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Your Guide to Growing Microgreens

microgreens

Growing your own plants can be a therapeutic experience but most of us don’t have that luxury due to lack of space. What do you do then? The answer lies in microgreens! With a little effort, you can not only add new aesthetics to your home with minimum space requirement but also enhance your health and wellbeing.

What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are basically seedlings of vegetables and herbs. When they are grown up to 2-3 inches tall, they contain more nutrition than their grown up counterparts. They are harvested at a very early stage unlike mature vegetables or herbs.  Those mini nutrient dense plants are called microgreens. Microgreens, like other indoor plants, play a vital role in providing a pleasant and soothing environment one can live, work and relax within. Microgreens can be grown from any herb or vegetable.

Some commonly grown ones include:  

  • Amaranth
  • Basil
  • Broccoli
  • Coriander
  • Fenugreek
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Mint
  • Mustard
  • Onion
  • Radish
  • Wheat

What Benefits Do They Provide? 

  • Microgreens contain 4 to 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts.
  • They are incredibly rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, essential amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants that boost the immune system, improve cardiovascular health, and lower inflammation.
  • Expensive multivitamins, minerals and other supplements to promote health will no longer be required if we add a variety of microgreens to our regular diet. Just a few grams of microgreens can be enough to get your daily dose of essential nutrients.
  • Growing microgreens at home is inexpensive, requires less space and low attendance. More so, you reap something of high nutritional value which is free from toxic chemicals and pesticides
  • Microgreens give a distinctive flavor and can make any dish exotic.

How Do We Use Microgreens? 

There are many ways in which you can use microgreens. Some of them include: 

  1. Blending them in a smoothie 
  2. Make a soup with other veggies
  3. Use them in a salad
  4. Add to lentils in Khichdi 
  5. Use them as dressings or garnish 
  6. Add them to flour for some tasty vegetable chapati instead of a regular one 
  7. Use them in sandwiches, pizzas, burgers or tacos

How Can You Grow Them at Home?  

Growing your own microgreens isn’t a difficult ordeal. All you need is just soil, a pack of seeds, a tray or a pot or any disposable small container. 

Steps to follow: 

  1. Take a clean container or 10×20 tray and make holes in the bottom to provide proper drainage.
  2. Cover the bottom with moisturized soil or potting mix, putting 1 or 2 inches of it.
  3. Even the surface out and make sure you don’t press the soil too hard.
  4. Spread the seeds over the soil and press them gently with your fingers.
  5. Cover the seeds with another thin layer of soil. 
  6. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and keep it in the shade so it can germinate. 
  7. After a couple of days, your seeds will have germinated. Take the lid off and expose it to sunlight. 
  8. Around a week after you uncover your trays, they should be ready to harvest.

They are pretty nice on pots as well as palatable on your plate. So get free of those expensive ornamental plants and get to grow these versatile ones. Growing your own plants and consuming them provides a different kind of satisfaction. 

Which microgreen are you keen on growing? Let us know in the comments below! For more guidance on growing your own microgreens ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce  

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2 Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

breathing techniques for better sleep

Do you have trouble getting sleep despite the fact that you are tired? Sleeping well is an art. It needs a perfect blend of healthy habits and control of mind. A clean body and mind, relaxed mood, physical exercises, and perfect dietary control are some of the basic sleep-inducing methods. However, one of the best ways to bring the body into its relaxed state is – BREATHING! How do breathing techniques for better sleep work? Let’s find out!

Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

Breathing deeply has been proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion, the immune system and even the expression of genes. Research has shown that breathing exercises like Pranayama can have immediate effects by altering the pH of the blood, or changing blood pressure. But, more importantly, they can be used as a method to train the body’s reaction to stressful situations and dampen the production of harmful stress hormones and help induce sleep.

Here are 2 important breathing methods to calm the mind and induce sleep naturally.

1.  The 4-7-8 Technique

How To Do It?
This process is recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, a practitioner and teacher of integrative medicine for the last thirty years. To do this exercise, sit up in bed with your back straight or lie down on a straight back and press the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth right behind your front teeth. Maintaining that position, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four counts, hold that breath for seven counts, and then exhale through your mouth around your tongue for eight counts. Repeat this pattern until you have completed four full breaths.

How It Works?
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is effective because it encourages the fast removal of carbon dioxide. Doing so equates into a better preservation of the bicarbonate pool; our reservoirs for helping maintain an appropriate pH balance. Also, it allows the lungs to become fully charged with air, allowing more oxygen into the body, which promotes a state of calm.

2. Left Nostril Breathing 

How To Do It?
Simply take your right hand and with your fingers outstretched, block off your right nostril by putting gentle pressure on it with your right thumb.  Be sure to keep the rest of your fingers straight and pointing up. With a long, slow, deep breath, gently inhale through your left nostril.  Then, just as gently, exhale long, slowly and completely, again through the left nostril. Do this for at least 3 minutes; chances are you might doze of even before that!

How It Works?
When we’re under stress or feeling anxious, we tend to breathe mostly out of our right nostril, which is connected to our left brain. This activates our sympathetic nervous system, the channel responsible for the classic stress response – dilated pupils, increased core temperature, sweating, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. And when we start breathing through the left nostril the parasympathetic system gets activated which slows us down and helps our body automatically run its day to day jobs of digestion, elimination, sleep cycles and more.

Apart from these 2 breathing techniques for better sleep, you can also try meditation or mindfulness by just observing your breath as it goes in and as it comes out. Connecting with this rise and fall of the breath, and noticing where you feel that breath move within the body can help you begin the process of relaxing tense muscles and create a coherent heart pattern which brings an instant state of tranquil and helps you drift off to peaceful deep sleep.

We hope this article helps you sleep better! Do you meditate before you go to bed? What helps you sleep better? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on sleep, check out Healthy Reads or you can get tips directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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Simple Ways to Overcome Depression

Overcome DepressionMost of us tend to feel low when things don’t work in our favor. At times, we give a 100% to a task expecting something good in return. When these expectations aren’t met, we succumb to negative thoughts and depression.

Depression drains you of energy and hope. At times, it makes you feel helpless. It makes any task all the more difficult. Depression becomes a problem when it fails to pass and we don’t fight back. Feeling low is a part and parcel of life and is completely natural. But if this feeling intensifies and stretches over weeks or months, it could become problematic.

Are You Really Depressed? 

It is important to identify whether we are really depressed or we are just upset. It is easy to work on it once you know for sure. If we are upset, it is just a matter of time and everything is normal. If we are in depression, the sinking feeling of helplessness, loneliness and other negative feelings can go on for weeks or months with no end in sight. Depression is unhealthy for your mind and body but you can fight it!

Simple Ways To Overcome Depression

  • Get Into a Routine: If you feel depressed, have a routine and follow it regularly
  • Start Small & Stay Focused: If you feel the work you are doing is too much, break it into small tasks. For instance, if you are unable to walk 10km at a stretch, start with 1 km and gradually increase it. Eventually, you will be able to complete 10km at a stretch
  • Talk to Your Friends: Talk to a friend you trust. You will feel relaxed and your thought process will change
  • Sleep: Depression leads to issues with sleep. We should aim for at least 8 hours of sound sleep
  • Eat Healthy: There is no diet that can fix depression. It is better to keep an eye on what we eat. If Depression makes you feel like overeating, then keep portion control in mind
  • Challenge Negative Thoughts: To overcome depression, a lot of work is mental. Change the way you think. We tend to leap to the worst possible conclusions when depressed. The next time you are feeling terrible about yourself, use logic as a natural depression treatment. Ask yourself why you are feeling this way? Is this really true? Can you do anything about it? Is it possible to let go? It takes practice to clear your mind, but in time, you can beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control
  • Exercise: It temporarily boosts endorphins and makes you feel good. It may also have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways

The solution to a depression-free life is to use all the tools you can to get better. If you feel that your depression is getting worse, seek professional help. Needing additional help doesn’t mean you are weak, it is the most practical solution. It is completely possible to get lost in negative thoughts. Just remember that depression can be treated and you can feel better!

We hope this article helps you overcome depression. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more by our emotional wellness expert Divya Thampi, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to her sessions on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce 

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At Your Desk for 6 Hours? Try These Office Workout Options

office workoutMost individuals who work desk jobs are stuck in front of their computers for 6 hours or more on a daily basis. If you don’t believe us, ask yourself some simple questions:

  • Out of 24 hours in a day, how many hours do I sit?
  • Do I feel any back or muscle pain during or at the end of the day?
  • Do I feel a strain in my eyes or around my forehead area?

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s time to start with some basic office workout options which will help you remain active throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you hit the gym in the morning for an hour, when you sit in front of a computer or TV, in a car or in a meeting, you’re not moving! This will increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, etc. Continuously sitting is bad for your health!

Workouts You Can Do At Work 

1. Walk: Keep an alarm for every 45 min and get up from your seat to take a 3-4 min break. You can walk till the dispenser to drink water or go to printer to get a print. Take a bio-break or just take a round in the lobby. The idea is to walk!

2. Neck Stretch: Tilt you head to the right so you feel the stretch on the left. Hold for 5 seconds. Similarly, do it on left side, front and back. Repeat this 2 times.

3. Head Rotation: Slowly rotate your head in clock wise and anti-clock wise 5 times.

4. Shoulder Shrug: Raise your shoulder to the max, take them back, squeeze gradually and relax.

5. Arms:

  1. Sit or stand straight and place one arm across your body. Keep your arm parallel to the ground and pull your elbow towards your body.
  2. Stand with one hand behind your neck and elbow pointing upwards, then use your other hand to pull your elbow behind.

6. Wrist/Hands:

  1. Roll your wrist 10 times clockwise and anti-clockwise. If possible every hour or while taking on phone.
  2. Extend fingers as far as possible and hold for 5 sec, then make a fist as tight as possible and hold for 5 sec. Repeat 5 times.

7. Back:

  1. Place your hands on the edge of your desk and slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you are looking at the floor. Feel the stretch and slowly return to normal. (Repeat 5 times)
  2. Stand straight, raise your arms up to the ceiling, alternately extend 1 arm up to the ceiling.
  3. Stand straight, lock your hands and extend them towards the ceiling by turning your palms upward. Slowly pull yourself back. (Repeat 5 times)

8. Legs:

  1. While sitting on the chair, straighten each leg one at a time, gradually lower it, stop halfway and hold for a few seconds. Repeat with the other leg (Do this 5 times with each leg).
  2. Stretch the front of your thigh by standing straight. Place one hand on the chair or desk for support, grab one of your ankles and bring it upwards to your buttocks. Remember to be in an upright position, keeping your back straight and knees parallel to each other. Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat with other leg. (Repeat 5 times for each leg).
  3. Place one feet on another chair or desk and bend forward until you feel the stretch in the back of your leg. If possible try to touch your feet. Flex your foot and then point it. Hold it for a few seconds and repeat with the other leg. (Repeat 5 times each leg).

More Office Workout Tips To Keep You Active! 

  • Take stairs instead of the elevator – 2 at a time to maximize the burn!
  • Have a good posture as you work at your desk.
  • Sitting on an exercise ball will help your posture more.
  • Park away from your workplace so you have to walk farther.
  • When you can – stand rather than sit and walk rather than stand.

The above stretching guide is to reduce muscular stress and aches. Try doing as much as possible to get healthier. If you feel any unbearable pain while exercising, stop and seek professional help.

If you really want to get active, you can read about these Lunchtime Workouts. You can also join our certified experts for a live, interactive session on GOQii PRO. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

We hope this article on Office Workouts helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce 

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