‘CARBS are bad’; ‘Not all carbs are bad’
‘Intermittent fasting could lower risk of Alzheimer’s’; ‘Intermittent fasting is not for everyone’
That’s not news you can use; it’s news that will confuse. In the post-truth age, there is no black or white; it’s all grey. So, how do you swipe right on fact amid the doomscrolling?
Rajiv Ambat, CEO and founder of health tech startup NuvoVivo Center for Obesity, Lifestyle Disorders and Research, decided to tackle the (mis)information overload in his book―The Midriff Crisis: A Sustainable & Scientific ‘Medical Fitness’ Approach to ‘Reverse Your Age’. His own fitness journey began when he was at one of his lowest points in life―his edtech startup had failed and he had slipped into depression. He started working out, and at the same time, the bookworm in him also took to reading up on nutrition science, human anatomy and more. The Midriff Crisis brings in his experience and research together to scientifically explain the concept of medical fitness and what it entails. One would expect it to be full of jargon, but Ambat has tried to keep it simple.
The book begins by dissecting oft-used terms like health, fitness and wellbeing. It may seem like one and the same thing, but as Ambat explains they are connected, not similar or interchangeable. What makes this book relevant is the variety of issues it deals with, and in detail―from our obsession with calorie counts and weight loss to fad diets and clean eating. It also has sections dedicated to women’s health, children, Covid-19 and even cooking oil. It also busts a few myths like women should not lift weights and that green tea helps with weight loss. “The only way green tea can help you lose weight is perhaps if you climb the hill to pick up the leaves by yourself,” he writes.
But, as the author writes, the book does not offer solutions to all your lifestyle problems. There are no shortcuts or quick-fixes here. What it does give is direction to figure out what suits your health and fitness journey.
THE MIDRIFF CRISIS: A Sustainable & Scientific ‘Medical Fitness’ Approach to ‘Reverse Your Age’
Author: Rajiv Ambat
Publisher: Notion Press
Pages: 315
Price: 1450