Estate Social

BY XCEEDIBLES – FOR CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP

When asked what traits parents would like their children to have now and as adults, one of the most common responses is to be responsible. This is a broad term that means many different things – from being helpful around the house to behaving responsibly at school to giving back to the community and using one’s talents responsibly in the workplace. Parents want their children to be responsible because this predicts success both now and later in life, even into adulthood. With these goals in mind, how can you best teach teenagers to be responsible? Here are some tips:

Instill Values: Children will always make mistakes, but there are a few ways parents can help their kids build a strong foundation of responsible behaviour. Before discussing what these values are, parents should define what they mean by responsibility. For example, you might say that responsibility means taking on only obligations that you know you can complete successfully or finishing tasks before you move on to something else.

Encourage Respectful Behavior: One reason that many teenagers act irresponsibly is that they feel that their actions will not have any consequences. They make decisions based solely on what feels good in that moment without thinking about how it might affect them later on. This is why you need to sit down with your teen and explain what exactly responsible behaviour means.

Be Patient: Developing good habits isn’t going to happen overnight. It will take time and dedication on your part, but it can happen. The first step is going to always be practice. You are building a muscle, and it won’t grow in one day – you have to exercise that muscle repeatedly over time before it becomes strong enough that you don’t need constant focus.

Set Consequences: The problem with “because I said so” is that it doesn’t teach a child anything. The reason isn’t important, but how you follow up on your instructions is crucial. And even if you think it will work, Because I said so! rarely leads to responsible behaviour. When your teenager understands that there are concrete consequences for their actions—or lack thereof—the odds of them making better choices increases exponentially. In conclusion, When it comes to teaching teenagers how to be responsible, there are no quick fixes. Good parenting is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. The best way parents can teach teenagers about responsibility is by modelling and providing good examples in their own lives. Let your teenager see you working hard at work or helping others in need. Teens want to please their parents, and if they see you being responsible in your daily life, they will want to learn from you too.

10 ways to achieve Hormonal Balance in Women

BY DEEPAK KHERA
Dietitian/Nutritionist

Hormones are your body’s chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to tissues or organs to help them do their work. They are produced by the endocrine system that signals various parts of your body to carry out their functions. The endocrine system, consisting of 8 glands (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pineal body, the ovaries, and the testes) produce and secrete most of the hormones.

Types of Female Sex Hormones

Hormones play an important role in maintaining and regulating your overall health. The primary sex hormones in females are estrogen and progesterone which are produced by the ovaries (the primary female reproductive organs), the adrenal glands (small glands located on top of each of your kidneys), and the placenta (the structure that develops in your womb during pregnancy which provides nutrients and oxygen to the growing baby).

Estrogen, produced by your ovaries, is found in both men and women. It is responsible for the development of the female reproductive system and it imparts female sex characteristics such as breasts and pubic hair.

It maintains the thickness of your vaginal wall and promotes lubrication.
It regulates your menstrual (period) flow and stimulates the growth of the egg follicles (sac-like structures filled with fluid in which an egg develops). Periods is the monthly shedding of the lining of your uterus (womb) in the form of blood, through the vagina.

Progesterone, the hormone released in the ovaries, is responsible for regulating your menstrual cycle and supporting your pregnancy.

During pregnancy, progesterone helps in the development of the fetus (baby to be) and prepares the pelvic wall muscles for labour (childbirth or delivery).

Hormonal Imbalance in Women

Hormonal imbalances occur when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. Hormonal imbalances can cause disturbances in a range of body functions and deteriorate your overall health. In women, this imbalance is mainly due to abnormal (less or more) levels of estrogen and progesterone.

Common causes of hormonal imbalance in women include unhealthy and stressful lifestyle, unhealthy dietary habits, chronic conditions such as diabetes or thyroid problems, pregnancy, certain medications, severe injuries or infections, birth control pills, and menopause (the natural stopping of a woman’s menstruation or periods).

Hormonal imbalance can cause of a variety of symptoms in you such as:

Sudden weight gain or weight loss
Excessive sweating
Difficulty in sleeping
Dry skin or rashes
Changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar concentration
Weak bones
Anxiety, depression, and irritability
Bloating, headaches, nausea, and fatigue
Reduced sexual drive

Lifestyle and Dietary Recommendations to Balance Your Hormones

Correcting your hormonal imbalance early and on time, can save you from further complications and health issues.

Here are 10 ways to achieve hormonal balance to stay young and healthy:

1. Eat a balanced diet. Your diet affects the balance of your hormones. Eating a diet that contains all vitamins and nutrients in the right proportion is a must. Include foods such as lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, seeds such as chia seeds and flaxseeds, nuts, olive oil, and unsaturated oils and fats, and whole grains like buckwheat, brown rice, and quinoa.

2. Reduce all insulin stimulating foods. Insulin is a hormone that helps control the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. When your body’s cells don’t respond normally to insulin (known as insulin resistance), there is a build-up of insulin in the blood, resulting in excess sugar in the bloodstream. Excess sugar is known to cause an imbalance in your hormones.

To correct this imbalance, it is advisable to reduce foods that promote insulin resistance. These include white sugar, excess alcohol, and all processed flours.

3. Include glucagon stimulating foods in every meal. Glucagon is another hormone that controls or rather maintains the levels of glucose (sugar) in your blood. When sugar levels are low in your blood, your body releases ‘glucagon’ so that you have the energy to continue with your tasks. A mess-up between insulin and glucagon can cause hormonal imbalances.

To maintain the blood sugar levels, choose glucagon stimulating foods such as proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, cottage cheese, yoghurt, lean beef, eggs, hemp) in every meal.

4. Support your hormonal health with essential fats and fatty acids. Healthy fats help in maintaining a balance of hormones, especially those involved in appetite, metabolism, and keeping you full. Fatty acids such as omega-3 reduce the levels of stress hormones (primarily cortisol and adrenaline) and help maintain a balance.

Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, nuts, and seeds.

5. Stay hydrated. Dehydration can affect the functioning of the glands of the endocrine system, leading to hormonal imbalance.

Drinking water helps flush toxins from your body and keeps your cells functioning, thus maintaining hormonal balance. Drinking 2 litres of water per day is vital for your energy, and overall health. Including green tea in your daily diet will keep you hydrated and boost your metabolism.

6. Exercise has a strong influence on your hormonal health. One of the major benefits of exercising is insulin sensitivity. Reduced levels of insulin maintain harmony in body functions. Exercise also lowers cortisol response, thus reducing stress and boosting overall health.

7. Sleep well. Irregular sleep can increase stress levels. A good night’s sleep can do wonders for proper cortisol secretion and weight loss. Sleeping boosts overall health and a healthy body is able to maintain a healthy hormonal balance.

8. Hug someone you love. Whether it is your child, husband, friend, or parent – hugging naturally lowers cortisol response and increases the production of endorphins, your “feel-good hormones”.

9. Meditation keeps a check on your cortisol and adrenaline levels. It keeps your mind and body calm and happy.

10. Spend time with yourself. Staying mentally and physically happy and sound keeps a check on your hormone levels. Spending time with yourself either by way of enjoying a hobby, reading a book, listening to music, or taking a walk, helps.

Disclaimer: This article is written by the Practitioner for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please “DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE” and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.