Category: Health & Fitness

What to Eat After You Work Out??

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Everyone knows that athletes must plan and time their meals and snacks very carefully to reach their performance goals. But what about the rest of us? You try to squeeze in 30-60 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Do you have to be careful about what you eat before and after your workouts, too?

There are some advantages to knowing how your body works and what it needs to perform at its best. The bottom line for healthy weight loss and fitness sounds simple: You must eat fewer calories than you use up—but not fewer than your body needs to function at its best.

The size, timing and content of your pre and post-exercise meals and snacks can play an important role in your energy levels during your workout, how well your body recovers and rebuilds after exercise and whether the calories you eat will be used as fuel or stored as fat. Here’s what you need to eat and drink to get the results you want.

Your Post-Exercise Fluid Needs
Most moderate exercisers will lose about one quart (four cups) of fluid per hour of exercise, so try to drink about 400 ml of water shortly after your workout to aid the recovery process. If you sweat a lot or the weather is hot and/or humid, consider weighing yourself before and after exercise, and drinking 200ml of water for every ounce of weight you’ve lost. Because heavy sweating also causes loss of minerals and electrolytes, consider using a sports drink with electrolytes if you need to replace more than two or three cups of fluid.

 

We suggest you add ½ chopped any fruit you enjoy, along with few chia seeds and few mint leaves to enhance the taste of water and that also helps in boosting the Vitamin content in water.

Your Post-Exercise Meal or Snack
Many people are very hungry after a workout, making it easy to eat more than you really need or to choose foods that won’t really help your body. Eating too much of the wrong thing can cause your body to store that food as fat instead of using your post-workout meal to refuel and repair your muscles.

So what does the ideal meal or snack look like?

  • Roughly 60 percent of the calories you eat at this time should come from carbohydrates. Contrary to popular belief, your body needs more carbohydrates than protein after a workout, to replace depleted muscle fuel (glycogen) and to prepare for your next exercise session. Moderate exercisers need about 30-40 grams of carbohydrates after an hour of exercise, but high-intensity exercisers need around 50-60 grams for each hour they exercised..
  • While carbs are essential, it’s also important to include some high-quality protein in your post-workout meal or snack. This protein will stop your body from breaking down muscle tissue for energy and initiate the process of rebuilding and repairing your muscles. About 25 percent of the calories you eat after a workout should come from protein—that’s about 10-15 grams for most people.
  • Fat doesn’t play a big role in post-workout recovery, and eating too much fat after a workout won’t help your weight control or fitness endeavours. Only 15 percent (or less) of your post-workout calories should come from fat—that’s less than 10 grams.

The ideal time to eat after a workout is within 30 minutes to two hours, when your body is ready and waiting to top off its fuel tanks to prepare for your next session.
But if your appetite or schedule doesn’t allow you to eat a meal right after exercise, don’t panic. Your body can still replace your muscle fuel over the next 24 hours, as long as you’re eating enough food to support your activity level. Try to have a smaller snack that contains carbs and protein as soon after exercise as possible. Liquids like smoothies, shakes or chocolate milk, and/or energy bars, can be especially effective post-workout snacks.

 

Here are some sample food combinations for your post exercise meal:

  1. Bread, a bagel or an English muffin with feta cheese or peanut butter
  2. Dried fruit and nuts
  3. Paneer Paratha
  4. Cottage cheese with fruit
  5. Fruit Smoothie with Seeds
  6. Yogurt with fruit
  7. Veggie Egg omelet with toast or Egg roll
  8. Cottage Cheese Roll
  9. Chocolate Milk + ½ Scoop Protein Powder
  10. Cereal with Milk
  11. Eggs and toast
  12. Chicken Sandwich
  13. Vegetable stir-fry with Chicken/Fish/Tofu/Cottage Cheese
  14. Crackers with low fat cheese
  15. Rice or Oat cakes with nut butter
  16. Smoothie (with milk, yogurt or added protein powder)
  17. A protein or energy bar
  18. A protein or energy shake
  19. Pancakes and eggs
  20. Any regular meal that contains lean protein, starch and vegetables

Article Contributed by nutritionist Kejal Shah, Nutritionist, Weight Management Expert and Founder of Nutrivity.in

Family Matters: Ways To Care For Older Family Members

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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When you’re young, it seems impossible to imagine your parents or any other older relatives reaching the stage where they’re not able to do everything for themselves. Which means that when that time does come, it can be incredibly upsetting to come to terms with. However, just because it’s upsetting doesn’t mean that it’s something that you should ignore. The truth is that when your older relatives start to struggle with day-to-day tasks, their need for support is likely to fall onto you. Most people are more than happy to be there for older relatives when they need them, but they aren’t sure what they can actually do to help. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can more effectively care for your parents or any other older family members.

Set time aside for them

One of the hardest things for older people is the feeling that they no longer matter to those around them. As though, now that they’re older, they’re no longer as important as they might have been once upon a time. However, that’s obviously not true, and a great way to support them is to let them know how important they are to you by spending time with them. Sure, most of us have pretty busy lives, but the fact of the matter is, no one is too busy to take a little time out of their week to spend with someone important to them.

Get them professional help

Of course, the help that your older relative needs might be a little more specialised than just a sympathetic ear. If they need some kind of specialised care, then a service like Spectrum healthcare might just be perfect. Organisations like Spectrum offer some of the best home health care available meaning that they can get all of the help they need without having to go into a home and leave the place where they’re most comfortable.

Help them keep their independence

If there’s one thing that a lot of people say is harder than anything else when it comes to getting older, it’s the fact that they begin to feel as though they have no independence. If you’re looking after an older relative, then make sure that you’re not smothering or patronising them. Make sure that you can help them in ways that won’t make them feel useless or lacking in independence. If they can do things by themselves, don’t hover over them. Just because they need a little extra help doesn’t mean that they’ve suddenly turned into children who can’t do anything.

Of course, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t put your life on hold in order to look after your relatives. Sure, you may be willing to make changes and sacrifices in order to help, but if you’re giving everything up, then you’re just going to end up missing out on time that you could spend on your own life. If you can’t take care of yourself, then you’re never going to be able to take care of anyone else.

Best diet to follow during pregnancy suggested by Dietician Sheela Seharawat!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Some diseases and illness require special attention and care. Considering this fact, Sheela Seharawat, a nationally acclaimed dietician suggests umpteen numbers of diet plans with effective tips. Stay healthy and look younger is her motto. She established the diet clinic in the year 2006. She has achieved success and a registered dietician under IDA. She holds her master’s degree in food and nutrition and is the founder of Diet clinic, which has currently 36 branches running successfully all over the country. Well-educated Sheela is a graduate with honors. She has been honored with many awards and before this profession; she was the professional attendant in the army hospital. She has well trained the entire team of dieticians at Diet Clinic. Here is what she has to suggest as a best diet to be followed during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is the time for significant changes. It is the time when you not only have to be careful about your own health, but also be careful about what you eat and how you eat, as it directly have it effects on the growing baby inside your womb. Growing another life inside you is not only stressful but also brings in a lot of responsibility.

Pregnant women need to ensure that their diet is balanced and provides them with the necessary nutrients and energy for proper development and growth of the baby and this involves the right mix of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and consuming a large variety of vegetables and fruits.

 

As mentioned above, a pregnant mother should have a well-balanced diet, and the diet should include the following:

  • Fruits and vegetables: leafy greens and dark orange vegetable products regulated the digestive system and provides antioxidants from natural source. Fresh vegetables are easy to prepare and digest and also provides folic acid, a vital nutrient required for the baby’s growth.

Fresh fruits are nutritious and makes the baby grow stronger.

 

  • Proteins: an essential component required for the growth of a healthy baby, pregnant mothers should include fish, lean meat, and chicken, as well as eggs in their regular diet. Quinoa, tofu and soy products, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds are rich sources of protein and reliefs from anxiety during pregnancy.

 

  • Healthy fats: vital for mothers and baby’s health, healthy fats builds up baby’s brain. Fats are termed healthy which are not man made, but are natural like olive oils, coconut oil, palm oil, cod liver oil, avocado, many nuts and seeds.

 

  • Carbohydrate rich foods: foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread are high in carbohydrate content, Carb provides energy and is therefore, an important component in pregnancy diet.

 

  • Fibers: women’s have higher risks of constipation during pregnancy and fiber intake minimizes that probability and regulates the digestive system. Eating plenty of fiber during pregnancy also reduces the risk of hemorrhoids and helps in the growth of the fetus. Whole meal bread, wholegrain pastas, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables are rich sources of fibers.

 

  • Calcium and Zinc: calcium is an important element in the development of bone health of the baby and hence it is important to have a daily intake of calcium in the diet. Dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt, calcium-set tofu, soybeans, bok choy, broccoli, collards, Chinese cabbage, okra, mustard greens, beans, kale, and soy nuts are rich calcium sources.

Zinc in trace quantities is important for growth and development, cellular integrity and many biological functions like metabolism protein synthesis and also development of the fetus. Meats, fish, chicken, dairy products, beans, nuts, peanut butter, ginger, onions, bran, wheat, rice, pasta, cereals are good sources of zinc.

 

  • Extra Iron: it makes the main component of hemoglobin, which is vital for carrying oxygen within the body. The amount of blood in a women’s body increases by almost 50% and hence she needs more iron intake to make more hemoglobin for the extra blood. Inadequate iron supply to the body may make the mother anemic and also suffer premature delivery, low weight baby, tiredness and fatigue during pregnancy and even new-born death.

Make your New Year Diet Plan more exciting with these Natural Sweeteners and Drinks!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Let’s see what Iram Zaidi, an eminent Nutritionist and Fitness trainer with an expertise in Sports Nutrition, Fat-Loss, General well being, Makeover and Transformation has to say. Her inspiring tale of overall transformation from an overweight girl to a fit and fab nutritionist is something that inspires people to take every word of her training as a mantra for fitness and weight loss.

We are all set to welcome the New Year with new pledges and resolutions to stay fit and tune in to a healthy lifestyle. To beat a big hurdle in your healthy resolution i.e. dieting boredom, one needs to keep the diet plan and healthy eating target as exciting and simple as possible. Nature has blessed us with few natural sweeteners which can best fit into our healthy diet.

Stevia-Plant based, zero calorie, easy to use and safe sweetener

Stevia is widely getting popular across the world as a natural sweetener. There were certain misconceptions with its bitter taste as a majority of products were based on traditional stevia sweeteners offered in the form of high purity Reb A molecule. A recently developed variety of Stevia called Star Leaf sweetener tastes exactly like sugar, so that our taste buds should not compromise. Given stevia can replace some unwanted sweetener calories, it can be one tool in the toolbox for cutting calories from your daily diet without affecting blood sugar or insulin levels.

Sugarcane juice-Natures Superfluid and a great sweetener

From thousands of years Sugarcane juice has been a part of Indian culture. Ayurveda acharyas prefer the juice to be extracted from healthy canes and consumed in hygienic form. A great energy drink, skin toner, body cleanser and loaded with a variety of medicinal properties to fight a majority of diseases, unfortunately Sugarcane juice was missing from our diet plans. One of the biggest reasons was the hygiene concern. Products like OMG (Oh My Ganna), a bottled sugarcane juice with 3 months of non refrigerated shelf life or Rawpressery’s cold pressed sugarcane juice are good pickups for a healthy start.

Honey- Nature’s best antibiotic and great sweetener

Natural honey is loaded with nutrients, and is an essential part of Indian home remedy solutions from ages. It has in the form of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The plant enzyme amylase present in the raw honey is effective in breaking down and helping the predigestion of the starches and also helps to raise the level of antioxidants required in the body. One teaspoon of honey is only about 20 calories.

Coconut sugar- lower glycemic index and great nutritional value

Coconut sugar is also called Coconut Palm Sugar. It is a natural sugar made from sap, which is the sugary circulating fluid of the coconut plant. It is a good source of minerals like Iron, Zinc, Calcium and Potassium, along with some short chain fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. Coconut sugar and coconut nectar contain a fiber known as inulin. This fiber may help slow glucose absorption, offering an alternative for those dealing with diabetic concerns.

Go ahead with these natural sweeteners as there is no need to put extra efforts to fight your sweet tooth by eliminating sugar from your meals.

You can reach Iram Zaidi on [email protected] for any diet/nutrition related query

Painless delivery is not a myth anymore..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Giving birth to a child is one of the most cherished experiences in a woman’s life. Her ability to give birth to another life in itself is her biggest achievement ever. It is one of those things that make a woman stand out from men.

 

With changing times, women have also modernized and they are still able to multitask effortlessly. They’re involved in a lot of other things in life such as career, profession, goals and meeting targets.

Pregnancy is a crucial phase as it involves taking utmost care and precautions when it comes to her nourishment, health and care. Some women think of childbirth as an enriching experience while some often feel afraid and tensed when it comes to giving birth. Most women opt for a Caesarean Section as they feel that the normal delivery method is too painful for them to handle.

But all these are a thing of the past! Today, painless deliveries are common and easily possible. All you need is an expert’s help and your baby can be welcomed into the world easily and painlessly.

Hence, choosing your doctor and hospital is an important decision. Never compromise on choosing the hospital and expert when it comes to delivering your baby. Of course, you want the best for your baby, don’t you?

BirthRight by Rainbow Children’s Hospital, is one such medical care center, which provides state of the art facilities for women and children. The hospital has the best doctors and is fully equipped with the most technologically advanced equipment and procedures.

Birthright is the perinatal division of Rainbow Hospitals providing Antenatal Services and Gynecological Endoscopic Procedures to women. The team specializes in tertiary level of care extended to both, the women who have high-risk pregnancy as well the ones with normal pregnancy.

The integrated team consisting of Obstetricians, Fetal Medicine Specialists and Geneticists, working closely in conjunction with Neonatologists, Pediatric Subspecialists and Maternal Intensivists to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.

BirthRight, the perinatal division of Rainbow Hospitals has a team of well-qualified Obstetricians and Fetal Medicine specialists with rich experience of having worked abroad and at reputed corporate hospitals across the country. They are ably supported by their in-house Neonatal team and round-the-clock Obstetric Anesthesia and Epidural facilities. Their services are effectively delivered by childbirth educators and lactation consultants.

Support services:-

  • Pregnancy Counselling
  • Childbirth Preparation Classes
  • Breastfeeding Support
  • Postpartum Care
  • Nutrition and Dietary Support
  • Yoga and Fitness Counselling
  • Well-qualified Obstetricians
  • Fetal Medicine specialists
  • In-house Neonatal team
  • Round-the-clock Obstetric Anesthesia
  • Epidural facilities

Diagnostic procedures:-

  • Amniocentesis
  • Chorionic villus sampling

Therapeutic procedures:-

  • Selective reduction
  • Multifetal pregnancy reduction
  • intrauterine transfusion
  • Therapeutic pleurocetesis
  • Thoracoamniotic Shunt

 

BirthRight recognizes that childbirth is one of life’s major events, sometimes complicated, but mostly a natural process involving intense emotions and physical experiences. It is an event which profoundly changes people’s lives and is very fulfilling for both the mother and father. Therefore they place emphasis on safety and quality as well as providing a premier service to ensure that your birthing experience is memorable for all the right reasons.

At BirthRight they provide care for you right from conception to delivery. During your pregnancy, they offer antenatal classes which are conducted by an expert childbirth educator.

They also have a friendly outpatient department for your check-ups backed by a full range of laboratory services inclusive of fetal medicine and ultrasound services for monitoring the health of your unborn baby (fetus). They believe that information empowers pregnant women to handle their pregnancies without fear and anxiety. They ensure that all the going-to-be-mommies have an adequate supply of information throughout their pregnancy.

The diagnostic procedures include tests like Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling to ensure a smooth birth process and get an in depth knowledge on any genetic disorders, abnormalities, birth defects or down syndrome etc.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder which is caused due to a defect in the 21st chromosome. It generally occurs due to an excess of genetic matter in the chromosomes. Children who have Down syndrome tend to have certain features, such as a flat face, a short neck, longer forehead and short fingers. They also have some a degree of intellectual disability. Down syndrome is a lifelong condition but with care and support, children who have Down syndrome can grow up to have healthy, happy and productive lives. Tests and diagnosis can help in evaluating these conditions at an early stage and thus precautionary methods can be brought into practice, thereby, reducing the risk.

Also the facilities like Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction, Intrauterine Transfusion, Therapeutic Pleurocentesis and Thoracoamniotic Shunt which ensure least risk in the pregnancy and smooth delivery.

Hence, to conclude, choosing the right hospital for pregnancy and delivery is imperative to both the mother and child’s health so be wise and choose BirthRight.

 

 

The Importance of Buying the Best Orthotics

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

You should never neglect the comfort of your feet under any circumstances. The ability to walk without any discomfort is essential for maintaining a high quality of life. Therefore, you need to take immediate action if you are having some pain in your feet when you are walking. There are steps you can take in order to ensure that your feet will not hurt when you are walking. There is no reason for you to endure this sort of pain unnecessarily. There have been many advances in footwear that can make your foot pain a thing of the past. You need to make finding the right orthotics for your feet your top priority. Here are a few of the main reasons why selecting the perfect orthotics is so important to your overall comfort.

1. You will no longer be burdened by the constant pain that you feel when you are walking.

Most people do not realize how much they use their feet on a daily basis until they start to have foot pain. When this happens, it can make even the simplest of daily activities become a huge struggle. Getting orthotics that are specially designed for your feet will completely change what you need to go through every day. You will be able to walk without constantly thinking about the pain you are feeling. Your feet must constantly absorb the weight of your entire body every time you take a step. Therefore, it should not be a surprise if they start to get sore. The key is to never ignore this pain. Do something about it right away before it becomes more severe. The Get Aligned website has a wide variety of custom orthotics for you to choose from.

2. You will avoid creating a more serious problem with the way you walk.

Many people ignore the pain they are feeling in their feet. They think they just need to break in their shoes and eventually the pain will go away. However, this is not always the case. Foot pain is often caused because your feet are not aligned properly. A person will adjust the way they walk in order to compensate for the foot pain they are feeling if the discomfort goes on long enough. This can have a wide variety of negative effects on your posture. It will not be long until your feet are not the only part of your body that is causing you pain. This is why you need to nip this situation in the bud. Do not let it get out of hand. Even shoes that are very comfortable may not give you the support you need because they are not customized for your feet. Buying orthotics off the shelf might not help you because they might not fit perfectly. This is why you need to take the time to get yourself some customized orthotics.

3. You will be able to enjoy some of your favorite shoes that were previously uncomfortable to you.

You might have several pairs of shoes in your closet that have been sitting there collecting dust for a long time. You want to wear some of them. However, you have been unable to because your feet begin to hurt if you wear them for very long. Getting orthotics that are customized especially for your feet will allow you to wear all of your favorite shoes that you have been unable to use. You will find that having the right support while you are wearing these shoes will make all the difference in the world.

4. You will be able to be more productive around your workplace.

You might have a job that requires you to be on your feet for many hours during your shift. If so, it is crucial that you do everything you possibly can to make sure that your feet are getting the support they need. You will find that being able to walk comfortably will enable you to do your job faster and more efficiently than you could before. This will eventually lead to your boss recognizing your improved performance. Your feet will also not be as sore at the end of the day.

Season Special- Winter Skin Care Tips

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Winter is one season when our skin needs more care than any other season. The dryness of winters is extremely difficult to tackle with and more often than not we end up breaking our heads on which moisturiser should we use and what other things can help us. So here are some tips for you to combat the winter dryness

Winter skincare tips

 

If you’re feeling your skin dry out more than ever, you’re not alone. If your moisturizer just isn’t cutting it, it might be because it’s not right for your skin type. While moisturizers claim to, well, add moisture, what they really do is lock moisture from water into your skin and deliver it to where it needs to go. If you’re unsure whether your moisturizer is really getting the job done, here are some tips to help you out.

 

Difference between day and night moisturizer:

 

Day moisturizers should contain an SPF rating between 30 and 50 and broad spectrum protection to keep your skin from damage. Your facial skin is obviously much more sensitive and should have an SPF coverage regardless of what season it is.

Night moisturizers should be richer and creamier, often containing retinoids and peptides that will soak into your skin overnight. Retinoids are a form of Vitamin A that help fight wrinkles and fine lines, but can make your skin extremely vulnerable in the sunlight and when exposed, could increase the likelihood of skin tumors. Peptides on the other hand trigger the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, both of which naturally deplete over time and age. You want to make sure to avoid them in your day cream in order to also avoid the negative side effects they may trigger.

 

Difference between skin type:

 

Oily Skin:

If you have oily skin, you’ll be looking for moisture in order to control oil production. If oily skin is dried out (not moisturized enough), your skin will actually go into an overproduction of oil, basically making it even worse.

 

Dry Skin:

If you have dry skin, it’s likely because you have a low production of oil. You will want to look for ingredients that help reduce Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and moisturizes your skin consistently. This is when you’ll definitely want a night cream to introduce heavier occlusive and emollient ingredients to literally trap water in the skin’s upper layers.

Combination Skin:

If you have normal or combination skin, then most face moisturizers will work just fine. Use a heavier moisturizer in the winter months and go light on the T zone. Or pick a lighter moisturizer designed for oily skin and apply it all over, even in the T zone.

 

For more information on face moisturizers, check out Reviews.com where they researched over 200 formulas: https://www.reviews.com/face-moisturizer/

As Time Goes By… What We Need To Look Out For

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Ageing is one of those inevitabilities of life, but we don’t always know the best way to cope with it. The importance of looking after yourself as you enter your 30, 40, 50, and every decade beyond, means you need to take a little bit of extra care with how you do things on a regular basis. But also, lots of people feel that age is just an inevitable decline, but in fact, if we keep an eye on specific symptoms as we age, we can learn to manage these better, and live a much richer life. So, what is worth keeping an eye on, regardless of how old or young we are?

 

Hearing Problems

Loss of hearing isn’t something that’s just for elders, the more you are exposed to loud noise, including music, the likelihood is that you will develop hearing problems sooner rather than later. Tinnitus is one of those things you need to be aware of, and it can start by hearing a ringing, or some sort of noise inside your ear. Luckily, there are various forms of tinnitus treatment now, but it’s important to be aware of some of the things you might be doing that accelerates your hearing loss. One prominent example is if you listen to music through earphones.

 

Various Bone Issues

While there are things like osteoarthritis that can strike when you are much older, the seeds are sown much younger in age. If you like to go running to keep healthy, there is a chance that you might be using improper form, and if you run too much, it can wear away at your cartilage, meaning your joints will rub together and be very uncomfortable. It’s always important to take proper stock in the health of your joints and bones, especially after the age of 40. But strength training is one of those solutions that help, as long as you do it with proper form.

 

Digestive Problems

This isn’t something you notice so much when you are younger, but gradually as time wears on, so will your stomach. The lining of our stomach can be eroded by the poor diet we can eat through our lives and our gut bacteria can be worn down, which can contribute to issues relating to inflammation, as well as food intolerances. A few ways to help our stomach is to eat foods rich in probiotics, which helps to replenish the bacteria in our guts, but also, giving our stomachs time to repair itself. While they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there has been research into how fasting can help repair the cells of every part of your body, not just your gut. You can start to do this by, very simply, skipping breakfast now and again.

 

In addition to these, one of the main things we all know this is that our minds aren’t as sharp as they used to be. You can remedy this by, very simply, exercising your mind. Much like we exercise our bodies, you can do the same for your brain. Ageing doesn’t have to be a depressing thing, as long as you keep an eye out for the key problems we all get.

 

 

 

Healthy Habits You’re Doing Wrong

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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You might think you’re being healthy, setting up lots of habits to maintain your hygiene levels and boost your general wellbeing, but you could actually be making matters worse! There are numerous ‘healthy’ habits that are actually anything but. Check out the following to see if you’re doing healthy wrong:

 

Washing Your Hands After Applying Sunscreen

 

If you diligently apply sunscreen, then that is definitely a healthy habit, which you should be applauded for, but if after application, you wash your hands, well…you’re doing it wrong. It’s obvious really, but if you wash your hands, they won’t be protected from the sun’s rays! This is a common mistake millions of people make, but it’s easily changed by rubbing the sunscreen in and leaving it be instead of rushing to the sink!

 

Cleaning Your Ears with a Q-Tip

 

Keeping your ears clean is important for optimal hearing, and of course hygiene reasons. However, if you use a q-tip to get rid of waxy build-up in the ears, you’re doing it wrong. First of all, poking a q-tip in your ear is dangerous, it only takes a little slip for you to push it too far and perforate your eardrum – something that is really painful! Not only that but you could actually end up pushing more wax further into your ear canal, which is the opposite of what you want. Good ear cleaning practices never involve Q-tips! There are sprays you can use to dissolve wax and of course professional cleanings can be booked if the problem is serious, too.

 

Showering Daily

Image source

 

Okay, so this is a controversial one, but unless you’re regularly getting really dirty, perhaps due to your job, or you sweat a whole lot due to your heavy exercise regime, it is probably unnecessary to shower every day. Why? Because doing so depletes the layers of lipids and oils that protect your skin and keep it moist. If you must shower every day, at the very least, use moisturizer to replace some of these lost essentials.

 

Sitting With Your Knees and Hips level on the Toilet

 

Going to the bathroom regularly is healthy, but this is how most people sit when they’re using a modern western toilet, and if you’re one of them, yes…you’re doing it wrong. You see, a ‘squatting’ position where the knees are higher up than your butt is the perfect position for smooth flowing bowels and less straining when you need to go. Some people keep a stool in their bathroom to help them with this, and well, help make the passage of their stools a little easier.

 

Lounging Around When You Have Back Pain

 

A lot of people think that, when they have back pain, the best thing they can do is sit, or lie down and relax, but this is only likely to exacerbate the problem, especially if they’re lounging in a soft couch. If your back hurts, then inactivity can make the problem worse by increasing stiffness and allowing your muscles to weaken. So, actually, the best thing you can do is to get up and do some low-impact exercises, such as swimming.

 

Were you doing any of these healthy habits wrong?

 

 

The Key To Helping Others: Taking Care Of Yourself First

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Everyone knows that they need to be taking care of themselves, but sometimes, that’s much easier said than done. If you’re one of those people who is always looking after other people, then you might find that your own needs aren’t being met. And while that would be just fine for a while, if it carries on unchecked then, sooner or later, you will find that it’s something you should have corrected much earlier. Here are a few ideas to ensure all your needs are met.

Source: Pexels.com

The Essential Ingredients

While it’s nice to daydream of going on a long travel trip, or taking a couple of months just to do whatever you want to do, sometimes simply just taking care of the essentials in life is enough to give us a solid platform on which to be our best. Before you’ve even begun thinking about the needs of others, make sure you’re eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, and that your health is in check. You’ll find it much easier to be there for others if you’ve been there for yourself first.

Getting Help From Others

It might sometimes feel like that, but you’re really not in this all on your own. You will have people who are willing to help you, and if you don’t – or they’re not available – then there will be professional options. If you’re overworking yourself trying to take care of an elderly relative who needs support, then look at getting some respite care in the home. It’ll give you a break, during which you can refresh and re-energise. For things like children, then you’ll have siblings, parents, and other friends with their own children to give you a break for the evening.

Indulging

If you’re a person who always thinks of the needs of others first, then you probably can’t even remember the last time that you treated yourself to something nice. Moving forward, make a promise to yourself to do something that’s only for your benefit will help ease the burden of looking after others.

It could be buying a new dress, taking a day to do something that you love doing, catching up with your new favorite reality game show like Biggest Liar in Ghana, or simply spending the evening with relaxing music and a good book.

Be Wary of Overdoing It

Some people don’t know how to say no. Whenever something is asked of them, they’ll volunteer their time and move it straight to the top of the priority list. While this may, on the face of it, look like a good characteristic, it can only be considered as such if it’s not negatively impacting the person’s life. If you find yourself overwhelmed with tasks, then learn to say no. It might just help people understand that you’re doing a lot for them without asking anything in return.

Learn to Laugh

Finally, remember that our attitude is everything. If we’re positive, then the battle has already been half-won. Learn to laugh at life, and you’ll prevent too much stress from building up. Positivity will take you a long way!