Nutrition And Wellness

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NITI’s COMPREHENSIVE MIND AND BODY WELLNESS PROGRAM

Benefits of Exercise and Nutrition Counseling

Exercise and nutrition are the two crucial components of life which helps to maintain the mind and body’s well-being. We often go through our day by habit (auto-pilot), not paying attention to what we eat, drink and how much we move and exercise. Food and movement are the key components to achieve a healthy life. At NITI we help you to make set personal goals to achieve mind and body fitness. We help you through your journey and assist you to make small, incremental changes that add up. The key is to know where to start.

There are several conditions which may benefit from exercise and nutritional counseling. Some of the conditions which can benefit from this Holistic approach addressing mind and body are:

  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Gastrointestinal disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac sprue)
  • Hypertension
  • Hypercholesterolemia
  • Hypertriglyceridemia
  • Obesity (adult and pediatric)
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders

Brain Gut Connection

The brain is connected to the stomach and intestines. This connection goes both ways (brain – gut connection). Gut is considered as the second brain. Our troubled intestine often sends signals to the brain, just as our troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, when a person experiences distressing situations (stress, anxiety or depression) the brain influences the stomach or intestinal functions that in turn exacerbates the feelings of distress.

This is because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected. Our day-to-day struggles and psychosocial factors influence the actual physiology of the gut, as well as symptoms. Stress, depression, anxiety or other psychological factors can influence the movement and contractions of the GI system.

Given this strong brain-gut connection, NITI’s mind-body tools such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, Biofeedback, HRV, and counseling strategies have all shown to help improve GI symptoms, improve mood, and decrease anxiety. These strategies assist in reducing the body’s stress response by dampening the sympathetic nervous system, enhancing the parasympathetic response, and decreasing inflammation. Conditions addressed:

  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic pain
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Insomnia
  • Stress

OBESITY

NITI assists clients who are battling obesity, eating disorders and behaviors to positively impact nutrition, physical activity, stress, and weight management. We help and motivate clients improve their behaviors, provide strategies and tools to achieve and promote physical wellbeing. Physical activity and exercise are essential healthy habits that strengthens muscles, promotes flexibility, improves cardiovascular fitness, boosts immune system, and promotes mental clarity.

Obesity can result in serious medical complications and impairs the quality of life in many people across the globe. In older individuals, obesity can exacerbate the age-related decline in physical function and leads to weakness and frailty. Exercise and nutritional counseling clearly are foundational when it comes to combating obesity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that this change can be dramatic for those patients who participate in regular exercise and nutritional therapy. Physical activity has been shown to help prevent chronic disease and improve overall quality of life.

Effects on Mental Health

When you have depression or anxiety, exercise often seems like the last thing you would want to do. But once you get motivated, regular exercising can make a big difference. Research on depression, anxiety and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety. The word “exercise” may make you think of running on a treadmill, lifting weights, or doing crunches at a gym but exercise includes a wide range of activities that boost your activity level to help you feel better. The mental health benefits of exercise and physical activity may last only if one remains compliant with them and stick with it over the long term. While prescription medication may be necessary for some conditions, exercise and nutritional counseling can provide good, effective support for achieving optimum results. Exercise is a mood-booster that elevates levels of serotonin in the brain. Nutrition counseling is very important in patients with depression because the types of food you eat may have a direct impact on your mood

Benefits of Exercises for Mental Well being

Regular exercising and participating in physical activities are great ways to feel better, boost your health and have fun. Research has shown that prolonged and continuous exercising boosts your mood by stimulating your brain to increase the release of certain chemicals messengers that help increase feelings of happiness. Additionally, chemicals are released to block the messengers that tell your brain you feel pain and stress. Participating in regular aerobic exercises will release endorphins to help decrease the levels of the stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) in the body. Therefore, daily physical activity can improve sleep patterns. Exercising helps to avoid inactivity, which in turn can assist to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Most importantly physical activities and exercises, promotes many kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduce inflammation, and new activity patterns that enhances feelings of calm and well-being.