How to protect yourself in Monsoons? {Guest Post}

Monsoon season in India is something that everyone should strive to prepare for. Being prepared can help to prevent injury and emergency situations. Knowing how to prepare is critical because it will mean that you will have everything in place when the monsoons hit. The monsoon season in India is generally from June until September.

Bacteria and Viruses 

Monsoons bring with them bacteria and viruses. Pollutants and allergens are already heavy in cities like Bangalore, making people even more susceptible to things like the common cold and influenza. This season also creates kapha, so a strict healthy diet and adequate rest are critical to balancing this. The five most common diseases seen in monsoon season in India include:

• Malaria
• Cholera
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A
• Leptospirosis

The following lifestyle changes made during this season will help to keep people healthy:

• Consume colored and green vegetables
• Avoid any fish that is not fresh
• Skip eating outside
• Shower immediately after being wet
• Stay hydrated
• Bitter vegetables and seasonal fruits should be consumed
• Exercise regularly

Flooding and High Winds 

Both of these are characteristic of monsoon weather. It is important to stay out of flooded areas and get to dry land. Drowning, illness and injury are all possible when being in flooded areas. High winds can cause damage, such as falling trees and even buildings. If you must venture into flooded areas, take extreme caution. Be sure to use a boat or raft and avoid any area where the water appears to be rushing. 

Have a Disaster Supply Kit Ready to Go 

These are not that hard to put together and they will ensure that people have what they need to ride out a particularly bad storm during this season. First, you need water. Ideally, three gallons of water should be put in this kit for each person and animal that will be using it. Food is also important. You want foods that will not require cooking. Things like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and other nutritious, non-cooked foods should be put in the kit. Fruit and vegetables can go bad, so be sure to keep an eye on these and have fresh ones in the kit at all times. 

A first aid kit is important just in case someone gets injured. Antiseptics, antibacterial cream, bandages, tape, scissors, compression bandages and something to reduce fevers and pain can all be placed into a small, portable kit. Other important necessities include any medications that the people in the house take, flashlights with batteries and a battery-operated radio so that you can keep up with the latest weather updates. 

Lightning Strikes and Shock 

Getting struck by lightning is a real threat during a monsoon. Stay away from trees, poles, high land, open fields, metal objects, pools and other bodies of water and other tall objects. Staying inside in a non-flooded area is the safest place to be. Lightning, while rare, can also strike through plumbing fixtures, so avoid showers, sinks and baths during a storm. To avoid being shocked, do not use a telephone unless it is an absolute emergency.

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About the Author: Debbie Sweet researches Tripollar treatments. When she’s not doing that, she’s travelling the world.

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Image Courtesy:sweetadditions.net,idiva.com

Make Dryfruit mix at Home {Health}

Today, I want to bring out an interesting way to consume dry fruits. I am not a healthy eater and in fact, I love all the Indian fried stuff, specially the snacks!!! So, it is quite difficult to make me eat fruits and dry fruits. I like to munch on tikkis than dry fruits. That's why, my mom hit on a capital idea to induce dry fruits into my system.

What does she do?
Take equal quantities of all dry fruits and grind them into a mix. Simple!!! And, then, I have to eat a heaped tablespoon of it everyday. I can mix it with milk or oats or corn flakes or eat it alone. Anyway, it tastes damn good for me and I really ask mom to make more for me as soon as I find my stock getting depleted.

An extremely close view :D

Dry Fruits and Skin?
It has all the good oils and fatty acids which makes my skin healthy and moisturized from the inside. And, it also helps my hair to look beautiful. So, hope this post helps you to make your stubborn kids eat something healthy or even you could try it on yourself if you are like me :D

Have you done anything of the sort?

Beware of where you are eating!

Hopefully, you have seen Blood Brothers which I had posted a few days back. If you missed it, watch it here. Now, I was talking that I was having a discussion with my friend about HIV-AIDS. Durign the convo, he narrated an incident which happened almost a decade back in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

The incident went something like this. There was a panipuri guy who used to serve really good panipuris in Banjara Hills. One day he got a cut in his hand which he did not bother to cover or treat and obviously he could not stop serving panipuris coz of a cut so he continued with an open wound. And, a month later some person was detected positive for HIV. So, ultimately a trace was run on how he got the disease and it was found that the panipuri wala was the cause. That day around 80-85 people who ever had panipuri at that guy's stall were detected positive for HIV. This incident garnered a lot of media attention though I could not find any details on the net. If you do or know anything about the incident (even if I am wrong), please do share the news.

This incident whether true or not had raised a lot of questions in my mind. I am a person who loves to eat junk and all the road side crap (even if I stop you from dong so). I try to curb my junk food cravings but chat and panipuri are my loves and I can't leave them totally. Now, I donno how many of you would agree with me on this but I always found roadside items to be more tasty than the same items available at a posh restaurant. Well, that might be psychological too. But, whatever the case be, I wanted to warn everyone including myself from eating too much outside because the food can be unhygienic. Even the cutlery is enough to transmit the viruses and bacteria from one person to another.

I know that this post of mine would have an impact for at max a week. It is not easy to leave the habit of eating outside. So, I would just list down certain tips which can help you maintain a decent level of hygiene.

• Avoid using cutlery in places where you can. Going to road side stalls, sweet shops, small local restaurants and dhabas are places where you can avoid cutlery easily. 
• When the plates are put in front of you, wipe them with a tissue once on your own.
• Where you are doubtful about the quality of water, order a mineral water bottle or better yet, carry your own bottle of water. 
• Check the seal of mineral water bottle and always order bottles of cokes and other drinks. 
• Do not worry about the quality of water used in cooking coz temperature destroys many bacteria.
• Always wash your hands before you eat. Prefer to carry a small tube of hand wash or a cheap face wash will also do the job. Anti-bacterials are not as effective as soaps.
• Try to choose a hygienic place where self-service is allowed. 
• Avoid anything given in newpaper wraps (road side chats and other things).
• If you are really interested in eating them, carry your own tiffin box and ask him to put the item in your box. Newpapers have a lot of germs. 
• Similarly, do not ever put your hand in your mouth after handling cash. Cash notes change a lot of hands so always avoid handling cash before eating. 
• You can wear gloves to keep your hands clean when using public transports.

These are certain precautions which can be taken to avoid unnecessary diseases. And, I am not just talking about AIDS, Hepatitis and TB but also simple cold and coughs and other unnecessary complications.

Also Read:

Do you take care of your EARS?

Did you injure yourself?

Why not to get a laser surgery done?

Safe way of detecting Breast Cancer

How to help someone to quit smoking?

How to combat stress?

How much weight do you want to lose?

Have you watched "Blood Brothers"?

How to help someone to quit smoking?

There has been a consistent increase in the number of people addicted to smoking year by year and it is not just restricted to men but also women and teenagers. Many start as fun and become enslaved to the nicotine. And, then, it can be hell to make a person quit it. Probably, the person might start hating you for battering him regularly on his habit instead of quitting. So, there are some habits which can help a person quit smoking. Encourage your loved ones in the right way and help them leave this habit. The first rule is always to make them want to quit the habit by themselves.

Habits which can help you leave smoking

• Chewing peppermint or a menthol toffee as it makes your brain crave less for something hot.
• Chewing a mint-flavored or other bubblegum keeps the mouth busy and keeps your cravings away.
• Drink water or fruit juices very slowly at the time of cravings will make the craving go away by the time you finish the drink. A moment of weakness is enough to hook on to bad vices and a moment of strength is enough to develop new habits.
• Eating grapes is a good idea at time of cravings.
• Make sure that you do not smoke for 21 days and it will become a habit. It is said that it takes only 21 days for a habit to foster into routine so stick to your determination through thick and thin for just 3 weeks. Starting days are hardest but your will power should carry you through.
• A very useful thing which I read in one of the comments is that think about the money you poured for the smoking habit just to help the companies let you die and what you could have done with that kind of money.

Give support to your loved ones to discourage their habit

• If it is a relative who has this habit and you want him to leave it, this especially helps in intimate relations. Be honest with a person and make them understand you reasons for hating their habit. That will strike a chord somewhere inside. 
• Do not get angry with their habits and comment on them. This makes people more determined to stick to the forbidden habits.
• Explain them your worries about their health. Be reasonable and not pushy. That will yield better results.
• A psychological condition with the smokers is that they feel they would fail if they do not smoke. Understand this fear and work around it. Show them the strengths if they leave the habit. Tell them how their family would fare better without the smoke. Talk especially about small children. 
• Do not make them feel bad about their habit. Instead motivate them to work on their good ones.
• Do not force. This might sound repetitive but this is the most common of the pitfalls one can fall into because of losing temper or patience. And, the results the opposite of what was intended.
• Motivate them to seek professional advice. It easier to leave such habits while in a group of people who are undergoing same things instead of going through it alone.
• Reward the person for their efforts. A special trip or something they wanted to have since a long time, any thing special would shift the focus towards the benefits of leaving the habit.
• Do not give up or expect them to stop in just one day. It is not possible. It is a consistent effort depending on the emotional state of the person involved with smoking. Some smoke just for fun but smoke because it takes them away from their problems, many are trying to hide something behind the facade of smoking so understanding the psyche of a person is important when you want them to give up smoking. 
• Do not ever chide them for their weakness. 

Instead of ignoring the bad habits of someone you love, work with them to lose such habits. The working would take time but a step how so ever small is a step instead of not starting at all. And, this fact would apply in any kind of a situation and any kind of problem you are trying to deal with in your life. Understanding the person, their fears, their strengths and weakness would help you help them.

This article was adapted from this and this articles with my own inputs.

Detox while fasting this Navratra

Wish you all very Happy Navratras.

Navratras are touted to be the most auspicious days of the year. Many people are used to fasting for either all the nine days or tend to opt for specific days like the pair of first and last, even days, odd days and many other combinations whichever suits them. Whatever your choices be, you need to look your best on these days too. The general norm is to eat once in the evening or at night. And, the food is not the regular grains and rice but made from the flour of a fruit which is called 'Kuttu' in hindi. And, it is extremely tasty. No doubt  about it. So, since you would be sticking to a  diet which includes no junk and additives, you can as well take this time off to get a detox session for your body. You do not have to try hard to do anything. There are only two scenarios: one is if you eat only the evening food and abstain from everything in whole of the day or other is if you take fluids whole of your day.

• If you are among the category to abstain from everything until evening dinner, not only your stomach will get the much needed relief but also your liver. 
• If you are among the category who indulges in fluids all time in the day, keep on drinking appropriate amount of water and fruit juices. Keep away from heavy fruits like banana and papaya. Citrus fruits and berries are the best. Or, watermelon, pomegranate and apple juices will also do a good job. 
• If you can indulge in vegetable juices, stay away from fruit juices as they have high sugar content and may cause blood sugar spikes. Spinach juice, tomato juice, carrot juice are among the best to fill you. 
• Stay away from dry fruits as they are heavy for your body.
• Buttermilk is a great way to go about. 
• You can also drink coconut water as it is extremely healthy and filling for the body.
• Now, during your evening food, eat as much as you can. Take a lot of yogurt. Do not bother with sugar and salt. Generally, it is only 'sendha namak' which is used but some people are used to having yogurt with sugar. Avoid that. Another tip is to replace whole potatoes with baby potatoes. Baby potatoes are rich in many vitamins which the big ones miss and they are not very heavy on carbohydrates too. And, of course, they are much more tasty than their counterparts. 
• Avoid fried items like kuttu pakodas and puris. Stay with kuttu parathas made with less or no oil and sabudana khichdi which requires no oil. Use oven to make the parathas. 
• Do not forget to overfill yourself with parathas or whatever you are having because it helps curb your cravings as well as hunger. 

Following these guidelines for all days you fast will help your body to relax and throw away as many toxins as possible. And, do not become a couch potato in your fasting days. Stay reasonably active without overtiring yourself. A little activity as getting up from one chair and sitting down in another after every half hour also helps.

Another issue which I want to address is that people tend to overeat a lot during fasts which is absolutely normal and will not affect you if you eat properly. But, many restaurants and stalls are offering 'vrat ka food' these days which includes a whole range of delicacies from kuttu ka pakoda and puris to desserts acceptable during fasting. This whole menu adds up to more calories than you should eat in a day which ends up making you fat rather than helping in cleansing your body and overtaxes your system also. A home made food is always healthy and delicious so stick to it and make your fasts worthwhile.

American Corn - A Healthy Snack

We are getting so many American corns in the market these days. Why not make a good use of it and replace our unhealthy snacks with this healthy one. And, it is appetizing too. You can chew it directly, rub lemon with salt on the corn and then enjoy the taste or remove the corn and make simple salads or soups from it. You can also roast it lightly over the stove just like maize. Just remember never to over do it or the corn will get charred. All the recipes are easy to make and provide the same amount of nutrition. 

Corn is extremely good at cutting down the heart risks by around 10%. It is rich in all kind of vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber. Thus, eating corn is not only enjoyable but extremely healthy. More fiber means more weight loss. And, you can google for American Corn recipes and you will surely get a lot of them. You can also make corn parathas and include it in sandwiches along with paneer or aloo.So, next time you feel like munching on something, go ahead and bite into corn. You need not even think once about the calorie intake then. And, it also controls your cravings for junk food as it is naturally sweet. But, people with diabetes should be careful as excess corn can cause sugar spikes in the blood. The best thing is it is so cheap as compared to a pizza or even a pav bhaji as an evening snack.

Pomegranate Juice can reduce Belly Fat

So, apart from the beauty and anti-aging benefits of pomegranate, you have another reason to gulp its juice down. A fresh juice would be the best choice or eating the fruit is the only second choice. Pomegranate helps reducing high blood pressure and cuts the fat deposited around the stomach. So, it is also helpful for men with beer bellies. The fat around the bellies is held responsible for heart conditions including all cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol levels and diabetes. Thus, pomegranate juice can avoid all these conditions and its high anti-oxidant content can also reduce the risk of cancer. But, surely, do not make the mistake of only relying on pomegranate juice and cut out the exercise.

Another Exercise for Beautiful Breasts

I do not know how many of you have gone through my earlier post on exercises for firming your breasts and home remedies for making them big. But, not having beautiful and perky breasts are a big low-down for women whether they show it or not. Knowing that your body and all its parts are beautiful brings a different kind of confidence and attraction to the person. So, if you are low on your self-image, you should go through those posts. I am sure they would be of help and I can vouch that they have helped me. 

Now, I want to add another exercise which you can do make your breasts firmer and more round. Bring both your palms together and press hard in the namaste position parallel to your breasts and press them as forcefully as you can against each other. This helps in tightening the muscles within the breasts. You might feel that this would be no good. At least I thought so unless I tried it. To see the visible effect, try this sometime in the shower and you would see the immediate change in the position of breasts when you are pressing the hands. Your breasts shift upwards and become more perky and rounded.

Meditate while you walk

I am not very sure about how many of you like to exercise and sweat out. And, I'm not equally sure of the number of people who can sit through the meditations and yoga since you might find it very boring and slow. But, no one hates walking or, rather, cannot do without walking. So, I am sharing today with you all a great article which I came across which discusses a combination of walking and meditation as a form of exercise and I must say it looks really interesting and worth giving a try.

Walking is one form of exercise which can be indulged into without any expenses and waste of time. A short or a long walk early in the day literally helps you marathon through out the day and a short stroll in the evening or after dinner helps in a good sleep. Not only that, it helps you lose weight too. The article discusses how you can make walking a time to observe awareness of your own body instead of concentrating on the surroundings and the people. You can take this time to come in harmony with yourself and understand how your body moves and how you can make it even more better. So, go ahead and make walking an enjoyable and a different experience by reading this article. Do come back and share the experience and thoughts.

A trick to get rid of stress and tiredness

I am not gonna preach that you should not take stress and anything like that. I have already done my due in that field. I just wanted to share a simple tip with you all to get rid of any stress or tiredness you might feel in the course of the day. Whether you are sitting in front of your computer or engrossed in household chores you are bound to overwork and need a stretch. In that case, the best thing you can do is to massage your scalp and eyes slowly using your finger tips.

Hold your scalp with your finger tips and move the skin of the scalp in slow motion. Do not be vigorous. Be gentle and massage soothingly. Close your eyes and leave your senses free. Do not think of anything. In a matter of few minutes, you would feel blood rushing to your scalp. Continue with the massage for around 5-10 minutes. Then, start on with massaging your eyes. Use your middle finger and press on the inner edge of the eye right next to the nose bridge. Trace a line up to the outer corner of the eye going around the under eye area maintaining a firm pressure on the skin. Do this for at least 10 times and you would feel lightening sensation which is not easy to describe. But, after this session of massage, you would feel energized. Do these massage at least once in two hours.

And, the added advantages of these exercises are better hair growth and hair quality along with erasing of fine lines and wrinkles around the eye. There are other ways to get rid of stress too.

12 foods you should eat regularly

Eating nutritional food is the very need of a human body to look great, feel great and live longer happily. The article I am sharing with you today brings into notice 12 foods which should be made a part of our daily diet without any omission. The articles talks about the healing powers of these foods. The lists consists of foods ranging from fruits to veggies like cherries, guava, kiwi, beans, spinach, onions, carrots, cabbage and broccoli. Of course, some of these fruits and veggies are not easily available. So, substitute them with more quantities of available and nutritious food. Read the article here.

Health Benefits from Honey

Honey, undoubtedly, has many beauty uses. But, that is not all honey has for us. It is abundant with health benefits. For one, we all know, that consuming honey eases sore throats and cold. It also is great antiseptic for wounds and helps healing the mouth ulcers. It helps with obesity, high cholesterol and blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, nauseous feeling, vomiting and indigestion, fever, abdominal pains and helps in proper blood circulation in the body. Over and above all these benefits comes the feather in its cap. It helps reducing the cravings for smokes or cigarettes. So, all those looking out for quitting smoking, honey can be of a lot of help.

But, there is one hitch in all this. It is said that raw honey is extremely good for body but the commercial honey is a slow poison. This is because of the refinement process honey undergoes for packaging. The heat strips it of all its nutrients and rather changes its molecular structure. And, this change in the molecular structure makes it stick to the arteries and clog them instead of being absorbed by the body easily. Cooked honey is equally bad for the body due to the same reasons. So, if you are a fan of honey, hunt out for a beekeeper or check the bottles of honey in supermarkets for the specification of "raw".

Update: Read this article from TOI which states the usage of antibiotics and other impurities in Honey which are extremely harmful for us. This is indeed a sad state for India.

Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil actually Virgin?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is supposed to be the undisputed leader of oils with its abundant health qualities. But, are the brands being sold as Extra Virgin Olive Oil really that pure as they claim to be? Probably a time for reality check.

According to this article, a study done by University of California claims that most of the popular and leading brands producing Olive Oil do not meet the requirements of being purely virgin. They are said to be adulterated with low quality oils like hazelnut, safflower, soy bean and even low grade lamp oils. So, we are forced to think that the money spent on imported oils to India whose quality stands to question is really a value for money. Yes, EVOO is really good for us but are the adulterated oils really good?

Headache: Natural Remedies

Sometime back, I had talked about the cause of headaches. If you are one of the persons who faces regular headaches, then I would suggest you to go through this article which elaborates on the ayurvedic remedies for headaches.  

From my personal experiences, I would like to suggest a few things as precautions and remedies for headaches.

What causes headaches in my case?

• I face maximum of my headaches due to improper nutrition. If I miss out on my meals for a long duration, I get headaches. So, you might want to consider eating proper food to reduce headaches.
• I also get headaches on days when its cold outside and I take a head bath. Mainly, I am told by elders that it is the exposure of wet scalp to cold air which causes headaches. Even a family doctor told me so. So, consider staying inside or cover your ears and head on a cold day. It prevents entering of cold air in your body through ears. I know it sounds strange but it is true.
• Not sleeping properly is again on the list for headaches. So, take a proper deep sleep at nights.
• Stress is again a cause. Excessive pondering and brooding does cause headaches. 
• Excess watching of TV or working on PC. Take a 5 minute break in every half hour to relax yourself. Even continuous reading of books also contribute to headaches.
• And, finally, sometimes, I just develop headaches without any intervention from my side. 
• One thing of importance here is that sometimes we wake with aching heads in the morning. Well, a nice hot shower and good heavy breakfast clears your headache.

How do I deal with headaches?

• I avoid taking medicines as much as I can.
• Sometimes, taking a hot bath and eating a little food afterwards helps a lot in relieving headaches. 
• When I was a little younger, I used to pounce on Disprin even on slightest inkling of headache. So, gradually, my body developed immunity to the drug and it stopped helping me after sometime of regular usage. 
• So, I decided that instead of taking any medication, I would rely on natural remedies. Well, you might have seen herbal pain balms like Amrutanjan and Himalaya. I use Amrutanjan because it works really well for me and it is really strong. But, I apply the balm on my forehead and go to sleep in my dark bedroom. If the pain is unbearable, I consider tying a scarf or something tightly around the head for preventing throbbing. Generally, this idea works for me after a very long day. 
• And, if the pain is so bad that I can not bear and have to take a medicine, I end up taking a paracetamol. It works in an hour for me. 

But, I would advise all of you who have regular headaches to stick to home remedies instead of taking medicines. Taking excess medicines is not good for the body and our bodies do develop immunity to them after a while. Please do not forget to share your ways of getting rid of headaches.

Why is good posture important?

I have already talked about the effect of sleeping posture on our height and exercises for better posture. Now, after speaking about those things, I want to talk about why maintaining a good posture is actually important. There are definitely some obvious reasons like improving self-confidence and your appearance.

The first and foremost benefit is that you do not ever get back aches. Spinal Cord is the first thing which gets affected due to a bad posture and over the years, it loses its strength. Maintaining a good posture makes sure that you spinal cord has strength. Do not strain your spine. And, a proper posture helps in increasing your height as I have already pointed out in my earlier posts. 

Then, there comes benefits of decreased risk of injuries, proper airflow in the body and increased energy levels. Oh, and before I forget, let me point out that a poor posture enhances your body fat and flab. Also, you seem lethargic and convey vibes of sluggishness.

Now, how to improve your posture?

• Walk with your shoulders forcibly held back and head should be held parallel to the ground. This will put stress on your shoulder blades but that is fine. It will be there until you get used to it. 
• Always walk with foot facing forward instead of an outward open position. This will help prevent any knee pains in the future.
• Sit in an upright position in a high backrest chair. Make sure that you provide support to the small of your back too. Otherwise, you will end up with back problems.
• Do not let your spine remain curved at any time of the day.
• Hold your neck in a relaxed and upright position. You do not have to stretch the neck forward or high like a camel. Just be comfortable and always hold it in such a way that your face is parallel to the ground.

These are some of the ways in which you can improve your posture and look better. 

Why not to get a laser surgery done?

Eye Sight has increasingly and alarmingly become a very common ailment of the recent times thanks to the evolving technology which keeps us addicted to it. But, eye sight also depends on various other factors like your genes, reading habits and nutritional deficiencies.And, now, again thanks to technology, we have various innovative ways to avoid looking geek with huge glasses on our faces. Though, I would say some people look much better in specs than without. You just need to choose the right one for yourself. Contact lenses and Laser surgery have become much in demand these days. Both of the methods have their pros and cons.

I wanted to share with you an article which I came across. The article lists down various reasons for not getting a laser surgery done. Some of them are correct but some are just precautions. But, the most important point is the manipulation of the cornea done during the surgery. To speak in a layman language, cornea is a thin transparent covering over the black of the eyes. It increases or decreases in its thickness according to the eye sight. If you have negative vision, cornea gets thicker and viceversa. So, during the lasik surgery, the thickness of the cornea is manipulated according to the needs to restore the eye sight correctly. In this process, the cornea flap has lot of chances of getting damaged. And, moreover, there is a very high chance of getting back into the specs sooner or later after the operation. So, in case you are considering getting a lasik done, I would suggest you to go through this article and and then decide.

A request: Would welcome all your suggestions and comments whether they support or refute the article. And, in case, I have made a mistake, please feel free to guide me to the right knowledge. 

Exercises for better posture

I was talking about relation between sleeping posture and height yesterday. So, continuing on the same lines, I would also like to bring to your attention that posture is something intrinsic to the way we carry ourselves and the older we grow, we slacken our postures and cause harm to our bodies. So, today, I would share with you some exercises for better posture. Read about the exercises here. 
And, let me remind you that better posture not only makes you look more beautiful, it improves your self-confidence, helps with self-esteem issues you might have and causes your body to lose unnecessary weight and makes you look even more attractive. So, start practicing these exercises for better postures from today.

Sleeping posture decides height

It does sound strange, right!! I am not sure actually if it a verified scientific belief but I am sharing this with you because I feel it might be true to a certain extent. But, not necessarily for all. Sleeping is one of the most important activities in our life. If you know, we sleep for more than 1/3rd of our lives! I know that its a lot. So, definitely the way we sleep would have some or the other effect on our body.

There are a lot of ways people sleep and the most common way is to get curled up and sleep on the side or stomach. This might be a great way to get deep sleep but definitely not good for your height. Because, it severely restricts your spine from getting relaxed and comfortable. And, if your spine is not straight, you would look almost 2 - 3 inches shorter than your actual height. You know that when you get up in the morning, you are an inch or two taller than your normal height and when you go to bed at night, you lose those inches. This is because of the gravitational pull on your spine. Now, as to the number of inches you lose, it also depends greatly on you.

So, if you want to increase your height and look taller, the best way is to sleep flat on your back. Or, no matter how you sleep, just make sure that your spine is straight. You can tuck a pillow in between your knees if you sleep on the side or under your knees if you sleep straight to prevent exerting pressure on your spine. I have noticed that if I sleep on my back, I tuck one of my legs under the other and if I sleep on my side, I tuck my hands in between the knees. This is probably just an instinct of the body to avoid strain on the spine. Not using a pillow is also a good thing for your spine but many people are used to using a pillow so use a small pillow instead of a high one. It will give relief to your neck and avoid uncomfortable postures which you might develop while using high pillows. And, regrading the mattress, use one which is not too soft and not too hard. Rather, choose one which is a bit towards harder side instead. It is good for the health of your spine. And, believe me, you do not want to get back problems ever in your life. I am sure all people suffering from back problems will agree with me. If you never encountered one, you are lucky and strive to remain that way. And, console yourself that it sure makes you look taller too.

Ginger-Fennel Detox Drink

Detoxification diets are supposed to clean and free your body from every kind of toxins which you have been having since years. You can either hold a detox diet for a day in a month or follow it every day by doing simple changes to your routine like drinking a detox juice. More regular you are in your detox program and more you eat healthily, the cleaner your body will be. Today I would be sharing with you a detox drink made from ginger and fennel seeds. 

Ingredients: 

1 Big Ginger Root

1 tablespoon of fennel seeds

Boil them in a glass full of water. Add salt to taste or you can avoid salt too. You can improvise this drink by adding fenugreek seeds, spinach leaves juice and lemon juice. 

Drink the juice every morning to keep your system clean from the inside.

11 Reasons not to eat dairy products

Yesterday I was just browsing through the internet and looking up on certain articles on eating dairy products and their effects on health. Well, let me inform you if you do not have an idea that eating dairy products cause us to age quickly because the dairy products are acidic in nature. Avoid milk and milk products if you want to look young. But, I actually came across an article which put forth a total of eleven arguments in favor of not eating dairy products and some of them, I must say, are really compelling and made me rethink about milk, milk products and the consequences.

The main argument is the condition in which the cows and buffaloes are kept and the food they are given to eat. And, personally, I have seen some cowsheds within my city and I acquiesce with the condition. The cattle is generally fed

Milk has also been linked to osteoporosis and arthritis. And, one more thing which I want to add is the milk in the cartons and packets we get now are pasteurized and deprived of all the nutrients so you drink milk or not, it is not going to make any difference to you. You can read the entire article here.

There is something more I would like to bring to your attention. I did some research on milk and discovered that there is a growing craze of drinking raw milk these days as it is deemed to be highly beneficial for the body. For that, I just have to say that one should never drink raw milk and please never feed it to your children. There are lot of viable reasons for that. Firstly, the cows are no longer getting their feed from clean green fields as they used to when there was less pollution during the time of our grandfathers. Secondly, the food they are fed might have bacteria which is not good for our bodies so you really need to kill that bacteria. And, finally, you do not know about the hygienic conditions in which the cows are milked. Thus, boiling raw milk is the best way to consume milk and if you use the milk cartons available in the markets, you can drink straight from the carton as that milk is already pasteurized and does not need to be boiled. Drink a glass of boiled milk everyday to stay healthy.