De stress with SPA- Year Book, Day 39

Amidst my daily exercises, yoga and healthy diet, I suddenly came across something that I had never tried before. It was an amazing Spa therapy! I had always been apprehensive about getting a spa done pertaining to the odd stories heard from many. Secondly, I never had a chance to experience wellness through spa. This one just fitted the picture so well.

Located in the main market of Delhi’s South Ex-2, Four Fountain Spa, specializes in massage and spa therapies. You can rejuvenate yourself while de-stressing and healing by the physiotherapy way. “Touch therapy” has been known and practiced in India since ages. Four Fountain Spa helps you feel de-stressed by working on the points of your body. I opted for half an hour foot-reflexology to awaken my tired legs.

The ambiance takes away half of your stress. The moment you enter the place, the soft lights, the sweet aroma, the comfortable seating arrangement and unique aesthesis, instantly have a soothing effect on you.  The friendly staff immediately attends to you, and caters to your requirements. They are not pushy, and I give them one extra point for that!

Jyoti, the therapy expert, showed me the way to the massage room. The room had a row of neatly arranged sofa and comfortable stools covered with towels. The Buddha statues and bonsai plants immediately got my attention. 

                            

Jyoti cleaned my feet with a warm wet towel and tapped my feet with her fingers. She touched and stimulated the important points of my feet one by one. I came to know that every finger of our foot has a nerve that has a direct effect on our lungs, heart, kidneys and eyes. She pulled each finger of the toe gently and moved her fingers pressing the nerves. She massaged aromatic oil on my legs and made sure to arouse the sleeping muscles and veins.


 Jyoti moved my toe 360 degree and ran her fingers on my toe. Her magical hands were just perfect. The pressure on the points released all my stress gradually. I started feeling light and fell asleep for some time. The effect of the soft music in the room added to the enchantment. I woke up from my short slumber after she ended the foot reflexology.

I could not stop myself from asking where she had learnt the therapy art and I was surprised to know Four Fountain Spa has an institute in Pune. That’s where Jyoti was trained and is successfully leading her career from the past two years. Massage and spa therapy is a part of many physiotherapy treatments.  I was too tempted to go for a body massage at that time, but could not, because of less time in hand.

I was offered complimentary green tea after the session. The staff also gifted an aromatic balm to rub on forehead and sole to ensure good sleep. Loved that!

Four Fountain Spa is located in many places across India. They have a huge variety of therapies and massage sessions which is done with the aid of natural oil and healing ingredients. The packages are really economical. Click on the website for details- http://www.thefourfountainsspa.in/

Do try spa and massage at least once, which releases stress and invigorates you instantly. I added this to my YHB from now!

Destress thyself- Health Book Day 38

Exercise, coupled with good nutritious diet is the key to a healthy body and mind. We don’t have open space to walk around. We stay in high rise apartments with every item that makes life comfortable. But does that make life healthy? Even if we have space, we don’t have the time to utilize it. We seem to be on our toes always. After returning home from a tiring day at work, 90% people don’t feel like exercising. Either they would be too tired, lazy or stressed out. Alright then, if you fall in the above category, these exercises are you-

Practice deep breathing or Bhastrika- Sit in padmasan (lotus pose), bring the tip of your index finger and thumb together and place your hands on your knees, palms facing up. Arms should be straight. Close your eyes and inhale slowly. Hold your breath for 4-5 seconds and exhale slowly but deeply. Repeat the entire process 3 times. Then inhale exhale deeply with full force. Repeat 5 times.

While exhaling, imagine your fatigue and negativity flushing out of your body. Eventually you feel relaxed and calm.

Pronounce Aum- After deep breathing, practice “Aum”. The process more or less remains the same.

Inhale, hold your breath for 4-5 seconds. Pronounce “Aum” in the process of exhaling. Remember while pronouncing “Aum”, in the initial few seconds your lips would be oval like fish mouth. Purse your lips together and your nasal cavity vibrates with the M sound. The latter (M sound with lips together) should be longer than the “O” sound with oval lips.

Ideally these are practiced during the morning. However, one can do that in the evening too. These are great stress busters and make you feel rejuvenated.

Bhraamri- Your sitting position remains the same. Press your earlobes with your thumb. Index fingers to touch your forehead. Rest of the three fingers would cover your eyes. Do not exert pressure on your eyes. After deep inhaling, exhale from nose vibrating the M sound loudly. Repeat the whole exercise 3 times.  This exercise leaves your mind with a vibrating sensation.

If all 3 exercises are practiced in a sequence daily, gives you immense benefits-

1. Regulates the right amount of oxygen throughout your body
2. Increases your concentration
3. Acts as stress buster
4. Relieves you of fatigue& laziness
5. Refreshes mood, counters mood swings
6. Helps you relax

De stress yourself the yogic way and lead a happy healthy life!

Back ache? Health Book- Day 37

Recap- Yesterday was Dhanuraasan (The bow pose). Read the full post here- http://bit.ly/1gOoAiG

Today is a simpler one, named Bhujangaasan or the Cobra Pose. This is a back bend that stretches muscles on the front of the torso and strengthens your arms and shoulders. This is also a part of the sun salutation (Surya Namaskaar) sequence.

Step 1- Lie face down on the floor on yoga mat with your palms flat, placed beneath your shoulders. The tops of your feet should be flat on the floor.

Step 2- Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders and brush your elbows against your rib cage. Close your eyes and inhale slowly. Feel the stability in your pelvis, thighs and tops of your feet.  Exhale gradually before opening your eyes.

Step 3- As you inhale, steadily straighten your arms and lift your chest from the floor. Do not fully straighten them as if may feel uncomfortable. Extend through and deepen your stretch to create an even arc in your back.

Step 4- Push your upper body off the floor and straighten your arms as much as is comfortable while keeping your hips, legs and feet planted on the mat. Tilt your chin upward and lift your chest toward the ceiling. Press your tailbone towards your pubis and lift your pubis toward your navel, narrowing your hips. Keep your shoulders broad, but relaxed, with the blades low on your back.

The amazing benefits of this aasana- 

• Stretches muscles in the shoulders, chest and abdominal cavity.
• Reduces stiffness of the lower back, Strengthens the spine
• Strengthens the arms and shoulders, increases flexibility
• Improves menstrual irregularities
• Firms and tones the buttocks
• Invigorates the heart
• Improves circulation of blood and oxygen, especially throughout the spinal and pelvic regions
• Improves digestion

No more back ache! Health Book :Day 36

I am no doctor! I am no fitness expert! However, there are few tricks that I know and practice for my spine health. With the kind of fast paced and hectic lifestyle we have, little issues like backache often go unnoticed till they become a major issue. Do not ignore the slightest pain in your spine. It is the spine that gives you the ability to look like a human! Sharing few easy exercises to prevent and cure backaches-

1. Dhanuraasan- Bow pose-

Named after the bow's shape, dhanuraasan stretches the front of the body, thighs, abdomen and chest, throat, and deep hip flexors.

• It is a great solution for back ache.
• This asana gives a good massage to the abdomen so it cures prolonged constipation, dyspepsia,and other stomach disorders.
• This also increases energy and counteracts depression.
• It cures spinal hump and joint pain of the legs, the knees and the hands.
• It reduces belly fat, activates the intestines and increases the digestive power.

Step 1-

Lie down on your belly with your palms facing down next to your body. Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles (Not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.

Step 2-

Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor. This will pull your upper torso and head off the floor. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward.

Step 3-

Pressure on your belly might make it difficult to breathe. However continue breathing. Stay in this pose between 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.

Stay active and pain free with this aasan. More exercise for back would follow in the next blog posts. Keep watching this space!

                                   Keep fit with yoga at home and stay healthy stay blessed!

The butterfly - Health Book Day 35

As a part of the daily exercise regime and mission fitness, I am sharing an easy exercise called the TITLI AASAN or the Butterfly pose.

Benefits:

• This is a simple exercise to strengthen your thighs, tone the legs muscles and relax them.
• It also helps to open up the hips&  thighs and improves flexibility.
• This aasan also stimulates the reproductive and digestive organs.
• Regular practice of this posture is beneficial to the kidneys, bladder, prostate gland, and ovaries.

Method, step by step :

1. Sit in the Lotus Pose or Padma Asana. (Crossed legs)
2. Position your legs so that the soles of your feet touch each other. Your knees should be bent.
3. Try to position your feet the closest to your pubic area hence pulling your heels inwards.
4. Grasp your feet with your hands and sit up with your back as straight as possible.
5. Flap your thighs till your knees hit the ground.
6. Keep breathing throughout the activity.
7. You may speed up the lowering and raising of the thighs to further relax the muscles. This flapping motion is what gives the Butterfly Pose its name.

Few precautions-

• If your are recovering from any injury, do not try this at all.
• If new to yoga, please practice under expert guidance.

See the you tube video for the aasan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77yDLrRWCIg

Healthy to fast- Health Book Day 33

To fast is a way of detoxifying your body. However in India, it's more of a religious sentiment. Few Indians can fast for 5 days a week following five different Gods or beliefs. Whatever the reason of fasting is, the benefits are positive. Many do not know the benefits of fasting and the ways as well. You tend to hog or eat wrong things on your fasting days. That kills the purpose of fast.

WHY FAST?-

Fasting correlates to cleansing and detoxifying your system. It balances and tones your body system as well. Detoxification is a corrective process in our cycle of nutrition. During this time we allow our cells and organs to breathe out, become current, and restore themselves. We need not necessarily fast to experience cleansing, however, minor shifts in our diet such as increasing fluids intake, raw foods, and controlling congesting food, facilitates detoxification. Fasting also helps prevent and repair DNA damage that could otherwise develop into cancer, besides keeping you calm. Increase your longevity and immunity by fasts in the right manner!

STAY HYDRATED -

-Unless its a fast that is done without water, do not restrict yourself on water intake. Have more fluids like juice or toned/double toned milk.

-Avoid cold drinks or carbonated drinks else that should only raise the glucose level in your blood. Secondly these are acidic.

DIET PLAN-

-During your partial fasts (where in you can have meal one time in a day), include fruits and raw vegetables in your diet.

-Non veg food items are restricted as they have high protein and cholesterol.

-Advisable to opt for food rich in vitamin C.

FEW DONT'S

-Avoid using heavy gym machines or strenuous exercises during your fasting procedure. If you exercise at all, a brisk walk should be enough.

-Once you end fasting, avoid indulging in oily/junk or high calories food.

-Avoid fine flour (Maida) items.

With the right amount and kind of food intake, fast successfully and stay detoxified.  Take an ocassional break from food and bring a difference in your life :-)

Grab the grapes- Health Book: Day 32

The easiest fruit to eat.. Pluck and pop into your mouth. No peeling, no cutting.. Wow...This sounds like for the lazy bums haha

• Grapes are rich in anti-oxidant, which play a protective role against cancers of colon and prostate, coronary heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease and viral/ fungal infections.
• In red or black grapes, the anti-oxidants  have  anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, as well as anti-cancer properties.
• Additionally, grapes are very low in calories. 100 g fresh grapes just provide 69 calories but zero cholesterol levels.
• Grapes are rich source of micro-nutrient minerals like copper, iron and manganese. Copper and manganese are essential co-factor of antioxidant enzymes. Iron is especially concentrated more in raisins (hence is a recommended diet). 100 g grapes is sufficient for electrolyte, potassium in your body.
• They are an also good source of vitamin-C, vitamin A, vitamin K, carotenes and B-complex vitamins.

The wonder grapes is anti cancer, anti virus, anti aging and anti heart disease agent. Pop in a mouthful everyday! Stay Healthy Stay Blessed  :-)

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!