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How to start investing your money?

August 9, 2018 PSCfy Partner 1 Comment

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It is a euphoric feeling when you get your first salary in hand. The financial independence comes with a lot of freedom and lot of lessons. The first lesson is how not overspend and to learn financial planning. I remember when I had gotten a job during the last semester of my engineering, my mom had started to educate me on financial literacy. Whew! It felt like I had entered an adult world.

Today, this information is much more easily available at our fingertips, thanks to Quora and other finance websites. I really like how people share their investment tips and knowledge for the beginners. So, I thought I would share a bit of my knowledge though I hardly know a lot about mutual funds and share markets. So, let’s see what I have.

Create a Budget

This might take you a few months to figure out depending on your living conditions and expenses incurred. Always start with listing out your expenses from the first month itself. You can always add to the list later if you do not anticipate something. This will give you an idea of how much you need to spend towards your living expenses.

Divide Your Income

Depending on the budget created, you can create divide your income into expenses, savings, investment options and luxury segments. Always create the habit of saving before spending. Howsoever little you might be earning (if you are doing internship), you can always save 5-10% of your salary barring the living expenses. If you are earning a decent salary (say above 20k), lock 20-30% of the amount every month depending on your budget.

How to Boost Your Bed’s Comfort Level?

July 11, 2018 PSCfy Partner 2 Comments

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You spend a full one third of your entire life in bed, why the devil would you settle for something that isn’t comfortable? We spend weeks and months deliberating over what car to buy, what television to get, which smartphone is best. Yet, our beds we barely think about at all. So buying an entire new bed can be expensive I know but there are ways to improve the comfort of your existing sleeping surface. After all when you go to bed at night you owe your poor hard working body all the comfort it deserves. It’s your duty to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. Below are a few ways to boost the comfort level of bed of yours.

Top it off

Ever heard of a mattress topper? Well, you have now. A mattress topper does exactly what it says on the label. It’s an extra layer of padding that lies between you and the regular mattress underneath.

Not only do these handy things dramatically increases the life of the mattress underneath by reducing pressure on the springs and delaying sagging, they also give you a big comfort boost. Yay!

Say for instance your mattress is pretty firm, giving you all the back support you need. Chances are then it’s not the most comfortable. The addition of a softer memory foam mattress topper will add this layer of comfort without reducing the back support. A perfect combination if you ask me.

If you are dissatisfied with the comfort of your current mattress instead of splashing out the big cash on a new one, a mattress topper could be a perfect way find a little bit more comfort and rekindle your love of the lie in.

Mythbusters: The Truth About Vegan and Vegetarian Diet

July 10, 2018 PSCfy Partner 2 Comments

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When it comes to diet and lifestyles, perhaps none are more controversial or talked about than vegetarianism and veganism. Most people follow these diets for a healthier lifestyle, although some also cite environmental and ethical reasons for practicing such.

There are many parallels between the two, but their distinct difference is that vegetarians may consume animal byproducts such as dairy (lacto-vegetarians), eggs (ovo-vegetarians), or both (ovo-lacto vegetarians), while vegans avoid eating any animal-derived products at all, including honey. Vegans also tend to avoid using items made from animals and their body parts, such as leather and wool clothing and accessories. This is why “vegetarian” is often referred to as a diet, while “vegan” is more often described as a lifestyle.

Here are some of the other things you should know about if you are planning to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

You Can Still Drink Milk

Not dairy milk of course. But there are a lot of plant-based milk products that you can find in the market to satisfy your tastebuds, especially if you are new to the diet and are used to the taste and texture of milk. Apart from being a satisfying beverage, you can also use plant milks to supplement your diet with the necessary nutrients. Hazelnut milk, for example, is an excellent source of vitamin E and manganese, while almond milk contains calcium and potassium, as well as a decent amount of vitamin E. Most plant milks are also cruelty free, which makes them ideal for vegetarians and vegans alike.

Your Protein Intake Won’t Suffer

One of the main concerns about switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet is the seeming lack of protein sources. However, many people are already over-consuming protein, especially if they eat a balanced omnivorous diet. Besides, it is already common knowledge by now that there are many plants and seeds that are excellent sources of protein; even non-vegetarians turn to these protein sources in attempts to make their eating habits a little bit healthier.

How Free Radicals and Antioxidants affect our Bodies?

June 13, 2018 PSCfy Partner 2 Comments

Updated from 11th March, 2016. Free radicals are notorious for their aging effect on the skin. Topical application and ingestion of anti-oxidants is the only known way to combat their effects. However, bad lifestyle and other regular habits can also lead to the formation of free radicals in the body and if un-combated for long, they can result in serious diseases like cancer and auto-immune diseases.

How Free Radicals and Antioxidants affect our Bodies?

#DidYouKnow the very thing which we need to live ages us? The oxygen we breathe reacts with the skin cells to produce energy and build proteins. And, the by product of this reaction is reactive oxygen species. They can also result from environmental factors like excess sun exposure, smoking, drinking, pollution.

What are ROS?

This is from the post I had done on collagen formation and nutrition last year. In the post, I had barely touched on the effect of Oxidative Stress on our bodies. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules which often attach themselves to the next available molecule. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are specific types of free radicals which include single oxygen.

Free radicals are a natural by-product of the chemical reactions going on in the body. These are neutralized by the antioxidant defences in the body.

How do Free Radicals affect the body negatively?

However under stressful conditions, the production of free radicals increase to a great extent and they do not get neutralized by the anti-oxidants. That is when they start harming the body.

These radicals have a tendency to attach themselves to DNA structures, protein chains and fatty acids and a few enzymes in the body thereby altering their chemical make-up, and in the long run, affecting the performance of the organs.

Health Problems due to Free Radicals

Not only do the effects of free radicals are visible in forms of wrinkles and aged skin, it reduces the functional capabilities of various organs. Most of the degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and chronic fatigue has been linked to the accumulation of free radicals in the body.

Though ROS and free radicals are used in defence against the pathogens, excess of them can result in autoimmune diseases like leukaemia, hepatitis, diabetes, alopecia areta among many. Leukemia has become easy to treat due to the bone marrow transplantation procedure becoming common nowadays.

Which Anti-Oxidants help prevent Free Radical buildup?

There is no proof that anti-oxidants sourced from the food help with scavenging free radicals in the body. But, there is not harm in trying to supplement them through the diet.

The body’s anti-oxidant defense system is made up of Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxdiase.

#DidYouKnow free radicals are also associated with graying of hair. Low levels of catalase lead to bleaching of the hair internally through hydrogen peroxide.

SOD has three major families depending on the protein and metal in the chain.
- Copper and Zinc – Meat, eggs, Seafood, Dairy products, nuts like almonds and peanuts are all rich in Copper and Zinc.
- Iron and Manganese – Seafood, meat, nuts, seeds, spinach, beetroot, whole grains, brewed herbal teas are all rich in iron and manganese.
- Nickel – Chocolate, Cashews, Spinach, Kidney beans are all rich in nickel.

Catalse – Beef, Potatoes, Wheat sprouts, Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Leafy Greens like spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Collard, Turnip greens, apricots, cucumbers and radishes are all rich in catalase and can also reverse hair greying.

Glutathione Peroxidase – Whey protein, eggs, cumin, potatoes, peppers, carrots, onion, broccoli, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, apples, oranges, peaches, watermelon, banana and walnuts have high levels of glutathione. Glutathione levels decrease when the food is cooked and processed so it is best to eat them raw.

Next time you plan your menu, make sure to include all these rich sources of antioxidants. What do you do to counter the free radical generation in the body?

5 Ways to Soothe Your Skin after Sun Exposure

June 4, 2018 PSCfy Partner 2 Comments

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What do you do after coming in from hot sun? It is the peak of summers and I have to go out at noon. My skin feels scorched and I am usually sure all the sunscreen I have applied is also not enough to keep my skin protected. Skin exposed to sun must be calmed down as soon as possible. How do you soothe your skin after sun exposure?

One of the biggest effect of sun exposure is the continuing damage from the sun rays even after coming indoors. The damage from sun rays can continue even hours after sun exposure. It is somewhat similar to a burn. You have to soothe your skin as soon as it burns to stop the burning from penetrating into the deeper levels of skin. Similarly, it is important to immediately soothe your skin after sun exposure.

How to soothe your skin after sun exposure?

Wash your face or use a face mist to soothe your skin after sun exposure

Use cool water to wash your face. And, if that is not possible, spray a good amount of face mist and wet your skin thoroughly. If possible, take a cool water bath without using any soap. For added relief, add a bit of baking soda to the water, which has been shown to relieve stinging and inflammation. Also, choose to air dry instead of using a towel to dry your skin.