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5 Apps to Monitor Your Mental Health

Technology has helped the world progress at a faster pace but it also has its limitations. We have always talked about making efforts to stay away from technology but isn’t it a better option to harness the benefits the way we want? Technology is definitely a beautiful tool and it has eased our lives so much that one feels quite handicapped without it. A recent development in the field of technology is a sudden focus on the need to develop health apps that focus on fitness and mental well-being. Research has proved that many people with mental illnesses don’t get the help that they require. Around 35-50% of the people suffering from serious mental illness in developed countries did not receive adequate help in the previous year. Although many factors contribute to this serious treatment gap, a shortage of trained mental health professionals, particularly in low income countries pose a great threat. Almost everyone owns a smartphone and this is the reason why mobile phone applications are getting attention now.
Of about 15,000 health related mobile based applications, one-third of them deal with mental health issues. Here are 5 popular ones:

1. Talkspace: This app lets you connect with trained and licensed professionals/therapists where you can share your emotions and feelings anonymously. It is not a free app, but they provide a range of services using audio, video and text as well as language options from which you can choose services that suit your needs.

2. What’s my M3: A lot of people suffer from depression these days and the sad part is that most of them fail to realize the symptoms. A few of them fail to accept it and feel shy to consult a psychiatrist. This app has been created by a group of therapists and bipolar disorder experts to help the user share his feelings and assess the illness accordingly. It gives suggestions and recommendations to help you deal with one’s issues.

3. Mood-o-scope: Most of the doctors recommend this app for patients who come for the first time with mental illnesses. This app helps keep track of the patients’ emotions by monitoring and recording their moods through a series of questions throughout the day.

4. MotionX 24/7: Sleep is the first thing that gets affected when you suffer from anxiety and depression. In most cases, early stages of depression are treated with pills and techniques that induce sleep. This app lets you keep track of your sleep habits and patterns and gives you personalized feedback every day to help improve your sleep pattern.

5. Operation Reach Out: A lifesaving app that helps people with suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. The app gets updated with a lot of expert talks, motivational quotes, etc. to help people come out of their suicidal thoughts and lead a happy life.

References:
http://evus.com/blog/10-mobile -apps-mental-health/
http://psychcentral.com/blog/a rchives/2013/01/16/top-10-ment al-health-apps/

6 Foods That Instantly Boost Your Mood

What you eat makes all the difference in the world! Never ask for proof the next time someone says your food influences your mood. We commonly hear terms like sugar high, caffeine rush, hangover, etc, which clearly indicate how impactful the foods you consume are. Most of your mood related symptoms are triggered from varying levels of blood sugar in your body which control the level of ‘melatonin’ secreted in the blood as a responsive reaction. This is why you feel better immediately after the food is excreted out of your body. So if you think what you eat can only influence your body weight, think about the cravings you have for your favourite food which by itself is a brain triggered reaction and in turn influences your mood. The next time you feel bad or depressed or tired, try consuming the foods that we have listed below and see the difference it makes.

1. Coffee: Feeling dull and lifeless? This is the best time to grab that cup of caffeine and give your mind the required boost. Coffee basically short circuits a nerve chemical called ‘adenosine’ which blocks the energy-boosting brain chemicals and helps rejuvenate your happy hormones. Always watch your portion – never exceed 500 ml coffee a day.

2. Chocolate: It has been found that eating 50 grams of dark chocolate everyday for two weeks, reduces ‘cortisol’ secretion (stress hormone) because of the chemical reaction that happens between cortisol and the antioxidants present in chocolate. Isn’t this good news?

3. Fish: Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in people suffering from anaemia. This is predominantly seen in youngsters and women of childbearing age. It is important to deal with iron deficiency by including a diet that contains lean meat, seafood and poultry. Vegetarian foods like spinach are also rich in iron but it is the animal protein called ‘hemethat the body is capable of absorbing more easily and quickly.

4. Honey: One good thing about honey is that it can be added to almost any dish and it will add that extra flavour to it. It is not only an excellent substitute for sugar but is also packed with a lot of useful compounds that help the body to eliminate free radicals, reduce inflammation and make you feel good.

5. Yogurt: Appropriate calcium levels in the body give a positive signal to the brain and push it further to secret feel-good hormones. An imbalance in calcium levels have resulted in anxiety, irritability and impaired memory. So the next time you feel irritated or just blah, grab a small cup of fresh, organic yogurt and you’re all set.

6. Fruits: These fruits are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way and at the same time pep your mood up. Most of the citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapes have proved to give an instant mood boost. Now you know why most of the room fragrances have these flavours.

References:
http://www.rodalesorganiclife. com/food/brain-food

http://www.prevention.com/heal th/food-and-mood-best-foods- make-you-feel-better

6 Ways to Have Fun While You Run

They say, “When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart”. Running can get boring and strenuous when you do it for a long time. But running is the most effective form of exercise that lets you lose a considerable amount of calories in a short span of time. Running lets your entire body to actively engage in the workout process thereby giving a holistic effect to your body’s fitness. Almost every runner in the world admits that running is not always fun and enjoyable. Often, it requires a lot of push and self-motivation to do it consistently. When done right, running can prove to be a refreshing exercise relieving you of stress. We have some interesting suggestions for you that will help you get on your feet every time and run the fun way.

Go creative with GPS: A lot of people these days are using this technique to convey their wishes to their loved ones. All you have to do is track the route you want to run in such a way that when it gets highlighted it actually conveys something. The track can convey wishes to your close ones or you can even try forming simple figures like a teddy bear or a tree or even your country’s map.
Dirty is the new fun: Once in a while you can engage in mud runs, glow runs or Spartan runs where running goes to a totally different level. The fun part is the fact that it’s a group activity involving a different kind of a trail where the fun is all about getting to play in the mud.
Run with nature: The next time you plan to choose your track, look for ones that are close to water bodies like oceans, rivers and lakes. It’s even better when you run as the sun sets as it has been proven that the hues radiated by the sun at this time have the most relaxing effect. Some people enjoy running by the beach during sunrise and it has almost the same positive effect.
Pet or Buddy –You choose: Try running with your favourite buddy- be it your pet or your friend. If you are a person who loves to talk while running, take a friend with you and catch up on updates. If you prefer to get immersed in your own thoughts instead of talking, take your pet with you and give both yourselves the much needed exercise.
Watch your favourite sitcom/series: Who said the treadmill is boring? All you need to pep it up is a screen in front with your favourite series running. Studies have shown that people who watch their favourite show while running on the treadmill seem to workout for a longer time compared to the ones who simply listen to music.
Take pics/selfies: If you have a small group of friends who also run on a regular basis, try forming a group on Whatsapp and start posting pictures or selfies of something interesting that you find along the path on which you choose to run. Or you can get your friends to hunt for the location that you shared in the picture and ask them to give the same pose in the same location and share the pictures. The best way is to have a few images shared on the group every week, along with clues about the location so that the runners can start hunting for it.

Reference:

http://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/love-running-tips/

6 Quick Ways to Fall Asleep As Soon As You Hit the Bed

A good night’s sleep is all that is required to keep you active the next day. Poor sleep immensely affects your thinking capabilities and can have deteriorating effects in the long run. Healthy living starts with a healthy sleep pattern. Insomnia is the term that is being widely used for this syndrome and has been affecting half the people above the age of 50 around the globe. Lack of sleep can be attributed to a lot of things but the most common reason is anxiety. When you’re anxious, you tend to worry and think a lot thereby preventing the brain from shutting off. So the next time you are on the bed not being able to sleep and simply staring at the ceiling or tossing and turning waiting for sleep to kiss you goodnight, remember the following tricks that could help coax yourself into a dreamland.

Sleep music: Studies have shown that a mild music that has a slow rhythm of 60-80 beats per minute can help lull you to sleep. You can pick the style of music you wish to hear but ensure that it is slow and soothing. You can either listen to this music before you lie down or you can turn it on while you are lying down on the bed. A lot of options are available for free online and you can try different kinds of music to see which one puts you to sleep faster.
Set your room temperature right: Your room and body temperature have to be mediated to allow your body to enter into its sleep mode. The sleep-friendly room temperature has been found to be 20 degree Celsius. Also ensure that the room in which you sleep is dark and comfortable and also free from noise and other distractions. Some people might even have their sleep disturbed due to ticking clocks. Make your room free from all kinds of disturbances. Sometimes wearing socks while sleeping also helps keep your body warm and can induce sleep quickly.
Rewind the day: This is a technique similar to counting numbers in reverse or even saying the alphabets in reverse. By recapitulating all the events that happened during the day in the reverse order, you tend to work out your brain a little more thereby making it tired. A brain that’s tired easily goes to sleep.
Shower before sleep: Having a warm shower just before you sleep and then immediately stepping into a relatively cooler space will cause the body temperature to drop suddenly. This rapid decrease in temperature lowers your body’s temperature and prepares your body for sleep. For some people immersing their face in cold water for 30 seconds can have similar effects (this may not work for people with sinus, asthma and other such disorders)
Stay away from blue rays: Blue rays are predominantly attributed to the gadgets ruling the present scenario. It is always advised to keep your phone 10 feet away from where you are sleeping since the rays are quite harmful for the brain. Similarly avoid scrolling your phone at night while lying down on the bed with all the lights turned off. This causes too much strain on the eyes and it tends to lose its visual balance. This in turn causes the brain to work hard to maintain the visual balance and keeps it working actively thereby hindering the process of sleep.
The 4-7-8 Method: This is a very famous sleep inducing technique which involves a few breathing sessions in a set manner. This technique has been proved to put people to sleep in less than a minute by slowing your heart rate and releasing more carbon dioxide from the lungs.

Place your tongue against the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth and maintain this throughout the exercise
Now exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound
Then close your mouth and inhale through your nose to a count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 7
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle 3 more times for a total of 4 breaths

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/15-ways-to-fall-asleep-faster_us_55dde3e7e4b04ae497054470

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/unable-sleep-eleven-ways-you-2300449

5 Interesting Ways to Deal with Mood-swings

Good mood- bad mood – good mood – bad mood… Sounds familiar? What a common term ‘mood swings’ has become these days! Don’t we readily blame it for anything and everything? It is quite sad that most people fail to take steps to diminish its effects and just end up whining about it. Anything to do with your mind can be controlled by you if you diligently work towards it. Millions of people across the globe take pills to temper their mood swings, which has detrimental effect to your vital organs. Calming your mood and keeping it relaxed is inevitable since it influences your decision making significantly. Mastering the art of controlling your mood takes practice. You will have to watch your thoughts and take necessary steps or you might end up getting agitated for even the smallest of issues. Research shows that if our bodies move in a particular way, our minds also automatically align the very same way. Hence it is important to take care of your body language to work your way out from the spell.

Here are 5 interesting ways that will help you even-out your moods:

1. Think before you speak: Do you easily get hurt or offended? Then you might want to focus on thinking before you actually say things out. Always take a moment to think from the recipient’s point of view and see how well it can be drafted so as to get your point communicated in a diplomatic and healthy way. This by itself will solve most of the problems since you don’t have to worry about the consequences of the conversation you had with someone and worry about it.

2. It’s okay to indulge: Food never ceases to make people happy. If you feel sad or terrible, it’s ok to grab that whole jar of ice cream and indulge in it. Also, binge eating once in a while has been proved to have quicker effects on people with mood swings. Always remember that this should not always be your first choice since it can directly affect your health in the long run.

3. Preserve a diary: It’s always good to vent your feelings out at some point. Most of the time we are not comfortable in sharing things that disturb us, with other people. In such cases, all you need to do is grab a pen and start writing what you feel. It’s ok if your diary almost takes the role of your best friend. After all, you know for sure that you’re not being judged!

4. Breathe in & breathe out: Every time your mind feels irritated, take a moment to close your eyes and take in deep breaths. This increases the supply of oxygen to the brain which in turn releases feel-good hormones called endorphins and you will instantly be able to see the results.

5. It’s ok to fake a smile: Research has proved that simply putting a smile on your face, even when you don’t feel like doing it, tricks the body into thinking that you’re experiencing something nice and good and diminishes the effects of the stress hormones. Now this gives you a reason to stand in front of the mirror and put up a broad smile or even spend some time in taking selfies!

Reference:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/11/29/ten-ways-to-ease-painful-mood-swings-without-taking-pills/#751faa0a101d
https://womeninbalance.org/symptoms-solutions/irritability-mood-swings/

Eat Right After Your Workout

What one consumes before, during and after a workout is very important since the body tends to process the nutrients differently at different times. It is therefore necessary that the body gets the right type of food during the process of working out. Last week, we had shared an article about what a pre-workout nutrition http://www.sliceofhealth.in/eat-right-before-workout/ and in this article we will help you understand what good post-workout nutrition is.
Your post workout nutrition should help in improving bone mass, immunity and in reducing muscle soreness.
When we work out intensely we tend to impact the tissue at the micro-level and that’s how we get to burn the excess fat. Proteins are the vital nutrients responsible in repairing and rebuilding our muscles and hence these nutrients have to be readily available for the body after a strenuous workout. Below are a few quick points to remember:
1. When you’re planning for an intense workout, your post workout drink should be packed with carbohydrates and amino acids. Adding the appropriate carbohydrate can be quite tricky, in the sense, you should look for a food/drink that has more glucose than fructose since glucose is easily absorbed and digested. Stay away from fat at any cost after your workout.

2. Make sure you have your post workout meal within 2 hours of your workout. If you put your body into starvation mode, the muscle mass that was depleted during the workout tends to open up and starts storing more fat than usual to fill the spaces of fat that were burnt during the workout. Your post workout meal can include whole foods like eggs, butternuts, fish,oats, veggie salad with spinach and onions, chicken breast, yoghurt and fruit salad (with kiwi).

3. The secret is this:
a. If your ultimate goal is to build muscle, eat at least 30 grams of protein and 30 to 35 grams of carbohydrates within 15 minutes of your workout.

b. If you’re just trying to stay in shape or shed a few pounds, you can take your time and eat a protein rich meal within an hour of your workout.

Always ensure your don’t starve for more than 2 hours after your workout.

References:
http://www.mensfitness.com/ nutrition/what-to-eat/best- post-workout-foods

http://www.bodybuilding.com/ fun/berardi4.htm

20 Minute Workout for Flat Tummy

How many times have you looked at models and thought that their flat and toned tummies are such a far cry from yours? It is true that your tummy is the storehouse of stubborn fat that refuses to vanish easily. You need to do targeted core muscle exercises to burn that extra fat away. While finding an activity that you enjoy doing regularly like walking, jogging or cycling is great, it is also necessary to target the specific areas of your core muscles and engage them to give better definition and shape to your body. The abdominal muscles are quite significant when it comes to providing flexibility, support and posture to your body since they are directly connected to the spinal cord with tissues and muscles. Losing weight in the tummy can be quite tricky but once you know how to target those specific areas, you can feel the burn and see results in 2-3 months.

So here we have listed a few exercises that you could try from home everyday for just 30 minutes and say goodbye to your bulging paunch.
1. Ab crunches: This is a very good exercise for the upper, lower and oblique abdominal muscles. Lie flat on the ground with your feet placed firmly on the ground and your hands clasped behind your head. Now raise your upper body from this position to the extent that you can feel the muscles in your abdomen getting worked and try to stay there for 3-5 seconds. Then bring back your body to the original position. Repeat this 30 times.

2. Planks: Planks are by far the best form of exercise to tone the body holistically. To carry out this exercise lie on the floor with your face down and upper body supported on your forearms. Now slowly raise your entire body off the floor and ensure you get a good amount of support from your forearms and toes when you do this. Carry this out for 3 repetitions, holding the raised position for about 15-20 seconds.

3. Touch your toe: This exercise might sound very simple but it is one of the most strenuous and effective workouts. All you need to do is to stand straight and lift both your hands up in the air above your head and bend slowly and touch your big toe. While doing this you will be able to feel your abdominal muscles and thigh muscles getting worked.

4. Cycle in the air: Bicycling engages a lot of muscles associated with the tummy and hence is considered one of the effective exercises to lose tummy weight. Carry out this exercise by lying on the floor, placing your hands behind your head and bring your knees off the floor. Simultaneously bring your left elbow towards your right knee while performing a cycling motion and then switch your elbows and legs alternatively. Repeat this 30 times.

References:

http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/workout-routines/advice/g813/tummy-toning-exercises/http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/get-a-flat-tummy-at-home-with-these-simple-exercises/

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthyandnaturalworld.com%2Fget-a-flat-tummy-at-home-with-these-simple-exercises%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEhSmvWWrBJeDSL5d_rRNrf4llw_Q

Live Healthy with Diabetes

It is not possible to control everything that can impact your health. Genetic makeup is one such thing, and is one of the main causes of diabetes. Some people just end up with it even with a perfectly healthy lifestyle. Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a complex disease that occurs due to the abnormal levels of the hormone called Insulin secreted by the pancreas. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to varying sugar levels in the blood and therefore causes low or high sugar in the blood. There are two types of diabetes namely Type 1 & Type 2. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin it is Type 1 diabetes and when the body is unable to process the insulin that is produced, it is Type 2 diabetes. Both Type 1 & 2 diabetes are serious and may be detrimental to the health if proper care is not taken.

Here are a few care tips to remember for people with diabetes.

1. The DUCH check: Wondering what DUCH test is? It’s the acronym for Dental, Urine, Cholesterol & Haemoglobin test. Never skip your routine medical health check-ups at any cost. It is imperative that you do the DUCH Test in a manner indicated by your physician just to be sure that your numbers stay within the stipulated health limits.

2. Quench your craving: Often people with diabetes experience a sudden craving for food and often end up eating more than what their body actually requires. Most of the time, the high blood sugar level in the body tricks you into thinking you’re hungry when all you need is water. So the next time this happens, drink water and wait for 20 minutes and you’ll win this game.

3. No late snacks: Always remember to sleep on an almost empty stomach. Keep your dinner light and sugar-free since your body needs to be very active to burn this sugar. Also ensure that you get 6 or more hours of proper sleep to help your nervous system in its rejuvenation process.

4. Quit smoking: Giving up on smoking has a lot of positive effects on the body. Diabetic people have to be extra cautious since smoking poses higher risks for serious complications like heart and liver disease and also results in poor blood flow to the legs and feet resulting in serious infections and other complications.

5. Extra care for your feet & eyes: It has been observed that most of the complications arising out of diabetes show up first on the feet, eye or the kidney. Hence is it always a good habit to check these organs regularly and protect yourself from the ill-effects of diabetes.

6. Moisturize your skin: Dry skin is a very common phenomenon occurring in people with diabetes. So always remember to moisturize your body after a shower as this tends to stay longer and makes your skin feel hydrated.

References:

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/diabetes/7-tips-for-living-well-with-diabetes/1/

http://www.idf.org/about-diabetes

Help People with Schizophrenia!

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder in which a person finds it difficult in distinguishing between what is real and not real. Approximately 1% of the entire world population suffers from this disease. It is characterized by difficulty in expressing one’s emotions and making social connections. This disease is not a very obvious one and is often misunderstood for other behavioral issues. Most often it is not taken seriously and therefore the patient is not treated properly. In many cases, proper and timely treatment coupled with support from family can help the individual recover and lead a normal and productive life both at home and at work.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia stems from a combination of genetic factors, biochemical abnormalities in the brain and sometimes due to some damage that happened during the early stages of foetal development. Many a times, this problem is seen to have aggravated because of mental stress and pressure. A person suffering from this illness usually experiences strange fears of being attacked and frequent hallucinations and delusions. They exhibit symptoms like garbled speech, lack of eye contact, show no facial expression and have abnormal motor behavior, etc.

Tips to Handle Schizophrenic Patients

– While conversing with them, try not to look into their eyes continuously for a long time
– Be aware of what you say. Remember that such patients are quite sensitive and anything you say can immensely hurt them.

– Take care of the tone in which you talk; don’t be too loud as high pitched sounds tend to create unnecessary fear and confusion.
– Talk at the same level/position, i.e. you should make sure you both stand while talking or just sit.
– Never touch the person while you talk. Maintain a distance and help them feel their space.
– Ensure that the places you go to are not crowded. Schizophrenic patients normally tend to be socialize selectively and may freak out if they are forced to talk to a lot of people.
– Remember to smile when you talk. This doesn’t mean you can crack jokes and laugh.
– Sometimes such people are intimidated by sarcasm and may not enjoy them.
– Listen to them when they have something to say instead of cutting them off; make them feel special and wanted.
– Tackling people with mental disorders can be very tricky given the fact that they are in their most sensitive state.

Hence it is necessary that such people receive the highest level of support and love from their family and friends.

References:

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/schizophrenia/helping-a-person-with-schizophrenia.htm

http://www.psychguides.com/guides/living-with-schizophrenia/

Eat Right Before You Workout

The last thing you would want while working out is to feel hungry or queasy. A pre-workout meal is therefore inevitable to gear up your body by supplying the required amount of energy. Starving before a workout usually does more harm than good by burning the useful fat that is actually required by the muscles. Eating heavy meals before a workout is also equally harmful and tends make you feel nauseated while working out. A pre-workout meal is a whole foods meal that has to be taken 30 minutes prior to your workout session. This meal should be carefully balanced with the right proportion of the right ingredients. In this article, we throw some light on the best foods that have been proven to have a positive impact on the body while working out.

1. Eggs: This little source of protein has always been an integral part of a body builder’s diet. Eggs have been proven to contain multiple micro-nutrients that help in the growth of strong tissues and muscles. These are recommended not only for adults but also for kids whose bodies are constantly breaking down cells to form newer and stronger ones.

2. Bananas: These are natural energy bars that are packed with potassium and digestible carbohydrates. The potassium in bananas doesn’t get stored in the body for very long and hence it is advisable to eat a medium sized banana with half a cup of yoghurt to keep the nerve and muscle function healthy.

3. Baked Potatoes: Potatoes are low in calories (110 calories for a medium sized raw potato) and are rich sources of vitamin C and vitamin B6. When baked with zero oil, these starchy vegetables prove to be the healthiest sources of fibre and also protect the body against cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

4. Oat meal: Oats are loaded with dietary fibre and have a range of healthy cholesterol–lowering properties. They tend to release carbohydrates into the blood stream and as a result help in maintaining steady energy levels. A cup of oats each day supplies the necessary carbohydrates for your workout.

Always remember that carbohydrates are an essential part of a pre-workout meal but proper care has to be taken to ensure that they are simple/natural sugars and not artificial sugar substitutes. So eat healthy and stay fit!

References:

http://www.mensfitness.com/ nutrition/what-to-eat/best- pre-workout-foods?page=2

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/ 01/24/pre-workout-meal/

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