Given the increasing popularity of yoga, there are some myths about yoga that we thought we should debunk.

Myth: Yoga is only for the Ultra-Flexible

No, that’s absolutely incorrect. Yes, there are those who can touch their toes with their head and are extremely flexible. But, if you are barely able to touch your toes, that’s alright too. By working on your flexibility levels slowly, you will improve over time and achieve a level that is comfortable for you and your body. It’s a question of practice – as is the case with most things in life.

Myth: It’s for the Ladies

Yoga is for everyone. Men may choose not to go for a yoga class because they feel it’s not for dudes. But, there are so many well-known male yoga gurus – B.K.S Iyengar, Bikram Choudhury, T. Krishnamacharya to name a few. Did you know that many professional sportsmen and women are turning to yoga to deal with injuries? Yoga gets all your muscles and joints working and improves blood flow. It gives your body the overall workout you need to stay fit.

Myth: It’s for Relaxation

Yes, it’s true it helps calm you down and relax. There are deep breathing techniques involved which increase the blood flow and oxygen in your body and help centre your thoughts. But, if you think that this is a boring form of work-out that helps you sleep, you are mistaken. There are a number of fast-paced options like power yoga and hot yoga, which can give many HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training) sessions a run for their money.

Myth: Yoga can only be done by the Young

Yoga is not just for the young. I know so many people who are in their mid-60s and 70s and practice yoga. They keep themselves active by doing kriyas and asanas which work for their body. Yoga is not about doing chakraasanas or standing on your head all the time. It is about building your inner strength and keeping you fit.

Myth: It’s a Hindu thing

Yoga is a form of exercise and has no religious strings attached to it. Since it originated in Ancient India, it is naturally associated with Hindu culture. Having said that, there are a broad variety of yoga schools and practices including in Buddhism and Jainism.

If any of these myths have been stopping you from exploring yoga, we hope we have dispelled them for you. Get started right away!

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Effects of Too Much Stress:

Whether your stress is work-related or because of some personal problems, it will affect your health and performance. Here are the common symptoms that may indicate you are under too much stress and need to relax:

• Disturbed sleep or difficulty falling asleep.
• Frequent headaches
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Feeling depressed, lonely, and worthless. You may feel like withdrawing into isolation.
• Moodiness, increased anger, and irritability
• Loss of interest in activities
• Increased tendency to worry
• Increased use of alcohol or drug use
• Difficulty in concentrating.

As you can see, too much stress can cause you many problems. That is why it is important to manage your stress. Here are some simple ways to help you cope with stress.

Tips to cope with stress

1. Recognize the stressor:

Before you can beat your stress, you need to know what is causing it. So pay attention to your day-to-day activities and see what’s making you stressed. Keeping a stress journal may help you do that. Often there is more than one reason leading to an unhealthy increase in stress. Make note of all of them. Once you have recognized your stressors, sit down calmly, and plan how you can avoid or face them in a better way.

2. Try for better work/life balance:

If you are facing work-related stress, then try to attain a better work/life balance. Success is great. But if it comes at the cost of your health, then it is too expensive. Try to relax, spend more time with your family and friends, allow yourself an occasional time-off, and give as much importance to your life as you give to your work.

3. Exercise Regularly:

You may feel you are too tired to even move a finger. You may think you have no energy to spare for exercise. But you should include regular exercise in your daily routine. You will find exercise makes you feel more energetic. It will improve your mood too and make you feel more optimistic. And if you exercise with a partner or friends, it will help you relax and feel rejuvenated.

4. Eat Well to cope with stress:

A healthy and nutritious diet is important for your health. A well-nourished body is better able to face the challenges of life without getting stressed. So reduce your intake of unhealthy food like processed foods and sugary snacks and drinks. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Munching on seeds and berries is much better than snacking on fried chips or other fast-food items.

5. Limit Alcohol, Cigarettes, and Stimulants:

Stress may make you lean too much on alcohol, cigarettes, and other stimulants. However, these will only harm you in the long run. So avoid using these as crutches to beat your stress. Make healthier choices.

6. Reach out to Supportive People:

Choose your friends well. Negative people will make you feel more demotivated. So, it’s better to interact with supportive people who have a positive outlook. And don’t keep all your problems bottled within you. Share them with your family and friends. They might offer constructive suggestions to reduce your problems. If nothing else, social interaction will make you feel better and less alone.

7. Take up a hobby to cope with stress:

You may think you are too busy to have a hobby. But hobbies are not just for time-pass. They can help you relax. By engaging in activities that give you joy, you can reduce your stress by almost half. Whether you take up a creative hobby, a leisure activity, sports, or just chatting with your friends, it will make you feel relaxed and happier.

8. Practice Meditation, Yoga, or other relaxation strategies:

Meditation, Yoga, and such relaxation techniques can activate a state of restfulness, counterbalancing your body’s stress-induced fight-or-flight hormones. These hormones can make it harder for you to feel relaxed. By practicing relaxation techniques, you have a better chance to reduce your stress.

9. Take sufficient sleep:

Sleep is very important for ensuring better health and mood. So guard your sleep zealously. If you don’t get sufficient sleep, you will feel more exhausted, frustrated, and stressed. You will find it harder to concentrate on your work, which may lead to mistakes and more stress. So take seven to eight hours of sleep every day. For better sleep, avoid staring into the screens or eating heavy meals just before going to bed. Remove all disturbances from your bedroom. If you continue to have difficulty falling asleep, consult your doctor.

10. Reduce the noise:

Even too much noise can make you feel stressed. Avoiding work-related sounds may be hard. But try to limit the noise pollution in your home, at least. Lower the volume of the TV or music system. Take a quiet break. Walk in a park, your garden, or your balcony. If nothing else, sit alone in a room and just listen to your breaths. You will be amazed at how relaxing even 15 minutes of total quiet can be. You can also relax by listening to some calming sounds like birds chirping, sound of rain, etc. Here are some apps and websites for pleasant ambient sounds that can help you relax and sleep.

11. Take a Vacation:

Vacations are important to help you recuperate from the strenuous work schedule and feel rejuvenated. Vacations can help you spend quality time with friends and family. It can take your mind away from work problems. So don’t sacrifice on your vacation days. You have a right to go on holiday. So do it and enjoy!

12. Consult a specialist:

If you feel your stress is getting too much for you and you are not able to cope with it, seek professional help. Consult a Counselor, Coach, or Therapist. Their expert advice can help you deal with your stress better.

Conclusion:

Stress is an unavoidable part of your life. Even children feel stress. But that does not mean you must suffer from it. With care and a few precautions, you can learn to cope with stress in a better and healthier way.

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Indoor air pollution can be caused by many sources. These include furnishing, building materials, electronics, chemical cleaners, smoking, etc. Even the scented air freshener you use is also a pollutant as it can release harmful chemicals in the air.

You can use electric air purifiers to clean the air of your home. Air conditioning also helps. But if you are looking for environment-friendly, natural air purifiers that don’t need electricity, then here are some that work the best.

Environment-friendly, natural air purifiers

1. Welcome the morning air in:

This costs nothing and is easy to do. Keep your house well-ventilated. And every morning, open your windows and welcome the fresh morning air in. It will reduce the accumulation of air pollutants in your home.

2. Make space for indoor plants:

What better natural air purifier than plants? Make space for indoor plants in your house. They will improve the indoor air quality, add freshness to the décor of your home, and may even reduce your stress and anxiety!

3. Freshen up your air with Essential Oil Diffusers:

Essential oils have numerous benefits. Different oils can help you in different ways like relieving stress, healing small cuts, etc. Some essential oils like tea tree oil have antibacterial properties. You can add them to your homemade household cleaner. You can also use essential oils like eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary as they help reduce the dust mites in your house.

4. Charcoal air purifying bags:

Charcoal air purifying bags are filled with activated charcoal. These are affordable, natural, and effective ways to eliminate malodorous scents from your home. They are small, easy to use, and can easily fit in any corner of your home.

Activated charcoal cleans your indoor air because of its porosity. The activated charcoal has numerous tiny holes. These holes trap and absorb the polluting particles. This works excellently to reduce foul odors from your home. It is a safe and cost-effective natural air purifier. You just need to put it in direct sunlight for about an hour before first use and then once every month. You will start noticing the change in the air inside your house within a few days. Bamboo activated charcoal is considered better as it is more porous.

5. Keep your outdoor footwear outdoor:

As much as possible, avoid walking into your home with your outdoor footwear on. These can bring in pollutants like pollen, pesticides, fungi, bacteria, or feces, etc.

6. Control pet dander:

Pet dander is your pets’ skin cells that are found almost everywhere in a home with pets. This pet dander can be more harmful than pet fur. It can aggravate your asthma or give rise to develop asthma-like symptoms. So, if you have a pet, groom them regularly. Brush them outdoors. And vacuum clean your floors and furnishings regularly with a HEPA filter. This will help keep the pet dander to a minimum.

7. Use Nontoxic cleaners:

The household cleaners contain several toxic chemicals that can pollute the air inside your home. Using homemade cleaners is a better alternative. It helps you have a chemical-free home. You can easily make them using ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, or citrus juice.

8. Minimize Mold

Mold is a fungus that releases spores into the air. It can trigger allergy symptoms and affect your health. It is found in damp and dark places, such as your bathroom, laundry room, and basement. So keep these places clean and dry to reduce the growth of mold.

9. Be careful of the new furniture:

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that are found in things like glues, paints, fabrics, and construction materials, etc. New furniture emits more VOCs. To reduce this pollution from your home, keep the new furniture in a well-ventilated place for a few days. You can store it in a garage for a week. If it’s not possible, at least open the windows of the room for ten or fifteen minutes every morning, for the first few months of buying the furniture.

Conclusion:

These natural air purifiers are easy to use and cost-effective. They are environment-friendly too. However, if you need more extensive purifying of air, you can use an electric air purifier. You may need this if someone in your family has asthma. However, for most households, the natural air purifiers mentioned above can be sufficient to improve the quality of indoor air.

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Computer Vision Syndrome is not a single problem. It is a set of issues that might trouble your eyes if you regularly stare at a computer screen for hours at a stretch. Using a computer for hours is a necessity for many of us these days. This may lead to several health problems like obesity, back pain, neck and shoulder strain, and so on. And it is a major cause of rising eye problems among younger people, including children. As per some studies, between 50% and 90% of people who use computers, tablet and smartphone devices heavily have at least some symptoms of CVS.

What causes Computer Vision Syndrome?

CVS develops because of the same reason as the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other repetitive motion injuries. It develops when your eyes follow the same path over and over. And the longer you continue the same movement, the worse your CVS will get.

Moreover, looking at a computer screen for a long time is very tiring for your eyes. When you work at a computer, your eyes need to adjust their focus constantly. They move back and forth, up and down constantly while you work. The rapidly changing images on the screen require quick shifts in focus and sending varying images to the brain. All this puts a lot of strain on your eye muscles. The bright light, glare, flicker, and contrast of the computer screen makes this strain worse. Studies have also shown that we blink less frequently when we work at a computer. This causes dryness in the eyes and tires them even faster.

Who is more at risk of developing Computer Vision Syndrome?

• People who work at a computer or stare at smartphone/tablet screen for long duration (over 2 hours without a break).
• People who regularly use these devices in the dark.
• People who already have some kind of eye trouble.
• People with uncorrected vision problem are also more at risk. For example, using wrong spectacles or no spectacles despite poor vision.
• People above 40 years. The natural lenses in the eyes lose flexibility with age. This affects your ability to focus on near and far objects and puts more strain on the eye muscle while using a computer.

Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome:

As Computer Vision Syndrome includes several eye problems, the symptoms can vary. But no matter what eye problem you have, you will feel the strain and discomfort in the eyes. Sometime the symptoms might be mild. But sometimes, their severity may require medical intervention. The usual symptoms of CVS include:

• A burning, stinging, or scratchy sensation in eyes
• Stringy mucus in and around your eyes
• Uncomfortable sensitivity to light
• Dry, red eyes.
• Watery eyes.
• A feeling as if you have something in your eyes
• Difficulty in wearing contact lenses
• Difficulty with nighttime driving
• Blurred vision or eye fatigue
• Double vision
• Headaches
• Neck or back pain

When you notice any of these symptoms, don’t ignore. Consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

What to do if you have Computer Vision Syndrome?

If you feel discomfort in your eyes due to computer use, you must make efforts to reduce eyestrain. There are some simple steps you can take to make computer use more comfortable for your eyes.

Reduce the glare:

Check whether the lighting in your room is affecting your computer screen. You might see the light from a bulb or a window being reflected from your computer display. This glare can increase the stress on your eyes. So remove all such sources of glare. You can move away from the lighting source. You can also install a glare filter to your monitor.

Correct your posture:

When you work at a computer, you must maintain a proper posture to reduce strain on your eyes and back. To ensure this, your monitor should be slightly below your eye level and 20 to 28 inches away from your face. When you maintain this position, you shouldn’t need to stretch your neck or strain your eyes to see content on the screen. If you are having this difficulty, get your eyes checked.

Take frequent breaks:

Avoid staring at your computer screen continuously for hours. You must let your eyes rest by taking frequent breaks. This doesn’t mean taking long breaks. Just looking away from the screen for a few seconds can help relax your eyes.

Experts recommend following the 20-20-20 rule. According to this rule, you should look away from the computer screen every 20 minutes and focus on something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Some browser extensions can give you a reminder to take a break every 20 minutes, or after your chosen time interval.

Remember to blink:

Staring too intently at the computer screen can slow your blinking rate. Try to blink often to keep your eyes moist. You can also try some eye drops to maintain sufficient moisture in your eyes. You can consult your ophthalmologist for this.

Adjust your computer’s setting:

Make your computer screen more comfortable for your eyes by adjusting its brightness, contrast, and font size. These days, you can also set a blue light filter. New Windows computers have this feature inbuilt. You can also download software like f. lux for it.

Get your eyes checked regularly:

Sometimes, the problem that feels mild to you can be much worse. So get your eyes checked regularly, preferably every 6 months. Tell your eye doctor about the eye problems you are facing. And follow the advice your doctor gives. It is for your own good.

Conclusion:

Computer Vision Syndrome is a rapidly growing problem among people that work at the computer. It also affects those who use smartphones and tablet devices excessively. A lot of children addicted to smartphones are falling victim to it. But with proper precautions and timely treatment, you can reduce the risk of CVS. Don’t ignore this problem. Your eyes are precious and it is up to you to ensure they stay healthy.

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Diabetics especially need to be careful while traveling. If you have diabetes, here are 5 travel tips for diabetics you should always remember. These are simple to follow tips that can keep you safe, especially while traveling abroad.

Travel tips for diabetics

1. Pre-travel check-up:

Always have a pre-travel check-up.  This will help you make sure your A1C blood sugar levels, your cholesterol levels, and your blood pressure are within the safe range. If not, consult your doctor before traveling. Be sure to take sufficient quantities of your medicines with you. And take all the appropriate shots for the country you plan to visit.

2. Diabetes medical ID:

Wherever you are traveling, always wear a diabetes medical ID. Preferably, it should be in the language spoken in the country you’re visiting. This would avoid misunderstanding and help the natives to understand your medical problems.

3. Keep your medicines close to you:

Carry your medication and glucose snacks in your hand luggage.  Never pack your diabetes medication in your main luggage. The Check-in baggage may go astray. By keeping your medication and snacks in your hand-luggage, you can have them quickly whenever you need them.

4. Keep your medicines in their original box:

While traveling, keep your medicines in their original boxes, complete with pharmacy labels.  You may also carry your doctor’s prescription slip along. This is especially important if you are on insulin and need to carry syringes. This precaution is essential to prevent misunderstandings about why you are carrying drugs or syringes.

5. Time zone changes:

Don’t forget about the effect of time zone changes. Remember that when you travel east, your day would become shorter. And when you travel west, your day would become longer. So, before you travel, consider whether you need to alter the timings of your medication. Note down the new timings so you don’t forget or get confused.

Conclusion:

Just because you are diabetic doesn’t mean you should restrict your life or travels. With a bit of caution and careful planning, you can safely travel wherever you want.

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