Monounsaturated v/s polyunsaturated fats

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats don't deserve the bad reputation of fat in general. These types are fat are actually a healthy part of your diet and should make up the majority of the fat you eat each day. In addition to being nutritious, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats also offer protective benefits that might reduce your risk of certain illnesses and diseases.

Monounsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated fats can help lower your cholesterol levels when you eat them in place of saturated or trans fats, which are found in foods like butter, baked goods and fried fast foods. Nutritious monounsaturated fats can also keep your heart rhythm normal and reduce inflammation, a condition that can increase your risk of certain types of cancer. Eating monounsaturated fats helps regulate your insulin and blood sugar levels, which is beneficial for everyone, but can be particularly helpful for people with diabetes.
Sources and Tips
One of the primary sources of monounsaturated fats are liquid oils such as olive, canola, peanut, safflower and sunflower oils. Use these types of oils instead of butter, margarine or lard when you cook, and you'll easily add beneficial monounsaturated fats to your diet. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, too. Add them to tacos, burritos or deli meat sandwiches. Eat a handful of nuts or seeds each day as another way to include monounsaturated fats in your daily diet. Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are all good sources.

Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated fats, like monounsaturated fats, help lower your bad cholesterol level when you eat them instead of saturated or trans fats. They might also boost your good cholesterol level, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. A specific kind of polyunsaturated fat, called omega-3 fatty acids, is particularly beneficial to your heart by protecting you against high blood pressure. This unsaturated fat might also reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Sources and Tips
Soybean, corn and flax oil are healthy sources of polyunsaturated fats. Use these for cooking to reap the benefits they offer your heart. Eat a handful of walnuts each day or add them to oatmeal or yogurt -- they are one of the top sources of polyunsaturated fat. Ground flaxseed is another good source. Add it to homemade bread and muffin recipes or stir it into a bowl of oatmeal. Include fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel and trout, in your diet, as well. Fatty fish is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and it can be grilled, baked or roasted to make a tasty dish.

source: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/monounsaturated-fat-vs-polyunsaturated-fat-6898.html

Standing Neck Hump Eliminator And Posture Corrector

maximizing muscle growth

steps for maximizing muscle growth. . . 

1.♦ Mechanical Tension: This is known as "Heavy strength training' (but heavy is realative to what is challenging for you) we create tension with resistance Training (weights body weight, gymnastics' etc) and the goal is to increase that tension over time which means . ..

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2.♦ Metabolic strees.Typically achieved through mid_and high_rep ranges (8+20) Training which induce fatigue and shortness of breath. It also cause the burning sensation. As you deplete oxygen in the Muscles.This is also know as the "pump" we all love/hate so much. . . .

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3.♦Muscle Damage. Muscle soreness days after your training is usually indicative of the muscle damage' also known as delayed on set muscle soreness (DOMS). This mostly comes form the eccentric portion of a movement (lowering of the weight on a leg extension or biceps curl so try keep your high_ rep_set.

Weight Gain Exercise Tactics:

Incorporate some strength training to your daily routine

Another excellent tactic is to target the larger muscle groups when weight training. Lift heavy, and target the legs, glutes, back and chest. Choose moves like the deadlift, squat and overhead press, because bigger exercises require more muscle recruitment and make for a more efficient workout. So drop the isolation exercises and train using compound moves. The more muscles (or joints) that are working during any given exercise the better!

You will also want to eat before bedtime to keep your body fueled at night so it doesn't wake you up needing nourishment. Sleep is also very important to build muscle and to keep your body performing well.

Best glute exercises

Barbell hip thrust may be the king of all glute exercises

Exercises for Glutes & Thigh :  (for flexibility do pilates)

Good Exercises to build "upper back muscles"

Weighted chin-up's

There's no exercises equivalent to weighted chins to build the upper back muscles, rear deltoids and forearms. Chin-ups should be included in the training program of all athletes.

 

                                                                       
                       

Full squat

First set the bar on a rack just above shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.

Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.

Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder-width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and maintain a straight back. This will be your starting position.

1. Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and sitting back with your hips as you maintain a straight posture with the head up. Continue down until your hamstrings are on your calves. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
2. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel or middle of your foot as you straighten the legs and extend the hips to go back to the starting position.
3. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

This type of squat allows a greater range of motion, and allows the trunk to maintain a more vertical position than other types of squats, due to foot position and the higher bar position.

Full squatting can actually strengthen the tendons of the knees, making the articulation more stable.
Full back squats can make more difference in sport performance than any other exercise.

7 Monday Morning Habits Of Highly Successful People

Success is not created by luck, but by working hard toward reaching a specific goal. Monday morning routines set the mood for the rest of the day and the rest of the week. Here’s a list of Monday morning habits that highly successful people develop.
1. They Wake Up Early – Set Your Alarm For 5am

They wake up early to make sure that they have plenty of time to complete all of their tasks. Waking up early also ensures that they are not late for any of their scheduled events and they have plenty of time to take care of their personal chores prior to jumping into their work load.

In an interview with Oprah, Michelle Obama shared that she wakes up early to take care of herself before her day starts. “Well, I just started thinking, if I had to get up and go to work, I’d get up and go to work. If I had to get up to take care of my kids, I’d get up and do that. But when it comes to yourself, then suddenly, ‘Oh, I can’t get up at 4:30.’ So I had to change that.”

We are only allotted so much time in each day; sleeping the day away diminishes the chances of success.
2. They Meditate – Start With Just 5 Minutes

Monday morning meditation or prayer are great tools to envision success. It’s important to quiet the mind and let the positive energy in as soon as you wake up. If you start with meditating for 5 minutes and over time increase it to half an hour per session.

Such practices can also answer unanswered questions and lead the way to success.

Oprah meditates two times per day for 20 minutes, and she states, “I walked away feeling fuller than when I’d come in. Full of hope, a sense of contentment, and deep joy. Knowing for sure that even in the daily craziness that bombards us from every direction, there is — still — the constancy of stillness. Only from that space can you create your best work and your best life.” (HuffingtonPost)

Concentrating on silence and your heart beat is one way to do a meditation. Another way is to do a guided meditation. There are plenty of free guided meditation videos on YouTube that you can pull up.
3. They Get Motivated – Personal Development Is Key

Highly successful people get motivated first thing on Monday morning. They read personal development books, watch inspirational videos, listen to motivational speakers. Even 15 minutes of inspirational content on Monday morning can set up your day and your week for success. Check out Tony Robbins’ free motivational speech about a Power Hour.

Tony suggests the Power Hour to highly successful people such as Fortune 500 CEOs, legends in entertainment, and even athletes, including Chuck Liddell. (TonyRobbins)

Some of the books you may want to check out: 

Infinite Self by Stuart Wilde

The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Awaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

Manifesting Change by Mike Dooley

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne


4. They Fuel Their Body – Food Is Energy

It’s imperative that your body is fueled with nutritious foods first thing in the morning. Healthy food provides energy and gets the mind and body ready for the day. According to Business Insider, Richard Branson eats a fruit salad and muesli (a mix of rolled oats, fruits, nuts, seeds, and milk) in the morning.
5. They Get Active – No You Don’t Need A Gym Membership

Highly Successful people know that getting the body active is imperative on Monday mornings and throughout the week. Exercise helps the body wake up and oxygenate; by doing so, all of the cells become active and ready for the day.

Exercise is known not only to positively affect the physical body, but it also to keep the mind sharp.  Barack Obama shared with WebMD, “The rest of my time will be more productive if you give me my workout time.”

If you don’t have a gym membership or don’t own any workout equipment, no problem. All you need is your body and some space to do bodyweight exercises. With the right  type of exercises, all you need is just 20 minutes for a good workout in the morning.

Performing high intensity exercises such as burpees, squat jumps, lunge jumps, and lateral jumps target multiple body areas at the same time.

Here’s an example of a 20 minute body weight exercise:

20 Minute AMRAP (as many round as possible) – Set your timer for 20 minutes and take about 30 second break between each exercise.

10 Burpees

10 Pushups

10 Jumps Squats

10 Chair Dips

10 Lateral Jumps

10 Wide push ups


6. They Connect With Their Team Face To Face

A lot of business decisions take place over email or other types of technology. Highly successful people connect with their teams face to face.

Steve Jobs used to have Monday morning meetings and believed that “in this digital age, when we think we can do things by email and Skype and online chats, it’s really important to bump into people face to face, to hash things out, to look them in the eye, to yell at them and scream at them, and then to hug them and to know emotionally what they’re thinking.”

7. They Only Tend To Urgent E-mails

Most email accounts are bursting with emails on Monday mornings. Highly successful people have a way to tend just to urgent emails in the morning.

Going through a long list of random emails can waste a lot of time first thing in the morning. Tumblr’s David Karp shares, “I used to suck at e-mail. I’d let e-mails pile up, get overwhelmed, and miss important messages; or forget to reply. So I set up filters on my e-mail, and that’s been working pretty well. Now, my inbox gets e-mails only from people in my company.

You can set up filters in your email account just like David Karp did. Alternatively, you can get an email app for your smart phone. Apps like Boxer, Dispatch, and Hop can help you to quickly go through your email box to separate urgent and non-urgent emails.

4 Success Secrets of the Super Successful

The accomplishment of these goals instills in us the feeling of success. People who are super successful are able to accomplish their goals much more frequently than others. For these people, success isn’t just limited to stability and financial independence; their ambitions are laced with the desire to create an impact in the world around them. Inevitably they attain fame, money, power and influence. But what is it in these people that sets them apart from the ordinary?
Research on achievement suggests that people who succeed in achieving their goals are able to do so not just because of who they are, but also what they do.
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” Indeed there are some simple decisions that differentiate the successful from the non-successful.

These secrets to success are quite simple and accessible to anyone: 

Manage your time : The earlier you start, the more productive you can make your day. Aristotle has said, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth and wisdom.” Tim Cook starts his morning routine at 3:45 a.m. so he can tackle tasks before distractions arise.

It is crucial to set clearly defined goals. One must figure out exactly what they want to do in order to realize what steps need to be taken to get things done. The more the clarity, the easier it is to set targets. Introspection becomes key to this process. If you are aware of the change you want to bring along with your strengths and weaknesses, it becomes easy to break down a goal into multiple small, simple, and achievable targets. Do not become too meticulous in setting these small targets; the idea is to take steps one at a time and to learn from them.

Brace yourself :  Dalai Lama’s teachings advise us to take into account that with great achievement comes great risk. For any difficult task to be accomplished, setbacks are a given. One must be prepared for such obstacles and deal with them with a “what next?” attitude. It is important to allow yourself time to acknowledge your feelings of disappointment but successful people are able to move past these feelings and don’t let hindrances invite self-doubt. They keep in mind the bigger picture and focus on finding better solutions. An approach that could be represented by a common bumper sticker slogan- winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win, usually ends up inspiring the people around you to move forward as well.

Level up : One must become a better person and discover ways for self-improvement in order to seek a better life. The truly successful strive to increase their competency. They attempt to educate themselves about new things relevant to their goals. Books are a huge source of such information and reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. When asked about the key to success, Warren Buffet pointed at a stack of books. He devotes 80% of his day to reading. The habit of reading also results in the formation of a sound philosophical foundation, allowing one to live a life in congruence with the dictates of that philosophy; something that increases self-efficacy.

Utilise solitude : Psychotherapist Amy Morin writes in her book, “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” that solitude can be highly beneficial to your mental health, productivity and creativity. Giving yourself alone time helps you be more intimate with your own mind. This lets your brain slow down and process the information around you. Meditation and the practice of mindfulness are excellent aids to become more relaxed and focused. The practice of keeping a journal is fairly common among the accomplished as it lets you reflect on your progress and goals daily. 

Olden Kitchen & their cooking pots

During Olden days women in their kitchen, had brass rice cooking vessels in all the sizes mentioned here. Depending on the number of people to be served, she would select a suitable rice cooking pot. She had an earthen stove and she used to cook with firewood flame. She used to apply a paste made out of ash and water to the bottom of the pot where normally the smoke from the firewood fire makes a black mark. This I understand serves two purposes. One, it provides uniform heat to the vessel and hence the rice is also cooked uniformly. Secondly, the smoke gets coated on the ash and not on the brass surface. Hence, cleaning becomes easy and the metal surface is saved from heavy scrubbing .This saves the life of the brass vessel.

The salient features of the antique brass(Kanchu) cooking pots:

–  These cooking pots are thick all around so that the rice is not burnt and has uniform cooking.

–  The shape of the pot is designed to reach the flame of the fire all around up to the middle part of the pot. This makes the cooking time less and provides heat all over the pot for uniform cooking.

–  The rim of the pot is very wide .This enables the lid to sit squarely on the rim and seal the vapours inside securely. This wide rim also helps to drain the liquid starch from the boiled rice.

Draining the ganji from the pot
Drainage of the hot liquid starch (“Ganji” in  Tulu/Telugu language) is done by placing a draining plate on the rim of the pot and tilting the pot lower and lower till the entire starch is drained. The draining plate is placed on the top side of the rim and held tight to the rim by pressing the plate against the rim by the thumb on one side and the other side of the rim by the combined strength of both pointing finger and the middle finger.  Since the starch water is very hot, people use cloth In between the rim and the fingers as an insulator.  In the orthodox tradition, Hindu communities, particularly Brahmin community of South India, cloth is not allowed to touch cooked food for “Untu” purpose.  What is Untu is explained in the later part of this article. To counter Untu, my mother used to use “Chilla Penkulu” (pieces of clay roof tiles ) to hold the rim and the plate together. The clay tile pieces are bad conductors of heat and at the same time can be washed any number of times to dispel Untu.

Rice Avail in Olden days:
Brown Rice – Rice acquires its colour due to its level of milling. If the milling is done in such a way that its husk and bran are retained, it appears brown. If the milling is done deeply and the husk and the bran are removed completely then the colour of the rice will be white. The brown rice has more nutritional value but takes more time to cook.

Boiled Rice –The rice grain with the husk is boiled in water in large scale till the husk splits into two. Then the rice is dried by spreading the hot and wet grains on the open floor. Then the husk or skin is separated from the rice by processing through a machine. Then the rice is polished in a separate polishing machine. This is also called parboiled rice.

Flavoured Rice – There are certain varieties of rice that have unique flavour and texture. These are something special in rice varieties. Basmati and Jasmine rice fall under this category of something special. This rare and exotic rice are used for preparing rice preparations like Biryani and Pulao.

Concept of Madi, Tadi and Untu (especially followed by SouthIndian Brahmins)

Madi – Madi is a state of purity of the body practiced by the Brahmins of South India. To attain the condition of Madi, the person should take a bath and wear clothes that are washed and dried and untouched by anybody who is not in Madi condition. If anybody in a Madi condition is touched by a person who is in non-Madi state accidentally or otherwise, the Madi condition of the person is gone and to regain the Madi condition the person has to take a bath again and wear the fresh Madi clothes (Madi clothes are called Madi Batta in Telugu ). If Madi batta is not available, the person has to wear wet clothes which are considered as ultimate Madi. Madi is essential condition to participate in religious ceremony or for cooking food for religious ceremonies.  The opposite of Madi is Paachi. For a person who is in Madi state, all non-Madi persons are Paachi and are to be avoided any physical contact to maintain Madi condition. My mother used to practice Madi strictly to cook food from early morning till noon every day during her Madi state we were not allowed to go near her, let alone touch her. As a child, I used to wait impatiently till she declares she is out of Madi state and run to touch her.

Tadi – Tadi means wet in Telugu. Wearing Tadi Batta,(wet clothes) is considered as the highest form of purification of the body. To participate in some religious rituals where utmost purification of the body is essential, the performer is required to wear Tadi Batta. If a person is in Madi condition and has to go outside the house, he has to carry water in a lota and immerse his fingers in the water to maintain the Madi condition. By immersing the fingers in the water the person is in a state of Tadi thus holding the highest purity. When a person is in Madi condition and touches a cooked item witch is considered as Untu, the person has to Tadi his fingers ( rinse his fingers in the water ) to get purified. After taking a bath in holy rivers, most of the Hindus pray to Ganga Mata and Surya Bhagavan (Sun God) with wet clothes to pray in  utmost Madi condition.

Untu – Untu is a practice of stringent hygienic condition by South Indian Brahmin community. Any food item that is cooked is Untu. If a person touches cooked rice and with the same hand and if he touches raw rice, the raw rice also becomes Untu. Any item that becomes Untu cannot go back to storage for a future usage. It has to be consumed within few hours or thrown out. One has to wash the hands with water after touching an Untu item to attain clean state again and then only they can touch a non-unto item. It is a common practice in Brahmin kitchen for the cooks to wash their hands repeatedly between handing Untu and non-Untu items. Untu is a Telugu word and in Tamil it is called Pathu .This Untu is also applicable to cloth. The clothes worn by a person in unhygienic condition like during the days of menstrual periods of  women  are also considered as Untu.

Now for the younger generation, it looks very complicated to practice Madi, Tadi and Untu but it is a regular and routine life for the Brahmin community few decades ago. For them, it was a matter of pride that they followed these traditions.

What plates to dine with according to ayurveda.

Ayurveda states that every aspect of food has an impact on our health: freshness and quality of food, its constitution (every single type of food has its unique Vata, Pitta and Kapha percentage just like us), its combination, time at which we eat, the season, our mood, the character of the person who cooked the dish, the room and atmosphere in which we eat and so on.

A plate we use has its effect on the food as well.

Gold vessel improves sight, is wholesome and balances all three doshas (constitutional types).

Silver vessel is good for your eyes and benefits all three doshas.

Bronze vessel is dry and hot in quality, increases Vata, pacifies Kapha and cures worm infection.

Iron or Quartz vessel cures anemia, edema, and jaundice and is strengthening.

Earthen and rock ware is not considered auspicious.

Wooden vessel improves appetite and increases Kapha.

Leafy vessel generates appetite, is carminative and mitigates poisons and sins.

Glass ware is cold in nature and pure.

In India people mostly use iron plates and dish ware even in wealthy homes. It is not only because of good impact of iron on us. China and glass vessels keep the energy of all people who used them even if properly washed. Think of the mix of thoughts and moods we acquire when eat from such plates. The iron dishes however do not transmit previous energy.

TIP: If you are not ready to give away your china dishware yet, you can clean it from accumulated energy by washing it with small amount of cow milk and then save it for your own use only. The cow is a sacred being and her milk purifies both the physical and subtle body by making us prone to Sattva (righteousness). Milk should be drunk warm and at the right time, between 6pm and 6am.

What happens when you don’t drink enough water?

Water gives us more nutrients than the food we eat. As the year's harshest weather falls upon us, staying hydrated is one of the simplest yet most effective measures we can take to keep our body fit and healthy. To maintain a healthy fluid balance,

The following tips may be useful:

Keep a large bottle of water handy

Make sure to include lot of fruits into your diet

Have a glass of water before each meal

After each trip to the restroom, drink a glass of water to replenish your fluids

Use technology to remind yourself to drink water every hour

Add a slice of lemon and mint to your water to give it some flavor without adding any extra calories

Avoid alcohol consumption

Stay away from energy drinks as they contain large amounts of sugar

When our body begins to dehydrate, more things happen in the body than just being thirsty. Staying hydrated keeps our heart healthy. As our blood mainly consists of water, when the water level goes down, our blood thickens, forcing our heart to work harder and hence raising the risk of heart attacks. 

Tiredness and fatigue are inevitable if we are not properly hydrated. When the body begins to dehydrate, our tissues and cells do not get enough water, our enzymatic activities slow down, without water enzymes are unable to produce energy. Hence we might lose our enthusiasm and feel tired all the time. 

Also, drinking less water can also cause weight gain. Hence it is very important that we keep our body hydrated

Correct Way To Drink Water From Copper Vessels And Its Health Benefits

When water is stored in a copper vessel overnight or for over eight hours, a very small amount of copper ions gets dissolved into the water. This process is called Oligodynamic effect which has the ability to destroy a wide range of harmful microbes, molds, fungi etc.

Ayurveda states that when you drink water stored in a copper vessel, it has the ability to balance all the three doshas in our body Vata, Pitta and Kapha and also has many health benefits (to know more about the 3 doshas and how they affect your personality and body, read my older post on this topic, click here ). This happens because copper vessel positively charges the water. The therapeutic water from a copper vessel is called Tamra jal in Sanskrit.  The traces of copper in a Tamra jal are safe and in fact, healthy.

 First, it is very important to buy vessels that are made of Pure Copper     . Do not buy the ones that have other metals mixed in it. Some of the common vessels made with copper are copper water jugs or a Kalash.

Once you have bought it, rinse it out thoroughly with water. Then fill it with water and cover it. Let the water rest for 6 hours (minimum) to 8 hours (maximum) and then drink it.

Ancient Ayurvedic practice:  Keep water in a copper vessel overnight by your bedside and drink this water first thing in the morning when you wake up. This particular practice is very useful in stimulating your bowel movements in the morning. This practice will keep your digestive system very healthy and set your metabolism for rest of the day. You will feel very refreshed and light every day.

Benefits of drinking water stored in a copper vessel:

1. Prevents water-borne diseases

2. Helps the digestive system to perform well

3. Aids in weight loss

4. Slows down aging

5. Good for heart health

6. Maintains hemoglobin level

7. Regulates the working of the thyroid glands

8. Stimulates the brain

9. Its anti-inflammatory

10. Fights free radicals

How much is too much?

– Drinking water from copper vessel has numerous health benefits but this does not mean that you can drink this water all day long.

– Drinking water stored in the copper vessel once in the early morning and then in the evening is more than enough to get required amount of copper for our body.

– Remember you should not drink this copper vessel water all year long. Once you start drinking water stored in a copper vessel you can continue this practice for three months and then take a break for one month (stop drinking water stored in the copper vessel). After a one month break, you can continue drinking water again from a copper vessel for next three months. This gives our body time to remove any excess copper deposited in our body. The body has its own mechanism of eliminating the excess of anything.

 Ayurvedic rules are very precise and if we follow them accordingly we will never get any side effects.

5 exercises in your training routine for overall strength and functionality, what would it be?

1. Barbell Back Squat. There’s no other exercise quite as effective as this for stimulating growth, developing balance and coordination, and gaining mental strength.
2. Barbell Bench Press. This is the best test we have of overall upper body strength. Performing it correctly wont just help develop your chest, but your upper back, triceps, and anterior deltoids as well.
3. Barbell Overhead Press. Another fantastic test of upper body strength and core stability. This movement will develop your shoulders, back, arms, and core like no other!
4. Deadlift. This is basically the ultimate strength training exercise. The number of muscles you work with just 1 movement is absurd—and in addition to the squat it’s an amazing developer of total body strength.
5. Farmers Walks/Weighted Lunges.  Farmers walks for pure grip strength and endurance training, weighted lunges for some of the lesser-targeted muscle groups like hip flexors.

You could probably do ONLY these 5 exercises for the rest of your life and never master them fully. If you’re spending your time on compound lifts, you don’t really need to waste time with bicep curls, either.