Question: I am a 42 year old female. I have been suffering from various physical problems for some time now. After examination, my doctor has said that there is no major problem but I should do regular walking every day. How much should I walk every day? A woman (Ahmedabad) Answer : Daily walking is essential for a healthy body and mind. Doctors also recommend walking for a short time every day. But according to experts everyone should walk according to their age. The longer you walk between the ages of 6 and 17, the more benefits you will get. Boys this age should take at least 15,000 steps a day, while girls should take 12,000 steps a day. Age-wise, it is desirable for a person to walk at least 12,000 steps per day between 18 and 40 years, 11,000 steps per day after 40 years and at least 10,000 steps per day after 50 years. To stay healthy after age 60, do at least 8,000 walks a day. It is necessary to walk with some energy while walking. If a problem occurs after this, a doctor should be consulted. Question: I am a 47 year old female. Cholesterol problem has been bothering me since last two months. Can I control the condition by changing my lifestyle instead of taking medication for as long as possible? A woman (Vadodara) Answer : Rather than deciding whether or not to take medicine on your own, it is advisable to leave this decision to your doctor. However, you can try to control cholesterol by making lifestyle changes if you want. Unbalanced lifestyle, wrong eating habits, increased stress etc. increase the amount of cholesterol in the body. Due to increase in cholesterol, many serious diseases surround the body. So, it is necessary to keep it under control. Regular consumption of flaxseeds can lower cholesterol. Make a powder of linseed and take one teaspoon daily. Mixing some flaxseed powder in a glass of buttermilk is also beneficial. If you have high cholesterol problem then include black gram in your diet. Soak a handful of black gram seeds overnight. Eat chickpeas on an empty stomach in the morning and also drink chickpea water. Apart from this you can also eat roasted chickpeas. A cholesterol patient should consume more fiber rich foods in his diet. Sprouted grains, beans, soybeans also help reduce high cholesterol. So, include it in your diet. Mixing one teaspoon of amla juice with one teaspoon of aloe vera juice and drinking it every morning on an empty stomach is beneficial. Apart from this, cholesterol can be reduced by doing exercises like swimming, cycling, climbing stairs and Chakrasana. Question: I am a 35 year old unmarried girl. Till now I was quite healthy but lately I feel very tired. My sister has suggested me to take a multivitamin. Is this the right option? A girl (Surwwat) Answer: This is not correct at all. Consuming multivitamins without doctor's advice is extremely harmful to health. When we eat a balanced diet, the body gets enough nutrients. When we eat unhealthy, junk food and packed food, the body does not get the right amount of vitamins, due to which we suffer from fatigue, insomnia, weakness, dizziness and headache. At such times people start taking multivitamins without medical advice and it is absolutely not advisable to do so. Most people increase their dosage when taking multivitamins, which is not ideal. An overdose of any supplement can be harmful. Too much vitamin C can damage many parts of the body, for example, if you consume too much vitamin C, it can cause hair loss, nausea or damage to the nervous system. If you are already suffering from a disease and taking medication, definitely consult a doctor before taking multivitamins. In many situations, taking multivitamins with other medications can be fatal. Question: I am a 30 year old female. My eight-year-old daughter has now received glasses numbers. However, this number is very low. What care should I take to keep his eyes relaxed and the number not too high? Ek Mahila (Rajkot) North : The kind of lifestyle we all lead today requires us to pay more attention to our health and fitness. And when it comes to children, the way they are using gadgets day and night, especially mobiles, laptops, tabs etc., is weakening their eyes prematurely. There are some exercises that keep children's eyes healthy. Rub the palms of both hands. When the palms are warm, place them gently on the eyes. Take a deep breath. Take care that the hand pressure should not be too much. Leave it like this for a while. Do this process at least eight-ten times. It increases the brightness of the eyes. The child should take a short break between studies and keep his eyes completely closed for a while. Do this five-six times a day. It relaxes the eye muscles. A child's eyes can be kept healthy by paying attention to his diet. Let children eat green leafy vegetables, which are rich in vitamins A, C and E. This strengthens the eye. Also encourage children to drink plenty of water. If you take care of this regularly, your daughter's eyes will be healthy.
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