Laugh

There is a saying that Humans are the only species who can laugh. It is like a gift for humans. When ever you laugh, you feel better. Even though it seems like laughing is part of heart and soul, it actually improves your health by so many means. Following are some of them.

• Laughing reduces stress by scaling down the hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone.
• Also, laughing increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Thus increases immune system.
• Laughing boosts the number of antibody-producing cells and as a result, effectiveness of T cells increases.
• Laughing is very good work out for belly and also shoulders. Laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs, resulting muscles more relaxed afterward.
• Laughter promotes the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

You can start laughing in many ways and following are some of them :

• Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter.
• Think of any funny thing that happened to you.
• In leasure time, watch comedy movies or comedy shows.
• Share your funny stories with friends and relatives.

Anybody loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you laugh and make others laugh, the more friends you will have.

One of my friends said that purpose of life is to be happy. What ever you do, think if you will be happy with that task and you will know what to do. I am sure, you will be happy when you laugh and you can laugh when you are happy. So Keep smiling and be happy.

Carrots

When we hear the word carrot, first thing we think of is Vitamin A.100g of Carrot has 93% of Vitamin A. Eating carrots is very good for the eye sight. Also, Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds. Fresh carrot juice helps to reduce fatigue and stress.

Following are some of reasons you would like to include carrots to your diet regularly

• Promotes lung health
• Healthy skin
• Flourishing hair
• Strong bones
• Good eye sight
• Gets rid of toxins

These antioxidant compounds includes following benefits:

• Guards from cancer
• Protects against cardiovascular disease
• Promotes good vision

Carrots have ample amounts of carotenoids. High carotenoid intake has been linked with a 20% decrease in postmenopausal breast cancer and an up to 50% decrease in the incidence of cancers of the bladder, cervix, prostate, colon, larynx, and esophagus. Extensive human studies suggest that a diet including as little as one carrot per day could conceivably cut the rate of lung cancer in half. Carotenoids also might help regulating Blood Sugar.

Intake of foods such as carrots that are rich in carotenoids may be beneficial to blood sugar regulation. Research has suggested that physiological levels, as well as dietary intake, of carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels.

Be aware of taking more carrots as that leads to change in skin color. Even though that is not harmful, it is suggested to reduce the intake, as that allows you to eat variety of fruits and vegetables rather than single vegetable. Also, taking more vitamin-A through vitamin tablets is not good for pregnant women.

So eat variety of natural foods and live longer with great health.

Sugar

Sugar attracts many people. That is the reason why many ready to eat foods contain sugar or equivalents. But as saying goes, any thing more than moderate amount is poison and same is applicable to sweets. In the case of sugar, the less you eat more healthy you will be. Eating sugar can make you sick in any or all of the following.

• Eating more sugar first makes a person think of Diabetes. It is a disease that causes the body to metabolize sugar poorly.
• Obesity is the second prominent thing that can be linked with Sugars. Unhealthy food is that which is high in sugars and low in vitamins and minerals.
• Most outstanding health hazard associated with the consumption of sugar is Tooth decay. Oral bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans live in dental plaque and metabolize sugars into lactic acid. Elevated amounts of acid may result in tooth demineralization.

You might be thinking of artificial sugars that have become very popular these days. But those will contain aspartame which is more dangerous than Sugar. I will write another blog to discuss about aspartame but till then remember that aspartame is enemy of your health.

Sugar can be replaced with other natural sweetners like honey, Blackstrap molasses or Maple Syrup. That not only make you feel good with sweets but also leave you healthy. By the way for infants less than one year you should not feed honey.

Breakfast

Breakfast is first meal of the day. Body is on fast for 8 to 10 hours and as the name suggests, we are breaking the fast with breakfast. By the time you wake up, body craves for fuel.

You might think you can work without eating anything in the morning, but that is like driving car with fuel less than 1/4th of tank. Car might run but it gives less mileage and reduces life. Same is applicable to our body. Even though you are working, that work is not efficient and you might not be able to enjoy the job.

Following are two best things to remember

• Do NOT skip the breakfast.
• Eat heavy and healthy breakfast.

Healthy breakfast should accommodate protein, fiber and iron. For protein try adding lean meats, beans, eggs and dairy. For fiber, add fruits and vegetables. For iron try tomato juice and whole grains. Commendable breakfast idea could be to have bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk, scrambled/hard boiled egg and an orange.

Other ideas include

• Sandwich with whole wheat multi grain bread, cup of flavored yogurt and tomato juice
• Fruit salad and bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk
• Bean taco, an orange and cup of low fat chocolate milk

You can add your choices or regroup the above to break the routine. What ever you do, do not skip the breakfast. Skipping breakfast affects not only body but also mind.

How body is affected by not having regular meals?

If body does not get the food in the regular intervals, it thinks that there is problem in getting food and it stores some for future, every time you eat. That storage will be in the form of fat, which increases BMI and eventually the body weight.

Okay, that is if I don't eat in regular intervals. What if I skip breakfast every day and make that regular?

You are genius ! But skipping breakfast, as we discussed before, will increase craving for food and you will end up eating more food at a time. Also, that food includes sugars as your body will long for sugars when you are really hungry. If your taste buds are not allowing eating heavy in the morning, you can divide and enjoy. For example, take in sandwich with tomato juice early in the morning and snack on yogurt an hour later.

Now, how do skipping breakfast effects mind?

Brain is the part which sends signals that you are hungry. When you neglect that signal and keep doing other a task, part of brain is still occupied on what body can get to make it feel better and is waiting for food. So, only part of the brain will be used to for other tasks. Brain might be able to give information on what was already known but it will have hard time understanding new concepts.

Another point is, eating heavy breakfast will make you eat less for lunch and you can try to eat light for dinner. If you see the order, by the time you go to bed, you would have digested most of the food and would have used that energy efficiently. So you can sleep without getting tensed about gaining weight.

So have your breakfast, work better and live healthy :-)

Summer Care

Summer is here and its time to enjoy out in the sun. If you follow simple techniques, not only that you will have fun, but also you will stay healthy. Sun is the primary source of Vitamin D. Morning Sun rays are best to get Vitamin D without doing much harm to the skin. In modern days, because of pollution from vehicles and variety of factories, Ozone layer (which screens harmful rays of Sun reaching earth) has got damaged and thus we are exposed to UVA and UVB rays. Following are the tips to keep our body safe from UV rays and still enjoy the Sun shine.

• Apply Sun screen lotion minimum of 20 minutes prior to going out.
• If you are planning to spend more time under Sun, use Sunscreen lotion with SPF 30 or more. Otherwise, you can go with Sunscreen lotion of SPF 15 or more.
• Use lip balm with SPF 15 or more
• Keep body hydrated
• In Summer, you will sweat more and so you need to take more fluids than in other climates.
• If you feel dizziness, drink a glass of water by adding pinch of salt and two table spoons of sugar.
• Now a days, most sunscreen lotions claims to be water proof, these might last longer but might not stop losing cream over sweat or water in the pool.
• Try to apply Sun screen lotion every two hours while you are under the Sun.
• Try to avoid being under Sun from 10AM to 4PM
• Use broad-rimmed hat to cover head
• Wear Sunglasses that blocks UVA/UVB rays
• Use spray sunscreen to cover your scalp.
• Don't forget to apply Sunscreen to your feet and hands

Above tips keep you safe from Sun burns, but if you happen to endure Sunburn,

• Wash the burn with cold water
• Do not use harsh soap to wash the burn
• Apply Aloe Vera gel to sooth burn
• Consult Doctor as soon as possible.

After spending your day going out in the Sun, working at office and coming back, try relaxing in tub with few drops of Lavender essential oil in the water.

tags:Sunburns, skin care, sunscreen

Detox

Okay, I am back from my long weekend trip :-) Here is more about antitoxins.

Plenty of natural foods supplies antitoxins to our body. Foods that are high in antitoxins include fruits, vegetables and fish. In specific, melons, prunes, berries, apples, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, beetroot, cabbage and sea food contains antitoxins. Using sunflower oil, hazelnut oil or almond oil for cooking adds antitoxins.

Foods with Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, E, folic acid and Carotene also have antitoxins. End your dinner with yogurt and that provides body with antitoxins and also fiber.

Tips for buying foods:

-> Fresher the food, better the benefits.
-> Foods that are less processed will have more nutrients.
-> While buying processed foods, check the ingredients. If number of ingredients are more than 10, food has been processed a lot. As number of ingredients increases processing of food increases.

Tips for eating right:

-> Eat small and frequent meals
-> Drink fruit juices without sugar
-> Snack on fruit and nuts
-> Include yogurt to minimum of one meal regularly
-> Replace white bread or white rice with whole grain foods

Tags: Detox, foods, health

Toxins

What are toxins?

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms


Why do we need to detoxify?
Because accumulation of toxins makes body sick

How do we eliminate toxins from our body?
Sweating is the natural way to get rid of toxins

• Do regular exercise to sweat.
• Spend some time in Spa
• Go to Sauna and wash away the toxins as soon as you come out
• Drink more water
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables
• Fasting or not eating food for some time is one way of detoxification
• Some people drink water this time some people drink milk and some people prefer fruit juices while on fast.
• Eat foods which has got antitoxins

Let's discuss what foods have antitoxins tomorrow.

labels:Toxins, detox, health

YOGA

Yoga is ancient Indian art which keeps body healthy. Yoga is also good for mind along with body. There are many benefits of Yoga.

• Practicing Yoga will help in increasing concentration and reducing stress.
• This is the best way to stretch whole body.
• Asanas will make body flexible
• Keeps muscles strong and active
• Flow of blood will be regulated
• Yoga makes breathing better

- This will fill the body with more oxygen
- Cleanses body by eliminating toxins

• Body and mind will be in harmony.

There are four different types of Yoga.

1. Karma Yoga

Karma Yogi/Yogini aims to eradicate ego and its attachments. They try to serve humanity without expecting any return. They try to see unity in diversity. Karma Yogi practices yoga by doing their daily work/job with right mental attitude.

2. Gnana Yoga

This requires acute knowledge. This Yoga is philosophical approach to spiritual evolution which describes the world as an illusion. Gnana Yoga is generally reputed as most difficult of four.

3. Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga includes practices like chanting, prayer and repetition of mantra. By these practices, emotional energy will be transmitted to devotion, directing anger, hatred and jealousy in a positive direction. Bhakta Yogi tries to see God in all.

4. Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is about asanas. Mainly this dictates balancing body in different postures and regulating breath. Raja Yoga is more like doing exercises with regulated breathing and balanced mind.

In modern days, many people refer to Raja Yoga as this includes more physical involvement. In this post, I am referring to the same while recommending classes.

In fitness centers there will be free classes where you can get started. I have been going to fitness center since couple of months. They have classes for yoga every day in different timings. Best timing for Yoga is early in the morning. If early morning is difficult to go, you can practice at any time.

*Reference: Yoga Mind and Body book by Swami Yogananda

Importance of Water

The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females.Blood contains 95% water, body fat contains 14% water and bone has 22% water.Skin also contains much water.

So water is important ingredient in human body. First step for being healthy is to drink required amount of water.

How much water is equal to required amount ?
Thumb rule is 8 glasses(8 ounces) of water per day. If a person is over weight, another 8 ounces of water is required for every extra 25 pounds.

How water helps in reducing weight?

• Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water and fat contains less than 10% of water*! That explains, to reduce fat and to increase lean muscle, body requires good amount of water.
• By drinking water, you will reduce craving for eating snacks and drinking pop.
• Drinking water purifies body by eliminating toxins and wastes
• Body will be energitic when it gets enough water and also metabolism increases

Good start of the day :

- Drink 4 cups of water as soon as you get up (21.6 ounces or 640ml) then, for 45 minutes do not eat or drink any thing.

This is called water treatment. I have been following this since one year and it is working great for me.


*Percentages of water content in human body has been referred from wiki :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water