Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart's working capacity. High Blood Pressure. Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity also reduces body fatness, which is associated with high blood pressure. Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes. By reducing body fatness, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes. Obesity. Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body's ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases. Back Pain. By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent back pain. Osteoporosis. Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging. Psychological Effects. Regular physical activity can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. Researchers also have found that exercise is likely to reduce depression and anxiety and help you to better manage stress.

  Be sure to check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. Start out with simple standing and sitting poses. Some forms can give you an intense workout. If in doubt, ask the instructor to clarify what will be taught. As a beginner, it is advisable to choose a gentle, slow form of yoga. Consider one of the following: Hatha yoga is the most popular branch of yoga from which a lot of other styles originated. Because the practice can vary widely, students should find out exactly what a class offers. In Iyengar yoga, students hold poses, especially standing postures, typically longer than in other forms. Svaroopa is a consciousness-oriented yoga that promotes healing. Students often begin this form in comfortable chair poses that help the spine. Integral focuses on integrating yoga teachings into everyday work and relationships.

  Weight loss is purely a matter of science. Although there are a number of ways to achieve weight loss, following a healthy lifestyle in the long run is the best strategy to lose weight. A healthy lifestyle also guarantees better health and is your best anti-ageing mantra! 1. Biorhythm Maintaining your body’s biorhythm may help in reducing the risk of obesity as well as lifestyle diseases. Weight gain, skin pigmentation, acidity, water retention, dark circles, drop in mental acuity and mood swings are some of the early signs of obesity. A disturbed biorhythm can upset the delicate hormonal balance of the body, and lead to an increased cortisol production and consequently play havoc with your body weight. What to do Try to get to bed in between 9 pm and 11 pm on weekdays and rise between 4 am to 7 am ensuring a sleep cycle of seven to eight hours. 2. Quality sleep Disturbed, less sleep or chronic insomnia can all lead to increased cortisol production and imbalance in normal hormonal production. This may result in weight gain and a host of other ailments such as compromised mental acuity, sallow complexion, hair loss and more. What to do Eat your last meal at least two hours prior to sleeping. A warm water bath before sleeping will help your body and mind to relax. Plan a dinner diet comprising some amount of protein. A glass of warm milk (with a dash of honey and nutmeg powder) is perfect too! Keep your bedroom clean, uncluttered and smelling nice. Lighting an aroma candle with lavender can induce better sleep. If you like to read, choose something that calms your mind. 3. Nutrition The rise of lifestyle-related diseases among the urban population has put an immense focus on nutrition. With the onset of the modern day culture, our lives have become not only hectic, but also introduced a lot of processed foods. Food additives like excess sugar, salt, MSG, artificial colours have made their way into our digestive tracts. Now you know why India is the diabetes capital of the world! What to do One simple change may be is to go back to eating the food our mothers and grandmothers ate. Incorporate unprocessed foods that our bodies have been used to. Going back to consuming what our previous generations ate might cut down the problems. 4. Stress Management When stress becomes the most dominating emotion of your daily life, it can literally kill you. An increased release of both cortisol, a stress hormone and insulin, leads to increased fat deposition in the body. This may result in insulin insensitivity, additional fat deposition and ultimately diabetes if left uncontrolled. What to do Include yoga, Asanas, Pranayam and even Taichi as they are highly instrumental in stress management. Play some form of sport and dedicate one hour daily to any physical activity you enjoy. 5. Sedentary lifestyle It is no great secret that for a number of decades, young Indians have stayed away from any form of active sports. The recent spate of wanting to get fit is fueled by two major factors such as Bollywood stars and an increase in lifestyle diseases. The second of course is a more important reason to start getting active today. What to do Get active and increase your ADL (activities of daily living). Remember, as you delegate more work around the house to hired help and electronic gadgets, your waistline starts to expand. Keep a dedicated one hour daily to any form of sport or physical activity you enjoy. Walk around the block to fetch groceries, keep your car in the parking lot and use the stairs every time you get a chance. Walk the dogs yourself, help your gardener, and get up to drink water and eat your food.

  Yes, you are reading it right… Whether you agree or not, fat is good to your brain. Since everyone is running behind the zero size concept, intake of fats in to body has decreased a lot. If this tempo continues, “it might affect your brain function” say the health experts. Brian contains 60% of fats in it. This fats or lipids will help brain to be fit and fine and facilitate us to be active throughout….. When you reduce the fat intake in your food, brain function will become dull, then you start feeling lethargic and slowly it may lead to anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer etc. To avoid such problems, eat food which has Omega 3 fatty acids in it as they are nutrients to your brain. When body generates free radicals, Omega 3 fatty acids will fight with them and develops resistance power in human body. Foods like Linseed, Salmon fish, walnut, Cabbage, Cauliflower, cloves, Soya beans, cod liver oil, Tofu and mustard seeds are rich contents of omega 3 fatty acids. Hence add them in your daily food course to get the healthy fat which rejuvenates your brain and keeps you energetic and active. If you want to be a person with “beauty and brains”, ensure that you consume good amount of above stated fats. Have a Happy and healthy living!!   - M.S.Bhavana

  Finding a healthy balance Yes, you need to limit your caloric intake and exercise on an intensive level if you want to lose weight, but you have to achieve a perfect balance between the two if you want to remain healthy as well. So if you're looking for guidance on eating and exercising and knowing where to draw the line in both, here's what you need to know... About exercising on an empty stomach While it's ok if you're not a diabetic or have other medical ailments like high blood pressure and erratic blood sugar levels, you need to remember to keep it down to between 30 and 40 minutes of moderate or slightly intensive work outs. Early mornings are the best times of the day to exercise on an empty stomach as your body has energy reserves to last you for a while. It's not advisable to starve yourself for more than seven or eight hours and then exercise at the end of the day. If your body has no energy to fuel your workouts, it uses up your muscles, and this is not a good thing because muscles help boost your metabolism and assist in faster weight loss. About working out with weights and eating When you want to tone or build muscles, you need more protein in your diet. And you definitely need to eat well. Strength training or weight training takes up a lot of energy, and you need food to provide this energy. Bodybuilders eat many meals that are spaced throughout the day, focusing on protein, foods low in fat, and complex carbohydrates for their energy sources.  

  1. Eat Right: Reducing abdominal fat is 80% about eating right foods. Have a healthy and balanced diet, with adequate macro and micro nutrients. Most importantly, skip takeaways and fast foods. Eat food prepared at home. Don’t have time? Then go for raw fruits or veggies, or steam cooked veggies instead. 2. Drink Water: Many forget about drinking water and confuse being thirsty for tired or hungry and end up nibbling sugary or fatty foods. Always carry a water bottle and make sure you keep sipping water throughout the day. You need to drink 6 – 8 glasses of water, though this depends on your weight and lifestyle. Calculate accordingly and make sure you consume enough water. 3. Short Bursts: According to recent studies, instead of working out for hours, or running for few miles, doing short bursts of active exercises is very helpful with reducing stubborn fat. For example, if you are walking on a treadmill, randomly increase the speed for a few seconds and get back to walking. 4. Say No to Sugar: Trying to get rid of your abdomen? Sugar is one thing you should greatly reduce, if not omit from your daily platter. There are many sources of hidden sugar, so it’s a good idea to reduce sugar. Use alternatives like honey, palm sugar, licorice extract, etc. 5. Reduce Sodium intake: Of course, you need to add salt to your food. But besides sodium salt, you have potassium salt, lemon salt, sea salt that you can consider. Also, adding spices like pepper, a few herbs also help reduce salt requirement. 6. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is important for the secretion of carnitine, a compound that helps body convert fat into energy. Besides, it also helps block cortisol, a hormone that’s secreted by the body when under stress. Spike in cortisol levels is the main reason for abdominal fat. 7. Fat burning foods: There are many natural ways to reduce fat naturally using foods that help with fat reduction or burning. Garlic, onion, ginger, cayenne pepper, cabbage, tomato, spices like cinnamon, mustard etc are some of the fat reducing foods. Consuming a few cloves of raw garlic and a 1-inch piece of ginger every morning is said to help with fat metabolism. Having a glass of warm water with lemon juice and honey in the morning, is a popular option for weight loss. Likewise, there are many other ways to induct fat burning foods in one’s diet. 8. Include healthy Fats: When trying to get rid of bad cholesterol, addition of good cholesterol is the way to go. Avocados, olives, coconut, nuts are few sources of good cholesterol. 9. Do not skip breakfast: Many think skipping breakfast helps with quick weight loss. On the contrary, skipping breakfast is a major blunder. It increases bloating and pushes your body into starvation mode, a key for abdominal fat gain. Latest studies reveal having smaller and frequent meals is the key to maintain a healthy metabolism rate, which is important for weight management. So reduce the size of your meals and make up for it by snacking healthy. You could consider having dry fruits and nuts, raw veggies or fruits, steamed veggies, etc. 10. Sleep: Wondering why we are talking about sleeping here! Adequate sleep is very important for weight management. Everyone needs 6 – 8 hours of sleep. According to a study, too much of sleep or the lack of it can lead to weight gain, increased risk of health disorders including cardiac problems or diabetes etc.  

  1. నమిలి తినాలి వినటానికి ఆశ్చర్యంగా ఉంటుంది కానీ మనలో చాలామంది ఆహారాన్ని నమిలి తినరు. గబగబ తినేస్తారు. దీని వల్ల ఆహారంలో ఉండే కొన్ని రకాల పీచు పదార్థాలు జీర్ణం కావు. అందువల్లే ఆహారాన్ని నెమ్మదిగా నమిలి తినమని నిపుణులు సూచిస్తూ ఉంటారు. నెమ్మదిగా నమిలినప్పుడు నోటిలో లాలాజలం ఊరుతుంది. దీనిలో ఉండే ఎంజైమ్‌లు ఆహారం త్వరగా జీర్ణమయ్యేలా చేస్తాయి. 2. ఎక్కువ అల్పాహారం గబగబ ఆఫీసులకు, కాలేజీలకు బయలుదేరేవారికి కష్టం కానీ- ఉదయం పూట ఎక్కువ తింటే ఎటువంటి జబ్బులు దగ్గరకు రావంటున్నారు నిపుణులు. దీనికి ఒక కారణముంది. రోజంతా పనిచేయాలంటే మన శరీరానికి పోషక పదార్థాలు అవసరం. లేకపోతే అవసరమైన శక్తి అందదు. అందువల్ల పొద్దుటిపూట వీలైనంత ఎక్కువ తిని.. మధ్యాహ్నం భోజనం తక్కువగా తినమని నిపుణులు సూచిస్తున్నారు. 3. రాత్రి కొద్దిగానే.. కొంత మంది రాత్రి చాలా ఎక్కువగా తింటారు. దీని వల్ల మన జీర్ణ వ్యవస్థ ఇబ్బంది పడుతుందని నిపుణులు చెబుతున్నారు. శరీరంలో మిగిలిన అవయవాల మాదిరిగానే మన జీర్ణ వ్యవస్థకు కూడా విశ్రాంతి ఉండాలి. రాత్రి ఎక్కువగా తినటం వల్ల జీర్ణవ్యవస్థకు తక్కువ విశ్రాంతి దొరుకుతుంది. దాని ప్రభావం మర్నాడు ఉదయం శరీరంపై పడుతుంది. రాత్రి ఎక్కువ తినేవారు సాధారణంగా ఉదయం తక్కువగా తింటారు. దీని వల్ల పగలంతా శరీరానికి అవసరమైన పోషక పదార్థాలు లభించవు. 4. గ్లౌసిమిక్ ఇండెక్స్ కూడా ప్రధానమే.. మనం తినే ఆహారపదార్థాలలో కొన్ని త్వరగా.. కొన్ని ఆలస్యంగా శక్తిని విడుదల చేస్తాయి. ఆలస్యంగా శక్తిని విడుదల చేసే ఆహారపదార్థాల వల్ల మన శరీరంలో చక్కెర నిల్వలు అదుపులో ఉంటాయి. ఆహారపదార్థాలు శక్తిని విడుదల చేసే స్థాయిని నిర్ధారించే టేబుల్‌ను గ్లౌసిమిక్ ఇండెక్స్ అంటారు. ఉదాహరణకు బ్రౌన్ రైస్, గోధుమలు గ్లౌసమిక్ ఇండెక్స్ ప్రకారం నెమ్మదిగా శక్తిని విడుదల చేస్తాయి. మైదా త్వరగా విడుదల చేస్తుంది. అందువల్ల బ్రౌన్ రైస్, గోధుమతో చేసిన పదార్థాలను తినటం వల్ల శరీరంలోని శక్తి సమతౌల్యంలో సమస్యలు ఏర్పడవు. 5. సరైన వంట మనం తినే పదార్థాలతో పాటు వాటిని వండే పద్ధతి కూడా ముఖ్యమే. ఉడకపెట్టిన పదార్థాలలో తక్కువ కేలరీలు ఉంటాయి. వేయించిన పదార్థాలలో ఎక్కువ కేలరీలు ఉంటాయి. అందువల్ల వేయించటం తప్పనిసరైనప్పుడు ముందు ఆ పదార్థాన్ని ఉడకపెట్టాలి. ఆ తర్వాతే వేయించాలి. 6. ఎక్కువ నీళ్లు ప్రతి రోజు వీలైనన్ని ఎక్కువ నీళ్లు తాగాలి. నీరు మన ఆకలిని నియంత్రించటమే కాకుండా శరీరపు ఉష్ణోగ్రతలను నియంత్రణలో ఉంచుతుంది. శరీరంలో మలినాలను బయటకు పంపటంలో కూడా నీరు చాలా ప్రముఖ పాత్ర వహిస్తుంది.  

  How it Works Tabata has been around since the ‘90s, but in case you’re not familiar, here’s your primer: Tabata workouts include 20 seconds of high-intensity cardio exercises (like burpees, lunges, or jumping jacks) with 10 seconds of rest between each move. That’s one rep, and typical Tabatas consist of eight intervals for a total of four minutes. For the study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, recruited 16 fit students to try a 20-minute Tabata-style workout—they did a 5-minute warm-up and four rounds of Tabata. Participants’ heart rate and VO2 max (breathing capacity) levels after the workout met the industry standards for improving cardio fitness and changing body composition, and the average calorie burn (15 cals per minute) met the guidelines for improving health and losing weight. Translation: Tabata is a quick, effective way to work out. Who It's For Here’s the catch: Tabata-style workouts aren’t for newbies. “It’s an advanced workout that people shouldn’t do if they’re not physically ready,” says Mike Wunsch, a National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified personal trainer in California, who was not part of the study. “You need to master good form and increase your strength before you attempt a Tabata.” But on the flip side: “If you’re in good shape and you’re limited on time, you can definitely maintain your fitness,” says John Porcari, Ph.D., head of the Clinical Exercise Physiology Program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, in a statement from the ACE. “It’s just another trick in the arsenal of helping people get and stay in shape.” How to Do It So are you ready to tackle Tabata workout? The good news is that you can do it with almost any exercise. “The original Tabata study was done on a bicycle, “ says Porcari, “but people are now doing that 20-second/10-second format with resistance training, plyometrics, calisthenics…with almost anything.” First, remember that the key is to go as fast as your body with allow. Take squats, for example: Do as many as you can for 20 seconds, and then take a 10-second rest. Do another set of intense squatting for 20 seconds followed by a 10-second break. That’s two intervals in one minute. Try a different move for the other intervals to make it harder.

  Make sure you make salads and soups a regular part of your regular meals. They are effective in keeping your weight in check. Load up on water, green tea, unsweetened lime juice, coconut water to keep your system flushed. Excess sweet and salty food tend to make you retain water. Be regular with physical activity, which is highly instrumental in keeping your metabolism humming. Reschedule your activity to the morning to prevent evening celebrations from ruining your schedule. If you are pressed for time or intend to simply keep your weight down during all the feasting, switch your routine to HIT mode or high intensity training. This includes plyometrics and activities like sprinting, skipping and uses a lot of compound movements like jump squats, push-ups, pull-ups et al. When heading out to celebrate, don't step out in an empty stomach. Eat a small meal which contains some protein, good fats and fibre. For intance, an olive oil tossed salad with cottage cheese or chick peas or both. If alcohol figures in your celebrations, then it is advisable to stick to a glass or two of red wine. In any case, limiting servings is important. When in a festive mood, eat only those things which you truly enjoy. Don't stuff yourself silly with everything that is served. Mindful eating can help keep those kilos off. Supplement your diet with Omega 3 fatty acids post meals from either flaxseed or fish oil. When giving or receiving gifts, dry fruits and nuts are your best options. They won't stick to your belly like sweets and fried snacks.   Stay healthy and enjoy the festive season ahead!

  Why you should exercise your neck: When you exercise your neck, you are increasing the blood flow in your head region which helps to keep pain away. Exercising your neck to keep pain away will not lead to shoulder and body ache. If you exercise your neck, you will strengthen your back and keep pain away in the back region which follows later. It is important to exercise your neck after every half an hour, when you are seated at your desk so that you do not encourage a headache. Stiff necks are caused due to lack of exercises. Therefore, to prevent a stiff neck, you need to always do some sort of neck exercise. What neck exercise to practice for neck pain: Sit in a straight position. Stretch your neck backwards and look at the ceiling. Count for 10 seconds and bring back your neck to the initial placement. One of the easiest neck exercises for pain is to simply twirl your head around clockwise on 3 rounds and anti-clockwise on 3 rounds. With the help of your hands, club your neck and massage the back of your neck in lengthwise motion. If you have any pain in your neck, it will slowly decrease.

  Like Fresh air, water is also a great healer; The best way to prove this statement is to spend 30 minutes near a beach or bank of a river or any canal nearby. When all these options are not available, then you have to go to any swimming pool, enjoy and relax yourself. Taking family membership is a great idea to spend time together in the water. If parents know swimming, then getting in pool along with kids will not only give them a sense of satisfaction but it will be full of fun while developing a sense of security among the family members. When Swimming pools extend so much of fun to you all, they also spread infections because of the chemicals used in the cleaning process and due to the high traffic in the swimming pools. Pool owners use so many disinfectants to clean the pool; chlorine is the chemical they use the most to clean the bacteria in the pool. Since this is very concentrated, taking a shower after every swim is mandatory. If kids already have any sort of infection, fever, do not send them to pool side till they recover completely. This will help your children to recuperate fast and also stop spreading infection to others through water. Do not select for the rush hours; when flow is more, pool tend to attract more germs and dirt so as infections; due to the rush, pool operators also may not be in a position to clean it as often as needed. So, please be careful and take little care, you can surely enjoy your swimming…   - M.S. Bhavana

  Our today’s life has become extremely busy that we don’t have time for anything else including our own self at times. But when it comes to our health you have to pull out time for yourself, make some adjustments and start doing your daily workout without fail.   But how long is the question lingers in most of our minds… According to experts, 30 minutes workout every day is sufficient to maintain our health. More than the time you spend, how regular you are for the workout is more important and yields better results. Walking, Jogging, Yoga, Cycling and aerobic exercises are better choices to stay fit and healthy. It always preferable to go out for a walk or jog to enjoy the fresh air; if you cannot manage time to go out you can as well continue using thread mill, stationed cycle etc. but don’t miss your daily chore. Yoga is another best alternative workout, can be done any time anywhere. Just ensure that, you have 90minutes gap after your meals. If you are doing light weights, try to arrange a trainer to guide you correctly. Any exercise which makes you feel comfortable is good to you. Enjoying while exercising is the best way to shed the calories and stay fit.   - M.S. Bhavana

  When you talk about Fitness, we refer to the workouts one can do and other exercises they are performing day in day out to burn the calories. … But have you ever realised that Meditation is the biggest secret to stay Fit throughout your life. Spending 30 minutes in Mediation every day can give you physical and medical health and have all the possibilities of extending your life span. Practicing Meditation for 2 months continuously will help the person to be stress free and improve Memory power and emotional balance. Meditation is nothing but sitting calmly and steadily at one place, closing the eyes and concentrating on your breath, i.e. Inhale and exhale actions. You have to observe how your breathing process is taking place and the changes occurring to the body while doing so. Initially you might be feeling disturbed with too many thoughts coming in to your mind while meditating; you still need to be firm and bring back your concentration on to your breathing and continue to meditate. While sitting for meditation, make sure that your sitting posture is good and comfortable. People, who cannot sit on the ground, can make on the chair or sofa; making yourself comfortable is the basic key so that you can concentrate on the rest of the procedure when you close your eyes and meditate. In the preliminary stage, you may not be in a position to continue the meditation for 30 min. that's why fix short goals, start with 15 minutes or 20 minutes and bring it up to 30 minutes in 10 days time. Once you master this technique of Meditation you will experience wonders in your life. All the best!!   - M.S. Bhavana

  Being active and enjoying a healthy life is what everyone aspires for; here are few tips to achieve the same. * Try to wake up early and catch up with sun light during your morning walks or jogging as you will feel fresh and can download some Vitamin D through sunlight. * Don’t leave much gap between your morning tea and breakfast. Try to have your breakfast as early as possible. Let your first meal be contained with fruits and vegetable juices and cereals. * Fix a snack between meals to avoid acidity and other health problems. * Drink more water; avoid soft drinks and have control on baked food. * Never wait for a right time to start your work out; Remember, Every day is a good day to start a good thing. * Try to arrange a company for your fitness program ( Your neighbours or friends) so that you get motivated by each other. * If you are a regular gym goer ensure that you do every work out under expert’s supervision and ask them to design a combo pack which suits your life style, size and shape. * Must go on building good and healthy relationships with people around; that helps you to be happy all the time.   - Bhavana

  Yoga acts positively in maintaining the health of the human body. One of the most prominent benefits of Yoga is the ability to be young once again. Apart from revitalizing the mind, Yoga rejuvenates the body as well. People, who constantly practice Yoga, have found immense benefits from it and feel better than what they felt in their younger years. There is a very famous concept in Yoga philosophy. According to it, a person's age is determined by the flexibility of his spine, not the number of years he has lived.   Yoga helps in slowing down the aging process, by providing elasticity to the spine, firming up the skin, removing tension from the body, strengthening the abdominal muscles, eliminating the likelihood of a double chin, improving the quality of loose arm muscles, correcting poor posture and so on. Thus, of the numerous benefits of Yoga, anti-ageing is an important one. All you need is patience (remember, there is no one day benefit policy!!) and the determination (you need to be strong willed to practice everyday) to practice Yoga.   Yoga increases the mental competence in a person, making him/her feel younger. It possesses the power to fight the internal as well as the external diseases and dangers. This is the key to help an individual to live longer. There are various types of Yoga, of which Hatha Yoga basically aims at making people live long. Some of the anti-ageing properties of Yoga are long life, increased resistance to diseases, increased vitality, and rejuvenation of glands, looking young, improvement in vision and hearing and many other mental and emotional benefits.   Remember, there is no magic potion that can extend the longevity of life. If there is any key to longer healthy life, it has to be Yoga. One can successfully extend the period of life by constantly following Yogic practices. Even the tiniest detailing of ageing, such as gray hair can be dealt with Yoga. By practicing inverted Yoga postures, you can turn back gray hair to its natural color. These practices also delay the onset of gray hair, thereby making a person look younger. Even people with the inability to get up on their own, can enjoy replenished flexibility and freedom from joint pain, by practicing Yoga.

  Swimming is one life sport or fitness activity that seems more like play than anything else that is meant to be. The best part about swimming is, it has no age bar and no side effects. Swimming works on every muscle in the body. Swimming can develop a swimmer's general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Swimming can help you with cross-training, with your regular workout regimes. After a land workout, swimming a few laps can help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water. Swimming exercises almost the entire body - heart, lungs, and muscles - with very little joint strain. Swimming has been found to help us indirectly too. It helps to develop life skills such as sportsmanship, time-management, self-discipline, goal-setting, and an increased sense of self-worth through participation in the sport. Swimmers seem to do better in school, in general terms, than non- swimmers. Swimming does help in shedding some kilos. But, if you are looking for losing weight with swimming, then you have to get a professional trainer. So many benefits tied up with fun! Swim on girls!   - Radha Krishnaveni

  Just fifteen to twenty minutes, only for yourself, can help you stay energetic and fit for the whole day. Start with a warm up. Rotate all the possible joints (neck, waist, ankle, wrist, shoulder, hip, etc) in your body for 5 rounds each. Now, do 5 rounds of stretching in standing position (bend forward and stay for 5-10 secs and repeat when bending backward) A combination of butterfly, sisupaala aasana, and cat stretch should be done, giving 2 minutes to each. All these aasanas (done in sitting position) help in balancing the gynaec system and also toning your body. Spend a little time now, for meditating. Meditation doesn’t mean something great that is to be initiated by a guru only. Meditation is a simple state of non-thinking. Just close your eyes and sit there without thinking about anything. Don’t worry, your mind will wander but you will soon experience what does ‘not thinking’ mean. Meditation when done at the end of this exercise regime will help your body and mind to relax and de-stress. Try this regime everyday for 15-20 minutes and find a lot of difference in your daily life activities.   - Radha Krishnaveni

  Belly fat not only makes an ugly impression of the person wearing it, but also is an indicator of bad health. So, everything boils down to having a healthy lifestyle by including a good diet, some exercise, good sleep and stress management, to have a healthy flat tummy. The greatest cause for fat around belly in many Indian women is ‘Rice’. Yes. One of the main staple foods of Indians, Rice is rich in carbohydrates and causes a fattening of the area around the belly. Don’t stop eating it totally. Instead, switch to brown rice. A fiber-rich diet may help. Include beans, gourds, and cucumber in surplus in your diet. Even if you kept everything else the same but switched to brown rice or broken wheat, you might be able to better maintain your weight over time. Eat more of dal, vegetable and curd and reduce the intake of rice. Jog, if you're already fit, or walk briskly at an incline on a treadmill if you're not yet ready for jogging. Vigorous workouts on stationary bikes and elliptical or rowing machines are also effective. Exercise probably has the most immediate benefits, because it gets at both obesity and stress. Siestas are good, but not always. Try and avoid day time naps. Get a good 6-7 hours of sleep. Do not under sleep or over sleep. Both would contribute to belly fat. A good exercise pattern complimented with a substantial sleep will facilitate stress management, in turn, helping you to trim that tiny paunch. Flaunt that flat tummy next time in chiffon sari!   - Radha Krishnaveni