Monday, 30 May 2016

What Exercise Routine Should One Opt


Most people shudder at the thought of exercise...and the main reason is that many find it boring. While some view it as some inevitable task that has to be performed to stay fit. If this is what you feel then its time to change your perspective.

Exercise need not be boring, you can make it an interesting activity. There are many ways to exercise, walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, taking up a sport, gardening, running with a pet, playing with kids ....all these activities are both enjoyable and involve physical activity. Its no exaggeration to say that attending to household chores is a big exercise in itself. Sweeping rooms, cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, all involve considerable physical strain and burn calories significantly.

 Alternatively, one can join a group, say yoga group or a gym or a joggers' group anything that meets one's interest. In fact, group workout's are enjoyable and provide an immense level of motivation to stay on track. One can actually experience the flow of positive enthusiasm and energy.





Also, not all people find same activity or exercise routine interesting. People can pick from a range of exercising options to suit their specific goals and requirements. Few options include cardio, strength training, recreational activities, flexibility exercises, breathing exercises and mediation. 

 Cardio or Endurance activities include jogging, brisk walking, dancing or skipping. All these activities increase heart rate, improve blood circulation and increase metabolism.

Strength training routines aim to strengthen muscles. Few popular ones include climbing stairs, lifting weights, using one's own body weight and using resistance band.

Balance exercises aim to improve body's stamina and balance, especially in preventing falls.

Recreational Activities provide immense joy and satisfaction. The list is very broad as any fun activity that involves physical activity and gives you pleasure is an exercise in itself.

Flexible exercises aim to stretch and energize muscles. These form of exercises provide more ease of movement and relaxes strained muscles. Few popular forms include yoga, leg stretch and shoulder stretch.

Deep breathing and meditation provide a good number of exceptional benefits and help in combating various respiratory disorders and skin problems. However, one should first learn the techniques from a trained person.

Pointers

Aged people and people with certain medical conditions should first consult their physician before embarking on any kind of exercise routine.

People planning to take up yoga should start under the guidance of a trained teacher.

Exercise done in any form is a stress-reliever and energizer.

Exercise ensures positive flow of energy and a sense of accomplishment.

Consistency is the key to stay fit.

Exercising people should also pay attention to their eating patterns and must ensure that they take balanced meals.


Sunday, 22 May 2016

Hair Care

                Basic Hair Care Regimen

Years of constant negligence started showing its affects on my hair in terms of severe hair fall and premature graying.When something is damaged out of negligence, proper and constant care will go a long way in nurturing the same to a healthy state.

The first thing that occurred to my mind is to find out the root cause. I met a dermatologist, who proved very helpful. He confirmed my doubts...dandruff, vitamin deficiency and stress to be main reasons for the problem.

His main suggestions include

Drink lots of water
Get enough exposure to sunlight
Eat green leafy vegetables, cucumber and fruits
Eat almonds, raisins
Take ragi java regularly
And of course, yoga!
He also prescribed a 3 month course of multivitamin tablets and an anti-dandruff shampoo.

The multivitamin tablets proved effective, but I certainly didn't want to use any cosmetics to control my hair fall.

I wanted to craft my own hair care program. First I've researched on the most effective homemade remedies for hair fall. 

Fenugreek seeds, onion, curry leaves, amla and bringraj powder topped my list for their effectiveness in controlling dandruff, hair fall and graying.

Scalp massage with lukewarm oil also is very effective in improving blood circulation to hair follicles.

I've started with few hair masks using the above ingredients.

Fenugreek Seeds Paste

Soak 2 tbsp of fenugreek seeds overnight.
In the morning blend them with little yogurt and curry leaves. Apply the paste to the scalp and cover with a shower cap. Let it stay for about 1 hour for best results.
Then wash with lukewarm water and mild shampoo (I've used Biotique kayakalp).

I've regularly applied this mask for whole one week and the results started showing...the dandruff disappeared, hair fall stopped!!!
Can you believe this....no? Okay, try and see...

Onion, Curry Leaves, Amla Mask

Blend one chopped onion with curry leaves and a tbsp of yogurt. To this add amla powder. Apply the paste to the scalp and cover with a shower cap. Let it stay for 1 hour and then wash.

I've used this mask for twice a week and again the results are just awesome. Its too early to state that my hair growth recovered, but hair fall has definitely stopped.

Aloe vera, Olive Oil, Cucumber Mask

Mix 1 tbsp of aloe vera, olive oil and cucumber paste. Apply this mask for 30 mins to 1 hour. The results are again great, leaving your hair silk like smooth and healthy. 

Another key consideration is how frequently you oil your hair and how frequently you take head bath. Best practice is, one should oil hair just 1 or 2 hours prior to taking head bath. And these days its better to take head bath daily with a mild shampoo. 

 About premature graying, I use mehendi mask once a month and I guess the curry leaves are doing their bit in this regard. 

These practices helped me control hair problems, I wish you all will surely benefit from these simple remedies and practices.Good Hair Luck!

There is lot more to do and write about hair care...but to start with I want to stick to this basic schedule for some time. Once I move on to next level of hair care, I will share the same here.

Saturday, 21 May 2016

This Summer Make Sure Your Kids are Well-Hydrated!!

With temperatures already reaching 44 degrees and estimated to reach much higher in coming days concerns about health are on the rise. Especially kids and senior citizens need special care.

There's no better way to stay hydrated than drinking water...but if I ask my kids to drink water all the time..they would make faces. So I come up with various alternatives to keep them hydrated.

The best alternative is butter milk....very thin consistency otherwise one may experience some tingling sensation in the throat. 

Buttermilk recipe

1 cup curd
4 glasses water
few curry leaves
grated ginger - a little
half tsp salt
paste of few mint and coriander leaves 
 half tsp cumin powder

Beat curds to smooth consistency, mix water and churn for few minutes. Keep in fridge for about an hour or add ice cubes for instant use. People of all ages can enjoy this age-old, refreshing beverage.

One can also try ragi java to beat the heat. Its more nutritious with excellent cooling properties.
Ragi Java Recipe
Dry roast 4 tbsp ragi powder
Add to water and simmer on heat till it thickens
Remove from heat, add salt and let it cool.
Later add to butter milk (a little thick consistency)
4 tbsp ragi java to 3/4th glass buttermilk.
Keep in fridge for an hour and then drink.
Simple, tasty and healthy!!

Homemade smoothies and fruit juices are also healthy and tasty options to stay hydrated. Watermelon is an all-time favorite...however I prefer to eat it!! For the ones who love to drink watermelon juice just make sure you add a pinch of salt and few drops of lemon juice. One can also try adding little grated ginger.

Then we have barley water, again a healthy way to stay hydrated!

Try drinking barley water either plain or added to butter milk (of thick consistency) and little salt.

One can also try Roohafzha lemonade. I love this and we can actually feel the coolness. 

Recipe
3 tbsp Roohafzha
1 glass cool water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
mix all and drink.

You can also try our very old humble lemonade. Simply mix 1 tsp of lemon juice, 1tsp sugar, a pinch of salt to a glass of cool water and enjoy the cooling, refreshing lemonade.  

Then we have freshly made fruit juices, especially water melon juice, musk melon smoothie. I've recently bumped into a smoothie recipe posted in Manjula's Kitchen. It tasted really refreshing. Pls find the link here.

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/tag/cantaloupe/

Also, when you go out for shopping or other errands just try and avoid cut-fruits and drinks from roadside hawkers. These may not be prepared in hygienic conditions and might contain harmful bacteria.

These well-known and simple homemade remedies go a long way to keep you hydrated in hot summers. There are other several recipes and coolers, yet I find the above list to be really simple and effective.

Do You Exercise??

Hi everyone,

We all wish to shed those extra kilos, maintain good shape and of course stay healthy. But only few remain consistently focused on the 'stay fit' mantra. Why - we all have our own reasons, excuses, responsibilities, jobs!!!!


Honestly, do we really can't afford to start and stick to a specific exercise routine? Is it really that difficult? As I'm writing this, I'm no good at regular exercise.... Unfortunately, I've read somewhere its good enough if you exercise for at least 4 days in a week. This kind of comforting news gets etched in our brains and we use it whenever we need it. Something like that is happening with me...If I exercise for two days in a row....then the third I automatically take a break!! It has a become a routine with me and I'm determined to change this. How.....Read on!


First decide on what type of exercising routine suits you. I'm comfortable with walking and yoga (suryanamaskar, few asanas n breathing exercises) to start with. 


Next equip yourself with all the necessary gear....I already have yoga mat, so I bought new sneakers for walking. 

Then decide on timings....Yes this is a detriment to many of us....with huge scope for excuses!!
But that won't do now. YES, be honest and decide on the timings...either early mornings or evenings during sunset. 
Choose a proper place to walk.
Drink enough water.
Start Slowly and maintain steady pace.
 I prefer early mornings!! I have great energy at that time and I love walking in mornings.

Thats done....so now start walking!!

I've a friend who joins me for morning walks. So we started and with few breaks still continuing. Few pointers for walkers - Always wear jogging shoes, never use any other type of footwear!Start with a warm-up walk for about 5 minutes, then increase pace gradually and brisk walk for about 15 minutes.

 Then gradually reduce pace and return to normal speed. All this would take up to 45 minutes. This kind of routine is best suited for people who do not walk much.Once you start enjoying the routine u can increase your brisk-walk time gradually.

Then start yoga...yoga classes are available anywhere, so join one. It will provide the much needed motivation to start and continue yoga. Personally, I do suryanamaskars (15-12 cycles), then abdominal, chakra asana and few standing poses and then pranayama, all with few seconds break in between. Once I'm done with all the asanas, I close my eyes sit quietly for sometime in a padmasana pose.This is relaxing!!


Many working women and even stay-at-home women might not find enough time to exercise both during mornings and evenings. Here's what you can do. Plans meals before night itself so that the next day won't be a rush. Working women can start a little early, say at 4 am and finish all chores by 5.30. Then embark on your walking crusade!! Stay-at-home women can choose mornings 11-12.30 timings for exercises, just ensure that you do not eat anything 3 hours prior to that. This is just a suggestion.....But remember, you have to give it a 'PRIORITY' status to actually see the results.


 You will be surprised by the outcomes - first you will notice some kind of triumphant feeling about having done something for yourself. Then gradually you will start noticing improvements in your appearance and health grounds. Of course compliments will soon follow...but what matters the most is, you did make a start and adhered to it. I've seen few people who do exercise with great commitment and the results are wonderful. They are my inspiration!!



I still try to stick to a routine but fail horribly. But I'm working on that front and would definitely chart out a perfect exercising routine.


I personally feel, beginners should initially adhere to a walking routine. That prepares your body for yoga. I personally noticed this. Initially, I've started walking for up to 4 four months (consistently) and then started attending yoga classes. The walking routine made my body more flexible and I experienced no discomfort in doing yoga. 


So, everyone out there who are still mulling over, bring out your exercising gear and start now!! Good Luck.