What is Binge thinking?

Stuides have revealed that 75% of women aged between 25 and 35 over-think.  We just need to realise that just because we have negative feeling about a certain situation it does not mean that it will turn negative. 

Worrying about a situation that is not in our control is a simple waste of time.  The more we start focussing on negative emotions we fail to see the postives before us.  Worrying simply blocks our thought process.  Worrying of something that happened in the past  and brooding over it is of no use.  Instead take the failure as lessons learnt and focus on the future which is actually in your control.

When you tend to think of negative situations try and divert your mind off by doing something that you like.  It can be reading, playing, cooking listening to music.  Many research sshows that just 10 minutes if distraction clears your mind and reducess stress.

Watch what you eat.  Do not skip meals.  Do not substitute your meals with coffee or tea as you are busy worrying about a situation.  coffee or tea will only worsen the situation and make it even bad for you.

Women and Exercise.

There is no doubt that exercise is the only salvation for the health problems that are overwhelming Indians. Women hold the key to their family’s health. By exercising regularly, they can set an example and get their family members to follow a healthy life style.

Reading about the advantages of exercise is not enough. We all know that exercise tones our body and adds flexibility and balance, but many women do not realize that exercise has long-lasting effects. Chronic aches and pains disappear.

Women can avoid osteoporosis in the long run. Regular, moderate exercise also reduces the chances of developing diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. For those who already have these conditions, exercise helps control the disease and prevents further complications.

Get up and get going
Set the date when you are going to start exercising, and stick to it. Let your family and friends know the date so that you will be embarrassed if you are going to do so don’t treat it as a chore: look at as a gift to yourself.

Make it easier to exercise
Keep your exercise shoes in a bag that you take to work. On your way back from work, you can go to a park nearby. Or leave them near the door so that you can set out for a walk whenever you feel like.
Good shoes matter. Make sure your shoes have good cushioning and arch support. This will make exercising fun for your feet. Badly fitting shoes can actually cause heel and calf pain.

Set yourself sensible goals
If you start off on the first day wanting to walk, run or jog for an hour, you might get disheartened if you get exhausted in the first 15 minutes.
Begin with 10-15 minutes of activity, several times daily. Just fit it in whenever you can. Plan to go for a 20-minute walk three times a week and then increase it gradually to at least 45 minutes a day, five days a week.

Make it a group activity
Except for professional athletes, most of us do not have the mental discipline to keep exercising by our- selves. Join a group, a gym or get your husband to go with you. If a bunch of your friends get together to exercise you will be motivators and conscience-keepers for each other.
Exercising with your husband is not only a great bonding experience but also gives you both time together to discuss the day’s events or plan the next day.

Exercise does not have to be high-tech
Many people believe that they need expensive equipment such as treadmills and stationery bicycles to exercise. It is a well-known truth that in many homes, these machines quickly get converted into clothes hangers or storage areas! More and more professional trainers are turning away from elaborate exercise machines and getting back to basic exercises such as aerobics, weight training and gym balls.
The staircase at home is a great way to exercise. Walking briskly up and down the stairs will burn up those calories. Give yourself 20 to 30 minutes of stair-climbling in a day. You will have to build up your stamina by starting with 10 to 15 minutes, and then gradually increasing the duration.

“Exercise is boring!”
It doesn’t have to be. Turn on the music and exercise. If you like to dance, play your favourite songs and dance! It is all about being active, using various muscles and burning calories. Mix and match various forms of exercise.
Walk three times a week and do aerobics on three days. Strength training is particularly good as you grow older, to prevent your muscle mass from turning into fat. Exercising regularly will make you a happier person. Start today!

The Hindu, Monday, November, 29, 2010.Metro Plus.

Meditate to ease labour pains

First time mom's would be anxious about ther birth of the new-born.  Each woman experiences labor differently. Some women are more sensitive to pain than others and medical factors such as the size and the position of the baby affect the amount of pain and duration labour. One cannot predict how the labour and delivery will go.  But planning ahead can definitely help ease labour pains.

 

Yogic breathing energises the mother and the child and helps control stressful situations.  Expectant mother feels relaxed enabling her to have a positive approach to labour.  It increases the stamina and vitality promoting an easy delivery with minimum distress and fatigue during labour.  Physical and respiratory exercises should be done alternatively in order to avoid tiredness,  Complete yogic breathing regimen includes abdominal, upper chest and clavicular breathing.

 

WHile expelling the child, it is essential for the woman not to lese her breath control.  For this, Lamaze breathing techniques are taught to help the woman to learn to control her respiration as well as her muscles during bearing down period.  Then she will have no difficulty in following the instructions of her doctor during child birth.

 

Meditation helps the expectant mother remain in a tranquil state and makes her bonding with the baby easier.  The chanting of holy mantras helps in the development of the brain in a positive way.  Meditative postures include cross legged posture etc.  Here the body resembles like triangle symbolising harmony and balance.  Yoganidra is a systematic method of ensuring complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation.  The state of our mind and that of our dodies are united.

 

When our muscles are relaxed our mind relaxes too.  To relax is to rejuvanate.  This relaxation technique requires a few minutes and is very effective in day to day lives.

 

 

 

 

Courtesy : Women's life Indian Express, October 17 2006

Beauty at its best - Simple Tips

Beauty at its Best

Balance your diet and drink lots of water.  Keep a bottle of water on your table that you don't forget to drink.  Follow a good diet regimen.  There is no harm in relaxing your rules indulging in scrumptious delicacies once in a week.

But detoxify your body later.  Have at least two cups of green tea everyday to detoxify your body.   Avoid junk food.  Instead eat a bowl of fruit or vegetable salad. 

Do not go for crash diets.  They do more harm to the body and cause mood swings.  Instead eat short meals at regular intervals.   Exercise is very important.  Start your exercises with slight warm up exercises.  Never wind up your work out session without stretching. 

Be patient when you start your exercise routine.  When stressed, breathe deeply for a while.  This helps  in relaxing your body.  Strike a balance between work and life.  Spend time with family friends and relax as much as possible.

Good skin care is essential.  Remove the makeup before you get to bed.  Maintain your hair clean.  Maintain good personal habits.

Smoking Harms Fetal fertility

Here's another reason why to-be moms should kick the butt — smoking during pregnancy can harm their unborn son's fertility later in his life, say scientists.

 

A new study, published in philosophical transactions of the Royal Society B journal, has claimed that how a woman looks after herself in pregnancy could have a major effect on her unborn baby's ability to father a child.

 

According to them, smoking and exposure to pesticides and traffic pollution all do more harm in the first weeks of life than in adult body – in fact, damage inflicted in the womb can be permanent.

 

This could be because exposure to toxins in the womb cuts the number of certoli cells, highly specialized cells needed to " nurse" young sperm through to maturity during a man's adult life, the Daily Mail reported.

 

To reach this conclusion, experts, led by Richard Sharpe of Edinburgh University, evaluated studies from around the world on the effects on male fertility factors such as smoking and exposure to chemicals.

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy : Times of India, Chennai Times, 20/4/2010

 

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The battle for the FIH Hockey World Cup Drag n' drop

Women health vs Women weight

A majority of women are more concerned about their weight than overall health, says a recent US poll. The new poll has found, it is not health related issues that's weighing down most women, but weight-related ones - even among the 26 per cent of respondents whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is in the normal range.

Of the 1000 respondents, just one-third said they didn't like their physical condition - despite the fact that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of ailments like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

"So many women think more about the number on the scale than whether their blood pressure or cholesterol is normal," an American daily quoted registered dietitian Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietic Association, as saying. "They really don't think about disease risk as much as they do about their weight," Gans added.

The survey also revealed that women exercise for a median of just 80 minutes per week, which means that half the women do even less exercise. A mere eight per cent of the women surveyed said that they eat the minimum recommended servings of fruit and vegetables (five a day) and a full 28 per cent said they consume those five servings just once a week or less.

Breastfeeding - natural and important for new Moms

"Breastfeeding is one of the most enriching experiences for a mother": It not only nourishes the baby, but also creates an immense bond between the mother and the baby".

Breastfeeding is natural, but it is important that expectant moms educate themselves on how to breastfeed and learn about positioning and latching-on, supply and demand of milk, and how to handle challenges during breastfeeding.

It’s important to understand that the production of breast milk is based on demand and supply. The more the mother feeds, the more the supply of milk which means that a mother should feed the baby on demand, rather than on a schedule. Also, babies have growth spurts. So, a baby who was being fed every three hours might suddenly demand to be fed every hour: It does not mean that the supply of milk is less, but that the baby is experiencing growth spurts.

Even the dad has a role to play in this process. It is important that the expectant dads attend a childbirth class to learn about breastfeeding. For successful breast feeding the mom needs food, rest, sleep and support. So, it is dad’s duty to take on household chores. So, men, better get a grip on cleaning, cooking, washing and entertaining guests. Also the dad has to encourage the mom and tell her that she is doing a great job. Dads can also support the mom to position and latch-on the baby while she is breastfeeding. Once the feeding is done allow the mom to rest and take the baby under your care. Burp the baby, change its clothes and put it to sleep. Also at night it’s the dad’s duty to bring the baby to the mother for feeds.

Courtesy: Chennai Times, august 3 2009