Swathy and Sky

Sleep more to lose weight

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Are you hooked to chewing your food yet? Here comes the next habit. I have already discussed this in a way. But, this time I would discuss this in context with weight loss.

Today’s Habit: Proper Sleep is essential for weight loss.
Sleep is a very complex activity. We all know that. So, how does it contribute to weight loss? Sleep stabilizes the body functioning by releasing certain hormones. It relaxes the body and makes it function properly. So, not sleeping properly leads to hormonal problems.
There is a hormone which makes us feel hungry. It is Ghrelin. Studies show that people who have trouble getting proper sleep produce more of this hormone which in turn increases your cravings and you eat more than your body can handle. And, these cravings are more for the junk food. Did you ever feel that you want to eat junk food? I do, sometimes. Now, we know the reason.
Then, there is another hormone, Leptin, which sends signal to our brain when you should stop eating. When you do not sleep properly, these hormones are produced in less quantity and obviously, when you do not know when to stop eating, you would end up eating more.
So, now that you know that sleep can cause bad hormonal imbalances which lead to obesity, you should start taking proper sleep. Regular exercises aid proper sleep. Make sure you go to bed early and take deep sleep according to your body requirements.

Wash your hair with Baking Soda

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What to use to wash our hair? This is a great concern. No one definitely wants to put any kind of chemicals on hair but then, we are not sure that the herbal shampoos are actually herbal or just a marketing tactic. And, some do not want to give up on their favorite brands. In one of my earlier posts, I told you how to convert your regular shampoo into a herbal one. But, again its not a completely herbal shampoo. I have bee wanting to wash my hair with sole baking soda since a very long time. So, yesterday, I finally decided to put it into action.
Well, the results are fabulous. No frizz, no hair maintainence and management issues. Just soft and shiny hair. But, washing with baking soda is quite a challenging job. It takes time to get used to a non-foaming shampoo. (Even the herbal ones foam.) And, for the first time, it took more time for me to shampoo my hair. I took an approximate quantity of baking soda and mixed it with little water to make a paste. Do not add more water. It will turn into liquid and you might not be able to wash your hair properly. I divided my hair into sections especially on the scalp. Make sure your hair is wet through and through. Then, took a little of the paste and rubbed it on the scalp. Section by section, I covered my whole scalp. Then, applied the paste on the hair body and waited for around 10 minutes. Your hair would feel dry at that time as opposed to using shampoos because of the powdery texture of  baking soda. But, it does not make your hair dry. Handle your hair gently to prevent breakage. Stand under the shower and wash off all the baking soda from your hair. Massage your scalp well to make sure it is thoroughly clean. Your hair would take a little more time to dry too. Do not oil your hair too much before washing it. You will need a huge amount of baking soda to clean it and it would take lot of time.You need not follow with a conditioner. Baking soda acts as a conditioner too.
Your hair would be more shine, bouncy and healthy after washing it with baking soda. Regular usage of baking soda also helps prevent split ends. You might take little time getting adjusted to baking soda as it does not foam and you might not be sure of the exact amount to use for your hair. After two-three trials, you would find that using baking soda is way more rewarding and guess what, you are not using anything chemical on your hair. So, go ahead try it and share your experiences.

Chew more to lose weight

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Last week, I talked about walking as a simple exercise to kick start your day and reduce your weight. Today, I am talking about a habit which is often overlooked. But, it is the key to enjoy food and derive all the vital nutrients from it. Developing this habit would need a more conscious effort than others but it is the one which pays out the maximum.

Today’s Habit: Chew every morsel of your meal 35 times before swallowing.
More you chew the food, more you are diluting it and breaking it down. Obviously, by doing this, you are helping your body to extract nutrients from it and digest the leftover and pass out the waste from the system. Chewing your food more sends your brain signals when you are full and need not eat more. This is not possible when you are, literally, galloping your food down your oesophagus. And, not only that, chewing restricts the amount of food you intake putting a control on over-eating tendencies. Thus, you consume less calories, extract more nutrients and help your body ingest those nutrients easily. This also increases the body metabolism as it has less work to do.
Breaking down the food is a very huge process for the body which needs lot of energy and sometimes, the food is excreted out of the body as it is without the nutrients being extracted from it which means you just added fat to your body but no vitamins or minerals. When you chew the food, your taste buds derive more pleasure with all the tastes. So, if you ever meet a food critic, you would notice they chew more to analyze every bit of taste which is brought to their palette. Become a food critic and remain thin.
I know it is almost impossible to develop this habit. Even, I had to instruct my mouth consciously to chew every morsel I eat at least 35 times. But, it was worth the effort. So, next time you sit down for a meal, remember to count 35 every time you put something in your mouth. Some of the food gets dissolved before you chew it 35 times but some foods need more chewing like salads and rice. To break them down, continue chewing till they completely dissolve in your mouth after counting 35. The effects will show in a month of your developing this habit. You would feel more fuller with less intake and more healthy than ever before.
So, how many times do you chew your food?? Pin It