Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Manage BP before it paralyses you.......


Alok adds:  Recently a 55 year old lady died due to brain hemorrhage. Her mistake??? 
She stopped on her own BP medicine against advise from doctors. Unmanaged BP is very dangerous rather fatal. 
Only thing possible is  first avoid having BP by regularly  indulging in exercise,  sexercise (if married), relaxation,
 picnic in nature, right food and right life style. But if u ever get BP then continue to take medicine
 but to keep it under control and to be in low dosage use following instructions. I repeat : never ever stop medicine of BP
thyroid, psychiatry etc  without  doctor's advise and avoid severe health hazard. Besides below 
given advise also avoid tamasik items and activities ( liquor, tobacco, anger, worries,
 fear of govt authority due to law breaking activities) etc.. Very important is do not eat after 7 pm. heavy food. 

10 pill-free ways to keep BP in check

10 pill-free ways to keep BP in check
10 pill-free ways to keep BP in check (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
Here are 10 pill-free ways to keep your blood pressure in check this summer

Drink coconut water 
This mild tropical drink can lower blood pressure as much as 12 points for 71 per cent of people. Coconut water is packed with 1,500 mg of potassium per 20-ounce serving. This mineral helps calm the entire central nervous system, preventing artery-damaging blood pressure surges when life gets hectic. Look for coconut water in grocery stores and whole foods stores.

Season with sesame oil 
The oil's healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and unique sesamin compound work together to relax blood vessel walls, preventing pressure spikes. Cook your meals in sesame oil or sprinkle them on rice or salad.

Cook with cardamom 
When people suffering from hypertension add 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom to their daily diets, it helps normalise their blood pressure in as little as 12 weeks. Cardamom is a slightly citrusy flavoured spice, which is packed with plant compounds that keep the muscles of your heart and arteries relaxed, so pressure surges are less likely to occur.

Drink tea generously 
Despite all the fuss around green tea, black tea is far more beneficial, says a recent study. They are, after all, made from the leaves of the same plant and contain the same artery-relaxing antioxidants, which are essential. For optimum results, dunk the tea bag up and down a few times instead of just letting it q u i e t l y steep. Sip 36 ounces of tea daily (three big mugs), and you'll slash your risk of hypertension by 65 per cent.

See more green
Looking at a scenic tranquil picture can lower your blood pressure as much as nine per cent. Looking at nature increases your brain's production of soothing alpha-waves that calm your central nervous system and clamp down the production of the pressureraising stress hormone cortisol. Hanging a beautiful nature photo in your room or opening the blinds — if you're lucky enough to have a soothing view — also work.

Sit straight 
There are nerves in your neck that send calming messages to your brain and slouching squishes the vertebrae and discs in your neck, p i n c h i n g those delicate nerves and hindering their function. When you slouch and sit, it ups your blood pressure by as much as 16 per cent.

Stock up on potatoes 
According to another research, savouring a potato every day (as long as you eat it mashed, boiled or baked — not fried) helps 81 per cent of people get their blood pressure under control (and with just half their usual prescription meds).

Tubers are packed with potassium, chlorogenic acid and tryptophan, and these compounds work handin-hand to relax and open the blood vessels that nourish your heart.

For top-notch blood pressure control, eat the skin. That is where most of the potato's nutrients are stored.

Take deep breaths 
Breathing slowly and deeply, taking 10 relaxed breaths per minute, instead of the more common 16, helps women slash 14 points off their blood pressure in one month. Calm breathing stalls production of stress hormones and that's essential for keeping arteries relaxed and blood pressure in check.

Ditch 'low-fat' food 
The problem with processed foods that claim are low fat or fat-free is that in order to give them a decent texture and taste, manufacturers pack them with sugar, which is a potent, high blood pressure trigger. When your blood sugar surges, it causes damaging inflammation inside your blood vessels, escalating the build-up of the arterys t i f f e n i n g plaque.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Lose stomach fat: How to get a flat belly


Lose stomach fat: How to get a flat belly


Thanks to TOI: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/Lose-stomach-fat-How-to-get-a-flat-belly/articleshow/17554046.cms?intenttarget=no

Lose stomach fat: How to get a flat belly (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)
Why lose stomach fat? Because it makes everyone uncomfortable, to say the least.

In everyday life we don't fret about some loose stomach fat hanging over our waistbands, but festivities, weddings, and seaside vacations leave you staring at the mirror. The frustrating reality is that the midsection is one of the trickiest areas to lose fat from. Many believe that one can lose stomach fat by simply doing a few ab crunches every day. But that's not the truth. In reality, achieving a flat stomach is a combination of a range of factors like diet, exercise, rest, hydration, and so on. Read on for some great tips on how to lose stomach fat...

Understand the science behind six pack abs for a flat belly.The simple science behind six pack abs is that they exist in everybody. It's just when you start putting on more body fat that these abs disappear. A combination of two major muscles transversus abdominis and rectus abdominis muscles make up what we consider to be our 'abs' zone.

These muscles are buried under the front and side of torso mucles and exist around your midsection like a girdle. Now, if you ate a healthy diet comprising of lean proteins, balanced carbs and less, yet good, fats, you would enter a zone with minimal superficial body fat, and your muscles would become visible, resulting in six pack abs.

Tip #1

Importance of eating lean proteins for a flat belly. First and most important is to understand that lean proteins are proteins from sources that supply little or almost negligible amount of fat. The Harvard School of Public Health notes that lean sources of protein aid in keeping the saturated fat intake at a healthy level. When you are on sources of proteins such as chicken, beans you find yourself losing body fat and at the same time giving shape to your body. You get most of the vitamins from these sources which improve your health as well.

Importance of fiber in your diet for a flat belly. Fiber is one of the most important constituents of our diet. The main function of fiber is to clean our system deep within, help propel our bowel movements and thus form the basis of detoxification of our body. Most astonishing is the fact that when we consume fiber, our body burns ample calories in the digestion process of fiber. Also fiber itself has very few calories. In short, eating lots of fiber in the form of fruits, salads and bran helps our belly to run slim with ease.

Tip #2

Importance of staying away from fruit juices, alcohol and fruit punches for a flat belly. In general juices, alcohol and fruit punches are calorie dense and often disturb the blood sugar levels in our body. Where moderate and controlled alcohol consumption has certain beneficial effects too, fruits are best taken in their natural fiber form rather than taking them in the form of juices. Juices give your body less essential fiber, and the concentrated sugar is not the best thing for you if you are aiming for a flat belly. Eating fresh should be the mantra of healthy living.

Tip #3

Importance of nutrient dense and good fat foods for a flat belly. Nutrient dense and good fat foods are those that have essential fatty acids and other vital nutrients in rich quantity with less calories and saturated fats. First would be something like a grilled fish. With certain essential fatty acids, proteins and less saturated oil, this is a perfect example of a nutrient dense good fat food.

Now consider a pastry. It is more than 200 calories, with a lot of saturated fat and a few essential nutrients to offer. This is something you must take very sparingly. Thus, picking items such as grilled fish or soyabean chaat will help one supply the body with essential fats, improve cardiac health and at the same time keep your body fat low to give you a perfect belly. A nutrient-dense diet won't leave you feeling hungry so aiming at a flatter belly is much easier with nutrient dense food.

Tip #4

Importance of cardio exercises and strength training for a flat belly. All types of cardio exercise routines elevate your heart rate and keep it in the same way for extended periods of time. This results in increased consumption of oxygen, which leads to fat loss. Fat loss and stamina building are equally important. If you eat healthy and workout, your chances of achieving a flatter belly increases.

Tip #5

Importance of water in your diet for a flat belly. Water constitutes 70% of our body. Most of our metabolic process takes place in the presence of water in our body. Thus, when we are well hydrated the basal metabolic rate of our body goes up. This would mean that our body is able to digest the food we eat in a proper manner, the food is used to burn sufficient calories required by the body and thus you end up with a nice flat belly to improve your figure

Tip #6

Push ups. Place yourself face down with the palms on the floor. Place the palms wider than the shoulder-width, arms extended, legs straight and feet together or slightly apart. Keep the neck, back & hips aligned and abdominals contracted. Do not arch the back downwards or upwards. Keep it flat like a table top. Bend the elbows outwards and bring the chest close to the floor. This is the initial position. Push back upwards till the arms extend completely and feel the contraction in the chest muscles.

Tip #7

Ball balance. Lie on the ball and exhale, pulling your abs in a stabilize position. Now, raise your right arm in a frontward direction and left leg on the back side. Breathe and hold yourself in this position for 10 seconds. In the meantime, using your ab and back muscles, keep the ball steady and body in a straight line. Repeat this same exercise in with the opposite arm and left. Perform a set of 5 on each side. In order to make this exercise harder, hold yourself in the raised position as if you are writing something in the air with your extended arm. Switch sides and repeat.

Tip #8

Side lying shoulder & double leg raise (Obliques). Lie on the side with the legs extended & the body in a straight line. Extend the lower arm so that it is perpendicular to the body. The palm of your hand should face the floor. Keep the upper arm by the side, aligned with the body. Balance & slowly raise the lower shoulder (the one touching the floor) & both the legs off the floor simultaneously. This works the side (waist) facing upwards. Come down slowly. After completing a set of certain repetitions, repeat the procedure on the other side. In order to make this exercise tough, you can do bicycle crunches too (as shown in the pic above).

Tip #9

Elevated plank. Place your forearms on the ball and keep your fingers interlaced. Now extend your legs straight behind and take the help of your toes for support. Now exhale, pulling your belly button towards your spine and hold yourself in this position for 30 to 60 seconds. Make sure your back is straight and in a flat line. Give yourself a break of 30 seconds and repeat. In order to make this exercise easier, you can perform it by placing your forearms on the floor. And, for a harder version of this exercise, move from a plank to a swiss ball. Here, try and bring your knees towards your chest and do 10 repetitions per leg.

Tip #10

Reverse Crunch. Lie on your back with the arms extended downwards towards the feet and palms on the floor. Place the hands under the lower back & hip. Legs should be bent at 90 degrees up in the air. Using the abdominal muscles, i.e. contracting them, roll the spine & the hips upwards so that the knees come towards the face. Slowly go down without changing the angle of the legs. Note - Do not extend the legs while lifting the hips off the floor. Keep the knees together & the legs strictly bent at 90 degrees.

Tip #11

The first thing that you should be doing soon after you wake up is to start your day with a glass of lukewarm lemon water followed by a vegetable juice like mint and coriander or ghia juice. This will help kickstart your metabolism at a healthy pace. You should then do some physical activity like brisk walk or jogging for a minimum of 30 minutes with some exercises concentrating on the stomach.

Tip #12

Breakfast is super important. Never skip your breakfast, if you want to lose weight. When you wake up in the morning your metabolism is at its peak and if you don't eat food in the morning then your metabolism will slow down during the day.

With slow metabolism whatever you will eat for the rest of the day, your chances of gaining weight are higher.

Tip #13

Office desk healthy habits play a major role. Once you are in office, try to be conscious of your eating habits. Drink water at regular interval by keeping a bottle of water at your desk. If you love munching, then keep all healthy snacks like whole wheat biscuits handy. Even better - rely on fruits. Limit your intake of tea or coffee at work. On the very outside, you should have only one cup before lunch with one or two digestive biscuits.

Tip #14

Office lunch room healthy practices. Try to watch your lunch at work, because when we have company we tend to overeat. So, the golden rule is to carry your own lunch. It should ideally comprise of a chapatti (or some other cereal), vegetables, lean meat (or a healthy vegetarian protein source), curd and salad. If you cannot carry your lunch, then stick to non-fried food. Try to walk around and stay active immediately after lunch. This will help you digest your food.

Tip #15

Evening snack time is a small meal but it can take a toll on your dietary regime. Why? Because it is this time of the day when most people go out and binge on street food or unhealthy food. To avoid this, stick to healthy options like bhuna channa or dry bhel puri, or one fruit in your evening snack. If you are a tea drinker, then you can have a nice cup of tea with 2 -3 whole wheat biscuits or cream crackers.

Tip #16

Flat belly routine right before you go to bed. Now it is time to sleep! Wait, we should not go to sleep just after dinner. First we must digest our last meal of the day. So go out and take a light walk for 30 mins, or remain active at home. Eating just before sleeping can make you uncomfortable. However, this is not true for everyone. Know your body well and if late dinners give you an upset stomach, then eat a couple of hours before sleeping.

Tip #17

Avoid alcohol and aereated drinks. Eat less junk, refined and sugary foods. These are the worst enemies of a flat stomach, and they are often the cause of many other chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, etc.

Tip #18

Meditate, and use other stress reduction strategies that will keep your cortisol levels under control and keep you from gaining abdominal fat and not make you age faster.

Tip #19

Get more active. Even if you spend 1 hour a day in the gym on all days of the week, it is still just 7 hours of a total of 168 hours in the week. Try to make the best of the remaining hours by getting more active. Plan playtime with friends/kids, and move a lot more during the day.

Tip #20

Perform 2-3 HIIT or high intensity interval training workouts a week. These need not and should be long in duration, 10-20 minutes is enough if done correctly.

Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Pudina Rice and its health benefits


Thanks to : http://sitagita.com

Pudina Rice and its health benefits

Submited by- Team Sitagita on 14 Feb, 2013 

Pudina or mint is a very popular herb all over the world and pudina rice is one of the most flavourful rice recipes you can cook up. Mint has excellent curative properties and is considered a great home remedy for stomach ailments. Mint is also best known as a cure for halitosis and bad breath. So with all these benefits of mint, do you really have to wonder about pudina rice?
Soothing properties: Mint has natural oils that can help soothe the digestive tract. If you are experiencing stomach cramps and irritation, pudina rice can really help you treat it. If you have a leftover batch of pudina rice, use them to treat stomachaches, gas and even acidity.
Cleansing properties: if you have been bingeing on some unhealthy foods lately, you should try eating some pudina rice. Mint has cleansing properties that allows it to cleanse your digestive tract. If you have mouth ulcers and skin acne problems, eating pudina rice regularly can surely help. It can help flush out toxins from your body and improve overall health. It can also help you clear toxins from your blood.
Freshening properties: You can use pudina rice to cleanse your palate. So if you are entertaining and have served up a batch of fish or garlic infused main courses, you can serve a small portion of Pudina rice between courses. This not only cleanses and freshens the mouth; it also helps increase the taste of the next course so you can taste and enjoy the flavors much better.
Oral health: Mint has always been considered great for oral health and improved oral hygiene. That is where the term ‘minty fresh breath’ originated from. Eating Pudina rice can help you whiten your teeth, fight plaque and tartar and keep your breath fresh.
Apart from these benefits of mint, you can use Pudina Rice as a side dish if you are serving very spicy foods. Mint tends to downplay some of the stronger flavors. If you have cooked up a storm for lunch and have been rather generous with the chilli powder, serving Pudina rice as an accompaniment can put your guests at ease.
If you have nausea, Pudina rice can help you put the discomfort to rest. While it may certainly not help with vomiting, Pudina rice with some ginger juice sprinkled on top can help you get over the nausea. Women who are experiencing pregnancy related nausea can really benefit from a small serving of Pudina rice. The preparation is also very light for your stomach and easy to digest as well. If you have congestion, you can use mint rice to help ease that too. It relaxes the muscle tissues and relieves congestion and therefore is extremely beneficial for those suffering from respiratory conditions such as asthma.
The simple recipe of Pudina rice has numerous health benefits, so make it once a week and enjoy the taste as well as the therapeutic powers of mint. It is a great summer dish and can really help you cool off even when the temperatures are high. Serve it up with some plain or flavored yogurt.
Tags : Mintpudinaricestomachhealthbenefits
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Saturday, February 16, 2013

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex


By 
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

The perks of sex extend well beyond the bedroom.
 

Being "in the mood" just might help your health.
How does a juicy sex life do a body good? Let's count the ways.

1. Less Stress, Better Blood Pressure

Having sex could lower your stress and your blood pressure.
That finding comes from a Scottish study of 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. The researchers put them in stressful situations -- such as speaking in public and doing math out loud -- and checked their blood pressure.
People who had had intercourse responded better to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.
Another study found that diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of your blood pressure) tends to be lower in people who live together and have sex often.

2. Sex Boosts Immunity

Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. 
A Wilkes University study had 112 college students keep records of how often they had sex and also provide saliva samples for the study. Those who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of IgA, an antibody that could help you avoid a cold or other infection, than other students.

3. Sex Burns Calories

Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
"Sex is a great mode of exercise," Los Angeles sexologist Patti Britton, says. It takes both physical and psychological work, though, to do it well, she says.

4. Sex Improves Heart Health

A 20-year-long British study shows that men who had sex two or more times a week were half as likely to have a fatal heart attack than men who had sex less than once a month.
And although some older folks may worry that sex could cause a stroke, the study found no link between how often men had sex and how likely they were to have a stroke. 

5. Better Self-Esteem

University of Texas researchers found that boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex.
That finding makes sense to sex, marriage, and family therapist Gina Ogden. She also says that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better.
"One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves," she says. "Great sex begins with self-esteem. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it."
Of course, you don't have to have lots of sex to feel good about yourself. Your self-esteem is all about you -- not someone else. But if you're already feeling good about yourself, a great sex life may help you feel even better.
6. Deeper Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms boosts levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps people bond and build trust.
In a study of 59 women, researchers checked their oxytocin levels before and after the women hugged their partners. The women had higher oxytocin levels if they had more of that physical contact with their partner.
Higher oxytocin levels have also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So snuggle up -- it might help you feel more generous toward your partner.

7. Sex May Turn Down Pain

Oxytocin also boosts your body's painkillers, called endorphins. Headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms may improve after sex.
In one study, 48 people inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked. The oxytocin cut their pain threshold by more than half.

8. More Ejaculations May Make Prostate Cancer Less Likely

Research shows that frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may lower the risk of getting prostate cancer later in life.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that men who had 21 or more ejaculations a month were less likely to get prostate cancer than those who had four to seven ejaculations per month.
The study doesn't prove that ejaculations were the only factor that mattered. Many things affect a person's odds of developing cancer. But when the researchers took that into consideration, the findings still held.

9. Stronger Pelvic Floor Muscles

For women, doing pelvic floor muscle exercises called Kegels may mean more pleasure -- and, as a perk, less chance of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.

10. Better Sleep

The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, research shows.
Getting enough sleep has also been linked with a host of other health benefits, such as a healthy weight and better blood pressure. That's something to think about, especially if you've been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.