Do you wake up tired with puffy eyes every morning? If you do, it may be hard for you to feel fresh and active with sleepy, droopy eyes… those annoying bags under your eyes are a sign of stress and fatigue. We have some simple, quick fixes to give your eyes a lift.

1. Go potatoes – Place potato slices on the puffed area around your eyes for 15-20 minutes. This is a great way to reduce the bags.

2. Drink Enough Water – One of the causes of puffiness may be dehydration or a high concentration of salt around the eyes. Drinking plenty of water can decrease the swelling. Avoid dehydrating drinks like alcohol and coffee on particularly puffy days.

3. Apply Something Cold – Something as cold as a cucumber can do the trick. Cucumbers are a fantastic way to get rid of under eye puffiness. Place cucumber slices on your eyes for 20-25 minutes… you can place the slices and take a short nap to refresh your mind and eyes. If you don’t have a cucumber handy, you can also place chilled tea bags (green tea, chamomile tea, black tea, any herbal tea, etc.) over your eyes. Moisten two tea bags and cool them off in a refrigerator. Place the cooled tea bags on your eyes for 15-20 minutes and you will feel thoroughly relaxed. Alternatively, you can also dip cotton pads in cold milk and place on your eyelids for 20-30 minutes to reduce the swelling around your eyes.

4. Vitamin E – Take few drops of chilled water and add a few drops of vitamin E oil to it; mix them well. Dip cotton pads in this mixture and soothe your eyes with it.

5. Chilled Spoons – Another easy remedy is to chill 4 spoons in freezer. You can also put iced water in the spoon and place them over your eyes. Keep switching the spoons until you see an improvement.

6. Egg Whites – You can also beat an egg white and apply it around your eyes for about 20 minutes. Wash it off it cold water thereafter to notice your eyes feel tighter and less puffy.

Last, but not the least, get enough sleep and wake up fresh and alert.

Here is a list of more foods that can help you in burning fat.

Whole grains: Processed foods do not require much calories to break them down. However, whole foods like brown rice, oatmeal, whole grains, etc. need twice as many calories to break them down than their processed counterparts. 

Lean meats: Lean meats are high in protein. Protein has a high thermogenic effect. Therefore, you burn about 30% of the calories when you consume a 300-calorie lean meat meal like chicken breast.

Low-fat dairy products: Low-fat dairy is rich in calcium and vitamin D both of which help to preserve and build muscle mass. You can have a robust metabolism with low-fat curd, cheese, milk and other diary products.

Green tea: Consuming up to 4 cups of green tea daily can help to shed more than six pounds in two months. Green tea is known to speed up the metabolism rate. You can also keep some ice tea in your fridge and sip it before or an hour after meals if you at times you do not want to drink warm green tea.

Lentils: Lentils are packed with iron. If you have a deficiency of iron, lentils can prove to be the best for you. If you lack a nutrient, your metabolism would slow down because the body doesn’t get enough of what it needs. One cup of lentils alone satisfy 35% of your daily iron needs.

Hot peppers: If you love hot food, there’s a good news for you. Capsaicin, a compound in chilli peppers heats up the body that in turn melt additional calories. You can eat hot peppers in any way – either raw, cooked, dried or powdered. Add them to soups, eggs, meats and other meals and enjoy hot dishes.

Green vegetables: Green vegetables are good any day as they have plenty of free radicals that are needed to improve recovery for better muscle building.

Almonds, walnuts, etc.: Nuts are good to prevent food cravings and improve satiety. So add some almonds and walnuts to your cornflakes or oats; these will help to build muscles.

Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is an excellent food to burn fat. It is also known to boost testosterone (good even for women).

Soy and Canola Oil: Both these oils are not easily stores as fat and promote fullness. 

Healthy eating!

All the delicious foods are unhealthy and all healthy dishes are not tasty! Many people continue to live with this cliché for all their lives. The result: they end up eating and living with guilt every time they gorge on something delicious. Weed out this phrase from your mind if you want to enjoy a heart-healthy, yummy diet. Take a look at some of these common foods that are healthy yet tasty.

Hot Chocolate : Even the aroma of it is enough to tickle your senses. Next time you prepare a hot chocolate or are served one, relish every sip because cocoa can reduce your cortisol (a stress hormone) level and can also help your muscles to recover faster after a tough workout. Add a dash of cinnamon to boost the health benefits. Cinnamon keeps insulin out of the blood stream and cocoa is packed with rich antioxidants to keep you fresh throughout the day.

Chicken Noodle Soup : This can prove to be a healthy dinner option. The soup can boost your satiety and chicken noodles can rev up your metabolism. The protein, vitamins and fiber in chicken and noodles are just the right nutrients that you need to feel full. 

Oatmeal : Oatmeal enriched with walnuts, berries, almonds, etc. has enough fiber and protein to keep you fuller for longer hours.

Roasted Carrots : Did you ever try these as a side meal or mixed in with your favorite meals? Roasted carrots contain three times more antioxidants than raw carrots. Carrots also have high water and fiber content.

Pumpkin Pie : If you love pies, replace the filling with pumpkin meringue. Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta-carotene, responsible for fighting oxidative stress and inflammation of the body.

Chickpeas : Garbanzos or chickpeas make an excellent, mouth-watering salad and many other recipes. Half a cup of chickpeas contain 40% of your daily protein needs and 70% of daily fiber intake. Go ahead and enjoy your cup of chickpeas salad that are also known to decrease belly fat.

Till the time you eat your heart full with these guilt-free foods, we promise to add more to the list soon! Happy eating!

Did you know that for many people, the winter season and fewer hours of light can bring about a mild depression called winter blues? According to estimates, 25% of the U.S. population, especially from the northern states suffers from winter blues. Winter blues is a result of lack of light that decreases the production of chemicals in the body controlling mood, hunger and sleep.

As the winter is round the corner, you may be experiencing symptoms of winter blues. Although there’s nothing serious about winter blues and it is also not as severe as depression, you need to be aware of it if you are suffering and should know the ways to deal with it because winter blues has the potential to change your thought patterns and the way you react to different challenges in your life.

Common symptoms (may vary from person to person) include fatigue low concentration at work or home, apathy, guilt feelings, low interest in social activities and/or hobbies, increase/decrease in appetite, difficulty in sleeping, craving of carbohydrates, etc.

6 Ways to Combat Winter Blues

• Accept More Natural Light – Light plays an important role on our health and one of the main reasons of winter blues is less exposure to natural light. So, increase your time outdoors.

• Stay Active – Exercise is a great way to release chemicals into your body that elevate your mood. If you cannot exercise outdoors, do indulge in indoor activities.

• Eat Well and Healthy – Eating habits are one of the most important indicators of health. Try to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Herbal teas in winter are also great to warm up your body.

• Take Adequate Sleep – To reduce feelings of depression, try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily.

• Stay Connected with Family and Friends –Social support can rev up your mood. So, on and off, attend social gatherings, arrange for parties and go for a vacation with family/friends to build resilience.

• Think Positive – Your thoughts can influence your mood to a large extent. When you notice yourself surrounded by negative thoughts, change your perspective and see how much difference it can make to your attitude.

Once you cross your 60’s, you may find it challenging to develop a fitness routine if you haven’t been exercising in your younger years. Beyond the age of 60, it is all the more important for you to keep yourself active to maintain or improve your health. Let’s take a look at some fun ways to be active.

• Stay active around the house. Involve yourself in cooking, household chores, walking around, etc. Although you cannot substitute these activities with your fitness routine, you can get an added advantage to increase your flexibility.

• Improve your strength and balance by joining an exercise group for older people.

• Take tips from a professional trainer to target any of your problem areas.

• Joining conservation groups in your area is a great way to improve your local environment and become active at the same time.

• Working out in water is an excellent way to reduce stress and strain on joints. Do swimming, aqua-aerobics, or other water sports.

• Yoga poses are good to build strength and flexibility, suitable for all ability levels.

• You can also try tai-chi, an ancient Chinese art.

• Try to find out the sports that suit you well and learn a new sport. This way you can meet new friends and de-stress yourself.

• Brisk waking can increase your activity levels. Fix up with a friend and go for a fast walk together regularly; it’s one of the easiest ways to keep fit.

• If you like gardening, try out heavy gardening that includes pushing, bending, squatting, shoveling, digging, etc.

• Running is another effective way to strengthen the whole body. Take a buddy along to stay motivated for a longer time.

• Ask your gym trainer about Pilates that you can do. Pilates stretch and strengthen the while body while increasing muscle-strength and posture.

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