lifestyle of Indian women

Benefits of Natural Water

Mythili — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:35:08 +0000

Water is best known as the universal solvent since it can dissolve almost anything. We also depend on water in order to live. But mind you, water is also considered as a natural cure.

We often overlooked the healing properties of water because every time we get sick, we immediately see our doctor and buy medicine.

Water is best used in its natural form compared when it is made into beverages like soda, beer, tea and many more. Water[water diet] is a natural cure. Here’s why:

1. It rehydrates the body

Studies proved that some diseases like high blood pressure, allergies and asthma can be caused by dehydration. Drinking 100% pure water can help cure and prevent the occurrence of these diseases.

2. It helps one lose weight

Dieting, drinking water, and regular exercise can do wonders to your body. Drinking water can help speed up metabolism and improve digestion. It also gives one a feeling of fullness.

3. It is a natural antioxidant

Water is a natural antioxidant that helps cleanse the body of free radicals. Water carries toxins out of the body through sweat and urine.

Drinking pure water sure has its benefits. It is a natural cure that acts as an antioxidant, an aid in dieting, and a shield against illness.

Do Spirulina Help Reducing Weight?

Mythili — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:10:39 +0000

Spirulina has been touted by some as being ‘best food for the future’ and there are studies that aim to show that when taken as a dietary supplement, spirulina helps burn more fat and allows you to train harder. Press releases such as this one, elevate it to a miracle food.

As per this study, “Spirulina supplementation induced a significant increase in exercise performance, fat oxidation, and GSH concentration and attenuated the exercise-induced increase in lipid peroxidation.”

Skeptics would quickly say that the study is probably funded by the manufacturers of the supplement; but what is undisputable is that this algae is nutritionally excellent and is possessed of a lot of vitamins and minerals. Plus it has very high proportion of protein and so is popular with nutritionists. It is good for health, however there may not be enough evidence to demonstrate that it is a miracle weight loss pill just yet!

Do Eating certain Foods Will Help Lose Weight?

Mythili — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:58:02 +0000

There are actually foods out there that can and will help you to lose weight.

You can think of the obvious foods such as fibers and proteins since these types of foods will keep you full but there are also many other types of foods that will help to stop your cravings and actually help you to curb your appetite.

Start your day with a cup of hot green tea or a glass of cold, iced green tea. Green tea has antioxidants in it, which actually aid the body in fat burning as well as help speed up your metabolism.

Try to incorporate beans into your diet every day. Beans have a hormone in them that is actually a natural appetite suppressant. And beans also have been known to help you keep your blood sugar levels at an even place so you are not having cravings throughout the day.

Incorporate beans that are high-fiber to your diet because not only will they help you to stay full and eat less but they can also help promote lower cholesterol levels.

You knew salad would appear on a ‘help you lose weight’ list but you may not actually know the real reason why salad can help you to lose weight.

The reason salad can help you to lose weight is because if you eat a salad before your actual meal you will be fuller faster and eat less of your actual meal.

Of course you can’t counteract all this hard work and dedication to losing weight by putting ranch salad dressing on that salad. Also, salad eaters have been known to have higher levels of Vitamins C and Vitamins E as well as carotenoids and lycopene.

Carotenoids and Lycopene are disease fighters so you get a double bonus for eating salad before your meal.

Along with that cup of green tea in the morning have some eggs for breakfast. Eggs are completely chock-full of protein and will keep you feeling fuller longer than a bowl of cereal or bagel. Not to mention eggs are much less fattening than that bagel with cream cheese.

And along with that pre-meal salad why not indulge in a pre-meal cup of soup? Why? Because soup does the exact same thing salad does, it fills you up so you will eat less of your actual lunch. And soup rarely has that many calories so you are good to go in the calorie department.

Morning Makeover for weight loss

Mythili — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:13:03 +0000

Small Changes, Big Weight Loss

This is not a diet — or a rigorous exercise program. (Nobody can stick to those for long.) Instead, it’s a simple way to make weight loss a natural part of the life you already live. And guess what? It’s fun! You don’t have to give up the foods you love or join a gym. It’s about balancing calories in tiny ways that add up to big benefits. You just adopt some tricks naturally lean people do. Pick the ones you like, stick with them, and you’ll slim down and tone up — for good.

Morning Makeover
1. Wake-up workout When your eyes open, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your back and hamstrings. Hold; then, using your abs, lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat two more times. Strengthens core. Burns 10 calories

2. Go for the grains Not ready for Twigs & Rocks cereal? Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran. Work up to 3/4 cup of low-sugar whole-grain cereal with at least three grams of fiber per serving, and you’ll pass on that Danish. Saves 100

3. Add some protein The more you eat earlier on, the less you eat as the day wears on, research has shown. So after your cereal, add a hard-boiled egg or a part-skim mozzarella cheese stick to keep you feeling full — and away from that pre-lunch brownie. Saves 200 (or more)

4. Balance booster While you brush your teeth, alternate standing on one leg as you switch mouth quadrants (every 30 seconds). Balancing develops your core muscles and may even be good for your brain. Burns 10

5. Be a ballerina As your coffee drips, stand sideways, put one hand on the counter, and lift the outside leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended. With upper body straight, hold for a few seconds and move it to the side; hold and extend it behind you. Do five to ten times on each leg. Tones outer thighs, hip flexors and quadriceps. Burns 10

6. Coffee saver Instead of pouring that 1/3 cup of half-and-half (a whopping 105 calories!) into your mug, replace it with the same amount of 2% milk. Saves 60

7. Better your bagel You can walk 10,000 steps to justify your 500-calorie bagel with cream cheese, or try this: low-fat spreadable cheese like Laughing Cow Light on an English muffin. Saves 300

Choose Your Hair Cut From Face Shape

Mythili — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:56:45 +0000

Your hair type – the texture of your hair – will have a big impact on the kind of style that will work for you. If you have fine hair, you’re better to add body with above-the-shoulder cuts than to try to wear your hair long. Long layers will give it shape. Or go for a blunt-cut style to help hair look fuller.

Cut for your face shape

Round

Your forehead, jawline and cheekbones are the same width. Styles with height at the top and layers below the jawline will suit. What won’t work is anything with too much volume at the sides, so bobs aren’t your perfect style.

Celeb round: Kate Winslet

Oval

Your face forms an almond with most of the width at the cheekbones. Luckily for you this is the most versatile face shape of all and loads of styles will suit you. Feel free to experiment with whatever looks you like.

Celeb oval: Julia Roberts

Heart

You have a narrow chin with your forehead and cheeks wider than your jawline. Side partings, swept-across fringes and flicked-out styles look great on you. Go long or short but avoid heavy fringes.

Celeb heart: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Square

Your face is as wide as it is long with the greatest width across the cheekbones. Side partings and lots of texture look good on you. Avoid styles that end at the chin or geometric cuts – they will make your face look even boxier than it is already.

Celeb square: Sandra Bullock

How to take care of Pets

Mythili — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 06:36:09 +0000

Before you take that adorable bundle of fluff into your home, it is important to consider all the options. Pets are a great way to teach kids responsibility, plus it’s well known that they help prevent loneliness and even lower the heart rate and blood pressure in some people. But they can also take up a lot of time and money and can sometimes end up being too much for a family to cope with. Here are some tips if your child is begging for a pet – or just arrives home from school with a stray kitten…

FUTURE PLANNING

Sit down as a family and play “In a Year’s Time”. This game involves imagining what the animal will be doing in a year. Will the puppy be a huge dog that needs a fenced section? Will the cat be a fluffy one that needs daily brushing? Who will be the one who feeds it, walks it, brushes it and bathes it?

THE BIG PICTURE

Work out how much care the animal will need and how much time that will take and then decide, as a family, whose job that will be and, if that person is away or sick, who will do it instead.

HOME & AWAY

What will you do when you go on holiday? Before you get a pet, find out if you have a neighbour who’d be prepared to feed it. Or will you put it in a kennel? How much would that cost and can you afford it?

SPEAK TO A VET

Ring your local vet and find out how much it will cost to get your new pet de-sexed, vaccinated and given a thorough checkup. These things can be very expensive so make sure you have the money in the bank before you get the pet. And make sure your children know of this expense.

START SMALL

If you think a dog or cat may be too much responsibility for your children, then start off small with some goldfish or a pet bird or rabbit. They need feeding and cleaning regularly but not walking or grooming. Tell your children that if they can care for them well, then you’ll consider getting a cat or dog.

WHICH BREED?

If you’re considering a dog, think carefully about which breed you want. Very large dogs are hard for children to handle on a walk, while some breeds such as pitbulls have been bred to fight and carry that risk with them. Do some research to find a breed recommended for young kids.

HANDLE WITH CARE

No matter which pet you decide to get, teach your child how to handle them. Simple rules like never squeezing them hard, dropping them, falling on them or picking them up too fast can keep both child and pet safe. Not teasing them, pulling their ears and tail or trying to play with them when they are feeding or sleeping, are all important rules.

STRANGERS’ PETS

Teach your child to never play with animals they don’t know and always ask the owner before approaching pets, especially dogs. When they do, ensure they hold their hand up first for the dog to sniff.

LOST & FOUND

Consider getting your pet from the SPCA or an animal shelter as this way you are giving an animal a home and preventing it from being put down. The staff will also be very useful in helping you choose the right pet for your situation.

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

Realise that once the commitment has been made to bring a pet into your home, ultimately you, as the adult, are responsible. No matter how well-trained and diligent your child is, they can still make mistakes and forget to feed their pet or care for it well. Always keep any eye on your pets to see that they are getting the care they deserve.

Benefits of Fasting

Mythili — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:02:45 +0000

One recommendation came from Indonesia, where Muslims practice periodic fasting. Although experts don’t recommend fasting for weight control, fasting in moderation can break patterns of mindless eating, one expert said.

1. The Warrior Diet Way: Ori Hofmekler, author of The Warrior Diet, emphasizes a period of undereating with a window of eating until satisfaction. This undereating time period is a maximum of 16-18 hours. During this time a person eats only low glycemic index fruits, such as berries, and fresh, uncooked vegetables. Some light proteins can be eaten as well such as hard boiled eggs or yogurt. Essentially, a person consumes one main meal per day with small snacks. For example, if a person ends his main meal at 8 p.m., he would not eat a large meal again until after 1 p.m. the next day.

2. The Eat Stop Eat Way: With this diet a person chooses to eat significantly less on 1-2 days per week while eating normally the other days. In this critique of both diets, the author suggests that this is a more natural way of eating for some people and less uncomfortable than the Warrior Diet way. A few days of calorie restriction result in a weekly deficit in calories without the constant deprivation of a daily low-calorie diet. Learn more about Eat Stop Eat.

3. Periodic Fasting: Try one day a month. You don’t have to follow a specific plan. Periodic fasting can be undertaken at your own leisure. The message is simple: If you are not hungry, don’t eat.

Why Try Fasting?

1. Eating small meals frequently has not been proven to increase metabolism. This is a myth.
2. You can achieve the results of calorie restriction but you will be more satisfied with a larger meal. Following one of the above plans or eating every other day to greater satisfaction can be easier than a constant state of deprivation.
3. Fasting has been shown to increase lifespan in certain animals and can reduce risk factors for common diseases. See this article from The Los Angeles Times on some of the benefits of fasting and this ScienceDaily.com article on a possible reduction in cancer risk.
4. Feeling hungry can make you happy. Read this interesting article from MSNB.com about how hunger can be a positive mood changer.
5. Intermittent, periodic or alternate-day fasting are all cheaper than carting food around wherever you go.

If eating more frequent meals does not work for you and you are constantly hungry, intermittent fasting could be the option for you. Hey, it’s no stranger than the lemon juice, maple syrup and hot sauce combination of The Master Cleanse! Of course, please consult your physician before trying any diet and listen to your body.

Article source : Readers Digest

Beat the summer Heat

Mythili — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:33:18 +0000

Summer heat triggers a surprising variety of ailments. Here are some natural home remedies that spell relief.

Athlete’s foot
Soothe skin and clear infection by putting 1 cup of apple cider vinegar in a bowl of cool water and soak your feet for 10 minutes twice daily. Apply tea tree oil directly to the affected area.

Bites and stings
Apply one drop of peppermint oil directly to the bite. Peppermint has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Or, make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and a little water and apply that.

Heat exhaustion
Give sips of ginger tea, or place a few drops of rosemary oil on a tissue and inhale it. Acupressure can help you stop feeling faint: Press firmly between the base of the nose and the upper lip, for 1 minute. Take Siberian ginseng – this herb helps the body adapt more easily to extremes in temperature.

Prickly heat
Try an oatmeal bath: Grind dry rolled oats into a very fine powder in a blender, and add 2 cups to a bath of lukewarm water. Don’t rinse off, simply pat skin dry. Another idea is to chill wet chamomile tea bags in the fridge, then place them on the inflamed skin. Chamomile contains an oil called azulene, which has very effective anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and pain-relieving properties.

Sore eyes
Chlorine, salt water and hot winds play havoc with your eyes. Add 4 drops of lavender essential oils to a cup of spring water and mix well. Soak two cotton wool pads in the liquid, squeeze out the excess water and place a pad over each eye, then lie down with feet elevated higher than your head.

Sunburn
Cool down by soaking in a tub of tepid water for 15 minutes. Adding a cup of bicarbonate of soda or 500 ml of strong black tea to the bathwater will help. Avoid soap. Drink plenty of liquids – your body needs all the moisture it can get. Then smooth on a light moisturiser containing vitamin E or aloe vera. Some people get relief from thin slices of raw cucumber or tomato – they feel cool and help reduce inflammation on small areas, like the nose or tips of the ears. Plain yoghurt is also soothing – pat lightly on all suburned areas, then rinse off in a cool shower.

Let’s go and play girls!

Mythili — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:29:50 +0000

Most women say that their friendships with other women are among the most significant in their lives. Sure, your family knows you too, but with them you play a certain role, while female friends allow you to be yourself.

Here are seven ways to keep existing friendships strong and develop quality new ones:

1: Run away together Invite friends on retreats, perhaps to a health farm, a country vineyard, or a road trip to somewhere you’ve both always wanted to go.
2: Eat out Not much beats talking it all out over dinner with the girls. Women’s tendency to ‘tend and befriend’ — to comfort and support each other — explains why they live an average of 7½ years longer than men. Stress has a way of dissipating when women surround themselves with women.
3: Nix negative emotions Issues involving envy and competition are insidious for women’s friendships. Recognise those feelings and try to handle them openly.
4: Share your feelings It’s important to not only listen to your friends, but also to confide your thoughts and experiences with them. When someone opens up to you, it’s a gift. It says, “I trust you.”
5: Just saying “You’re important to me” or “I value our relationship,” can strengthen a friendship.
6: Stock up on ‘thank-you’, ‘congratulations’ and ‘well done’ cards Remember how you feel when a good word is sent your way and be generous in your compliments to others – little kindnesses oil the wheels that make friendships go round.
7: To expand your circle, a good first step is to think of someone you know casually — at work, or a neighbour — and ask her out for coffee. Book clubs can also be great friendship builders. You end up talking to all sorts of different people on topics that would never come up in a regular conversation.

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Summer Special – Benefits of Mangoes

Mythili — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:50:48 +0000

For many of us, mangoes are the first sign of the summer weather and the beginning of the fresh summer fruit season. And not only are mangoes delicious, they are also nutritious.

Because of their vibrant orange colour, mangoes contain plenty of vitamin A and vitamin C — which are powerful antioxidants. They also contain potassium and some fibre. Mangoes are great as a snack and they are low-GI as well!

Choosing:
You should be able to apply some gentle pressure to a ripe mango. Ripe mangoes will have a lush yellow-orange colour and a sweet aroma. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Unripe, green mangoes are best left out in a fruit bowl until ripe, and then transferred to the fridge.

Eating:

Trying to eat a mango without making too much of a mess can be a little tricky. The best way to prepare a mango is to:

slice each cheek as close to the stone as possible;
score horizontal and vertical lines inside the mango cheek, taking care not to cut through the skin; and
hold cheek firmly on either edge and turn out and slice off mango squares from skin.