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The Change-up:why replacing your processed foods with fresher alternatives is a good idea

Eating in this modern day and age can be very difficult, with genetically modified food filled with chemicals all around us. Sometimes, we need to strike a balance and compromise with the choices we get, and basically, choose the best…

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Riding the Right Way:A-Z on a Weekend Biking Getaway

Being able to guide your way from point A to point B on your non-motorized two-wheeler isn’t all that is there to cycling, especially when your tracks comprise of potholes, cuts, and bumps around some serious corners.

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Nail Tales: what Your nails say about your health

Our nails are not just decorative; they have their uses, giving us more reasons to make sure that they are healthy and not just pretty to look at.

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Diet Scare:Don't shun those carbs completely

Carbohydrates are mostly associated with the piling on of additional kilos. However, they are the best source of energy for the body, mainly because they are more readily converted into glucose which is transported and used by the body, a…

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Look Out for Number One:Add Fitness to Your Home Routine

How do housewives stay fit with the schedule they have? We find out.

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July Issue

Top Tips of the Month

Children's Yoga: Yoga isn’t just for adults

Regular relaxation can help children manage stress and anxiety while improving their concentration, focus, and listening skills.Read more

Top Tips of the Month

Children's Yoga: Yoga isn’t just for adults

Regular relaxation can help children manage stress and anxiety while improving their concentration, focus, and listening skills.

Children’s yoga has become increasingly popular in the West and many schools have integrated yoga into their curriculum. Children’s yoga classes are fun, colorful, and interesting. The classes help kids to relax, concentrate, and improve their flexibility.

Benefits
Recent studies found that children’syoga improves:
Behavior
Physical health
Academic performance
Better attitude toward themselves
Reduces feelings of helplessness and aggression
Builds confidence and self esteem

Kid’s yoga classes begin from the age of 4 until 12. Classes are separated into age groups: 4–6, 7–9, 10–12. Young kids from 4–7 have less concentration and most of the class is spent trying to keep their little minds active and interested. A class for little kids aged 4–6 is up to 40 minutes long. During the class, there are theme based stories which are acted out through yoga postures, and mini sequences are taught to the children. Children learn basic breathing exercises along with relaxation, and mindfulness meditation
The older children’s classes are based more on sequences, understanding how their bodies move with postures, learning how to deal with stress and tension i.e., exams, growing up, school work, etc.

Partner work as well as group work is included as this allows them to understand further the importance of teamwork in a supporting role as well as in leadership. Breathing exercises, relaxation, and mindfulness meditation is taught which further aids with concentration, focus, and calmness.

A typical class
Do & Dont’s
Do place your child in the correct age group class so that your child feels comfortable and not intimidated.
Do consider observing a class to see if you’re comfortable with the activities involved, the instructor’s style, the class size, and the environment.

Do look for a class where the children are having fun and receive positive attention from the instructor.
Do advise the instructor if your child has a medical condition or special needs.
Don’t force your child to join the class if they are not happy!

Relaxation
Child stress is on the increase and one in five children have problems including anxiety and behavioral issues.
Regular relaxation helps children manage stress and anxiety while improving their concentration, focus, and listening skills.
Relaxation can also improve creativity and imagination and build confidence and self-esteem.
Relaxation helps release endorphins, helping children feel happy and positive.

It also helps relax muscles and calm the nervous system whilst boosting the immune system so promoting general good health
Relaxation helps calm children’s minds and sharpens concentration and memory retention so helping them focus.
It also stimulates the imagination and so encourages self expression and self confidence.
Regular relaxation can make a huge impact to a child’s life!

‘Under the Sea’ relaxation exercises
Sea breathing
Lie down on your back, put your hand on your tummy and imagine you are breathing in and out like the
waves. Take in a deep soft breath, and breathe out softly. Keep breathing in and out rhythmically like the
tide…coming in and going out…coming in...and going out. Feel yourself becoming more and more relaxed.

Starfish
Lie down on your back, with your legs and arms apart. Stay very still and imagine you are a sleepy starfish resting at the bottom of the ocean. Breathe in and, as you breathe out, relax your arms. Breathe in, and as you breathe out, relax your legs. Breathe in, and as you breathe out, relax your head. See how still you can be at the bottom of the ocean, resting like a sleepy starfish. Say to yourself, ‘I am calm and quiet, I am calm and quiet.’

Relaxing on the beach
Close your eyes, be very still, and imagine you are lying down on the beach. Feel the warm sand underneath your body. You can hear the waves of the sea. Now, very gently, you are going to relax each part of your body. Start with your feet, let your toes completely relax and become soft. Let this feeling spread gently through your feet. Now, squeeze your legs and gently let them go. Feel all the tension in your legs being released as they become relaxed and soft.

Squeeze the muscles in your tummy and let go completely. Stretch your back as long as you can and relax. Can you feel your back sinking into the sand? Now, let your shoulders and neck become soft, as all the tension melts away.

Squeeze your arms as tight as you can and let them go. Allow your arms to feel heavy as they sink into the sand. Squeeze your fingers into a tight fist and now, uncurl them slowly and rest them on the soft, golden sand. Scrunch your face into a tiny ball and let go and completely relax.

Removing Chocolate Stains

World’s best treat has to be chocolate in any form. They are not only delicious but contain antioxidants which are beneficial for your health.Read more

Top Tips of the Month

Removing Chocolate Stains

World’s best treat has to be chocolate in any form. They are not only delicious but contain antioxidants which are beneficial for your health. Studies state that they help in making the arteries more flexible and the darker the chocolate the better it is as it contains more of beneficial flavonoids and less sugar. Who wants to watch the waist when it reveals more than one reason to bite into one! But, for a parent, chocolate stain is one of the most common stains that kids delightfully like to splatter all over the clothes and anything in the near vicinity. This month’s household tips deal with the removal of chocolate stains.

Removing chocolate stains from washable fabrics like clothes
• Remove the excess chocolate by wiping it gently, taking care not to push the stain further into the fibers.
• Next, try flushing out as much chocolate as you can by using cold running water from the back of the stain.
• Soak in a solution of detergent and water for at least 30 minutes before washing as usual.

Removing chocolate stains from un-washable fabrics
• While removing chocolate stains from un-washable fabric let it dry and gently remove the chocolate from the fabric with a blunt knife.
• Using a damp sponge, gently blot out any remaining stain until it is clean; just be careful not to wet the area too much.
• If the stain persists, apply a little cleaning fluid to a sponge and gently dab at the stain until it is removed. Blot dry with a dry cloth.

Removing chocolate stains from carpets or furniture
• If it is just chocolate, let it dry and then scrape off with a blunt knife. Then, follow from the third instructions onwards. If it is a chocolate drink and it spills on the carpet or the couch, quickly blot up any excess chocolate.
• Avoid smearing it into unaffected areas.
• Blot the stain with a damp sponge with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Take care not to wet the area much and keep dabbing gently until the stain is removed.
• Avoid rubbing or scrubbing as these can drive the stain deeper into the upholstery fibers.
• Sponge with clean water to rinse and pat dry with a clean cloth making sure not to leave any soap residue.

Whatta Man!

Over the years, grooming essentially used to be and is still mostly considered to be a woman thing. That has changed in present times and now even men have started to take that small effort in making themselves look good.…Read more

Top Tips of the Month

Whatta Man!

1Start using a mild moisturizer or even children’s cream every day to maintain healthy skin. If women can get wrinkles, you too will not be spared from this aging process. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be taking care of aging skin.

2Soap is to be used on the rest of your body and not the face. If you want healthier skin and fewer breakouts, start using facial cleansers.

3When you get bags under your eyes it is a sign that you are not getting enough sleep. Sleep for a minimum of eight hours if you want to look fresh and bright in the morning. Since the cause of eye bags are said to be water retention, tap gently on your eye bags to minimize it.

4The usage of sunglasses goes way beyond fashion and prevents you from squinting which is a potential cause of wrinkles on your face. When you are going to be exposed to the sun put on those shades.

5If you have sensitive skin, avoid products with lots of alcohol as it causes a lot of irritation.

6If you notice those pimples making an appearance, squeeze out a bit of toothpaste and dab some on top of the new pimple and dry it out. Make sure to wash before you make an appearance.

7Even if unkempt hair is in fashion, neat well groomed hair never fails to make an impact. Running a comb through your hair straight after a shower tames all the hair and makes it mess-free.

8Sometimes you have hair standing up all over; the stray hairs can be easily kept back in place by using a bit of hair spray and patting them back in place.

9Don’t leave hair care products on your hair for a very long time. Leaving gels and mousse on the scalp can lead to pimples.

10No matter how enticing those shampoo commercials look, never shampoo more than once a day. Too much of shampoo strips your hair of the essential oils causing the hair to be dry and damaged.

11Most men have rough callused feet with cracked heels in spite of the fact that they wear socks and shoes throughout the day. Soft feet are not just essential for women, it is important for men too. Take care of them by soaking in warm water with few drops of olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Then use a pumice stone on the soaked skin to gently remove the scaly part and to reduce the roughness. Wipe it dry and apply a foot cream. Wear a pair of cotton socks over it to let the cream get absorbed into the skin.

12Make sure to shave the back of your neck to prevent the untidy look. Keep checking in the mirror time to time to ensure that it’s clean shaven. If the hair grows and you don’t have time to go to the barber, then ask a person in the house to shave it for you.

13If you don’t own an iron or don’t like ironing much, then grab your clothes from the dryer or after drying and fold them immediately. It doesn’t wrinkle much!

14Using a toner is a good way to rejuvenate your skin and keep it oil free. When it is needed, spray a little on your clean face.

15Men don’t want to lose hair from their head. But, while it looks good on the scalp, it looks ghastly when it does a peek-a-boo from the nose. Use a specialized trimmer to keep your nose hair at bay.

16Socks are inexpensive so why do men walk around with smelly socks and holes in their socks? Both are equally repulsive!

Featured Event

Spices & Delicacies:this summer, Cool down with some cool recipes

During summer-time, we seek stuff that cools our internal system and helps maintain balance. Besides food that keep us cool, cooling spices are also equally essential in summer.