Midnight workout - Good or Bad ?

Midnight workout - Good or Bad ?

There are many individuals among us who likes to stay awake at midnight –we call them vampires. Now when I say vampires does not mean they have fangs and they suck blood; these people are often blessed with the power to train late at midnight in gym. Whether or not it's as a result of work schedule, school or college class, lack of family duties or simply personal preference, these individuals appear to hit their pace at 11 or even in midnight. Yes you read it right! The time when the whole world goes to sleep. If you are one of these individuals, you will notice that late night visits to the gym can also be very much productive as compared to that of daytime. Let's have a look at some points which explains why midnight workout is good for your health.

All options open:

If you're lucky enough to own a membership at a 24-hour gym, there's a really smart likelihood you will have the place to yourself. Imagine the probabilities. You don’t have to wait for squat rack or dumbbell section. You may suddenly be ready to do super-sets and gate coaching in an exceedingly nearly-empty gym. If you've got friendly workers, you will even be ready to choose the music you get to listen to. There are plenty of advantages of exercising at midnight time having a gym facility. Who would like to be trained in 6PM rush!

Less interruption:

During the daytime, you most likely have tons of things on your mind when you are at gym. Are you amongst those who have to stressful working hours? Does your homework keeps you busy all time? Did you check your office email? Is your cell phone ringing? Does one have voice mails to check? Nighttime is the time when projector other work related stuffs are normally paused. Use this time to unfold your wings and hit the gym with no interruptions!

Adequate time to heal:

Once you have sweated out in gym, you must drink a protein shake including banana before having shower. Reach home and prepare meal which contains slow-burning carbohydrates like pasta and rice and food rich with proteins like beef or chicken. Then, relax for about an hour before you head to sleep. Your nightly growth-hormone allows running free pattern which would achieve simply at proper time!

Always remember that there are often some disadvantages with training late night. If your gym or house is at a location where your neighborhood is not that good, you will end up in a very risky scenario once you are walking to or from your vehicle. Property and violent crimes area unit are definitely higher at nighttime. Always be careful when you drive since there could be many drunk drivers as you travel to and or come from the gym. After all, once hour strikes, it's always simply the police and drunk drivers on the road, for the foremost half. Also, once you are in the gym, be alert for exercises which can need a trainer. You do not need to harm yourself and not have anyone around to bail you out of a failing lift!

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Postpartum Depression and Effects of Yoga in its Treatment

What is Postpartum Depression ?

Having a baby is a momentous and joyous occasion – and a huge life change. In addition to the usual stress that accompanies a newborn child, many women suffer from postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that begins after childbirth. Women who suffer from postpartum depression often experience crying spells, episodes of anxiety, poor mood and feelings of hopelessness 
Postpartum depression varies in severity and might affect up to 1 in 5 women. Traditional methods for treating postpartum depression include: medication, diet, exercise, and hospitalization in severe cases. Recent studies have shown that yoga is highly beneficial to mothers suffering from postpartum. Mothers with postpartum who have practiced yoga have reported improvements in their overall wellbeing.

How Yoga Helps in Treatment of Postpartum Depression

1. Relaxation

Yoga is excellent for stimulating the para-sympathetic nervous system. This engages the “rest & restore” response (the opposite of “fight or flight”). Movement in combination with breathing exercises and meditation aid in focus and help the practitioner to relax and let go of stress. Stress is known to intensify postpartum effects. By effectively managing their stress though yoga, mothers with postpartum depression can begin to assert control over their emotional wellbeing.

2. Self-Image

Women often feel pressure to quickly lose the weight gained during pregnancy. A new mother struggling to regain her pre-baby body can easily develop a poor self-image. Mothers who suffer from a poor self-image are more likely to experience the effects of postpartum depression. When mothers spend time listening to their bodies & meeting their own physical needs as they do in a yoga class, they have more internal resources to put the pressure to lose weight from outside sources into perspective.

3. Balancing Hormones

Perhaps the most interesting way yoga combats postpartum depression is by supporting the body’s endocrine system and in turn balancing hormones. In a recent study conducted by the University of California, Irvine, it was found that postpartum depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. The endocrine system is responsible for releasing and balancing the body’s hormones. Yoga supports the endocrine system and even prompts it to release endorphins into the body which elevate mood. A properly functioning endocrine system will regulate mood, metabolism, aid in digestion and stress management. For a mother suffering from postpartum depression a functioning endocrine system is vital.
Yoga is a holistic practice, incorporating the mind and body. Those who choose to practice yoga regularly make a commitment to self-awareness and self-care. By becoming more aware of and caring for both body and mind, mothers may ease the effects of postpartum depression or even cure themselves completely.
If you've experienced postpartum depression, what did you do about it? Did you practice yoga during that time, and if so, did it help?

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How to Control Hypertension with Diet, Meditation and Yoga

Worried about high blood pressure levels? Well, keep your worries in a trash, understand hypertension, follow the simple ways and keep hypertension at bay.

What is blood pressure?

The lateral pressure exerted by blood on the walls of blood vessels is known as blood pressure.

What is hypertension?

When the blood starts exerting more pressure on the vessels than the normal it is known as hypertension. It occurs when:

• The blood volume increases
• The arteries lose elasticity due to cholesterol and calcium deposition. 

How to control hypertension?

1. Cut down the consumption of processed foods:

Processed foods contain hidden quantities of salt which is responsible for increasing the blood pressure. Also check the saturated fat and trans fat content of the food. Look for foods that have 0 grams (g) of trans fat and are lowest in saturated fat and cholesterol.

2. Reduce salt intake:

Human body needs 500mg/day of salt to function. Many people take 10 times this amount. A study by National Heart, lung and blood institute in the United States showed that an intake of 1500 mg/ day of salt lowered blood pressure substantially. To keep your salt intake in check, consider products in which the sodium content is less than or equal to the calories per serving. For a food with 250 calories per serving, ideally the sodium content should be no more than 250 mg.

3. Substitute table salt with other salts:

The composition of table salt is NaCl( sodium Chloride) . It dissociates into Na+ and Cl- in blood. When sodium levels increase, water retention in blood starts. This causes an increase in volume of blood and thus the blood pressure increases. On the contrary, K+ (potassium ions) have been found to reduce blood pressure. Hence, substituting NaCl with KCl( potassium chloride) is helpful. KCl is a little bitter in taste and may be unpalatable to some. In that case mixing the two salts (NaCl and KCl) is helpful.

4. Add fresh fruits and vegetables in diet:

Fresh fruits and vegetables have many antioxidants in them. They keep blood vessels healthy and elastic and hence keeping blood pressure in control. In ayurveda, Garlic is especially used in lowering cholesterol level. Fruits and vegetables rich in fibers must be preferred. 5g of fiber per diet must be taken.

5. Lead a stress free life:

Identify the causes of stress in life and do away with them. Meditation and yoga are especially helpful in relaxing the mind and bringing down blood pressure. Ardha matsyendra aasan( spinal twist), pavanmuktaasan(wind relieving pose) , uttanpadaasan(raising legs)etc. are some of the yoga poses which are helpful along with the other lifestyle modifications.

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How to Live longer and Healthier Life using some Simple Tips

Living a long and healthy life is a dream of every person on Earth. But do we really follow a lifestyle that can make our body stay healthy for a longer period of time? The answer is "No". Most of us don't care about our body. Instead we care about Food, Relations, Earnings, Shopping and a lot of other things. We should should care about all these things but we should also give some part of our daily time for our body. Even 30 Minutes are sufficient.

Linus Pauling wrote a book named "How to Live Longer and Feel Better". This was one of the most inspiring book to teach how to live longer. Linus Pauling lived for 93 Years and won Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Peace. He was one of the best known scientists of 20th Century.

Here are a few Tips on How to Live longer and healthier life:

1). Don't Smoke : Smoking is one of the most spread unhealthy practice. Its not only bad for your lungs but it can also cause cancer.
2). Don't Overeat: Most of the diseases start from our digestive system. Overeating can cause overloading of work on any of the organs involved in the process of digestion.
3). Drink Plenty of Water: Never wait for drinking water. Most of the internal tasks in our body need water. We evaporate 10 cups of water daily through sweating or breathing. Our eyes need continuous supply of water to keep them clean and working. Our digestive system needs water for proper digestion of food. Our kidneys need proper amount of water in the body to purify blood, else your urine may become acidic. So Water saves us from a lot of diseases and keep our body healthy.
4). Don't eat fast food on regular basis: Regular use of fast food is injurious to health as most of them contain chemical flavors and other ingredients that may be harmful for our body.
5) . Exercise on Regular Basis: There are some exercises which don't need any equipment and they are good for health. Some of such exercises are:

• Squatting
• Running or Jogging
• Swimming

6). Chocolate, Tea and Red Wine : All of these are antioxidants and minimizes the chances of getting cancer. Green Tea increases metabolic rate, slows down aging, and don't let your weight increase. Green Tea also reduces the chances of Heart Attack. Similarly Red Wine is also good for heart as it maintains the elasticity of arteries.
7). Eat Fruits: They provide good amount of vitamins and minerals as they are eaten uncooked.
8). Reduce Stress:  Stress is one of the main causes of psychological problems. So try to keep yourselves busy and don't take much burden of anything. It will pass.... If you feel stressed then indulge in some activity of have fun like, watching movie or going on a trip. Having a positive attitude can add 7 to 8 years in your life.
9). Educate Yourself: It not only helps you to earn a good salary during your working age, but also provide you self dependency at an old age. You will never feel that you are burden on somebody else and gives you a positive feeling.
10). Sleep Tight: A good sleep is necessary for a healthy body. Sleep heals your body and regeneration of cells occurs. It affects your mental health as well, as your brain gets proper amount of rest.
11). Proper Dental Care: Teeth are one of the most necessary part of body. Brush daily and visit your dentist regularly after an age of 40 Years.
12). Laugh: Its necessary at least once a day. It releases feel good hormones which are necessary for body. It reduces stress and Blood Pressure.
13).Good Partner: Its not only necessary for a good night life but also for sharing your feelings and thoughts on any matter. If you don't do that you will start to feel stressed.
14). Be Happy: You can't live a healthy life if you remain unhappy. Unhappiness automatically reduces years from your life.
15). Meditation or Yoga: It has also made a good impact on life span of a human being. It not only provides physical fitness but also a calmness of mind.
We hope that these things will help you in increasing your life and make it happier.

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Pus on Tonsils : Tonsillitis Causes and Treatment

Pus on Tonsils

Pus on Tonsils is a common symptom of Tonsillitis. Its a common disease in children (3 to 12 year old). Tonsils are present in the back portion of our mouth, from where we swallow food and water. Pus on tonsils or swelling of tonsils can cause problems in swallowing food or breathing. It may also cause constant fever. The color of pus on tonsils may be yellow or white. Tonsillitis can occur due to some kind of bacterial or viral infections.

Tonsillitis

Usually tonsils help our body fight infections but sometimes they themselves get infected by some viral or
bacterial infection. Bacterial infection can be treated using antibiotics but viral infection is treated by body itself in 4 to 5 days. Symptoms of Tonsillitis may differ from person to person.

Some common symptoms of Tonsillitis are:

• Sore Throat
• Reddishness on tonsils or Back side of throat
• Pus deposition on tonsils (White or Yellow)
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Difficulty in Breathing

Common Symptoms of Tonsillitis in Children

• Bad breathing or snoring while sleeping
• Pain in Abdomen
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Lack of Appetite

Treatment of Tonsillitis

If you feel that you are facing some sort of problem with your tonsils, then visit doctor for proper medication. Doctor might ask you to get some tests done to know if its cause due to bacterial infection or viral infection. Bacterial infection can be treated using some antibiotics but medicines have no effect on viral infection and its treated by our immune system itself. Usually it takes 4 to 5 days to treat tonsillitis. In some rare cases doctor might ask you to get your tonsils removed. But if you notice the problem on time and do proper treatment as per the advice of doctor then you might not need it. You can take the following precautionary measures to treat tonsils in earliest possible time.

• Gargle with warm water at least three times a day
• Drink Warm water
• Eat some thing smooth with less or no spices.
• You may take pain killers if you are feeling pain.
• Get rest if you are feeling tired

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Fasting during Navratri : Its Benefits for our Body and Mind

Navratri is the Starting point of Festive Season in Hindus. During these nine days people fast for different avatars of Godess Durga (or Shakti). Most people take it only as a religious ritual. But every thing in religions have a scientific description. Before following that ritual we should try to know the merits and demerits of that ritual. Here we will discuss the scientific aspects of fasting.

Question : Is Fasting Good for Body ?
Answer : Yes, for most of the people.

Question : How does Fasting benefit our Body ?
Answer : During Fasting our digestive system get some rest and our body utilize the saved energy to repare the damaged tissues. Fatty Depositions at certain places are either used to get energy or removed as a waste material. It makes our immune and metabolic system faster. There is a wavelike muscular contractions in our alimentary canal known as Peristaltic Action, which brings food from our mouth to stomach. That speed of that process also increases after fasting.Thus the saved energy is used in self-healing, cleansing, detoxification. It helps us overcome several physical illness. The resulting effects can increase our life and provides psychological, mental and emotional health.

Question : What type of Psychological benefits do we get from Fasting?
Answer : Psychological benefits are sometimes more important than physical benefits. Psychological benefits make positive effects on our mind and body.
After Fasting we get a positive feeling that we have done something good and god will see it and we will get positive results. In reality it doesn't matter if god will see it or not, but what matters is that now we are thinking positive that something good will happen to us.
Some people think that they will get rid of their sins in the past if they do fasting properly. Thus Fasting help them get rid of the guilt feeling of their past. Sometimes guilt feeling can destroy our whole life, but if you get rid of it by fasting (due to our religious beliefs), then fasting is good and works better than any medicine in the world.
If you really want to see the psychological effects of fasting then just compare a day when you didn't get anything to eat for the whole day with a day when you are fasting. There is a difference between these two days. When you are fasting, its by your will, but when you are forced to remain hungry: its against your will. When you are forced to remain hungry you will feel lack of energy by the end of the day, but if you are doing it for fasting you will not feel so. Thats the psychological effect. In some cases it might not be true due to the different health condition of different people.

Question: Should we take some Precautions during Fasting.
Answer : Drink plenty of water. Lack of water can concentrate the acids in your your urine which may result into kidney stones.

Question : Who should not go on fasting ?
Answer : Kids and Old age people should avoid fasting. But they insist due to religious faith, then they should eat fruits and drink milk. Complete non-eating fast may be harmful for them.

Note: There are some people who know the facts and feel overconfident and often fast only for the delicious food that they will get once in a day.

Please write your comments and what you feel about navratri fasting.

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Breakfast Ideas ( Healthy, Tasty and Easy to Make) for Kids, Men and Women

Breakfast is the first food that we eat while beginning our day. Its very important for it to be a healthy and nutritious to keep us running all the day. A healthy breakfast should not be too much heavy for your stomach. Heavy breakfast may make you feel sleepy during the early hours of your day. A healthy breakfast should be a balance of weight and nutrition. Breakfast requirement for different age groups and gender may be different. Here we will discuss some health, tasty and easy to make breakfast ideas.

If you and your spouse, both are working, then you might not have sufficient time to prepare breakfast. Sometime such couples don't even have breakfast if they were getting late. If you are one of those who avoid breakfast then you are inviting serious health problems. According to a study those people have more chances of getting fat who don't have breakfast. Here you will get a list of some easy to make healthy dishes that you can make in very less time.

Breakfast Ideas ( Healthy, Tasty and Easy to Make)

• Always keep some seasonal fruits like Apple, Guava, Banana at your home. If your really don't have time to cook and eat, then you can eat fruits.
• Sprouted Gram is also a very nutritious breakfast. It tastes good with milk.
• If you don't like the taste of sprouted gram, then you can eat boiled gram. It can be fried with chopped onion and tomato.
• Bread toast with butter or fruit jam is also a good and easy alternative for breakfast.
• If you have got some dry vegetable remaining from dinner last night, then you can make bread sandwiches with them.
• You can also use some instant mixes which are easily available in grocery shops. Those instant breakfast material just take 10 to 15 minutes to be made.
• Wheat Flour Noodles can also be made easily. Its healthy and if you add some vegetables in it, it becomes even more nutritious.

You should keep changing the menu of breakfast on daily basis. If you eat the same thing daily, you will loose the taste in it, and once a time will come that you will start hating it. If you like home made breakfast but don't have enough time to cook in the morning the you may prepare some part of it during last evening.
Some people eat too much during breakfast. Thats a bad habit, as it may make you feel sleepy during the early hours of the day (especially when you start working in your office). It happens because our blood flow increases towards our stomach as its busy in digesting that over eaten food, which decreases blood flow towards our brain and we feel sleepy.
Betterhealthfacts will bring more health facts in upcoming articles. So keep visiting.

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