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Simple, Effortless Ways To Lose Weight

Why does weight loss feel so difficult? Most people would say it’s because they feel like they have to deprive themselves.

It’s painful to:

  • Stop eating foods you love.
  • Eat foods you don’t particularly like.
  • Miss out on social activities or cut back on them for fear that they’ll derail your weight loss goals.

It’s no surprise then that most people find losing weight difficult. Who would ever choose to feel deprived or unsatisfied?

But what if our thinking about how to lose weight was all wrong? What if the best way to lose weight was actually to NOT feel deprived at all?

So many people believe the “no pain, no gain” approach to weight loss is the most effective. But let me put it this way: If achieving a goal — weight loss or any other — requires being miserable, how motivated would you be to really stick to it? You wouldn’t!

For weight loss to be long-term it has to be pleasant. Otherwise you will always be struggling to stick to it. (And the sad thing is often when you struggle to stick to an unpleasant diet, you blame yourself. But it’s not your fault. It’s the diet that was unsustainable.)

So how do you ensure that weight loss is pleasant AND sustainable? Here are 5 ways:

1. Make tiny changes.

A lot of weight loss advice comes from the “shock and awe” school of thought. You throw out everything in your fridge and completely replace your existing diet with something radically different.

But the more drastic and different your new eating plan, the less likely you are to stick with it, especially when life gets busy. It’s much easier to keep your eating plan relatively the same and then make small changes in the right direction.

he best place to start is food portions. I tell my clients that even reducing portions by as little as 5% is a great start — something anyone can do.

Once you’ve cut back by 5% see how you feel. If you don’t notice that you’re eating less, brilliant! Now cut back 5% more.

n other words, make changes slowly so that you don’t notice them. Over time, lots of tiny changes add up to one big result.

2. Don’t stop doing what you enjoy.

Another popular diet strategy is to stop eating all the foods you love. But is that really sustainable? Of course not.

Instead, prioritize. Instead of eating both a cookie and a chocolate bar, decide which on your like more. Stick with that one, and stop eating the other.

3. Remove temptation.

I know lots of people who keep food on their desk at work. This is often food they really love but also can’t resist.

If you keep candy on your desk, every time you see it you think “Should I have it?” Even if you only give in once in a while, it still means calories are being consumed that you may not even have wanted and wouldn’t have missed if the temptation wasn’t there.

By all means eat candy, but make it a deliberate decision.

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Article Courtesy: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

Picture Courtesy: http://valleysleepcenter.com/

How Being Generous Boosts Longevity

Studies have suggested that volunteering and helping is associated with a reduced risk of mortality.

The euphoric feeling you feel after an act of generosity or kindness is known as a “helpers’ high”. This feeling is followed by a phase of calmness and is a positive addiction. After a genuine act of generosity, your brain releases feel-good chemicals that reduce stress and perk up your immune system. These endorphins improve emotional well-being and feelings of self-worth.

Here are some of the physical and mental benefits of being generous:

 It helps you live longer

Helping a family member or partner with small chores may boost your longevity. A study showed that married couples over the age of 65 that helped each other with transportation, household chores, shopping, errands or other tasks were approximately half as likely to die over the next five years than those couples who didn’t offer help.

It helps reduce stress A study has shown that stingy behaviour increases stress. Not sharing your wealth increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Hoarding money results in long-term stress and misery.

Helping people, especially strangers, causes your body to release oxytocin, which is the love hormone. This hormone increases social trust and helps you feel tranquil, while lowering your stress levels. This is probably one of the reasons why generosity boosts longevity.

It helps lower blood pressure A study found that people who lend support to people within their social groups had lower blood pressure and arterial pressure than those that didn’t offer social support. The study also found that the people who did offer social support also received it in return. It lowers the risk of depression and boosts your mood Research shows that volunteering and donating feels as good as receiving help. People whose spouses have died recover from depression if they help others deal with their loss. Providing care and assistance strengthens the emotional health of someone who has faced a tragedy. People who have struggled with trauma or addiction begin to heal emotionally if they help other people with similar problems. It improves confidence and self-esteem, and alleviates the symptoms of depression. When people attempt to be generous, the body releases feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, which has a relaxing effect. The body may also release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is used to treat depression. The helper’s high is basically a mood elevation and causes you to feel happy and peaceful.

Article Courtesy: http://healthmeup.com/

Real Foods To Eat Yourself Clean

Getting healthy and slimming down doesn’t have to be confusing or difficult.

By including the following seven foods into your diet, you can help yourself naturally detox and lose weight:

1. Coconut oil

Surprised to see fat topping the list for weight loss foods? Don’t be. Good fats do not make you fat. The way in which coconut oil is metabolized in the body means that it actually boosts your metabolism. Also include hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed, avocado, and oily fish to help lose belly fat.

2. Blueberries

Loaded with antioxidants, resveratrol, vitamin C, potassium and fiber, blueberries are known to help lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, improve memory, improve digestion, are anti-inflammatory, and since they are so nutritionally dense with such little calories, they are a great addition to your diet to help you lose weight.

3. Apple cider vinegar

Raw, unfiltered & with the ‘mother,’ Apple Cider Vinegar has excellent anti-inflammatory, detoxing and healing properties (both when taken internally and applied externally), has a high probiotic content which helps improve your digestive health, and whilst it is acidic, when taken internally it has an alkalising effect on the body. Use it as a dressing, to cook with, add to sauces, or add a tablespoon of it to warm water in the morning to help boost your metabolism and flush out toxins.

4. Dark leafy greens

There are reasons your mother told you to eat your greens. Dark leafy green vegetables (think kale, spinach, chard, Silverbeet etc.) and greens powders, such as Spirulina, contain a compound called chlorophyll which helps to improve your digestive health, oxygenate your blood, has an alkalizing effect on the body, and provides you with loads of essential vitamins and minerals to help with your weight loss goals.

5. Green tea

Green tea helps to boost your metabolism, works as an, energy booster, weight loss promoter, protector against radiation damage, and a powerful antioxidant. (Tip: Don’t like it? Try white tea, it’s the same tea leaves but just harvested earlier than green tea so it tastes a lot milder and sweeter).

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Article Courtesy: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

Out with the old, in with the new?

Today’s show was the Pongal Special edition of Slice of Health, with the topic revolving around the concept of “Out with the old and in with the new” and whether the new food fads have replaced the traditional cooking and Grandma’s recipes.

The special guests included a University Cordon Bleu educated home chef Shruti, her Grandmother Shantha Ramanujam and Diabetologist Dr. SP Rajesh.

Shruti says that she takes after her Grandma, Shantha, when it comes to her love for cooking. This is what inspired her to pursue it as a career. Shantha says she loves to cook healthy food rich in vitamins, but also loves to make chocolates!

Shruti interjects that her favourite dish made by her Grandma is actually Wheat Halwa. Wheat Halwa can be made very healthy by substituting water for milk and palm sugar or jaggery for refined sugar, with a small amount of ghee.

As the discussion moved towards the importance of eating healthy, Dr. Rajesh points out that Diabetes has become a global epidemic. By 2030, 1 in 5 diabetics will be Indian! Diabetes is prevalent all across India, and is quite high in the south, not just because of higher rice intake, but also the ghee drenched sweets we’re used to. The amount of calories consumed and calories burned are completely mismatched.

Shruti offers some of her expertise, giving us some healthier substitutes to sugar, such as jaggery, brown sugar and honey. While asked how she manages to be a pastry chef and still bake healthily, she says that while she was in Cordon Bleu in London, she had access to a variety of ingredients that were healthier, such as berries, and different types of chocolate. Since these are not always an option here, it does get tough to bake healthy.

Jane then poses a question to Shantha, asking if there was a concept of “healthy cooking” when she was young, to which she responds that cooking with less oil was what was considered healthy cooking. The healthiest oil to use is sesame oil, or olive oil, which is a more expensive option.

Dr. Rajesh offers us 3 tips to healthy beginnings:

1. Be physically active

2. Decrease oil intake

3. Increase fibre intake and avoid junk food

In conclusion, all 3 guest give us some words of wisdom.

Shruti, who says that she finds baking therapeutic, advices us to celebrate a festivals like pongal with our families, as that is the ultimate way to feel good.

Dr. Rajesh reiterates the health statistics and advices us to limit our sugar intake to 100cal per day and oil intake to 3 tablespoons a day per person. He also reminds us that jaggery is non refined and high in iron content, and is therefore a very good alternative to sugar.

Shantha, in all her years of wisdom only asks that we be happy, smile a lot and eat healthy to stay healthy.

Picture Courtesy: https://www.modernlifeblogs.com/

Breathing Techniques for a More Effective Workout

You’ve been doing it about 20,000 times a day since the moment you were born. In fact, you’re doing it right now. More importantly, experts are saying you’re doing it all wrong.

We’re referring to breathing, which seems like such a natural act that we only think of it when we’re huffing and puffing at the end of a 10k—not while walking to work, eating breakfast, or any other normal activity.

What exactly does it mean to say we’re all breathing “wrong?” If you’ve made it this far, it seems like you’ve been doing an OK job. Oxygen is coming in; carbon dioxide is going out. But, according to Noam Tamir, CSCS, founder of TS Fitness in New York City, while we might be getting by, we could be breathing better. In fact, improving our breathing could help to lower blood pressure, decrease stress, improve athletic performance, and maybe even increase brain size.

Breathe In, Breathe Out: Common Breathing Mistakes

When Tamir works with a new client, the first thing he puts them through is the Functional Movement Screen to assess any major muscle imbalances. Closely following the FMS is a breathing assessment. During the evaluation, Tamir is looking for any one or a combination of breathing inefficiencies we’ve developed over time. The term “inefficient breathing” can mean various things depending on who you ask, but for Tamir, it breaks down to these three mishaps:

Chest breathing

Rather than breathing deeply through the belly using the diaphragm, it’s common to see breathing through the top of the chest, Tamir says, which forces the body to rely on other muscles not built for the task at hand. When you breathe through the chest, “you’re using a lot of ancillary muscles, such as those in the neck, that you really don’t need to use.” This can also reinforce neck and shoulder tension common among office workers. Following the age-old principle “Use it or lose it,” this reliance on ancillary muscles also weakens the diaphragm. A weak diaphragm will fatigue easily during exercise, meaning your muscles won’t receive the optimum amount of blood flow during your next CrossFit WOD or 5K.

Shallow breathing

Another bad habit when it comes to our breath? We’re working too hard to get in the oxygen that we need. Rather than taking deep, full breaths, we’re resorting to shallow, quick ones, forcing the body to work overtime to get the same amount of oxygen, Tamir says. This could partly be due to poor posture, most prevalent among those who slump over a screen all day (not to mention gym-goers who overemphasize mirror muscles instead of focusing on balance). With the shoulders hunched forward, we lose part of our ability to expand our diaphragm and take the big, full breaths that can boost workout performance, increase efficiency, and help manage stress.

Lack of rhythm

No, we’re not talking about the kind you would see on the dance floor. If you’ve ever focused on your breathing while running to help pass the time, you’ve likely noticed a specific rhythm to your breath. Perhaps it matched the pace of your footsteps (cadence) or your arm swing. Whatever the pattern, breathing smoothly and rhythmically can play a calming role, particularly in athletes, says Tamir. If your breathing is erratic, it’s hard to get into the zone—whether that’s busting out your last track interval or burning through your last set of squats.

Breathing has a huge impact on our health and fitness, but we’re probably not taking advantage of it just yet. The good news is that anyone can improve their breathing with even a small time investment, Tamir says. And it all starts with basic awareness. Tamir recommends focusing on just your breathing one to two times a day, starting with just one minute at a time. Seem doable? Here’s your playbook for success.

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Article Courtesy: http://news.health.com/

Best Reasons For Morning Exercises

Without any knowledge about the actual reason there are many people who simply follow others when it comes to doing workouts early in the morning, there are several who think that doing these training sessions early in the morning will leave them to spend their rest of the day with all other tasks or only because people tend to wake up in early hours of the day.

For all those fitness freaks who tend to choose workout during morning should be happy to know that there is a special reason for this especially for all those who are into sports. Going with the choice of workout is to increase the ability of putting up much better performance also improvising on their attitude.

It is necessary that the athletes who desire success should be disciplined which is found mostly among those who get up early for workouts or training sessions. Though it is slightly difficult to get used to the idea of waking up before the sun itself does there are many who have understood the advantage of waking up with this routine helping them put up much better performance throughout that day.

Getting into the scientific reasons there is no denial to the fact that body becomes more efficient after appropriate rest which usually is in higher rate when the body gets sleep at night making the body set out to firing continuously for any challenge. Proper rest will also ensure that the body will be more focused on the tasks that are lined up ahead for the day apart from this they also are known to prepare an individual for any sort of competitions.

However this is not all to the task of setting up alarm to wake up early and jumpstart the day with positive energy there are several other reasons which have huge contribution to even losing fat and help in meeting all the targets set for being fit.

Reasons to get ahead with workout early in the morning are stated below:

  1. Focus: Starting a day early with proper training session will ensure that the individual will focus more on the important things which have to be dealt with at faster rate. They also are said to help in clearing the mind keeping it at peace for rest of the day giving sufficient time to plan entire day without letting go of anything. Also the time during exercise can be used to help in planning entire day out.
  2. Prioritizing: There are many people who surely state their willingness to start exercising but they do not do so only since they have not chosen to give it higher priority among several other things which are to be done for that day. Getting up early will surely help them to fulfill their intentions giving the body proper health.
  3. Be Positive: Getting up early and starting with workout is said to help in rushing the body with healthy hormones which is known as happy endorphins that are ultimately said to have positive effect even on the moods.
  4. Achieve: Starting out the day early and imbibing good habits will not necessarily need any other achievements instead the goal of being active for the day is sufficient that also has positive effect on improvisation of confidence levels in an individual.
  5. Metabolize: Starting out the day early with workouts are said to help in cutting down additional fat that has been stored in the body by choosing physical activity which will initiate the metabolism also forcing body to re-generate the energy levels in the body.

For all those who are not satisfied with this reasons should be convinced with the idea that for all those who do not undergo any physical activity can go with some or the other activity irrespective of the day in which it is done. There are many people who find themselves to be at guilt for having let go of the chance to kick start their day with some sort of physical activity.

Article Courtesy: http://www.myhealthtips.in/

Plant-Based Proteins To Add To Your Daily Routine

We all know protein is important. But even if we’re vaguely aware that we need to watch our protein intake, it’s easy to write it off as something only body builders or people on strict diets need to worry about. For women especially, it’s not uncommon to go without a good source of protein until the evening meal.

Protein is about more than building muscle. Each and every body part requires protein to function, from red and white blood cells to hair and skin (all made of protein.) Eating protein at every meal stabilizes our blood sugar levels, helping with everything from mood to weight management to nervous system health.

So how do we boost our protein intake without resorting to a big hunk o’ steak? It’s easy to get more protein in your diet without sacrificing your favorite meals. Power up your existing favourites with these easy-to-use plant-based sources of protein.

1. Fermented Protein Powder

Health Benefits: While regular vegan protein powders can sometimes be difficult to digest, the fermented variety supports healthy gut bacteria.

How To Use: Blend it in with your morning smoothie.

2. Ground Flaxseeds

Health Benefits: On top of being high in protein, flaxseeds are also a good source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Their fiber content and mucilaginous nature also make them great for gut health.

How To Use: Sprinkle ground flaxseeds onto oatmeal or cooked veggies for a nutty flavour. You can also add ground flaxseeds to homemade baked goods. Recent studies have found that cooking flaxseeds leaves the omega-3 content intact.

3. Chia Seeds

Health Benefits: Like flaxseeds, chia seeds are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Because they can absorb so much liquid (becoming a chia “gel”), they can also help prevent dehydration.

How To Use: Chia seeds can be added to smoothies, sprinkled on porridge, used to make puddings, or even as a grain-free “breading” for chicken or fish (if you eat it!).

4. Sunflower Seeds

Health Benefits: High in protein, sunflower seeds are also anti-inflammatory, which can help with symptoms of conditions like asthma and arthritis.

How To Use: Sunflower seeds can be sprinkled on salads and porridge. Ground sunflower seeds can also be used in place of flour to dust meats or added to grain-free baking recipes.

5. Nut Butters

Health Benefits: High in healthy fats and protein, nuts are wonderful for balancing your blood sugar levels, and using all-natural nut butters is a great way to get them in your diet.

How To Use: Add a scoop of almond butter to your green smoothies, spread some cashew butter on a homemade gluten-free muffin or replace the maple syrup on your oatmeal with a spoonful of your favourite nut butter variety.

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Article Courtesy: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

The Hormones of Happiness and How to Increase Them

All of your feelings and emotions are a result of chemical reactions taking place in your body. These reactions are responsible for making you feel negative emotions, like anger and sadness, as well as positive emotions, like love and happiness. Read on to find out what your happy hormones are and how you can increase them.

Endorphins
Endorphins are your body’s natural painkillers, since they block pain. Most people are aware of the fact that exercise releases endorphins, but they don’t realise the reason for this. Way back in the stone ages, endorphins were important to our ancestors because they enabled them to keep running through the pain and escape predators. Today, we don’t need to escape predators anymore, so we only produce endorphins when we perform anaerobic exercise, since endorphins help us to keep going even after we deplete our oxygen stores.

Ways to increase your endorphin levels: 

• Exercise to cope with chronic pain.
• Eat spicy food, since your tongue has receptors that react to spice by sending messages to your brain that are similar to pain signals, causing your brain to trigger the release of endorphins.

Serotonin
Serotonin is the key hormone of happiness, since it regulates mood, prevents depression, thwarts irritation and makes you happy and sociable.

Ways to increase your serotonin levels: 

• Spend time in the sun, since sunlight causes your body to produce Vitamin D, which triggers the release of serotonin.
• Think happy thoughts, since your brain produces serotonin when you remember happy memories or think about things that make you happy.
• Consume foods like milk and corn, since they contain tryptophan, a substance that your body converts to serotonin. Other carbohydrates also contain tryptophan.
• Do a low-intensity workout, since your body produces serotonin when it is performing aerobic exercise, as opposed to the endorphins it produces during anaerobic exercise.

Dopamine
Dopamine is a pleasure hormone that is released when you strive towards a goal. Dopamine motivates you to work hard so that you can achieve the satisfaction of reaching that goal. It also keeps you mentally alert and helps you focus.

Ways to increase your dopamine levels: 
• Set daily or monthly goals, since they give you something to strive towards.
• Set exercise goals, since dopamine increases in tandem with serotonin and endorphins when you exercise. Setting goals will increase the production of dopamine even more.
• Eat foods that are rich in protein.

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Article courtesy: http://healthmeup.com/

Is addiction to Social Media leading to Insomnia in our generation?

Our generation is in denial about this particular subject. Does our addiction to Social Media and Technology lead to insomnia and affect our health?

Jane introduces her 2 guests, Dr. S. Mohanraj, a Consultant Psychiatrist, and Pradeep, who runs a Social Media Marketing frim.

It is quickly established that a social media addiction could cause insomnia because When you stare into the screen, your eyes adjust to the screen light after which even if you want to sleep, you cannot, and this leads to insomnia.

A Second adverse effect of Social Media addiction is on the relationships that people have, as it decreases real physical and social interactions, and people isolate themselves in real life.

Pradeep is of the opinion that it’s unfair to blame social media as it is a tool designed to communicate, not cause insomnia.
Jane points out that Social Media Marketing itself is aimed at pushing your content and though you can turn of the TV, you cant turn of Social Media.

Pradeep responds that TV is just as much to blame as social media. People are generally curious by nature and want to always be aware of what’s happening in the world around them and Social Media is a real-time update of that.

Dr. Mohanraj agrees. He says that Social Media is not the only reason insomnia is on the rise, but just one of the newer reasons. A lot of students stay up all night on Social Media, or gaming all night n sleep through the day skipping college, while others find themselves unproductive through the day. That kids spend up to 16-17 hours online or gaming a day.
His advice to these people is to limit social media to desktops or laptops, and keep it off their mobile phones. He also says that Social Media has good uses too and good trends that come up because of it. It is a tool that can be good or degenerative.

Pradeep points out that even those who go off the grid for a couple of days but come back more addicted than before. Social Media is programmed to make you want to use it. He says that the problem is that people are plugged into their online lives and reality at the same time, there’s some white noise in between. If Social Media is in the back of your mind even when you’re not on it and you’re not able to tune out of it and tune into reality, that’s a real problem.

At this point they acknowledge the uniting quality of social media with the kind of solidarity and support pouring in from across the world during violent incidences such as the Australia hostage situation, the Peshawar attack and most recently, the Paris terrorist attack.

On the negative side, it would seem that Virtual reality has taken over reality.

Pradeep acknowledges that although brands on facebook are eager to force loads of content on users, it is up to Social Media agencies like his to remind them that they are trying to build relationships and are not just doing one way marketing here.

A caller also highlights the latest health condition called “Text-Neck” that’s a result of youngsters constantly looking down at their phones, therefore straining their necks.

Pradeep jokes that soon this won’t be a problem if gadgets like Google Glasses get popular.

Dr. Mohanraj still insists that Social Media must be used responsibly and that at some point of the evening or before bed, we must turn off wifi or our phones and ensure we get 7-8 hours of sleep at the very least. Facebook does not control us, and there is a real life outside.

Pradeep highlights a useful tool on smartphones where you can put yourself on a “do not disturb” or DND mode, where only a small list of people would be able to reach you. This might be handy for people trying to disconnect after a long day as it gives you more control on who reaches you and what you see even on Social Media updates.

There are youngsters who have thousands of friends on facebook but no friends in real life, and therefore are extremely uncomfortable with social interactions.

In conclusion they all agreed that Social Media is a great tool to connect with real friends, even those across the globe. There is a thin line between the good and the bad. We should know where that line is, and know when to tune out. We must disconnect and concentrate on our offline lives as that is what is real. We must know our limits and take control of our virtual lives.

Post-Workout Mistakes You’re Probably Making

If you’ve been hitting the gym regularly without seeing any results, you may be committing some of these post-workout mistakes that hamper your fitness goals. These mistakes may also result in injury or illness. 

Here are some common mistakes you could be making after a workout.

You don’t rehydrate  Nourishing your body is essential as exercise depletes the nutrients in your body, and not replenishing them in time delays the nutrition recovery process. A rehydration plan is key to recover your body’s lost nutrients, especially if you’ve been working out in hot weather. Sports drinks restock electrolytes, but they also contain extra calories. Drink plenty of water after basic workouts and drink sports drinks only after intense workouts.

You stay hungry for too long Refuelling immediately after a workout helps strengthen muscles. If you have high muscle mass or a high metabolism, you need to make it a point to eat meals rich in protein soon after working out.

You don’t eat enough protein Protein is an important nutrient that should be a part of your nutrition plan. Protein helps rebuild your muscles, and studies suggest that muscle protein synthesis is at its peak within three to five hours after strength training and then it gradually diminishes over a 48 hour period. After a workout, consume a protein shake, eggs or lean meats.

You reward yourself with calorie-laden treats Instead of polishing off a decadent dessert, choose healthy post-workout snacks that are under 150 calories. High-calorie foods will make you regain lost calories, so try some healthy recipes that have adequate protein content.

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Article Courtesy: http://healthmeup.com/

Picture Courtesy: http://nossacompany.com/

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