Monday 31 March 2014

How much food is enough to eat

One of my reader sent me the below email
 

 
Hi There,  
Thank you for writing such a wonderful article on drinking water. I had many misconceptions about drinking water. I usually go for hours without drinking any water and at the end of the day I just gulp in water like the thirsty being. After reading your article I have promised myself to drink at the regular intervals and in sips.
 
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I have one request. Can you also contribute your thoughts on how much food is enough to eat?
 
Thanks,
Kritika
First of all thank you so much Kritika for dropping by on my blog. You are kind enough to put across your thoughts as honestly as you can. I really appreciate that and glad to know that my article was of help.
 
Coming back to today's article, How much food is enough?, my thoughts here....
 
                  
 
There are two kind of people. One who eat frequently than there are others who just take maximum of 3 meals in a day. Whichever way you follow, the key is that you should be filled with the required energy according to your body's requirements. There are ones who keep on eating irrespective of whether they are hungry or not while there are other who only eat when they are hungry.
 
First of all Back to basic point - Eat whenever you feel hungry.
 
There is the wide spread misconception that eating too much or eating many numbers of times in a day will result in making one fat.
 
Factors like the quality of food and type of food plays the equivalent role to increase the fatness in the body. For example, eating the low quality food or bowl full of chips will provide your body less energy as compared to the bowl full of sprouts. Eating chips will make you hungry at the faster rate than the bowl of sprouts.
 

 
When should we stop eating? As soon as we are filled with energy.
 
I would also like to add here that though I am the big fan of multi tasking. There are higher chances that you already know this if you know me personally or you are the vivid reader of my blog. There are so many things that we can multi task in order to improve the health and fitness. For eg: While brushing your teeth stand on your toes instead of standing aimlessly. This helps in strengthening the calf muscles and improves your balancing power. There are numerous benefits of doing multiple things at the time ranging from improving your concentration level to wrapping up the tasks faster.
 
However there is this one thing that I am totally against of clubbing it with anything else. For this particular thing, I myself do as well as ask others to follow the same ie do not ever multi task with anything else. Your focus and all your energy should be on this thing. In fact I believe we should even switch off the thinking process during that time. When we are eating we should be just be eating and nothing else.
 

 
Multitasking eating in simple words means we are dividing our attention into two or more things. Less attention towards eating brings many problems with it like overeating, indigestion, etc
 
What are the different tasks that we unknowingly do while eating that affect us?
 
Thinking
Talking
Watching Television
Work on Computers
Playing Games
Reading Messages

 
What is the best way to eat the food to maximize the digestive process?
 
First: be stress free and relax your mind.
Wash your hands
Sit in the comfortable position
Pray to God
Be thankful as you have food to eat in front of you. There are many, who go without meals for as long as weeks.
Look at the food and experience it.
Eat it slowly chewing properly each and every byte.
Stop it as soon as you feel that you are filled with energy.

 
Image Source: Thank you | Girl eating Burger

Saturday 29 March 2014

How to keep eyes beautiful and attractive naturally?

Without saying the word you can talk thousand words. Isn’t it true? Eyes can express our feelings so immensely and properly without saying a word. It is therefore very important for us to take proper care of our eyes and keep it healthy. In this article I have discussed in detail how to keep it healthy. Today, I have compiled below the important and easy ways to follow to keep our eyes attractive and beautiful.
 
1)Moisturize: Skin under the eyes is the thinnest skin part on the face. Hence it is all the more important to be careful with skin around the eyes. In order to delay the aging effects and wrinkles it is essential to moisturize with the eye cream on the daily basis.

 
2)Concealer: Dark circles are the woes of most of the middle aged women and concealer’s are the best friend. Make use of concealer in order to hide all the minus around the area.

 
                  
 
3)Eyebrows: Keep your eyebrows mess free. Be regular in cleaning up the extra hair around eyebrow area. Do it waxed at palour or pluck them yourself but be regular.

 
4)Eye liner: Proper use of eyeliner can create the artificial effect and can make small eyes look bigger and vice versa. If you have small eyes, try putting the double coat of eye liner (thick line of eye liner) on the top lash line. This will make your eyes look bigger.

 
5)Eyelashes: Eyelashes with little curls in it looks beautiful. So in case you do not have the natural curl, try giving it one by with an eyelash curler or using mascara. You can also use the hands to curl your eyelashes in case curler or mascara is not available. To curl your eye lashes with your hand, rub your hands together. As soon as they are warm enough put it on your eye lashes in the upward position till it cools down. Repeat it till you get the desired curled eye lashes. You can also make use of falsies to give it great look if your eye lashes are light.

 

 
6)Eye Shadow: Playing with eye colors is fun and exciting always. Be bold to use the new and dark colors to give the refreshing look. However be careful to use the colors that complement your face. Contrast eye shadow color with the color of your eye balls look smart and welcoming.

 
7)Kajal: Experiment with colors on your water line with different colors again. Make use of white pencil to give the bigger look for small eyes. Black is the safest color among all.

 
8)Beautiful Big Eyes: Create an illusion to make your eyes look bigger. The key here is to use light shadow on the lid and brow bone, and medium shadow in the crease of the eye. Then lining the upper lash line with black or brown eye liner, putting some shimmer shadow in the inner corners of the eyes, and using a white pencil in the inner bottom rim.

 

 
9)Do not over do: Eyes are sensitive. So overdoing with makeup is strictly no-no. Also it is important when not required avoid make up and go with the natural look. Clear the entire make up around the eyes immediately after the party if possible or for sure before hitting the bed.

 
10)Basics are the key: Yes, no matter how much beauty products you use, it would hardly make the difference if your inner health of eyes is not supportive. Healthy diet, Exercise and beauty sleep is the key for beautiful eyes. There is no alternative to these things.

 
We hope you find these useful. Keep smiling and be happy.
 

 
Image Source: Concealer | Eyelashes

Friday 28 March 2014

Yoga to Improve Vision and Eyesight Naturally


 
I have discussed Exercise for Eyes in this article . Today, I am going to discuss on how to strengthen eyes with the help of yoga. According to Swami Vivekananda there are four main streams of Yoga namely Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. To give the radiant look in eyes, do these yoga exercises at least four times in a week.
 
1)Sarvangasana: Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose) comes from the Sanskrit word Salamba means supported and Sarva means all, anga means body part and asana meaning posture or position. In this yoga, person lie down on the back and lower body is lifted up and hands support the lower back.

 
                  
 
2) Matasyasana or Fish pose: A counterasana of Sarvangasana, Fish pose or Matasyasana is a backbend. Here a person lie on the back and lift the chest up keeping their bottom and neck down. Due to the position blood flows towards upper body giving the benefit to eyes.

 
3) Kurmasana or tortoise pose: Kurma meaning turtle or tortoise in Sanskrit. In this, person sits with legs wide apart from each other, knees bent slightly. Forward your body and take your hands under the legs to behind and face downwards.

 

 
4) Padahastasana: Padahastasana or hand under foot exercise is also good for eyes. In this yoga, person stand erect, slowly talking hands downward bending the body and taking hands below the feet.

 
5) Ardha Cakrasana: In this yoga person stand erect and bend head backwards holding the hands on the waist.

 
6) Closing eyes halfway Yoga: Close your eyes halfway down. You will notice that your upper lids constantly tremble with different amplitude. Concentrate your efforts on stopping this trembling. (Little hint – it will be easier to do if you look at further objects). Slowly close your eyes, like your eyelids are made out of puffy cottony clouds. Think that your eyes get extremely comfortable in their position. The blood filled with the oxygen flows through your eye sockets. When you inhale imagine the breezy oxygenated air coming through your nose into the eyes. Exhale through the mouth. Breathe this way for one or two minutes and end this exercise with a smile.

 

 
Give 20 minutes in a day to do these yoga for at least four times in a week. It will refresh your eyes and will help in keeping it healthy for life.
 
Image Source: Yoga for Eyes

Saturday 22 March 2014

9 simple ways to keep your eyes healthy

First impression is the last impression. It has been said that the first thing the person notice is the eyes. I am sure that you would like to give the good first impression. Healthy eyes give the positive reaction to others. Hence today I thought of compiling the basic things that helps in keeping our eyes healthy. Read on and share your comments.
 
1) Exercise: Exercise is not only important for our body but also for our eyes. There are different types of exercise that you can follow like direction exercises, focus exercise, muscle strengthening exercises, exercise with your closed eyes etc. Click here to read complete article on how to exercise your eyes.

 
2) Diet: It is also important to maintain the healthy diet to give the required nutrition to your eyes. Food items like carrots, tomatoes, spinach, kale, fish, almonds, quinoa, oranges etc are good for the health of eyes. Click here to read complete article on food to keep your eyes healthy and beautiful

 
                  
 
3) Drink plenty of water: Drinking enough water in a day is not only important for your body but also for your eyes. However generalizing the statement of having 8 glasses of water is not the correct thing. Because according to me the quantity of water a person should consume depends upon variety of factors. Click here to read how much water is enough to drink?

 
4) Proper Rest: A tight eight to ten hours of night sleep every day is essential for maintaining the health of our body in general and of our eyes in particular. You can get the relief from the common problems of eyes by following this rule in your life.

 
5) Hydration: One of the most important aspects to keep your eyes healthy is to keep it well hydrated. You can keep your eyes hydrated by washing it carefully after regular intervals. However do not over wash your eyes. It would instead result in dry eyes. Also there are liquid drops available in market which helps in lubricating in your eyes. Contact your eye specialist for the appropriate liquid drops for your eyes.

 
6) Pamper your eyes: Go for the eye massage once a month. It soothes your eyes and gives you the calming effect. You can also make use of potatoes / cucumber slice and place it on your closed eyes for 10-15 minutes to give the much required relief to your eyes.

 

 
7) Visit eye specialist: Visit your eye specialist once in a year to examine your eye’s health. If you are suffering from regular itching, blurred vision or watery eyes visit the doctor immediately. Click here to read the common eyes problems and their solution.

 
8) Cleanliness: It is important to keep your eyes clean to maintain the eyes health. Wash your eyes with room temperature water after getting up in morning and before going to bed in night. Also it is important to clean it after regular intervals.Click here to read an article on precautions to keep in mind while washing the eyes.

 
9) Avoid junk and salty food: Water retention increases because of more salt intake. This results in puffy eyes. Try to limit the intake of salty food and avoid junk food. Junk foods are high in content of salt and sugar which is not good for your eyes.

 

 
You may also like:
8 Common Eyes Problems Discussed
Precautions of Common Problems of Eyes

 
Image Source: Junk Food | Eyes Exercise

Precautions of Common Problems of Eyes

In last post we discussed about 8 Common Eyes Problems . Today, I am going to tell you about what to do to prevent these common problems. As it is famously known quote says “Prevention is better than cure”, I believe, if we take care of our eyes on daily basis we can prevent ourselves from age related eye problems.
 
To start with, let us talk about the most common eye problem that we women hate like anything. Yes you guessed it right, Dark Circles.
 
Dark Circles Why it occurs: Dark circles - the result of stress that our ever busy life gives us and lack of proper rest that we take.

 
Puffy & Tired Looking Eyes Why it occurs: No claps for any guesses on why we sometimes suffer from tiredness and puffiness in eyes. Of course lack of proper rest is the only reason of puffy and tiredness in eyes.

 
                  
 
Blurred Vision Why it occurs: We may suffer from blurred vision when we move our focus from far to close object or suddenly to the lights like vehicle headlights. This is usually for couple of seconds which is normal. However, if you have experienced it frequently and for longer period, you need to take some preventive actions. One of the reason of blurred vision can be if we are suffering from nearsightedness or farsightedness and we are do not wear the proper glasses / lens to support our eyes. Sometimes diseases like stroke, high blood pressure can also result in blurred vision.

 
Itching & Swelling Why it occurs: Itching and Swelling occurs especially if some insets have bitten the area around eyes. Or due to some strain on eyes due to falling or any kind of pressure. Some skin allergies can also result in swelling and itching in eyes.

 
Loss of Vision Why it occurs: Loss of vision is usually the age related problem. Mainly with age, our eyes tend to lose the strength and gradually overtime results in loss of vision. Vision loss can happen in one or both the eyes. Most common reason of loss of vision is age related diseases like diabetics, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, etc.

 
Dry Eyes Why it occurs: Lack of moisture in eyes results in dry eyes. Immune System Disorder, Loss of sensation in eyes, hormonal changes, and certain kind of infections can results in dry eyes.

 

 
Precaution:
 
1) Take proper rest. By proper rest I do not mean just sleeping in night after the busy day for certain number of hours. It is essential to sleep to regain the energy. But by proper rest I also mean taking rest in between the day. Like couple of minutes rest after twenty minutes of continuous staring at your television / computer / mobile phones. These in between breaks are essential to give your eyes some rest which helps in refreshing the same.

 
2) Avoid Stress: Now this is easier said than done. I agree with that. But taking stress is neither going to resolve your problems nor it is going to give you the solution to resolve those problems. So instead of taking stress take rest. Believe it or not for every problem there is the solution. So just forget everything for some time and take rest. After proper rest, you mind will be refreshed. Refreshed mind works faster and in positive way to give the solution of problems. So by all means avoid stress.
 
3) Exercise: Yes you read it right. You need to do eyes exercise and that too regularly to strengthen the eyes muscles. Click here to know more on how to exercise to improve eyes health. Eyes exercises are simple to follow and most importantly you can multi task the eyes exercise with your routine work. You can perform them at any point of the day. However be regular with exercising your eyes. Click here to know more on how to multi task exercise of eyes.
 

 
4) Diet: Proper diet for eyes is also essential to prevent your eyes from the common problems. Food items that are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, beta carotene, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, selenium, omega 3 fatty acid and fiber are good for eyes health. Food like kale, spinach, carrots are good for the eyes health. Click here for complete article on food items for eyes.
 
5) Massage: Massaging your eyes gives relief and refreshes the eyes. To massage, a. Sit in the comfortable position on the chair.
b. Close your eyes
c. Keep your fingers on your closed eyes.
d. Move your fingers in the circular motion for 10 times and than in anti circular motion for 10 times.

 
Following these things on the regular basis will keep your eyes beautiful and prevent from the common problems. Do share with us what all things you follow to prevent your special eyes from common problems.
 
You may also like:
How to take care of eyes
Exercise for Eyes
Food to keep your eyes healthy and beautiful
5 Ways to improve your eye's health
8 Common Eyes Problems Discussed
Precautions to keep in mind while washing the eyes.
 
Image Source: Dark Circles around the Eyes | Take Rest

8 Common Eyes Problems Discussed

Twenty Four hours a day, really less time to do so many things. Agree? We, many a times, feel there is so much to do that 24 hours are so less. There is work, there are children / parents to look after, there are movies to catch up, there are latest magazine to read, messages & emails to reply, so on and so forth. All this busy life gives you little time to pamper yourself, resulting in ill health. The most neglected part of the body, EYES, suffers the most.
 

 
1) Dark Circles: Very common now a days. In the early days, dark circles were not heard of. If there used to be dark circles, it used to be to the ones who are really aged. However now a days even teenagers suffer from the problem of dark circles.

 
2) Puffy & Tired Looking Eyes: Ever ending tasks results in puffy and tired look eyes. Too many tasks coupled with lack of sleep and rest is the real culprit of puffy and tiredness in the eyes.

 
                  
 
3) Blurred Vision: You are suffering from blurred vision if you are not able to see clearly or if there is lack of sharpness of vision.

 
4) Itching: If you find yourself rubbing your eyes frequently or certain kind of irritation in eyes, you are suffering from itching. It is better to avoid rubbing your eyes and clean it with fresh water. Rubbing eyes continuously can result in the infection of eyes. Read this article which highlights how to take care of eyes.

 
5) Swelling: The presence of excess fluid in eyes results usually in swelling or puffy eyes. When we are suffering from fever or trauma or crying continuously or injuries in eyes can result in swelling as well.

 

 
6) Loss of Vision: Loss of vision is suffered by aged people. However if person does not take care of eyes during the young age, they are more bound to suffer from vision problems. Therefore it is must to take basic care of eyes on the daily basis to keep it healthy.

 
7) Dry Eyes: Keeping eyes moist is essential for the good health of eyes. However due to lack of blinking, our eyes do not produce the natural fluid which is required to keep our eyes moist. Hence the problems of dry eyes occur. You are suffering from the dry eyes if your eyes water on the regular basis.

 

 
8) Night vision problems: People with night blindness or night vision problems suffer lack of vision during night or at the areas where it is poorly lit. It is not same as loss of vision; however the sharpness in vision reduces during night. Night blindness can be caused due to blurred vision, cataracts, retinitis pigmentosa or usher syndrome.

 
Read further on Precautions of Common Problems of Eyes and solution of common problems.
 
You may also like:
How to take care of eyes
Food to keep your eyes healthy and beautiful
Exercise for Eyes
 
Image Source: Blurred Vision | Dry Eyes

Revealed the answer of "Why we should Meditate?"


We continuously talk during our wake hours, either with fellow beings (where dialogs are exchanged with other human being) or with ourselves (where the internal dialog takes place). The internal dialogues are connected with the emotional being of oneself. Have you been in the situation where you listen the song and it takes you to the history of good times or bad times that has happened in past which is somehow connected with the song? Similarly when we encounter the place that is somehow connected with the past, we tend to talk about those situations that happened long back either with someone else or with ourselves.
 
We talk to ourselves on various topics ranging from health to love affair to work related issues to family problems, the list is endless. Many studies have proved that human being subconsciously talks to themselves about all the anxiety and happiness they have in their life.
 
                  
 
Going in past and remembering the happy moment’s of life works wonders on human health. Though our mind is capable of thinking positive incident, but the problem is that our inclination, most of the times, is towards the negative encounters. This is because human being tends to remember emotional incidents in life more clearly comparatively than the happy moments. Holding even the slightest of pain or the feeling of revenge results in getting back to past again and again.
 

 
To resolve this it is important to heal and develop the habit of forgiveness in order to achieve the peace with the past. One of the successful methods to achieve this is through meditation. Meditation works as the cleanser. It cleans the negative thoughts / stress from the mind and helps to achieve the positivity apart from making the human being aware of the importance of being satisfied. Meditation, in simple words, helps human being to live and experience this very moment instead of wandering in past or future.
 
There are numerous other benefits of meditation apart from the one that is mentioned above. Starting from lesser chances of age related diseases like blood pressure, hypertension, heart related problems etc with improved digestion problems and better outlook towards the society in general. It is important to mention here that regular meditation helps human being to walk on the path of positivity with the added advantage of improved focus, concentration and understanding levels. So start meditating now. Click here to read Meditation and its health benefits - Part I
 

 
Do you meditate? Do share with us what do you think is the best time to meditate.
 
Image Source: Meditate

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Are you eating when you are eating?


 
It's a lunch time. Feeling hungry already? Ready to eat the delicious food that's there on the table? But the question is are you eating when you are eatiing? I mean do you just eat or eating is the last priority coming after checking the emails / facebook status updates / twitter tweets. Talking with your loved ones / just as simple as watching television or playing games and other sorts of similar kind of work go hand in hand with eating?
 
Well the list is endless. All this, in simple words, is addiction. When we sit for eating our meal, the surprising part is we do everything else but not eating with the concentration on eating only. Various recent studies has proved that doing anything else during eating results in overeating. So quit checking those emails and in fact experience the yummy food that is there on your table.
 
                  
 
Yes baby you need a break: Almost all the wake hours in today's world is usually spent on staring either on computer / television / cell phones / playing games. So it is important to take the break. Lunch time proves to be the best time to take the break. Taking break helps our mind to freshen up thereby resulting in higher productivity. So twin benefit, better digestion and higher productivity is the result of taking the break - a complete break.
 

 
I understand we are living in the fast, technology obsessed world. This culture makes it very difficult to switch off all the other digital things even for a minute. So how it would be possible to quit all of them for the entire lunch time? Well I would say it is not that difficult.
 
Don't you work hard when deadlines are near forgetting your personal life? or during other times forgetting the office work when on holiday? Well if that is possible, even eating lunch by ditching everything else is also very much possible. It just require your dedication to do that. Believe me you can.
 
Also proven by various studies people you concentrate on food are fast satisfied than the ones who are occupied with other things while eating. Apart from that, people who concentrate on eating have experienced better digestion as compared to one who are multi tasking eating with other things as reported by various studies.
 

 
Let us therefore pledge to only concentrate of eating when it is time to eat.
 
Image Source: Girl watching TV and eating junk food

Sunday 16 March 2014

Should we talk with kids on Bullying?


 
Bullying or ragging in schools is fashion these days. When our kids go to school they may be the target of these bullying. I know this is not the good thing to talk about with children. But preparing them to face all the situation in life is the job of parent. Mentally prepared person can handle the situation without taking stress on themselves. Though schools and teachers take strict action and maintain the anti bullying environment but still there are such cases happening in our society.
 
My girl came yesterday crying. When I enquired she said her best friend Rohit (who is not her friend now) has slapped her because she did not give him pencil. I comforted her. Today I am waiting to hear how she patches up with Rohit. This is every day story for me. However such behavior of slapping or not sharing things with your friends is not good. These behaviors if not stopped at the correct time and in the correct way are bound to develop in the dangerous way. We parent has to take up the responsibility and inculcate good behavior in children.
 
                  
 
Encourage Talking: Encourage them to open up and talk freely with you. Appreciate them when they open up. Listen carefully to each and every word they utter from their mouth.

 
Be their friend: Children are reluctant to open up and they even lie to ignore the subject. However, talking with your children in the friendly manner does help. We are more comfortable to talk on any subject with a friend. Likewise children if they find friend in you they are more likely to open up without any hesitation.

 

 
Look out for signs: Do they come home crying or they are upset when they come from school or playground? Change in behavior, change in eating habits, sleeping or talking habits are sure signs to look out for. Be concerned if they are trying to be alone or spending more time in washrooms.

 
Ask Questions: Ask them different questions that will make you understand what is happening in the school. Try framing questions by using different words like “What teacher explained today” “What did you learn in school today” “What did your friends learn today” “What did you talk with your friends today” “What did they talk with you” Notice the changes in answering the questions. Do not ask questions in one go. Asking on different timings like when they come home from school, when they eat, when they go to sleep, etc will help.

 
Share experience: Share your experiences on how you face the difficult situations in your life. Explain them difficult situation are like exams that they give in schools. Difficult situations test how positive we can remain in life. More positivity will fetch more marks and good percentage.

 

 
Avoid shouting or physical abuse: They will stop sharing from the next time onwards in case you raise your voice or slap them for telling you something that you did not like. Instead explain them positively why you did not like what they did.

 
Discuss about bullying: This is because you do not want your child to become the one who bullies. Explain them why bullying is bad and why it is banned by the society. Explain the consequences of bullying in short but talk straight.

 
Talk to school authorities: Do talk with teachers if you find something fishy. Together with school authorities you will be able to find out the solution.

 
Hope you find these tips useful.
 
This article is contributed by Manju Bhatia – a homemaker who is on her toes 24/7. She has lovely two children who keep her busy throughout the day.

 
Image Source: Stop Bullying | Encourage Talking | Avoid Physical Abuse

Saturday 15 March 2014

How to make Holi Colours at Home


 
India celebrates Holi, a festival of colours, with extraordinary energy which begins when individuals of all age gathers and plays with vibrant colours. Whole nation commends and wears a happy brilliant look throughout Holi. But sometimes we try to limit ourselves because of hazardous chemicals in holi powders which are unsafe to eyes, skin and hair. Be that as it may you can delight in this time to the full degree as the amusement changer Fitness Beauty Plus will impart a few plans on the best way to make custom made holi colours that can be easily made at home as well.
 
Holi Powder - Wet Colours
 
Orange Colour – Soak grated carrots in boiling water and leave overnight to get the orange colour.
 
Magenta Colour – In the boiling water add grated beetroot or peels of onions to get the light magenta colour.
 
                  
 
Red Colour - You can make use of pooja red tilak / sindoor for making the red water colour.
 
Another way is to soak the dried rose petal in the warm water to get the desired colour.
 
Grind the pomegrante peels, carrots peels and tomatoes to the smooth paste. Add it in the water to get red colour.
 
Brown Colour – Boil tea or coffee leaves in water to get dark brown shade.
 
Purple Colour – Soak grated black grapes and gooseberries in boiling water and leave overnight.
 
Green Colour – Soak spinach, coriander leaves and mint leaves in boiling water. Even henna powder when mixed with water gives you nice greenish orange colour.
 
Blue Colour – Boil leaves of Indigo plant to get rich blue colour.
 
Black Colour – Boiling dried fruits of amla gives you black colour.
 
Light Yellow Colour – Mix turmeric powder with water to make yellow colour.
 
Dark Yellow Colour – Mix 4 tsp gram flour (besan) with 2 tsp turmeric powder and mix it in water.
 
Saffron Colour – Add sandalwood powder, turmeric with rose water to make this Colour. Add enough of water to increase the quantity as required.
 

 
Violet Colour – Mix grated red cabbage in boiling water for this colour.

 
Holi Powder - Dry Colours
 
Green Colour – Mix mehendi powder or finely crush methi seeds with some wheat flour or maida to get green colour
 
Yellow Colour – Mix turmeric with besan or multani mitti powder to get the bright yellow Colour.
 
Red Colour – Add red sandalwood powder, crushed hibiscus flowers with wheat flour or maida. You can also make use of natural sindoor or pooja tilak mixture.
 
Blue Colour– Crush dried jacaranda flowers or blue hibiscus and mix with wheat flour.
 
Black Colour – Use the dry kajal powder as black Colour.
 

 
Pink Colour – Mix Red Sandal with wheat flour to get the pink Colour.

 
You can revel in this Holi without being cruel to yourself by utilizing characteristic holi shades as they are relatively more secure. Included point of interest is that a percentage of the elements are handy for skin. Use it in water balloons or pichkari for the persevering fun. Do keep away from it assuming that you are allergenic to any fixing or experience the ill effects of any rashes. Do share via comments on how are you planning to play this holi?
 
Image Source: Holi Colours in hands | Holi Wish

Thursday 13 March 2014

Calluses and Corns Treatment

Calluses and Corns on hand, foot, toes - Causes & Treatment



Hardened thick dead skin on feet or hands is called Calluses and Corns. Generally, it is gray or yellow in color. Initially, it does not cause any pain. However, if untreated, it can grow deep inside and causes severe pain when pressured. It is normal for an active person to suffer from calluses and corns. Below I have mentioned the main causes of corns and how I cure my corns.

                  
 
Main Causes of Calluses and Corns
1) It is caused due to pressure on the skin of feet or hand.
2) Friction or injury can also result in Calluses and Corns.
3) Pressure from footwear is the main cause of calluses and corns on the feet.

What to avoid?
If you are suffering from feet calluses and corns avoid the following:
1) Avoid tight shoes, high-heeled shoes, loose shoes and shoes with a thin sole. In simple words, wear proper fitted shoes.
2) Avoid wearing sandals and shoes without socks.
3) Avoid exposing the corn to water.


 
Treatment - Duofilm: Use this treatment during initial stage.
When the corn is in initial stage, it is usually soft. Apply Duofilm which contains Salicylic acid and Lactic Acid Collodion for the treatment of corns and calluses in the initial stage.



Direction of use
Apply the liquid drops on the corn area twice a day. Leave for one hour after applying the liquid. After an hour remove the cream / surface created with the cotton slowly.


 
Treatment - Corn Cap: Use this treatment when corn is hard
If the corn is hard you need to apply the Corn Cure Cap which comes in two sizes. Corn cap is filled with ointment containing Salicylic Acid. Apply the same as per the size of the corn.



Direction to use
1) Clean the skin around the corn with hot water.
2) Dry thoroughly with the clean towel. This is most important to ensure adhesion.
3) Remove the release paper and position the foam case pad so that it surrounds the corn.
4) Fix the adhesive straps, so that it should not move or slip
5) The corn cap should be left in the position for at least 4 days.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Wednesday 12 March 2014

5 Ways to improve your eye's health


 
We are living in the era of busy life where we hardly have any time left for ourselves. There are hundreds and thousands of chores greet us every morning. And these chores continue till end of the day. In order to finish all the chores of the day, we have mastered one thing. That is Multitasking. We do not mind doing multiple things at a time to remain at the top position in the competitive world.
 
This is the reason, I am going to start the series of articles on how to multi tasks daily routine to maximize your health. Today I am going to list down the areas in which we can multi task certain things that can help to improve eye’s health.
 
                  
 
Multitask Eye Exercise while Brushing the teeth: We brush and floss twice on the daily basis. Instead of just brushing, why not club it with eye exercise? There are multiple of eye exercises which you can follow while brushing your teeth. To start with you can do all sorts of direction exercise like looking at left and then at right, look up and down. Now roll your eyes, make virtual alphabets and numbers with your eyes to strengthen the eye muscles. Most difficult is making virtual 8 with your eyes. You can also follow certain object and draw the outline with your eyes or follow the second’s hand with your eyes. Click here to view all eye exercises

 
Multitask Eye Care while taking Bath: So when you are standing in the shower and enjoying the bath, why not multitask in the way that can help to improve your eyes health. All the exercise mentioned in the above paragraph can be performed while taking bath. Apart from those, you can keep your face tilted backwards in a way that the water from the shower directly goes into your eyes. This way your eyes will get clean and your eyes will feel most refreshing and would thank you for the same.

 

 
Multitask while travelling: In addition to the ones that are mentioned above you can perform the distance exercise while travelling. Look as far as possible. Get your focus now as near as possible. You can try looking at your nose. That is the closet among all. After holding for couple of seconds, again look at the farthest position as possible. You can also try reading the banners of the shops which is proven to be good for eyes muscles. However avoid doing these exercises if you are the driver. Do not ever multitask anything while driving, not even talking on the phone.

 
Multitask when in Kitchen: There is enough of time that you can multi task while doing chores in kitchen. Whether you are washing vegetables or cooking it, or you are filling the monthly grocery in the boxes or clearing the mess up from the refrigerator, you will have enough of time to do something else. Why not club it with eye exercise? Ok so when cutting the vegetables try and focus on the utensil and draw the outline of the same. You can also do the same exercise while cooking. Draw the outline of cooker, mixing spoon, vegetables that you are cooling, etc. Cut onions. When tears flow down from your cheeks while cutting onions, it helps you to clear the eyes with any bacteria in it making it clean and clear.

 

 
Watching Television / Computers: Whether you are working on computer or watching television or messaging on mobile, after every 20 minutes take a break and give something else to do to your eyes. Blink as quickly or do the direction exercises as mentioned in the first paragraph.

 
Try these multitasking activities to improve your eye's health
 

 
Image Souce: Girl with many laptops

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Seven Week Exercise to talk in productive way

Talk less and use sweet words

 
One of the Abraham Lincoln quote says "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all the doubts." Well I don’t say that who talks more is fool but talking less has its own benefits. Main benefit is of course the reservation of energy. By talking less you get an opportunity to listen more and value other people’s opinion. This leaves the positive impact on them. Speaking less also helps us to be thoughtful and choose our words carefully.
 
On the other hand talking too much is the sure short way to disaster. Charlie Kaufman rightly said “Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.” The momentary satisfaction you gain with your biting words will be outweighed by the price you pay. Another scholar puts this in words “Once a word leaves your mouth, you cannot chase it back even with the swiftest horse.” If you say it, type it, post it, e-mail it or even think it too loudly, the deed is done. There is no turn back, un-delete feature, no save-game from a few moments ago, no undo button to click on. Are you suffering from talking too much? If yes today's article is for you. In this article I am highlighting the exercises to do that will help you to talk less and be mindful while talking.
 
                  
 
First Week:First of all focus on what you speak in the first week. Talk normally as you always do in the first week.Do not restrict yourself. Just keep the focus on what you talk and how much you talk. Do not judge yourself in this week.

 
Second Week: In this week, wear the judging court and judge yourself. Analyze your talking style. Do you talk fast or slow or at medium pace? Do others listen carefully what you speak? Do others interrupt you just to make you shut up? Check whatever you have spoken was all the necessary stuff to talk? Follow the next week’s instructions if the judgement is that you talk more.

 

 
Third Week: Highlight the situations in your mind where you talk more. Mark the instances where you tend to speak out more than what is required. Concentrate on the situations where you talk more. Keep the tab of the people with whom you talk more. Keep highlighting all the situations where you do excess talking in this week.

 
Fourth Week: Identify and analyze each and every word you have spoken in the previous week. Read carefully the situations that you have already highlighted in your mind. Identify the situations where and what you spoke but that was not required. You are more likely to get the few instances where certain sentences you spoke were actually not required. Keep the record of such overwhelmed sentences and situations. Continue to identify the situations where you did unnecessary talking for the next few days. Combine this with that week’s specific tasks that are mentioned below.

 
Fifth Week: You have already noted down the situations where you talk more. So main activity you have to concentrate in this week is to avoid those situations. Try your best to get involved less in those situations which make you talk unnecessary.

 

 
Sixth Week: Today you have to concentrate on slowing down and to have more patience. On this day cut down on what is not required or what you should not say. Bite your tongue before the word is out of your mouth. You are successful if you are able to cut down even one to two sentences on the first day of this week. More you bite your toungue more you are learning. Be proud of yourself if you do that.

 
Seventh Week: By today you would be able to talk little less as compared to before. This week’s main focus is changing the tone of talk. Whatever you say in this week concentrate on saying in the soft manner. No matter what the situation is your tone should be slow, sweet and calm. Instead of shouting and screaming choose to convey the message in swift manner.

 
These exercises will make you more comfortable. You will find yourself at ease not only with others but also with yourself. You will notice how much calmer you are after following these exercises for the schedule of seven weeks. You can again repeat the same procedure from eight week. Keep repeating it until you are fully satisfied with yourself.
 
You will feel more energetic and positive in the life by speaking less and by speaking sweetly. Have a sweet day all of you.
 
Image Source: Bird Picture | Talking too Much

Health Benefits of Water explained in poetic way

Water is so essential for our life. If water could sing, it would say.....

Drink me drink me I am the water
I will be your life time supporter
I will prevent from making you thirsty
You would look in twenties though you above thirty

I say drink me drink me
You say “I have to pee”
I say all problems will flee
For being healthy I am the key

                  
 
Drink me drink me I am the water
I will be your life time supporter
Use me for losing weight
In the day more than glass eight

I say “I am good for the livelihood”
You say “You don’t taste that good”
I say try me with different flavors
And you will be surprised on being the innovator


 
Drink me drink me I am the water
I will be your life time supporter
Indigestion, fatigue and all of the problems will go away
And you will not have the doctor’s bill to pay

Drink me drink me I am the water
I will be your life time supporter
 

 


Image Source: Girl drinking water

Are you suffering from digestion problems?

Do u kick start your day with exercise and the magic combination of food that provide the required vitamins and nutrients to your body?
 
Yet you have problems with your digestive systems? It is because there are other factors it considers which we cannot touch or see or store but they have the equivalent importance in the digestion process.
 
Various research, time and again, have proved that body movements and intake of food are not the only parameters for smooth digestion. Though nutritional food intake at regular intervals and proper exercise routine plays the crucial role, but the digestion process takes mind, emotions, pleasure and environment into consideration for the proper digestion of food.
 
In other words a stronger digestive system can be define as the chemical process where the combination of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and experience takes equal part with what we eat and how we eat.
 
                  
 
Before moving on how these different parameters work on the digestion process, let me first put down few scenarios where we are eating but digestion process is not completed.
 
Mind - Do you continue to munch while watching television irrespective of whether you are hungry or not?
 
Feelings - Have you witnessed that you eat more when emotionally drowned?
 
Environment – Environment also play the important role. To explain this let me put the simple example. Sitting in the conference room during the lunch time in between intense official discussions you are eating your lunch. While eating you are actively participating in the discussions and thinking hard on the solutions of the problems that are being discussed.

 

 
During this time our mind goes into mode in which our body switches itself from digestive mode to non digestive mode. Reason is simple that more energy flows towards mind enabling it to think more and thereby it can provide you the solutions of the problems.
 
Now, let me discuss on how the above parameters play the role in the digestion process.
 
Case 1: When you are not hungry but you are feeding it because you like munching while watching the movie or when you are emotional or it is just the time to eat the meal.
 
Case 2: You have too many tasks to complete so while eating you are trying to wrap up the pending tasks or talking with your beloved on phone or doing the last minute changes to the project you are suppose to submit post lunch or you are rushing with eating as you are late to work.

 
In both the cases what do you think your body does with the food that you eat?
 
It does either of two things
 
1) It discards it as the waste.
 
2) It stores the extra food for future requirements.

 

 
This is because our body system is such that it can either be in digestive mode or non digestive mode. So if you are combining eating task with anything else, it just switch of the digestive mode and turn on the non digestive mode where more energy is flowed towards thinking instead of processing the food for the digestion. What is the result? Simple, the digestion problem, inspite of eating the best quality food and doing exercise on time.
 
So next time when you sit for eating, sit in the comfortable mood with your entire mind on eating for proper digestion. Enjoy, feel each and every byte of food.
 
Image Source: Girl having digestion problems | Man with digestion problems | Digestion Problem - Why you do not cooperate

Monday 10 March 2014

Food to keep your eyes healthy and beautiful

This generation spends most of the time on computers or mobiles or reading or watching television. It is very important to give some rest to eyes, take regular intervals else it is going to affect our eyesight. To keep our eyes healthy it is not only important to take care, exercise your eyes but also to eat healthy food. Today, I thought of writing about all the great foods that helps to maintain healthy eyesight and help in preventing age related eye diseases like vision loss, dry eyes, cataracts, macular degeneration and night vision problems.
 
In general, healthy diet will improve the health of the eyes. In particular increase the intake of food items that are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A, beta carotene, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, selenium, omega 3 fatty acid and fiber in your diet.
 
                  
 
Spinach: Spinach scores highest for the health of the eyes. Due to the presence of chemical called lutein, spinach has been proved to be beneficial for healthy eyes. Lutein forms the yellow substance at the central point of retina which helps in protecting macula from age related problems.

 
Carrots: Carrots contains beta carotene nutrient which helps with night vision. Others food items that contain this nutrient includes sweet potatoes, apricots and cantaloupe. Avoid smoking, as beta carotene for smokers increase the risk of lung cancer risk.

 
Kale: Kale contains lutein and zeaxanthin which prevents the risk of macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Other foods with these antioxidants include spinach, eggs, peas, corns, turnip greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli, green lettuce, mangoes, red grapes, Brussels sprouts, etc.

 
Fish: Fish such as tuna or salmon and lean meats contains omega 3 fatty acid which helps in maintaining better vision and prevents from dry eyes. Other food item that contains this nutrient includes walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans, tofu, etc.

 

 
Mango: It is a good source of Vitamin A which is important to prevent night blindness and dryness in eyes. Other sources of Vitamin A are cod liver oil, apricots, whole milk, paprika, dried basil, peas, tomatoes, papaya, etc.

 
Garlic: Garlic is good source of selenium which helps in preserving eyesight. Other sources of selenium are seafood, walnuts, butter, meat, eggs, mushrooms, onions, etc

 
Almonds: Almonds contains Vitamin E that helps eyes from free-radical damage, prevents cataracts and age related macular degeneration. Other sources of Vitamin E are peanuts, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, olive oil, etc.

 

 
Quinoa: Quinoa helps in lowering glycemic index (GI) which helps in preventing AMD. Other sources to lower GI are brown rice, whole oats, whole wheat breads, pasta, etc

 
Oranges: Oranges and other citrus food – grapefruit, lemons, etc contains Vitamin C that supports blood vessels in the eye and reduces risk of cataracts. Other source of Vitamin C includes peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, red bell peppers, broccoli, etc.

 
Beans: Beans like kidney beans, chick peas, black eyed peas, lentils etc are the good source of zinc which is good for overall eye health and helps with night vision. It helps get Vitamin A from the liver to the retina. Other sources of zinc are oysters, beef, seafood, poultry, pumpkin seeds, etc

 
Most studies have shown those foods that are good for your heart and arteries are also good for eyes. Follow the healthy diet containing fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, fish, chicken and other lean meats. Go easy on salt and sweets. Have a colorful diet and have better eyesight. Do note, beside the healthy diet you also require good sleep, daily exercise and stress free environment to give you that radiant and brilliant shine in the eyes.

Image Source: Food for Eyes Pic 1 | Food for Eyes - Pic 2

Exercise for Eyes


Exercise and diet goes hand in hand to attain the healthy body. In the same way if we wish to have the healthy eyesight, we have to concentrate on both eyes exercises and have food that is good for eyes. Importance of eyes cannot be ignored yet they are usually the most neglected part of the body. Click here to check on what are the good foods for eyes. Today’s article is concentrated on exercises to make the eyes healthy and protect the vision.

Why our eyes get tired? Eyes work round the clock. Strain is put on eyes when they work continuously to read, to play or to do other tasks. It gets rest only when we go to sleep. Hence it is very important to take good care of eyes.

Common Eye Problems: Vision loss, dry eyes, cataracts, macular degeneration and night vision problems.

                  
 
Why exercise is important for eyes? Exercising the eyes will prevent straining of eyes in the long run. It releases the tension by giving relaxation to the eyes. It also helps to keep the problems like sensitivity to light, blurred vision, etc at bay.

Relax and do the following eyes exercises in order to get rid of all the problems

Direction Exercises

Directions: Move your eyes in combination of directions - up and down, left and right, left and up, left and down, right and up, right and down, left down right, left right down, etc. When you do this try to look at the farthest end possible. You will feel the stretch in the eye muscles. Try to hold for couple of seconds before moving to next direction.


Roll your eyes in circular motion. Do it for 10 times in clockwise and anticlockwise.

 

 
Closing Exercises

Blink: Blink your eyes as fast as you can. It will help in lubricating and cleansing your eyes. Try to blink after every half an hour for 30 seconds to keep freshness in the eyes. Do right now fast blinking for 10 seconds and tell me how you feel – tired or relaxed? Normal blinking should be once in every 5 to 10 seconds.

Close and Move: Close your eyes and moves in all the directions mentioned above. Do try the blinking one as well.

Close and open: Close your eyes tightly and open it as wide as you can.

Palm Heat: Rub your palms together to generate the heat. Close your eyes and cover it lightly with your palms to get the relaxation.


 

 
Muscle Strengthen Exercise

Write: Pretend writing A,B,C to Z or 1,2,3 with your eyes.

Draw: Try to pretend to draw different objects like square, circle, rectangle, etc. Do write in comment what is most difficult – alphabet numbers or objects and which specific one you find it difficult.



Focus Exercises

Look Away: Focus on the distant objects and slowly refocus on the nearby object. Take the break every hour from work and do this exercise.

Clock Exercise: Look at the clock seconds hand. Move your eyes as the second hand of the clock is moving.

Look at nose: Concentrate and look at your nose by both the eyes.

Focus on finger: Hold your finger in front of you and look at it by both the eyes. Move the finger far and near, up and down. Your focus should be on finger for all the movements.

Outline object exercise: List the different objects in the room and one by one look at them. Look at the outline of the object and move to the next object. Keep your head still while doing this.

Do regular eye exercises and keep them healthy.

Image Source: Beautiful Eyes | Direction Exercise