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This Moong Dal Kiwi Coconut Soup Will Boost Immunity And Aid Weight Loss – NDTV Food

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:57 pm

Highlights

Monsoon season brings relief from the sweltering hot summer months. But with this respite, come a range of seasonal diseases and infections. It is important to keep our immunity and health in check during the season change. Vitamin C is one of the primary nutrients in our diet that helps boost immunity naturally. Although the essential nutrient is found in several citrus fruits, Kiwi fruit is one underrated source of the Vitamin. This healthy and delicious soup recipe by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor is made with Moong Dal, Kiwi and Coconut cream. It is the perfect way to maintain good immunity and shed some extra kilos while at it.

Kiwi is one source of Vitamin C which is relatively less known among people. A single 100 gram serving of the fruit is known to fulfil up to 154% of the daily Vitamin C requirement, as per the USDA. The consumption of Vitamin C helps build a healthy immune system and aids the body's fight against diseases. The soup recipe also uses a number of spices such as peppercorns, cloves and turmeric powder which are important ingredients that boost immunity. Further, the use of Moong Dal in this delicious soup gives it a wholesome and satiating taste. The high protein in Moong Dal aids on the quest towards weight loss by keeping hunger pangs at bay for longer.

(Also Read:High-Protein Soups: 4 Soothing And Yummy Soups To Shed Those Extra Kilos In Monsoon)

The delicious Moong Dal Kiwi Coconut soup recipe is by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor. In this recipe, he uses two whole kiwis along with a cup of boiled moong dal. The use of coconut cream in this recipe lends it a certain taste of creamy deliciousness. Begin the recipe by sauting the whole spices, followed by a medium onion and half carrot. Now, add salt and boiled moong dal to the pan and then add chopped kiwi cubes. After the entire mixture is ready, grind it in a mixer and strain it. Add coconut cream and mix. Your delicious soup is ready!

The Moong Dal Kiwi Coconut soup is comforting, delicious and wholesome to taste. Health and taste come together as one in this delightful recipe, and you will agree with us wholeheartedly when you try it yourself. Tell us how it came out in the comments below!

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Weight Loss Tips: Doing One Workout At A Time Can Help You Begin With Exercising- Here’s How – NDTV

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:57 pm

Weight loss tips: Do not compare yourself with other and set your own goals

Weight loss: To exercise regularly, or to even begin with exercising requires a great deal of determination, motivation and discipline. It is because of these reasons that people find it challenging to inculcate exercising in their daily routine. Well, firstly know that you are not alone. Celeb fitness trainer Kayla Itsines mentions how one may feel scared, nervous or intimidated even when they think about training."You might have the motivation to start training, but then there are so many things that can get in your way. If this is you, I do not want you to feel alone. I speak to so many women who feel the same way as you," she writes in the caption of her recent Insta post.

Itsines goes on to share a few tips that can help beginners know how to start exercising and from where to begin with:

Begin with a light cardio routine following 2-3 weight training exercises. Or, if you are not comfortable, do only one at a time. According to Itsines, one can feel a sense of accomplishment and empowerment by doing just one workout. And this, can motivate you to do the next workout in the following day. "Once you know you can complete that workout, that feeling of intimidation will disappear," she adds.

Also read:Weight Loss: Do Long-Duration Workouts Give Better Results?

For beginners, the goal should be to challenge yourself and not to compare yourself to what others are doing. Fitness and exercise performance is different for every individual. So it is important that you don't focus on anyone else, barring your own strength and stamina. If you are unable to do exercises, such as those included in Itsines' fitness programs, then you can do their modified versions to make them work for you.

When it comes to exercising, focus on yourself and do not compare yourself to othersPhoto Credit: iStock

The weight gained over a period of say, six months, cannot be lost in two months. Changes that you introduce in your lifestyle have to be slow and steady. Doing so will give your body the time to adapt to those changes. Instead of setting one unrealistic goals, focus on two or three small goals that are more achievable.

Also read:Weight Loss Tips: Looking For Some Motivation? Here Are 5 Ways To Stick To Your Fitness Goals

Restricting or starving yourself for losing weight or getting rid of that belly fat is the worst thing that you can do to yourself. Try to add healthy habits in your life rather than taking things away or restricting yourself. Work towards being physically more active, eating more fruits and vegetables, eating lesser junk food, drinking more water and sleeping well. All of these lifestyle changes can together help you be fitter, leaner and also help you lose weight.

Also read:Weight Loss: Here's Kareena Kapoor Khan's Diet And Exercise Regime For Her Recent Look- Her Nutritionist Gives Details

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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Mayr Method: Registered Dietitians on Rebel Wilson’s Reported Weight Loss Plan – Everyday Health

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:57 pm

One of the bigger problems with Mayr is that you're supposed to travel to one of the medical clinics that offer the Mayr method and stay there for some time. That has its own limitations in terms of expense, resources (including time), and the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has created travel concerns and restrictions. It is tempting to think that if you could just go somewhere for a week or two, you might come out of it with your diet and lifestyle habits permanently transformed.

Mayr is one of many strict diets without proven results. These quick-fix ideas are appealing. People are feeling discouraged with their current situation, and having a set of rules or restrictions imposed on you sounds really desirable, says the New York Citybased nutrition and wellness expert Samantha Cassetty, RD, the coauthor of Sugar Shock.

Whats more, other treatments touted by Mayr, including cryotherapy and massage, are unproven to help you lose weight or release toxins, says Rasmussen. And the method as a whole does not have any research behind it, which is another downside.

The Toronto-based registered dietitian Abby Langer writes on her blog that you may even experience serious illness from some of the reported tenets of Mayr, which include bloodletting, severe calorie restriction (600 calories a day), and laxatives. (11)

Beyond these potentially dangerous therapies, a trip to any sort of wellness retreat that touts weight loss as an end goal is not likely to provide sustainable results, says Rasmussen. When you get back to regular life, everyday stresses and being surrounded by fast food, snacks, and processed food will make it really tough to maintain any weight loss. If this center is not just removing stimuli and temptations and is teaching long-term healthy behaviors that you can apply to your life outside, then you may be successful, she says. Put differently, in real life, you wont have a chef make meals for you, a resort that controls everything you eat, and massages at the ready, so its unlikely that youll be able to maintain that brand-new you.

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What we learned from Michael Mosley’s Lose a Stone in 21 Days – Get The Gloss

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

The final episode of Michael Mosley's Channel 4 weight loss show airs tonight. From how to burn fat to making mushroom pizza, it's been quite the learning curve

Let's be honest, diets with screamer headlines promising to drop 10 pounds in 10 days!, or get a flat tummy in five! sound attractive but we all know a marketing ploy when we see one and are more likely to grab another kettle chip than sign up. So how is Channel 4s new hit series Lose a Stone in 21 Days with Michael Mosley, of which the final episode airs tonight, different?

The three-part show which put five volunteers o a three-week rapid weight loss diet, focuses on losing 'corona' pounds. It comes after reports that two-thirds of the population put on weight in lockdown. In July the government launched a major new obesity strategy urging UK adults to lose weight in order to reduce the risk of serious illness including COVID 19. It includes an NHS app with a 12-week weight loss programme.

We know that obesity significantly increases the chance of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus, as well as being a risk factor for a host of other life-limiting diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Shedding the extra pounds has become a potentially life-saving intervention.

The doctor behind the show Michael Mosley is the creator of The Fast Diet 5:2 diet and The Fast 800 online plan, says in episode one of the three-part series, Its not about looking good in a swimsuit, its about fighting disease. And with the chances of becoming seriously ill with COVID increasing with your BMI, obesity has become an even more pressing health issue.

Dr. Mosleys intermittent fasting-style diet Fast 800 plans, which involve both fast and slower weight loss routes and health maintenance, are based on the Mediterranean way of eating and claim to have helped hundreds of people shed pounds quickly, safely and sustainably. It is based on several studies of an 800 calorie diet to achieve major weight loss and remission from type 2 diabetes. In this show, he puts five volunteers on his 'very fast' very low carb weight loss plan of 800 calories a day, supervised by himself and his GP wife Dr. Clare Bailey.

It's not without controversy though. The first episode caused a Twitter backlash with some arguing that such rapid weight loss was triggering for people with eating disorders. Eating disorder charity Beat announced that it was extending the hours of its helpline to 11pm to coincide with the airing of the show. Meanwhile, Dr Mosley told ITV's This Morning that the chosen method was based on methodology on several recent big randomised controlled trials. He also points out in the programme that the NHS is beginning to trial rapid weight loss diets "with suitable patients".

The programmes volunteers put their lockdown weight gain down to factors we can all relate to: increased snacking while bored, isolation, picking from kids plates, moving back in with mum and dad to delicious home-cooked meals as well as extra drinking to manage stress. While their weight, cholesterol levels, BMI, and blood sugar scores were worrying at the start, Dr. Mosley assured them that change was possible. Three weeks on the 800 calorie diet switches you from burning sugar to burning fat and is a really rapid way to change things and within a short time you stop getting hungry, he encouraged. As a type 2 diabetic himself eight years ago, hes been there.

After three weeks Dr. Mosley will measure how losing weight by eating healthy food and taking moderate exercise has improved their immunity.

This is what we have learned so far (and if you are planning to go on a diet, please consult your doctor first).

Its no surprise that two-thirds of us admitted to piling on the pounds during lockdown if our biscuit consumption is anything to go by. Dr. Mosely had this and other sobering statistics to share. Surveys showed that in the first five weeks of lockdown, 16 per cent of us had already put on an extra five pounds. And in the four weeks leading up to lockdown, sales of crisps and snacks shot up by 33 per cent. In crisis, we reach for all the wrong foods, says Dr Mosley.

Its not just food. Half a bottle of wine a night piles on an extra empty 400 calories, adds Dr. Mosley, not to mention the fact that we all make worse food choices when weve had a drink.

Your metabolic age gives a picture of how old you are on this inside and is a comparison of your basal metabolic rate or BMR, the rate at which your body burns calories compared to others in your age group. The volunteers, stepped on a metabolic weighing scale to find their BMR (you can buy similar ones such as the Tanita RD-953S Connect Body Composition Monitor Scale 175) and discovered they had a metabolic age up to 15 years older than their chronological age. To gain a fuller picture of their health, Dr. Mosely also gave them a blood test and a breath test as well as measuring their waist relative to their height, because

Anything outside of that range and it means you have too much belly fat or visceral fat, the red flag fat around the internal organs which puts you at risk of certain cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, notes Dr. Mosley all of which will knock years off your life.

Were one of the fattest nations in Europe but were also in denial, says Dr. Mosley as he took to the streets to ask shoppers to estimate their waist size before giving them a tape measure to find out what it was in reality. Most people underestimated theirs by around ten inches. A survey of 2,000 people showed this was not unusual. Only one in ten people who are obese actually realise it, he says.

We dont need reminding that if food is in sight were more likely to graze. That office tray of donuts doesnt stay unloved for long. Dr. Mosley instructs his dieters to chuck their nemesis, from biscuits to booze, down the sink, bin it or even stamp on it. (Remembering Miranda from Sex and the City squeezing washing up liquid onto the cake shed picked at from the bin, putting the bin outside is not a bad idea either).

MORE GLOSS: How to succeed at the 5:2 diet, according to Dr. Michael Mosley

The body has two sources of fuel - sugar and fat - that we can switch between like a hybrid car, explains Dr. Mosley. We store 500g of sugar in our bodies for fuel it lives in our liver and muscles. The average person has 17kg of fat stored in their bodies. Thats true for men and women (women have a higher proportion of body fat) and has been measured by a Dexa body scan.

Flipping the metabolic switch from sugar burning to fat burning is the reason why this low carb, high protein, and relatively high fat 800 calorie intermittent fasting diet is effective. Eating a very low carb diet (a handful of blueberries or strawberries were the only sweet things on the volunteers plates) will run down your stores of sugar after two to three days and cause the body turn to burn fat for fuel instead (more specifically convert fat into ketone bodies for fuel) known as ketosis. Like the volunteers, you can measure if you are in ketosis by peeing on a special colour-changing keto stick.

No not pizza topping but an actual low carb pizza suitable for an 800 calorie day. Dr Mosleys wife GP and recipe creator Dr. Clare Bailey devised a low carb dinner with Portobello mushroom as a base topped with tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil mozzarella and fresh basil and grilled. One volunteer declared it delicious.

If you put your mushies outside or on the windowsill for a couple of hours it can boost their vitamin D content up to 100-fold, says Dr. Bailey. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for myriad processes in the body including immunity and government advice over lockdown has been for everyone to supplement with vitamin D.

MORE GLOSS: Best vitamin D supplements

Protein is hugely important when losing weight to preserve muscle mass, says Dr. Mosley. Its fat that you want to lose not muscle, especially as muscle tissue burns calories. Some of the volunteers took one of their meals as a meal replacement shake containing 20g protein to ensure they were getting enough.

How much protein does the average person need? Most adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (for the average woman, this is 45g, or 55g for men) according to the British Heart Foundation.

Episode Two shone the spotlight on how much to exercise when you're dieting. Michael explains that you'd need to run 35 miles in order to burn off a pound of fat so exercise is not actually a great way to lose weight (as we all know abs are made in the kitchen). However, it is a good way to boost your metabolism especially as half of us are doing less exercise than we were pre-lockdown lives.

So just how much exercise do you need to do a week? "Two and a half hours of moderate exercise a week is recommended is by the NHS or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise," explains Michael.

The older we get the more we lose muscle mass. From age 30, we lose around five per cent of our muscle mass every decade. Unless, that is, we do resistance exercises such as weights or press-ups, anything that pushes against a weight or isometric exercises such as yoga that use your own body weight as resistance.

Resistance exercise is key to maintaining muscle mass and in any weight loss programme maintaining muscle mass is key. Dr Mosley urges his volunteers add this to their weight loss, kicking off with a HIIT training session with his son, working major muscles of the body, 30 seconds on, 30 off.

Our balance declines with age and having good balance is a sign of youthfulness. How long you can stand on one leg with your eyes closed is a good predictor of life expectancy, Dr Mosley explains. If you're 50+ and can stand on one leg for eight seconds you're doing well. In your 40s you should be able to clock up 13 seconds. At 60-plus four seconds is good going.

An irritating side effect of being overweight is snoring and sleep apnoea, a condition where you stop momentarily stop breathing in your sleep, causing you to grunt and splutter (and wake up your bedmate). A staggering 41 per cent of adults snore; it's more common for men and more common as you get older.

Dr Mosley himself was a big snorer, but once he lost weight he became a silent sleeper - much to the relief of his wife Clare. As well as age, weight and genetics, neck size also plays a key part in if you're a snorer; necks over 16 inches for women or over 17 for men mean you're almost certainly a snorer.

Lose a Stone in 21 Days is on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.

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3 major health benefits of squats and how to do them properly – Insider – INSIDER

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

If you're looking for a strength move that benefits your entire body, the squat delivers on all counts. Doing squats can not only help you perform athletic tasks, but it also strengthens your body for daily movements like walking, carrying heavy items, and climbing stairs.

Read on to learn more about the numerous health benefits of doing squats and how to safely add them to your workout routine.

Squats mainly work your lower body, specifically your quadriceps and glutes. It's your knee position in particular bending them to a 90-degree angle that helps activate these muscle groups effectively.

Plus, every time you squat, you engage your core as it works to stabilize your body during the movement.

According to Timothy Suchomel, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Human Movement Sciences at Carroll University, squats primarily target the following muscle groups:

Shayanne Gal/Insider

Because squats work many muscle groups at once, the exercise causes your body to increase anabolic hormone production. These are the hormones that help you lose fat and build muscle.

A 2014 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research article specifically compared squats, as a free weight exercise, to the leg press, a machine exercise with added weight. While both moves work the same large muscle groups, the body's response is different.

The study found that when done at similar intensities, squats engaged more muscles and produced a greater hormonal and physiological response, in particular more muscle activation, than the leg press.

Squats, as a strength training move, can be an important part of any successful weight loss plan. Regular strength training helps speed up your metabolism and can decrease body fat.

In fact, a 2013 study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine reviewed the health benefits of an eight-week regimen of bodyweight squats and found that it decreased body fat percentage and increased lean body mass in participants.

For more information, read about how to lose weight and keep it off safely.

Besides being an effective exercise, regularly doing squats may also help reduce your risk of knee and ankle injury.

That's because the move strengthens the tendons, bones, and ligaments around your leg muscles, and can particularly help take some of the load off your knees and ankles, according to a 2010 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research article.

According to the article, squats cause your hamstrings and quadriceps to co-contract, which is a type of movement that provides stability to your knees. And because your ankles add support and power during squat performance, the exercise has been used extensively for therapeutic treatment of ankle instability.

Suchomel says squats may also help increase bone mineral density, which can strengthen an individual's skeleton, particularly the bones in the spine and lower body. Stronger bones help the body become more resilient against injury.

However, injury prevention only applies if you do squats with proper form. A 2013 review published in Sports Medicine found that shallow, improperly performed squats without bending the knees fully to a 90-degree angle may lead to degeneration in the lumbar spine the lower back and knees over time.

So, it's important to practice proper squat form to protect against injury and gain these health benefits. Here's how to do a squat correctly.

Make sure your back is straight and your knees stay behind your toes. kovacicela/Getty Images

Squats are a move you can do anywhere, and they don't require any special equipment. Follow these steps to do a squat with proper form:

Common mistakes that many squatters tend to make in their form include leaning forward too much or letting their knees sink inward.

"That can be corrected to some extent by changing the eye gaze upward to correct head position, and working to push through their heels and not let the pressure move forward to their toes," says Gregory D. Myer, director of Research at the Human Performance Laboratory for the Division of Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Overall, keeping your head up and eyes forward, and ensuring your knees stay in line, will help you maintain proper squat form.

Once you've mastered the basic move, there are different types of advanced squats you can do for even more health benefits.

This type of squat can improve agility and provide cardiovascular benefits, as it is a bit more active and gets your heart pumping.

Follow the steps for a regular squat, but when you hit the bottom of your squat, drive hard through your legs and jump up. Land softly to complete the move.

For more strength training moves that benefit cardiovascular health, read about the best type of exercise for heart health.

Because you'll be holding added weight over your head, these types of squats can also target your upper body muscles, including your shoulders and triceps.

To do an overhead squat, you'll need a barbell. Don't add any weight at first. Once you master this variation, you may want to add more weights to the barbell, but make sure you have a spotter if you do.

Here's how to do an overhead squat:

If you don't want to do an overhead squat, but want to squat with added weight, you can also try holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest as you perform a regular squat.

Squats are one of the most effective and beneficial lower body exercises for your health. You can incorporate squats into your workout routine by doing three sets of 10, about two to three times a week.

Remember these four tips to maintain proper squatting form and get all the health benefits safely:

Finally, if you're recovering from an injury or have sensitive knees, be sure to check in with your doctor before doing squats.

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Your kids’ mental health and the loss of sports – Fox17

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

CALEDONIA, Mich. This is typically one of the most exciting times of the year, with high school football getting close to kicking off the season.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 sidelined football and a bunch of other sports.

"It's a concern," says Caledonia clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Beurkens, "because surveys throughout this pandemic have shown that student athletes in particular are showing rates of anxiety and depression that are steadily increasing and rates of physical activity that are decreasing."

it's a combination that Dr. Beurkens says can cause some serious problems.

"People often underestimate how connected those two things are," she says, "But the research shows us over and over again that getting some form of physical movement, physical activity, or exercise in on a daily basis is critical for supporting our mental health, and that's especially true for children and for teens."

So, with many sports in a timeout, Dr. Beurkens says parents should be looking for signs of mental health issues.

"I think that if parents start to notice that their child is withdrawing more and more, not participating in things that they used to participate in, withdrawing more from the family, getting a lot more irritable, maybe feeling more anxious about things, expressing more hesitation to do things that they were comfortable doing, those are signs that anxiety or depression may be an issue."

She says keeping your kids active during this time is invaluable.

"For kids still to be involved in physical activities around weight training practice, many of the schools are working on how to safely have kids together to continue to participate in drill training, in working on things that they work during the season, even though they won't be competing. That's a great way to provide not only structure but also those relational kinds of opportunities."

And above all else, Dr. Beurkens says, keep talking.

"Open communication is one of the things that really helps kids to work through this types of challenging situations. So, talking with them about how they`'e feeling, about the disappointment, about the anger, or maybe frustration they may be feeling, and give them a healthy outlet about communicating about that, is important."

To contact Dr. Nicole Beurkens click here.

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High-Risk Players and the Pressures of the Pandemic Season – Sports Illustrated

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

Kyle Peko is 27 years old, listed at 6' 1" and 305 pounds. He is the father of two young kids and his wife, Giuliana, is a survivor of stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma who finished chemotherapy and entered remission in late 2019. He is moderately to severely asthmatic, dutifully puffing on his inhaler once a day to keep his breathing under control, as he has done for the majority of his life.

Shelby Harris is 29 years old, listed at 6' 2" and 290 pounds. He is a father of three young kids and his wife, Stephanie, is pregnant, due in January. He is moderately to severely asthmatic, using a daily inhaler and occasionally needing to fortify his lungs before games with medicine from a nebulizer machine. He also suffers from sleep apnea, wearing a CPAP mask to bed every night, and carries the sickle cell trait.

Last month, as the NFL and NFLPA headed toward an agreement allowing players to opt out of the 2020 season due to health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, these two Broncos defensive linemen were forced to tackle the same Hamletian dilemma regarding their football futures: To play, or not to play, that is the question.

Neither option was without risk. On the one hand, medical experts say that no other sports league is more likely to host an outbreak than the NFL, between its squadrons of sideline personnel, full-contact collisions on every snap, and decision to eschew a bubble approach. And if a breakout does happen, the number of individuals at risk of severe illness due to COVID-19from 65-and-older coaches on the sidelines to in-their-prime athletes with underlying health conditionswill no doubt be high.

On the other, no league offers its players a smaller window of time to secure life-changing money. The average NFL career lasts roughly three years and is mined with plenty of non-viral hazards, from broken bones to torn ligaments to battered brains; it only seems natural that players would make similar calculations about playing through a pandemic. After all, theres no guarantee that a roster spot will be waiting for them when they return in 2021. And while the stipend for players opting out is nothing to scoff athigh-risk players will receive $350,000, while voluntary opt-outs only get $150,000 as a salary advance toward next seasonits hardly a nest egg.

Harris (left) and Peko.

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Harris spent days wrestling with his choice. Chief among his concerns was the toll that contracting COVID-19 could take on his body given his asthma, one of 15 conditions on the NFL/NFLPAs high-risk list. It affects the respiratory system, he says. That worried the hell out of me. But when he weighed the professional benefits against the personal risks, like so many other workers in so many other fields today, he opted against opting out.

Im getting older, so every year I can get in the league, Ive got to take, says Harris, who became a full-time starter for the first time last season, his sixth in the league, and now will make a little more than $3 million in 2020. Its a scary thought: If you dont play this year, theres going to be another draft, another free agency [class] regardless, and theres a good chance you could get replaced. The league waits for no one.

Peko struggled too. After toggling between the practice squads and active rosters of the Bills and Colts last season, and then latching on with the Broncos in mid December, he was set to make $675,000, more than half of what he earned over his first four years combined, in 2020. Pretty tough decision, he says. Football is what Ive been doing for so long. But when he weighed the personal benefits against the professional risks, like so many other football players, his asthma and Giulianas recent cancer bout overruled all of the pros and cons, he says. With these trying times, I had to make the best decision for me, my health, and the health of my family.

I sent an email to Mr. Elway and the team, and told them that Im a high-risk opt-out, wished them best of luck, and said that I look forward to having an opportunity to be back in 2021.

Similar ages, similar body types, similar family situations, same job responsibilities, same chronic respiratory disease and divergent paths. Their choices were deeply personal, but as this seemingly unstoppable football season inches closer to reality, they were far from the only players who had to make them.

* * *

Until Cole Wick learned about the opt-out agreement after it was finalized on July 26, he was fully prepared to attend training camp. The 26-year-old tight end was comfortable enough with the health-and-safety protocol put in place by the Saints, whose practice squad he had joined last December. In fact, he was already halfway through an eight-hour road trip to New Orleans when he received the union memo, driving a car packed with clothes, recovery gear and, of course, his daily inhaler, nebulizer, and vials of liquid medication.

Upon arriving, Wick checked into a hotel and stayed up pretty much all night making phone callsto his wife, to his agent, to his parentsas he weighed his options. The next morning, he reported to the Saints practice facility and received a nasal swab COVID-19 test, still somewhat on the fence. I was so torn, says Wick, whose first four NFL seasons were spent across five franchises and primarily on practice squads, with only 11 regular-season games under his belt. I wasnt sure how I wanted to proceed. Theres safety, and then theres making a living, like we do on the field.

But he thought more about his wife, Kristinthe couple had only just learned that she was pregnant with their first child. He thought more about his asthma, which had made practicing with the Niners amid the California wildfires in 2018 a big struggle, and which labored his breathing so badly when a wave of Saharan dust recently rolled through Texas that Wick was initially convinced that hed caught the coronavirus. He also thought about the outbreak that was, at the time, hitting the Miami Marlins and MLB. And so Wick promptly turned around and drove back home to San Antonio, emailing Saints officials of his decision to sit out under the high-risk clause.

Im not entirely sure how the virus affects the lungs, but I know that it does affect the lungs, Wick says. And I know Ive been living with asthma for a long time. Its just the risk factor, know what I mean?

For players with underlying medical issues such as Wick, Peko and Harris, there were mainly two layers of risk. Specific and most serious to them is the increased likelihood that, because of their conditions, they could develop a severe illness as a result of contracting COVID-19. Peko and Harriss teammate Von Miller experienced a spate of symptomsweight loss, no sense of taste or smell, breathing issues exacerbated by his asthmafor several weeks after his initial diagnosis in April but believes he has escaped lasting, long-term impact. Others arent so lucky; for instance, myocarditis (heart inflammation) has cropped up among coronavirus patients in college football and shelved Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez for the season.

We know there are some people who feel sick for a very long time, says Dr. Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman, assistant professor of infectious disease at Wayne State University. We know some people have lung damage that continues on past when the virus has gone, though we havent been around COVID long enough to know how long that lasts. When we talk about young athletes, death is not the only bad outcome. Even if it doesnt require them to be intubated, even if they dont die from it, getting sick can have profound, career-altering effects.

Its hard to estimate exactly how many players could be in the viruss invisible crosshairs. Early on in the pandemic, an internal NFLPA study determined that more than 70% of union membership were considered high-risk. But that was based on well-documented medical data showing that Black populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, as well as CDC guidelines that included obesity, which is defined as a body mass index over 30. (In other words: virtually every lineman and then some.) When we talk about obesity, we dont fully know what that means for elite athletes with high BMI, Snoeyenbos Newman says. People who are mostly muscle definitely have some risk with high BMI, but we dont have data that breaks things down for COVID.

Sixty-nine players opted out in the end, according to the NFLPA, a third of whom (23) were offensive and defensive linemen. Asked how many were high-risk opt-outs and what the most commonly cited high-risk conditions were, a union spokesman declined comment, citing medical confidentiality. In addition to asthma, the NFL/NFLPA list contained, among others, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes (but not Type 1), sickle cell disease (but not the trait) and cancer. But it is safe to assume that far more high-risk players will be taking the field than not come September. I know a number of guys who are high-risk and playing, Peko says. Some dont have obligations off the field. Some dont have a wife or kids and theyre willing to risk their own health to play for their future. And I dont blame them. I get it.

The other layer of risk is all but baked into the sport. Rosters alone are big enough to make sideline social distancing virtually impossible, and thats without considering the dozens of coaches, trainers, doctors, officiating crews, chain crews and camera crews needed to stage an NFL game. Most plays are preceded by huddles and end with pileups. Quarterbacks incessantly lick their fingers. Everyone spits and sweats, and hardly anyone drinks their own water. When we think about coronavirus spread, we think about proximity, droplet generation, and duration, Snoeyenbos Newman says. All football players are professional droplet generators.

It stands to reason, then, that those players charged with clashing in the trenches, snap after snap, are most vulnerable by simple virtue of their position. The CDC talks about 10 to 15 minutes of exposure as being high-risk, and they dont define whether thats at one go or accumulated, says Snoeyenbos Newman. The several minutes that your linemen are in contact with each other, multiplied by however many downs of a game, does give you this cumulative exposure risk. It isnt zero for anybody, but its the highest for linemen.

As he was making his decision, Peko called a handful of teammates and other friends around the league to see what they were thinking. Many of the linemen he spoke to expressed a similar sort of concern about their basic job duties. I believe that the NFL and the teams are doing the best they can to prevent any exposure, or containing the problem if there is an exposure, Peko says. But no matter what, every play, were getting gritty and hands-on, were transferring our breath, our sweat, our blood constantly. Baseball, theyre not full contact, and theyre getting these cases. Footballs going to get a number of them. Its just inevitable.

Even while they watch from home on Sundays, safely ensconced on their couches, Wick, Peko and other players who opted out wont have a worry-free year. There is the dice roll that everyone casts in this country when they so much as go to the grocery store these days. There is the much more football-specific challenge of keeping themselves from falling out of shape in the fall and winter months, when they would otherwise have access to an NFL franchises gaudy resources. And, even though the contracts of every opt-out, medical or voluntary, will toll until 2021, for many there is the looming uncertainty of their employment status that awaits their return.

Ill still be with the Saints, unless they cut me, and thats my fear, Wick says. The risk is there.

* * *

By now, the unfamiliar has become routine. Each morning, as soon as he wakes up, Harris fills out a survey on his phone that, among other questions, asks whether hes developed a fever or come into contact with anyone with COVID-19. Answering no to them all, he says, he is given a barcode that is later scanned upon arrival at the Broncos facility. Before he can enter, though, he must first receive a nasal swab test, a thermal temperature scan, and a tracking device that blinks red if he comes within six feet of another person. Then when were walking in, our phones are sanitized, he says.

Inside the building, where arrows on the floor have made each hallway a one-way street for Harris and his teammates, masks are mandatory. Tall dividers separate locker stalls. Meals are served in to-go packaging and eaten at socially distanced tables. Constantly washing, sanitizing your hands, Harris says. Everyone gets their own water bottle, its not just a free-for-all. The same is true for the workout area, where each player must lift on a weight rack by himself and wipe down the equipment when hes done. D-line meetings were moved to a more spacious room so everyone can spread out. By the time Harris returns his tracker and heads home around 5:30, not a moment has passed without the presence of the virus.

Its very different, Harris says, but its also a welcome sense of security given his health conditions. I really didnt know necessarily what it would take to feel comfortable to go back. It was just like, O.K., wow me. So when I saw the measures the Broncos have been taking, it definitely made me feel comfortable.

In a way, it was confirmation of a stone-cold, if not sobering, sort of logic that had helped persuade Harris to play when he was considering opting out. As he says, Itd look really bad if someone died because of the NFL, so theyve got to go through everything possible to make sure everyones safe.

Since the NFL isnt housing team employees in bubbles for the 2020 season, mitigation starts with individual accountability on common-sense protocols while away from the facility, such as social distancing, avoiding large indoor gatherings, and wearing masks. (And not, say, sneaking friends into hotels disguised as players.) Everyone has to come together as an NFL family and be like, if we want to have a full season, guys are going to have to not be selfish and do what theyre asking us to do, says Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen, who has obstructive sleep apnea, a respiratory condition that, while on neither the CDC nor NFL/NFLPA high-risk lists, is still associated with issues such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. Guys got to keep themselves accountable, and not be going out and putting themselves at risk and in turn putting everyone else at risk.

Its why the NFLPA established a confidential whistleblower hotline for players to report potential violations of protocol. (A union spokesperson declined comment when asked if the hotline had been used yet.) And its why shedding the classic athlete-warrior, grind-through-the-pain mentality in favor of a culture of self-reporting symptoms might be the key to keeping the virus under raps. Weve trained these players to play through the pain, and to want to play, says Snoeyenbos Newman, herself a former college rugby captain. Now, in order to be a productive and helpful member of your team, were asking players to do the exact opposite,

Of course, its unrealistic to expect zero slip-ups. (As of Aug. 12, according to the NFLPA, 64 players had tested positive since they began reporting to training camp.) Thats why its such a big deal that everyone is tested, Harris says. Once you finally do start hitting each other, theres going to be spit, theres going to be all sorts of stuff all over the place. We need to have the comfort knowing everyone is COVID-negative.

On this front, a recent NFL/NFLPA agreement extended daily testing through Sept. 5, five days before the Chiefs and Texans are to kick off the season. Its not hard to speculate why owners mightve balked at committing to the full season just yet (the answer rhymes with honey). Regardless, last weeks emergency FDA authorization of a cheap, rapid-response saliva test was a promising development for sports leagues and society in general.

Perhaps even more critical than catching cases at the door, though, is having strict protocol to limit the ripple effects if the virus gets inside. It is very, very challenging to think about when someone tests positive, Snoeyenbos Newman says. Lets say your center tests positive. Well, are you going to isolate your whole line for several days? What about your tight end? What about your quarterback? What the Marlins have shown us, you can have spread even with very aggressive testing. And most of those people [were] asymptomatic.

For those who have returned to work, nothing is the same. Its crazy, every morning, showing up to the facility, having to get a Q-tip shoved up your nose, Jensen says. But as training camps around the league have plodded on, progressing to a full-contact stage this week, some measure of normalcy has taken hold. Besides the little things, the masks, the social distancing in the locker room, Jensen says, everyones back to that normal vibe of guys just hanging out and talking ball and excited for the season.

Another step closer toward Week 1, in the league that waits for no one.

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High-Risk Players and the Pressures of the Pandemic Season - Sports Illustrated

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Mercury in Virgo’s Productive Vibes Are Turning You Into the Employee of the Century – Yahoo Lifestyle

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

Photo credit: Getty/Katie Buckleitner

From Cosmopolitan

Ever since Mercury Retrograde ended last month, the planet of communication has been in pretty decent shapeyou've probably been thinking more clearly and (hopefully) staying on top of your sh*t. On August 19, Mercury enters its all-time favorite sign, Virgo, where it'll stay until September 5. During this transit, all things Mercury rules (like communication, transportation, and technology) are running even more efficientlywhich also means that youre starting to get way busier! Earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are enjoying Mercury in Virgos time the most, while the mutable signs Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces might struggle to keep up with the pace.

Just a heads up: this isnt the most exciting transit. There are still a few days left in Leo season (AKA the biggest party of the year, from an astrological standpoint), but Mercury in Virgo is giving you a little sample of this upcoming Virgo seasons vibe. Meaning: youre staying busy, busy, busy. Virgo is one of the hardest-working signs, and since Mercury rules communication, you can expect more talks with your boss, more interaction between you and your coworkers, and tons of messages re: your careerwhich might mean the opportunity for a promotion/raise/new job! Youre more focused, and your critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities are higher, too. Basically, you're killing it at work.

But Mercury in Virgos benefits arent limited to your 9-to-5. You can apply your sharper mind and stronger sense of focus to your home and clean up all your sh*t. You can take that one personal goal youve had for a while (like learning a new language or starting your own Etsy shop) and actually work towards it. Virgo, as the sign of servitude, loves to help othersand you can use these vibes to offer support to a friend or S.O. who's dealing with drama, or to come up with some kickass plans to safely celebrate your Virgo friends bday.

Virgo is known as the zodiacs biggest perfectionist. With Mercury in Virgo, your attention to detail is spot-on, youre able to organize everything better (whether its your schedule, your work desk, or your entire home), and you can be a bit, well, critical of everything and everyone around you. Mercury is the brainiest planet, and when it's in Virgo, youre feeling more intellectual than emotional. Combined with Virgos sharp eye for detail, you risk coming off as nit-picky or judgmental. Be sensitive when youre dealing with other people, and youll do just fine.

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Whether you're already on top of your to-do list or you desperately need to find a way to reorganize your whole entire life, Mercury in Virgo is here to help you get sh*t done and stay productive. The world feels pretty, uh, chaotic right now, but thanks to Mercury in Virgos help, you can clean up the mess and work through any challenges that come your waybasically, youre starting to feel like youre in control of your sh*t again!

Mercury in Virgo is activating your charts zone of work and responsibilities, which in English means youre working your entire ass off. If youre feeling totally swamped, ask yourself, Where can I be more organized? Mercury in Virgo is going to help you find solutions and figure out how to live your best, most productive life.

Love is in the air! Mercury in Virgo is activating your charts fifth house of good fortune, which governs romance, sex, and fun Youre matching every right-swipe on the dating apps, tons of hotties are sliding into your DMs, and the potential to find love (or just a hot fling) is sky-high.

Since you and Virgo are (somewhat) incompatible signs, things might be a lil tough. Youre focusing way, way more on life at home, and youre connecting with your family or roommates, too. If you're on good terms, this can be great, but if it's a little, uh, tense, then things might get crazy! Try to see this as an opportunity to get closer, and you cant go wrong.

Mercury, planet of communication, is currently zooming through your charts zone of communicationand you can expect new, exciting connections to start pouring in soon. Youre connecting with friends and family more, meeting new people, and staying pretty busy (in a fun way) for the next few weeks. Enjoy!

As Mercury exits your sign and enters Virgo, youre finding that your focus is shifting towards work. You can complete any long-term projects youve been working on forev, as long as you keep pushing yourself to achieve. And if you keep working hard, this transit suggests that a potential raise (or a fat bonus) can come your way.

Your favorite planet is in your sign, Virgo! This is a transit worth celebrating, because it makes you able to think more clearly, communicate more effectively, and get sh*t done, especially at work. Youre probs feeling a little wonky since its still Leo season, but your time of year is right around the corner. Think of this as the cosmos way of giving you an early bday gift!

Even though Mercury in Virgo sounds like a super busy transit, your sign is finding that life is starting to slow down. Mercury in Virgo (and the upcoming Virgo season) is activating your charts twelfth house, which governs isolation, loneliness, and the completion of cycles. Any people or projects that youve been investing tons of time in without any results are getting to a point where you can cut them off, for good. PS: you might get a few exes or ex-friends coming back around soonuse this transit to find closure and end things nicely.

Mercury is in spectacular condition now that its in its fav sign, and for you in particular, Scorpio, this is a great transit. Mercury is activating your charts eleventh house, the house of good spirit. It governs social circles, so expect to start spending way more time with your squad, whether it's in your group chat or from a safe distance IRL. You can also expect way more new connections to start coming your way. They're probs not dates or hookups, thoughinstead, this is a time where you can find a new friend around every corner, and give your social life a major glow up!

You want to do your thing, your way, on your own terms 100% of the timebut Mercurys journey through Virgo is pushing you to pull it together and get serious, especially about your career. Life on the job is really picking up the pace, and its all eyes on you, Sagittarius. Work hard and meet your deadlines, and this transit can bring a potential raise or bonus. But if youre lazy, then your higher-ups will def notice!

With Mercury in a fellow earth sign, youre finding that all things Mercurialcommunication, transportation, and anything related to technologyare running much more smoothly. Youre being given freedom to express yourself and work towards your goals. If youre lucky, Mercury in Virgo might bring a safe travel opportuity your way!

Your charts eighth house, which governs intimacy, is being activated. You and your S.O. are getting way, way closer, both physically and emotionally, and sex is becoming a much more sensual, erotic experience. Since Mercury governs communication, why not throw a little dirty talk in the next time you and bae get down and dirty? Send a few sexy pics to your boo, or try sexting! The eighth house also governs other peoples money, so you can expect a letter or email to come your way regarding some sort of inheritance...or outstanding debt. Eek!

Now that Mercury is in your opposite sign, youre becoming less focused on yourself and paying more attention to others in your life. Relationships are a big theme of Mercury in Virgo for your sign, Pisces. This transit, plus the upcoming Virgo season, can mark a time where you can upgrade an existing relationship, start a new romance with someone youre super into, get super close to your BFF, or even squash beef with someone youre on less-than-great terms with!

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Mercury in Virgo's Productive Vibes Are Turning You Into the Employee of the Century - Yahoo Lifestyle

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Restrictions introduced on sales of laxatives to counter risks from overuse – NursingNotes

Posted: August 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

The MHRA has warned that stimulant laxatives do not help with weight loss.

People who take stimulant laxatives for constipation are being advised that these will now be sold in smaller packs, with on-pack warnings.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has taken action to reduce abuse and overuse of these products; Additional label warnings make clear that stimulant laxatives do not help with weight loss.

The new guidelines have been introduced following a review into the safety of these medicines, by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), prompted by concerns regarding the overuse and misuse of stimulant laxatives by patients with eating disorders, overuse in the elderly and use in children without medical supervision.

The new guidelines restrict the use of stimulant laxatives such as senna, sodium picosulfate, and bisacodylsold in retail outlets to patients over the age of 18.

Pharmacists will have more flexibility but will recommend those requiring regular use or those younger than 12 years old to see their GP.

MHRA advises that the long overuse of stimulant laxatives can result in damage to the digestive system, including chronic constipation and damage to the nerves and muscles of the colon.

Dr Sarah Branch, Director of MHRAs Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division, said: Stimulant laxatives can provide short-term relief to some people with occasional constipation, and most people use these medicines safely. However, there is evidence of misuse by people with eating disorders, and of long-term use by the elderly, as well as inappropriate use in children.

Patient safety is our highest priority. We believe these new measures are necessary to address the risks associated with misuse, while continuing to allow safe and appropriate access to these medicines without prescription to treat short-term constipation.

Rebecca Willgress, Beat Eating Disorders Charity Head of Communications, added: Laxatives can prove attractive for people affected by eating disorders, but also have the potential to cause serious health problems. Our own 2014 survey on sufferers who abused laxatives found that nearly all had bought laxatives over the counter, and 66.7% said they had developed a dependency on them.

We hope that these new regulations will make it more difficult for people who are unwell to obtain laxatives, as well as help to educate the wider public on the dangers of abusing them.

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Restrictions introduced on sales of laxatives to counter risks from overuse - NursingNotes

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Super slimmer lost 9 stone so she could skydive in memory of nan – Clacton and Frinton Gazette

Posted: August 18, 2020 at 11:59 am

A DETERMINED granddaughter who has battled weight issues her entire life is hoping to lose nearly nine stone so she can do a skydive in memory of her beloved grandmother.

Kayleigh Cross, from Holland-on-Sea, was diagnosed with having polycystic ovaries at the age of 15, before being told she had an underactive thyroid ten years later.

As a result, the 31-year-old has always struggled to shift the pounds, and when she has, be it through dieting or slimming clubs, the weight has quickly piled back on.

Back in March, however, 21-stone Kayleigh decided to have gastric bypass surgery, and since then she has already shed a staggering 98 pounds.

As well as embarking on the weight loss for her own health benefits, Kayleigh is also doing it so she can do a skydive to honour her grandmother, Hilda Cross, who died in 2017.

The 93-year-old suffered with Alzheimers, so Kayleigh wants to use the daring jump to raise money for the Alzheimers Society.

But she first needs to hit the 13 stone mark in order to be legally allowed to do the skydive, which is now booked to take place next month.

The surgery has completely changed my life and I have a whole new mindset now, said Kayleigh.

I feel amazing for losing the weight and the amount my confidence has grown in this short time is really great too.

But I still have about one stone and nine pounds to lose to be able to jump, so I am doing a lot of exercise and bike rides to lose the extra weight.

I feel like this will be as close I will get to waving up to my nan, which I am thrilled about, and I am nervous and excited, but it will be amazing if I can do it in September.

Kayleighs initial aim was to raise just 250 for the Alzheimers Society, but her target has already been smashed by more than 100, and it continues to increase each day.

She now hopes her nerve-wracking venture through the sky will generate further awareness of what patients and their loved ones go through when fighting the devastating disease.

This charity is so important to me because I have worked as a carer with people who have Alzheimers, she added.

And obviously watching my nan live with it was not nice and there is a feeling that you grieve for them twice.

You grieve for the memory of how they used to be before the diagnosis, until the end, when you actually grieve when you lose them.

There is this torment of watching someone you love so dearly fade away before you.

To sponsor Kayleighs skydive, visit tinyurl.com/y4ozdy4g.

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