Get the Super-brain you always wanted with Yoga!

You perhaps knew that yoga can facilitate you in relaxing the mind, but did you know that it can also develop your mental well-being? Surprised? Well, you should be! Read this article to discover how yoga can help enhance your mental health and improve memory.

Can’t remember where you kept your car keys this morning? Not sure if you took your pills before leaving for work? Is your memory killing you? No worries! Yoga is here to help.

Yoga is an ancient form of exercise often associated with physical fitness and well-being. While its benefits in strengthening your body and stamina are innumerable, you can just not ignore how it helps in improving your mental health; particularly your memory. Yoga includes a variety of meditation practices that focus on developing mindfulness, attentiveness, serenity, and acumen.

Memory has a serious role in our day-to-day lives. It is our capacity to preserve information about past happenings, and assists us in planning upcoming events. Hence, it is important to understand how our memory functions, what alterations it undergoes over time, and what can be done to improve our memory as we grow older. Luckily, most of the alterations in our memory are usual alterations caused by the aging process or are instigated by momentary or remediable problems.

Poor memory is no longer a thing associated with the old age. Today, you’ll find people from all age groups complaining about memory problems. Kids and youngsters often fail to recall everything they have just been communicated. Adults are extremely busy juggling between studies, career and family life and have so many other disruptions that they just do not have time to remember everything. As we grow old, we are more probable to have trouble recalling names, things on a list, or where we put things.

On the whole, nobody has a “flawless” memory. We tend to forget most of what occurs around us because it is simply not essential to remember everything. We’re bombarded with facts endlessly and the memory retains only the ones that we need to remember.

While there are several medications available that claim to improve your memory, yoga is one method that is totally safe and absolutely free. There are numerous yoga practices that fuel the mind and nervous system to recover memory and attentiveness.

Say no to medicines and try these yoga techniques today:

1. Sarvangasana

This yoga pose, also known as Shoulder Stand, is recognized to develop the mental capacity by increasing blood supply. It nurtures your brain as increased amount of blood flows to the pineal and hypothalamus glands. It not only tones the arms and shoulders and improves spinal flexibility but also nurtures your brain with more blood. It can also help you fight constipation. However, appropriate care is essential when performing this posture. When practicing this pose, your neck and head are more susceptible to injury. Hence, if you’re a novice, it is important to take basic care. It is advisable to consult your doctor before performing this pose if you are pregnant, menstruating, have high blood pressure, heart trouble, slip disc, neck ache and severe thyroid issues.

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2. Balasana

Balasana, also known as the child’s pose, has numerous benefits on the digestive health. It is a restful pose that reduces bloating and curbs constipation. Along with toning your abs, balasana fuels your nervous system and helps revitalize your body. It also improves blood circulation which eventually improves your mental health. While it seems to be a simple pose, it is advisable to avoid practicing it if one suffers from diarrhoea, knee injury, hypertension, or heart issues.

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3. Paschimottanasana

Paschimottanasana, also known as the Seated Forward Bend, stimulates the activities of your brain. You must be relaxed and comfortable while doing this pose in order to harness the maximum benefits of this posture. Having trouble practicing it? Try placing a rolled up blanket under your knees. Paschimottanasana helps you calm the brain and get rid of stress and minor depression by eliminating negative sentiments like bad temper and rage. It stretches your spine, shoulders, and hamstrings so that you can add up a few inches to your height. It also appeases headache and fretfulness, thereby, reducing exhaustion. However, if you are pregnant, have a severe backache, suffering from slip disc or have ulcer, then you should avoid Paschimottanasana.

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4. Viparita Karani

Viparita Karani, also called as the Legs-Up-the-Wall pose, is an excellent posture for improving blood flow in your body. Other effects include promoting the health of nervous system, relaxing your mind and reducing anxiety. Got joint pains? No problem! You can easily perform this pose quite frequently. Apart from improving your mental health, it reduces inflammation in ankles and revitalizes your body. Need more support? Try using one or two thickly folded blankets! You can also place your legs vertically on a wall for additional support. It is advisable to perform this asana under the guidance of your instructor if you are menstruating or have a serious neck or back problem. Viparita Karani should not be performed if you are suffering from severe eye issues such as glaucoma.

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5. Padmasana

Padmasana, also known as the Lotus Pose, is an extremely popular and easy pose that has remarkable capability to improve power of the body and mind functions. It is a cross-legged yoga pose which aids in relieving numerous physical ailments. However, its role in improving your memory and relaxing your mind cannot be ignored. In order to reap maximum benefits of this posture, it is suggested to stretch your spine and not hunch when practicing this pose. If you regularly perform this asana, you will feel overall blossoming of your body and mind, just like a lotus. New to yoga? Instead of overlapping both your legs and sitting in the full Lotus pose, you may perform Half Lotus posture by putting one leg on the opposite thigh. Practice Half lotus asana regularly till you’re flexible enough to advance to the full Lotus Pose. In case of ankle or knee injury, it is advisable to perform this asana only under the direction of an experienced instructor.

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Final Thoughts

Meditation practices involved in yoga can be used in a healing manner to increase your concentration. As yoga is gaining more and more popularity among the masses, numerous practices and arrangements devoted to increasing concentration and memory are being invented. These are just some of the yoga poses that can help you improve your mental health and sharpen the memory. Want a super-brain? Try these asana and fuel your gray matter within no time!

5 reasons you’re not losing weight

1. Your body has hit the weight loss plateau. This is one thing every person on a weight loss spree dreads. Your body becomes resistant to your workout and nothing seems to be burning even an ounce of your fat. The best way to overcome this plateau is to change your workout routine. Either introduce a new, more rigorous exercise or alter the duration. Just don’t lose hope. Your hard work will pay off well.

2. You don’t eat enough fat. Yes, you’ve got me right. You do need ‘good’ fat to fight with the ‘bad’ one. So grab a handful of nuts and enjoy munching!

3. You don’t drink enough water. As strange as it may sound you do need enough water to not only keep you hydrated but to lose fat as well. Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water every day.

4. You are not consuming enough calories. Well, if you aren’t eating enough you won’t burn enough. Its as simple as that. You do need energy to burn calories, right? Make sure you include lots of fruits, vegetables, proteins and fibre in your diet. Cut down your sugar and carb intake.

5. Do not torture yourself. Its okay to give in to your cravings once in a while. Have a cheat day but make sure that you work out hard and balance your calories for the remaining week.

Losing weight is not as difficult as it seems. You just need dedication, a strong will and never-say-die attitude. Its a gradual process and needs a lot of patience. You didn’t put on weight overnight, right? So don’t expect it to vanish that fast. Keep striving and you’ll reach your goal weight. In any case, be proud of who you are. The only person you are losing weight for should be the one in the mirror. Good luck! 🙂

Jogging-A Zero Cost Fitness Activity

Imagine how you start your day. What kind of breakfast do you have? A cup of hot coffee with a teaspoon of sugar, cheese omelet, and white bread. Right? Do you really know how much calories you take in everyday? Have you ever thought of burning those calories for better health and fitness? How many of us like to walk early in the morning, let alone jog? Even though we know what impact jogging, walking or other such exercises have on our health, we prefer to remain seated in our comfy sofa with air conditioner maintaining the lowest temperature possible. This article focuses on the importance of jogging for your sound health and well being.

Jogging is an activity. It is a type of trotting or running at a sluggish or leisurely speed. The chief purpose is to augment fitness with a reduction of stress on the body resulting from faster running. It was revealed in one study that persons who jogged more than fifty miles per week had appreciable increment in HDL cholesterol (the good fat) and drastic decrement in body fat, triglyceride levels, and the danger of coronary heart ailment than persons who jogged less than ten miles per week. Additionally, the regular joggers had an almost fifty percent decline in high blood pressure.

Running or jogging enhances the aerobic fitness by escalating the movement of enzymes and hormones that arouse the muscles and the heart to toil more competently. Aerobic fitness is the capability of the heart to pump blood more proficiently and the muscles to utilize oxygen more resourcefully. As you get more aerobically healthy, your heart will pump more blood and oxygen and your muscles will consume more oxygen. Therefore, you will be more energized than before.

Jogging is an outstanding cardiovascular exercise and is also well-liked because of its effortlessness, flexibility to demanding schedules, and the plentiful benefits that can be obtained from a regime. These contain enhanced cardio-respiratory health, reduced danger of heart disease, reduced body fat, augmented bone strength, and better leg and back muscle stamina. Jogging is most suitable for women who are in a reasonable shape and who are not above thirty pounds flabby.

Guidelines to be followed while jogging:

• Suitable footwear is vital for jogging. Select a comfy pair of jogging shoes with ample sole cushioning, fine head support, and adequate mid-sole suppleness.
• Always warm up for five to ten minutes, stretch, and cool down during your jogging session.
• Make sure that you breathe on a regular basis all the way through the exercise session.
• As you jog, make sure that you keep your back straight, your abdomen tight, and thrust your arms backward and forward.
• Beginners are advised not to jog more than 4 days a week with a day of rest in between workouts to enable sufficient recovery of the weight bearing joints, ligaments, and tendons.
• It is also significant to steadily augment the interval of jogging session before you augment the intensity.

The Health Hazard called Obesity

Obesity is a medical state in which surplus body fat has accumulated to the level that it may have an unfavorable impact on health, leading to reduced life expectation and augmented health troubles. Obesity increases the probability of a variety of diseases, predominantly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing tribulations during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is normally caused by a mixture of disproportionate dietary calories, shortage of physical movement, and genetic vulnerability, even though a small number of cases are caused mainly by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric sickness.

Obesity not only has aesthetic troubles related to it but it also has some grave health hazards. Some of these effects are mentioned below:

• DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetes mellitus, also known as diabetes, is a collection of metabolic diseases in which a person has elevated blood sugar level, either because the body does not create enough insulin, or because cells do not react to the insulin that is created. This elevated blood sugar level generates the standard symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).

• HEART DISEASE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSUE AND HYPERTENSION:

Heart disease results when fat deposits on the interior walls of the arteries. Arteries are responsible to provide blood and oxygen to the heart. This situation causes the arteries to contract and decreases the flow of blood to the heart. The likelihood of budding heart disease elevates as body mass index (BMI) of a person elevates. Obesity may also cause congestive heart failure.  In this condition, the heart stops pumping sufficient blood according to the requirements of the body.

• STROKE

A stroke (also called “brain attack”) causes potentially serious harm to the brain due to the disruption to its blood supply. The majority of strokes results due to cerebral thrombosis (blood lump in a brain artery), cerebral embolism or cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding). Weight-related health hazards enlarge with greater than before weight. Therefore, patients with obesity are at even higher danger of unfavorable cardiovascular actions like stroke and heart attack.

• CANCER

Obesity is linked with an augmented hazard for a number of cancer such as endometrial (cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney, and post-menopausal breast cancer.

• SLEEP APNEA (BREATHING PROBLEMS)

Disruptive sleep apnea (sporadic breathing during sleeping) is more frequent in obese people. Obesity is related to a higher incidence of asthma and severe bronchitis, and also obesity hypoventilation disease and respiratory deficiency.

• OSTEOARTHRITIS

Musculoskeletal disorders, together with osteoarthritis, are much more widespread among obese patients, in particular patients diagnosed with extreme obesity. Recent studies reveal that obesity is a strong forecaster for symptoms of osteoarthritis, principally in the knees. The danger of osteoarthritis is increased with every two pound increase in weight.

• GALLSTONES

The danger of gallstones is just about three times larger for overweight patients. Without a doubt, the hazard of symptomatic gallstones shows a relationship with an increase in body mass index (BMI).

Fruits: The Ideal Substitute for Junk Food

Majority of our younger generation enjoys consuming junk food at various international outlets. Many people consider it a status symbol to hang out with friends at such an eatery. What they forget is that the oil soaked junk food is injurious to their health. On the contrary, fruits are an excellent and less expensive alternative that ensure better health. Fruit is one of the most healthy and natural foods in subsistence. There are various different types of fruits accessible to eat, each giving us strong health remuneration. Fruits contain abundance of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and plant phytochemicals that assist in providing benefits to health. It has also been revealed that consumption of the complete fruit or juice is paramount to acquire the benefits instead of relying on supplements to supply every nutrient independently.

The following are some facts and figures about fruits and their impact on health:

• Fruits contain 90 to 95 percent water. They have a diuretic outcome on the body and assist in eliminating the toxins and nitrogenous wastes from the body.
• Majority of the fruits have lower sodium content and higher potassium content which is a vital mineral that helps in maintaining regular blood pressure and heart function.
• Apples are an exceptional resource of fiber. The fiber present in apples has a laxative result on the body to alleviate constipation and instigates a sensation of contentment by adding together mass to the diet which is advantageous in circumstances like diabetes mellitus, heart diseases and plumpness. Fiber also has cancer defensive action, fights bowel abnormality, and avoids diverticulitis and colon cancer.
•  Resveratrol compound found in red grapes and anthocyanin found in fruits like cherries, blueberries, kiwi, plums and blackberries help in reducing the hazard of malignant cells and heart diseases.
• Guava, oranges, papaya and Indian gooseberry are superior sources for vitamin C (an antioxidant). Mangoes and papaya are outstanding resource for beta carotene.
• Beta carotene and lycopene from apricots protect heart by averting oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
• Bananas are good at providing potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, manganese and dietary fiber.
• Recent studies about cherries or cherry juice revealed that they help in relieving the symptoms and ache caused in gout, arthritis and joint inflammation.
•  Glucose based compounds, saponins, present underneath the skin of grapes protects heart’s health as well.
• Kiwifruit is an important source of vitamin E that is a significant fat soluble antioxidant which when united with water soluble antioxidants gives complimentary fundamental security against all diseases.
• Papayas are loaded with very dominant antioxidants vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin D. These antioxidants assist in preventing oxidation of LDL cholesterol which can attach to and develop in blood vessel walls leading to the formation of risky plaques that cause atherosclerosis, heart attacks or strokes.

Fruits provide great health benefits. Majority of the fruits are full of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Fruits act as a protective covering against daily attack of toxins from contamination. Fruits can also give the essential nutrients to facilitate us in dealing with many diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cell damage.

Source: Internet 🙂