Mar 25

Tips and shortcuts to help you eat well when you can’t be bothered cooking after work

by admin in Healthy Living 0 comments
Cooking can be hard. Particularly when you’ve come out of two years of intermittent lockdowns and are still living through one of the most severe health crises of our time. Which is perhaps why a tweet I haphazardly flung into the universe about not being able to summon the energy to cook after physically commuting into the office struck a chord with people. I received many tips and hacks, many more expressions of people experiencing the same struggle. Anecdotal evidence isn’t the only thing underlining our collective inability to cook at the moment. An UberEATS report from March 2021 revealed that Australians were spending 210 per cent more on food delivery than before the pandemic, even as in-venue dining returned. This is at odds with the significant shift in how people fed themselves while in lockdown. Research showed that as people spent more time at home and less time doing everything else that a regular life entails – socialising, exercising, commuting to the office, recreational activities – their food consumption became more sustainable and healthier. They ate more fruit and vegetables, bought local, reduced their household food wastage, improved their culinary capabilities, and used online deliveries not for readymade food, […]
Mar 25

The best workouts for stronger arms

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Mumbai-based celebrity trainer Preetesh Manas believes that whenever someone wants to show you their strength, or the fact that they’ve been going to the gym, the natural gesture is to flex one’s arms at the elbows and show off muscular biceps. Little wonder then that arm day is a favourite among gym goers. Apart from showing off, the arm muscles, such as the biceps and triceps, play an important role as accessory muscles in almost all kinds of exercises. Take pushups for example: our triceps are the accessory muscles in this exercise even though it is the chest that is the major muscle group that is engaged. And in case of pull-ups, it is the biceps that play the accessory role while it is the back muscles that are actually being targeted. There are three main sections of the arm, the anterior (front), posterior (back) and shoulders, and you need make sure that you are training all three sections, says Bengaluru-based Rahul Huidrom, strength coach at Cult.fit. Biceps brachii (commonly known as biceps) are located in the front, triceps brachii (or triceps) are in the rear and along the shoulders sit the deltoid muscle. Finally, on the rear of your […]
Mar 25

10 tips for ageing better

by admin in Healthy Living 0 comments
We know it’s not just about living longer, it’s about living healthily and happily for longer. Follow our top 10 tips for ageing better.   1. Watch what you eat and drink It sounds obvious, but having a balanced diet is crucial for good health, energy and preventing illness. An ideal diet should be low in saturated fat, with lots of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, oily fish, and small amounts of low-fat dairy and lean meat. Don’t forget to top-up with lots of water to avoid dehydration, which can make you feel tired and confused. Tea, coffee and fruit juice will also help you to stay hydrated, but avoid sugary fizzy drinks. If you drink alcohol, keep at least two days per week booze-free to give your liver time to recover from the toxic effects of alcohol, and don’t exceed recommended daily limits for alcohol consumption.   2. Look after your teeth Brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily. Floss helps to prevent gum disease by removing pieces of food and plaque from between the teeth. If it’s left to build up you might notice sore or bleeding gums, and gum disease can also be linked to diabetes, […]
Mar 25

4 Ways Meditation Changes the Brain

by admin in Mind & Body 0 comments
Meditation is a powerful tool that comes with a number of health benefits. It’s the practice of thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind for a period of time with the goal of obtaining feelings of relaxation and inner peace. While meditation is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries, scientists are just beginning to study its effects on the human body. One realm of research concentrates on how meditation impacts the brain. Studies show that meditation has a variety of neurological benefits, from changes in brain volume to decreasing activity in parts of the brain involved with stress. Below are four ways that meditation has been shown to change the brain:   1. Meditation Changes Structures in the Brain Some studies suggest practicing mindfulness meditation can actually change the structures of the brain. A study published in the journal Psychiatry Research that was conducted by a team of researchers at Harvard University used brain scans to determine that eight weeks of a mindfulness training program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) increased the cortical thickness in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls learning and memory and plays an important role in emotion regulation. While scientists are still […]
Mar 25

9 Self-Help Solutions for Reducing Symptoms of Depression

by admin in Mind & Body 0 comments
Being depressed is painful and debilitating. An estimated 10 percent of adults in the United States suffer from symptoms of depression each year, resulting in family strife, loss of work productivity, and misery for the person affected by the condition and those around them. While getting professional medical help for depression is always a good idea, especially if the condition is severe, there are also many non-medical solutions a person can take on their own to reduce symptoms of depression. Many therapists and doctors advise that depressed patients take steps like these, along with counseling and medication. Here are nine ways a depressed person can engage in self-help to overcome or reduce the symptoms of mild to moderate depression.   1. Get Some Exercise Many scientific studies on depression find that exercise is as useful for relieving mild to moderate depression as medication.  Exercise has multiple positive benefits beyond helping with depression symptoms such as improved cardiovascular health, weight loss, and reduced risk for developing many chronic diseases. It can be quite challenging to exercise when feeling depressed, so it is best to start small and do something enjoyable. Taking a short walk each day, doing ten minutes of calisthenics […]
Mar 25

3 Simple Steps to Increase Metabolism

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Learn to Improve Metabolism to Lose Weight Effectively There are many different ways to increase metabolism, but if you’re trying to lose weight, some methods work better than others. Why? Because some metabolism diet tricks actually cause weight gain. Yep, that’s right. They cause your body to get bigger instead of helping you to slim down. So how do you sort through the science to find effective metabolism-boosting strategies? First, it’s important to learn what not to do when you’re trying to slim down.   Dos Keep a food journal Increase your daily activity Enjoy favorite treats as a reward   Don’ts Follow fad diets Take diet supplements Consume energy drinks   How to Increase Metabolism You’ve probably seen plenty of articles online and in magazines that teach you how to increase metabolism. Many times they suggest that you eat a hearty breakfast or snack throughout the day to burn more calories. The problem with those methods is that they boost your metabolic rate and your calorie intake at the same time. In fact, they often boost your calorie intake more than they increase metabolism. So the end result is that your body gets bigger instead of smaller. There’s nothing […]
Mar 25

Exercise Tips for Kids and the Whole Family

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Family Fitness Many children do not get the exercise they need. The “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans” developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Video games, television, and computers are sedentary behaviors that need to be limited to help your kids be more active. This slideshow contains to get your kids up and moving. Make an Exercise Schedule You and your children are more likely to exercise if you schedule it into your days. Set aside time for physical activity and be a role model for the behavior you want your children to follow. Support Physical Education Programs in the Schools Physical education (P.E.) at school can help kids be more active, but many states have limited programs that require little time. Be an advocate for your child and let the school administration know you want P.E. to be part of your child’s curriculum. Plan Your Vacations, Weekends, and Days Off Around Fitness Fun Vacations and days off can involve activities that get the whole family moving. Bike rides, nature hikes, swimming, or even play time on the playground. Make the activities fun […]
Mar 25

Never Ignore Your Emotions

by kevin in Mind & Body 0 comments
Depression is an illness – it may not be recognized by many, but it exists. Left untreated it can be detrimental to one’s physical health. The risk of heart disease, diabetes or stroke can stem from untreated depression. If you do suffer from depression or a bipolar disorder, there are a number of things you could try to banish the blues. And there will be no mention of bottled sunshine tablets in this advice. One of the best remedies for banishing the blues is to exercise. It is not easy to go and pack up your gym kit and head off to the fitness suite when all you want to do is be left alone to wallow in a depression. However, if the gym does not appeal to you, try to go for a swim. Regular exercise junkies actually end up feeling depressed if they go just three days without any aerobic work outs. The adrenaline rush one gets from exercise lifts bad moods and makes you feel great. The science behind it is simple: exercise releases a chemical within us called endorphins. Endorphins stop stress hormones in their tracks. If you have depression, stress hormones are working at their […]
Mar 25

Part I: The Benefits of Tai Chi

by kevin in Mind & Body 0 comments
Tai Chi is a form of martial arts that was first developed in China several centuries ago. While it is a form of martial arts that trains in self-defense, it strays away from the traditional perception of martial arts training – strenuous training and physical contact with others to learn and improve your skills. Where tai chi differs is that it places a strong emphasis on using the mind as well as the body. Much of tai chi is spent making slow and calculated movements in a rhythm that allows your mind and body to find an inner calm. The mental clarity that you gain from practicing this martial art allows you to better learn the physical aspects of the training. So with as a form of fitness, it provides both mental and physical training, which leads to gaining health benefits in both these areas. Tai chi comes in many different training forms, which allows practitioners to find the best style to suit to their own fitness goals. It’s not hard to find a good tai chi class, as it remains very popular today. Take a look below and see for yourself the countless health benefits to be gained from […]
Mar 25

MEDITATION – HOW IT CAN MAKE YOU ANGRY, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

by kevin in Mind & Body 0 comments
From providing instant stress relief to boosting energy levels- meditation is known to do a lot for the body. The fact that meditation could actually make you angry may seem laughable, but yes, it can actually happen, and it can be due to several possible reasons. Keep reading to know more about why meditation could get you enraged, and how you could tackle it better. Can Meditation Induce Anger? Yes, meditation can induce anger. This is because different people have different personalities, and react to situations in different ways. For some, the idea of sitting down for 20 minutes and focusing on the breath may seem like getting into relaxation mode, while for some others, it may just be impossible. Also, a lot of times, the most important aspects of meditation tend to get ignored- the basic goal of meditation is to calm down the mind, and in turn, experience benefits for the body. Meditation also helps you get in touch with your true self and boosts the natural purge of your body and rids it of everything negative- whether at the physical or emotional level. This is why some people may experience sadness or anger after a meditation session- […]
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