healthy and beautiful

No, drinking more milk, scientific research has found that taking a more calcium-rich diet does NOT help to prevent the much dreaded old-age symptom of osteoporosis, which is more common among the women species. It is just an old myth. To prepare against the eventualities of this deterioration disease, one must instead build up muscle mass which instead helps strengthen the bone. Calcium rich diets will only help you to build bone mass up until you are fully grown. After this, your body no longer needs to have excess milk (especially cow's milk) pumped into it. It is good as a protein yes, but not as a way of building bone mass. Only resistance training can do that for you. If you are trying to combat osteoporosis now, try seeking consultation from your doctor, or for going for some light aerobics and gradually working your way up to exercising with weights. Take dancing classes if you have to, but do something rigorous that will get your heart pumping and those muscles building.

For all you women out there who have yet to find a way around your monthly set of menstrual cramps, these tips should help you find pain relief. Daily aerobics - Exercising daily helps to strengthen your body's muscles and keeps them flexible. Asides from strengthening your body, it helps to reduce the pain of the cramps. Back stretches - This helps guard against the pain of the back muscles contracting during menses. Stomach crunches - Doing tummy exercises helps to toughen you up for those painful cramps you experience when your uterus muscles contract. Eat a high protein/ calcium diet. Avoid taking iron supplements during your period. Try eating chocolate to help ease the cramps. This is no old wives tale. It actually works :). Sleep extra. Drink plenty of water and liquids to help restock your body with fluids. Avoid doing exercise during the first one or two days of your bleeding. The above mentioned exercises should be done throughout the month and on a regular basis, althoug...

Is your hair falling out? Were you one of those who used to wake up in the morning to brush your thick hair and now, thanks to your hair fall, you are reduced to waking up to seeing at least 50 strands of loose hair spread out over your pillow? The time to stop your hair fall is now. It can be a thing of the past. Start by understanding the core root of the problem. Why does your hair fall out? o A common myth is that a severe case of dandruff makes your hair fall out by handfuls. This however, is a myth and not a fact. Dandruff is a condition of the scalp caused by dead skin cells being shed. This does not affect the hair to a point where it falls out in handfuls. o An important thing to remember is that losing or ‘shedding’ upto 100 strands of hair in a day is normal. The body easily replaces the fallen hair and as such, is part of a natural process. o It could be due to a poor intake of vitamins – namely, the vitamin B6 and folic acid which is essential for hair repair and healthy s...

Did you know that Aloe Vera is one of THE best purifiers for your skin? Among other benefits, this wonder plant has provided skin relief since time immemorial. It is also one of the only known natural vegetable sources of the crucial vitamin B12. Other benefits of Aloe Vera include: - Natural support to the immune system - Helps energy levels to rise - Maintains healthy skin and combats effects of aging - Natural way to replenish the body with vital mineral and vitamins - Has natural detoxifying abilities - Improves digestion - Increases protein absorption - Anti-inflammatory agents - Anti-bacterial/ viral - Weight loss - Curing digestive tract irritations such as colitis, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome - Natural body cleanser - Curing cancer, constipation, diverticular disorders, haemorrhoids, heartburn, heart disease, HIV, immune stimulation, indigestion, insomnia, kidney disease, leg cramps, vaginitis, vaginal douche - Aids in white blood cell production - And is a general heal...

It’s the next big thing happening in Hollywood, Bollywood and among those in the fashion industry. Our very own Kareena Kapoor was said to have taken this route to her trim and slim size-zero figure! But how does one make the change from eating 3 meals a day to being able to fit in EIGHT? That’s exactly what I asked myself when I began to plan for a healthy way to losing weight. It takes time, and most of all, discipline. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not fat, I am not thin, I am a normal individual. I am 5.6 ft and I weigh a healthy 53-55 kgs on any given day. I do not go on diets to loose weight, but to feel good about myself and to feel confident and convinced that I look good. You may wonder why I’m telling you this. Well, I have to say that it’d be to encourage those of you who are like me – rarely able to find the time/ space for a good workout, but who are still appearance-conscious, that this diet is for you too! Us and the folk like us, look for an easy alternative that can be ...

The most important asset you can make use of when trying to maintain a healthy weight is self-control. You can go through various rigorous diets, multiple eating plans, dieticians, health experts, yoga, therapy, liposuction, etc, but without self-discipline, it will all come to naught.  I came to find this out when I began my diet-conscious outlook on life. I found it was much easier to just skip a meal, rather than to ensure that my meals were healthy, balanced and regular.  In my next post, I'm going to be including a 8 meal a day diet plan that I made for myself a while back. I found it to be extremely helpful, and after just two short weeks, I found I had already lost 5 kgs! But more on that later! If you want your diet to yield good results, remember that regularity and self-discipline is a must. Without this you will find itextremely difficult and possibly even impossible to attain your healthy-you goal.  Stay focued and maintain your self-discipline!

I’ve been getting into this habit of drinking 400 ml of salted lassi every morning before I start my day. (Mother Dairy has these 6 rupee packs of 200ml each.) I know it ends up making me feel refreshed, but I wanted to get the ‘inside scoop’ on what it really does for a person. I ended up using Google to research it and here’s what I found. Wikipedia says: “Traditional mild salted lassi - This form of lassi is more common in villages of Punjab. It is prepared by blending curd with water and adding salt, pepper and other spices as per the requirements. The drink thus produced is known as Salted lassi.” Some health benefits of lassi: o Summer coolant – helps to rehydrate and refresh the body. It is especially helpful during summers where the body needs coolants to guard against excessive heat. o Gastroenteritis cure – Gastroenteritis is an inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Lassi helps to cure the acute diarrhea caused by this illness. o Helps the digestive process.  Well, that...