Your approach to exercise and eating depends on where you need to go and how fast you need to get there. Here are some weight loss tips for you to recalibrate your diet and exercising.

Like everything else in life, fitness and weight loss also need to be approached differently based on the goal. Are you looking for short-term weight loss tips with no current worries about the long term? Like getting in shape for an occasion, training for a tournament, losing a quick couple of kilos after a vacation.

Or are you looking to make a change that will last for a long time to come? Like losing weight gained over the years, making a transformation, improving performance or strength or functionality for life.

Short Term Weight Loss Goals : For short term success…

• Never miss a workout no matter what. Even if you don’t feel your best, get in some form of workout; it could be a very light one.
• Be very specific about what and how much you eat. It doesn’t matter if it is an occasion or celebration; say a strong no to things that are not part of your diet or plan.
• Stay on top of your numbers. For some, this is bodyweight or girth and for others, it is some form of the performance metric. But one way or the other, there are numbers that can dictate the next steps. Track them closely.
• Use external motivators to help yourself stay on track. Such as posting about progress on social media. Or being a part of a programme or working with a coach or preparing for a competition or tournament.
• But leading a life that is too disciplined is not sustainable for more than a few months. Exceptions must exist. But people who live like this for longer periods of time are very few in number and are usually those whose livelihoods in some way depend on their fitness or aesthetics (bodybuilders, movie stars, fitness professionals, models).

Long Term Weight Loss Goals: For long-term success…

• Work out 3-5 days of the week. Don’t stress if you miss a day once in a while or don’t do much during a vacation. This is to be followed not just for a few weeks, but for many years. When duration increases, pragmatism kicks in and severity decreases.
• When it comes to nutrition, have a decent understanding of what works for you and what doesn’t. Based on this understanding, come up with simple guiding principles or rules to help make, not the perfect choice all the time but, the right choice most of the time. Occasionally, indulge in what life has to offer without overdoing it and if overdone, balance things out over the next few meals.
• Set outer limits to your metrics and work to stay in the right zone. Be it bodyweight or circumference or performance metrics, track only occasionally but ensure progress continues to happen, even if it is very slow.
• Keep the larger goal of fitness, health, and happiness in mind and use habits as a way to stay on track. Exercising regularly, eating protein and vegetables at every meal, not reaching for sugar every day, sleeping enough, all need to be cultivated. They take time but once they become (good) habits, they stick around for a long time and help keep you fit, healthy and, happy.
• But feel free to use the short-term approach when trying to work towards a specific goal or accelerate your rate of results. The trick here is that after a few weeks of any relatively aggressive short-term approach, you need to get back to the relatively simple long-term approach in order to maintain those gains.

Not Losing Weight?

Here are the probable reasons, if you’re doing everything right with the weight loss tips but are still not losing weight, you may want to visit the doctor and rule these out.

You’re eating right and you’re exercising regularly. Yet, your system seems to have slowed down, and you’re not losing weight.

The diseases and syndromes could be hampering your weight-loss efforts. If you notice any change in your body, either unexplained weight gain or sluggishness, do consult a doctor.

• Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid gland means a sluggish metabolism. So the body stores more fat than it can burn.
• Cushing’s syndrome: The adrenal or pituitary glands are overworking and producing too much cortisol. You are likely to have fat around your tummy, face, and back of the neck.
• Medication: Certain medication, like steroids for arthritis or skin conditions, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, meds for diabetes, migraine, and seizures, can all cause weight gain.
• Hormonal changes: This happens especially in women at certain stages in their lives, such as puberty, during pregnancy and menopause; it causes weight gain and changes in body composition.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome: Caused by hormonal imbalances, apart from other symptoms like irregular periods, acne, facial hair, infertility, it also causes weight gain in women.
• Syndrome X: This is a metabolic syndrome that causes insulin resistance and is marked by low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, visceral fat, high blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. It is known to cause weight gain.
• A tumor: If you are hungry a lot or eating much more than usual, the appetite/satiety center of the brain could be malfunctioning, which is sometimes caused by a tumor in the hypothalamus. Tumors in the pancreas can cause the body to produce too much insulin, which can cause weight gain. This is not the most common reason, so don’t be alarmed and jump to any conclusions. Do consult a doctor.

Take Away:

There is no single approach that is superior to the other. It all depends on what you’re looking for. They are both simply tools to help you build a better version of yourself. Use them well and you can look, feel and function better, day after day.

Hair Care Routine:

When you have hair loss, styling gets easier with short hair. But short hair is not always the way you like. The causes of hair fall and other issues can’t be identified so easily. It takes a lot of trial and error to conduct ourselves. It is important to be careful with certain habits such as smoking. Smoking effects on skin and hair not very easily reversible. And Itchy scalp and dandruff should be treated with the utmost care and can be done at home with these itchy scalp and dandruff home remedies. Before you get into any irreversible conditions, here are some hair care tips for you.

The falling of a little hair every day is normal. However, some people may experience excessive hair loss.

Some Hair Fall Causes:

A number of things can cause this. For example, about three to four months after an illness or a major surgery, one may suddenly lose a lot of hair. This hair loss is related to illness stress and is temporary.

Certain medicines, fungal infections, hormonal imbalance, and an overactive or underactive thyroid gland can cause hair fall too. There may be hair fall for up to three months after pregnancy too. Pulling your hair for pigtails or cornrows or tight hair rollers also can result in hair loss.

Do’s:

1. Massage the scalp for a minute before going to bed every night. It stimulates blood flow to the roots of the hair.
2. After shampooing hair, rinse with cold water. This makes the hair cuticle lie flat, and the hair looks healthier.
3. The first step in hair care is regular cutting, which not many of us do, and continue to worry about hair fall, thinning and dry ends. Regular cutting is as important as washing; it makes the hair even and healthy and prevents split ends.
4. Dry hair completely before going out in the cold. The cold will affect hair, so blow dry on the cold setting. Use a thermal protection spray if in a hurry and if using heat to blow dry hair.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t rub the hair dry, as it can break hair.
2. Don’t scrub the ends too much when shampooing hair. Excessive scrubbing makes hair brittle.
3. Don’t pull hair for tight ponytails, braids or headbands, as they can break hair.
4. Don’t brush hair too much when it is wet. It will snap and break.
5. Don’t wash hair in hot water, as it dries hair. It also opens the cuticle, which makes it more absorbent to pollutants.
6. Do not put on hair accessories right after blow drying, because the hair is still warm, and will instantly cool and take the shape of the accessory. Take good care of your hair and stay stylish. Always remember, hair can make a big difference to your appearance.

Hair Care Tips | How To Take Care Of Hair Daily:

1. Beat egg with six to eight drops of lemon juice, apply on hair and wash it with a herbal shampoo.
2. Use a very mild shampoo and conditioner every day. Rinse thoroughly.
3. Soak a towel in hot water and squeeze lightly, and cover the hair for 10 minutes.
4. Soak squeezed lemons in water overnight and use it to clean hair.
5. Drink 10 to 12 glasses of water daily. Include plenty of fruits, vegetable, and dairy products in your diet.
6. We only think of hair wash, conditioners and the like when it comes to hair care, but there’s so much more. Paying attention to hair texture makes a lot of difference, for, each type — oily, dry and normal — requires a different treatment. The next step is washing. Regular washing is the best for any type of hair. But, it’s not about using an expensive shampoo; choose a shampoo according to the hair type, irrespective of the brand. A lot of hair problems can be solved by choosing the right shampoo. Ideally, hair must be washed every day; it makes the scalp healthy. Those with dry hair can wash it every other day.
7. The final step is conditioning. There are conditioners for different types of hair, so be careful about the one you use. After shampooing, the conditioner must be applied only on the hair, without touching the scalp. It should be done regularly for all types of hair, as it gives a coat to the hair, makes it smooth, and protects it from the sun and pollution. Hair serum or leave on is one of the best conditioners.
8. Use the right hair products and plenty of conditioners. A conditioner will help hair maintain its elasticity and movement. A deep conditioning hair treatment every week is ideal; it helps hair remain soft and gorgeous.
9. Style hair using a volumizing mousse, to make it appear more glamorous and healthier. Healthy looking hair is the easiest to work with — it is easier to style and maintain, and has better movement and body.

Shampoos For Your Hair Type:

Just as nutritious food is a pre-requisite for a healthy body, oils and shampoos are necessary for hair. However, one need not confine to just chemicals. There are plenty of herbs that help keep your hair lustrous.

Jaswand:

This herb enhances the growth of hair, reduces roughness and lends shine, strength, and life to the strands. It is ideal during acute hair fall.

Bhringraj:

Regular use of this herb may help in retaining the darkness of the hair, which is why it’s used as a dyeing agent. Also, it helps fight dandruff.

Aloe Vera Linn:

Aloe Vera makes hair strong, flexible and dense, which explains its use in shampoos.

Styling With Short Hair:

Finally, the hairstyle. The short hair is the best alternative for people with excessive hair fall, as it reduces weight from the hair when the scalp is weak.

It is easy to maintain and requires less styling. Short styles include bob cuts, prom choppy, chin-length blunts, layered blunts, short shag, tapered teen layers, slide cuts, feather cuts.

10 Basic Running For Beginners

Running encourages people to stay fit and active and enjoy life. However, one must guard oneself against the injuries. The following running tips help you run safely.

There are two kinds of injuries; one that results from acute trauma and the other that is caused by the repetitive pressure on a tissue.

Over-training by increasing distance or intensity too fast, inadequate rest and recovery period between training runs, unsuitable footwear or running on uneven terrains can cause injuries.

Walk-in:

Start every run with a few minutes of walking. When you start the actual running, gradually ease your way into the run.

Progress slowly: 

Gradually increase your mileage and speed while training.

Don’t make up for missed workouts: 

If you miss a scheduled workout (such as a long run), let it go and don’t try to make it up the next day.

Go soft once or twice a week:

 If you are running on roads, run for a few days on grass surface. It will give your legs the much needed rest.

Keep yourself hydrated: 

Drink enough fluid, but avoid drinking too much too quickly, or in short spells.

Take rest: 

Take at least one rest day per week, but also plan for one easy week of light running per month and one easy month per year.

Stretches: 

Do stretches before and after running. Here are some yoga for runners for a good stretch and get rejuvenated for next run.

Seek expert help: 

Consult an experienced trainer and physiotherapist if you experience pain.

Monitor shoe wear: 

Wear a good pair of running shoes.

Listen to your body: 

Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. If there is pain, stop running.

Foods That Help You Sleep Through The Night | Sleep Inducing Foods:

When counting sheep to fall asleep fails, night after night, going to bed can become a nocturnal trauma instead of being a time to rest and recover. Sleeping badly can be anything from tossing and turning, waking up at midnight and unable to complete the sleep, insufficient and fragmented sleep and disturbing leg cramps at night. As we age we tend to sleep lesser.

Sleeping disorders are on the rise and may even be thought of as becoming almost an epidemic. The anxieties of the daytime following into the night, lack of relaxation, wrong food and drinks late evening, deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals are some that attribute to incidences of bad sleeping sequences.

Tryptophan and serotonin – the first things that come to mind are milk and bananas. The soporific effect of milk (at bedtime) is an age-old tested truth. The tryptophan, B6, minerals like calcium, magnesium, all suggested for sleeping well are rightly packed into a glass of milk. Add a banana to that and complete the recipe for a somnolent night. Milk is effective for those who have difficulty initiating sleep after hitting the pillow.

Here are some foods that help you sleep through night.

Vitamin B6 For Better Sleep

• The B6 is required for making the hormone melatonin that induces sleep triggered by darkness (night sleep).
• Sources are fish, cherries, milk, curds, bananas, dals, whole grains.
• B complex vitamins are useful to prevent leg cramps at night.
• B1 supplemented to elderly shows improved night sleeping and reduced daytime dozing.

Carbohydrate-rich Foods Make You Sleepy

• Carbohydrates make one sleepy, day or night. If this sleepiness can be induced at night it can be to one’s advantage.
• Complex carbohydrates like oats, barley, ragi, with a glass of low-fat milk at night make you slumberous.
• Whole grains are rich sources of minerals and vitamins that aid undisturbed sleep.

Magnesium, calcium and potassium

• The magnesium, calcium, and potassium are muscle relaxants prevent leg cramps at night.
• Both banana and milk are naturally high in these minerals.
• Lack of magnesium is suggested in not able to going back to sleep after waking up the middle of the night while calcium helps to fall asleep.
• Other sources are green vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fruits.

Vitamin D 

• Deficiency of vitamin D causes poor sleep.
• If you are tested low in Vitamin D 3, then correcting the lack of it may quite effectively help you sleep.
• Foods that cause heart burn – fatty foods, highly spiced dishes should be avoided late evening or up to 4 hours before sleeping.

But, surprisingly, excessive doses of multivitamins supplements may actually keep you awake at night.

Take Away:

The best way to sleep well is to get those helpful nutrients by simply eating the right foods.