HEALTH & FITNESS

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By Mary Bohan

MOTIONAL ABUSE

Nothing is more destructive to self-confidence and self-esteem to a person than being in an emotionally abusive relationship.

Unlike physical violence, emotional violence is more insidious and elusive. In some cases, neither the offender nor the victim are fully aware that this is already happening. In fact, emotional violence can occur in any relationship - between a parent and a child, between friends, relatives, colleagues...

So, what is emotional abuse? It includes regular “verbal crime,” threatening, hooligan delinquents’ behavior and constant criticism.

Emotional violence is used to control and subjugate another person. Quite often this happens because the offender, after having experienced some wounds and injuries in his childhood, abuses it himself, inflicting injuries of exactly the very same kind to the partner. Victims of violence often do not perceive mistreatment as offensive. They develop protective mechanisms, such as denial and minimizing suffering, to cope with the stress easily. But the effects of long-term emotional abuse may cause severe emotional trauma to the victim, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Here are some signs of emotional violence that abusers use in relationships:

1. They humiliate you, often in public. 2. They regularly ignore your opinions, ideas, suggestions or needs. 3. They use sarcasm or teasing to degrade you or make you think badly of yourself. 4. They accuse you of being “too sensitive” to distract you from their offensive remarks 5. They try to control you and treat you like a child. 6. They are trying to correct your behavior or hold you reproached for it. 7. You feel that you need being permitted to make some decisions or, for example, to get a permission to just go out somewhere. 8. They try to control finances and the way you spend your money. 9. They humiliate and devalue you, as well as your achievements, your hopes and dreams. 10. They’re trying to make you feel like they’re always right and you’re not. 11. They give you disapproving or contemptuous views or condemn you with the help of body language. 12. They regularly point to your mistakes or flaws. 13. They accuse you of things which have never happened, or these accusations are untrue. 14. They do not know how to laugh at themselves and cannot tolerate when others laugh at them. 15. They are intolerant of any seeming lack of respect. 16. Justifying their behavior, they try to blame others, and experience difficulties with apologizing. 17. Regularly violate your borders and ignore your requests. 18. They accuse you of their own problems, troubles or misfortunes. 19. They call you unpleasant names, put on unpleasant labels, or make harsh remarks. 20. They are emotionally distant, cold, or emotionally inaccessible most of the time. 21. They draw distorted conclusions about what they see in order to attract attention or achieve what they want. 22. They do not show you sympathy or compassion. 23. They play sacrifice and try to blame you instead of taking personal responsibility. 24. They leave, neglect you, or leave you to punish or intimidate you. 25. They do not notice or care for your feelings. 26. They see you as a continuation of themselves, not as a person. 27. They use sex as a means for managing and control. For example, they reduce the number of contacts to a minimum. 28. They tell personal information about you to others. 29. They deny their emotionally abusive behavior. 30. They subtly, do not directly threaten you or make negative remarks in order to intimidate or control you. Who is at risk? Who becomes the target for emotional detente?

- People with weak and permeable personal boundaries. Such people do not fully realize what they themselves want, so they easily neglect their needs to please the desires of others, do not know how to say no, and are easily manipulated.

- People using such protective mechanisms of the psyche as denial and displacement, simply “swallow” emotional aggression to their address, do not let their negative experiences into the realm of awareness, habitually they are supplanted, depriving themselves of such kind of data as emotions, the possibility of making decisions based on their emotions.

- People-alexithymics: they hardly understand and describe their emotional states, easily become infected with other people’s emotions, for example, fear, which makes them vulnerable to manipulation and use.

The victim of domestic violence does not appear at once, the rapist sneaks up to it carefully. A person gets used to violence and can realize what is happening only when the pressure on his psyche can no longer be overlooked.

Only by realizing that he was a victim of psychological manipulation can a person think about the prospects of such a not healthy relationship. You need to ask yourself a few questions:

Do I enjoy such a relationship? Am I safe next to such a person? Is this relationship good for me? Am I able to end this relationship at any time and at will?

By honestly answering these questions, a person can decide to change herself and her fate.

Do not forget, life is given only once, and everyone has the right on happiness, and respectful treatment.

By Carla Pregigueiro

THE EASY WAY TO START GETTING FIT

CARLA PREGIGUEIRO OFFERS SOME GREAT TIPS TO CREATE HEALTHY HABITS AND STAY ACTIVE.

Many months, or even years may have passed since you were last active or even tried exercising, but any time is a good time to start (there is no time or age limit), indeed, the time is now! Today’s article is going to look at simple and straightforward ways to create healthy habits, to stay active, to exercise and even to practice some sports, as well as offering some great tips. The most important thing is to keep going, not to just start and give up halfway through.

The first barrier that we have to face is our sedentary lifestyles. The high proportion of the population that is sedentary in the Middle East’s biggest cities, including Qatar is an issue. While I don’t want to treat this lifestyle as a disease, it is perhaps necessary. As a direct result of this sedentary lifestyle many other health problems develop such as obesity, diabetes, and lack of vitamin D, to name but a few. These are the most pressing reasons for Qatar’s population to consider the importance of exercise in their lives.

Remember that by not staying active people are simply ignoring the numerous benefits of physical activity. However, there is one positive: it is never too late to start. No matter what age you are, you will always be able to take advantage of the benefits that exercise brings. The most important thing is to turn your back on your sedentary lifestyle.

Having spoken to clients, friends, and people in general about physical exercise they imagine five hours a day training in the sports center or gym. So the first excuse is that they don’t do physical exercise as they don’t have time and lack motivation.

So, let’s work on that:

You don’t have the time or the motivation to do exercise?

How much time do I need?

The World Health Organization recommends dedicating at least 150 minutes to the practice of aerobic physical activity per week; therefore, you only need to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, five days a week. But to reap the most rewards, strength training twice a week is recommended. Bottom line, you only need 45 minutes of physical exercise (divided between cardio and strength work) a day, four to five days a week.

What are the benefits?

Physical activity reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity—a very high percentage of Qatar’s population suffers from these health problems. Exercise also helps to improve bone health, helps to maintain a healthy weight (meaning a person looks and feels better) and even improves mental health by helping to fight stress, as well as improving sleep quality, and enabling better relaxation. All these benefits are gained simply by not being sedentary. If you perform physical exercise, you will help develop muscles and increase your strength, improving your basic physical condition. So if you want to prevent numerous chronic diseases and improve many other aspects of your well-being what are you waiting for?

Obviously starting to do sport or resume it after a long period of inactivity must be accompanied by a basic guide and some precautions so the body has a chance to adapt gradually. This will help with getting into the best possible physical shape. What’s more, it should reduce the chance of giving up later.

So, what’s an easy way to start incorporating exercise into your life?

1 Returning to training or starting a sporting activity after a long time should be a slow and steady transition, allowing your body to readjust progressively. You have to enjoy yourself while doing it and you have to want to do it.

2 As well as having a varied and balanced nutritional plan (diet), it is essential to exercise at least three times a week for 45 minutes. (The physical condition of each person should be taken into consideration for physical activities.)

3 Ask a good professional to carry out a physical exam and health check so that specialists can advise based on specific needs, and then plan and supervise training with the goal of obtaining the maximum benefit from physical activity.

Talk to a coach, talk to a doctor, a physical therapist—whichever is necessary in your own circumstances.

4 It is essential to do a good warm-up, to get the body ready when doing physical exercise with the aim of gradually increasing the heart rate.

5 It is advisable that during the first weeks of training a good training plan is followed, involving as many muscle groups as possible in order to activate the body and adapt it to physical exercise.

These basic tips are a guide to kick-start getting active, leading to a healthier lifestyle, by implementing them you will enjoy all the benefits that physical exercise brings!

6 The training should start in a smooth and controlled way, doing exercises gradually, without straining the body too much.

7 If doing both aerobic exercises and strength training exercises, such as walking, jogging, running, swimming, fitness classes, lifting weights etc., start each activity slowly, and gradually increase the intensity of each activity to allow the cardiovascular and muscular systems time to adapt.

8 At the end of each workout, it is important to perform a series of controlled stretches for about five to ten minutes so that the muscles recover from the effort. During training, it is important to respect work and rest times so that exercise does not negatively affect your body, or your muscles—carrying out effective workouts that help you improve.

9 It is essential to follow a balanced diet that contains all the basic foods to provide your body with the nutrients it needs, prioritizing the consumption of fruits and vegetables as the main source of carbohydrates and avoiding very fatty and high- calorie foods, such as fried or battered food, or fatty meats. 10 At the beginning of physical exercise you will lose more water than usual (due to sweat). Stay well hydrated by increasing your daily water intake.

These basic tips are a guide to kick-start getting active, leading to a healthier lifestyle, by implementing them you will enjoy all the benefits that physical exercise brings!

One more very important point, being active is not just going to the gym every day and doing 45 minutes of exercise, being active is moving from the moment you get up until you go to bed (climb stairs, walk, go to work by bike, carry the shopping home etc.) The two are complementary; you must be active generally in your daily life and exercise at the same time.

The country is changing and there are more and more places where we can be active, such as parks and sidewalks, where we can walk or cycle. There are also more options in terms of types of training—sports centers, gyms, collective activities, sporting events and so on. I think that in Qatar there is no shortage of options. We have to seize the opportunity, and that opportunity is NOW!!!

BOOST YOUR BRAIN POWER WITH HEALTHY FATS

by Noura Al Thani

The brain is an energy-intensive organ, using around 20 percent of the body’s calories, so it needs plenty of good fuel to maintain concentration throughout the day.

What happens when a brain is fed poorly? Well, it functions poorly!

The diet of ancient humans is arguably a good model for what an appropriate nutritional paradigm might be for us today, since it is, after all, the diet that many millennia of natural selection molded the human brain and metabolic machinery to thrive upon. Paleolithic research suggests that the diet of early humans contained about equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fats, a ratio of 1:1 or at most 2:1. Today’s fear of saturated fat and cholesterol, and the heavy reliance on so-called “heart-healthy” vegetable oils—soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, and other seed oils—has crowded out more beneficial fats and oils we once regularly consumed in fatty fish, eggs, dairy, organ meats, etc. This shift has tipped that natural omega balance to something on the order of 17:1 or more, and the consequences may have an impact on a panoply of disorders, including depression, ADHD, cognitive dysfunction, major affective disorders, and dementia.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FATS

Because our brains are very fatty and need fat in order to function well, it is important to understand what type of fats are conducive to brain health and which fats are bad for our brains.

Avocados, nuts, and seeds contain good unsaturated fats. Some unsalted nuts, such as peanuts, cashews, pecans, and almonds, also contain good or healthy fats.

The fat you want to avoid in large amounts is saturated fat such as butter, fatty meat, whole-fat dairy products, and coconut oil. We need some, but most Americans eat too much.

The worst fats are partially hydrogenated fats like trans fats, which are still found in some foods. Also, try to avoid mono- and di-glycerides. These fats have replaced trans fats in commercial cake mixes, frostings, and other foods. It’s also good to avoid any food that’s deep fried, because these fats oxidize over time and may damage our cells.

Here are some examples of foods that boost your brain health:

1. Fatty Fish

Omega-3s are found in high quantities in fatty fish. About 60 percent of your brain is made of fat, and half of that fat is the omega-3 kind. Your brain uses omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells, and these fats are essential for learning and memory.

Omega-3s also have a couple of additional benefits for your brain. For one thing, they may slow age-related mental decline and help ward off Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds contain powerful antioxidants that protect the body and brain from free radical damage. They’re also an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, copper, and iron. (32).

Each of these nutrients is important for brain health:

• Zinc: This element is crucial for nerve signaling. Zinc deficiency has been linked to many neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and

Parkinson’s disease.

• Magnesium: Magnesium is essential for learning and memory. Low magnesium levels are linked to many neurological diseases, including migraines, depression, and epilepsy.

• Copper: Your brain uses copper to help control nerve signals. And when copper levels are out of whack, there’s a higher risk of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.

• Iron: Iron deficiency is often characterized by brain fog and impaired brain function.

3. Walnuts

Walnuts are the top nut for brain health. They have a significantly high concentration of DHA, a type of Omega-3 fatty acid. Among other things, DHA has been shown to protect brain health in newborns, improve cognitive performance in adults, and prevent or ameliorate age-related cognitive decline. One study even shows that mothers who get enough DHA have smarter kids. Just a quarter cup of walnuts provides nearly 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of DHA.

4. Almonds and Hazelnuts

Almonds and Hazelnuts are two of the most concentrated sources of vitamin E available, and vitamin E intake is generally associated with less age-related cognitive decline. In one study, participants who received vitamin E improved statistically and clinically in some memory and verbal measures, while participants who received a placebo did not. A quarter cup of almonds or hazelnuts packs in nearly 50 percent of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for vitamin E.

5. Peanuts

Peanuts have not been extensively studied as a brain-healthy food, but there is good reason to believe that they offer brain benefits. Peanuts are high in niacin (a half cup of peanuts offers about 50 percent of the RDA for niacin). Studies have correlated niacin deficiencies with a higher incidence of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. There has also been preliminary research that suggests that eating peanuts may help stave off Parkinson’s.