There are many of us who are caught in the trap of losing weight. We try to perform exhaustive exercises in a gym or at home, undertake crash dieting and get into the figure we have in our minds for the best friend’s wedding or just before Christmas. However soon after Christmas the loads of cakes, pastries and candies call for a nuisance when the body regains more than the weight lost before the festivity. This is nothing but a vicious cycle which we get into every year and spend a few months getting out of.

However, now we can comfortably put an end to these vicious traps. The art of losing weight is more than a science and a little of an art. It is not only about burning calories and storing less of them. The main ideology behind the science of losing weight is to do so consistently and to imbibe these habits for a lifetime. This requires a change in lifestyle and these changes can’t be very drastic in nature. Some tips which call for changes in food and lifestyle habits are described below which would help most of us lose weight healthily, without sacrificing anything and avoiding exertion to an uncomfortable extent too.

1. You can eat a double portion of your meal, if you load it with plenty of fresh vegetables. Not only will this be very healthy for you but also make for a more satisfying meal and that too without adding any extra calories to your daily intake.

2. You can cut down approximately 100 calories a day, if you reduce a can of soda or eat one cookie less. This way you will not need to suppress your cravings nor binge on high calorie foods.

3. Studies show that irrespective of how hungry you may feel, you tend to eat what is laid on the table. So more food in front of you means the more you will eat. Thus it would be better if you switch from your regular dinner plates to salad plates. The same applies to the huge coffee mugs and glasses.

4. Avoid drinking coffee from coffee joints, since they are packed with loads of sugar, cream and calories. Instead revert to ordinary coffee made with skimmed milk or low fat powder milk.

Drinks are a basic necessity for everyone of us. A slight change in our preference for drinks can do wonders on our body. Lets have a look at a few of these tips:

Good Drink Options Your Family Will Enjoy

Water. Whether it is flat or fizzy, flavored or plain, water is a fundamental component of your family fitness plan and is the perfect beverage for everyone. It helps to fill you up and is important for many bodily functions. There are many drinks masquerading as water that still have sugar or artificial sweeteners added. Check to be sure the label lists no calories or artificial sweeteners so you get the real deal. Show your kids that the ever-present water bottles that lots of pro athletes, teenagers, and health-conscious young adults carry with them are healthy and cool! Here are some ideas for making water more appealing to your kids.

• Have plenty of flavored seltzer waters available as an alternative to plain water.
• Use fresh lemon, lime, or other citrus fruit slices in your water. Or try cucumber slices for a refreshing taste.
• Always keep water bottles in the car or in your kids’ backpacks to encourage water consumption.

Milk. Low-fat and fat-free milk are healthful beverage alternatives. Next to water, low-fat or fat-free milk and soy milk are the best beverage options for your family. Milk contains calcium, which we often don’t get enough of, as well as protein. Soy milk is a great alternative to cow’s milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant, have problems with chronic upper respiratory infections (sinus infections or ear infections), have asthma, or are just looking to include more soy in your diet. Chocolate milk is okay for an occasional treat; just try to control the amount of chocolate added to keep the sugar under control.

100 percent fruit juice. 100 percent fruit juice is just that — it is made solely from fruit with no sugar added. Fruit juice has the added benefit of being full of the vitamins that are naturally found in fruit, such as vitamin C and folate. It’s very important to remember, however, that a serving is only 4 ounces. The typical juice box is 8 ounces, and many bottles can be up to 20 ounces. I would suggest limiting the total amount of juice for the day to 4 to 8 ounces. If 8 ounces is much less than your family is used to drinking, dilute the juice with water. Start with 25 percent water and 75 percent juice, then slowly increase the percentage of water to 50 percent. Or try mixing juice with seltzer water for a fizzy treat.

Whether you are writing, cleaning, cooking, getting ready for work or scratching your head to meet a deadline, you are constantly using your hands. However, unfortunately, these hands are the most ignored when it comes to beauty and maintenance. How many times do you notice that your nails are cracked and out of shape but you postpone to caress them? That is the bottom line , these nails are treated to be dead tissues , dead and therefore they don’t need to be maintained; this mindset needs to be changed!

Take a look at your fingernails. Are they strong and healthy-looking? Or do you see ridges, or areas of unusual color or shape? The condition of your nails may offer clues to your general health. Illness can cause changes in your nails that your doctor can use to develop diagnose.

Ayurveda behind nails

The nails reflect the quality of tissue production in the body as nails are considered to be the waste product of bones (asthi dhatu) Healthy nails are pink, smooth and evenly shaped.

The root cause of nail disorders like splitting and flaky nails, white spots, vertical ridges or discoloration of the nail bed is an improper diet. Vata type nails are irregular in shape, pale, rough and brittle and bitten. A person with Pitta as the predominant dosha has oval, soft, strong and flexible nails while Kapha type nails are square, thick, large and very white.

Split and cracked nails

Many women are plagued by fingernails that split and crack. What’s causing this? Like body shape, skin tone, and hair texture, our nails’ ability to grow is largely hereditary — so if your mom had weak nails, you’re likely to have them, too. That said, there are things you can do to avoid much of the splitting:

Protect your nails from water. Keep your hands out of H2O, since water can actually dry out nails, causing them to split. Be sure to wear gloves when doing dishes or cleaning.

Apply hand cream religiously. Look for a rich formula, which will seal moisture into nails, making them stronger and more flexible.

Health tips

Fragile nails, split nails, discolored nails and infectious nails are some signs of unhealthy nails which are encountered on account of bad habits like keeping the nails unclean from the bed, not changing the nail polish regularly, poor diet and water intake and biting them rigorously. The chances of these manifestations increase if you use your nails for purposes not defined for them like digging, scratching and the like. Some tips for developing and maintaining healthy nails are as follows:

• Add shine to your nails by massaging coconut oil or warm Castor oil on to them.
• If you do not like nail polish then apply dry soap to your nail and buff or use lemon peel for a similar result.
• Dip a cotton-tipped swab in hydrogen peroxide to clean under the nails and whiten them.
• Before giving yourself a manicure dip your nails in a cup of warm water with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Put your fingertips in half a lemon and twist your finger back and forth to clean the cuticles and nails
• If you wear nail polish on a regular basis then, take them off for a day or two every week, in order to let your nails breath.

• Apply speed-dry nail polish when time is of the essence.
• Drink lots of water. Keep your body hydrated everyday to maintain healthy nails.
• Fortify your diet with FDA approved vitamins or supplements. Your fingernails count on you to be responsible with your health and your diet. Unless instructed otherwise by your physician, increase your daily doses of Vitamin A,