Health is wealth

When we are young, we tend to exhibit over confidence about our state of health and we ignore what seem to be minor ailments. A visit to the doctor is a big no-no unless one is so sick there is no alternative. Warning signs are generally put on the backburner and considered unimportant – all with the supreme confidence of youth. But the damage this attitude can cause in the long run is quite scary. Consider yourself one of those lucky ones if these signs do not show up later in life with more severe consequences – in which case you are indeed blessed. But for the majority, later life becomes burdened with various ailments which, your doctor gently points out, could have been nipped in the bud had they been treated as soon as you had become aware of them. Time for regrets or what?

We give you a few tips to follow in your wellness programme that will give you the right approach to this very important factor in your life.

Begin by being totally honest with yourself. Are you really and truly ‘well' in every sense of the word? Take a look at all the spheres of your life, whether it is the physical, your career, all your relationships, financial position, spiritual aspect, the environment and of course, your emotional well-being. A thorough analysis will help you identify all the areas that need your attention and that need improvement. Next exercise is to set targets for yourself to achieve what you have planned and go about it one step at a time. Maintain a journal to track all this.

Find out if you are ready for change should your analysis show that you need to make lifestyle changes. Are you prepared mentally to embrace these? Why don't you write down all the benefits that you stand to gain if you make these changes? This activity might help you to accept it better.

Once your goals are clearly defined, it is up to you to implement your plan effectively. In a clinical way, eliminate all impediments and barriers to your success. Work on one barrier at a time. This will make your approach focused and thorough. Allot a time for everything and adopt a positive approach. Put aside all negative thoughts on your capability to achieve and convince yourself that you will do whatever needs to be done.

Adopt a different approach to make it a fun exercise. Want to have more physical activity as part of your changed lifestyle? Start walking to work after parking the car a good distance away. Instead of straightaway trying to join a fitness regimen that you may give up soon due to lack of time, this approach will become a part of your daily activity. Mall incremental steps do make a big difference to achieving your goal.

Recording your daily activities and analyzing the time spent on each will help you create more meaningful wellness priorities. Incorporating new wellness activities slowly and making them part of your daily routine will make things easier for you.

Never rest on your laurels. Instead strive to achieve more. Start from the simple one and go on to more complicated goals. Always remember to tackle one at a time and give it your full attention.

Keep working on your goals and devise fresh methods to achieve them. Keep redesigning and refining your goals till you are comfortable. If necessary, get some professional help.

See that the changes you make are lasting ones that you can maintain throughout your life. Remember, it is a question of your wellness we are talking about. Celebrating your successes might help as an incentive to make further changes. Keep reviewing your successes and try newer approaches to motivate you better.

Your wellness is in your hands. Chart an easily manageable approach and be rewarded with success in achieving your goals. We are generally used to expecting fast results and tend to quit if the results are not immediate. It will do you well to remember that in these matters, long term results with all the time and effort that you put in, will only mean that you can look forward to a trouble free future as far as your health is concerned. Make wellness a way of life and you will be richly rewarded.

What are the ways to stay healthy?

Eating a diet that is low on fat, high on fibre with adequate servings of fresh vegetables and fruits is known to prevent health complications and many common illnesses. Such a diet is even known to combat some forms of cancer.

Maintaining an optimum weight, being physically able whatever your age, going easy on high calories and salt and keeping intake of alcohol to a minimum helps in preventing cholesterol and blood pressure.

Avoiding tobacco in any form will prove to be beneficial

Regular exercise which is incorporated into a daily routine helps to ward off many diseases. People who have been inactive all their lives benefit when they begin to exercise even on a moderate scale. Heart diseases. Colon cancer, blood pressure and diabetes are some of the complications that can be controlled with regular exercise.

Lighter activities like walking, climbing stairs, gardening, routine house work and dancing or light aerobics have many benefits. However, if you are used to a sedentary life, please consult your doctor before you begin any exercise regimen.

Using seat belts while in a car and helmets when driving a two wheeler is known to have saved many lives.

Visits to a doctor should be made on a routine basis for preventive care and counseling.
Here are some screenings that have been recommended for men and women that you should be aware of in order to play your role as family caretaker to perfection:

Pap test for women to detect cervical cancer – yearly. For men, screen for testicular cancer – yearly.

Have a blood glucose test done – yearly

A mammography should be performed for detecting breast cancer – yearly. For men, check for prostate problems – yearly.

Consult your doctor at least once about the blood tests for total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Follow up if there are abnormalities.

Check for occult blood with a fecal test which will reveal silent bleeding if any, in the digestive tract.

Have a colon and rectum test every three to five years.
The thyroid often causes many problems. Check with a hormone test again every three to five years.

Iron deficiencies can give rise to anaemic conditions. Check the haemoglobin and ferritin levels after consulting your doctor.

Urine analysis is required on a regular basis if you are a diabetic. Excess protein in the urine should also be analysed.

If you are exposed to the sun, have a skin examination done to detect skin cancer.
A lipid profile is a must if you have coronary disease.

Tests for glaucoma should be conducted if you are over 40 years of age, especially if there is a family history of glaucoma.

Practical tips to help forgetfulnes

Have you been ticked off by friends for not wishing them on their birthdays or anniversaries? Have you angered relatives for not calling them when they were sick or were shifting and needed help? Did you forget to send flowers to the boss on his anniversary? Then you must be a dreamy scatter-brain who has your head in the clouds and always gets into trouble for being forgetful. Here are practical tips to help you out.

1.Finish the job immediately.There is no better way to deal with forgetfulness than to finish off the work as soon as you think about it. The chances of forgetting arise only when you leave the chore pending. Let me assure you that it's worth excusing yourself from your friend's company to switch the gas off in time than to have burnt rice or a burst pressure cooker! The same goes for small jobs like mending clothes, hanging clothes for drying or even nagging your hubby. Even if your favourite TV show is going on, make it a point to do your task during long commercial breaks. After all, what are these breaks meant for?

2. Make a list.Get into the habit of making lists to avoid forgetting things. It works like magic. Keep lists everywhere - in the kitchen, in the bedroom and even near the telephone.A list can be made not only for shopping but also for jobs that you keep forgetting.

3. Keep a diary.Always keep a diary to note down appointments, birthdays or anniversaries, if you are fond of sending cards. Also add it to your list one week ahead. That will give you enough time to buy a card and post it too.

4. Planner.Maintain a planner. Stick it behind the front door where you go a hundred times a day. Try using different colours for writing different events. That will catch your attention better.

5. Use the alarm more often.Alarms are generally used when one has to get up early in the morning. But try it as a reminder and wow! It works efficiently.

6. Chits also help.Try this simple trick. Make chits of all your pending jobs and stick them on your fridge with the help of magnetic stickers. You can buy a reminder board too.

7. Hubby's reminder.What happens when you are very systematic and well-organised but your husband is the type who keeps forgetting? Things that are very important to you are "absurd" for him! Paste the yellow sticking-type chits inside his briefcase. So,whenever he opens the briefcase, the chit will catch his eyes and attention. This will keep him reminded many times throughout the day and he dare not make an excuse of forgetting any tasks.

8. Remind your kids too.Children are naturally careless. They need to be reminded about everything. Although you nag your children reminding them of certain pending tasks the whole day, you find that they seem to be enjoying every bit of your irritation! If it concerns school, like fee payment, buying of books or even asking a teacher about something, make a slip and keep it in the child's pencil box to remind him of his tasks.

9. Last advice.Even if nothing works, don't get disheartened. Here is something unusual It's a little silly but really works. Keep something upside down or do something odd like keeping a chair on the dining table or an empty bucket on the briefcase!

Finally, even after all these suggestions if you are plagued by forgetfulness, just don't bother. After all, we are all human and to err is human!

Stop Smoking

Are you huffing and puffing your life away? The New Year spells a new beginning. A good time to start afresh. Out with the stale air and in with the fresh.

It's not very easy to give up the habit if you're hooked onto it. But it isn't impossible. A strong resolve will help.

Make a note of when and why you smoke. Are you in the habit of smoking while reading the newspaper? Or watching a match on TV? Yes? You can make a conscious effort not to strike up then. Or read your paper at a different time. Or chew some gum while watching TV.
Resolve not to smoke indoors. If you have to walk out each time you want a cigarette, you'll certainly smoke less.

With the same logic, don't store cigarettes at home. If you have to go down the road to buy a cigarette, it gives you less incentive to smoke.

Make a conscious effort not to give in when the urge hits you. Take a bath, go for a walk or meditate for a while. A little determination will go a long way.

More exercise will help you fight the urge. You obviously can't smoke when you're working out, right?

Think of how much healthier you will be if you don't smoke. You have less of a chance to get cancer, asthma, emphysema, heart problems and a host of other diseases.

Passive smoking affects the people who live around you. Would you really want your loved ones to pay a heavy price for your habits?

Put aside the money that you had budgeted for cigarettes. Think about the things you can do with that money if you don't buy cigarettes.
If you do slip up and give in to your urge, don't give up. Just resolve afresh and carry on. You'll probably slip up quite a few times before you give it up for good.

Bad sleeping habits

Ten bad sleeping habits

Curling up: Did you know that sleeping all curled up is not good for your back? This could result in back pain. The best way to fall asleep is on your back, flat out, with maybe a pillow under your knees to flex your lower back.

Having pets sleep in your bed: Animal hair can trigger off asthma and other allergy attacks, so it is advisable to keep your furry friends out of your bed. Even children's stuffed toys can be carriers of dust mites. And that is something you need to watch out for.

Sleeping face down: Sleeping face down can wake you up in just a little while because of the distrupted nocturnal breathing that this can result in. You will not be able to breathe properly when sleeping face down and this will wake you up.

Dropping off in your make up: Apart from producing dark circles around your eyes, eye make up can irritate your eyes while you sleep. Besides having make up on for long periods of time can produce dermatitis. So before you hit the hay, even if you are bone tired, take a coupleof minutes to completely remove all traces of make up from your face and neck.

Sleeping in a cold room: With the air conditioner on full blast and you feeling absolutely cold, you could curl up in a bad posture while sleeping. And this is bad for your spine. So sleep in a comfortable temperature, and set the timer on in your air conditioner before it gets too cold for you.

Putting flowers in your bedroom: Fresh flowers and their sweet scents are great to have in your room. But not while you sleep and in your bed room. Flowers have pollen that could trigger off an allergy attack in allergy-prone folks. Sunflowers are the worst offenders. If you still insist on flowers, have some low fragrance types that can minimise allergy attacks.

Sleeping with a bedside lamp on: Deep sleep can come only when you are sleeping in total darkness. So it might be a good idea to stop being afraid of the boogie man lurking in the shadows and sleep well. But if you are used to sleeping with the light on, gradually dim it, or your sleep can get completely disrupted!

Cleaning your bedroom: Many disinfectants have chemicals that can irritate your skin,nose, throat and lungs when you sleep. So avoid cleaning your room in the evening, but give it a once-over in the morning.

Staying in a freshly painted room: Paints and varnishes also have chemicals that can irritate the system. So, if your have got your room painted, sleep somewhere else for about 3 weeks and then come in to inhabit the place after all the dust and chemicals have settled.

Lying in: We all love to sleep and given the chance we will sleep a lot longer than we need to. And this can leave you feeling groggy and tired and not at your best. So, get just your requried number of hours of sleep and wake up bright and alert to face the challenges of a new day. And did you know that a woman needs 15 minutes more sleep than a man does? So, now you know what to tell him when he asks for coffee or breakfast in bed!

Heading towards weight loss

These days, talking about weight loss has become the most preferable topic to discuss around. Losing weight can improve your health and keep you away from sickness. Eating more than one needs, causes overweight. This happens because the excess energy supplied to the body gets converted into fat. If you follow a healthy diet and routine exercise, you can lose weight. Losing weight should be a gradual process.
We get energy from the food that we eat and we require the energy to carry out the energy to carry out the daily activities and for proper functioning of the body. We must take the time to enjoy a leisurely meal without constantly trying to do something else. If you end up rushing meals and try to get too many other things done while eating, you may then prevent the food from digesting properly. You can control your weight by inculcating good eating habits along with regular exercise. You can lose weight without dangerous diets and weight loss pills by following a healthy diet and performing a routine of daily exercise. Here are the tips to be followed towards achieving weight loss goal.

1. Be conscious of your calories you eat per day. It also depends upon the lifestyle of the person.

2. You must spread your three big meals into many but small meals a day which will help you to control your hunger.

3. You can make the necessary changes in your eating and exercise habits depending on your body weight.

4. You must stop eating when your stomach is full. Some people try to force themselves to finish what remains in the plate for whatever reason.

5. Walking, dancing and swimming are just a few of the activities assists you to lose weight and maintain weight loss.

People who use weight loss supplements are often in a hurry to receive quick benefits and they do little to change their life style. This results into dramatic weight loss, initially but later they might find that they have gained the weight back over time. Hence if a person uses weight loss pills, he or she should also commit to a life style of healthy eating habits followed by regular exercise. It is always advisable to consult your doctor before using a weight loss supplement. You must maintain a healthy lifestyle while taking a weight loss supplement.

There are prescription weight loss drugs and non-prescription weight loss supplements. For cosmetic weight loss, prescription weight loss drugs are supplied. Also Herbal weight loss pill is an example of non-prescription weight loss supplement. Don’t rely on people who advise you to have a weight loss pill, no matter what you eat. Weight loss pills can help you to a certain extent but they should not be the focus of your goal. These days we come across a lot of products relating to fat burners, fat absorbers, metabolism boosters and appetite suppressors. At times, even herbal supplements which are natural may not be suitable for you. The only way to maintain healthy weight is to aim for a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity and healthy eating are the two biggest pointers towards.