A bunch of free giveaways running here in February 2011

A bunch of free giveaways going on here, till Feb 28th, 2011 ! This is not a lottery game; every one who participates gets goodies. There are many to choose from :

Need to book a Bus / train journey in India ?

Finding the Railway reservation too difficult or reservation lines & trains always going full ? Try a comfortable bus journey ! If you need to book a bus travel from almost any city to any city, whether it is one-way or return-trip (round trip), just give BusMaan a call @ +91-77605-36968 or email with your contact details at BusMaan@gmail.com . You'll be able to confirm your reservation with us in minutes and get your tickets fast. We can take your payment (Visa / MasterCard) over the phone, Netbanking or via bank transfer whichever suits you best. We work with more than 500 bus operators all over India, so you can rest assured that you will safely & comfortably reach where you want to.

Note : To be fair to bus operators, all purchases are subject to cancellation and date change fees. Once purchased, tickets are non-transferable and name changes are not permitted.

Small exercises : perform at work, remain active

Sitting / standing at work for long time, in single position, can hurt our bodies lot more than a small accident may do ! It's better to keep moving, take short breaks (1-2 minutes) frequently, to avoid any greater injuries to muscles & bones.
Here are few exercises listed, along with my illustrations, & instructions on how to perform them. I do them whenever possible :

General instructions :

1. Get up from your desk / work place once every 5 minuets .
   
2. Perform just 1 of these exercises in a break - it takes a minute. Next break would be for next one.
3. Once complete, the cycle repeats.
4. Perform each of these for 10 seconds each & don't jerk your body parts in any of the exercises.
5. Treat your body gently.

Exercises :
1) Head tilt :

Natural ways to lead a pain free life

There's a condition (not a disease) which doctors describe as Fibromyalgia. There's no cause & cure known yet. I try to gather as much information about pain control & long-term cure without use of chemicals, medicine and even a doctor. I perform some exercises regularly that provide real comfort.

Broadly, these are the methods that I've found useful. I'll describe them soon :

1. Yoga
2. Special Muscle exercises with squishy balls
3. Walking
4. Some daily routine changes , viz. sitting posture, work-breaks

The daily routine changes :

1. While sitting on office chair, a normal person should also use a lumbar support, to maintain lordosis (the hollow curve of the back).
2. If sitting on a sofa, keep a pillow behind lower back.
3. If it's a chair without back, arch the back frequently to accentuate the hollow more.
4. Be conscious of your slouching posture everywhere, & correct it be doing the above.
5. Take shorter & more frequent breaks from work - use it for a small walk (outside preferably), tea-time, visit a colleague, make a phone call, or stretch.

How to avoid stress at work

Who is not haunted by uninvited body pains & stress during work, especially people who work on personal computers (PC), or on other jobs which require sitting at one place ? There is a trick to save ourselves from such trouble, or at least minimize their effect.

An easy thing to save yourself from pains in hands, legs, neck, back, headaches - take frequent short breaks at work. Never sit continuously for more than 30 - 40 minutes. Just walk around for 2-5 minutes - much better if u can go out for a minute, to breathe some fresh air :-) During breaks, u can relax, talk to friends, or do some stretches, get some water / drink & come back to your work then.

Here are some simple exercises, which one can try one by one in each break. One can do these easily at one's desk (while sitting or standing) - I still recommend going a little away from work area & do these. Repeat each atleast 5 times. Make sure to perform them very slowly to get most benefit - no jerks :

Lower back and stress

* Exhale and slowly bring your head toward your knees. Let your hands drop to your ankles. Hold for 5 seconds.
* Inhale and slowly unwind, return your head to its normal upright position.
* Exhale and stretch your arms toward the ceiling.

Upper back and shoulder tension

* Lift your hands to your shoulders while keeping your elbows down and pushing your shoulders back.
* Hold for 15 seconds








Wrist tension and stiffness

* Put your palms together, chest high (as if in prayer).
* Slowly push your palms together while lifting your elbows slightly and hold for five seconds
* Rotate your hands, fingertips pointing to the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and release.






Neck and shoulder tension

* Inhale. Slowly turn your head to the right. Feel the strain in your neck muscles. Hold for five seconds.
* Exhale and return your head to normal position.
* Repeat the same on your left side.

If you need more details for any of these, to better understand the postures, just let me know through post-comments option here. I have lot more ways to help avoid specific body pains. Just ask !

--Anshu

Health tips - How to avoid catching cold & cough ?

How to avoid catching cold or cough ?

Ever thought of saving yourself from these petty but dreadful illnesses ? I figured this out the hard way, after going through these for more than 15 years, that there are some specific things that can save us the trouble.
First we would see, how to prevent cold / cough :

1) Sleep well. Take at least 7 hours of sleep at night. Any irregularities here cause an immediate discomfort.
2) Drink lots of water - minimum 8 glasses (2 litres) a day.
3) Don't skip a meal. Keep yourself hydrated even if fasting.
4) Exercise regularly. Walking for at least 2 miles / 3 km a day, is greatly beneficial.
5) All this simple stuff keeps our immune system in shape, which, if unbalanced, gets attacked by cold fastest.

Now, how to avoid or get rid of cold / cough :
Whenever the cold is going to attack, we get untimely sneezes, or a little soreness of throat. As soon as any such stuff is noticed, you know that you have already been attacked. Now, you can try to prevent it from increasing.

1) Start following as much as possible from the above points.
2) Immediately eat / drink a citrus fruit / juice. It better be natural. e.g. 1 Lemon / Orange / Amla
3) Chew at least 1 clove or / and black pepper a day. More the better (depends on your like & endurance).
4) Do this for a day or two. You will be safe & healthy. Better follow the 1st point always.

Let me know about your experiences / comments / suggestions.

--Anshu Singare