Benefits of Yoga

At the outset, we must understand what we can gain out of this wonderful practice. At the physical level, yoga and its cleansing practices have proven to be extremely effective for various disorders. To get a sampling of how yoga benefits health disorders, please visit the Yoga Therapy section.

Yoga is Extremely Effective in:

Increasing Flexibility



Yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.

Increasing Lubrication of the Joints, Ligaments and Tendons



Likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.

Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.

Massaging of All Organs of the Body



Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection. This in turn enables the person to take pre-emptive corrective action

Complete Detoxification



By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Excellent Toning of the Muscles



Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

source :
- healthandyoga.com

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How To Stop Emotional Eating

As anyone who’s watching their weight will tell you, hunger is just one of many reasons that people eat. Those with a tendency toward emotional eating are especially vulnerable to making poor diet choices for reasons outlined in this article. If you’re an emotional eater, you may find yourself eating to deal with uncomfortable emotions, using food as a reward when you’re happy, and craving sweets or unhealthy snacks when stressed. (Don’t worry; you’re not alone!) The following ideas can help you to cut down emotional eating and develop healthier eating habits—even when stressed!

Find Relaxation Techniques



When you’re under stress, your body is likely producing higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that tends to make people crave sweet and salty food—the stuff that’s generally not good for us. If you’re experiencing stress on a regular basis and aren’t finding ways to relax your body relatively quickly, cortisol could be creating these cravings, as well as contributing to other health problems. The following stress relievers for busy people can help, or you can find stress relievers that fit with your specific situation with the Stress Reliever Personality Tool.

Cope In Healthy Ways
Many people use food to deal with uncomfortable emotions like anger, frustration, fear, and other feelings. While we need food for survival, there are healthier ways to cope with emotions:

• Talk To A Friend. Social support can go a long way toward helping you process your feelings, gain support if needed, and move on. (Just don’t meet your friend at The Cheesecake Factory!)

• Try Journaling. Processing one’s feelings in a journal has been found to have many health benefits beyond mere stress management. When you feel like reaching for unhealthy food, reach for a pen instead.

• Exercise. Getting your body moving is a great way to blow off steam and get your endorphins going, and is a much healthier option than overeating.

Face Your Problems



If you’re using food to muffle your feelings in a difficult relationship, try assertiveness instead. If food is your only treat at a job you hate, try techniques for finding satisfaction at your job, or get a different one. Cut down on the stress in your life and you won’t need food to help you cope.

Try Healthy Alternatives



If these techniques don’t completely eliminate your emotional eating urges, go ahead and indulge—but use healthier fare. Drink Perrier instead of soda; munch on veggies or healthy snacks instead of chips; savor one small piece of dark chocolate instead of binging on a whole chocolate muffin from the coffee shop (it’ll help you live longer!). All of these things can be good for you, so you’ll still come out ahead without feeling completely deprived.

source:
- stress.about.com

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Bedtime Snacks That Help You Sleep Better

What to Eat to Help You Sleep Better

Bedtime snacks can help you sleep better? Conventional wisdom says you’re not supposed to eat right before you go to bed. That’s supposed to be the worst time to eat, the time it all goes to your waistline.

But lately I’ve been hearing that it can be good to snack before bed, especially if you have insomnia. My cousin tells me that Cream of Wheat before bed helps her child fall asleep. And a Tylenol PM commercial claims that adults should have a bowl of cereal before bed to improve their sleep.

I decided to look into this a bit more, and I found two good articles on the topic. One is a WebMD article that explains why bedtime snacks can indeed help you sleep. It has to do with your metabolic hormones. If you don’t have enough leptin, the hormone that signals satiety, your body could wake you up. However, the article says that you can’t snack on just anything; you have to choose your snacks wisely. Light dairy and carbohydrate-rich snacks are the way to go. The second article I found, from MedicineNet, also talks about the benefits of snacking before bed, but this one gets into more detail about what to eat and what to avoid.

Here’s a brief summary of the best and worst bedtime snacks, based on the two articles.

The Best Bedtime Snacks:

Carbohydrates




Like a bowl of cold cereal, oatmeal with honey, a banana, a granola bar, some whole wheat crackers or pretzels, or a piece of bread or English muffin. If you need something sweeter, try a few low-fat cookies or a small muffin. These carbs produce tryptophan, which helps you sleep. Oats, honey, and bananas were mentioned as being particularly good carbohydrate sources of tryptophan.

Dairy




Dairy is also a good source of tryptophan, especially with combined with some carbs. Try a small bowl of cereal with skim milk, or small pieces of cheese with crackers. I like eating a little hot cereal, or a few cookies, and/or a small mug of warm skim milk—I steam it, so it’s like the foam of a cappuccino, without the espresso. And I sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

Avoid These Bedtime Snacks:

Protein-rich snacks
Such as protein bars, protein-enhanced drinks, and meat jerky. Foods high in protein are harder for your body to break down and digest, and they can interfere with your sleep. So I guess that although eating turkey makes you tired (as everyone jokes on Thanksgiving…), it might not be as good for your sleep as non-protein-rich sources of tryptophan, like oats and honey.
Big portions/full meals.
These can cause heartburn, acid reflux, or choking, or just make you feel uncomfortable.
High fat snacks. Same as above!
Spicy snacks. Same as above!
Anything with caffeine, including food and beverages that have small or hidden amounts of it, like decaf coffee and chocolate.
Anything too sugary, like candy or sugary cereal or cake. The sugar high and low can interfere with your sleep.

Unfortunately, many people are having more trouble sleeping than usual these days, with financial stresses and all. If this is the case for you, don’t force yourself to go to bed hungry just because you think you’re not supposed to eat late. Have a small bedtime snack, and maybe you’ll sleep better! It won’t be that many additional calories, and besides, you can always cut down at a different meal if you want. Just take good care of yourself!

source :
- thehealthysnacksblog.com

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Kristen Bell's Self Magazine Interview

On her favorite exercise move:
“Here’s the one that packs the most punch. I call it The Bowler: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and bend slightly at the waist, holding a 5-pound weight in your right hand. Squat, then swing your right hand up and left, across your body, and sweep your right foot to the left behind you, as if you’re bowling. Do about eight on each side. It’s amazing for the butt cheeks!”

On how she splurges:
“Salted chocolate drives me wild. I’m not a big spender, but I do like buying kitchen tools. I’ve ordered all the ways you can cut a strawberry and that ring to cook an egg in a heart shape.”

On her favorite way to relax:
“I love to cook. I have a tiny Italian grandmother inside me. If someone walks in, I’m like, “Let me make you a sandwich!” We all have a giving-love language and a receiving-love language. I show love by cooking. When people have patience with me, I feel so loved. Dax is extremely patient with me.”

On what she eats, seeing that she’s a vegetarian:
“I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 11, because I couldn’t understand why if we didn’t eat the dog I should eat a burger. I love animals, and I stand by my values. So in the morning, I have an apple and, if we have leftover pizza, I scrape the toppings into egg whites. Pizza eggs are better than you can imagine! For lunch, I’ll have a big salad and a veggie burger. I’m a fan of multicourse dinners. Last night, I made brussels sprouts baked with balsamic vinegar, grapes and walnuts; butternut squash ravioli; and a “garbage disposal” salad, which is everything in the veggie and fruit drawers: lentils, spinach, romaine, blueberries, cucumbers, raspberries, almonds, carrots and avocado. Literally anything. You don’t even need a dressing because there are so many tastes.”

On whether she or Dax is the better biker:
“There’s no comparison! I can barely walk in a straight line, let alone move in one when I’m on a vehicle that has wheels. Dax grew up as a dirt biker. He’s always doing tricks that terrify me. Even so, we ride to brunch or dinner or ice cream all the time.”

source :
- celebrity-diets.org

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Maintaining Oral Health

Good oral hygiene is an essential part of a person’s overall personal hygiene. Bad breath can affect your confidence and self esteem. There are many factors that contribute to bad odor in the mouth including cavities, gum disease, a person’s diet and to a certain extent, diseases or conditions in the stomach, sinuses or lungs.

Here are simple tips to help you achieve and maintain proper oral hygiene;

1. Brush Your Teeth




Dental experts agree that you should brush your teeth after every meal or at least twice a day. Use a toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles. You can also use an electric toothbrush especially if you have not yet mastered proper brushing techniques. Clean all faces of the teeth, brushing thoroughly from top to bottom, left to right. Pay particular attention to hard to reach areas such as areas near the wisdom teeth. Research shows that 90% of bacteria are not on teeth. Remember to brush the cheeks, gums and the tongue.

2. Floss




Carrying dental floss in your pocket or in your purse is a good practice. Using dental floss to reach between the teeth helps remove food particles that are difficult to reach or remove by brushing. This is especially helpful if you are not able to brush your teeth in a particular place.

3. Rinse




Brushing regularly and rinsing with water is not enough. To achieve total mouth cleanliness, it is recommended to rinse with mouthwash. Rinsing with mouthwash helps kill bacteria that breeds in between teeth, at the back of the tongue and other areas in the mouth that can not be reached by brushing alone. It also helps fight tooth decay and the development of gingivitis. Some mouthwash contains alcohol. This is the reason why some mouthwash sting or leave a burning sensation in the mouth. If this is a concern, choose products that are alcohol free. Check on the active ingredients of the products because some products rely on flavorings to mask the bad odor. Mouthwash that contains CPC kills the bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque.

Visit your dentist regularly. Have your dentist check on your brushing technique and oral hygiene routines. Persistent odor could be a symptom of an underlying problem such as rotten teeth or gum problems. Your dentist may need to perform a procedure to correct the problem or repair dentures and prescribe medications.

source :
- body-hygiene.com

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