During the holidays, many youngsters tend to lose all sense of time and discipline, especially when it comes to meals. This also happens to those who are traveling. They have no idea when to eat what. Irregular meal times can lead to lowering of the metabolism and cause acidity. Also, when the meal is too late and the gap between meals is too long there is a tendency to overeat or you lose control and eat anything you see, especially fatty snacks or sweets, even though you have resolved to avoid these foods.

The ideal time to eat breakfast is between 8 and 9 am. If you wake up very early, you may want to eat breakfast by 7 or 7.30 am. If you have to leave for an early work shift or catch a school bus, you should eat breakfast by 7 am rather than skip it or eat it later at the office or school at 10.30 am, which is too late for breakfast. Knowing when to eat what is very essential.

You would have eaten dinner by 8 or 9 pm, so breakfast should not be more than 12 hours later. When you wake up in the morning, your metabolism comes up from resting or basal state to active state. When you eat, chew and digest food, the metabolism rises further. That’s why it’s important to eat breakfast at the right time and never skip it. Also, the body has been without food for 10-12 hours. This is like a fasting state, so you must eat breakfast and eat it at least by 9 am or 9.30.

Lunch should be after 4 to 5 hours with a fruit in between around 10.30 to 11 am. A good time for lunch is between 12.30 and 1.30 pm; 2 pm should be the latest as most people who go beyond this time tend to develop an acidity problem.

Tea time should be between 4 and 5 pm and even if one is not so hungry at this time, it’s necessary to have a cup of tea or coffee and a couple of crackers or a slice of toast. Those not used to tea or coffee could drink a glass of skimmed milk or buttermilk at this time. The reason: the gap between lunch and dinner could be 7-8 hours. Many who miss this break have no idea when to eat what and thus tend to lose all control by 6 or 7 pm and eat oily snacks, cookies or sweets by this time. Otherwise, they eat nothing from lunch to dinner and eat from dinner till they go to bed without any control on quantity or restriction on fatty food.

At 6 or 7 pm, after your tea and cracker, you should also have a fruit, and if still hungry, a glass of skimmed milk or buttermilk too. This is usually the time when many people get home from work and start indulging in all the wrong food. Dinner is best between 7.30 and 8.30 pm and the latest should be by 9.30 pm. It’s ideal to finish dinner at least two hours before you go to bed. At night, your metabolism is slow and if you eat very late, most of the food will be stored as fat.

Thus having a good understanding about when to eat what makes a person more sensible and far more healthy!

Happy New Year to all the readers of HealthAndLife.in!!

And with the New Year come resolutions, but not all of them guarantee good health for 2010 and the years after. Here are some suggested  health-related resolutions that people should focus on. As we all know, small things add up to big difference-makers over time. Also, this advice will benefit anyone following it from the immune system to emotional well-being.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

It is one of the most neglected aspects of our health. Few people get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep, and we know that lack of sleep has been linked to a deficient immune system, increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and even certain types of cancers. We see a higher incidence of cancer in nurses and people who work graveyard shifts, as they do not get the recommended amount of sleep over extended periods.

The best way to keep this resolution is to maintain a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. It will keep your body on track and also help you fall asleep more easily at night. You have to be strict and very rigid about it. In my case, it’s at the expense of a social life, but I make sure I get those eight to nine hours a night.

QUIT SMOKING, ONCE AND FOR ALL

This is clearly the most important thing one can follow for good health. If you smoke, stop in 2010. You can take the help of ‘quit smoking’ help forums. The most important thing — make a plan and set the date about two weeks ahead of time. Have things in place so that, when those obstacles come up, you know how to deal with them. Get a support group. You can even ask your doctor to help you. Remember, it is the most important thing you can do for your health.

DON’T SET UNREALISTIC DIET GOALS

Obesity and weight are huge issues. But shedding excess calories is actually quite easy. All you need to do is to maintain a healthy diet. So, don’t drink anything with high calories. The more you cut down calories from your beverages, the better. Studies have shown that a person will be able to reduce 35 pounds in one year just by cutting out coffee.

NOTHING BEATS AN EXERCISE

Along with a healthy diet, exercise is a must. Weight-lifting is awesome. It’s great, especially for women. While that’s great for bones and metabolism, it does nothing for your heart. So, don’t forget the cardiovascular exercises for your heart. Do them at least twice a week. Also, try aerobics.

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Getting over your ex is a difficult job. You may have loved him with all your heart. But something went wrong and the ‘they lived-together-happily-ever after’ ending is now history. But alas, you find it difficult to put your past behind and get on with life. Well, that’s how life is. Here are some ways to help you to get over your ex and move on with life… First things first. Delete his number and SMSes from your mobile. It may hurt at first and you will miss all those sweet nothings you shared with him. Remember, he isn’t going to be with you anymore, so there’s no point hanging on to his messages.

His greeting cards, gifts, letters and cute teddy bears might have been a prized possession then. But now, they are nothing but a reminder of him. So, get rid of them. And yes, that includes the chocolate wrappers that are left from your last let’s celebrate-our-we-first went-out anniversary.

What’s the use of watching films if you can’t get inspired by them? Shred your ex’s photo to bits and flush it. Or write his name on a blank paper and strike it out repeatedly. This will definitely help you get over your ex, angst and pain. Or if the two of you have had a mutual break-up, then it’s only fair that you return all his belongings to him.

You might know many of his friends and though they might want to have a cordial relationship with you, it’s advisable not to. If some of your friends still maintain contact with him, then tell them not to discuss him when they are with you. That is the best possible way to get over your ex.

Whoever said that true love comes only once? Just sit back, relax, and take life as it comes. True love is sure to find its way back into your life.

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It may not be the season for oranges, but this fruit is known to have several benefits and is among the most popular fruits around the world. Oranges can be had not only as a snack but also as a major recipe ingredient in various dishes. Nowadays, orange juice is an integral part of a healthy breakfast — thus promoting a healthy start to the day.

They’re mainly available in two categories — sweet and bitter, with the former being the type most commonly consumed. Generally, an orange should have smoothly textured skin and be firm and heavy for its size. These will have higher juice content than those that are either spongy or lighter in weight.

BENEFITS:

• Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. One orange supplies 116.2 per cent of the required daily amount of vitamin C. Good intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, as it helps to get rid of free radicals that damage our DNA.

• Vitamin C, which is also vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system, is good for preventing colds and recurrent ear infections.
  

• Anti-oxidants in oranges help protect skin from free radical damage known to cause signs of aging. An orange a day can help you look young even at 50! Oranges, being rich in vitamin B6, helps support the production of hemoglobin and also helps keep blood pressure under check due to the presence of magnesium.

• According to a study by US and Canadian researchers, a class of compounds found in citrus fruit peels called Polymethoxylated Flavones (PMFs) has the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs and that too without side effects.

• Fiber in oranges helps by keeping blood sugar levels under control thereby making oranges a healthy snack for people with diabetes. The natural fruit sugar in oranges, fructose, can help keep blood sugar levels from rising too high after eating.

• Consuming foods rich in betacryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid found in highest amounts in oranges, corn and pumpkin may significantly lower one’s risk of developing lung cancer.

• Oranges, like most citrus fruits, produce more juice when warmer — extract juice when they are at room temperature. Rolling the orange under the palm of your hand on a flat surface will also help to extract more juice. Vitamin C gets destroyed fast when exposed to air, so eat an orange quickly once cut up.

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Most people who plan to lose weight and start a weight-loss regime (including diet), wonder whether they need to cut out all added sugar from their food intake in order to lose weight.

Sugar by itself does not contain fat in its chemical composition. And when it is consumed along with coffee or tea, and milk and curd, it does not register as fat in the body and thus is irrelevant to the ‘lose weight, quit sugar’ stuff . It comes in as carbohydrate food, which is immediately used as energy. Similarly, if you have a couple of teaspoons of jam, jelly or honey, the sugar is used up as energy. However, if you eat candies, with sugar content equivalent to about 3-4 teaspoons of sugar or take 300 ml of a soft drink (roughly 7 tsp of sugar) the excess sugar is converted to fat.

In short, as long as you are not diabetic you may safely consume 3-4 teaspoons of sugar every day, distributed through the entire day, and still lose weight. Moreover, giving up sugar completely and substituting it with a sweetener is not recommended, as they can have harmful side effects even though they say that such artificial sweeteners help to lose weight. What you could do, though, is give up sweet treats like cakes, ice cream, candies, pastries and other sweets instead.

Recommendation: All those above 35 years of age must have a blood test done regularly, at least once a year, to check blood and lipid levels (sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride, etc). This must be done at least 12 hours after your last meal. Ideally, a blood sample should be provided early in the morning on an empty stomach. This is very much important if  you are obese and have to lose weight in order to stay healthy even after 40 years of age.

If your fasting blood sugar is just above 120, you could have borderline diabetes. Then you have to eliminate refined sugar from the diet. Otherwise at any age you don’t have to eliminate sugar in coffee, tea, milk, etc. to lose weight.

Thus, giving up sugar does not actually help you to lose weight. In order to lose weight effectively, you should engage in physical exercises.

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“I only need to do strength training since I want to build muscle.”
“To get rid of this belly and get a defined mid-section you need to focus on doing an hour of ab crunches every day.”

The above and many more such declarations are routinely heard in any gym or a fitness studio amongst a group of fitness enthusiasts. However well-intentioned these statements may be, they are based on an individual’s perception of what he or she thinks will work for them. And of course, very often even those needs and goals are based more on preferences than actual needs.

Your fitness needs are not only about your current favorite activities, but also about functional strength and comprehensive exercise programs that can help you deal with lifestyle-related illnesses and many other health concerns.

By mixing it up and introducing variety into your fitness program you not only cross-train your body and keep the mind engaged but also maximize the effort and time you put into your workouts. The idea is to keep your workouts interesting, challenging, comprehensive and result-oriented while you engage in your favorite sport or activity. Follow these tips to assure a complete workout for yourself.

1. Variety is the key

To see results, you need to vary your workouts. Our muscles have a memory and become used to the repetitive activities that we perform on a regular basis. To see changes in your body, try following a plan that includes varied cardio activities, strength training and flexibility exercises. Doing the same exercises or workouts also causes stress on the body that leaves you open to injuries. Something you definitely do not want. So even though you may want to focus only on your running, including a few days of rowing or cycling would actually help in your training.

2. Explore your options

There is no single solution that works for everyone. Just because a friend lost weight on a particular diet or workout regime, or the really muscular guy at the gym does weight training six days a week, does not mean it will work for you. Once you explore your options, you can determine what mix will work best for your body.

3. Go for cardio

You must do cardio, anywhere from 3-5 times a week depending on your goals. For weight loss or reduction in body fat, aim for five days a week of cardio. For strength training, two days a week of cardio is sufficient, along with 10 minutes of cardio warm up on strength training.

4. Check your intensity

It is important to make systematic increases in the weights you are lifting. Can you do more than 10 reps of any exercise without feeling a slight burn? Then the weights are too light. Stretch to improve quality of your workouts. Stretching will make you flexible, so you can move and lift better.

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This revelation of the effects of smoking, especially on your eyes is astonishing. An approximate amount of 4000 chemicals present in the cigarette smoke gets into the bloodstream of smokers and may cause damage to the eye. It can even cause the thinning of the membrane covering the eye, (conjunctiva) resulting in bloodspot and irritate the eyes.

Age-related macular degeneration and other diseases have also been linked to effects of smoking. The causes of macular degeneration are not completely understood, but smoking is believed to be the main preventable risk factor. Smoking directly is linked to the rising of intraocular pressure that can lead to glaucoma and accompanying optic nerve damage. Although the effects of smoking stretches to several eye diseases, including nuclear cataract and thyroid eye disease, the most common cause of smoking related blindness is age related macular degeneration, which results in severe irreversible loss of central vision.

How does smoking damage the eyes?

Thousands of chemicals get into your bloodstream when you inhale cigarette smoke and can travel throughout your body. These chemicals cause damage to the macula. Tiny blood vessels can burst through the macula, leading to irreversible damage, or alternatively, the cells of the macula slowly die. Both ultimately lead to loss of vision.

UV Protection

Exposure to UV radiation can harm your eyes and affect your vision as well. There are three types of UV radiation. One type, called UV-C, is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not present any threat. More and more scientific evidence is showing that exposure to both UV-A and UV-B can have adverse long- and short-term effects on your eyes and vision.

If you are exposed, unprotected, to excessive amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, you are likely to experience an effect called photokeratitis which is one of the effects of smoking.  Like “sunburn of the eye” it may be painful and symptoms including red eyes, a foreign body sensation in the eyes, extreme sensitivity to light and excessive tearing may be noticed. Fortunately, this is usually temporary and rarely causes permanent damage to the eyes.

Long-term exposure to UV rays can definitely be hazardous, thus chances of developing a cataract are a possibility, and may cause damage to the retina, the damage to the retina is usually not reversible.

It is highly recommended to wear good quality sunglasses that offer good protection and a cap whenever you are outdoors.

I hope this information has helped you a lot. Please share this with your loved ones and protect them as well. Quit smoking and start seeing the brighter side of life!!

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Body odor is one of the most disgusting problem for you and also for the person standing next to you. As we have seen in several deodorant ads, a stinking person will not have much to do on a crowded area, and most important of all, he will be driving people away from him “literally”.

Body odor is a smell that is unpleasant and specific to the individual, and can even be used to identify people. All active people will face embarrassing situations at least at one point in their lifetime due to their body odor.  And so, it is most important to learn how to prevent body odor, thus remaining fresh all day long. Everyone knows that the obvious solution to this problem is to use a deodorant. But nowadays, studies are proving that even deodorants are harmful to your body and their use must be as minimal as possible.

Keeping this in mind, I have listed a few tips on how to prevent body odor. These are very handy and can be done with the kitchen ingredients, so, you don’t need to bother about side-effects or similar problems…

• The most common remedy is to use an antibacterial, pleasant smelling soap and wear cotton clothes to reduce sweating.

• Apply baking soda to the armpits to absorb sweat and kill bacteria.

• Apple cider vinegar, white vinegar and alcohol can be applied to the underarms to reduce body odor.

• What you eat is directly related to your body odor — so eat healthy and avoid processed foods and too much red meat.

• Frequent consumption of garlic, curry, cumin and masala can be the cause of foul smell.

• Avoid alcohol and tobacco — this worsens your problem.

• Underarms tend to accumulate more sweat, so removing hair by waxing or shaving helps prevent sweat rings.

• Drink lots of water and fresh vegetable juices to reduce sweating and hydrate the body.

• Drink a glass of water in the morning on an empty stomach, along with 500 mg of wheat-grass. The chlorophyll present in the grass will help in reducing body odor.

• A few drops of rose water or tea tree oil added to the bath, will give you long lasting freshness.

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There are two good reasons why everybody should know the most basic information about heart attacks. First, odds are high that either you or someone you love will suffer from a heart attack during your lifetime. And second, whether you (or your loved one) survive that heart attack may depend on what you and your doctors do during the first few hours.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI) is the death of the heart muscle, caused by blockage in one of the coronary (heart) arteries. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot forms at the site of an atherosclerotic plaque (fatty deposition) in a coronary artery. The clot blocks the artery, and the blood flow stops. The muscle becomes starved of oxygen and if blood flow is not restored within few hours, the heart muscle dies. Plaque ruptures are the most common cause of heart attacks. Plaque formation (fatty deposition) in the artery wall develops gradually over time and it can start around the age of 20.

Symptoms of heart attack

It is very important to know the symptoms of heart attack because the sooner you recognize them the chances of good recovery are better.

• Pain in the chest or arms and or neck or jaw
• Chest or abdominal pain can come and go or stay constant
• A severe, crushing pain
• A tight, squeezing sensation
• A stabbing or burning sensation that feels like indigestion
• Pain or pressure under the breast bone or in the middle of the back
• Arm pain, which may be soreness or heaviness, that can affect one or both arms, spread from the chest or stay localised in just the shoulder or arm and not affect the chest at all
• A soreness or ache that people may mistake for muscle strain
• Neck or jaw pain can be present as severe pain in jaw, up the neck or even around the ears and constrict sensation in or around the throat

Other heart attack symptoms

Symptoms can occur any time and may or may not be associated by the following:

• Profuse sweating or a cold, clammy sweat
• Nausea and vomiting without warning or burning in the throat
• Shortness of breath
• Palpitations
• Anxiety or feeling of doom
• The skin becomes cool and moist and changes from a pink color to pale or grey

Danger signals

If you suddenly get severe chest pain or any of the symptoms mentioned above, it could be a sign of a blocked coronary artery.

• People with chest pain (angina) should watch out for the following-
• If glyceryl trinitrate (sorbitrate) tablet used to manage the chest pains no longer seems adequate
• If it takes less exertion to bring on pains

Fast action saves lives as first few hours are critical. The first 3-6 hours after the onset of the heart attack are utterly critical. Most of the lethal arrhythmias (rhythm disturbances) seen with acute heart attacks occur during the first few hours. If these arrhythmias occur while the patient is under medical attention, they can always be stopped in time to prevent a catastrophe.

If the artery can be opened within the first few hours after the blockage occurs, much of the dying muscle can be saved, permanent heart damage can be avoided, and the patient’s risk of death and permanent disability can be greatly diminished. But if the treatment is delayed beyond six hours, the amount of heart muscle that can still be saved drops off significantly.

DO’S AND DONT’S DURING A HEART ATTACK

Fast action saves lives — If you or someone you are with begins to have chest discomfort, call emergency or ambulance right away.

DONT’S

1. Wait for more than 5 minutes
2. Panic difficult
3. Hesitate in calling your relatives, friends during odd hours — after all it is question of your life
4. Drive to the hospital yourself because your condition might worsen on the way

DO’S

1. Stay calm
2. Call the doctor or ambulance. Emergency personnel can begin the treatment immediately — even before you arrive at the hospital. Your heart may stop beating during a heart attack. Emergency personnel have the training and equipment to start it beating again. Heart attack patients who arrive by ambulance tend to receive faster treatment on their arrival at the hospital
3. Rest in a chair or lie down Conserve your energy and oxygen, while waiting for an ambulance
4. Unlock your front door so help can come into your house
5. Loosen tight or restrictive clothing
6. Take Sorbitrate 5 mg tablet and keep it below your tongue
7. Chew Aspirin 300 mg tablet — this thins the blood
8. Call relatives, friends or neighbours and ask them to come to your help and wait for an ambulance with you.

Delay can be deadly

Most people who have a heart attack wait too long to seek medical help, and that can be a fatal mistake. Often people wait because they:

• Do not recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and think that what they are feeling is due to something else
• Are afraid or unwilling to admit that their symptoms could be serious
• Are embarrassed about causing a scene, or going to the hospital and finding that it is a false alarm
• Do not understand the importance of getting to the hospital right away

Mission ahead

Make a plan now for what you would do if a heart attack should happen. It will save time and could help save your life or someone else’s. To plan ahead:

• Learn the heart attack warning signs
• Talk to your doctor about heart attack risk and what you can do to reduce it
• Talk with family members, friends or co-workers about the heart attack warning signs and the importance of acting fast
• Explain the benefits of calling an ambulance

You can save a life

A heart attack is a frightening event. However, if you learn the signs of a heart attack and what steps to take, you can save a life; perhaps your own.

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How to get clear skin? Having clean, clear, blemish-free and beautiful complexion is a rarity these days. There are several factors that could mar skin texture, such as air and water pollution, cosmetics and bad food and drink choices.

An increasing consumption of aerated drinks, packed juices and rich creamy coffees instead of water, and fat-rich foods like snacks, pastries, chocolates and fast food is in fact a major culprit that comes in the way of skin care.

There is a school of thought that diet and acne are not interconnected, but I believe that you are what you eat and your skin reflects just how much fat is consumed in your daily diet. Though severe cases of acne may require medical attention, the condition can to a large extent be checked with adequate diet control. So, let’s get to work and clean up the menu.

For starters, advise those in charge of the cooking at home to cut down on the oil that is used. Minimise the use of coconut in cooking and avoid coconut chutney as far as possible. Swap it with roasted channa or green chutney. Avoid red meats; chicken and fish are better food options. Phulkas (dry chapati) and plain rice are better than poori, paratha, pulao and seasoned rices. Milk must be skimmed and food items like deep-fried snacks, nuts, chocolates, ice cream, rich cookies, cakes and other desserts highly restricted.

The trick is to completely avoid this food for two to three months till the skin heals and clears up. Thereafter, you may eat these foods once or twice in a week as long as your skin doesn’t break out again.

But beside all the don’ts, here is a list of must dos for clear skin:

• Fit a walk of 20-30 minutes into your daily schedule. Bad skin can be a result of sitting long hours at a desk in a closed office or in college or at your computer. This results in poor blood circulation. So, whether thin or fat, you have to walk.

• Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day. When you spend long hours just sitting, you hardly sweat and don’t feel thirsty. Most people then end up drinking just 2-3 glasses of water. This is criminal to your body, leaving it dehydrated and with deadly toxins piling up as there isn’t enough water to flush them out of your system. Two glasses of warm water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning is a tonic for good skin.

• Fresh fruits, like an apple and orange, and 2-3 servings of vegetables — a cooked sabji for lunch and a huge bowl of fresh salad for lunch and dinner — are a must in your daily menu.

A thorough following of the above instructions guarentees  a super clear skin which is healthy and enviable.

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