10 tips to get better hydration during exercise

Correct use of gym equipment and supportive shoes isn’t the only essential required for working out. Keeping yourself hydrated is of the utmost importance, according to an expert. Most of you might go for sports drinks and energy boosters to replenish the fluids in body. But is that actually necessary?
Professor Paul Gately, Carnegie Professor of exercise and Obesity and director of MoreLife at Leeds Metropolitan University says ‘Sports drinks can help to hydrate during and after intense, endurance exercise. But there are many factors like the amount of physically activity and food consumption that should be considered.’
If you’re a gym lover, you would be tempted to try different ways to boost your new gym regime. And sports drinks are just one of the ranges of accessories that fitness fans are turning to with a hope of boosting results. But this shouldn’t be the case. ‘Most people exercise for less than 60 minutes per day. Besides, their exercise intensity does not reach to a level where sports drinks could actually make a positive contribution. For majority of people, water is the best choice,’ added Gately. 
Here are ten tips for healthy hydration during exercise:

1. For most light intensity types of exercise including recreational swimming, golf and walking and for any physical activity lasting less than one hour, water will rehydrate you adequately. the exercise.

3. Ideally, your body needs one cup (250 ml) of water for every 15 minutes of exercise to prevent dehydration. But, this could vary from person to person.

4. Drink sufficient water during exercise, especially when you start sweating a lot.

5. It’s a normal tendency to feel thirsty while exercising. Don’t ignore your thirst because it indicates dehydration. And, dehydration can affect you in a lot of ways. 

6. It’s best not to wait until you start feeling thirsty. Be conscious and stay hydrated before you lose a lot of water from your body.

7. Perform at your best and pack a bottle of water with the rest of your sports gear.

8. Sports drinks may be beneficial for those who exercise regularly at a high intensity for more than one hour.

9. If you exercise for more than one hour daily, you can also have fluids that contain sugars like glucose and electrolytes from salts. You can also sip fresh, natural coconut water for re-hydrating yourself. 

10. Do not over-hydrate yourself. Over hydration results when your water consumption exceeds the amount of sweat you produce. It leads to loss of electrolytes in body and disturbs the fluid balance.

Courtesy: Health.india.com

Juicing fruits and vegetables – is it healthy?

1. You absorb all the nutrients – Cooking, frying and boiling the ingredients, many-a-times, lead to the destruction of a majority of the vital anti-oxidants and amino acids. Juicing helps prevent this loss and fortifies your dietary intake with a well rounded ingestion of all necessary nutrients.
2. You end up eating many vegetables you never thought you would – Let’s face it, on any regular day, you wouldn’t even dream of eating a bowl of boiled and sautéed spinach or broccoli; no matter how nutritious it’ll prove to be. But now, all you got to do is throw together all of the infamous leafy veggies into the blender, add in the juice of half a lemon for zing or an apple for sweetness, and you won’t even recognize the ‘rabbit food’ anymore (as long as you ignore the slimy, gunky colour of the liquid).
3. Make sure you don’t waste the fiber – After you have extracted the juice from the blender, don’t simply throw away the pulp. You can incorporate this leftover fiber into muffins, soups and gravies. Juicing does increase your anti-oxidant intake, but you lose out on natural fibers which aid digestion.  A completely juice-based diet will do more harm than good. It is meant to supplement your nutrition, not hamper it. 
4. Eat the fruit, juice the veg – The one thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to juicing is to minimize your usage of fruit in juicing. It would seem absurd, but there is a sound reason behind it. Fruits are loaded with natural sugars like fructose linked to high blood sugar and weight gain. Hence, you have to be careful when you include fruits in your juicing recipes. Use them only to counter-act or enhance the taste of your recipe, not center the recipe on fruits. Fruit is best eaten whole where the natural fibers in them nullify, or atleast, balance the effect of fructose. Coconut water and lemon/lime juice are safe options as these are virtually void of any fat or excessive sugars.
5. Drink your juice right away – It is a very bad idea to juice large quantities at once and store it for consequent use. Under highly monitored conditions, vegetable juice can stay fresh for a maximum of 24 hours due to its unpasteurized nature. After this time span, the nutritional value declines steadily and the taste will also suffer. It is best consumed immediately.

Courtesy: Health.india.com

Turning Health care to Human care

AKOS shares an article 'Naredra Modi inspiring speech to build BRAND INDIA'

MODI’S IDEAS FOR INDIA
- ‘Idea of India no one’s monopoly. Nonviolence top dharma, all spiritual paths equal, need to feel others’ pain, honour women’
- Rainbow model of governance: Focus on culture, agriculture, women, natural resources, youth, democracy and knowledge
- Shift healthcare focus from curative to preventive. Health assurance needed, not just health insurance
- Price Stabilization Fund to fight inflation 100 smart cities to be created; IITs, IIMs and AIIMS in every state
- Promotion of animal husbandry and dairy
- National Agriculture Market to be set up; spl courts to deal with black marketeers; real-time data bank for agri produce
- Second generation infrastructure, interlinking of rivers, gas grid to end battle over LPG cylinders, optical fibre network across the country
- Golden quadrilateral of bullet train
Building ‘Brand India’ with focus on 5-Ts — talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology

It’s official – happy people live healthier, for longer!

Enjoying life as you grow old not only makes you happy, it also helps you walk faster and stay fit.

Older people who enjoy life more show slower declines in physical function as they age in comparison with people who enjoy life less, says a study.

‘Our research shows that older people enjoying life are less likely to develop impairments in activities of daily living such as dressing or getting in or out of bed, and their walking speed declines at a slower rate than those who enjoy life less,’ said Andrew Steptoe from University College London (UCL), Britain.

A study of 3,199 men and women aged 60 years or over looked at the link between positive well-being and physical well-being – following participants over eight years. (Read:Technology improves senior citizens’ health by reducing their loneliness)

Researchers assessed participants’ enjoyment of life with a four-point scale: ‘I enjoy the things that I do’, ‘I enjoy being in the company of others’, ‘On balance, I look back on my life with a sense of happiness’ and ‘I feel full of energy these days’.

‘Our results provide further evidence that enjoyment of life is relevant to the future disability and mobility of older people,’ Steptoe added.

Participants in the 60-69-year bracket had higher levels of well-being as did those with higher socio-economic status and education and those who were married and working.

Not surprisingly, people with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and depression had lower levels of enjoyment of life, the study noted. 

People with low well-being were more than three times as likely as their positive counterparts to develop problems in their daily physical activities.

Efforts to enhance well-being at older ages may have benefits to society and health care systems, said the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. 

Courtesy: Health.india.com

Tips to increase haemoglobin levels naturally

 

People who get to know from their blood reports that their haemoglobin levels are low often want to know what could be the reason and how to get the levels back to normal. 

Haemoglobin (Hb) is an iron-containing protein in blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The normal level of haemoglobin in blood is 14-18 mg/dl for men and 12-16 mg/dl for women. 

The most common reason for low haemoglobin levels is nutritional deficiencies. Deficiency of iron, folic acid, vitamin C and Vitamin B12 causes low haemoglobin levels. But several reasons like blood loss, bone marrow defects, cancer, kidney problems, and use of certain drugs can also lower the levels. 

Depending on what caused your haemoglobin levels to lower, your doctor might prescribe you iron and vitamin supplements to improve the levels. But these supplements may take a longer time stabilize your haemoglobin, and you cannot take them forever. So, in the long run, these few dietary changes may help you to keep your haemoglobin levels healthy naturally. 

Ways to increase haemoglobin levels: 

• Low haemoglobin levels due to iron deficiency anaemia can be corrected by including iron rich sources in your diet. Leafy vegetables like spinach (palak) and fenugreek leaves (methi), beans and lentils like masoor daal, chole, moong daal, toor daal, urad daal, rajma. Asparagus (Shatwar) and sesame seeds (til) are other good sources of iron. Grains like barley (jav), rice, semolina (sooji), bajra and maize (makai) can also be included. You could use combination of any of these sources to cook delicious iron rich recipes. If not, munch on dried fruits such as almonds (badaam), dried peaches (anjeer) or raisins (manuka). If you’re a non-vegetarian, meat and fish are the best sources of iron for you. 

• Vitamin C rich foods helps the body to absorb iron from foods. Low haemoglobin levels due to deficiency of Vitamin C can be corrected by eating fruits like guava (peru/amrud), kiwi, papaya, oranges, strawberries and grapefruit. You can enjoy them together by making a delicious fruit salad or a mixed fruit juice. Vitamin C rich vegetables include capsicum (Shimla mirch), broccoli (hara phool gobi), cabbage (Gobi), tomatoes and spinach (palak). 

• If your haemoglobin count is low because your body is not producing sufficient red blood cells, then you could be deficient in folic acid, B complex vitamin that is required to make red blood cells. Sources of folic acid include lentils, dried beans, peas, Brussels sprouts (chota band gobi), banana, corn (makai), beets, pineapple and peanuts. (Note: If you are having more of Vitamin C sources then you’ll have to increase the intake of folic acid as well because Vitamin C causes excretion of folic acid from the body). 

• Another way is to add dried herbs to your diet which increase the absorption of iron. Especially, coriander (dhania), spearmint (pudina), basil (tulsi), chervil (chevil), dried parsley (sukhe ajamoda), bay leaf (tejpatta) may be helpful. 

• If you are deficient in iron you should avoid having calcium rich foods like milk and cheese. They block the absorption of iron. Don’t drink too much of coffee, tea and alcohol either. Foods containing gluten like pastas and wheat products also cause anaemia. 

• Sometimes, foods such as parsley (ajwain) that are rich in oxalic acid may also interfere with absorption of iron. Have them in limited quantities.

Courtesy: Health.india.com

5 spices that can boost your health quotient

 Spices are a common addition to the quintessential Indian dish. Adding flavour, aroma and that special zing to dishes, an Indian curry or subzi is often incomplete without them. But did you known the humble cardamom, cinnamon, jeera  and turmeric are elixirs for your all-round health? Here are some benefits they render to your everyday diet:

Cardamom: Known for its unique sweet-spicy flavour, cardamom is often added to sweet as well as savoury dishes.  One of the most interesting benefits of this spice is that it helps in burning calories. Full of digestive properties that enhance one’s metabolic activity, it actually helps you burn fat more efficiently and and prevents it from adding to your weight. Using a little goes a long way; sprinkle some on your coffee or even your subzi, to give your weight loss goal a boost. 

Turmeric: Turmeric has been known as a spice that has several health benefits. Right from adding it to dishes to give them that characteristic yellow colour, haldi  is an age old remedy for healing wounds. According to the Journal of the American Chemical Society, turmeric is packed with nutrients like proteins, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc. All these essential components put together make turmeric a great antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic and anti-inflammatory agent. 

Cumin: Also known as Jeera, cumin is a known for its pungent odour and flavour. But the tiny jeera is much more than simply a spice. It helps improve concentration, beats constipation, fights cancer, regulates blood pressure and your heart rate, relieves asthma and cold, prevents anaemia, improves your sexual health, is great for pregnant mums since it helps them with the symptoms of morning sickness, beats insomnia and enhances memory. All you need to do is either use it as a powder or whole in your daily diet. Optionally you could have a spoon of the powder on an empty stomach at the start of your day. 

Cinnamon: Or dalchini,  is a common addition to coffee, cakes and subzis. But apart from adding a lovely aroma and punch to the dish, cinnamon is known to have various health benefits. It helps keeps one’s blood sugar in check — keeping diabetes at bay,  is known to slowdown the onset of alzheimer’s, fights cancer and has shown that it has properties that can reduce the size of a tumour. Cinnamon is also a great remedy to soothe aching joints, speed up digestion, treat a cold and cough, keep heart disease at bay by reducing the amount of plaque buildup in one’s arteries and  fights tooth decay. One of the most noticeable benefit of the spice is that it has strong antibacterial properties that help to fight acne. So, for acne free skin, strong heart, normal blood sugar levels and weight loss include a little bit of cinnamon into your diet. 

Garam masala:  A common addition to most north Indian dishes, garam masala  is a combination of cloves, cinnamon, cumin and cardamom.  Packed with the combined health benefits of every spice garam masala is like one pill for many diseases. 

Courtesy: By Editorial Team | Health.India.com

Stay focussed on your path

One of my teachers once said to me, “All you gotta do is put your head down and get to work.”

There is nothing as more satisfying and fulfilling as walking down the road we chose to walk, i.e. living your life’s purpose! When we are on the path and have a trajectory of a goal we are walking towards, sometimes there can be distractions.
Distractions can be minute or massive—either way, they take up time and space and have a tendency to get in the way.
Here are some tips on how to move forward with grace with strength, tenacity and consistency.

1. Literally, “put your head down and get to work.”

Know your distractions and keep them at bay.
In the beginning, when I was first building myself up, my biggest distraction would always get in the way instead up supporting my vision. Somehow all of my goals and projects would seemingly lose momentum whenever my distractions got a hold of me. I picked up on that real quick and told myself I had to take a pause on play time while I focused on my work.
Aho! And get this: it worked!
Take a break or time out from what distracts you from focusing, just create some space for a while—until you can fluidly maneuver both simultaneously. Now, I have a beautiful balance of work and play.
Keep your eyes on the prize and move forward with constant remembrance of why you’re living, what you’re here to do, and why your soul is here on earth.

2. Let those who need to make noise, make their noise.

Be gentle, soft and silent as you put one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing—what matters is what you’re doing. You just keep on moving with trust and faith. Don’t worry about affirmation and/or acknowledgement. Stay detached from the fruits of your actions, the Bhagavad Gita teaches that.
That all comes later on by the law of karma, cause and effect.
Plus, by then you won’t even care about the validation because you receive it already from a different, deeper place of the sole fact you are being granted access to share your work. The ones that matter will see you and reach out—teachers, mentors, peers. You will connect with those whom you are supposed to connect with and to.
Take slow, conscious deep strides towards your vision and trust the process.
God’s got your back and other light workers do too.

3. Move away from struggle; walk towards ease.

In the beginning, there may be a phase of an uphill movement. Soon, you may reach a plateau. Then you’ll start to go uphill again, until you reach another plateau.
Then, from there, you may begin to step at a steady upward incline as you go up, up, up, further along your path. That’s when you know you’re doin’ something right!
When you walk away from struggle, and walk towards ease. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, if you’re on your path, doing your dharma, doing your purpose, doing your life’s work, life will meet you with open arms, ready to give, give, give you exactly what you need to step up.
If you have a calling in your heart that you feel you absolutely must respond to, that is your duty. Trust in your heart and let it all unfold.
Don’t rush or you’ll miss out on the all details—immense beauty lies within the subtlety.

4. Hang out with others who inspire you.

Spend time and be in the company of those who give you the space to not only be who you are but also give you the space to be who you’re going to be.
What that means is hang out with people who are doing their own work of furthering their life, their consciousness, their understanding and capacity of what this whole life thing is all about. 

All my friends and teachers—they are my guides—they constantly show me the way. I learn from them as they so uniquely and individually show me who they are and what they’re about. They range from yogis, musicians, artists, photographers, models, chefs, restaurant owners, real estate agents, farmers, mothers, fathers, grandfathers, dancers, chiefs, teachers, etc etc, all walks of life.
The thing about following your heart and spirituality is this: All paths lead to one. There is the one in the many, and the many in the one.
Hang out with those who add more love, light, intelligence and awareness into your life.

And most importantly, have fun!!

Courtesy:  Elephant Journal

8 healthy foods every woman must eat

Essential nutrition for good health

While eating healthy is essential for both the sexes, men and women have different dietary requirements. Here are some foods that every woman must include in her diet...

Flax seeds
Have flax seeds daily for overall good health. They are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. They also have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent arthritis, apart from digestive properties which help ease irritable bowel syndrome.

Salmon
Not only is salmon rich in iron, which is usually lacking in women, but it is also full of omega-3 fatty acids, known to improve your mood. Experts say that omega-3 helps treat depression and prevent mood swings.

Cranberries
Certain studies over the years have found a link between eating cranberries and how it reduces the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Also, they have the ability to prevent and cure urinary tract infections. Have a glass of cranberry juice every other day.

Spinach
While this might not be a much-loved food, spinach is packed with a host of vitamins, minerals and high amounts of magnesium. And magnesium is known to help reduce the physical symptoms of PMS like swelling, breast tenderness, bloating and weight gain.

Walnuts
Experts say that walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols — all important in reducing the risk of breast cancer. The high omega-3 content also helps bone health,arthiritis and depression. Walnuts also comprise nutrients like calcium, magnesium and folic acid.

Oats
Oats are bursting with health-boosting nutrients, great for female health. They keep your heart healthy, are great for digestion, keep blood pressure levels in check and also contain vitamin B6, which helps prevent PMS and mood swings. Another component — folic acid — prevents birth defects in babies and is essential for women during and after pregnancy.

Milk
Calcium deficiency is one of the major health concerns that affects women worldwide. Milk is an absolute must for women at any age. A great source of calcium, milk, when combined with vitamin D, is one of the best ways to keep osteoporosis at bay. Milk is also helpful in preventing symptoms of the dreaded PMS.

Tomatoes
A carotenoid that is essential for good health is lycopene, which is a pigment found in tomatoes. And several studies have said that lycopene can help prevent breast cancer. Apart from this, there is also evidence that suggests that it reduces the risk of heart disease.

Courtesy:  Times of India, Jan 2014

30 minutes of meditation can help curb anxiety and depression

About 30 minutes of meditation daily could help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, says a study. Researcher Madhav Goyal said meditation appeared to provide as much relief from some anxiety and depression symptoms as what other studies have found from antidepressants. 

Researchers evaluated the degree to which those symptoms changed in people who had medical conditions like insomnia or fibromyalgia, although only a minority had been diagnosed with a mental illness. They discovered that so-called ‘mindfulness meditation’ — a form of Buddhist self-awareness designed to focus precise, non-judgmental attention to the moment — showed promise in alleviating some pain symptoms and stress. 

To conduct their review, investigators focused on clinical trials performed last year among 3,515 participants that involved meditation and mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, substance use, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and chronic pain. They found moderate evidence of improvement in symptoms of anxiety, depression and pain after participants underwent what was typically an eight week training programme in m i n d f u l n e s s meditation. 

Courtesy: TOI, 9th Jan 2014