Tongue tales- Health book Day 31

Ashamed to stick your tongue out because it is white? Or do have bad breath? Both the problems are related to each other. A white tongue not only looks abnormal, but if left untreated, it’s a strong indication of a bad breath problem.

Tongue cleaning or tongue scraping is a process that the majority of people  don’t do on a daily basis. Yet, it’s one of the most important steps you can take to keep your breath clean and fresh!

Lets follow this healthy activity-

STEP 1: Start at the base of your tongue.Place a tongue cleaner/scraper flush against your tongue’s surface and sweep from the back to the front.

STEP 2: Once the surface debris from your white tongue has been removed, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the head of your tongue cleaner or toothbrush.

STEP 3: Gently coat the surface of your tongue  with the toothpaste as far as possible at the base of the tongue. This allows the toothpaste to penetrate below the surface of your tongue and neutralize the bacterial infection. There are more bacteria in the rear of your tongue than in the front!

STEP 4: Once your tongue is coated, allow the toothpaste to stay on the surface of your tongue as long as you can. If you begin to cough, or you gag just spit whenever you think you should.

Use a tongue cleaner daily to remove the debris from your tongue. Gargle with warm water before sleeping. 
Following this routine daily gives you the most benefit possible in cleaning a white tongue. This routine will help prevent white tongue, keep your breath fresh, and help you to maintain the normal, healthy, pink color that everyone would like to have.

Missed the gym? Health book- Day 30

Following a daily gym routine is not easy. However when you get used to it, then missing a day is not easy either!  I have had loads of work in office and hence been returning home quite late from past two days. I regret missing out on my exercise schedule like this. For those who face this on and off ,here are few easy tips to follow and move towards a healthier you.

-Take the stairs. Avoid getting onto elevators or lifts. Some physical activity will keep your heart healthy.

-Walk- Walk some distance and walk briskly. The days I miss my exercise regime, I brisk walk from the main road till home. Almost a kilometer. At least that satisfies me that I did some physical movement! Jokes apart, this activity keeps your blood circulation in good form, tones your legs muscles and controls body weight.

-Stretch- Take short breaks from your work between your schedule to stretch your arms and legs. This awakens your sleeping inactive muscles and regulates the right amount of oxygen in your body. Stretching also relieves you of stress and tension besides shaking off the slumber from your eyes.

-Sweep the floor- This is the best exercise for home that gives you twin benefits. Cleans your house and burns calories too! The best way to do it is mopping the floor while bent on your knees. This shapes your lower abdomen and keeps your calorie count under control.

-Don't shy away from office sports- Participate in sports day or team games whenever you get a chance to. Sports is the best alternative to gym. I am not talking about carom or video games please!

 

-Dance it away- During the Diwali party in my office, I knew that I would miss my gym routine that day. I stepped on the dance floor and danced away my calories! Sounds cool isn't it? Do the same in wedding and parties when you know that you wont be able to exercise! Dancing will improve digestion, burn calories, warm up all muscles of the body and makes you look friendly & confident! That's a tried and tested method :-)

Be healthy be happy! Follow one healthy activity each day and make a positive difference in your life!

Food for soul- Health Book- Day 29

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body and a healthy body would only have a healthy mind. Did that make sense? So far I had been sharing tips for healthy body. Now is the time to share tips for a healthy mind-

-Think positive- Being positive and expecting positive results will only help you to achieve a well balanced life. A positive attitude is the key to happiness.

-Meditate- Deep breathing exercises, pranayaam and Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) will you calm and self controlled. It is important for your mind to be free from stress and clutter.

-Be close to nature- Walk barefoot on green grass, plant saplings, water plants, breathe fresh air, appreciate the beautiful nature, love animals and see the difference in your mood. You would feel the positive vibes from these and pass on to others as well.

-Fall in love with yourself- If you hate yourself or how your body looks like, you'd never feel satisfied. Be happy with what you have and improvise. Life is too short to regret. Get your peace of mind by being thankful to God by what he has bestowed on you. Atleast you are better than others who have lost several things.

-Do what you love, love what you do- Please stop cribbing about everything. Get a life for yourself! If your job sucks, go find a new one, but dont keep crying. If getting wet in the rains makes you happy, go for it. It's good to do something and regret rather than not doing the same and regret.

-Inculcate a hobby- Practicing a hobby or interest keeps you engaged and your mind occupied in positive things. It sharpens your skills and only adds value to your life.

There are many such things one can follow and keep worries at bay. The above are just the tip of the iceberg.

Inculcate hobby

The Thai Story- Health Book- Day 28

While looking into the mirror, do you feel your thighs look odd, ugly or fat? Are you avoiding those pair of jeans because your thighs feel stuck in them and refuse to breathe when you wear them? Dude, you seriously need to tone those thighs of yours. Sharing few exercises for the same-

Scissor Kicks- 

scissor kicks

-Lie down on your back with heels also flat on the ground and palms down at your sides.

-Slide your hands beneath your hips to balance yourself and stretch your legs. Lift your legs till they are 15 cm above the ground.

-Perform a scissor like movement while lifting one leg high off the ground and moving the other one lower to the ground.

-Your legs will not cross over each other, but thighs will squeeze together while they pass each other.

-Your lower abdominal and inner thigh muscles should remain tightened throughout the activity.

-Continue with this motion for about 10 seconds or count 15.

-Go back to original position, rest for 5-6 seconds and repeat. Do 3 sets of this exercise each day.

Your inner thighs and lower abdomen are toned with this exercise.

Squats-

Regular Squat Exercise

-With your legs shoulder-width apart, lower your bum down towards the ground until your thighs are parallel with the ground.

Stretch your arms forward to balance yourself.

Act like you are sit on a chair. Balance there for 3 seconds before pushing up to the normal position. Do this 15 times in a single set.

Fighting Diabetes- Health Book Day 27

Diabetes is a modern day cancer. If not treated well or neglected, it may lead 

to several health hazards. Hence keep in mind few factors that can cure and prevent the deadly infection in your body-

- Exercise daily. A 20 mins jog or brisk walk would be good enough to begin with. Walk or take frequent breaks in office for physical movement to keep your blood sugar level in control.

-Have plenty of water. 2-3 litres water is a minimum requirement of human body everyday.

 -Having 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each day will be most helpful. Eat citrus fruits and leafy vegetables.

-Reduce your intake of white rice. Try consuming brown rice or whole grains.

-Consume food items rich in omega-3 fatty acid, like ground flaxseed, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, green salad.

-Include protein in your diet from items like almonds, egg white, whole grain bread.

-Loose your weight lest you should be in trouble later.

-Cut down on your caffeine intake.

-Check the calorie count!! Be conscious of what you eat and how much calories you intake everyday. Say no to junks, deep fried, sweets or chocolates.

A healthy lifestyle is the key to good and disease free body. Be aware before its too late!

Stay healthy, stay blessed

Fruity Winters- Day 24

Fruits and vegetables in winters drops to a low 25-30 rupees kilo. Affordable isn’t it? Hog on a plateful each day! The one I like is Papaya, for two reasons. One, because of the enormous benefits it has and two because its a whole fruit which can be eaten in one go without mixing with other fruits. So you peel and chop a kilo (or half) and you get the required amount of nutrients! Watch out for the benefits-

-Rub the pulp on face or mash it to use in a face pack. It is an excellent moisturizer.

-Use papaya with milk on your skin. Helps lighten your skin complex and gives a fairer, fresh glow. Helps reduce dark spots on skin.

-For skin tightening, mix mashed papaya with honey and apply on face for 15-20 minutes.

-Is rich in dietary fiber that helps in boosting your digestion. Also cures constipation.

-The anti-inflammatory properties of papaya helps to reduce pain of arthritis, edema and osteoporosis.

-High in Vitamin A&C, it strengthens your immune system.

-Papaya peel helps in skin whitening. Rub it on your face. Use it as a treatment for cracked heels.

-Those suffering with hair fall should consume papaya regularly. Papaya not only prevents thinning of hair but also controls dandruff.

-Papaya provides protection against heart diseases. Being rich in nutrients, it helps in preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, which helps in preventing the cause of heart attacks or strokes.

-Papaya seeds kills intestinal worms and parasites

Be it the peel, seeds or the fruit, papaya is a magic wand for you! Go for it this winters!

For your eye only- Day 20

Got tired eyes after a long day at work? Getting puffy eyes or dark circles?  Pain in eyes or head post working on laptops/computers for more than 10 hours? Ah these are our modern day curse created by our own self. Blame it on lifestyle, blame it on working environment, it is taking a toll on everybody. Here are some tips to help you relax your eyes-

• Rub your palms in the morning when you wake up, and place them on your eyes. The palms should feel the eyes’ socket. Make sure there is no pressure on the eyes. This activity can be done several other times during the day to rest your eyes.

• Blink your eyes as many times as you can. Don’t keep staring at your computer screens.

• Take short breaks from your laptop/computer screen time to time. If on a break, don’t look at your workstations or phones.

• Sleep well, sleep on time. Lack of sleep causes dark circles and puffiness. Keep your mobile phones away for god sake! That is one of the reasons I was so reluctant to install chat applications in my phone.And now when I have committed the sin, I keep staring at the screen in dark, hence straining my eyes and exhausting them. Continuous exposure to mobile/laptop screen only dries your eyes.

• Use general eye drops that suit your eyes. Something that gives a cooling effect will be more beneficial.  Put few drops in your eyes, close your eyes and relax. The irritants or dirt in your eyes gets washed out by the drops and hydrates them.

• Use aloe gel or orange eyes mask. Easily available in the market. Tie it for 10 minutes and let your eyes sooth.

Home remedy for puffiness-

• Soak tea bags in warm water and let them cool. Close your eyes and place the cooled bags on your eyes. See a noticeable difference within a month.

• Dip 2 cotton pads in chilled milk and place on your eyelids for about 25-30 minutes. This helps in water retention of your eyes and cool them off.

• Place 2 slices of cucumber on eyes and relax. Cucumber’s cooling properties relaxes and hydrates your eye area.

• Peel, wash dry a potato and grate it. Tie the grated potato in a thin cloth and place it on your eyes. Alternatively, press the grated pulp to squeeze the juice out of it, soak cotton in the juice and place them over your eyes. Potato starch acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to ease irritation in eyes.

• Bye eye cream or gel to reduce dark circles. I recently got one from Avon. The NATURAL’S hydra cool eye mask can be applied on eyelids and under eyes for 10 minutes and washed off. It really helps to combat eye puffiness and dark circles! Available on https://www.avon.co.in/avon-in/skincare/masks.html   and Flipkart as well.

Other brands like Vichy have medicated eye roll-on for the same purpose at a little higher price.




First image from: Pixabay.com 

Two W's - Day 21

I was at the vendor’s site.

I go to the water cooler to refill my water bottle every one hour. One of the gentlemen employees notices me walking from the workstation to the cafeteria with my bottle and stops to tell me something. With a warm smile and kind gesture he says “Why do you come here with your bottle? The office boy can do that for you”.

Of course he meant that I should not be running around for these kind of tasks. I can just order and it will be on the table. To add to it, I represent a brand name, which is the vendor’s client. And clients don’t move a muscle in vendor’s office.

I politely reply “Thank you so much for your concern but I like doing my things on my own. Secondly, walking from the floor to the cafeteria is no big deal. It gives me an excuse to walk at least”

The gentleman nods, smiles and leaves.

Same evening- Same gentleman



While I sipped water from the bottle, he asked “Madam, apko kya stone ki bimari hai?” (Are you suffering with kidney stones?). He asked the scary question because he noticed me drink lot of water in a day.

“No Sir. I don’t drink water because I got stones. I drink water so that I don’t get stones in future.” 

He nodded and smiled again.

The staff in the vendors office hence realized the 2 important W’s of everybody’s life- Walk & Water.

Do I need to explain the benefits of these two W’s now?

Fruit vs Fruit Juice. Health Book Day 16

                                   VS          

A glass of fruit juice from a tetra pack goes straight into your breakfast glass. Have you thought of

considering the content of the so called fruit juice?

My grandma never favoured packed juices hence she used to prepare juices at home. I remember her daily afternoon rituals of juicing oranges and pomegranate and relished it! She preferred fresh juice over whole fruit, for obvious reasons; fruits are difficult to be chewed by elderly.

In both the cases, be it packed juice or fresh, a whole fruit scores more than them any given day. Tetra packed juices does not have real fruit pulps. They are only sweetened fruit flavors that add to your calorie intake. Brands which claim to have real fruit pulps in their pack, do have some percentage of the same, yet it does not match up to the benefits of whole fruit. Not to forget high sugar content and artificial colors do more harm than good.

Whole fruit or Fresh Juice?

Whole fruits have high amount of soluble Vitamins and digestible fiber (roughage). The skin of fruits is high in minerals and water, as skin is the part which is exposed to sunlight. This helps to make food for the fruit and hence the color that the fruit gets. The pulp of any fruit is a store house of high nutrients. Juices are void of nutrients you see!

While you juice a fruit, most vitamins, fiber and nutrients are lost before reaching you. Double check tetra packs next time before buying. Read the content of calories, vitamins and essential minerals.  Go for fresh juice instead of packed ones.

While juice is what kids and elder people can have, others please try to consume one whole fruit everyday, preferably on empty stomach.

                                                                      Stay healthy, stay blessed

The pressures! Health Book- Day 15

People suddenly realize the importance of healthy lifestyle only when they are bed ridden or survive something drastic. Same is for my family. As a typical Bengali family, they enjoyed gorging on meat, fish and delicacies high on cholesterol, until one fine day my dad had a stroke, my uncle (taau ji) got paralysis attack, my aunt (taai ji) had a drooping low haemoglobin count, my maternal uncle (mama ji) had issues in kidney, my mom became a sugar patient and other relatives had blood pressure problems. Few days ago, again when my dad’s BP alarmingly fluctuated and he was hospitalized, advises poured in from well wishers. Few suggested to go for a brisk walk, cut down on high calorie or protect from winters, and so on.

 Here I preach the world about good health, and look what happens in my own house!

While cleaning clutter from box beds and stacked trunks, I found some extremely useful things that my Mom had stocked long time ago, but barely used them. I made it a point that they use it every day now.

Accupressure roller for feet

Acupressure is a natural therapy which involves pressure points and their effects on our body. Getting into details of this subject may just confuse you. So let me show you some acupressure equipments that you can use within the comfort of your house and gain much from them.

The one above is an acupressure roller for your feet. Human feet have certain points as shown in the diagram. Place your foot on the roller and move your foot to and fro. The pressure points or energy points of feet get activated and you feel rejuvenated. This stimulates the nervous system and aids in blood circulation.

I am not sure what do we call these, but they have been designed for your palms. Place these between your palms and move your hands as you do while rubbing them. The pressure point of the palms when activated cure ailments like, headache caused due to sinus/migraine, upset stomach, improve eyesight, skin problems, mood swings, hair fall and so on.

Check out the pressure points of your palms in the diagram below-

Acupressure's healing touch reduces muscular tension, increases blood circulation, and enables deep relaxation. By relieving stress, Acupressure Therapy strengthens immunity and promotes wellness.

These equipments are easily available in the market at low prices. Heal yourself with acupressure. A daily practice will only make you better. Try something new for your well being!

Stay healthy, stay blessed!

Play & make it fun- Health Book: Day 14

A brisk walk or jog sounds boring to many. So they plug in their earphones and forget jogging. Others talk on mobile phones while walking. Good lord, that’s not done!

Outdoor time with your dog

Routine is boring, agreed! Following a gym routine or exercise schedule is difficult for many people. It takes a lot to gather that courage and determination for a fitness regime! No wonders once you get used to it, you stop complaining. Getting used to it, is the question! So play up your fitness routine. Yes, don’t exercise, but play. Make it fun!

I am NOT TALKING ABOUT INDOOR GAMES for God sake!

Doggy time-  Have a dog at home? Go for a walk with your pet or spend some time playing with it. And you will vouch for the fact that “Behind every active person, there is a dog”!

Cricket fever- Watching cricket on your TV set while munching chips is not cool. Remember gully cricket during your childhood? Following it is so simple! All you corporate professional people, go for weekend matches! You will be active, physically and mentally both.

Badminton- You don’t need a stadium for it. . Play in your lawn, garden, terrace, neighborhood park or may be on the narrow lane/road near your house.  An economical investment and loads of calories burnt! All you need is two rackets, a shuttlecock with 2 players.

Swimming is the best exercise

Swimming- This is the best natural exercise that burns all fat and calories of your body.  Ya ya, I could not learn to swim ever, but all those swimmers whom I have known till date, have been fit and active! Get a membership for yourself of a nearby sports club or swimming school, as soon as summers approach.

These were easy, weren't they? All work and no play will make you dull. So play up and stay fit!

The action reaction theory

She is getting married in February and has become extremely conscious about her appearance. She wants to look good and thin, hence has started skipping meals. Breakfast was never on her list. Now lunch follows. All she has is a good quantity of rice in dinner. How does she expect to stay healthy like this? We, (her colleagues) have been trying to convince her to eat right. But our advice seems to fall on deaf ears.

Did you know that skipping meals is as harmful as over eating? Did you know that dinner should be the lightest meal of the day? Did you know about the repercussions of missing breakfast? Okay, I do sound like a Nutritionist or a college professor, but come on, this should be your basic knowledge!

· Never miss breakfast. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is called break-fasting after the night’s sleep.

· Try to begin your day with fruits or cereals.

· Do not hog! Have small meals 5-6 times a day instead of one large meal. (Carry fruits if you don’t have time to cook. Explore options like brown bread sandwich, sooji/rawa pasta, nuts, wheat biscuits, sprouts, popcorns, roasted chana, salad, soup, corns, battered rice and so on)



· Breakfast and lunch can be heavy, dinner should be the lightest. That’s because your physical activities during the day aids in digestion. The 6-7 hours of sleep during night is the time when our body is not physically active and the process of digestion is slow. Eating heavy at night may cause acidity, restlessness, indigestion and accumulation of fat.

· Have evening snacks 2-3 hours before dinner, It fills you and you don’t over eat hence. A good option is to have salad or soup pre-dinner.

· Avoid cheese, high protein diet, pizza or junk, deep fried, high calorie items in dinner.


Skipping meals is not cool at all. It may give rise to many life style diseases that are beyond our imagination! Eating right is the key to good health. What goes in reflects on your body because every action has equal and opposite reaction!