Tips to Avoid Neck Pain

1. Sleeping Position

One of the first things you want to consider is your sleeping position. One-third of your day is essentially spent in bed sleeping and so the position that you sleep in on a daily basis can be a determining factor in terms of whether or not you have pain or discomfort in your neck.

One of the things we always recommend would be sleeping on your back. Being the best position, your spine is in a nice and neutral position where you’re not twisted or shifted to one side or the other.

Second best position would be sleeping on your side. You want to be sure that you’re using a pillow that keeps your neck in line (your spinal column in line) so that your head’s not shifting way down like it’s stuffed into your shoulder or the pillow is not so large that it’s pushing your head way up the other direction towards the opposite shoulder.

The worst position (and that I would encourage anybody if they’re sleeping in this position to avoid it) would be on your stomach. The reason why is that facing down on your stomach puts the most stress and strain on the posterior joints of the spine. You’re also forced to twist your head all the way to either the left or the right every single night, all night long. The reason why is because if you’re looking straight down, you can’t breathe through your pillow!

So that would be one thing is look at – your sleeping position.

2. Work Ergonomics

As far as your job goes, that’s the secondary that we spend the majority of our time –  at work. So if you’re somebody who sits at a desk all day long, you want to look at the ergonomics of your desk.

You want to look at your computer monitor.  You want to make sure it’s not way up high.  You also want to make sure that it’s not way down low so that you’re not staring down like that sort of chin to chest posture all day long. That puts a ton of stress and strain on the spine as well.

Really, you want to have your monitor set so that if you were to break your monitor up into thirds, your eyes should be at the level of that top third space on your monitor –  a nice and natural position.

The other thing is taking frequent breaks. If you’re sitting at a desk all day long, I typically recommend having a big bottle of water. You’d be keeping yourself hydrated all day long and the other thing that it forces you to do is get up to go to the bathroom regularly.

3. Avoid Physical Trauma

Third thing I would suggest as far as avoiding neck pain would be avoid any sort of physical trauma, any sort of physical injury. I know that’s a tough one because none of us wake up in the morning and say “Hey, I’m going to go get injured today.” But think defensive driving. Avoid things like getting hit from behind or avoid hitting people. So no texting and driving – paying attention to what you’re doing.

If you’re playing sports, take care of yourself. Get your body in a condition so that you’re able to play whatever it is or compete at whatever it is that you’re doing.

I see a lot of weekend warriors in our office. They are sitting at a desk five days a week just de-conditioning their body and then Saturday rolls around and they’re like “Okay well, I’m going to go play in a rugby game now.” And they go and smash into 240 lb men or women for an hour on Saturday afternoon. Then, they come in on Monday and they wonder why their neck hurts or why their back hurts.

So make sure that your body is conditioned for whatever it is that you’re doing.

4. Have Your Neck Checked

The other thing that I would recommend if you want to avoid neck pain is to have your neck checked. Have it checked for subluxations. Make sure that everything is moving and everything is working in the way that it’s supposed to.

That’s one of the things that we do in our office to make sure that we know we can help somebody. We go through motion-study films, motion-study x-rays. So we can actually see what is working and what is not working; what’s moving and what’s not moving. Then based on that, if there is something that we can do to help them, then we give you a recommendation and once it’s fixed we produce a result. Once we’ve corrected it, we verify we’ve fixed it.

5. Maintain Your Spine Health

Then we always say the fifth thing would be to maintain that correction. Maintain your body, maintain your spine and keep it moving. We have a spinal hygiene protocol that we have people follow. So it’s focused on mobility (movement) and then also stability (strengthening). There are sort of two parts to it and it’s based again specifically on what was going on with their body and their body structure.

How to gain weight the right way

Gaining weight is similar to losing weight; nothing is impossible with the right diet, exercise and attitude. Here are 10 super-simple tips that’ll help you gain weight the right way

1.  Eat 5 to 6 meals a day

In order to gain weight, you need to start eating 5-6 meals a day. However, it is important that you break these meals into parts, as eating a lot at once may result in indigestion and your body may not be able to absorb all the calories. It may be possible that you won’t find yourself hungry 3 hours after eating lunch, but eat anyway and notice how your appetite increases from day to day. Also, be sure to include healthy foods in your diet for a healthy weight gain.

2.  Do weight training at least 3 times a week

When you train with weights, your muscles will grow. Also, it is important that you gradually keep increasing the weight with which you train. As you train, your strength will increase and you shouldn’t find it exceptionally difficult to do so. For instance, if you are doing lateral pulldowns with 30 kilos of weight, try and increase it to 35 kilos the next time. Read more to find out how you can do weight training at home. Also read about strength training exercises for women.

3.  Consume 300-500 calories more than usual

Eating 300-500 calories more than your normal intake may not be easy, but you must do it if you want to stop being skinny. Make sure you don’t do it just by overeating at once, but instead do it gradually over the whole day. You may also want to have a look at these foods and their calorie count so as to fulfil your daily requirement.

4.  Work out your entire body

There are some muscles you can clearly see and admire in the mirror and some muscles you cannot. A lot of gym goers usually train only the muscles on their arms, chest and shoulders and this is a grave error. Firstly, it will give you a disproportionate body that not many people like. Also, it will make you prone to injuries. Therefore, make sure you workout your entire body for a complete look. 

5.  Load up on protein

As informed earlier, you have to consume 300-500 more calories than your normal intake every day. You can do this by eating foods rich in protein like cheese, meat, eggs, etc. 

6.  Drink your calories

It may be tough to meet your calorie requirements by just eating. Drinking milk, milkshakes or protein shakes with little or no sugar can be a great way to load up on calories. Here are some healthy options for weight gain.

7.  Try and eat fast (but don’t choke on it)

People who are trying to lose weight are advised exactly the opposite but for the same reason. Your body takes some time to give signals of satiety which is why eating fast can help you eat more.

8.  Focus on recovery after each workout

Stretching exercises, showers, foods rich in carbohydrates can help recover your body significantly. Try the wheat germ recipe after a nice workout to gorge on energy. Also, you should aim for 8 hours of sleep as inadequate sleep can cause several problems.

9.  Be patient with yourself

Hoping to gain weight quickly in a healthy manner is unrealistic. Even if you follow all the advice that is there, you may end up gaining just 1-2 kilos in a month. Every body is different, and just because you are not seeing results in terms of weight gain, you shouldn’t feel discouraged. Living healthy by eating the right dietwill make you feel better and more positive about life and increase your strength.

10.  Believe in yourself

Following your regime may seem incredibly difficult if you don’t believe that you will one day be able to transform your body. If you are not seeing any gains even after working so hard, work harder. Eat more, lift more and stay inspired. You may also read tips to maintain your figure.

 

Very Simple Tips to avoid Pimples

To look attractive it is not just about good clothes but an attractive skin is also desirable. Each one of us wants a fresh and clear skin with no sign of wrinkles or blemishes over it. And what about pimples? Oh we so loathe them. Pimples are in fact one of the most stressful things to spot in morning. They are red, they are ugly and they can also be infectious. For a lot of people pimples are a complete nightmare. Imagine this- A romantic date with your boyfriend and a night before there is this little red monster sitting on your forehead or you have got an important board meeting at office but an evil pimple on your nose can draw more attention than your PowerPoint presentation. Nightmares aren’t these? The moment we spot a pimple on our face we start thinking of all the possible ways to get rid of it as soon as possible. But getting rid of pimples isn’t that an easy task as we may think or maybe it is! Here are 12 simplest of tips which you can follow and these will definitely help in keeping your skin pimple free.

Keep your face clean

Cleansing shall be one of the most important steps of your skin care routine. Even if you are not having an acne problem washing the face twice a day helps in removing dirt, oil and dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. Less oil and dirt also means less acne. While washing your face never apply soap and always use a mild face cleanser. Also wash the face only with warm or cold water as using hot water can cause pimples

Watch your hair often

To avoid having pimples it is not just necessary to keep your face oil free but your hair shall also not be oily. Leaving overnight oil on your hair can cause pimples as the hair touching your face will make your skin oily. Wash your hair regularly and don’t let them fall on your face. Also go easy on products like hair gels, fragrances and deodorants as they can clog up the skin pores leading to pimples.

Keep your hands away from your face

Siting an unpleasant pimple makes us want to pop it immediately to get rid of it. But touching and popping pimples can only accentuate the problem. Don’t let your hands touch your face very often. It can spread bacteria, cause infections or further more pimples which you certainly don’t want.

Eat healthy

Mothers always tell us that no amount of cosmetic products can benefit our skin as much as eating a healthy diet comprising of fresh fruits and vegetables can. This is in fact true. Eating oily and greasy food like chocolates or junk food doesn’t do much good to our skin while eating grains, fruits and vegetables helps us in keeping it healthy and pimple free.

Apply ice

Ice soothes the skin, particularly the affected area which can help your skin to become pimple-free. Applying ice on the skin will remove the oil and dirt trapped inside and reduces the redness and swelling. To get rid of an eruption, put an ice cube in a cloth and gently press it against the affected skin. Or one can also make it a routine to apply crushed ice or ice cubes to the skin in order to avoid pimples.

Use lemons

Like honey, lemons are also believed to be a quite effective natural treatment for getting rid of pimples. Lemons can help avoiding pimples in more than one way. Lemon juice reduces the oil, kills bacteria, reduces redness and also removes the pimple scars. To use it over your pimples squeeze some fresh lime juice over a cotton swab or a cotton ball and apply it over your face. It can give quick results.

5 Top Exercises to Increase Height

Height is something that many people strive for and it can be helpful to get around your day. If you want to get a little taller but think you are stuck with your current height, you may be wrong. With just a few simple exercises you could increase your height and start reaching for the stars.

1) Swimming

Swimming is an exercise that requires plenty of stretching and reaching, which can gradually increase your height. However you will need to swim often and for long periods in order to see significant results. You should try and plan for two hours daily if you want to increase your height.

2) Hanging Exercises

These exercises are just what they sound like. You will need to hang down from a bar and let your body stretch. You can also hang and then bring your legs up parallel to the ceiling to create and even better stretch. You will want to keep this up for several repetitions and several times a week.

3) Cobra Stretch

This stretch is all about stretching out your spine and elongating the body. The more you do this stretch the more you will open up your back and increase your height. To perform this stretch you should lie on the face down and palms under your shoulders. Then arch your back by raising your chin to form an angle.

4) Pelvic Shift

This exercise targets the spine and lower hips and is considered one of the most effective exercises for increasing height. To perform this lay flat on your back with your palms out to the sides. Keep your legs bent and slowly push your pelvis upward. Hold the pose for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat this several times for best results.

5) Jump Rope

Jump rope is not only a school yard activity and a great way to remember songs, it is also a great exercise for stretching out the body, especially the lower legs. You will build up these muscles and stretch them out throughout the jumping motion. The more often you jump rope the sooner you will start to see results.

 

A Dozen Tips for More Beautiful Nails

Like a great new haircut or a terrific skin care regimen, healthy, well-manicured nails are an integral part of a neat, pulled-together appearance - one that can work as an asset in both the social and the business world.
Unfortunately, experts say both men and women fall prey to myths and old wives' tales about how to care for nails. Another pitfall: many of us rely on the guidance of salons, some of which may not be doling out the best advice -- or treatments.
To help set the record straight -- and get you on the road to beautiful nails -- three top dermatologists offer these 12 tips for achieving healthy, well groomed, elegant nails.

1. Don't cut or manipulate cuticles.

Whether you have your nails professionally groomed or do them yourself, the No. 1 recommendation is leave your cuticles alone, says Dana Stern, MD, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
"The cuticle is the natural barrier to fungus and bacteria -- and once you breach that, protection is lost," she says. This will not only make cuticles look worse -- red, swollen, and ragged -- but may also land you a nasty infection that harms the nail bed and leads to permanent nail damage. And while cutting cuticles holds the most potential for harm, pushing them back can cause problems as well.

2. Use nail hardeners sparingly -- or not at all.

"The take-home message here is that a lot of them do more damage than good," says Stern. She reminds us that these products are not studied clinically, so most claims are not backed up by science. Unless nails are exceptionally weak and fragile, she says, most people don't benefit from a nail hardener.
Healthy nails are flexible nails, she says, so to keep yours from breaking, avoid anything that makes them more brittle.

3. Moisturize the nail bed and the cuticle.

While there is little in the way of medical data showing that moisturizing the nail bed will help nails grow, it can make cuticles look better and help protect nails from breaking due to a lack of moisture. "If your nails are prone to breakage, it could mean they need moisture -- and putting oil around the cuticle helps moisturize the entire nail, which will reduce the incidence of chipping, cracking, and splitting," says Margaret Ravits, MD, a dermatologist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

An Amazing Drink That Melts Fat In Just 4 Days

The fat accumulation is a common issue nowadays and many people are suffering from it. You might have got a lot of suggestion about how to reduce the fat in minimum days and in effortless manner like exercise, balance diet as well as workouts. What if we provide you an amazing drink which will melt your fat in only 4 days? Surprised! Well, but it is true. Here is the recipe for a drink which reduces fat in no time.
Things you need

• Water- 8 glasses
• Ginger root- 1 tsp (grated)
• Cucumber- 1 (medium sized)
• Lemon- 1 (medium sized)
• Mint leaves- 12

Things you should do

1. Take 1 medium size of a cucumber, peel and grate it.
2. Add juice of 1 lemon in it.
3. Now, make a paste of 12 mint leaves in a separate plate.
4. Mix all the ingredients with 1 tsp ginger and keep it overnight.
5. Add 8 glass of water to the ingredients in the morning.
6. Now, drink this juice through the day whenever you are thirsty.
7. Follow this remedy for at least 4 consecutive days to melt the fat.

So, that’s it, the easy to make drink will do wonders for you. Along with the intake of this juice, you should keep a moderate meal divided into 5 parts in a day. You should also perform regular exercise to avoid the further accumulation of unwanted fat.
This drink promotes the intake of water as the base content of the drink is water. Intake of plenty of water will pull off the impurities from your body and it will help you to stay healthy. So, enjoy your drink and avoid accumulation of fat on your body.

Make Summer Safe for Kids

Warm weather brings more opportunity for outdoor activities. Whether they are young children or teens, keep your kids safe and healthy while they enjoy the summer fun.

Master water safety

Water-related activities are popular for getting physical activity and have many health benefits. Here are some tips to stay safe while having fun.

• Learn how to prevent recreational water illnesses and help protect yourself and your kids.
• Help kids get H2O Smartz about water safety.

Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children ages 1-4 than any other cause except birth defects. Two to three children die every day as a result of drowning.

• Always supervise children when in or around water. A responsible adult should constantly watch young children.
• Teach kids to swim. Formal swimming lessons can protect young children from drowning.
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Your CPR skills could save someone’s life.
• Install a four-sided fence around home pools.

Recreational boating can be a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. Make boating safety a priority.

• Wear a properly fitted life jacket every time you and your loved ones are on the water.

Beat the heat and sun

Heat-related illness occurs when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. Those at greatest risk for heat-related illness include infants and children up to 4 years of age. Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather. For heat-related illness, the best defense is prevention.

• Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• Dress infants and children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully, for morning and evening hours.
• Stay cool with cool showers or baths.
• Seek medical care immediate if your child has symptoms of heat-related illness.

Just a few serious sunburns can increase you and your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. Their skin needs protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they're outdoors.

• Cover up. Clothing that covers your and your child's skin helps protect against UV rays.
• Use sunscreen with at least SPF (sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B) protection every time you and your child go outside.

Keep mosquitos and ticks from bugging you this summer 

Protect yourself and your family by preventing bites and diseases, like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, which can be transmitted by insects.

• Use an effective insect repellent while playing outdoors.
• Make your backyard a tick-safe zone.
• Check yourself and your children for ticks. Ticks are easy to remove.

Prevent Injuries

Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. Falls at home and on the playground are a common cause of injury.

• Check to make sure that the surfaces under playground equipment are safe, soft, and well-maintained.
• Supervise young children at all times around fall hazards, such as stairs and playground equipment.
• Use stair gates, which can help keep a busy, active child from taking a dangerous tumble.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity.

• Learn concussion signs and symptoms and what to do if a concussion occurs.
• Make sure kids and teens wear the right protective equipment for their sport or recreation activity.   

Parents can take many actions to protect their children's health and safety at home.

• Stay smart around the house by following tips on fire prevention, microwave use, and living with pets.
• Learn healthy home tips for each room in the house.

Young workers have high job injury rates. Hazards in the workplace, inexperience, and lack of safety training may increase injury risks for young workers.

• Know their rights, employer and teen worker responsibilities, and what teens under 18 can’t do. 

Stop the violence

• Kids can use electronic media to embarrass, harass, or threaten their peers. Take steps to prevent electronic aggression, a term that most accurately captures all types of violence that occur electronically.
• As teens develop emotionally, they are heavily influenced by their relationship experiences, including teen dating. Protect your children from teen dating violence. Nearly one in 10 teens reports having been hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once over a year’s time.

Summer Healthy Tips- Burning up Some Tips To Cool Down Your Body

Summer Health Tips - Beating the Heat!
Its 114 degrees out there, and your skin seems to be sucking the heat in deeper into your body rather than helping you cool down. An occasional afternoon downpour brings more grief than relief for it layers on humidity that is thick enough to slice with a knife. Throw in a little pollution and each second becomes pure hell when you are outdoors.
The recently past heat wave seems to be consuming India and is probably indicative of an approaching hot summer, for brutal May, sizzling June and searing July and August are yet to come

 Can certain foods help towards reversing some of this exchange of body heat? Yes, they most certainly can!

Why and how does this heat exchange happen?
On sultry, humid days, muscles compete with the skin for blood circulation. When it's hot outside, more blood flows near the skin to help dissipate body heat and cool the body down thereby keeping your body's temperature from rising to dangerous levels. But that can mean less blood reaches muscles, hence the lethargy.

At the same time, as when your body becomes hotter, muscle enzymes speed up and burn glycogen more rapidly, depleting stores of the sugar that your muscles use for fuel. Hence it's imperative to drink plenty of fluids that would help hydrate your muscles and skin adequately in order to maintain internal cooling down.

Is it a good idea to apply wet rags over your forehead, thereby reducing the heat entering your brain?
Not necessarily. Neither is it a good idea to wet your head down entirely, especially for kids who have just finished playing a sport. You have to make the heat move outwards. Too much water on the skin's surface inhibits sweat evaporation that helps cool the body down.

To handle this heat onslaught and ensure your body is as cool as it can possibly be, we suggest a few measures that are easy to follow:
1.    Eat light, small, frequent meals. Start the morning with a sweet, juicy fruit at breakfast. Ripe summer fruits - peaches, plums, melons and pears, are exactly what your skin craves for in the hot season. Citrus fruits are also very cooling. Eat whole or extract their juice, store in the refrigerator and sip often throughout the day.
2.    Include salads in your diet. Consuming leafy lettuce and summer greens, corn on cob and cucumbers, in salads are delicious ways to stay cool. These foods contain a significant amount of water and can actually thin the blood, which has a cooling effect. Onions too are great in the summer, because of their ability to beat the heat and provide relief from summer ailments. So, throw in some washed onion slices onto a sandwich, or in your salad.
3.    If you get burnt (sun stroke or heat stroke), seek relief by sipping on green tea or take a spoon of onion juice. They are potent antioxidants that can neutralize cellular damage caused by the sun's rays.
4.    To cool the body through sweating, add small amounts of hot spices to food while cooking. Hot peppers, fresh ginger, and black pepper are all great spices to make it really hot for you and then to cool you down.
5.    Hydrate your body. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water is the best drink as it doesn't contain any sugars that can add up to unnecessary calories. For a change, a lemon and honey drink can also instantly replenish your body's lost fluids and work as an energizer.  Drink fluids even if you are not yet thirsty. Once you have the feeling of being thirsty means you are already dehydrated.
6.    Wear loose, full-sleeved cotton clothes to protect the body from the sun and to aid evaporation of sweat.  Use a hat to protect your head from the sun you go out
7.     Stay indoors. Restrict outdoor activities to the cooler parts of the day - early mornings before 10.30am or late evenings after 530pm

The not so cool:

• If you're a non-vegetarian, you should limit red meat and instead go for fish and oysters.
• Avoid extreme cold foods and drinks - most of us normally pick these and they are actually known to interfere with digestion and sweating, thereby interfering with the body's natural cooling mechanisms. So, however tempting it may be to sit on your porch licking an ice cream cone or sipping a cool glass of tea, try a wedge of watermelon instead.

As the mercury rises, the last thing on one's mind is food - but if you eat smart, small & light meals and accompany it with plenty of fluids you will be a cool winner.

So go ahead and take these obvious precautions! But remember the best place to start the cooling process is in your body's core.