Yoga to Improve Your Memory and Eyesight - I

A report published recently suggested that several students in the city are consuming memory-enhancing pills to enrich their recalling powers. So, we list a few natural memory building techniques using yoga that will help you improve your brain capacity to recollect and remember, without the consumption of unwanted drugs.

Yoga for the eyes:

1. Move your eyeballs up and down as much as possible without moving the head.

2. Move your eyeballs right and left without moving the head.

3. Roll your eyeballs clockwise and anti-clockwise (each of this exercises can be done 10-20 times).

4. Close your eyes tight for five seconds, then immediately open them and hold them open for as long. Keep alternating about 20 times. This will improve blood circulation to the eyes making them stronger.

Are Deodorants Harmful for Your Skin?

You are constantly bombarded by deodorant advertisements on the television, who claim that their almost magical olfactory love potion will make you irresistible to the opposite sex. And in the lure of this claim, some of you just can't wait to get your hands on that deospray. And as a result, you must have sprayed yourself with it from head to toe. Also, summer's here in full swing with soaring temperatures, humidity, profuse sweating and sweat odour. And in the bid to avoid smelling like a skunk in this climate, many people are in the habit of dousing themselves and soaking their clothes with deodorants. As a by-product of this habit, you may be doing a public service to the olfactory senses of those around you. But little did you know that you might be harming your skin? Read on to find out how...

Why are they harmful?
There's no denying that deodorants help to neutralise or block body odour. Also, the fact that antiperspirants usually contain aluminum compounds which block the sweat glands and reduce the amount of sweat produced. And if there is no sweat, bacteria cannot act on proteins in the body to produce odour. Dermatologist Dr Sunita More warns about the unpleasant effects of these products. "Most of these products contain aluminium and parabens which mimic the female hormone — estrogen and act on breast tissue, so individuals with family history of breast cancer should avoid their use. Similarly, those with kidney problems should avoid antiperspirants containing aluminium, However, deodourants are preferred over anti-perspirants as they do not block the function of sweat glands." says she.

Antiperspirants generally contain aluminium-based compounds which help to reduce sweat or the heavy use can clog sweat glands. Sweat glands discharge the waste from our body as sweat and if the waste is not being discharged from the body, it is unhealthy. Cosmetologist Dr Abhijit Desai says, "Deodorants cause irritation (because of alcohol) and redness which leads to itching and eventually slight pigmentation of the underarm area. The harmful effects of anti-perspirants are similar to those of deodorants but they are more due to intolerance to aluminium compounds in antiperspirants that can lead to conditions like contact dermatitis and allergy."

What about deodourant sticks?
In case you are wondering about the big dent your wallet is going to have, for you will have shelled out the big bucks on branded perfumes, don't fret.

There is some reason to rejoice. Dermatologist Shreyas Kamath says, "Deodorant sticks are better than sprays. Sprays contain more chemicals for long lasting fragrance, which has a deeper impact on our skin than the sticks. The sticks are made with mild chemicals and generally does not harm the skin."

Alcohol-free sprays are ideal
There are certain deodorants that claim to be alcohol free and are ideal for use in comparison to alcohol-based ones, as they have very less chances of causing irritation and allergies. Also they are gentle on the skin and don't cause dryness. Dr Kamath opines that non-alcoholic deodorants are free from aluminium based compounds. They are skin-friendly deodorants. Many dermatologists recommend their patients to use nonalcoholic deodorants which are a bit costly, but does not affect the skin.

Beware of cheap duplicates
Most of us sigh at the price tags of branded perfumes, and some of us get tempted to buy cheap duplicates sold at roadside stalls in various bustling shopping areas. You may be saving a whopping load of money doing so but you'll be subjecting your skin to a whopping load of damage too. That is because they can give rise to severe allergies and pigmentation of skin. Dr More cautions, "Do not go in for cheap, duplicate products as these can be extremely harmful as the chemical content is virtually unknown and unregulated by any reputed drug authority."

It is suggested that natural remedies to keep oneself odour-free by sharing the following tips:
- Include plenty of greens and salads in your diet
- Avoid red meat and other poultry preparations during summers
- Keep yourself well hydrated
- Wear loose, cotton clothes which allow the skin to breathe freely

Too much traveling ups health risks

A study has found that people who travel frequently for business increase the rates of poor health and health risk factors, including obesity and high blood pressure.


People who did not travel at all are actually a less-healthy group. Compared to light travelers (one to six nights per month), non-travelers were about 60 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor.

This may reflect a "healthy worker effect", with employees who have health problems being less likely to travel.

Otherwise, rates of less-than-good health increased along with nights of travel. Extensive travelers were 260 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor, compared to light travelers.

Other health risk factors showed similar patterns: obesity was 33 per cent more likely non-travelers and 92 per cent more likely for extensive travelers.

The same two groups were also more likely to have high blood pressure and unfavorable cholesterol levels.

Although business travel is often equated with long airline flights, relatively short business trips in personal cars are much more common.

Several factors could contribute to health risks in frequent business travelers—for example, poor sleep, fattening foods, and long periods of inactivity.

The study has been published in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

How to lose weight without dieting

Losing sleep over losing weight? Can't seem to stick to your diet plan?Let me tell you how to lose weight without dieting. To most of us, the term 'diet' conjures up images of starvation and hunger. But is this really necessary? Will starving yourself really help you achieve that ultimate weight loss target? Today we're breaking all the 'diet to lose weight' myths, and exploring the concept of 'enlightened eating'. Enlightened eating essentially involves focusing on long-term weight control and learning new eating habits which are devoid of deprivation and extremes. Sounds exciting? Read on!

1. Say yes to the veggies!
Research suggests that when offered with a variety of foods for a meal, we tend to eat more. Therefore, replace some high-fat dishes on your menu with more vegetables. Make two varieties of green veggies, instead of one, and you'll feel satisfied without sabotaging your weight loss programme.

2. Eat slowly!
Take a pause from your chaotic schedule and really eat your food. Chew your food slowly, and be conscious of every bite you eat. Wolfing down a meal makes you eat a lot more than when you eat slowly.

3. Pick whole grains over processed!
Brown rice, barley, oats, whole wheat must all be your friends. They will improve your lipid profile (lower bad cholesterol), consequently helping you in losing weight. Stay away from maida-based stuff, and pick whole grains, because they are much healthier.

4. Watch the alcohol!
Drinkers have lower odds of obesity than non-drinkers. But binge drinkers and those who consumed more than four drinks a day had considerably higher odds. Also, when you consume more than the recommended quantities of alcohol, you tend to indulge more in foods that are bad for you.

5. Focus on your target!
Do you have a pair of jeans that you would like to fit into? A little colourful sundress you dream of wearing one day? Hang it up in front of your eyes! Yes, believe us when we say- motivation is half the battle won. Every time you're struck by that sinister craving for indulging in those fries, picture the dress, and feel the steely resolve come back.

6. Home-cooked is good!
Carry a lunch box to work. Carry a fruit box to your evening picnic. Carry a few bread sticks and some low fat yoghurt to your road trip. Carrying healthy food can work wonders. Skip the cafeteria food. If cooking in the early morning rush seems like a daunting task, you could try preparing for it the night before. It is a little more work, but definitely worth it!

7. Go green tea!
Although unconfirmed, several studies do suggest that green tea can boost the body's capacity to burn more calories, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins. Even if it isn't quite the wonder-beverage we'd like to believe it is, a healthy beverage that replaces something unhealthy like an ice-cream shake, or a creamy coffee is definitely worth a look-see.

8. Walk a mile!
Okay! We don't expect you to be a marathon walker, but studies have revealed that walking for twenty minutes a day (that's approximately a mile) can help you burn 100 calories more than usual! So, get off the bus one stop before your destination and walk the rest of the way. Take the stairs instead of the lift, and leave the car at home when you're going shopping to the mall next door.


9. Eat in a smaller plate!
If you pick a 10-inch plate instead of a 12-inch one, your mind will never notice that you've just shaved off about a hundred or two calories from your daily food intake. And doctors have found that most people didn't even notice the difference in amounts, but just instinctively ate less, and didn't even feel less full at the end of it.

10. Order smart at restaurants!
Eating in restaurants can add those calories like you never could at home. So, order smart. Maybe you could split the starters with a friend, or order the appetizer as the meal. Ask for the option of a half plate. Remember, you don't have to finish it all, leftovers can be packed too.

Maintain your weight and stay fit

Maintaining one's weight is just as tough as losing weight. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent your weight from fluctuating constantly.


A few simple points to keep in mind are:

1. Have breakfast: 
One should eat a proper breakfast before starting the day. Follow the old saying and eat a king size breakfast. It can have lots of oats, juices, milk. Make sure you avoid fried and oily food in the morning.

2. Eat slowly:
It is said that one should chew one's food about 30 times before taking the second bite. It helps in proper digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more you chew; the easier will the digestion process be.

3. Have meals in break:
Rather than having three huge meals a day, have small meals consisting of healthy fruits and vegetable dishes. Eat at least six small meals in a day.

4. Wash it down with water:
Drink at least one glass of water at intervals of half an hour. One should consume three to four liters every day to keep the body cool.

5. Exercise:
One need not necessarily join the gym. Even simple exercises like walking, running, jumping, skipping can help you maintain your weight. Make sure you do at least one physical activity for 30 minutes daily.

6. Late meals are a no-no:
Avoid having your dinner late in the night, since the number of activities you perform is less. Have light meals during the night.

7. No binging:
If one does feel hungry, they should avoid eating fast food and snacks like chips, oily food, pastries etc.


Such simple tips can help you to enjoy life to the fullest and fittest.

Healthy ways to get your daily fiber

Fibre is an important part of your diet. It can help keep your digestion regular, control your cholesterol, decrease risk of heart disease, reduces chances of developing type 2 diabetes, and even prevents certain types of cancer.

How much do you need?
In general, adult men up to age 50 should aim to consume at least 38 grams of dietary fiber each day; for women up to age 50, it's at least 25 grams of fiber daily. After age 50, fiber needs decrease slightly.

Unfortunately most people don't meet these recommendations. In fact, on average, people consume only 14 grams of fiber per day.

Your individual daily fiber intake goal is really based on your calorie consumption. It is recommended that you get 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you eat. So, for example, if you eat 2,500 calories a day diet, you should be getting about 35 grams of fiber a day.

Tips for boosting your fiber intake:

Have vegetable-based meals. "Add vegetables to sandwiches, pizza, and pasta." When you're filling up your plate, first load half with non-starchy vegetables, then one-fourth with starch, such as breads, potatoes, or starchy vegetables such as corn, peas, and squash, and the last one-fourth with lean protein, like fish, skinless poultry, and lean meats. Choose whole-wheat flour products. Whole grains consist of three layers: the outer bran, the middle endosperm, and the inner germ. Refined grains like white flour, on the other hand, are stripped of the fiber - rich bran and germ layers, leaving only the starchy endosperm. When you choose brown rice instead of white rice and whole-grain breads and crackers instead of white or processed ones, you are boosting the amount of fiber in your diet. To determine if a packaged food is whole-grain, look for the word "whole," as in whole wheat, on the ingredient list, which means that all of the grain layers are still intact.

Skip the juice. Fruit juice doesn't contain as much fiber as whole fruits. Your best bet is to choose fruits that contain edible seeds, such as kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, and figs.

Eat more beans. It is recommended that you incorporate more fiber-rich beans into your diet by eating bean-based soups, adding black beans or peas to your salad, or stirring kidney beans into your chilli. It is best to eat fresh or frozen beans, but if you eat the canned variety, look for labels that say "no salt added" or rinse them before you eat them, since canned beans tend to be higher in sodium.

Snack on high-fiber foods. Turn to high-fiber foods anytime you reach for a snack. Snacking on baby carrots, celery, and sliced cucumbers dipped in humus; microwaved frozen edamame (soy beans); or dried fruit mixed with fat-free popcorn, nuts, and seeds.

Keep the skins on. Eating potatoes with the skin is a great way to increase your fiber intake.

When you first begin incorporating more fiber into your diet, it is not uncommon to experience abdominal cramping, bloating, and gas. You can help prevent this discomfort by making these changes gradually and increasing the amount of liquids you drink along with your fiber intake.

Before long, your body will adjust to the change, and you will be reaping all of the health benefits of a high-fiber diet.

Simple tips to avoid skipping exercise

Even the most dedicated among us sometimes feel lazy to exercise. You may have the intention of exercising, but may come up with a number of excuses to skip gym. Keep in mind these simple motivational tips to inspire yourself whenever you're tempted to skip your exercise regime.


Get your priorities right. 
Fitness should be important to you not only because you want to lose weight or get into shape, it should also be because you love exercising. Don't let working out seem like a chore. Make it a habit.


Don't just stick to one fitness program. 
This is your chance to try out different things. Take a break from weight training and treadmills. Try out yoga, kickboxing, pilates or even Tae Kwon Do till you discover something that you truly love doing.


Keep some variety in your workout. 
Doing the same things everyday will seem monotonous and boring. When you try something new, don't give up if you find it difficult. Give yourself time and worth practice you're bound to improve.


Don't go overboard when you start something new. 
Begin slowly and pace yourself accordingly. Similarly, don't push yourself too hard. Give yourself a routine that you can mange even on days when you're absolutely down. Accept your limits and work within them.


Try to workout with a friend. 
This way, you can inspire each other when you want to skip your routine and also while you're working out.


Don't set goals that are seemingly impossible to attain after some time. 
If you set a grueling pace, you won't be able to keep up with it over time. Instead keep your goals simple and gradually increase them after you accomplish each one.

Laugh 15 minutes a day for good health

Have people forgotten to laugh? In the good old days, they used to laugh 18 minutes a day, but today not more than six minutes.


Experts say children can laugh up to 300-400 times in a day, but as adults this frequency drops to 15 times a day. But it's medically proved that laughter benefits your health.

"Laughing exercises the heart as well as the lungs. When one laughs, the heart rate goes up and the brain is relaxed."


Do we need to laugh more today? "In a fastpaced world, stress-related diseases are on the rise. More than 70 per cent of illnesses are related to stress. To escape stress, people turn to alcohol, smoking and drugs. If only they realised the wonder medicine of laughter!"

According to research, open-mouthed laughter is most appealing. "Laughter sounds good only when it's open-mouthed. Conversely, a closed mouth laugh such as a snigger, which scientists describe as a 'pant-pant' sound, has the opposite effect." A study suggests that beginning in childhood, we learn to associate the wide-open guffaw with life's most positive experiences. Eventually, all it takes is to hear that happy sound to feel happier.


Laugh your way to health!

Great workout at work

Take stairs instead of elevators

While a regular workout routine is an essential part of reaching your weight-loss goals, there will be times when your job or family obligations get in the way of exercising.


There are occasions which keep us so busy that we either forget to exercise or deliberately avoid doing them. But that shouldn't be the case at all; doctors recommend a 20-minute exercise routine daily, irrespective of what's going on in your life. However, days when you are super-busy, try to get in a five- or ten-minute walk or simply incorporate more movement throughout the day. After all, some exercise is always better than none. Here are seven tips to help you squeeze in fitness throughout the day.


- Park farther away from the office, or choose public transportation.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator, especially if you have just a few flights to climb.
- Go for a walk during lunch. One way to do this is to skip your usual salad spot on the corner and find one a little farther away.
- If you bring lunch to work, use the time you save buying lunch to take a walk around the block.
- Walk over to co-workers' desks when you need to chat with them or deliver messages rather than using e-mail or the phone.
- Instead of meeting friends in the office or over lunch, meet to take a walk instead.
- Use your headset or cell phone and walk around while talking on the phone.
- Stretch occasionally while sitting at your desk or leave a light pair of weights at work and do some upper-body exercises.

A cup of tea improves brain power

A new study has suggested that drinking tea not only improves brain power, but also reduces tiredness and increases alertness, thereby improving the performance.


For the study, the researchers looked at the effect of key chemicals found in tea on the mental performance of 45 young volunteers. The effects of these ingredients, an amino acid called L-theanine – which is also found in green tea – and caffeine at levels typically found in a cup of tea, were compared with a dummy treatment.


The active ingredients significantly improved accuracy across a number of switching tasks for those who drank the tea after 20 and 70 minutes, compared with the placebo.The tea drinkers' alertness was also heightened, the study found.Tea was also found to reduced tiredness among the volunteers, who were aged under 40.