Health Benefits Of Chocolate

Healthy chocolate sounds like a dream come true, but chocolate hasn’t gained the status of health food quite yet. Still, chocolate’s reputation is on the rise, as a growing number of studies suggest that it can be a heart-healthy choice.

Chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it every day can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Health benefits of chocolate are:

The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.

Regular chocolate eaters who had heart disease were less likely to die following a heart attack compared with the people who didn’t treat themselves to the dark and dreamy stuff.

Cacao, the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. However, chocolate with high sugar content will negate this benefit. Dark chocolate contains significantly higher amounts of cacao and lower amounts of sugar than white chocolate, making it more healthful.

Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.

Chocolate also has not been proven to cause cavities or tooth decay. In fact, there are indications that the cocoa butter in the chocolate coats the teeth and may help protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in chocolate does contribute to cavities, but no more than the sugar in any other food.

Health Benefits of Tulsi

Tulsi is undoubtedly the best medicinal herb ever known. It has endless miraculous and medicinal values and is being worshipped in India since thousands of years.

Tulsi is considered to be an adaptive, balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress. Tulsi protects from nearly all sorts of infections from viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded in ayurveda as a kind of elixir of life and believed to promote longevity.

The health benefits of Tulsi are as follows:

Respiratory problems

Holy Basil is very effective in treating cold and its related disorders. It is a boon for respiratory tract disorders. It helps in treating all the disorders that are related to our throat

Heart Diseases

Tulsi contains vitamin C and other anti oxidants, which protect the heart from harmful effects of free radicals.

Stress

Vitamin C and other anti oxidants in Tulsi, apart from repairing damages done by the free radicals, can minimize the stress induced by these oxidants. They soothe nerves, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and thus reduce stress.

Headaches

Tulsi is very helpful in relieving headaches and body pain. It has certain properties that helps in releasing spasm in the muscles hence is extremely helpful in relaxing the body.

Anti Ageing

Vitamin-C, A, Phytonutrients and the essential oils in it are excellent anti oxidants and protects the body from nearly all the damages caused by the free radicals. In traditional Indian medicine system called Ayurveda, it is considered as a tonic to retain youth and avoid aging.

Healing Power

The tulsi plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic and also sharpen memory. They promote the removal of the catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tube. The leaves strengthen the stomach and induce copious perspiration. The seed of the plant are mucilaginous.

Hot Yoga At Home

Practicing yoga at home has never been easier.  If you are a beginner to yoga or relatively new and want to establish an at home yoga practice, it is important to do some groundwork before jumping into the fray.  To prevent injury and maximize the power of your yogic experience, careful preparation and modest investments can make learning yoga at home viable, efficient, and fun.

There are a lot of benefits to doing yoga postures at home. You certainly don’t need to take yoga any further than that, but there is more information on these spiritual and healing aspects if the interest is there. Like anything, take what is appropriate for you, and leave the rest. If you are new to yoga, or just need some new apparel, you can use this coupon code from Patagonia to help you save!

What you need to get started with yoga at home

The best reason to start a home yoga practice is that you don’t need much to begin:

• Choose or create a quiet, uncluttered space in your home for your practice, and stock it with the essential basic yoga props mat, strap, blocks, blanket, bolster, etc. The space doesn’t have to be large, but it should be quiet, clean, open and sacred.
• Set realistic goals, starting out with small pockets of time (10-15 minutes).
• Your body knows what’s good for you and what’s not. Before you begin your practice, take a few minutes to sit or stand in stillness. Scan your body from your toes, up your legs to your knees and into your hips and lower back. Then scan up to your upper back, shoulders, arms, stomach and chest. Notice any sensations anywhere, ranging from simple sensations of energy to stronger ones of discomfort or pain. Stay tuned into those areas as you do your practice. If you feel increased pain or new pain be sure to back off and choose a different variation of the movement.
• Begin with basic yoga sequence and expand your practice as your skills improve.

Uttanasana

Brings energy to the head and respiratory area; helps clear the sinusesStand with your feet hip-width apart and rest your forearms on a chair seat. You can also place a blanket on the chair seat for extra padding. Hold two to five minutes.

Leg Yoga

The Leg to Side Pose is a part of Leg Yoga. It stretches your legs, waist and spine. It also helps reduce your belly’s fat. It stretches the back, shoulder and neck muscles.

Method: Lie down on your back. Stretch the arms out perpendicular to the torso with palms facing down. Then slowly raise your legs up perpendicular to the floor. Inhale and gradually brings your legs down close to the left arm. Twist the torso to the opposite side while keep your shoulders and arms on the floor. Turn your face to the right and exhale. Hold the position for 5-7 breathes and then release.

Natural Beauty Tips for Girls

Wake Up Call

Make paste of honey and ginger and apply this paste on face every morning before brushing teeth. This will prevent wrinkles to a greater extent.

Rich Olive

Massage is very useful as it increases blood circulation and result in tightening of skin. Use olive oil to massage your skin daily. Remember to massage in anticlockwise

Ample Apple

Cut apple’s thin slices and rub it on affected area, wash with warm water after 10 min. It helps in controlling oily shine.

Healthy Haldi

Make a paste using Haldi (Turmeric) with a little raw milk and lemon juice. Apply it on the skin, it will help in removing a tan.

Sweet Honey

Prepare mixture of honey, lemon and vegetable oil. Apply this paste on dry skin and wash after 10-15 min. This mixture is a good moisturizer for dry skin.

Fruit Lunch

Make it a habit to add lots of fruits as part of your meals. Take fruits without adding any salt and sugar to it. Eat wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including dark green vegetables and feel the difference in your skin.

Ideal Drink

Make a habit of drinking 2 glass of water early in the morning. Drinking water early in the morning will bless you with shiny and healthy skin.

Utterly Buttery

Buttermilk is another proven recipe to fade the sun tan. Wash you face with Buttermilk regularly for a few days and you would notice the difference. Being a natural astringent, it tones the skin and is ideal for oily to combination skin.

Morning Buzz

Try to take food that contains more calories (as compare to night) in morning and noon. This way you might eat less in the evening. It gives more time and chance for burning the calories during day and noon.

Moisturizing

Applying moisturizer after a warm face wash or a warm shower is the best remedies for skin. Moisturizing helps to restore the oils that our skin has and helps to keep the skin hydrated.

Greedy Grapes

Add 3-4 tablespoons of oatmeal to the juice of a grapefruit. Mix to thick paste. Spread on face and leave on 15 minutes, remove with luke warm water. Get healthy and smooth skin quickly.

Home Remedies to cure Stretch Marks

Home Remedies to cure Stretch Marks

One of the common problems that women face is that of stretch marks on the body. Stretch marks are fine lines on the skin that looks like cracks. These are ugly looking and make the skin look dull. In many cases, women have these marks on the skin from birth or else they develop it during the pregnancy phase. Thigh and the breast region are two of the major areas that can have these lines.

Now lets understand why these stretch marks occurs?
Stretch marks occur when the dermis, the middle layer of your skin, is stretched to a point where its elasticity begins to break down. Skin is made of 80% collagen and 4% elastin fibre mesh network . Elastin is the protein in the skin which gives it its flexibility and allows it to stretch. The elastin forms a fishnet-like network in the skin which allows our skin to stretch and recoil back to its original position. These elastin fibers are damaged in stretch marks, causing the 'scar' of a stretch mark. As the dermis is stretched, the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, also stretches making it translucent enough that you can see the reddish purple stretch mark forming.  As these marks heal, scar formation occurs, and you have a stretch mark. 

Excessive stretching of skin is often associated with rapid growth (e.g. puberty) or weight gain (e.g. pregnancy). Although the skin is fairly elastic, rapid stretching of the skin will leave permanent stretch marks.

Heredity also affects the presence of stretch marks to a great extent.

Home remedies are a good substitute for any problem and so it is for stretch marks. Here is a list of the perfect natural solutions to your problem.

• In a blender, mix ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup Aloe Vera gel, liquid from 6 Vitamin E capsules and liquid from 4 Vitamin A capsules. Store it in a container and place it in the refrigerator. Apply this mixture wherever stretch marks appear.
• Prepare a mixture by adding seven drops of lavender oil and a few drops of chamomile oil to an ounce of carrier oil (avocado, sweet almond or jojoba oil). Use it to massage the affected area.
• Cocoa butter is beneficial in treating stretch marks. Apply it two times a day, in the morning as well as in the evening, over the affected area. This would help remove the marks.
• Aroma oil is beneficial in treating stretch marks problem. Apply some of this oil on the stretch marks and massage well.
• Massaging your body with olive oil or Vitamin E may help.
• One of the simplest, yet effective home remedies for stretch marks would be to apply lavender oil on the marks, three times a day.
• Rub the affected area with apricot scrub. This is likely to remove the stretch marks gradually.
• 1/2 cup virgin olive oil. 1/4 cup aloevera gel. Liquid from 6 capsules of Vitamin E.Liquid from 4 capsules of Vitamin A. Mix all the ingredients together in a blender. After that pour the mixture into a jar and store it in the fridge. Apply the oil externally all over the places where the stretch marks commonly appear (abdomen, hips, thighs and breasts). If you do this consistently every day, you may prevent stretch marks.
• Dairy products, tomatoes and green vegetables are some of the foods that are highly recommended for those who want to clean their skin from stretch marks.
• Fresh Aloe Vera gel if applied on the marks everyday will gradually lighten them and soon wipe them off from your skin.
• Last but not least exercise regularly. Toning the muscles of the body regularly is definitely a good idea to clean the skin of the dull marks. More than wiping them off, exercising will help in prevention of the same. 

Advice for Stretch Marks Prevention

• Eat seeds and nuts that are rich in mineral content, especially zinc to tone up the skin during pregnancy.
• Make sure in your diet you are getting plenty of protein and foods rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin E, they promote good tissue growth.
• It is very important to exercise in order to get rid of stretch marks; toning your muscles helps your skin to firm thus preventing stretch marks.
• Avoid saturated fats in excess, because they can cause excessive stretching of the skin, and also leads to Obesity.

Ayurvedic Herbs for Stretch Marks
The herbs used in ayurvedic medicine for preventing & treating stretch marks are:

• Neem: It reduces the stretch marks.
• Tulasi: Holy Basil prevents scars and stretch marks caused during pregnancy. A decoction of Tulasi leaves takes care of the skin.
• Aloe Vera: Apply Aloe Vera gel on the stretch marks or any other scars. It is effective in curing such marks.
• Brahmi: This herb is used as one of the main ingredients in cosmetic products for healing stretch marks. It also takes care of other skin problems.
• Manjishtha: This herb is used in Ayurveda in treating the skin problems like stretch marks and also prevents skin ulcers.
• Amla: It has rich source of Vitamin C which is good for healthy skin. Regular intake of Amla will help to have a good skin texture.
• Shwet Chandanam: Apply the paste this herb (White Sandalwood) on the stomach during pregnancy. Its cooling effect protects the skin from stretching.
• Turmeric: It is very good for skin. It nourishes the skin giving it a healthy natural glow. It prevents many skin problems and reduces the inflammation of skin. Regular use of turmeric on skin can reduce stretch marks and provide a natural toning of the skin.