Is All Laughter Healthy?

As the saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine”. But is it really? Medically speaking, it triggers healthy physical changes in the body and there are studies that show that it helps relieve stress.  They help diminish pain and psychologists believe that humor is the perfect antidote to pain and the best defense mechanism to deal with problems.  Best of all, this is a medicine that is absolutely free!

If we really delve into this question, we find out that most studies supporting the hypothesis are not extensive. There are instances of laughter, however rare, prompting an asthma attack and triggering a stroke as well.  If you are surrounded by people laughing inappropriately or for no reason, you may also be stressed out because of that.

The good news is, there is more evidence supporting the benefits of laughter than there is evidence against it. A good laugh releases endorphins from the brain which result in heart healthy biological reactions in our body. It not only helps in pumping more blood into the system, but also inhibits platelet clumping, reducing the formation of cholesterol.

Laughter yoga is one exercise that uplifts the mood. It may improve muscle tone as well. Laughter can be a useful adjunct to an existing medical treatment. For instance, if someone is going through a chemotherapy, a good laughter shared with people can help one remain sane.  Apart from a medical assistant, humor can help you lighten your burden, help you stay grounded, enhance your relationships, and help you stay focused and alert.

Laughter has an all-round benefit for you and every other person on this universe. Not only is it physically benefiting but mentally and socially as well. It boosts immunity, relaxes your muscles and eases anxiety and fear. People think of you as a friend and an approachable person as laughter helps diffuse conflict.

There are many sources of laughter apart from a funny person in your life. One can get a pet, watch a funny movie or a sitcom, read funny books or simply go for a comedy night. Laughter may not be the magic potion of life and help everyone, but it has more proven benefits than harm. Unfortunately, not many scientists get funding to study the effects of laughter and reach a conclusive hypothesis, but whatever we know of, laughter sure is here to spread the joy.

How to Stay Committed to Your Health & Happiness

Happiness is an endeavor and health is a long term commitment. We need to develop a bent of mind that puts these two over everything else, for a long time. There are no shortcuts to happiness, and health also doesn’t come with a free ride.  We all want to progress and be achievers in life, but in that quest we forget about the things that really matter. The real things being the things that contribute to happiness and a hearty health.

We often resort to the shortcut, a quick fix, because it is presumably easy. While it may give us a temporary sense of achievement and happiness, it does not benefit in the long run. Quick fixes like a crash diet, a vigorous exercise regime, a short term course or a self help book that we read and forget are some things that may give us peace of mind, but what they also do is stall our long term plans of a commitment towards our health and happiness.

It is also necessary to set goals and overcome them on a daily basis. By staying focused on the present, we take steps to improve our future. Short term goals like following a diet, eating vegetables, exercising at least 10 minutes a day and increasing it with each passing day, sleeping at the right time for the right duration, having an early start to the day, to do more of what we enjoy and spend time with the people we love are some of the short term goals that lead to a long term happy and healthy life.

While achieving the short term goals need a considerable push and effort, it eventually becomes a way of life. When we consciously focus on working towards a happy and healthy life every day, we do not see it as an effort after a point. A few points below will help you move forward, from the short term goal setting to committing yourselves to your long term goals.

1.    Start with something that you can do and enjoy. Never opt for diet plans that are hard to keep or a workout regime that you can’t stick to. Sustainability is the key!

2.    Prioritize the things that make you healthy and happy. If you give more importance to things that are bound to make you happy and healthy, you will never undermine them.

3.    Be ready for the initial effort

4.    Never feel guilty for slip ups, but don’t make the slip ups a habit.

How to Build Muscle & Get Ripped-Nutrition & Fitness

A right diet is necessary to get the right nutrition. Hitting the gym and crushing weights won't get you anywhere if you don't get the support from your diet. Eating the right things at the right time along with the right supplements and the right exercise, may also take a while to get you in the shape you want. This is because as you inch closer towards your goal, your plan of action needs to be altered a bit according to the way forward.

The most crucial role in building muscles and getting ripped is played by food. The food that you eat provides you energy to be able to work out. Supplements and good nutrition help with muscle growth and muscle injury recovery. As we exercise, our body undergoes minor tissue damage that is not easily detectable and affects us only in the long run. Supplements help in the recovery of the minor damage, so it doesn’t lead to a major one.

The calorific consumption of the body determines the kind of body, it will develop into. The important thing to build muscles is to eat more calories than you burn which is known as caloric surplus. However, you need to be careful in this case. As if you gain calories more quickly, it will start depositing in your body as fat. It is important to do this progressively and track it regularly.

The next step after building the muscles, comes maintaining the weight. The simple logic being, burn as much as you take. This is called caloric maintenance. Knowing your maintenance caloric intake is the point where you begin. The next step from here is getting ripped!

Often called the caloric deficit, it is the art of burning more calories than consuming them. During the process we use the fat reserves in the body and you tend to lose weight. There has to be a basic weight that you need to have to get started. The weight depends on individual to individual. The process also involves losing fat only, as losing muscle will be a deterrent in more ways than one. To get ripped one must also prepare a nutrition spreadsheet as losing fat without losing muscle is a nutritional challenge. For this purpose, to know the macronutrient breakdown of the food is important. Carbs are also an important part of the diet to get ripped. The next step is choosing the right strength training and cardiovascular activities.

We wish you all the luck in your quest. If you stick to the basic rules stated above with the right monitoring, you are sure to get that muscular body.

How Natural Diet Supplements Can Keep You Out of Trouble

Natural supplements don’t necessarily mean that they are safe and live up to their promise. A little advice from the doctor before you take them is always recommended. Dietary supplements are available in a wide variety in the market, such as, amino acids, vitamins, etc. They are also available in a variety of forms that can be consumed easily. Whether as a pill, powder, capsule or liquids or gel tablets.

Natural diet supplements are not only made from ingredients available naturally, but also treat other ailments. For example, a natural diet supplement like Hydroxycitrate or HCA is a salt derived from the rind of South East Asian plants. It is not only a primary ingredient in leading natural diet supplements, but is also used for treating stomach ailments and joint pains. Research backs the effective role of HCA in lowering the fat absorption and lowering the LDL cholesterol. Another ingredient derived from an Asian plant is the Glucomannan. It is a fiber extremely effective for lowering the blood sugar and diabetes, apart from weight control. The fiber helps in absorption of more water in the digestive tract along with carbohydrates, and aids in weight loss.

As mentioned, ingredients of natural supplements are extracted from nature, a part of a plant, the outer shell of aquatic animals such as crabs or soluble fibers from yeast, bacteria, etc. An ingredient like Chitosan comes from chitin, the main part of the shells of insects. This wonder of a supplement is great for dietary purposes as well as lowering the bad cholesterol of the body.  Whey protein is one of the main constituents of fitness supplements. It not only helps in building muscles and repair muscle tissues from minuscule damage caused by workouts, but also suppresses our appetite and aids in weight loss. Derived from the whey of the milk, it is easily digestible and contains high levels of cysteine, an amino acid.

Concentrated soluble fibers like Beta Glucan, derived from yeast, mushrooms and algae, help control diabetes. In addition to lowering the cholesterol, they are an excellent option for a dietary supplement. We all know that Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for our entire body, from brain to heart. One of them is a dietary supplement found in beef or dairy products, called Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA. For vegetarians, it is even more important to take this as a supplement as dairy products rich in CLA are still in the process of synthesis.

These naturally derived supplements not only help us control our diet and bring us back in shape but also have additional health benefits. Caution must however be taken in their consumption, as too much of anything is always bad.

6 Signs You Should Invest In Best Weight Loss Supplement

It comes as no surprise that the number of overweight and obese people are increasing by the dozen, around the world. What is surprising is the rate at which this increase is coming into play and the fact that our children are also being affected in large numbers by obesity. The WHO estimates show an increase of an estimated 700 million obese people by the year end.
The available options for losing weight are many in the market, the decision to use them rests with us. Among the options available, weight loss supplements feature higher up in the list. We tell you the six signs why you should be investing in weight loss supplements:

Sign # 1 – Obesity - First and foremost, the reason why you should be investing in a weight loss supplement is obesity. It is not only about the unfavorable physical attributes and the low self-image that you have to live with. But, obesity results in a lot of diseases - high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, diabetes, sugar, etc. are some diseases caused as a result of obesity and can be life threatening.

Sign # 2 - Poor weight management - Obesity is a result of poor weight management. The fluctuations in weight are because of three major reasons which are diet, movement and nutrition.

Sign # 3- Energy loss - Loss of energy increases the risk of depression, blood circulation and results in insomnia. The loss of energy may be due to slow metabolism and low rate of burning of fat in the body. Weight loss supplement helps increase the rate of metabolism in the body and burns the unnecessary fat. This results in increase of energy levels.

Sign # 4 - Fluctuating blood pressure - Even when your body isn’t visibly fat, the stress of your lifestyle can lead to hypertension. The fluctuating blood pressure is a sign of what is coming. The irregularities in health are a result of an irregular and undisciplined lifestyle which can take its toll.

Sign # 5 - When tests are not in your favor - The ‘beyond 30’ part of our lives need regular medical checkups as an assurance that we are doing fine.  Changes in our cholesterol, glucose, thyroid hormones, etc. suggest that a modification in our diet is necessary. Weight loss supplements and a regular diet not only help us lose weight, but also regularize our diet.

Sign # 6 - When you need a change of wardrobe - Last but not the least, when you see that you need to revamp your wardrobe because you don’t fit into your favorite clothes anymore, it’s time to put yourself on weight loss supplements.

5 Ways in Which Yoga Benefits

India is often touted as the land of the Taj Mahal, Yoga and Bollywood. While we do know that the country has more to offer than that, Yoga is definitely one of the best things to have come from India for the fitness conscious.

#1 Many a celebrities have opted for Yoga to lose weight. Soorya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) is one of the most common Yoga postures that help in losing weight. It doesn't just lead to loss of weight, but also contributes to an overall fitness and building of muscles. As a result, the body becomes stronger and fitter.

#2 Yoga doesn’t discriminate, it is for all. Whether you are a child, young or old, yoga can be done by one and all. It's great to practice the art of Yoga with a room that has a diverse group of people. Whether you are an athlete, a celebrity or a housewife, Yoga is for all.

#3 The many faces of yoga include power yoga, hot yoga, relaxation, yoga etc. Whatever is the need of the hour, you can pick a tailor made yoga regime that best helps you. For instance Hatha yoga is for beginners and focuses on basic postures. Power yoga is great for those who need strength and body resistance.

#4 As mentioned, the power yoga increases the body resistance and hence the overall immunity of the body. The postures in Yoga are not just meant to make you look good but also make you feel good. They help in increasing the flexibility of the body. Every posture in Yoga aims to reinforce the muscles around the center of the body, which is the spine. The spine is often called the core from which everything in our body operates. It is only imperative that if the core of the body will improve the posture of the body and alleviate pain like that of neck, shoulder and back.

#5 The Panda spent the entire movie finding inner peace and we don’t have to look far. Yoga not only helps in gaining inner peace but also relieves us from stress, which get accumulated in our body and mind. Pranayama and meditation are two of the most popular Yoga postures that are taught to attain the same. Opting for Yoga as a stress buster, is like taking a road trip or a mini vacation, within ourselves. It is as liberating.

5 Reasons to be Addicted to Health Supplements

Food is the essence of life as we get all the necessary nutrients from it. Researchers and medical practitioners believe that there is no substitute for food and rightly so. But the truth is that our busy lifestyle and habits don’t put the needed nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin D, vitamin B 12 etc. on the plate.

Numerous studies have inferred the benefits of health supplements. The effectiveness of supplementing our diet with these nutrients has also evidently benefited people. For instance, vitamin and mineral supplements have helped in fighting chronic illnesses that could have otherwise remain unavoidable.

So who really needs to be addicted to health supplements? We list out 5 types of people who should be addicted to health supplements

1) Women - In addition to a balanced diet, pregnant women also need additional quantities of folic acid from supplements. They should also take prenatal vitamins that include iron. Besides, pregnant women, women who have heavy menstrual bleeding should also opt for health supplements to maintain their energy levels and avoid depletion of vital nutrients (like iron) from their body.

2) Adults over the age of 50 needs multivitamins and additional vitamin B-12 in their diet which can be supplemented through health supplements.

3) If you consume less than 1600 calories a day and don’t eat well, you require health supplements.

4) Vegetarians and Vegans - Vegetarians and vegans do not get the necessary dose of protein and are hence advised to take supplements. Also, people who do not like fish should opt for health supplements.  Fish contains essential fatty acids and proteins which are vital to the body. If you do not like fish and not have regular serving of the same, it is advised to add fish oil to your diet.

5) Have a chronic illness that affects the absorption of nutrients by your body. Illnesses such as food allergies, food intolerance, disease of the liver or the pancreas etc.

A nutritional expert or a coach will help you get the right kind of health supplement in your body. The FDA (The Food and Drug Administration) keeps a list of health supplements that have undergone review and are known to cause side effects. We must stay updated with the list and only take supplements that are FDA approved and also suggested by an authorized practitioner like a dietary expert or a doctor.