Tag: BMI

  • Zerodha Starts ‘BMI Challenge’ Encouraging Employees To Lead A Healthy Lifestyle, Draws Flak

    Zerodha Starts ‘BMI Challenge’ Encouraging Employees To Lead A Healthy Lifestyle, Draws Flak

    A stockbroker platform called ‘Zerodha’ found alone surrounded by controversies, thanks to a modern initiative. To persuade balanced living among its staff members, it begun a ‘BMI Challenge’ wherever it will give a salary bonus to those whose Entire body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated lesser than 25. Not only them, a particular person who witnesses a substantial change in normal BMI will be rewarded for their efforts.

    Zerodha’s CEO, Nithin Kamath, shared his system on Twitter by laying down the vital information. Nonetheless, what started out out as a noble initiative has turned out to be a nightmare as a number of netizens criticised him for pressurising their personnel to glimpse a specific way and excess fat-shaming them by holding this sort of difficulties.

    What Is ‘BMI Challenge’?

    The ‘fun’ overall health initiative was released on the occasion of Planet Health Day on April 7. “We are operating a enjoyment overall health system at Zerodha. Any one on our group with BMI< 25 gets half a month's salary as a bonus. The average BMI of our team is 25.3 and if we can get to <24 by August, everyone gets another half month as a bonus. It would be fun to compete with other companies," Kamath tweeted about the challenge.

    For those who are unaware, the Body Mass Index is calculated with the help of a person’s height and weight. It helps to determine whether a person is underweight, overweight or obese. The average BMI range is between 18.5 and 24.9. If a person falls under 18.5, he or she will be considered underweight. However, if the BMI falls between 25.0 and 29.9, it will be considered overweight.

    In light of this, Kamath shared a disclaimer as well. He adds, “I know BMI is not the best measure to track health and fitness, but it is the easiest way to get started. With health and most other things in life, the most important bit is to get started.”

    Noble Incentive Gone Wrong

    Kamath’s initiative aims at encouraging employees to stay fit. With the added monetary incentive, the challenge is lucrative in nature. However, since its inception, the BMI challenge has received flak on the internet.

    Under Nithin Kamath’s tweet, netizens slammed him for fat-shaming people and pining unrealistic body image expectations on them. One user said, “Hey Nithin! I really appreciate the effort of incentivising and gamifying health for employees. But the same blanket goal for everyone can be a problematic strategy since it, at a lowest risk level, can make people associate their worth with weight or size.”

    Issues relating to body image play a detrimental role in our mental health. It is equated with our self-worth and the dislike towards it can demoralise us immensely. Also, this can lead to eating disorders.

    “This is serious discrimination and body shaming. There is nothing ‘fun’ about your program. Why should my pay or a bonus be linked to my body type? The only thing relevant is my work,” another user chimed in.

    ‘Sitting Is The New Smoking’

    Despite the backlash, Nithin Kamath stands strong with the challenge. “We have experimented with a bunch of ideas since COVID & WFH to help the team think about their health. Sitting is the new smoking, & the idea has been to nudge everyone to move,” he added in a tweet.

    While many pledged their support to the programme, many people still criticised Kamath for not seeing the bigger picture. Started as a positive initiative, connecting an employee’s body image with their performance at the office can be uncalled for, especially when it has an impact on one’s self-worth and identity.

    Also Read: US Woman Who Was Trolled As ‘Too Ugly’ Posts Selfie Every Day For One Year, Wins Hearts

  • Stroke: Reduce risk by not smoking, moderate intake of alcohol, healthy BMI, exercise

    Stroke: Reduce risk by not smoking, moderate intake of alcohol, healthy BMI, exercise

    The Stroke Association warns that the catastrophic celebration takes place each 5 minutes in the British isles, but the faster a person gets treatment method for a stroke, the significantly less destruction is probably to occur. If you suspect you or another person else is owning a stroke, mobile phone 999 instantly and question for an ambulance.

    Investigate posted in the BMJ says that “lifestyle is a lot extra crucial than most physicians suppose”.

    It notes that in the USlHealth Gurus examine and the Nurses’ Wellness Research, weak lifestyle options accounted for a lot more than 50 percent of strokes.

    It reads: “Participants who realized all five nutritious life-style choices—not using tobacco, reasonable intake of alcohol, a physique mass index <25, daily exercise for 30 min and a healthy diet score in the top 40 percent, had an 80 percent reduction of stroke compared with participants who achieved none.”

    It adds that in a study in Swedish women, all five choices reduced the risk of stroke by 60 percent.

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    The Mayo Clinic says that “knowing your stroke risk factors, following your doctor’s recommendations and adopting a healthy lifestyle” are the best steps you can take to prevent a stroke.

    The health site adds that if you’ve had a stroke or a transient ischemic attack, there are measures which might help prevent another stroke.

    “The follow-up care you receive in the hospital and afterward also may play a role,” it notes.

    In general, healthy lifestyle recommendations include controlling high blood pressure, and healthy lifestyle changes and medications are often used to treat high blood pressure.

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    The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says anxiety, depression, and high stress levels are all risk factors.

    It adds: “Working long hours and not having much contact with friends, family, or others outside the home are also linked with higher risk of stroke.”

    There are also a number of risk factors, including unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as eating unhealthy foods, not getting regular physical activity, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs such as cocaine.

    The signs and symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person, but usually begin suddenly.

    The main stroke symptoms include changes to the face. Your face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped.

    Signs may also occur on the arms – “the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm”, says the NHS.

    Their speech may be slurred or garbled, “or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake” and “they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them”, adds the health body.

    Call 999 immediately if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.

    The NHS states: “As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend on the part of your brain affected and the extent of the damage.”

    The health body adds: “If you have been diagnosed with a condition known to increase your risk of stroke, ensuring the condition is well controlled is also important for helping prevent strokes.”

    It notes: “Even if the symptoms disappear while you’re waiting for the ambulance to arrive, an assessment in a hospital should still be done.

    “You should be referred to see a specialist within 24 hours of the start of your symptoms.”