Health

6 Ways Your House is Making You Sick

Swati · January 18, 2019 · Leave a Comment

how your house is making you sick, allergens, house allergies, dust mites, cold, cough, flu, house wellness, mold, mildew, humidity — Image Courtesy : Mark McCammon via pexels.com

This winter has been uncomfortably cold for Hyderabad. Interestingly, prior to the cold was the season of allergy when almost everyone was or still is suffering from cold and cough and flu and what not. Changing seasons are hard on the body, especially when your immune system is not at its best. But, did you know that your house is making you sick?

The dust mites, mold, cockroaches and pollens could be the foremost reasons for your headaches, congestion, sinus and even mental health.The interesting part is that these culprits continue staying in your house making you sick long after the allergy season is over. The situation can worsen to trigger allergic asthma.

Usually, in these situations there is not much you can really do except trying to eliminate the dust mites, mold and pollen from your house as much as possible or prevent their entry. Beware that these miscreants can enter your house along with you, your clothes, footwear and even the windows.

6 Ways Your House is Making You Sick

Letting the Dust Accumulate

Let me start with describing my own home. We get a lot of dust owing to the fact that the area is undergoing lot of construction and the main road traffic. And, yours truly has lately been guilty of not dusting regularly which leads to a good amount of dust accumulation.

Always start dusting with a wet cloth to avoid moving the dust or spreading it into the air.

How to live with irregular working hours?

Swati · January 4, 2019 · 1 Comment

irregular working hours, working at night, night shifts, — Image Courtesy : Startup Stock Photos via pexels.com

I should have done this post long long ago, especially living with someone with irregular working hours for almost four years now! Since the new job four years back, Mr. P has been working irregular hours and I know the pain of having a messed up routine first hand. As a spouse, even my routine was pretty disturbed till a year back when I put my foot down.

I had to make the decision of not living according to his irregular working hours but creating a routine of my own for the sake of my health and sanity. Even now, the routine does go haywire but it is a lot better than what it used to be!

Working in irregular hours messes up the entire body clock, right from your sleep to your meal times. It can get so bad that you either stop eating or stop sleeping as per your body’s requirements.

Well, irregular work schedule or not, it is your job and stress is inevitable so you have to take charge of your own schedule and work around your timings to make sure you stay in your best shape mentally and physically.

How to live with irregular working hours?

Create a Workspace at Home

Why is Skin Care Regimen Important?

Swati · December 19, 2018 · 1 Comment

People who have diabetes and auto-immune diseases are prone to skin damage and wounds which when left untreated can result in serious health issues. One of my friend’s parents underwent something similar when they visited a dermatologist for help with extremely cracked feet. While taking the necessary treatment, it turned out that some infection spread from the cracked heel to the entire leg immediately within a day and pus started to pour out of the wound. It has been over a month and the wound is still undergoing treatment.

This is when I realized skin care is not just about vanity but has a long term impact on your health. Skin is the biggest protection against germs and environmental assaults on our body. Over time neglect, from a few weeks to few years, can damage this barrier and the effects are usually visible instantly when you begin to see your skin cracking or turning extremely dry. What we do not realize is that if we let this damage continue, especially when we are above 30 and our skin repair capabilities reduce, we are putting our health at jeopardy and no critical illness cover or health insurance for parents takes care of those expenses.

How to create a basic skin care regimen?

1. Moisturizing is Important.

Whether you are a guy or a gal, applying a body lotion is not just about looking good. It keeps skin from cracking and stops the dead skin build up. One of my friends also shared that not applying lotion caused a lot of itching when she was pregnant which in turn lead to a lot of stretch marks.

3 Reasons for Fasting during Navratri

Swati · October 12, 2018 · 1 Comment

dusshera, durga puja, navratri, fasting, indian festival, — Image Courtesy : Prasanta Kr Dutta via pexels.com

Updated on 16th October, 2020 : I could not write a post for today but did not really want to go without publishing so this is straight #fromthearchives. And, with the navratri starting from tomorrow, may be its time for a little detox. What say?

I would love to hear your comments down below on how you fast in these 9 days and how you enjoy the festival. The bhog at this time is the yummiest! Though with the pandemic going on, not sure how many of you are venturing out. I would say – Stay Home, Stay Safe!

Are you honoring the tradition of fasting in these days of navratri? It is said that the process of fasting is more scientific than a religious belief, may be a good post in itself. But, today, it is about why you should be fasting during navratri? For me, fasting is always a time when you detox your body. Though, in case of navratri, you could always say we end up eating more oily food comparatively. But, are you aware that there is a reason why we are supposed to eat more oily food in these days? Yes! But, more about that later. Let me start by giving you three really good and healthy reasons why you should fast during navratri.

3 Reasons for Fasting during Navratri

You avoid eating Junk

The idea for this post came to me when I came across this acronym called CRAP (carbonated soda, refined carbohydrates, added sugar and processed foods). In fact, this is trending so much these days.

So, the whole idea of fasting is to avoid eating anything of the above in these nine days. In fact, we also eschew garlic and onion making our diets more sattvik which should be the case according to ayurveda. More sattvik our diet becomes, more is our intake of fresh and seasonal foods which means more ‘life force’ or energy in our body. To summarize, we end up preparing food at home or eating freshly prepared food as opposed to ordering it right away on a food delivery app.

Eating in Moderation

3 Morning Rituals to a Great Day

Swati · October 8, 2018 · 1 Comment

how to wake up in the morning, morning rituals — Who wouldn’t want this view from their window or balcony? *Image Courtesy : Saif Selim via pexels.com*

It is advised to cultivate rituals instead of habits to make them a part of your lifestyle. Rituals have a sanctity associated with them where as habits are more enforced and, thus, easier to break. Morning Rituals have a great impact on how your day goes and how you feel.

Getting up in the morning is a chore for most of the people. Even half of those who are forced to get up early in the morning do it because they do not have a choice and spend their morning doing chores in an almost robotic way. Well, to be frank, most of us are living in the same manner as well. There is hardly any joy left in simple daily routines let alone setting morning rituals.

So, no matter what time you get up, having a good start to the day is absolutely essential. I tried out setting these morning rituals and they do help me wake up and set the tone for the day. May be you could give them a try and then decide whether they are your cup of tea or not. I still do not follow waking up in the morning religiously but when I do, I always find my day went better and I spent the day in a happier frame of mind.

3 Morning Rituals to a Great Day

Washing my Face, Brushing, Flossing and Oil Pulling

This is the first thing I do in the morning. Nothing wakes you up like a splash of water on the face in the morning. Brush and floss. A fresh breath always helps. And, if possible, try out oil pulling at least twice or thrice a week to reap its advantages. Along with all that, flash your teeth wide in the mirror and smile! You could try out affirmations for the day or for yourself.

A Warm cup of Green Tea

Do you love midnight snacks?

Swati · October 3, 2018 · 18 Comments

midnight snacks,midnight cravings — Image Courtesy : Clem Onojeghuo via pexels.com

Updated from September 19, 2012. I can still picture myself sitting on my single bed and writing this post. I was probably hungry and gorging on some snacks late night during the weekend and that would have given me the idea of doing a post on the topic. Life has come a long long way since then!! But, yes, my love for midnight snacks remains unchanged and undisputed.

I totally love to gorge on midnight snacks. Making my disclaimer – having snacks late in the night is not recommended and is an unhealthy habit with long term implications.

You should have a light dinner two hours prior to bed time and should be fast asleep by the time it hits 11PM. Being awake till midnight is bad for your health, ruins your sleep, wreaks havoc on your body clock and helps you put on the extra flab.

Revisiting this post after so long has actually made me also realize how much I have changed in the past six years. Most of the days I am fast asleep or extremely sleepy by 11 and even if I remain awake by stroke of midnight, I usually take a comfort food which reminds me of childhood, have water or green tea which calms me down and helps induce sleep. Well, I have definitely aged and am wiser now!!

You can get hungry for water!

Swati · October 1, 2018 · 32 Comments

Updated from September 14th, 2015. This is one of the most helpful tricks I have learned over the years which keeps your weight in check. Yes, most of the times when you think you are feeling hungry, it is your body craving for water. You can get hungry for water if you are not drinking enough of it.

We all get hunger pangs at different times of day. What is your immediate reaction? Grab a snack? Or, reach out for that bag of chips lying in front of you? Well, this is one of the major reasons why we tend to overeat. We do not regulate our bodies and we do not even understand our body signals. The first thing to reach out when you have hunger pangs is a glass of water.

Of course, regulating your meal times and looking into what you are putting in your meal is also a good place to start. But, the first thing is your body is hungry for water. Interestingly, I experienced this first hand tonight. I was reading a book when I started feeling hungry. Its late and I usually take my dinner light and I go for a walk later. So, it is quite possible that my body is low on the fuel.

Instead of gorging on anything (I did not have access to anything either which is helpful), I thought of testing this theory and had a glass of water. And, voila, my hunger pangs subsided, did not recur and I went to sleep happily. So, if you ever feel hungry, try drinking water. It may be as simple as that!

6 Ways Your House is Making You Sick

6 Ways Your House is Making You Sick

Letting the Dust Accumulate

Related Posts:

How to live with irregular working hours?

How to live with irregular working hours?

Create a Workspace at Home

Related Posts:

Why is Skin Care Regimen Important?

How to create a basic skin care regimen?

1. Moisturizing is Important.

Related Posts:

3 Reasons for Fasting during Navratri

3 Reasons for Fasting during Navratri

You avoid eating Junk

Eating in Moderation

Related Posts:

3 Morning Rituals to a Great Day

3 Morning Rituals to a Great Day

Washing my Face, Brushing, Flossing and Oil Pulling

A Warm cup of Green Tea

Related Posts:

Do you love midnight snacks?

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You can get hungry for water!

How to find out if you are just hungry for water?

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