dedicated students so he takes a  few hard core type students .Hard core not in the sense of their physiques and strength .But in terms of dedication and passion to learn.If you are on facebook you can connect with the fledgling KM community here.

So this is how  my defences against self defence have been breached and now I am a devotee of Krav Maga .I do not know if I will be so kick ass to be  successful in a real life dangerous situation .But practising KM has made me alert,observant and aware . And the fact that my class mates include a class 11 girl and a couple of baby faced petite beauties who punch and kick better than me has made me very humble. The fact that these little Jhansi ki Ranis can block and box as well as the six -foot guys has made me wondrously joyous! And yes a session of two hours is enough to tank the best out . Better than any Gym ! So what's there not to love about Krav Maga ?

Paan : Panacea or Pandemic ?

" Oversimplification of facts can be Dangerous."

"Paan leaf has ten times more Iron than Spinach." So go ahead and emulate the Banarasi babus and probably your grandma ,because it is a good and nutritious habit. This is the message of Rujuta Diwekar's column in the latest Outlook .

I am still chewing on this and finding it hard to digest.Because I recently met a cousin of my husband ,in his late forties ,who now lisps like a child ,because he had his tongue amputated.No he was not taking tobacco or Gutka but *only* Paan -Supari.

Of course, I know Paan is auspicious and medicinal. There were long chantings during our marriage ceremony where both of us held paan leaf with a betel nut and circled the fire.And the Guru-dakshina to my daughter's Bharatnatyam teacher was always placed on a Paan leaf .A paan crushed on your pimple was a fun remedy always.But these positive images are over-run by equally vivid and nauseating images of paan-stained corridors , staircases and by-lanes of numerous small towns of Central India where I have lived for long years.Of men and women  displaying dracula teeth and of spitoons lovingly kept on the centre table .Next to the tea tray .

The nutritional profile of fresh Paan leaf is 85-90% water with trace amounts of minerals.Yes it has more Iron than Spinach but then EVERY local saag has more Iron than Spinach ! With Amaranth varieties and Turnip greens leading the Race. I am wondering how can a leaf which is had in the single leaf format (unlike as a vegetable or a chutney) be touted as a 'source' of Iron ?

And more importantly, if Paan is such a Nutritional panacea why does it appear to be more of a pandemic in much of the Hindi heartland where it is patronized with such fervour ? And why the paan loving and mostly tobacco eschewing women of the heartland are often the worst affected with anemia,maternal mortality,still births and low birth weight babies ? 

Let us delve into the complete Truth. 

Wikipedia

The Betel quid or Paan as we have it, is always accompanied by kattha (slaked lime) and Supari (areca nut).To it any number of condiments, sweeteners or Tobacco can be added for flavour.The paan -supari-kattha combo has been scientifically proven to be energezing,stimulating ,addictive and carcinogenic. A sample of the findings: 

1. Even in absence of tobacco, Betel Quid chewing is a potent Risk Factor for Oral and Orophyrangeal Cancers. "Prolonged mastication leads to alterations in Oral Cavity. White plaque (ORAL LEUKOPLAKIA) ,red patches (ERYTROPLAKIA) and the typical lesions, clinical  manifestation known as BETEL CHEWERS MUCOSA (BCM) are commonly found."
2. " A patient with history of prolonged use of BN alone (without tobacco) eventually shows development of a cancerous condition clinically known as Oral squamous cell carcinoma OSCC (arrow) in his right cheek (C), which was the primary site of BN mastication."
3. Adverse Birth Outcomes like low birth weight,still births are associated with Betel Quid exposure during pregnancy .Besides this poor Peridontal health is also an independent risk factor for low birth weight !
4. In a study on non -tobacco betel quid chewing Breast Cancer patients from the North East it was found that these womens had more malignancies.

Now you may ask : Wait a minute ! Do you mean that I can never eat a paan because of these Risks ?If I eat Paan ,my tongue will be amputated ?
Not at all . Anything that you take only 10% of the time whether cigs,cola candy will not do you any harm.
But the problem with many of these things is that they are dependence promoting and unless you know the cons the percentages can run to the other side.
finding incidental virtue in a substance known ( not perceived) to be psychotropic is not correct . You shd not have to justify an Indulgence ,you take the plunge after you know the depth. And go only as deep as per you ability to wade out >
I do not think that saying that Ghevar is a gluten free dessert or Petha (the sweet) is rich in antioxidants or paan has iron serves any purpose other than addling up peoples minds.No one watches Sunny Leone movies for their artistic merit - and if they do no one believes them.So why must we seek nutritional merit in unlikely places ?
So next time you want to up your IQ  - I mean IRON QUOTIENT :) via Paan chew on this !

C-sections : A sea full of problems !

In India, nearly 70 per cent births in private sector are Ceasareans.In Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, one-third opt for it.Kerala and Goa top the state charts in India, at nearly 60 per cent C-section births.Eighty per cent of C-sections take place by 5 p.m., peaking before weekends. 

Source: British Med Jl, Lancet, WHO, Natl Family Health Survey of India

It is a common belief that a C-section is a life saving,complication reducing and safety enhancing procedure. Safe Motherhood and safe Birth are such high and noble goals that one can not find fault with them.But in case of C-sections it increasingly seems that its a Devil's Deal  most of us can do well without.The NFHS - III notes the alarming trend of rising C-sections in private and public settings ,especially in urban areas.

 In my limited ( two delivery) experience with the birth care system in Indian private and public I had to fight every inch of my way to deliver naturally

 A natural Birth on the other hand , comes with so many life -long advantages for both the mother and the child that not pro -actively choosing it as a first resort method is one Health mistake you can never undo. No wonder that from being too posh to push painless births that the super rich and famous opted for earlier,today celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bacchan at age 38 opt for a natural Birth.

Ten years back we only knew this much about dangers of unnecessary C-sections : 

 Caesareans not as safe as vaginal birth, contrary to popular belief. It's a major abdominal surgery and carries inherent risks, including rare cases of infection, excessive bleeding, reactions to medications, urinary tract infections and injury to the baby.

A woman may take longer to recover psychologically and establish breast-feeding, too, after undergoing a C-section. Psychological fallout: a) a sense of failure; b) increased post-partum blues due to dependency; c) delayed bonding with the child.

The Baby too faced these risks : 

Prematurity - especially in elective C-sectionsRespiratory distress syndromeEffect of anaesthesiaSurgeon's nick with the knifeDelayed bonding with the mother

But now every day a new shocker comes of the life long ill effects of C-sections :

C-section deliveries have been for a long time known to be co-related with greater risk of childhood and early adulthood obesity .And with weakened immune systems in children.But the mechanism behind it was not understood .A number of studies now establish that naturally delivered infants have exposure to vaginal and intestinal flora from the birth canal that determine the lifelong immune response as well as healthy gut function.To quote :

"The link between mode of delivery and subsequent childhood pathology is an important one. This becomes even more important as maternal desire for primary cesarean delivery is on the rise and rates of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) are declining in this country. This new information about colonization differences with differing modes of delivery seems to be taking the hygiene hypothesis to an entirely new level."

From : Cesarean versus Vaginal Delivery: Long term infant outcomes and the Hygiene Hypothesis

So if you as a woman are seeking an elective cesarean or are being persuaded to do so : choosing a natural delivery has many life-long benefits for the baby : and the mother also recovers faster.

Organisations like Birth India  and Healthy-Mother Birth Center are spearheading a movement of reclaiming  natural birthing as a norm not an exception.

What Stories will my kids tell ?

In my father's generation  Kids were to be seen ,not heard and mostly left to their own devices -which my father tells me included raiding the village commons for the fruit of the season,having a long lazy swim in the river on the sly,whenever possible and showing your face at dinner time.It was a TV and Ad free utopian world back then.For my father the question of questioning what was on the dinner plate never arose - food was hard earned,prepared painstakingly. Eating was a sacred ritual,you prayed and broke bread with gratitude.

When I was growing up, there was TV but with strictly rationed fare like krishi darshan and Chitrahaar and the changeless Nirma Ads.In my time, I could protest and whine, but had no automatic right to be heard.Whether I hated bhindi or baingan,it was my duty to eat it.I was also told to be out of the house from four to six every evening and play.And despite what psychologists may say, all that choking and spluttering on my vegetables ; and whining about having to play tennis and badminton in the hot sun, has stood me in good stead.As I grew up,eating veggies and exercising grew on me and I love them unconditionally today.

My kids are TV babies.Kakoom (Cartoon) channel being the default channel in house for the last seven years .They know most kids ads by heart ,they know the brands and they demand the things seen on TV.Eatables,clothes,toys and other do-daads. And as a parent I don't do a lot of dictating -so they eat veggies only when they like and they eat more candy than I would like them to eat.I do insist on play time and ration TV time,but I feel quite inadequate against the tide of commercialism. Sometimes I wonder if my  kids are headed the wrong way and what I can do to amend things.Mothering is full of such guilt and anxiety trips!

So I keep on talking a lot to them about what ads are and why they should take everything with a pinch of salt.Of course they don't listen all the time but somethings do percolate.I tell them that the the main goal of advertising is to make them buy things—often things they don't need, and didn't even know they wanted until they've seen the ad.

We sit together and challenge advertisers' claims about their products.How come our puppies are growing taller,sharper,stronger without any Horlicks ? And why eating some mint will not make you sharper at maths.And how every unneeded thing we buy adds to the dharti ka bojh.I ask them to suggest ways to become smart buyers and better savers. Ananya always reminds me to carry my Jhola and say no to plastic bags.

But of late I have also started veering towards the old "No " style of parenting.And they call me dragon mom for that .I think making rules and defining good and bad is crucial if kids are to develop innate good habits. If they have noodles,candy and watch two hours of TV everyday; it would be tough for them to outgrow those habits when they grow up : no matter howsoever well informed they are about the better options. Of course this goes beyond food into everything .So I set time to read books instead of watching cartoons and so on.

 I feel that a bit of old fashioned benevolent dictatorship really works.

What do you say Moms ? Do you agree that we   end up loving whatever we grow up with ? I still can smell the smoky chullah cooked daal and ghee-chaawal-bharta that my naani made in my dreams. Memories of Childhood are powerful stuff.I don't want my kids get teary eyed over boiled Maggie and Oggy cartoons .

Finding if your Gut is sensitive to Gluten (regardless of what your mind may say!).

This was a post I had written a year ago,when I was speaking to the doctors at Max about  implications of IgG test which had come positive for my husband.But had shelved ,for I thought,who would be interested in a vague,little known test report implications? But now, I see so many passionate for and against Gluten debates.Many ,rightly,seem to think that the anti-gluten brigade is getting needlessly panicky and hyper.They feel gluten  does not give them any problems ,so why go for these cranky dietary changes.Moderation is best .

 Anti-gluten, anti-wheat folks say stop eating and feel the difference.And that inflammatory stuff like IBS ,arthritis and a lot worse are a time bomb that ticks away for a long time before blowing you up.

For most people information on  dangers of Gluten seems like  a hype.If they maintain normal levels of weight/health they do not want to get on what increasingly appears to be a *cult *. They think that they and their forefathers grew up on wheat so how bad can it be ?As neither side is wholly wrong, and both are dealing with probabilities; I feel that wheat eating people who are unsure / wondering whether to do/or not to do will be happier if  they measure their Ig G first, and find if they are faring well with Gluten or not. They need not adopt Paleo/Primal/Gluten Free Cults.Many of us feel happy to be part of them ,many of us find them stupid and many of us stand on sidelines and scratch our heads

For example my husband, a wheat fan ,was found with very high IgG levels last year when he decided to go gluten free for a while, followed by a moderate gluten routine now. More so because he feels deprived if he does not eat wheat.But it is a Conscious choice on his part : he is ok with the associated GERD/ Gut issues that have not been completely rectified. For some, Optimum Health is the goal ; for some, minor changes are more acceptable and doable.But once you know your status , your choice is an informed one.You either accept to live with the risks or you choose to make a modification in diet.IgG is a simple ,widely available and reasonably priced test .So take it and then decide what dietary changes may change your life for better. Or Not :) 

Here is what the fact sheets on the test ( courtesy Max Group of Hospitals) say :

What does the IgG-gliadin test measure? The IgG-gliadin test measures your immune response to gliadin. Gliadin is part of the gluten molecule. The IgG-gliadin test measures the levels of ANTIBODY to gluten (also called: IgG-anti gliadin antibody). This test does not actually measure gluten. It measures your body’s REACTION against gluten. 

Why does your body make this gliadin antibody? Gliadin is a short protein that your body finds hard to breakdown in your gut. It is part of the gluten molecule. Because gliadin stays fairly much intact in the bowel, it is easy for it to get through the bowel mucosa in one piece and start to stimulate the cells of the immune system. These irritated immune cells start to make antibody molecules against gluten. 

Do you have to be eating gluten at the time of the blood test? No. The IgG-gliadin antibody test does not detect gluten. It is not a gluten test, rather it is a gluten reactivity test. Therefore, you do not have to eating gluten at the time of the blood tests. But the longer that you are on a gluten-free diet, the less accurate the IgG-gliadin tests will be. 

It is recommended to have all of your blood tests before you go gluten free. It takes between 6-18 months for your IgG-gliadin antibody levels to go down. So, as long as you have not been off gluten for more than 6 months, you can just go ahead and have the blood test. If you have been off gluten for several years, it may take 2-4 months of eating gluten again before your gluten antibodies go high again. 

PMS Eat Attacks are for Real : and Exercise can shoo away those Cravings !

I have lost count of the number of times when my Good as Gold  Eating Behaviour suddenly crashes around that time of the month :

And anecdotally speaking ,most women,displaying mindful and moderate eating habits otherwise , get issues with PMS related eat attacks.Of course we know that high P4 ( progestin) stimulates appetite.

Christies

 But, many times ,it is not just about eating more . It is about ginormous cravings.Not a simple "I- will- have- one- more- helping- of- the- dessert" type of craving. It is a fridge ,pantry,chocolate-stash  and fruit basket demolishing kind of craving .And ,* also tell me whether the Bikanerwalas will do home delivery of Chat -Gol-gappa-papdi * kind of craving. And we talk and laugh and shake heads about it and file it away as one of those things .

But a  paper in Brain Research confirms our suspicions.

Whole brain MRIs of a group of women were done during estrogen dominant Follicular phase and Progesterone dominant luteal phase.

The results demonstrated for the first time that  brain responses to visual food cues are influenced by menstrual cycle phase. 

Only pictures of High Calorie foods activated numerous corticolimbic areas during the luteal phase.Whereas Low calorie foods seemed to have higher appeal in late follicular phase.

Another new study shows that all this corticolimbic activity makes certain foods more rewarding :(chocolate?) 

The Progesterone dominant phase makes us more sensitive to food cues ,increases our energy needs and makes certain high fat and high carb combinations more appealing to us.

The study examined a group of women with normal BMIs and normal body fat levels at three distinct phases of their cycle.

• Early follicular/ menstruation
• Mid-Follicular/Ovulation
• Mid-Luteal

Results showed that at that time of the month ( shortly before the periods) women have a greater perceived Reward value for certain foods because their Olfactory system becomes more sensitive.Thus they display greater susceptibility to food cues and greater explicit preference for certain high fat food combinations .

The key takeaway is not that you have a sanction to raid the  Haldiram store when PMSing.But be realistic about them ,accept them and feed them with Real Foods.
The steroid hormone mix, in the luteal phase increases our appetite  for certain macronutrients .We attempt to balance the lower serotonin levels with higher intakes of certain foods.Feed yourself well, but remember that at this time of the cycle your energy outputs are also high!So you can take advantage of that .
And one of the best ways to tackle cravings apart from better food choices is is by doing some moderate exercise. Because exercise : even a short bout : is another way of influencing the Brain chemicals .

The Sexist Science of Good Housekeeping and Small Waists

 This just after I  trashed cleaning up Trash as a Good Workout , a 45 year trend analysis study made headlines around the world : the tagline being Women are fatter because they do much less Housework today than they did four decades back. 

 It looks like there is no winning for women : "So you got rid of the drudgery ?How Wonderful :  Hello lazy Fat B*$ch !! "  The further we come the more we are at the same place :

BoingBoing

 Coca Cola (the study is funded by them) kills two birds with one stone  .Reminding us of our household duties and adding the allure of a small waistline to it.

 Now I dont know about American women, but my mother and her mother, and my husband's mother : all these women - were brought up to  devote their lives to housework.And they did not have much automated stuff . All that housework and being hands-on with everything did wear them out, but did not prove miraculously slimming. Moreover drudgery has mental health implications too -we do not need a diazepam to set us free so that we flash a smile through the broom and mop.We need more stuff in life that affirms our worth and gives us that feeling of accomplishment.

Whether its learning a new language or starting a Home-made Laddu Delivery business :

Women of my generation on the other hand manage to stay fitter  and generally look better not because of doing more housework but because they know the importance and have earned the luxury of Downtime.They understand the need to balance nurturing others with nurturing self. Moving more is only one part of it . 

Btw let us just jot down all things that are fattening and (therefore)immoral especially for women :

• TV
• Internet
• Facebook
• Cellphone ( you do less Housework when on the phone)
• Drinking ( including Coca Cola)
• Smoking
• Labour Saving Devices (washing machine,dishwasher,vaccum-cleaner)
• Lift and Escalator
• Skirts ,short dresses (why not sarees -you can't run in them ?) 
• High Heels (ditto)
• Automobiles
• Home -Delivery (esp Pizza and Coke )

Whats the common factor in all this stuff ?
It all reduces activity : walking, running,standing in your life .It chains you to the Chair.And apart from dresses and High heels; they are Gender Neutral. Much more interesting than the historical correlation study on Housework is this Study on Sedentary behaviour.

 One hour of daily physical exercise cannot compensate the negative effects of inactivity on insulin level and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Reducing inactivity by increasing the time spent walking/standing is more effective than one hour of physical exercise, when energy expenditure is kept constant.

Sedentary stuff unhealths you faster than a cigarette : Even if you do an intense workout in the gym : And sedentary means all sitting stuff including two hour long Board meetings with coffee and snacks followed by a sit-down High Powered Lunch . But dissing women for being Lazy and Fat makes better Copy. Guys !  the fat and lazy Gang is Unisex.

But still we don't have a study that says doing a Phd thesis makes you fat. Or that men are fatter today than hundred years ago because they are now commuting by cars instead of horses ? I am just saying : All bipedal activity is healthier than sitting : we have known that for years now ! 

But Sexism sells : Happy Woman's Day ! I know we all need to manage our earthly selves in a decent space and must expend energy on that .I need to buy my veggies and prepare  quality Food.But dust and mop ?  I would anyday exchange /outsource / reduce energy thus spent for stuff that is more meaningful and enjoyable to me like a walk or a cycling spree or even surfing the net at my standing desk. Movement ought to be fun not a Celebration of Drudgery whether in the Gym or the House.

What about you ? Do you think that Housework is an enjoyable way to better Health ? Or do you think this is a sexist Joke ?

Estrogen Files :The Periods and the Gym .

After a spate of studies telling that periods DO NOT affect Exercise Performance ,like this one , or this one ,faith in God is restored when we see something that reflects our experience . 

Anecdotally , we women know that at certain points of the month we do not want to push ourselves .At certain points , we feel that a walk is like renewing the lease of life. Or that lying in the sun is the best exercise. At other points , we are unstoppable ninjas , a la Arnab Goswami.

In fact I have a hypothesis that if Arnab was Arnaba , the News Hour would have a definite rhythm to it instead  of the consistent ear-shattering Soprano. From Contralto to Bass . And that would have made the world (as on News Tee-vee) a much more pleasant place , at least for part of the month. But reluctantly leaving these Estrogen fuelled fantasies aside , let us confirm our suspicions. 

'es  it eez dem Hormoans!

This is the study paper that explains a lot  about our ambivalence to exercise at times,cravings and  the feeling that sometimes in quest for fitness  you are dealing with more than what is upfront.It also gives clue to which is the best time to restrict calorie and maximize fat loss by pushing yourself .

The key is your Estrogen /Progestrone ratio.

There are three distinct phases in the cycle :

• When both E2 and P 4 are low (ovulation)
• When E2 is High but P4 is low (Mid follicular)
• When E2 is high but P4 is Higher ( mid- Luteal )

Specifically , higher estrogen concentrations favour:

• More muscle glycogen storage capacity
• More free fatty acid availability
• More oxidative capacity

• When  E2 is  higher ,i.e in mid follicuilar and mid Luteal phases you will have more free fatty acids and greater oxidative capacity  to burn them.

• Higher estrogen levels are also linked to higher leptin sensitivity and higher insulin sensitivity.

• When both E2 and P4 levels are high  there is increased energy expenditure as well as increased appetite.The increase in metabolic rate is related to rising P4 levels .

What all this means:

•  You will be able to exercise harder and longer during mid follicular and mid luteal phases.
• As you will have a slightly higher metabolic rate during mid luteal phase you are likely to be more heat sensitive and prone to feeling  uncomfortably hot during prolonged endurance exercise in the week following ovulation.You may also experience more respiratory strain  and "subjective" breathlessness at this time,attributable to high P4.
• • • • • Your fat burning capacity and appetite control will be best when you have high E2 and low P4 ,that is a week before ovulation.Meaning you will have less cravings and uncontolled desire to eat and better handling of glucose.You will not become hypoglycemic post -exercise.

The one Test to find out whether your Chores are a Workout OR your Workout A Chore .

 Asking most women if Housework is a Good Workout is like asking a standard twelfth board exam student preparing for entrance exams,if solving analytical algebra problems whole day,is good entertainment.It is something which you do all the time,sometimes to distraction, and which never gets done.How so ever much you do it you still fret over what all is left ! I can go on in this vein .But let me first tell you about my Housework workouts which never really worked.

When I had one baby attached to my hip and other scrambling up my knees , Housework was the Big Event in my life. For, I was reared in a Household where Cleanliness was Prior ,not Next to Godliness.A daily purging of  cobwebs ,dust bunnies and daag-dhabbas was  a Symbol of Meta -purgings which made you holier and cleaner in Body and Soul.And as all the magazines went around telling you that you really burnt 100 calories each time you picked up a jhadoo , I thought I will kill two birds .Anyways, I was on maternity leave and had lot of flab to lose.

So I let the prammed baby bawl, and the unprammed one follow me as we crawled around the house doing jhadoo -pochaa.Way better ,I thought than , starting another futile hunt for a good maid (who with uncanny instinct ,do not join or stay long in houses with babies and toddlers.)  Armed with a microscope, I  turned into an anti-dust warrior. Vaccum cleaner ,fancy brooms and swivel pochaas : I became a connoisseur of cleaning doo-daads . 

To the extent that my little girl played jhadoo-pochaa games with her doll : I would like to say that this was a wake-up call ,but frankly obsessions with neatness are still a part of me .And a maid- less day has me in full for daag-dhabbon ka dushman mode. 

But,Yes, I did get a jolt .Followed by a decreasing fervour : More so, because over time it led to right shoulder pains and lower back issues.All the while when I was wearing myself out - dust smiting, I was not really learning anything about improving the quality of my movements.I did not know how to deadlift a weight, and I often bended instead of squatting. And sorry : the before and afters,if taken, would have disappointed you. Although I felt worn out and sore after my exertions,I was hardly looking fitter or feeling thrilled with my workouts : All of which contributed towards ending my love affair with the jhadoo-pocha and made me plot my way to quality Househelp.

 To me the essential difference between a Chore and a Workout is the Enthusiasm and Kick you get out of it.And this happens because not only are you doing something new and/or enjoyable but you are ALSO improving the quality of your movement.You are strengthening the areas you neglect,learning correct movement patterns and also pushing yourself a bit and finding that you can meet the challenge ! So the kick test goes positive for me when : 

• I do a Turkish Get Up or a set of heavy Squats : I get the Kick Big time.
• I go for a walk in Lodhi Garden full of winter blooms of all hues : I get recharged majorly.
• When I cycle in the deserted Lutyens roads on a cold sharp winter dawn .
•  When I scrub and rub ,whether doing pocha plank, laundry deadlifts or  grocery swings , I get worked up not worked out .
• Of course when the maid goes off , I still do the Housework Workouts .But even without any practice I am far better at it now : because I am stronger and fitter. I can move couches and beds without help and pick up noisome ,squabbling pre-teens and deposit them out of the house in a trice.

Of course there may be someone ,just someone out there for whom dusting and vaccuming may be stimulating ,who may put on the music ,sing a song and do a li'l jig with the broom and dust pan :like Clean Momma :)

 It happens with me too: sometimes , maybe once in a leap year ..

clean Momma

 "She threw a dish towel on the floor and used her foot to wipe up the mess .The swiping leg movements left her feeling a burn in her inner thighs - the same kind of burn she had felt in her legs training as a professional dancer for more than 20 years. She craved more, so she threw a couple of damp rags on the kitchen floor with some water and soap, and began to use her feet as mops. Her heart raced, sweat flowed, and inspiration struck: she would call this marriage of exercise and housework Taskercise."

If mops and rags really turn you on, like they do this lady, then Housework may be the purrfect workout for you; BUT : in all my 42 plus years I am yet to meet a Real Life  *Housework is Sexy : Clean Momma.*  

I do not dread it ,but nor do I dream of doing it, like I dream of a nice long walk or a lifting session. True there may be days when I do not want to look at a Barbell : but that Absence makes my heart grow fonder !

 Of course I am still getting better at cleaning .So I do Clean .

But more like this :

Sometimes I have cleaning dreams too : where I have my own farm house , and I happily tend cows ,hens and pigs  and  do all the yard work myself . Because every woman must know to clean ...

Shut -up and Don't Bounce !

Dudes please continue reading only if you are interested in educating the women in your life on the clever engineering and good control features that a good Sports Bra must have. 

For the rest please watch the Shipa Shetty video right here and Good Day to you !On second thoughts ,girls too should watch it for hot beefcake is  way better than cold cheesecake ! 

Good Sports Bras are Important for fitness oriented girls.Take it from someone who has been trying to renounce the bounce since an era when Sports Bras were as rare as truffles .Why ?"Research by South Australian Sports Institute ( SASI) shows that on average, a woman's breast moves 9.08cm with every stride when running." This slow destructs your Cooper's Ligaments .Besides being distracting ,annoying and at times painful.And while otherwise I love all the fitness  stuff that is Paleo and Ancestral ,Bras are one thing modern girls have got that are way better than the cave girls. 

But even now ,finding a good Sports Bra in the Indian Market makes finding manna on Treasure Island  look easy :

Briefly (sic) there are mainly two kinds of sports Bras in the market :

Tank Tops masquerading as Sports Bras.

Adidas ,Reebok and Nike will have some cup less Lycra-ed Tank Tops which they call Sports Bras .Which you are supposed to put on top of your routine Bras and which perform a kind of squishing and flattening function.They may control Bounce to some extent but are also uncomfortable and in summers and monsoons unthinkably hot ( pun NOT intended).This is technically called the Compression Bra.

Maternity Wear masquerading as Sports Bras.

 Companies like Jockey ,Trimph ,Bodycare have some low impact activity cotton- elastene Bras with a Broad Elastic at bottom and broad straps which are like  re-christened Maternity Bras. Pretty Lame.This is more of a Support Bra. And is actually ok if walking or mild jogging is all the impact activity you do.But if you do more ,you will find that the straight straps are very liable to slipping off the shoulders while you are in midst of some squat hops or depth jumps.

So if you are the kind of girl  who is really  serious about fuss-free sports wear for high impact activities ,what do you do ?

I for one, mostly  counted on lucky finds from trips abroad and tried to squeeze out the maximum performance from them : the way our parents generation did with old school uniforms and textbooks.

But during this year shopping foray  I am rather pleasantly surprised by my find. .Enamor has brought out a really decent Encapsulation Bra for High Impact activities. There are low and medium impact versions too : but this one is doubtlessly the masterpiece.

What a sporty woman needs is a little bit of  unobtrusive compression ,a lot of support put in a style that minimizes vertical as well as horizontal movement.A properly structured encapsulation bra – which cups each breast individually – through well designed centrepeice (which lies flat agianst the Breast bone ) and reinforced sections in the cup design does this admirably.This kind of bra has two Back holders : one at the usual back band position from where you fasten and one cross banded thing between the shoulder bands.This minimizes sideways movement without restricting arm movement in any way.The polyamide fabric of the bra is supposedly designed to wick out moisture .Though I must say that I have not tested it against the moist humid and hot weather .At Rs 1190 I feel this is an investment totally worth it.

Note : This is not a Paid Review or a Promo masquerading as a blog post : trust me . 

Soy in Asian Diets : Its Soy Different !!

OK the number one reason cited in favor of taking phytoestrogens (e.g Soy Isoflavones)  as a therapeutic agent in Diet is that Asians eat them and they have lower CHD ,lower Osteoporosis lower Breast Cancers and so on . So let us eat Soy .

Especially as Soy can also be a great source of Protein in a largely Vegetarian Indian Diet.The general problem with phytoestrogens apart the Soy in Asian Diets needs to be seen as a part of the whole: 

• Soy in Asian Diets is principally fermented Soy which reduces the bio-activity of phytoestrogens,as well as neutralizes other anti-nutrients like phytic acid ,glutamic acid,trypsin inhibitors etc.
• Asian Diets DO NOT use Soy as their principal Protein Source.In form of Soy Sauce,miso,tempeh or as tofu it is either  a flavouring or a texture imparting  agent.Their Proteins come from  ocean fish and pork and other fatty meats.
•  Phytoestrogens suppress the thyroid. Asian diets have plenty of daily intake of Iodine rich sea weeds, shellfish ,mussels etc .
•  Asian Diets have rice as the principal grain : so they are low gluten diets.

Also good to remember is most Soy today is genetically modified.

"The only comparatively "safe" soy includes its fermented forms of miso, natto, and tempeh (only organic and non-GMO, please)." [page 53], Mark Sisoon.