Steps to Maximize Your Workout

Rigorously working out on a daily basis and not getting maximum results out of it is not something that you want. Following are tips to maximize your .

Rigorously working out on a daily basis and not getting maximum results out of it is not something that you want. Following are tips to maximize your workout .

1. Water

Before you begin with your workout regime it is important for you to have supplied your body with a minimum of two glasses of water. Hydrating yourself can make your workout a highly effective one.

2. Diet

Eating healthy is one of the most important components while you are following a workout routine. Consuming plenty of carbohydrate-rich foods before your workout should be made a compulsion. You can include protein in your diet too in order to give you the required energy while you are working out.

3. Workout time

The amount of time you work out for also contributes to its efficacy on your body. Ideally, your workout should last for a maximum of 60 minutes. By exceeding this time span you could possibly be injuring your body.

4. Warm up

Warming up before actually beginning with your workout schedule is a great way of making it extremely effective on you. Walking up the stairs, jogging or cycling could be ways to begin your workout routine.

5. Rotation

Anything that is done continuously without change can become ineffective on your body. Posing newer challenges regularly and trying different routines can be the finest way to make workouts effective.

6. Post workout diet

What you consume after a workout is of prime significance. Carbohydrates, proteins and a healthy intake of fats are what comprise an ideal meal. Eating a healthy and wholesome meal after workout can show best results on your body.

7. Progressive workouts

Increasing the intensity of the workout gradually is the apt way to manage a workout regime, which is the most effective. You could begin by walking for a stipulated period of time and then proceed to jogging and then running. By doing so, you are steadily increasing the effectiveness of the regime on your body.

8. Posture

While practicing any form of exercise, it is essential to keep an eye on the posture that you have formed. If you fail to be accurate in the formation of the same, it might not be as effective and could also lead to injury.

Making sure you follow these tips and working towards making your workouts effective for your body could be one of the most beneficial things for your health. 

Five ways to get straight hair naturally

Are you tired of the waves in your hair? Do you wish to get that straight silky hair that you have just seen in your favourite shampoo ad? A few home therapies can definitely make your hair relatively straighter than before.

Coconut and Lemon

Add a few drops of lemon juice to freshly prepared coconut milk and mix well. Keep the glass of coconut milk and lemon juice into refrigerator for a few hours. A thick foamy layer will appear over the glass, which needs to be applied on the scalp and entire length of the hair right away. Steam your hair for 15-20 minutes after this and follow it up with a wash. Repeat this process regularly to get straighter hair.

Celery

Crush a few fresh celery leaves and mix them with a little water. Squeeze it to extract the juice and store it in bottle. The bottle has to be left unused for at least a day, so as to allow the juice to develop properties and effectiveness for straightening. Using them regularly, preferably in the morning, before bath will help in straightening hair. Massage it well on the scalp and leave it for 15-30 minutes, prior to washing it off with a shampoo.

The Milky Way

Milk is known to have moisturizing properties, which are suitable in straightening the hair. Take half cup of milk, preferably boiled and cooled. Then mix it with half cup of water. Store it in a spray bottle and spray over the hair. Allow it to stand for half an hour, before shampooing the hair. This mixture will help in straightening as well as adding substantial amount of moisture to add smoothness to the hair.

Cast a Spell with Castor

Castor oil is known to have hair growth and hair straightening properties. Massage the oil on the scalp, along your hair strands and then comb your hair properly. As you comb, blow dry your hair, which has been separated into sections, on high heat. The hair should feel dry and not oily after being blow dried. When done, wrap it with a chilled towel and leave for half an hour. It will soothe the hair from excessive heat and will restore the straightness. 

Hair Dryer and Hair Brush

This combination is something that people have seen in salons and spas. This can be done at home too! Get a hair dryer and a good hair brush, which will stretch and hold your hair firmly in place. Comb your wet hair and while it is still wet, use hair brush to stretch a section of hair by rolling it in end and then blow dry it. Repeat the process for other sections of wet hair till dry. 

6 Hidden Facts Why You Are Gaining Weight

 Are you doing everything to lose your weight and still gaining weight? Are you strictly eating everything that says ‘low fat’, or have a diet of two tomatoes and 1 boiled potato per day?

People have always associated fitness with fat loss or weight loss. In the struggle to achieve success overnight, they tend to subject their bodies to several kinds of abuses including rigid crash diets and ‘low fat’ bingeing. However, they don’t realise that bad eating, wrong diets and above all several other factors, non-related to food could be the potential reasons for your weight gain.

Let’s elaborate top six of them.

What happens when you diet

If you think that by eating sparingly for fifteen days, you will get back in shape, then its utter rubbish! Bodies that go into sudden starvation mode tend to save more calories than burn it. The body is like a system, which needs fuel to conduct basic metabolic activities, including burning of fat. Hence, when there’s no food or fuel, as the body saves the existing energy instead of utilizing it.

Watch what you eat!

Similarly, binging on ‘low fats’ labelled food, is bound to make one gain weight. Most of such food products have high levels of sugar, which add to the calorie count and therefore, explain the weight gain. Hence, instead of going for such foods, resort to fresh home cooked foods for weight loss. Don’t forget to avoid the junk food at all cost!

Sedentary lifestyle

Maybe you are eating right, but are simply failing to shed those kilos. It’s time to pay attention to your activity levels. Having a sedentary, lazy life or being a couch potato can be one of the reasons behind those excess tiers around your tummy.

Switch to an exercise regimen that is well suited for your body. If you are not an exercise person, then cultivating a few sport activities may be helpful. Try yoga, swimming or jogging or dancing to lose weight. A simple brisk walk of 45 minutes a day can help you as well.

Check your medicines

Some medicines have side effects of weight gain. You need to check with your GP, to confirm your fears. If possible, get him to prescribe other medicinal substitutes that do not have such side effects.

Sleeping patterns

Are you becoming an owl lately? Maybe it’s the reason behind your saddle bags! Switch to normal sleeping routine. Irregular sleeping patterns disturb body metabolism and result in weight gain.

Quit drinking

Excess drinking spoils and fattens the liver, making it sluggish in process. Being the chief blood detoxifier and fat metaboliser, it is unable to perform both the functions. This results in gaining weight and skyrocketing new heights of obesity.

Top 10 Best Winter Foods

Apples

Apples are great all year round, known for its properties that boost cardiovascular health and prevent dementia. Winter is the season for apples, and eating seasonal fruits is both healthy and affordable. So stock up on juicy apples and enjoy the winter chill.

Oranges 

You would need these and loads of them. Rich in Vitamin C, oranges consumed whole or in the form of juice help build immunity against common cold and cough. Keeping a good stock of oranges may not require you to depend on antibiotics.

Spinach 

This load of green is possibly the most awaited gift of the season. Spinach adds that dash of taste and health to your diet and is an extremely nutritious green vegetable. You can even get a little creative with the preparation, so as to not let the food get boring.

Peanuts 

Fried, salted, or plain, peanuts are a must-have for the winters. The sugary ‘chikki’ that you may find in the local market should be kept handy. Peanuts in every form are a welcome food for body heat and proteins.

Carrots 

Probably one of the only gifts of nature that is rich in more than one form of Vitamin, carrots complete your body’s requirement of vitamins B, C, D, E and K, while the carotene gets converted to Vitamin A later. It is no wonder that a plate of heartily made ‘gajar ka halwa’ is to die for.

Chicken Soup 

We know you love it, so just go ahead and make this an absolute necessity for the winter palate. A piping hot bowl full of chicken soup is best known to drive away the chill of dreadful winters.

Nuts & Dried Fruits 

Dried fruits are known to retain a large amount of the nutritious quotients of fresh fruits. Therefore, they are essential providers of nutrients in the absence of their fresher counterparts. Together with other nuts, they up the quality of diet and their regular consumption, especially in winter, helps combat risks to health. 

The above list is sure to keep you hearty and healthy during this winter. So, make sure you skip none...

1. Apples

   Apples are great all year round, known for its properties that boost cardiovascular health and prevent dementia. Winter is the season for apples, and eating seasonal fruits is both healthy and affordable. So stock up on juicy apples and enjoy the winter chill.

2. Oranges 

   You would need these and loads of them. Rich in Vitamin C, oranges consumed whole or in the form of juice help build immunity against common cold and cough. Keeping a good stock of oranges may not require you to depend on antibiotics.

3. Spinach 

   This load of green is possibly the most awaited gift of the season. Spinach adds that dash of taste and health to your diet and is an extremely nutritious green vegetable. You can even get a little creative with the preparation, so as to not let the food get boring.

4. Peanuts 

   Fried, salted, or plain, peanuts are a must-have for the winters. The sugary ‘chikki’ that you may find in the local market should be kept handy. Peanuts in every form are a welcome food for body heat and proteins.

6. Carrots 

   Probably one of the only gifts of nature that is rich in more than one form of Vitamin, carrots complete your body’s requirement of vitamins B, C, D, E and K, while the carotene gets converted to Vitamin A later. It is no wonder that a plate of heartily made ‘gajar ka halwa’ is to die for.

7. Kiwi 

   This exotic fruit is another rich source of Vitamin C. A pinch of salt added to freshly cut kiwis may make for a grand entry to your breakfast or evening tea time. Furthermore, this may become a sweet addition to a variety of winter salads.

8. Chicken Soup 

   We know you love it, so just go ahead and make this an absolute necessity for the winter palate. A piping hot bowl full of chicken soup is best known to drive away the chill of dreadful winters.

9. Cocoa 

   A mug of brimming hot cocoa does not just sound wonderful, but can work wonders for your winter diet too. Cocoa is known to help the cardiovascular functioning of the body since it is a food rich in flavonoids. So, keep a tin of drinking cocoa for a sip after each sumptuous meal.

   
   

   
   

1. Apples

   Apples are great all year round, known for its properties that boost cardiovascular health and prevent dementia. Winter is the season for apples, and eating seasonal fruits is both healthy and affordable. So stock up on juicy apples and enjoy the winter chill.

2. Oranges 

   You would need these and loads of them. Rich in Vitamin C, oranges consumed whole or in the form of juice help build immunity against common cold and cough. Keeping a good stock of oranges may not require you to depend on antibiotics.

3. Spinach 

   This load of green is possibly the most awaited gift of the season. Spinach adds that dash of taste and health to your diet and is an extremely nutritious green vegetable. You can even get a little creative with the preparation, so as to not let the food get boring.

4. Peanuts 

   Fried, salted, or plain, peanuts are a must-have for the winters. The sugary ‘chikki’ that you may find in the local market should be kept handy. Peanuts in every form are a welcome food for body heat and proteins.

6. Carrots 

   Probably one of the only gifts of nature that is rich in more than one form of Vitamin, carrots complete your body’s requirement of vitamins B, C, D, E and K, while the carotene gets converted to Vitamin A later. It is no wonder that a plate of heartily made ‘gajar ka halwa’ is to die for.

7. Kiwi 

   This exotic fruit is another rich source of Vitamin C. A pinch of salt added to freshly cut kiwis may make for a grand entry to your breakfast or evening tea time. Furthermore, this may become a sweet addition to a variety of winter salads.

   
   

Yoga for Diabetes

Diabetes is catching up fast as one of the deadliest diseases afflicting us. With more and more people turning to alternative therapies for recovery, yoga is fast becoming a viable option for treating the same.

1. Downward Facing Dog Pose

Though fairly easy to perform, this posture offers benefits far beyond its simplistic implementation. It helps to alleviate hypertension and the effects of type 2 diabetes.

a. Step One

Stand on your knees and hands and slowly lift your hips up in the air, while you exhale sucking your stomach in.

b. Step Two

Keep your spine straight, hands outstretched, knees straightened and your palm as flat on the ground as possible.

c. Step Three

Let your head hang freely and keep your eyes at your navel.

d. Step Four

Hold this position for a couple of breaths and exhale as you relax into your starting position.

2. Big Toe Pose

One of the most basic yoga poses, this exercise aids in improving digestion and liver functioning. Since diabetes results mostly in renal failure, practicing this posture on a regular basis might improve chances of bypassing kidney-related diseases.

a. Step One

Stand with your feet apart, keeping your thigh muscles relaxed and gradually bend down to touch your toes, inhaling as you go.

b. Step Two

Take care to keep your hips in an upright position, your knees bent and your elbows folded. Place your index finger between the toes and hold this position for some time.

c. Step Three

Exhale as you begin to stand upright, releasing the tension in your spine and returning to your starting position.

3. Triangle Pose

This position is particularly helpful in strengthening the spinal column and the abdominal area, thereby promoting greater insulin production. Greater insulin levels result in a marked reduction of Type 2 diabetes.

a. Step One

Stand with your left foot in front of the right one. Make sure your knees are straight.

b. Step Two

Bend to touch your left foot with your left hand. Then slowly turn your torso in the diametrically opposite position, with your right hand reaching for the sky. If your balance is unstable, you can take the support of the wall.

c. Step Three

Hold this outstretched position for a couple of breaths and then slowly exhale and reach your relaxed position.

The all-encompassing power of yoga is enough to treat any disease. By following the suggested exercises, you will be able to reap great benefits in the long run.

Things to do before you have kids

From daycare costs to an increase in medical insurance premiums to higher costs on groceries and clothing, becoming a parent doesn't come cheap. Here is a look at five things you should do financially before having children.

  Maintain a Residence

Prior to taking the plunge into parenthood, one of the most important financial moves you can make is securing a stable residence. Whether you own a home or rent a house or apartment, it is important to be well- established in your residence before becoming a parent. Bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital can be stressful for many new parents. Being established in your home allows you to plan ahead for your baby's arrival.

Have a Stable Income

Another highly important financial task that should be tackled prior to expanding your family is to ensure that you have a steady job and income. By having a steady job, you are ensuring that a regular cash flow is available to pay for expenses like rent and bills. A steady income also allows you to maximize the amount you are able to save for the future. By optimizing your savings, you are helping to safe-proof your future from financial uncertainty.

Pay Down Debt and Optimize Your Credit Score

A financially smart move to make before increasing your family size is to pay down your debt and optimize your credit score. It is wise to pay off your existing debt before taking on more expenses that come associated with raising a family.No one wants to be in debt. By paying down your debt and optimizing your credit score, you are helping to make sure that your financial future is a bright one.

Secure Quality Health Insurance

Another matter of high priority that should be accomplished prior to considering parenthood is enrolling in a quality health insurance policy. To protect your finances against unexpected medical costs, finding a health insurance policy that offers a broad range of services is of the utmost importance. Additionally, with healthcare reform taking the country by storm, health insurance has now become a requirement as opposed to a luxury. Be prepared and enroll in a quality health insurance policy prior to jumping into parenthood.

Learn to Budget Effectively

Learning to budget effectively prior to entering parenthood is a matter of high concern. Many parents find that their finances become strained after having a new baby, and learning to budget effectively can be difficult if you've never adhered to a financial plan before. By budgeting effectively now, you can help to ensure that your family's financial future is strong. Start small, and begin to cut frivolous purchases out of your household budget. It may also be helpful to determine what expenses are necessary and what could be eliminated from your monthly budget. You'll soon be on track to spending less, saving more and preparing for a brighter financial picture.

The Bottom Line

Before you take the plunge head first into parenthood,  consider taking these important financial steps first. Not only will it help your financial situation now,but your future financial state will benefit from your proactive measures. Some stability, financial planning and common sense can go a long way when you are planning for your future. When you are finally ready to make the plunge, you will find yourself in a much more financially secure state.

How Drinking Can be Good For You

Alcohol has often been addressed as the ‘Wet Devil’ and deemed dangerous for health. 

But little do people know that alcohol consumption can have some surprising health benefits as well. The following article will illustrate the benefits of drinking.

Wine

1. Recent research has proved that drinking red wine helps in sleeping properly. Red wine essentially helps in producing melatonin. It is an antioxidant that not only helps regulate the sleep cycle, but also prevents cancer and aging.

2. Resveratrol, an essential component in red wine, helps in building immunity against diseases and helps one live longer. Not only that, it also helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also known to reduce inflammation, lower LDL cholesterol and improve overall physical health.

3. A glass of red wine has enough resveratol and antioxidants to reduce the risk of heart ailments.

4. Red wine is known to reduce chances of lung cancer by 13%; prostate cancer by 50% and breast cancer in women by 12%.

5. The chances of catching a cold are reduced by 44% with the moderate daily consumption of red wine.

Beer

1. Beer aids in proper bone health with its high silicon contents. Studies have shown that daily consumption of beer helps develop good bone density.

2. Beer accounts for a 31% reduction in cardiovascular risks. Daily consumption helps reduce LDL cholesterol levels and keep the arteries clean.

3. A man drinking beer has 40% less chances of developing kidney stones than non-beer drinkers. It is presumed that the high water content in beer keeps the risk of kidney dehydration away and prevents stone formation.

4. The risk of developing diabetes with a moderate but regular consumption of beer is reduced by 25% mostly because beer increases insulin sensitivity and regulates blood sugar levels.

Vodka

1. It acts as a sleep inducer and helps in relaxing the mind and reducing stress levels.

2. It is the most effective household disinfectant and was often administered to clean wounds. Its antiseptic properties remove toxins from the skin and help kill germs.

3.The alcohol content in vodka is effective enough to take latent heat off the body when externally administered during fevers.

4. It aids in proper heart health, reducing harmful cholesterol levels, and reducing hypertension and keeping cardiovascular troubles at bay.

5. Regular but moderate consumption calms the brain and reduces the risk of dementia, neural troubles and Alzheimer’s.

6. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and has proven results in curing osteoporosis and arthritis.

Alcohol consumption does have its health benefits, but these only reflect when the consumption is moderate. Over-consumption and drinking with no holds barred is capable of causing more harmthan good. So alcohol connoisseurs are advised to exercise caution.

Make the most of your down payment!

A dream that most of us nurture when living in a rented accommodation is purchasing our own house. When you cannot provide cash up front, a home loan is the next possible way of making the purchase.

Normally, lenders (banks, financial institutions) would require some amount to be paid upfront as a 'down payment' because normally banks do not offer a '100% loan'. A 'down payment' simply put is the difference between the purchase price of a property and the mortgage loan amount. It underlines the buyer's commitment to complete the deal and indicates the buyer's fidelity in making the loan payments.

The system of down payment exists because:

• It indicates the borrower's credit worthiness
• The amount of real investment a borrower has in their purchase, and their commitment to continue to make payments regularly are linked
• It acts as a sort of insurance for lenders, since borrowers know that if they default on their loan; they will not only lose the property but their down payment as well
• It ensures that the buyer (borrower) has some stake in maintaining the property
• It ensures that banks are protected from fall in interest rates since the amount that they lend is lower than the market value of the house. Therefore, if there is a fall, they can still recover the losses

Here are some important facts regarding down payments:

Amount of down payment: Normally, down payments range from 15% to 20% of the total value of the property. For e.g., If a property costs Rs. 20,00,000, and if the down payment required by the lender is 20%, then the down payment will be Rs. 4,00,000.

Limit of the down payment: There is no set upper limit to the amount you can pay as down payment — it all depends on how much cash you can manage to set aside. The more you are able to pay as down payment, the lesser the amount of loan taken from a bank, resulting in easier monthly payments or shorter loan tenure. Try to put down a sizable amount of down payment.

Age of the property affects down payments: The older the property, the more apprehensive banks are to finance them. This increases the amount of the down payment required. Look for properties, which are not very old in case you do not have the resources to pool in a more than 20% as down payment.

'Zero-down payment' loans are not necessarily helpful: Banks might offer you a 'zero -down-payment' loan based on good credit history. Typically, zero-down-payment loans are offered for smaller homes and are hard-to-get and hard-to-qualify. Moreover, 'zero down payments' mean that you are borrowing more, making your monthly installments higher and defaulting on even a single payment might initiate foreclosure proceedings against you.

Down payments do not include miscellaneous costs: Down payments normally do not include costs such as property taxes, registration charges, transfer charges and stamp duty costs. Most banks include these costs in the total loan amount.

In case you are wondering how you would arrange the down payment, here are some tips:

Plan early — The earlier you start planning to buy a house, the sooner you can come up with the down payment amount.

Save every month — Regular savings go a long way in building up a sizable down payment amount.

Borrow from parents/relatives - It's not unusual for parents or relatives to help with the down payment.

Apply for a personal loan —Based on your cash flows, you could apply for a personal loan for the down payment. However, considering the high interest you need to shell out, it's advisable to liquidate some of your assets that you own instead of opting for this.

Save from tax refund - Add your tax refunds to your fixed deposits in a bank.

Try pledging securities -Try to see whether pledging fixed deposits, insurance policies or shares are considered against making the down payment.

Look for straightforward solutions: Try asking for a raise or getting a higher paying job.

SKG

http://wikimapia.org/18296302/Mr-R-Gurumurthy-House-Lakshmi-iIlam-1981

Smart ways to retire in style

All of us at some point want to ‘die with our boots on’, but as we all know this may not happen, and  we might be required to hang our boots and call it a day. This  could be due to various reasons such as ill-health, lack of opportunities / stamina, inability to compete  etc., It is better to plan ahead and ensure that we stay financially stable and independent in our latter years, 

Retirement planning – The Need!

A recent survey indicated that 80% of the working Indians do not have a retirement plan. Planning for retirement has become important since longevity has increased, while the number of working years hasn’t. Although your employer, out of concern has planned for your pension by means of the contribution towards provident fund, it would relatively be a much smaller amount when you actually get the payouts, due to the discounting factor. 

The increasing rate of inflation makes it evident that things could only get dearer by the day, and it is the most important reason to plan well for the retired years. .  During the earning years, investors are game for risks, and to attain about a 15% average return may seem practical but as you approach retirement age, wealth preservation strategies are replaced by wealth  accumulation strategies. It is prudent to make your money work harder for you during the earning years.

What you see is not what you get!

Although, today you may be spending a modest Rs. 20,000/- per month on groceries, utilities, transport and all the other mandatory aspects, the picture could change drastically over the years. Deducing an appropriate corpus should involve a detailed study of various factors - Current Household budget (excluding temporary commitments, loan liabilities), Inflation rate (till retirement and post-retirement), Rate of return on the investment, life expectancy (average Indian lives till 85 Yrs), medical contingency and so on.  

Although all this analysis appears quite a task and the parameters could leave one’s head spinning, the whole thing can be understood with a simple example. 

Current Age    30 Yrs

Preferred Retirement    55 Yrs

Pension as of Today    Rs. 20,000 / month 

Corpus Required    Rs. 2 Crore

The corpus required is arrived with assumptions on life expectancy – 85 Yrs, Inflation – 6.5% and Rate of Return – 10% (post-tax). The requirement set should be realistic and hence one needs to do a reality check by visualizing what could be the plausible requirement at that point of time in future.

Investment avenues

A part of the corpus will be brought in by means of your Provident / Pension Fund (if any) and the balance can be planned by means a variety of options ranging from low-risk avenues – Fixed Deposits, Traditional Insurance plans, Income / Money Market funds, Fixed Maturity Plans etc., One can also invest partly in Equity oriented avenues – Balanced Funds, Diversified Equity Funds, Equity Linked Debentures, Unit Linked Insurance Plans, Capital Guaranteed plans etc.. However, approaching retirement years, one should limit direct exposure to equity.. It is suggested that one should not have more than 30% of exposure into equities at retirement.  A rental income yield post-retirement, is a good proposition, since it provides a regular income. 

The Reverse Mortgage concept is still in nascent stages in India, while it is a widely used instrument in the US, Canada and Australia, by the elderly to derive cashflows from their own house. In reverse mortgage, the retiree can pledge a property that they already own (with no existing loan on it). The bank in turn gives you a series of cash-flows for a fixed tenure. 

The homeowner's obligation to repay the loan is deferred until the owner dies; bank bears the risk that the outstanding will exceed the market value of property then and will not ask for the difference from the heirs.

Few parameters are to be kept in mind while choosing the avenues for retirement planning – 

•    Overall post – tax returns generated by portfolio should be higher than the average inflation rate, 

•    Choose plans which have lower fund management charge,; given that this is a long term goal, mutual funds may turn out to be expensive than other options available around. Hence, a balanced approach would do the trick and maintaining risk profile at ‘Moderate’ levels would be vital. 

•    Although Annuity plans are a preferred plan amongst investors, what one often overlooks is the fact that the payouts from a pension plan will be taxed. It makes more sense to opt for a plan which works to provide for annuity but would not attract taxes during payout.

Planning for contingency and medical (both self and family) becomes vital at an older age, hence if you are above the age of 35 years, voluntarily plan for your medical contingencies (despite your existing company cover), and consider plans which will cover you lifelong.

It is important to ensure that financial independence does not elude you post retirement.