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Do your muscles tend to hurt after exercise?

Mild to moderate muscular pain is to be expected after a bout of any exercise or sport. However, here are a few pointers to help you differentiate and act accordingly.

The advice given below is for people with no medical problems and for those who work out for general fitness.

DOMS:
Any strenuous activity can cause mild to moderate discomfort also known as 'micro tears' in our soft tissues. Known as DOMS (delayed onset of muscular soreness), it is usually localised to the body part that has been worked on like shoulders, chest, biceps and so on, and fades away in 24 to 48 hours. Ice the area to dull the pain and avoid long-term injuries. If the pain doesn't subside within 72 hours, it's advisable to consult a doc. Rest and recovery (say weight training every alternate day) are crucial before you can load the same muscles again. Remember to stretch adequately to avoid soreness.

Too Much Too Soon:
We sometimes tend to push ourselves to reach a specific goal. This could be lifting too much weight or running a few extra kilometres, leading to extreme pain. Remember, progression should always be gradual and not sudden.

Wrong Moves:
Focus on your posture while executing a move. Wrong posture can result in chronic pain in the joints. Soreness after strength training also occurs due to lactic acid build-up. So the pain sometimes lingers on until the concentration of lactic acid in your muscles tends to lower. Exercise moderately and minimise pain with proper warm-up and cool down sessions when you exercise.

Maintain Your Diet:
Cramps could be another cause for the pain you feel. Check with a nutritionist to rule out any deficiencies. Load up on proteins, vitamins and minerals while maintaining an active lifestyle. Remember to hydrate well before, during and post-workout.

Finally, learn to listen to your body and stop before you collapse or do your body any permanent damage.

Lonely in the connected world?

Shweta Mathur has 700 'friends' on a popular social networking site. Yet, when she sat in a psychologist's office after her parents' suspected suicidal tendencies, she said she didn't have a "real friend".

In an increasingly connected world, the boundary between the real and the virtual is blurring. Mental health experts say this is a key reason for rising cases of depression among youngsters, driving some to suicide.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 135,445 people committed suicide in India in 2012- an average of about 15 suicides an hour. A large number of the suicides were in the 15-29 age group.

"Adolescent suicides have quadrupled in the last two decades. In 90 percent of the cases, the person was suffering from an undetected and unidentified psychiatric disorder," said Samir Parikh, director of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences at Fortis Hospital.

He added that in most cases, the underlying depression takes root for months before an event, like a failed love affair or bad academic result, becomes the final breaking point.

Changes in the social structure and lack of interpersonal touch are some of the main factors that contribute to increasing vulnerability of the young.

"We have moved away from joint family to nuclear family, and now to the micro-nuclear structure where young people stay alone. This means that the support system when a child is growing, of having someone to share his feelings with even if both parents are not there, is now missing," said Sayar Ansari, psychologist at the Columbia Asia Hospital.

"Field sports which was given a lot of emphasis earlier and encouraged interpersonal contact is also increasingly being replaced by virtual gaming. All of this leaves a void."

Mental health expert Sameer Malhotra of Max Hospital goes on to say that while social networking is not a villain, and that it's "good to be connected", it's important to recognise that there are flip sides to it as well.

"Social networking can be exploited because it's a public platform which one can misuse and use foul language to display emotions. There have been cases of vulnerable people being victims of group bullying.

"Plus, too much of anything is bad. Staying up late to 'connect' with friends virtually and losing on your sleep can cause neurochemical changes, and this along with lack of interpersonal contact with family, no clear goals and high competition levels can all lead to emotional turmoil," Malhotra added.

Added Deepak Raheja, psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Paras Hospital: "Kids, especially in the urban set up, are raised with all the luxuries and hardly face any difficulties. So when they grow up and face failure, sometimes they cannot cope with it and withdraw. Then again, unlike earlier times when choices were limited, now there is plenty of choice (careerwise) but youngsters don't pursue one goal for too long and give up, sinking into gloom."

There is no simple solution to such problems, experts say, but a beginning must be at home, with good parenting.

"Parents need to spend ample time with their children, talk to them and encourage interpersonal communication with others. They also need to tell them that success is important but failure is not the end of everything," Ansari said.

"It's also important to tell adolescents to always look at the big picture and think beyond material acquisition," Raheja added. "The ability to detach and maintain a good work-life balance is very important."

Pea Salad

Recipe overview

Cuisine: World and Continental
Meal Type: Veg
Preparation Time: 15 - 30 min
Meal: For 2 - 4
Calorie Type: Low
Calories: Low

Ingredients

1. 4 cups peas 2. 1/4 cup sliced radishes 3. 2 Tbsp fresh chives or basil 4. 2 Tbsp shaved Parmesan		5. 1.05 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 6. 1.05 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 7. Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Cook 4 cups frozen or fresh peas in salted boiling water in medium saucepan until tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Drain in colander and immediately rinse with cold water until cool.
2. Toss peas with 1/4 cup sliced radishes, 2 Tbsp fresh chives or basil, 2 Tbsp shaved Parmesan, and 1.05 Tbsp each fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Feel good to look good

External care is important to look beautiful, but pay attention to internal well-being too, says an expert.

beauty and makeup expert says it's cliche but the most important thing to look good is to feel good.

"If your mind is clear and there is no stress, it will show externally too. Yoga and regular exercise can help in beating stress and improve blood circulation which in turn gives glowing skin," said Taluja.

She also suggests one should avoid junk food and indulge in healthy eating habit as it contributes to one's appearance.

"Healthy food items like fruits, salads, proteins, fish and vegetables do wonders on your body externally as well as internally. So, it's a good idea to totally avoid junk and fried food as these boost your taste buds, but also add calories," said Taluja.

She believes keeping skin hydrated by drinking water is equally important.

While healthy diet and exercises can't be ignored, she advises to use good quality products.

As far as skin care is concerned, in addition to cleansing, toning and moisturising, she emphasises on the significance of exfoliation.

"It's also very good to exfoliate once or twice a week as it helps remove impurities from the skin. Once you exfoliate and remove the blackheads and whiteheads, it's very important to apply a cold pack on the skin which will help close all the open pores on the skin,

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Are you dating a sociopath?

Is your boyfriend or girlfriend acting like a sociopath? Well not to scare you, but he or she might actually be one.

The Huffington Post has gathered some tell tale signs that could indicate if you should probably end the relationship as soon as possible.

Sociopath's have an oversized ego, lie on a regular basis, while exhibiting manipulative behavior.

Another red flag for your relationship could be that your partner shows a lack of empathy, remorse or shame and stays eerily calm in scary or dangerous situations.

Behaving irresponsibly or with extreme impulsivity and having just a few friends can be some other traits in sociopaths.

Other things that you should keep in mind while determining if you are dating a sociopath are that such people can be very charming, but only superficially, they disregard societal norms, and have no problem with maintaining uninterrupted "intense" eye contact.