Archives for March 2021

March 31, 2021 By Megha Mahajan Leave a Comment

Can Pranayama Techniques Cool Your Body During Summer?

Are you using lots of water, cool drinks, air-conditioning or beach parties to beat the heat this summer? Would you be interested to know about an easy and inexpensive way to chill instead? If yes, then read this article to learn three different breathing techniques to cool down your body. Yes! You read it right. All you need to do is breathe! Here’s how Pranayama techniques can cool your body during summer!

Pranayama Techniques To Cool Your Body

1. Increased Rate & Depth of Breathing
Preferably lie down in Shavasana and practice deep diaphragmatic breathing, allowing the belly to rise with each inhalation. Make sure to increase your breathing rate too. A modified version of doing it is panting like a dog. Just open your mouth and stick out your tongue as far as it can go, then start panting. Make sure that your stomach goes in or contracts immediately with each exhalation.

Why does it work?
We sweat a lot during the summers. The evaporation of sweat cools down our body. In the same ways, with an increased rate and depth of breathing, we exhale a lot more water vapour. It enhances the cooling effect of the body. Now you know why dogs don’t sweat? They stick out their tongue and release the heat. More breaths and less movement ensures the double advantage of cooling your pace.

2. Sheetali Pranayama
Stick your tongue out and roll it like a straw. Inhale air through this straw as if you were sipping in a cool beverage on a hot summer day. Exhale through the nose. Sheetkari pranayama is a modified version of Sheetali, which can be done if you are unable to roll your tongue. Here you have to open your mouth with clenched teeth to inhale through them and exhale through the nose.

Why does it work?
When we breathe in through the nose, the air gets warmed up on its path to the lungs to match the internal body temperature. While we breathe in through the mouth, this doesn’t happen. On the contrary, the air gets moistened when we inhale through the mouth, enhancing its cooling effects.

3. Left Nostril Breathing
Use your right-hand fingers to block the right nostril and breathe through the left nostril. An easier way to activate the left nostril breathing is to insert a cotton plug in the right ear.

Why does it work?
Our body temperature is maintained by the movement of air through the right and left channels. The right channel is associated with sun, heat and activity. Whereas the left channel is associated with the moon, cool and rest. It is like the accelerator and brake pedals of a car. Applying the brakes gently slows down and cools off the overheated car engines. Similarly, when we deliberately breathe in through the left nostril, the brakes get applied to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to produce a cooling and calming effect on the body.

And there it is! We hope these 3 pranayama techniques will help you cool your body during these hot summer days. Try them and let us know your experience in the comments below. For more summer tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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March 30, 2021 By Dr. Naina Sudarshan Leave a Comment

Which Vitamins Are Good For Skin Repair?

Skin is the largest organ of our body and the one which is directly exposed to the outer environment everyday. There are a lot of external factors like sunlight, wind, dust, cold weather, alcohol, smoking, etc. and internal factors like dehydration, aging, poor nutrition, stress and lack of sleep that can damage the skin. When we feel that our skin is damaged or to prevent skin damage, a lot of us tend to fall for the plethora of skin care products that are available in the market. But in reality, we need to work on fixing our damaged skin internally rather than using external products that can possibly contain many types of chemicals. So what do we do for skin repair? The answer is easy – It’s the vitamins in our diet!

Which Vitamins Can Be Used For Skin Repair?

There are many vitamins found in food itself that can be used for skin repair as opposed to using supplements. Let’s take a look at which vitamins can work wonders for skin repair.

Vitamin A: Rich in antioxidants, it protects our skin from sunburn by preventing the breakdown of collagen, a protein that gives elasticity to skin. Hence, Vitamin A helps in regeneration of both upper and lower layers of skin cells. Vitamin A helps to moisturize the skin when damaged, itchy, dry and bumpy. In cases of inflammation or wounds, where germs can directly enter the body through the skin, the antioxidants in Vitamin A can also help protect the body from harmful free radicals. Orange colored foods like carrots, papaya, sweet potato, mango, dried apricot, pumpkin, red bell pepper, tomato and cantaloupe are some of the examples of foods that are high in Vitamin A . Liver meat for non vegetarians are also rich in Vitamin A.
Vitamin B: Some of the research studies found that Vitamin B helps in formation of new skin cells. Riboflavin, the Vitamin B2, helps in maintaining healthy collagen levels and balancing the oil in our skin which heals the skin dryness. Foods like Almonds, spinach, beef liver, dairy products and mushrooms are Vitamin B2 rich food. Niacin, Vitamin B3 is good for treating sun damaged skin, eczema, dry skin, and rosacea by conditioning the skin. Dairy products, fish, chicken, cereals and mushrooms are rich in Vitamin B3. Pantathonic acid or Vitamin B5 helps in maintaining the moisture of the skin by keeping it hydrated. This is good for skin repair and preventing aging and acne. This Vitamin can be found in mushrooms, broccoli, sweet potato and avocado. Vitamin B7 or Biotin helps in repairing the skin from acne, fungal infections, and rashes. Vitamin B7 is high in foods like almonds, tomatoes, onions, eggs, sardine fish and sweet potatoes. Skin cell damage caused by free radicals can be fixed with Vitamin B9 or Folic acid found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beets and okra. People who are suffering from chronic skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis, Vitamin B12 works best in reducing the inflammation, dryness and redness of skin and makes the healing faster. Rich food sources of Vitamin B12 include dairy, fish, meat and eggs.
Vitamin C: or Ascorbic acid, a water soluble vitamin, is not synthesized in our body. Vitamin C has a huge role in natural production of collagen in our body. Vitamin C is widely useful in treating photoaging, altered pigmentation, hyperpigmentation and immune suppression due to the exposure to UV rays from the sun. Vitamin C has powerful antioxidants as it promotes tissue healing in such cases. Vitamin C heals the skin by neutralizing the free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Dry skin, another common skin issue, may be due to environmental changes, dehydration or aging too. The outer layer of skin has barrier lipids to prevent dryness. When there is deficiency of these lipids, it causes dryness. Vitamin C is believed to help in production of these barrier lipids and also prevents water or moisture loss from skin. Vitamin C can be found in all citrus fruits like Oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemon, Kiwi, strawberries, green pepper, guavas, cherries, plum, broccoli, and Cantaloupe.
Vitamin D: There are few research studies concluded that Vitamin D helps in wound healing and also modulates the inflammation. Apart from this, Vitamin D has antimicrobial properties which may help in treating acne developed due to bacterial overgrowth. Vitamin D is available naturally through exposure to sunlight, a variety of fishes like sardines, salmon,herring, mackerel, egg yolk, and fortified foods like cereals.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is one of the most familiar and important Vitamin related to dermatology since ages. This is a fat soluble antioxidant vitamin which has photoprotective and anti tumorigenic properties. Vitamin E acts as a scavenger against free radicals and protects the skin against solar radiation. This Vitamin is one of the best treatments for skin conditions like atopic dermatitis, epidermolysis bullosa, psoriasis, melasma, acne vulgaris, scleroderma, Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus and cutaneous ulcers. Nuts and seeds like almonds, hazelnuts,pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and avocado are some of the rich sources of Vitamin E that we can get from food.

Remember that it is always better to avoid self medication of Vitamin supplements as overdosing can cause severe side effects since some amount of vitamins are already consumed through food. Having a variety of nutrient rich foods like fruits, vegetables and others is a better idea to get all the necessary vitamins. Though there may be topical Vitamins available in the market for skin repair, it’s always better to get all the Vitamins through food internally for better skin repair.

Before you begin consuming any of the foods listed above, please consult your doctor, nutritionist or dietitian to find out if you have any allergies or deficiencies. We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on skin repair, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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March 29, 2021 By Radhika Mehta Leave a Comment

Does Lifting Weights Build Mental Strength?

Exercise helps maintain healthy weight, control sugar levels, strengthen muscles and bones, and most importantly, it improves fitness and keeps you healthy! It also has an effect on our mental strength as it improves mood, helps in relaxation and lowers depression. This happens because the brain releases neurotransmitters called endorphins which regulate positive feelings and keeps the mood up.

What Is Good Mental Strength?

Having good mental strength means to have logical and realistic thinking patterns, decision making power and this helps manage your emotions and behaviour. Many studies have proven that people suffering with anxiety, mood disorders and depression benefit from including exercise in their routine. Hence, following a regular exercise pattern is essential to maintain mental health and improve mental strength.

Mental strength is as important as physical strength and the good news is that both can be improved with exercise. Hitting the gym or going for a run helps people suffering from heartbreak, loss of a loved one, less self confidence, as after training they report feeling good and positive by investing their energy in a positive place.

How Does Exercise Help?

Aerobic exercises like running, cycling, swimming are well known to reduce symptoms related to mental disturbances like stress and anxiety. Regular aerobic exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps to strengthen brain health and memory. The increase in core temperature during aerobic exercise results in calmer mood after the activity. Aerobic activity even for 20mins a day results in positive mood and thoughts throughout the day.

How Does Weightlifting Help Build Mental Strength?

Weight training uses weights or external resistance for exercising. It is used to train and strengthen muscles, improve posture and bone structure, boost metabolism and help in better sleep. Lesser known benefits about lifting weights includes improvement in mind-muscle coordination which is an essential part of exercise. This coordination is associated with cognitive function of executive functioning which manages our command and control skills. Lifting weights also improves memory and cognition related tasks. It results in a realistic pattern of thinking, taking smart decisions and regulating behaviour. It also provides a sense of self efficacy and boosts confidence.

Resistance training is a highly effective way to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. Because what benefits the body, benefits the brain. Just like lifting weights causes muscle gain, the brain has the capacity to change itself in response to internal as well as external influences, which is known as neuroplasticity. In the presence of weight lifting, the brain becomes active, hormone production and neuron production increases. All of this together improves mental strength and helps the individual recover from anxiety or depression along with the therapy.

Weight lifting teaches you to live in the present and be more mindful as lifting requires a lot of concentration and attention in the moment. Setting up the correct posture, controlling the body and performing the movement requires a lot of focus and concentration. Make sure to club weight training in your routine for a strong body and stronger mental health.

How To Get Started With Weight Lifting

Aim to weight train for 30-45 mins, 3 times a week
Start with low weights and focus on posture and consistency
Train at low to moderate intensity for maximum benefit from weight training
Do not miss out on 7-8 hours of sleep, meditation and a balanced diet which contributes majorly to staying fit

Even if you’re currently not depressed or anxious or have any goals of muscle building, I would urge you to consider weight training for all of it’s added benefit. We hope this article on lifting weights to build mental strength helps you. You can read more fitness related articles on Healthy Reads or simply tune in to our fitness experts on GOQii Play. Subscribe now!

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March 27, 2021 By Urvi Gohil Leave a Comment

Healthy Eating: Vegetable Appam

Eating a healthy breakfast ensures a healthy start to the day! But, there’s a good chance that you might not know what to eat or might want a change from the usual. So, we’re here with a tasty, super easy Vegetable Appam recipe! It uses traditional seasoning and can be made quickly!

What You Will Need

Semolina – 1 cup
Onion – ¼ cup finely chopped
Capsicum – ¼ cup finely chopped
Carrot – ¼ cup finely chopped
Spinach – ¼ cup finely chopped
Coriander – ¼ cup finely chopped
Ginger Chili Paste – 1 tbsp
Grated Coconut – ¼ cup
Curd – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Oil – 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves – 5-6
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Haldi – ½ tsp
Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp
Salt as per taste

How To Prepare

Heat some oil in a pan, add in the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Now, add the curry leaves and slide in the chopped onion, capsicum, carrot and spinach.
Sauté this for 3-5 minutes and add the semolina. Roast this for 2 more minutes and remove it in a mixing bowl.
Once the semolina and veggies mixture cool down, add in the ginger chilli paste, coconut, coriander, garam masala, haldi, red chili powder, curd and salt. Give it a good mix.
Now add in ½ cup of water, mix it together and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
After the rest, check the batter and add another ½ cup of water to make it similar to an uttapam batter consistency.
Grease the appam tray with some oil and put it on flame.
Using a spoon, add a controlled portion of batter in the appam tray and cover it with a lid.
After 5 minutes check if the sides of the appam look brown. If yes, flip it over and allow it to cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
Our healthy, instant vegetable appam is ready! Serve it with coconut or green chutney.

Note: If you do not have an appam tray, you can make it as mini uttapams in any pan and enjoy.

Highlights of the Vegetable Appam Recipe

It’s a quick, easy and healthy breakfast meal loved by everyone.
Gives you the goodness of vegetables, rich in vitamins and satiating.
Very good for your gut as it is partially fermented.

We hope you enjoy this Vegetable Appam recipe. Do try it out and share your experience in the comments below or share it on social media, tagging GOQii! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce