Eco-Friendly Alternatives of Plastics

We all know much about the harmful effects of plastics, but still, we continue to use them indiscriminately. One of the reasons for this is that their eco-friendly alternatives are not very popular, and in the absence of these alternatives, we are left with no other option other than using plastics.

To reduce plastic usage, here are a few environmental-friendly products that can make your life healthy.

  • Bamboo

Bamboos are used to make a wide range of products, including tissues, stationery, serving trays, straws, cutlery and much more. Bamboos are easy to grow and long-lasting, which makes them sustainable.

  • Coconut

Coconut shells are waste products, but they can be easily recycled and used as a substitute for plastic. They are natural, harmless and durable. Recycling them will reduce waste and solve the problem of using too many plastics.

  • Glass

Glasses should be used to replace plastic bottles and containers. They are a safe option as they release no toxic chemicals and prevent contamination of your food. Glass products look elegant and beautiful. Apart from this, they are also reusable and eco-friendly.

  • Jute 

Jute is a natural fabric. It is very easy to grow jute as it doesn’t require any usage of insecticides or pesticides. Hence, it is purely environmentally friendly. It has excellent tensile strength, durability and affordability. Jute bags, jute slippers, envelopes, notebooks and other products are available in the market and can be used for a healthy environment.

  • Cardboard

Plain cardboards are environmentally friendly and reusable. Instead of packaging food items in plastic bags or containers, you should prefer cardboard containers, which would cut the wastage and save the environment. Plain e-cardboards are fully compostable at home too.

Plastics are becoming a massive problem for our environment. Although governments and environmentalists run many campaigns from time to time to spread awareness about the harms of plastic, it’s hard for people to shift massively from plastic products to eco-friendly products. Even if people understand the intensity of damage that plastics can do, they are bound to use them because it is nearly impossible to replace all the plastics in our lives, as too many plastic products surround us. But making small lifestyle changes and mindful & healthy choices would definitely make a difference. All that you can do is keep doing your bit and make every possible change in your life for a healthy environment.

New Year Goals: Things you can do to make 2021 a Better Year

New Year Goals: Yes, there are ways in which you can make your 2021 better and worthy to live. Practice all these and 2021 will do wonders in your life.

1.Begin your day with a smile: As you wake up in the morning each day be thankful to God for giving you another chance in the form of a new fresh day to do all that you desire. Start your day with a smile so that you keep smiling the entire day and you make the best out of the day.

2. Exercise daily: Yes, this is very important because if you are healthy you are happy. An exercise each day keeps you away from harm’s way. Give yourself and your body one hour day and work on yourself so that you are ready to battle with unhealthy things that may at times surround you.

3. Practice meditation: When you meditate you attain peace. You get connected to the Divine energies and most importantly you get connected to the universe at large. Meditation helps you attain mental peace in times of distress and bad health. You can attain the utmost happiness in your life on any day if you are peaceful and away from any tensions. So do it daily.

4. Spend time with your family: This is one of the best ways to make your coming days better because there is no one above our family and our parents. It is extremely important to know whom you have to choose. Our parents and siblings are the only one’s who are constant and who will always support us in all our endeavours.

5. Appreciate more: No matter how the person is or no matter he/she has helped you never stop appreciating. Appreciation is the best gift you can give someone to make them feel worthy and valued. Appreciation not only brings a smile on someone’s face but also gives them confidence.

6. Take enough sleep: You need to make sure you are fresh each day so that you don’t end up lazily. For this, you must take the amount of sleep that your body does require. Laziness leads to nothing. Make sure you get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep each day. And this will make your day better.

7. Focus on your tasks: Everyone does have a to-do list, it is on us how we take it and try to complete it. But, it is also important to prioritize our wants in the order of their actual needs. Mixing everything will fetch us nothing. Hence, just focus on one task at a time and finish it first and go to the next.

Easy at-home exercises to increase your endurance

You may often hear out people who could not stop emphasizing the virtues of exercising. There are so many instances when we feel like taking a step towards exercising yet, some excuses like not enough time or lack of gym facility in the vicinity crawl in!
But, we all know the importance that exercise holds in keeping ourselves healthy and fit. Therefore, if you are keen on availing a fit body but excuses like the gym is far keeps coming to you – we have got you covered, read and thank us later!

Here is the list of exercises that you can try at home –

  1. The stairs – In order to increase your stamina taking stairs instead of life is important. Not just that, you should also incorporate mornings jogging and cycling in your regime. It truly helps you build your stamina and stay fit.
  2. The Boat Pose – Ditch the gym and opt for this exercise. It is simple! Just sit on the floor and your legs should be straight as you balance on your hips. Now life your leg and stretch your arms outwards, you will notice that it looks similar to a boat. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat it at least 5 times.
  3. Side Planks – Lie down on your side and take the support of your elbow, lift your body, and hold that position for at least 10 seconds. The longer you hold, the better it is! This can truly help you build your stamina and bring out the abs that you have been drooling over.
  4. Chair dips – This is especially for the ones who work sitting in the chair for long hours. All you have to do is, Sit in a chair with armrests. Further, keep your back straight and both your feet steady on the floor, shoulder-width apart. You may need to bend a little forward and with the support of the armrests. Then move your body off the chair slowly while breathing out. Hold the position for 5 counts and come back to the original position while breathing in slowly. You can do this as many times depending on your comfort level.
  5. Push-ups – Probably the most common ones, and indeed one of the effective ones. Push-ups are tough but you get a hand of it gradually. It helps you build your core strength and that is why it plays a pivotal role in fitness.
  6. Squats – Squats don’t just put stretch your muscles but also put them in good use. Keep your spine relaxed and straight. Then stand on the floor with your legs wide apart. Go down on the floor with your hips slightly going backward. Make sure that throughout this set your spine is super relaxed.

We hope that in the lockdown, your goal of fitness remains intact! With these easy home exercises and the right diet, you can remain perfectly fit and healthy. Go ahead and give it a shot on a regular basis. Do let us know what you think about it in the comment section below.

Simple tips on managing anger

Did someone overtake you on a busy street? Or the person walking in front of you is slow? Did your boss disapprove of your leave or your dad said “no” to the fancy dinner – if you have an anger issue, you would never know what can possibly trigger the aggression? Anger is a healthy emotion and a common one however some of us find it tough to manage. If you are one that kind of a person who finds it difficult to manage the anger then here are the simple tips to help you out!

  1. Count 1 to 10
    Every time the anger hits you hard take a momentarily pause and count 1 to 10. Often diverting the mind for a moment from the triggering point can help in a lot in many ways. So keep calm and start counting, it will help you.
  2. Drink water
    Water definitely has a soothing effect on the body. In the moments of anger drink as much water as you can. It helps you calm down and think straight before acting on anything.
  3. Go to humor
    Nothing beats anger better than a few doses of laughter. When it seems like you are not able to control your temper, watch an episode of your favorite show or think about an incident that makes your laugh always.
  4. Music therapy
    Music works wonderfully well especially when there is an outburst of emotion. Whether you are feeling angry or sad, turn on to a happy beat & you will enjoy gradually forget the anger. So switch on to the song you absolutely enjoy and maybe dance a little too!
  5. Do some self-talk
    Self-talk is underrated and at times at can be therapeutical. Call yourself out for being angry and address why exactly are you angry. Describe how is it making you feel & what are the things that can make you feel good at the moment.
  6. Think of solutions
    A lot of time anger arises because we keep on thinking about the issue instead of inducing solution-oriented thinking. Try to shift your focus from problem to solution. You will certainly find yourself thinking straight & constructive within a minute.
  7. Just pause
    Often any action done in anger comes with repercussions. Therefore, the moment you know that you are angry at something to think and pause a little before reacting. Remember, an immediate reaction to anything in anger may leave long term effects on the person you are dealing with.
  8. Exercise
    One of the best ways to deal with anger is to get going with physical activity like exercise. Run or jump, just put all your anger together at that physical activity. If you find that it is still now helping, go for a walk. Strolling past nature helps in calming down.

If you think these tips are not that helpful, then certainly visiting an expert and taking his. her help is a solution to your anger.

Reasons Why Meditation Helps

The practice where a person uses the technique of focusing on a particular object, person, or situation to achieve a clear mentality and an emotionally calm and stable state is called meditation. Meditation is used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and several other mental illnesses and is recommended by doctors on a daily basis. The earliest mentions of meditation can be found in the Hindu traditions of Vedantism. Meditation is being practiced since the beginning of time to achieve enlightenment, self-evaluation, and peace of mind. And since then, meditation has been used as a trusted technique for self-development.

Today meditation is recommended by doctors all over the world the patients get better. There are practically thousands of normally experienced and scientifically assured reasons why meditation helps. Meditation helps different people in a different way based on what they are looking to achieve with meditation. It might be physical or mental. Meditation has both physical health benefits and psychological health benefits.

Some of them are :

  • The human brain needs steady and strong blood flow to function well and properly. Meditation increases the blood flow to our brain making it easier for the brain to work well and process properly.
  • Meditation helps in the growth of the brain. Not only in size but also in thickness. Which in turn makes us smarter, self-aware, increases our memory capacity, self-control, and various other desirable mental qualities.
  • Cortisol is our body’s main stress hormone which suppresses the immune system and makes us feel anxious, nervous, depressed, stressed, and that too without any particular or valid reason. Meditation helps in the reduction of cortisol production and helps us stay sane.
  • Meditation calms and settles us down which in turn helps in reducing blood pressure and the heart rate and reduces the chances of a heart attack.
  • The ability of the brain to change continuously throughout the life of an individual to adapt to various situations is known as neuroplasticity. Meditation helps in increasing the production of neuroplasticity.
  • Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that are secreted by the brain. These endogenous chemicals play a huge role in controlling our moods.  The most important neurotransmitters are serotonin and dopamine. Low secretion of serotonin causes depression. Meditation helps in increasing the production of these two chemicals.
  • Meditation is highly recommended to reduce brain-related illnesses such as depression, anxiety, etc. When we meditate the brain undergoes a drastic change that causes the reduction and prevention of these illnesses. Hence, it helps in improving our nervous system.
  • The cerebral cortex which covers the front part of the frontal lobe is called the prefrontal cortex. Itis is responsible for personality expression, decision making, focus, social behavior,etc. Meditation stimulates the prefrontal cortex which in turn increases the focus and present moment awareness.
  • Meditation helps in increasing the volume of the brain which provides us with more brainpower. And with the stimulation of the prefrontal cortex, the brain learning center is awakened which in turn increases our capacity to learn.


Things to do as soon as you get up to generate happy hormones

You might have heard that happiness creates success. Your mental health plays a major role when it comes to the accomplishment and contentedness in all the aspects of life. We are lucky as our brain is always on our side when we aim to succeed. If we have a bit of knowledge about the good brain chemicals, we will know how to trigger them in order to complete and accomplish our goals with greater ease. They are not as complicated as one might think and in fact, they all create logical connections that can easily be supported by simply making few changes in our daily habit.

  1. Start exercising
    One of the most effective and the best way is to boost the serotonin level with daily exercise. 20 to 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day is actually enough to receive all the benefits. One of the other advantages of exercise is good sleep. With regular and proper exercise, one can have a clear thought process, it keeps the heart and other muscles strong and keeps us away from obesity. Exercise also helps to produce and also increase the levels of endorphin and serotonin which in return helps in improving our mood and energy level. So the next time you are agitated or you are feeling low, go out for a short walk outside, dance or you may join a group exercise class.
  2. Spend some time in the sunshine
    Most people only need short and proper sunlight exposure to help up our body create vitamin D which is very much needed for the production of brain chemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. Vitamin D is also synthesized by the body whenever the skin comes in the sun’s exposure.
  3. Try having some chocolates
    Have you ever seen a chocolate lover sad? Good quality dark chocolate has one of the most amazing health benefits which includes synthesis of endorphin. It also helps in reducing inflammation, reduces the blood pressure level to normal, and also protects the arteries. A little bit of chocolate helps, in the long run, to stick to having small serving per week.
  4. Eat enough carbs
    Recent research has found that the food that contains carbohydrates increases our serotonin level and also improves the mood by increasing the happy hormones.
  5. Have a pet dog or a cat
    Research has proved that petting a dog or a cat only for 15 minutes releases happy hormones such as serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin that lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Pets can also help to lower the blood pressure, reduce stress, improving loneliness, and reduces negativity.
  6. Meditation
    Meditation or mindfulness is quite beneficial to our happiness and improves mental health. Meditation triggers the hypothalamus to release endorphins, thus promoting relaxation, self-healing, and the total well being. Yoga can also help in improving anxiety, depression, focus, pain, and the other side effects of stress.

7 Best Exercise for Heart Patients

Aerobic exercises are one of the best ways to maintain good heart health. You can also try some of these exercises to add an element of fun in your daily fitness routine. For optimum heart health, the World Heart Associationusually recommends 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercises every day. If at the very beginning you cannot get 30 minutes all at once, you can easily divide your entire exercise routine into 10 to 15-minute different segments. Aerobic exercises help to improve heart and lung fitness and can also reduce the risk factors for heart diseases.

  1. Walkout for a healthy heart
    One of the most exercise for the heart is walking. Walking daily is peaceful, safe, inexpensive and it is quite easy to fit into your daily routine. You can start walking by walking to work, the grocery store, and also walking around in your neighborhood.
  2. Vigorous exercise at home by climbing the stairs instead of using the lift
    To get the maximum benefit from aerobic exercises, try to reach 50 to 85% of your maximum heart rate. Climbing the stairs is one of the easiest ways to achieve this simple target whether you do it at home or office or at the gym.
  3. Go out for cycling
    The pumping motion of the large muscles in your leg is one of the best aerobic exercises for your heart. Either a road bike or a stationary bike at the gym will help you achieve in this exercise. The position of the seat and the pedals are quite important so to prevent yourself from injuries and misbalancing.
  4. Take a swim
    Swimming is considered to be the best aerobic exercise for your heart and is the third most popular sport activity in the whole world. Two and a half hours of swimming for the whole week will give you enough benefits to keeping your heart safe. One of the major advantages of swimming as that it puts less pressure on the bones and joints and thus the risk of injury or cramps is less.
  5. Go for a spin on the elliptical machine in the gym
    Elliptical training machines are on the most popular and well-preferred aerobic exercise options. These machines are widely available in most of the fitness centers or gyms and are being increasingly purchased for exercise at home. The main advantage is that it provides both upper and lower body workouts at once.
  6. Dancing to your heart’s content
    Dancing is one of the most entertaining and rhythmic aerobic exercises for your heart. All you need is good footwear, the music of your preference and some space. You can also join the Zumba classes which are getting popular day by day.
  7. Chill out with martial art such as Tai chi
    According to a recent survey, 20% of the entire population preferred using martial arts as a low impact aerobic exercise routine for the heart. Among them, type Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of exercise which is based on martial arts.

9 Ways To Boost Your Immunity System.

Your immune system does an amazing and remarkable job of protecting you from various disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes this immune system fails due to your lack of attention to it. There are various ways in which you can boost your immunity system to stay healthy and fit.

  1. Enough Sleep and Management Of Stress: A person should be getting enough sleep and should be able to manage his or her stress properly. The deprivation of sleep and the increase in the stress level produces the hormone known as cortisol. The prolonged elevation of this hormone suppresses the ability of the immunity system to function.
  2. Avoid Smoking Tobacco: The smoking of tobacco reduces the ability of the immune system to work. Smoking tobacco reduces the defence mechanism and raises the risk of bronchitis and pneumonia in adults and middle ear infections in kids.
  3. Eating Healthy: If you want your immune system to work efficiently you need to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. These foods provide your body with the nutrients that your immune system needs to work well. Boosting fruits and vegetables in your diet improves antibody response to the Pneumovax vaccine which protects against pneumonia.
  4. Consider Probiotics: Different studies have shown that the intake of various supplements reduces the risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. The usage of fermented milk products has been used to reduce the risk of respiratory infections in adults and kids.
  5. Catch Some Rays: Sunlight triggers the production of vitamin Din our skin. 10-15 minutes of exposure to the sun rays is enough during the summer season. Low levels of vitamin D increase the risk of respiratory infections. Vitamin D supplements are now available both for kids and adults to increase the level of Vitamin D in your immunity system which in turn helps in the reduction of various infections and diseases.
  6. Exercise Regularly: People who do not exercise regularly often fall sick various times. People who exercise regularly have a strong immune system that is capable of withstanding various microbes from invading our immune system. People who exercise regularly feel better and stronger than the people who do not. So exercises are a great way to strengthen your immune system.
  7. Vaccination: The annual flu shot is although 80 per cent effective but it is still better than most of the other methods of defence. These flu shots provide your body with various defense nutrients that protect your body from getting invaded by disease-causing microorganisms.
  8. Eat Medicinal Mushrooms: Eating medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake and maitake often helps in strengthening your immune system. A concentrated extract of shiitake enhances the immune function of women with breast cancer.
  9. Garlic: Garlic is one of the most important broad-spectrum antibacterial agent and immune system booster. The heat from the garlic usually works as a booster.

Ten martial arts you can think of learning

Getting yourself involved in martial arts is one of the best things you can do for your fitness. Whether you want to study martial art to become a professional or just as a part of your fitness regime or as self-defense, it should not matter. If you want to enjoy yourself while you learn and are determined to stick to it, picking the right form of martial art is essential. Learning martial arts involve a whole lot of time as well as money. So you want to pick the right one for yourself. Here are 10 of the most famous forms of martial arts for you to choose from:

  1. JUDO: Judo, a competition based sport from Japan involves throwing or taking down your opponent for the win. Judo calls for minimum effort but maximum efficiency. If you can master the proper technique and get a good grip on your balance you can take down a person larger than you.
  2. BOXING: Though it might take several years to just learn how to throw punches properly, boxing can be a lot of fun. This is the kind of sport that teaches you discipline, governing backed by fighting. This keeps you quick on your toes and your body lean.
  3. KARATE: Karate is another sport from Japan that involves a lot of punching, kicking, and freestyle hand techniques. It helps you to gain balance. You learn how to divert the attack coming your way as well as disable and control your opponent’s ambush.
  4. AIKIDO: Aikido is primarily designed for self-defense, making sure you don’t injure your attackers.  Instead of fighting back, you use the momentum of your attacker against them only.
  5. BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU: This sport coming out of Brazil has been named one of the most callous sports ever. This form of martial art focuses mainly on manipulating your attacker’s body and getting them off of you. It is best for street defense.
  6. TAEKWONDO: Taekwondo is a form of Korean martial art that blends attack and self-defense. Using your legs is very important in this sport, not only you use it as a weapon you also use it to keep your attackers away.
  7. WRESTLING: Generally falls under performance art, wrestling is an extremely demanding total body workout. It involves constant pushing and pulling while maintaining proper balance. A simple match of 6minutes duration can help you burn hundreds of calories.
  8. KRAV MAGA: It is the national martial art of Israel. This martial art combines some aspects of Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and traditional boxing. It is a sort of counter-attack, where you aim for the weak areas of your opponent.
  9. MUAY THAI: Muay Thai also known as the Art of EightLimbs originated from the heart of Thailand. It can get very violent or harsh, thus with certain precautions, Muay Thai has been made a universal sport for entertainment now.
  10. MMA: MMA short for Mixed Martial Arts is a combination of all kinds of martial arts listed above. This involves a wide range of techniques and styles. MMA involves many risk factors but if you aim to become the next Conor McGregor, can go for it.

Exercise Helps You Digest Well

Exercise Helps You Digest Well

Poor digestion is mostly linked to the low energy levels of a person, a feeling of being uncomfortable at all times, improper bowel movements, excess stress, poor liver health and can even lead to weight gain. Look at these easy exercises which can definitely help you in your digestion and also help you melt your body fat.

Digestion is basically the process of breaking down of food that we intake for gaining energy and nutrition. It is one of the most important functions of the body and at most of the times, we ignore it. Healthy digestion also helps to eliminate toxins and keeping your stomach light and detoxed. Improper digestion,constipation, irregular bowel movement and other chronic digestive disorder scan take a huge effect on the overall health of the body. Poor digestion is usually related to low energy levels, excessive weight gain and negative impact on the whole body and organs. Apart from keeping healthy eating habits, some of the exercises can also help you in improving your gut health.

These exercises can help in your digestion cycle.

  1. Taking a Brisk Walk

Walking is one of the simplest exercises that one can include in his daily workout. A short walk for around 30 to 40 minutes daily would help you solve your digestion problems and other medical conditions. It helps to stimulate the intestinal activity thereby helping with the smooth passage of stool through the colon.

  • Cycling

Along workout is also quite effective in the proper functioning of your digestive system. Not only the gut health, but it also helps to reduce the belly fat.

  • Stomach Crunches

This simple ab workout basically focuses on the abdominal muscles to bring back your digestive system on the track. You can try out the different versions of this exercise like vertical leg crunch, long arm crunch and also the reverse crunch. Regular sit-ups and crunches are also the best exercises for healthy digestion.

  • Regular Yoga

Some of the yoga poses like the boat pose, child’s pose, the standing forward bend, downward and the upward dog, the triangle pose, and the bow pose helps a lot in improving digestion. This helps in the stretching and relaxing of the abdominal muscles thereby avoiding problems like bloating and acidity. Yoga also helps inthe reduction of stress which is another factor that causes digestive issues.

  • The Breathing Exercises

Most people are not aware of this simple exercise but according to research and studies, it has been proved that breathing can also help in proper digestion. A proper breathing pattern can help you in solving problems like heart burn and bloating in the stomach. All you need to do is just sit up straight and practice breathing deeply and slowly in and out. Breathing also helps in relaxation of your belly muscles thereby improving the stool flow. This can help a person relax and thereby control his or her stress level as well.