Health

Motivations for Weight Loss {Health}

Swathy · December 17, 2012 · 8 Comments

So, what do you think are the best motivations for losing weight. Yes, marriage or engagement can be one of the biggest motivations. Another motivator is bad health. But, what about those lazy people who can’t seem to haul their butt off the couch and do some exercise.

Trust me, I belong to that particular set of people. So, I thought may be this post would be useful where I would like to put down some, may be, very obvious points regarding the strength of motivations.

Money

Yup, joining an exorbitantly high priced place can become a big motivator!! Yes, there are a few hiccups. Is the place or activity worth that cost? Ok, after I pay, what if I get bored? Worse still, what if I am not able to handle the exercise regime? Or, even worse, what if I am so lazy that money doesn’t stay any more in my priority list? Well, honestly, I don’t really have answers for it.

Variations

If you join an exercise regime which is different every day, that can act as a huge instigator for the exercise regime. Because, you tend to think what you are gonna expect today. Unpredictability is the probably the best motivator for anything in life. Life itself is like that!!

Determination

Ya, I know its obvious. But, sometimes, a person may not be determined to lose weight but a person may be determined to push themselves more to learn new things. Wanting to push the limits of your own body is, often, a puzzle for a human so may be wanting to do things one has never been able to do might act as a motivation.

Healthy Comparisons

Honestly, I am against comparing yourself or thinking negatively but there is another perspective to this attitude. You might be competitive but competition pushes you further in a positive way, you might hold comparison with another in a healthy way to help yourself be better than yourself only.

Well, those are the motivations which I think work!! What do you think? Do you think there is any other powerful motivator to lose weight?

5 tricks to sleep quickly and deeply {Five Series}

Swathy · November 23, 2012 · 2 Comments

So, I have so much trouble sleeping sometimes that the regular tricks have stopped working. So, these are somethings which I have tried and not so much tried but some ideas which might really help with sleeping better. But, first let us review the regular tricks:

Drinking a glass of warm milk induces sleep.
Lavender water or Essential Oil also helps relax and soothe mind and sleep.
Reading a book.
Closing all electronic devices an hour before bed calms the mind down.
Dim the lights of the room and relax.
Meditation, yoga and light exercises can also help.
Regular exercises helps regulate the body mechanism.
Eating a light dinner two hours before bed helps too.
Avoid lot of fluids in the evenings.

These are the regular tricks which help but now I have some more to add to. So, check them out 🙂

Chanting

Hinduism has so many chants and hymns and almost all children are supposed to learn some of them. Similarly, all other religions would have their own prayers. When you are ready to go to bed, lie down and chant or say those prayers. It really helps. I have been trying this since three four days and its been helping me more or less.

Reading

Yes, I have mentioned it above. But, I have also noticed that an exciting book can in fact be a deterrent to proper sleep. So, the trick is to read really boring philosophical books or some thing which is interesting but doesn’t keep you thinking what happens next.

I am reading a book right now on thought processes and thinking mechanism of humans. Its damn interesting but I can sleep over it. Another trick which I am borrowing from Tine’s blog is listening to audio books or reading really boring subjects.

Well, listening to audio books is not high on my list coz having any electronic device at that times causes chaos in my mind. But, yes, reading a really boring book is an anti-dote. In fact, recently, I laid down my hand on a book which is very negative and pessimistic and trust me, I am hating it so much that I sleep 😀

Lights OFF

Yes, I have mentioned it. But, don’t underestimate the power of darkness to induce yourself to sleep. Sleeping with eye masks on is also a great idea as it forces you to close your eyes and drift gently. Well, I have not tried it yet so can’t really say how much it works. But, yup, its a trick which I will try soon 🙂 Btw, darkness thing works!!

Massage

Oh my gosh!!! This is so relaxing. Switch off the lights, take a bottle of oil or lotion and massage your legs or hands or whatever and you will feel sleepy. It really works like a charm. And, keeps the skin really soft and moisturized. So, added benefits 🙂

Candles

Ok, not candles exactly but a warm room really helps a person sleep. So, you might want to adjust the temperature of your room if you have a thermostat. But, I would say, instead, light a candle because it harmonizes a place. A tea light candle would also do.

So, these are my tricks which really help sleep. Btw, lavender thing doesn’t really work for me. But, you can always give it a try!! So, what are your tricks to sleep easily???

Do you sleep in a well-ventilated room? {Health}

Swathy · November 16, 2012 · 10 Comments

So, do you? This wouldn’t be obviously applicable to ones sleeping in AC but sleeping in a well-ventilated room is extremely important from the health aspect. Did you also know that you should not cover yourself in the blanket? Yup, its a bad habit.

Its always a good habit to keep the windows of your bedroom open so that there is proper air circulation. Also, whenever you are sitting at any place, it is important that the place is ventilated, not only for air but also allows sun’s rays. That ensures our well-being.

These days we are too much cooped up in the buildings as in offices and all. So, its good that we get well-ventilated houses. One of my friend’s mom used to open the windows even if he used to feel cold at night 😀 Yup, she was paranoid about his health. Not in bad sense AT ALL.

The reason she was so concerned was because if you keep the room closed for long time, your exhaled carbon dioxide gets filled in the room reducing the levels of oxygen. Same is the case when you sleep with your face covered. It interferes with the normal breathing process.

Another issue which might arise is the entrance of outside light when you open the windows. Yes, one should sleep in extreme dark because our body is sensitive to even a flicker of light when sleeping. So, its a good idea to get a sleeping mask on!!

Did you know that if you do not sleep in an entirely dark room, your ageing process gets accelerated and also results in weight gain. Vivi has already done a wonderful post on this topic which I have been meaning to post since a very long time so go and check it our right away 🙂