Exercise With A Proper Diet

Exercise and diet both goes hand in hand. Proper diet is very much essential for a workout. When and what you eat is very important when you exercise. What you eat before an exercise prepares your body for the stress and what you eat after the exercise is essential for the body repair. Here are some tips for eating and exercise.

• If you exercise in the morning have a healthy breakfast at least one to two hours before your workout. The blood sugar level is low in the morning so you may feel sluggish if you don't eat and exercise. Healthy breakfast includes cereals, low-fat milk, fruits, juices, bread with honey, a cup of coffee, etc.
• If you exercise in the evening time, you need to take a meal rich in carbohydrates(rice, wheat, yogurt, vegetables) at least two to three hours before you hit the gym or any exercise because carbohydrates gives greatest energy to your muscles.
• After you exercise you need to have foods which are rich in both carbohydrates and proteins to help your body recover from muscle repair. You can have apple which is rich in fibre, yogurt, dried fruits, juices, low-fat muffins, nuts, etc.
• Never hit the gym with empty stomach because your body will have less glucose levels. So when you exercise your body cannot give greatest energy during work out and so finally you may feel tired and week.
• Drink more fluids before, during, and after the exercise to prevent dehydration. Drink at least 3 to 4 glasses of water before and after the exercise. Drink at least 2 glasses of water during the exercise.
• No need to knock off everything you like from the diet, but eat them in small amounts like burger, French fries, pizza, cookies, chocolates, etc.
• Take low-fat dairy products like low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, butter. No need to avoid them completely. Take them in smaller portions because dairy products contain calcium which is important for workout.
• Limit your consumption of foods like potato chips, cakes, jams, jellies, donuts, etc. They contain more calories, salts, artificial sugars, fats and less nutritional benefits.

CONCLUSION: Proper diet is very important when you exercise. These are some tips that gives you the basic information about the types of foods that are essential when you exercise. Always try to eat something which has more nutritional values. Exercise with a proper diet and stay healthy.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Do you have any complications while sleeping?

Many of us might have experienced the troubling nights in which we can't sleep or we have poor quality sleep no matter how tired we are.Such disturbed sleep leads to a huge discomfort in us.In some people disturbed sleep is due to stress and depression.People with depression could not sleep properly because of following reasons:

• They do not sleep for reasonable number of hours.
• Could not go into sleep with thoughts going round the head.
• Frequently waking up in the middle of the night and could not sleep again.

So naturally because of this disturbed sleep we feel tired, inactive and less effective the next day.There are 75% of the people suffering with depression and stress have problems with their sleep.Sometimes sleep problems in depressed people leads to increased risk of suicide.

 

Normal Sleep:

 

Sleep is not simply a condition in which the body and mind are resting but a complicated state in which our nervous system is inactive means our senses will be relatively suspended.Generally we need a minimum of 6-8 hours sleep to feel refreshed. Sleep can be divided into five different stages :

 

Stage 1:This is the lightest stage of sleep.We spend about 5-10 minutes during this stage in which our body and muscles relax slowly.

Stage 2:This is considered as the light stage of sleep.In this stage our brain activity,heart rate,breathing starts to slow down.

Stage 3:This stage is a start of deep sleep which is known as slow wave stage.If we suddenly woke up during this stage we will be in confused state and cannot focus on anything.

Stage 4:This is the one in which we experience the deepest sleep of all the 5 stages.It is almost difficult to wake someone during this stage.

Stage 5:This stage is also called as REM(Rapid Eye Movement) because though our eyes are closed they move around a lot during this stage.REM stage is the stage of sleep when we dream.During this stage our brain activity,breathing slowly increases.

 

So a normal person tend to go through these 5 stages when he/she is asleep.But in case of depressed people the pattern of sleep changes:

• They take longer time to get into sleep.
• They sleep for very shorter time.
• There is little or no deep sleep
• They woke up often during night and could not sleep again.

Tips:
There are some suggestions or tips for people who are suffering from disturbed sleep in to improve their sleep.But these suggestions need the complete effort from them.

• Exercise daily.Physical exercises makes your body more tired and helps you to get sleep fastly and easily.Avoid exercises at least three hours before bed time it makes difficult to sleep.
• Try meditation before going to sleep.It calms your mind and clear all your thoughts.During meditation concentrate mainly on breathing excercise.When you are breathing slowly it also slows your heart rate and calm your mind by clearing your thoughts.
  

  
• Avoid watching any shows or movies that are disturbing,horror or violent before bed time.
• Your bed room should be warm,pleasant with a comfortable bed.Avoid Tv,radio,mobiles in your bedroom.
• Reading books in bed helps us sometimes to sleep fastly and easily.Avoid reading thriller or horror books before bed they may distract your mind.
• Listen to soft,relaxing,smoothing songs with low volume before bed,it relaxes your mind.
• Avoid sleeping immediately after having a meal and heavy meals two hours before bedtime.It will be difficult to sleep with heavy stomach.
• Have a warm bath or shower with soft music before bedtime it will relax your body and triggers drowsiness by relaxing your mind.
• Avoid napping during afternoon after 3:00,it will make harder to sleep at night-time.
• Don't go to bed with empty stomach,it makes difficult to sleep with empty stomach.Have a light snack like fruits,bread,dry friuts and drink some warm milk.
• Limit caffeine intake.Don't drink more than two cups of coffee or tea per day.Drinking more caffeine makes difficult to sleep at night. 

Foods that makes us happy

Did you know that the foods we eat can influence our mood and change our mood.This is because there are certain foods which stimulate the production of mood elevating hormones like endorphin,serotonin and dopamine.The food we eat every day has a enormous influence on the functioning of the brain.There is increasing evidence that eating right food can elevate your mood.Scientific research suggests that the foods rich in carbohydrates,proteins,vitamins,minerals can effect the functioning of the brain and they act as mood enhancers,promoting calmness.Their deficiencies can lead to mood swings,insomnia(sleeplessness),stress,tension,depression.According to scientific studies there are many foods that are 'mood boosting' and makes us happy.There are specific foods which relieves us from stress by releasing or promoting endorphin or sertonin which are commonly known as" happy hormones" in our brain.

 

 Here are some foods that makes us feel happy:

 

         Banana:

 

• Banana is a rich source of amino acid tryptophan,potassium,magnesium which helps in sustaining of good mood.
• Bananas contain natural sugars.These natural sugars get quickly released into blood and gives us immediate energy by releasing serotonin.
 
 
Tomato: 

 
• Tomatoes are very rich source of lycopene which is an antioxidant.It fights in brain-inflammation.
• Tomato is a rich source of potassium,phosphorus,calcium which is good for brain health.
 
Egg:

 

 

• Egg is a rich source of vitamin-B12,zinc,iodine which keeps us active for whole day.
• Egg is also rich in choline,omega-3 fatty acids which reduces irritation,stress and boost the endorphin hormone and keeps us in stable mood.
    

          Orange:     

 

• Orange is a simple citrus fruit which is rich in vitaminC,potassium,calcium,carotene which helps in perfect brain activity.
• Orange has plenty of folic acid which relieves us from depression,stress and tension.
• Orange juice is like a refreshing drink,it refresh our mood from irritation by releasing happy hormones.

          Honey:

• Honey contains huge amounts of flavonoid(powerful antioxidant) quercetin.Quercetin is more powerful than vitaminC which improves brain health and removes harmful toxins from the body.
• It also has huge amounts of kaemferol  which helps in reducing brain inflammation and prevents depression.

          Coconut:

• Coconut contains MCT(Medium-Chain Triglycerides) that boost energy ,good for brain health and generate better mood. 
• Coconut water drinks are very quick mood fixers.  
 
Yoghurt:

• Yoghurt is a good source of proteins,vitamin-B12, and huge amounts of calcium.
• If a person is deficient in calcium,he/she feels depressed, irritated and stressed.
• On eating yoghurt it generates better mood  by increasing neurotramitters in brain.
 

          Caffeine:

• Caffeine is an effective antidepressant which treats mild depression and irritation.
• Their is a evidance that 2or3 cups of coffee/tea is good for health.
• Too much caffeine leads to nervousness and severe headache.
 
Chocolate:


• Chocolate is high in phenylethylamine which is a mood enhancing chemical known for inducing a sense of happiness by releasing serotonin(happy hormone).
• Chocolate also contains anandamide which is another mood enhancing component.It rises our blood-sugar levels,quicken our pulse and generate better mood.
• Dark chocolate has the high percentage of cocoa in it than the milk chocolate.
    

         Sweet potato: 

• Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene,vitamins,fibre that helps in reducing the stress levels.
• It process the carbohydrate successively and releases sugar gently and keeps us happy for longer period.

 

         Fish: 

• Fish contains omega-3-fatty acids,vitamin-B12 which is good for brain health and balance our emotional levels.
• It also contains natural mood lifter tryptophan an essential amino acid by releasing serotonin which is known as happy hormone. 

          Green vegetables:

 

• Green vegetables are rich in iron,folic acid,potassium and vitaminB.
• They brighten the mood by reducing stress,anxiety,panic,depression and other emotional disorders.
• Green veggies keeps us happy for longer period.

         

          Tips:

• In order to meet emotional balance,improve the nutritional balance which includes carbohydrates,fats,proteins and other beneficial nutrients.
• Don't skip meals.When we skip meals our body is deficient of beneficial nutrients and finally it leads to stress.
• Next time when you are down try the above foods to feel better. 
 

HOW MUCH WATER ARE YOU WASTING?

Water is one of the most important natural resource and is vital for all aspects of life. Ninety seven and half% of water is available as oceans and one% of remaining is fresh water that is available for humans. Many people don’t even realize how much water they waste on daily basis. According to the Geological survey of India the average person wastes up to 50-100 gallons of water every day (1 gallon=4.54 litres approx). As we are provided with 24hr water supply, we are not realizing the importance of it and continuously wasting water for our daily needs. Just imagine our life without water or water is available in limited supply. It’s time for us to wake up and realize its importance and conserve water for our future needs.

Here is a Pie chart representing the several ways and percentage of water getting wasted at home by a person:

Let’s go to detailed information about the ways of water wastage at home and the tips to conserve water at home:

  a)TOILETS:

                                                      

·Toilet flushing is most common way of water wastage at home. It consumes almost half of the daily household water consumption.

·Toilet flushing uses about 5 gallons of water per flush.

·Some people throw cigarette butts,tissue papers or some trash into toilets and flush them.It uses up to 7 gallons of water per flush.

 

vConservation Tips:

§  Install low flush toilets in your homes that use only 2 gallons of water per flush.

§  Don’t flush cigarette butts, tissues or any waste in toilets. Use a separate dustbin to throw the wastes. Don’t use your toilet flush as a wastebasket.

 

b)  Cloth washers/ Washing machines:

· Cloth washers are the second most common way of water wastage at home.

· Cloth washers are of two types-front loaded washers and top loaded washers.

· Top loaded washers use up to 40 gallons of water per load in each cycle and Front loaded washers use up to 10-24 gallons of water per load because the front ones use gravity for the rest of the work.

 

v  Conservation Tips:

§  Use the cloth washers whenever you have a full load of clothes. Don’t use washing machines unnecessarily for less number of clothes.

§  When you want to buy a new washing machine, look for a model that uses less water and energy  controls like the front loaded washing machine.

c)Showers:

·Showers also consume greatest quantity of water in our homes.

· Showers can use 5-10 gallons of water per minute.

·Many people take long showers and waste liters of water for their fun in showers.

 

vConservation Tips:

§Try to reduce your showering time.

§Turn off the shower while you are soaping or shampooing.

§Replace your old shower heads with low-flow showerheads which use only 2.5 gallons of water per minute.

                                                   

d)Faucets and leaks:

·Nearly 20% of the homes have leaks in their faucets or pipes that waste around 90or more gallons of water per day.

·These leaks are found in dripping faucets, pipes, valves.

·These repairs can be done easily in our homes and can save more than 15% of our water bill.   

vConservation Tips:

§Leaky faucets can be reduced by checking the faucet valves,faucets washers and gaskets and replacing them whenever there is a leak.

§Toilet leaks can be found out easily by a simple method .Put few drops of food coloring in your   toilet tank .If the color appears in the bowl within 30 min without flushing then there is a leak in your toilet tank that should be repaired immediately.

 

e)Bath:

·An average bathtub can hold up to 40-60 gallons of water when it is completely filled.

·Sometimes we forget to close the drain and open the faucet to fill the bath tub.By the time we realize that the drain is not closed so much water will be wasted (around 100-150 gallons).

                                                         

vConservation Tips:
§Close the drain before filling the bath tub.
§Don’t fill the bath tub completely. Fill it partially just enough to cover your body. This can conserve more than half of water wasted during the bath.

f)Dish washers:
·Dish washers are the common way of wasting water in kitchen.
·They use up to 12-17 gallons of water per load in each cycle.
vConservation Tips:
§Use the dish washers whenever there is a full load .Don’t use it unnecessarily for two or three vessels.
§Use the options prewash, rinse-hold, and scrub cycles of your dish washer only when they are necessary .Because these cycles take more water than normal cycle.

g)Others:
·The most common way of wasting water at home is leaving running water when brushing teeth, shaving, and dish washing. If we leave running water for one min about 3to4 gallons of water will be wasted.
·Car washing is another way of wasting water. Using a hose (long tube) to wash the car can use up to 6 gallons of water per min. If the hose is left running while washing the car it ends up in wasting about 150 or more gallons of water.
·Lawns look beautiful, but the amount of water that goes wasted by watering the plants improperly i.e. watering the lawn during windy day or during a very hot day is like simply wasting hundreds of gallons of water per week.
·Unknowingly we waste lot of water in kitchen like washing fruits and vegetables under running water which waste 5 gallons of water per min.
·Everyone loves to play with water in swimming pools. An average of 1000 gallons of water is wasted every month for our fun.
vConservation Tips:
§Turn the faucet off as soon as you start brushing, shaving, or doing dishes.
§Simply use a bucket and sponge to clean your car instead of a hose. It will be a good exercise for your body while saving water.
§Avoid watering the plants during a very hot day which will evaporate all the water or during a  windy day in which all the water get blown off. Check the roots of the plants for moisture before watering them.
§Wash the fruits and vegetables in a pan filled with water and don’t throw this water away, you can use this water for watering indoor plants.
§Do not waste the water unnecessarily for swimming pools for fun.

Conclusion:           

Water is god gift to us; it must be conserved for us future utilities.Let us keep all these in mind and   make it a habit of not wasting water and explain every one about the drawbacks of wasting water and preserve our natural resource.

HOW BAD IS NAIL BITING?

 

                                              Nail biting is a habit of biting your fingernails or toe nails. It is an oral compulsive habit seen in children and adults. It is an impulse control behavior that involves compulsively damaging ones physical appearance or causing physical injury. Impulse control disorder is a class of psychiatric disorder described by impulsivity means failure to resist a temptation. Nail biting is recognized as a result of nervousness, stress, hunger or boredom, all of which are products of anxiety.

SIDE EFFECTS OF NAIL BITING

1)   Paronychia:

• Biting nails can lead to broken skin on the cuticle (outer layer of skin). When the cuticles are broken and exposed, they are more prone to bacterial or viral infections such as Paronychia.
• The pinworms or bacteria from mouth or environment enters the cuts and cracks of the skin around the nails, and causes infections called paronychia.

 

2)    Big-headed fingers:

• Biting the finger nails leads to red painful fingertips. Sometimes the nail biters bite their nails too deeply that leads to extreme pain or bleeding means the fingertips of the nail biters can get swollen and the nail bed gets damaged and it is referred to as Big-headed fingers.

3)      Gum infections:

• Nail biting causes damaged teeth or broken teeth.
• The germs and bacteria from underneath nail nter your mouth and causes broken or damaged teeth which in return leads to severe gum infections.

4)      Cuticle picking:

• Onychophagia is a disorder which involves continuous biting, chewing, picking of one’s fingernails and cuticles around them.
• By continuously picking or biting the area around the fingernails (i.e. cuticle),it  leads to bleeding and painful whenever you touch any object that results in painful red lesions.

5)      Psychological effects:

• Nail biting may cause self-consciousness or lack of confidence and embarrassment, which may lead to worry, stress and anxiety and may, in turn, cause more nail biting.

REMEDIES FOR NAIL BITING

• Many people bite their nails due to stress, bore and anxiety. whenever you feel worried about something take some steps that put you in a relaxed state like deep breathing exercise, cool bath, listening to soft music.
• Keeping your hands and mouth in some activities as playing musical instrument, playing a sport or video games, crunch a chewing gum in mouth.
• Keep your nails well trimmed and manicured regularly.
• Try the products that are aimed to give bitter taste to your nails as mavala nail treatment stop, Stops Nail Biting Deterrent 7.5ml,etc. when you put your fingers into your mouth to bite them they give a horrible taste and gradually you will reduce nail biting.

THE DRAWBACKS OF SLEEPING IMMEDIATELY AFTER A MEAL

                                             The idea that anything you eat just before bed turns immediately to fat is not true, but there are good reasons for not sleeping right after a meal. When your body is filled with food, the food gets collected in your stomach. Then your body sends blood to your stomach then your stomach produces very important acids and enzymes needed to digest the food and send it to intestines as a result, you may feel drowsy or sleepy. While you are napping your body is hard at work digesting the last meal and this leads to various serious issues ranging from indigestion to a heart stroke.

The disadvantages of sleeping immediately after eating are:

·         Weight gain

·         Heart burn

·         GERD

·         Stroke

WEIGHT GAIN:

Many people think that going to bed after a meal will cause your body to use food as fat instead of energy. This is not true. The body uses food for energy and fat, whether you are awake or asleep. However when we are awake our body will have more capacity to burn more calories than we are asleep. Going to bed after meal slows the metabolism of the body, and will cause injested carbohydrates to be converted into fat instead of stored carbohydrates. Sleeping after eating do not always causes weight gain but it reduces your body calorie expenditure which can indirectly cause to you to put on weight. Sleeping immediately after a meal also causes belly fat.

HEART BURN:

Lying flat on your back immediately after a large meal may be good at first but, while your body is resting, your digestive system is hard at work. Heart burn is caused by an excess of stomach acid, which results in a burning sensation from stomach into your chest sometimes the sensation exceeds up to the throat which is accompanied by burping. This can make it difficult to get a good night sleep.

GERD:

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD or Acid reflux. This disease is caused by the valve between the stomach and oesophagus not closing all the way. Because of this disease the stomach acid released during the digestion back up into oesophagus, which leads to burning sensation. Sleeping immediately after a meal can make the condition more serious. If this condition is left untreated, the stomach acid washes up into your oesophagus and can damage the mucous membrane.

 STROKE:

Going to sleep right after a meal can increase your chances of having stroke. The scientific studies found that those who waited the longest between eating and sleeping were at the lowest risk of having stroke. The theory that acid reflux, is more likely to cause the sleep apnea is linked to strokes. Another theory is that the process of digestion and its effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels may also cause the stroke. There are more studies needed to confirm this.

 PRECAUTIONS:

·         You should have dinner two hours before going to bed.

·         Going for a walk or washing dishes after the meal is the best way of burning more calories before you go to bed.

 

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