GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

There is much debate on what exactly helps a person to stay fit – is it a good diet or a workout plan? A good diet covers the meals you consume daily, from fruits and vegetables to dairy products and protein-rich food. A good diet will keep you safe from the risks of health issues like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, heart diseases, and the worst-case – cancers.

Exercise keeps your muscles and internal organs active, and there is no alternative to exercise if you want to stay physically fit. Exercise energizes you from within, and this energy is vital to carry out all the day-to-day activities and even at the time of health problems.

If you wish to reduce weight, dieting appears to be the logical solution. When we intake more calories than we burn, we tend to gain weight. As a result, lowering calorie consumption would be the most natural way to lose weight. Right? This, however, is rarely maintained. People tend to jump back to their previous routines after a while. Worse, the feeling of deprivation causes them to binge, further causing them to regain their lost weight.

So, if dieting alone isn’t enough to achieve long-term weight loss, would exercise alone work just fine? Short answer: NO.

Here’s why.
Regular exercise has several advantages, including a healthier heart, enhanced metabolism, and stronger bones and muscles. Exercise is also part of a formula that can help prevent many clinical illnesses, including several cancers. But, exercising will cause you to break your muscles at the gym and burn your fats. If you don’t repair those damaged muscles through a proper diet, it will cause you to lose bone density. You’ll get thinner, but you won’t be any fitter.

So what exactly should you go for?

The answer is, workout and eat smartly, collectively!

If you’re able to maintain the balance between a good workout plan and a healthy eating habit, you’ll complete your race towards the goal of fitness in less time.

Remember, you don’t need to work out every single day to be fit. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to strenuous activity every week. Figure out a way to make time out of your busy schedule for a quick 50 minutes workout or have an exercising session every alternate day, whatever works for you.

As for diet, use a calorie calculator on the web to figure out your calorie level. If your target is to gain weight, eat above, and if it’s to lose weight, eat below the maintenance level.

It is preferable to have a minimally processed, whole-food diet rich in healthy fats, fibre, and lean protein to support general health.

Final word:
It may be tempting for you to choose one over the other. Diet and exercise complement each other and combining the two will improve your health and quality of life. As you take your fitness journey more seriously than before, be one step ahead and cover yourself and your loved ones under a good health insurance policy. Because eating and exercising will only take you a certain distance on the path of well-being, good health insurance will be your helping hand when you have to go the extra

Click HERE to browse the best health insurance plans.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

It is rightly said that when in doubt, travel. And, traveling to mountain-tops and indulging in some thrilling activities is on the bucket list of every passionate traveller. So if mountains amaze you, this list of some of the most amazing places for hiking is for you. We have picked these five destinations blessed with nature and adventures to explore.

1. Kedarnath Trekking, Uttarakhand:
Situated in the mighty Garhwal Himalayas, the Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is a rejoicing trekking experience for nature lovers and travel enthusiasts. Its bloomed beauty with charming villages, lush green meadows and breath-taking sights of Himalayan peaks are stunning. The 3850-meter lofty summit of the trek covers Govind National Park, a glance of Himalayan flora and fauna. The hike also encounters views of Swargarohini, Ranglana, and Banderpooch with some heart-warming sunsets and the spectacular views. The trek covers forest sections and meadows and is also safe to walk through; spotting wildlife of the region is possible during the tour. Days are warm and sunny, though nights are cold with low temperatures. The difficulty of trekking is easy to moderate.

2. Clouds End Trek, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand:
It's obvious why Uttarakhand is called the "abode of the Gods" for every good reason. This holy place consists of magnificent clouds end trek – Mussoorie. The total area spreads over more than 2000 acres of land. Uttarakhand offers the best of avenues to experience some of the best hikes. People also hike up to the Jwala Devi temple that is in the vicinity. Here you can hike with a cultural overhaul and camping experience. The best time to trek here is in winter.

3. Tiger Hill, Darjeeling, West Bengal:
Tiger hill is the highest peak among all hills in Darjeeling, with an altitude of 8482 feet and 11 km in distance. The phenomenal view of Kanchenjunga can be seen with the incredible crystal blue sky. The trail is through the tiny villages and via pine, bamboo forests. You can visit a 150 years old monastery while hiking. Try to get there by pre-dawn to witness a majestic view of sunrise.

4. Chadar Trek, Ladakh (Frozen River Trek):
Ladakh is undoubtedly the dream destination for trekkers and bikers. The highlight of this trek is that it's not on some mountain or high hills. Instead, it is on the frozen "Zanskar River". No words can encapsulate the beauty and thrill of this trek. You will see a frozen waterfall that will soothe your eyes and soul. During the trek, you can interact and experience the culture of Zanskar village. Chadar trek is 11123 feet, and 62 km spread. The best time to go for a trek here is from early January to February.

5. Sahyadri mountains trek:
Situated in the western ghats, 1600 km in length, Sahyadri Mountains are a lush green beauty parallel to the coastline of the west and one of the favourite places of trekkers. This world heritage is rich in wildlife and biological diversity too. Blessed with stirring pinnacles, caves, forts, and hilltop greenery is the point of attraction to trekkers. It's truly a paradise for nature lovers. The best time to visit this trek is Monsoon. Seasonal waterfalls and rainbows, flowing rivers with surrounding greenery of Sahyadri make this trek marvellous.

On a final note, good health and physical fitness are required before you head off to any trekking destination. Your endurance will be on a severe test, so ensure that you prepare yourself by considering all the possible factors. However, mishaps and unforeseen problems can occur too. Therefore, count your health insurance in your essentials to have safe and memorable trek experiences.

If you are looking for health insurance online, click HERE.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

We all have heard “health is wealth” a hundred times from our elders, haven’t we? And it is one hundred percent the quintessential truth. We all try to take care of our health by maintaining our physical and mental strength through yoga, exercise, and a balanced diet to add the perfect amount of nutrition. These factors influence the path towards your goal of a healthy body and mind. A slight health issue can delay your daily lifestyle, affect your wellbeing, and lower your confidence.

People in the olden days had the perfect routine which supported their bodies in every way possible. They had the cleanest air, food, and water for daily consumption. And they performed extensive physical activities throughout the day, which kept their body active and their blood pumping. Due to the hectic modern lifestyle, it has not been easy to obtain clean and pure resources to attain peak health in recent times.

Excessive pollution, global warming, and urbanization have also harmed humankind. While our lives have become more effortless, we are unfathomably dependent on technology to do a significant chunk of our daily chores, which has reduced the level of our physical and mental assignments, thus making us lazy and prone to diseases.

Nutritionists, dieticians, and doctors prescribe alternative medicines and supplements to ensure that our body receives the required amount of nutrients to build stronger immunity during severe medical emergencies like the covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what you need to know before using alternative medicines.

1. Connecting the mind and the body:

Medical practitioners recommend mind-body therapies to many patients to deal with various health issues. These therapies involve meditation, hypnosis, yoga, and tai chi. Meditation helps you develop focus, increase concentration, control anxiety and depression, reduce insomnia, etc. Yoga, tai chi, and hypnosis help you reduce stress, get sound sleep, treat back pain, manage weight, and boost your quality of life.

2. Nutritional supplements:

Many doctors prescribe certain standard nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.) to ensure that their patients achieve the individual dietary requirements during the treatment of their respective medical conditions. Some commonly prescribed items include turmeric, ginger, primrose oil, castor oil, aloe vera, etc. They help in building a solid gut and immune system and treating various skin and heart issues.

3. Medicinal streams of treatment:

We all have heard about various medicinal treatments, which are considered alternatives to standard allopathy or western medicines. The ayurvedic system, homoeopathy, and naturopathy are the most popular alternatives with their own beliefs of procedures and treatment. Practitioners of Ayurveda strongly believe that just like our planet Earth, our body too is made up of the five essential elements: fire, water, earth, space, and air. The elements govern our bodily functions.
The Homeopathic system combined two theories that dictate that small doses are effective. And Naturopathy takes a traditional approach to treatments. These alternatives strongly recommend the usage of natural substances, medicines, and therapies which do not have any side effects on your body. They connect your body to nature and allow it to heal your ailments.

Other alternative medicine treatments include massages, acupressure, chiropractic techniques, therapeutic touch, etc.

While discussing various medicinal treatments and their alternatives is essential, it is equally important to understand how to safeguard your body in severe health emergencies, which usually come without warning. They can lead to excessive stress and unprecedented damage-financially, physically, and emotionally. To protect your and your loved ones’ health in sudden circumstances, you need to purchase health insurance. Opt for online health insurance to avoid the hassle of numerous procedures, submission of documents, and involvement of intermediaries.

Click HERE to know more about online health insurance.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

Have you ever been stuck in a health emergency due to a prolonged illness of someone in the family? If yes, you know how difficult it is to go through a tough time to wait for the total health recovery of the patient. It is also particularly challenging to take care of the patient on a daily basis. It requires a lot of willpower and patience to be a good caregiver to calm those in need.

You need to ensure that the patient follows a disciplined routine wherein he eats on time, gets good sleep, and takes medicines as prescribed. You also need to keep an eye on their symptoms, verify the reports and regularly monitor the patient’s condition.

Stroke patients are critical to handle. Their body becomes quite sensitive and vulnerable to any inconveniences. Hence, the caregivers of stroke patients need to take extra precautions to ensure that the patient stays mentally and physically healthy.

Wondering how you can take good care of stroke patients? This blog answers all your questions.

1. Exercise is the key:

It has been observed that most stroke patients face movement issues and find it difficult or incapable of moving their limbs. Their movement skills and capabilities get affected severely due to the stroke. As a caregiver, encourage stroke patients to indulge in exercises daily.
Design a quick workout routine for them and guide them to exercise in the right way to get the best results. This would help the patients regain their movement abilities and a speedy recovery.

2. Let them feel and reflect:

Instead of pushing the patient to be optimistic, it is essential to create a safe space for them. This space is an outlet for their emotions and a trusted source to avoid complete breakdowns. Having suffered through a traumatic experience and facing critical health issues is no joke.
The patients need to embrace their grief and express all their feelings without hesitation. An essential part of being a caregiver is to help the patient through their emotional process and help them get through all the challenges and hardships.

3. Encourage them to be independent:

Don’t create a help-seeking mindset in the patient. While they must have a safe space for letting out their emotions, it is also necessary that the patient is encouraged to help themselves instead of seeking support every time they need something.
As a caregiver, you must motivate your patient to feel independent. Doing things independently would give them a sense of achievement and motivation to carry out their work with more zeal and confidence.

4. Keep an eye on their condition:

A stroke is a severe ailment, and the treatment and recovery process involve a lot of heavy medications. Since the medicines help the body cope with certain major complications post-stroke, they are bound to have some alarming side effects.
As a caregiver, you need to educate yourself about all the medications, their probable side effects, and how they might affect the patients (which could also be due to pre-existing allergies and conditions). You need to inform the doctor about the same and observe the patient for any symptoms which might occur as side effects of the medicines.

A stroke can be a traumatic experience for the patient and his family. If not handled efficiently, strokes can turn out to be one of the worst nightmares. We discussed how intensive care could miraculously heal stroke patients, sometimes more than their treatments and medications.

Similarly, you need to take care of your health at all times as one cannot predict when such needs might arise, and you might find yourself in a difficult situation. To safeguard your and your family’s health, you must purchase the best health insurance in India that can offer the best coverage to the needs of your entire family.

Click HERE to know more about the benefits of health insurance in India.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.