You don’t need to be thirsty to be dehydrated. There are various signs that you must attune yourself to, to be sure.

You will need:

· Water!

Step 1: Dry throat

One of the most obvious signs of dehydration is a dry throat. You may not feel thirsty, but if your mouth feels dry and a touch furry, then you need to reach for some water pronto.

Step 2: Dry Skin

Dry skin is another sign of dehydration. The most obvious place where this dryness tends to be the most visible is the hands. This is because the hands tend to get the most exposure to harsh weather conditions, and undergo general wear and tear. Constant wetting and drying of hands also increases the chances that you’ll develop dry skin. Instead of simply reaching for the handcream, you need to drink more water!

Step 3: Headaches

This is one of the worst affects of dehydration, and they are very common, in children as well as adults. The problem in adults is that not only do we not drink enough water, but we tend to replace it with dehydrating drinks. Coffee is the worst offender. Although headaches are caused by many things- stress being one- simply upping your water intake could make a lot of difference.

Step 4: Poor digestion

Poor digestion is another result of the body being starved of water. We need water like machines need oil, to get the cogs turning smoothly. To avoid constipation – drink water. Simple.

Step 5: Fatigue

Tiredness and fatigue is one of the main results of dehydration. It is the body beginning to shut down because the organs have not been given the juices they need to function properly. Most people drink coffee to wake themselves up, but what they’re doing is dehydrating their bodies further. After the initial buzz, you’re likely to feel more tired than before.

Step 6: Poor concentration

Finally- lack of concentration. Do you get restless? Do you find it difficult to focus on a task for longer than ten minutes? This might not be due to ODD tendencies, but the fact that you’re not drinking enough water. Whereas headaches and tiredness are the physical effects of dehydration, lack of concentration is a psychological one. The brain cannot function without water, thoughts flit and you may even find yourself feeling emotional- don’t cry though, you’ll only lose more water!

With change in weather, one tends to catch colds – and fast! There’s nothing more annoying than a blocked nose which forces you to breathe through your mouth. Here’s how to get relief in a jiffy!

You Will Need:

• Steam
• Jethimadh (Licorice) tea
• A saline rinse
• Hot peppers
• Pudina (Peppermint) oil or Pudina tea
• Chicken soup
• Eucalyptus oil
• Table salt
• Baking soda

Step 1: Inhale steam

Go into the bathroom, switch on the geyser and draw water into a bucket once the waters hot. Put a towel over your head, and lean over the bucket, keeping your head about 6 inches above it. Then, inhale the steam.

Tip: Pour a few drops of eucalyptus oil into the bucket. The vapors reduce inflammation and clear sinuses and congestion.

Step 2: Drink jethimadh (licorice) tea

Drink jethimadh (licorice) tea. Licorice root is an expectorant that breaks up mucus in the nose and the lungs, so you’ll breathe more easily.

Step 3: Snort a saline rinse

Snort a saline rinse. Available at drug stores, it’s proven more effective than medicated nasal sprays. It not only clears the nasal passages, but reduces inflammation.

Tip: You can make your own saline rinse by adding half a teaspoon of table salt and a pinch of baking soda to 8 ounces of warm tap water. Just don’t keep it more than 24 hours.

Step 4: Spice things up

Eat something with hot peppers. They contain capsaicin, the chemical that makes your nose run when you eat something spicy.

Step 5: Try pudina (peppermint)

Put some pudina oil, available at health food stores, on a cloth or cotton ball and sniff the vapor. Pudina contains menthol, proven to clear congestion. Or drink hot peppermint tea, inhaling the steam as you drink.

Step 6: Eat chicken soup

Have some hot chicken soup. This homespun remedy can break up mucus, helping you get over your cold faster.

Getting rid of stomach fat can often be one of the hardest things to do. Diets, exercise, no matter what is done it stubbornly refuses to go away. Stomach fat can be hard to lose because it is the primary storage area for adipose (fat) tissue and is one of the last places that the body will give up its fat stores.

This means of course that losing stomach fat is not something that can happen quickly. More of a long term approach is needed; and no, long term does not mean years. By using the body’s own internal engine, its metabolism, we can burn off that excess stomach fat over a period of time and if our metabolism stays at a higher rate we can keep the fat off.

Here are seven ways you can increase your metabolism and finally get rid of that stomach fat.

1. Get more sleep: 8 hours is the minimum for everyone. Research done into the effects of sleep show that people who get less then 8 hours of sleep have slower metabolisms then those who get a good nights rest. People who do not get enough rest also tend to eat more throughout the day to try and keep their energy levels up.

2. Exercise in the evening: This doesn’t have to a full blown workout, just something to get the heart going and the blood flowing. The reason for this is that as the day wears on our metabolic rate declines. This means that we are no longer burning calories as quickly as we were in the morning.

3. Get moving: Anytime you can sneak in any form of physical activity like taking the stairs instead of the elevator you will use extra calories to fuel your activity.

4. Protein is good: Protein can help to stabilize how much insulin in the blood stream. Insulin levels that are to high or low can seriously affect your metabolism.

5. Eat more often: By eating 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day you will keep a steady supply of energy flowing through your body all day long. A constant flow of calories keeps your metabolism rolling. Skipping meals will actually cause a metabolism slow down.

6. Eat healthy: Those 5 or six meals should consist of nutrient rich, high fiber, high protein foods. A healthy diet gives your body everything it needs to run at its optimum level.

7. Resistance training: Lifting weights builds lean muscle mass which in turn requires lots of extra calories just to maintain. This is where resting metabolism is higher, burning extra calories in the process.

The key to getting rid of stomach fat is increasing your metabolism for a total body fat wasting effect. Use these 7 tips to get the firm trim stomach you always wanted.

The world of science has recently come forth with yet another reason for us to get our Z’s:  turns out that chronic insomnia along with a short sleep time is an independent and clinically significant risk factor for hypertension. In the study, participants with insomnia and an objectively-measured, sleep duration of less than five hours had a risk for hypertension that was 500 % higher than participants without insomnia who slept more than six hours.  They also found that people with insomnia and moderately short sleep duration of five to six hours had a risk of hypertension that was 350 % higher than normal sleepers.

In contrast, neither just insomnia with a normal sleep duration of more than six hours nor a short sleep duration without insomnia was associated with a significant risk for hypertension. So this means that there is an additive or synergistic effect on hypertension risk when insomnia occurs in combination with short sleep duration.  We do need to note that that many times, the amount that we feel we slept is different from the actual amount that we have slept, so in order to know, you’d need to go to a sleep doctor for assessment.  The study was cross-sectional so it did not allow for causality to be determined, but the authors note that large amounts of clinical and research data indicate that it is most likely that insomnia leads to hypertension and not the other way around.

Previous reports have shown that insomnia with short sleep duration is associated with hypersecretion of cortisol, increased catecholaminergic activity, increased heart rate and 24-hour metabolic rate, and impaired heart rate variability which may all lead to hypertension and other cardiovascular events.  Bottom line is that the study urges people with insomnia to seek evaluation and treatment from their medical provider.  And those of you with just insomnia and normal sleep—you may have a lower risk for physical problems but you’re still are at risk for depression and may suffer from the behavioral effects of insomnia—so you too should see your doctor!

Dental hygiene is very important if one wishes to have long-lasting and good-looking teeth. This should begin at a very young age even as the first tooth erupts at the age of about 3 months. Healthy teeth can be maintained by simple procedures such as brushing and flossing and visiting the dentist regularly.

Teeth must be brushed twice a day. Ideally, teeth must be brushed after every meal. If a long time passes between eating and brushing your teeth then food particles will remain embedded between the teeth. This enables bacteria to thrive and allows for decay to set in. A toothpaste containing fluoride is advised by most dentists. Fluoride strengthens the teeth and prevents them from decay. Toothbrushes with soft bristles are suitable for children, while adults must use tougher bristled toothbrushes. Teeth must also be flossed twice a day to remove the particles accumulated between the teeth.

It is necessary to visit the dentist on a regular basis. Different people have different dental problems. Hence, the frequency of visits must be discussed with the dentist. Dentists check your teeth for cavities, plaque formation, lesions on the jaws, and stains on the teeth. Plaque accumulation can be removed by the dentist. Such regular visits can also detect budding problems and that may drastically reduce the need for extensive operations such as root canals and crown fillings.

A good diet helps to maintain oral health. Foods having more sugar content must be avoided as these sugars facilitate the growth of bacteria on the teeth. If sugar-containing foods are eaten, teeth must be washed immediately, at least by gargling water in the mouth. Leafy foods such as spinach help in natural cleansing of the teeth.

Smokers should take dental health more seriously. People who smoke frequently may be prone to conditions such as periodontitis, gingivitis, and even oral cancer. A routine dental checkup helps to catch such problems in their initial stages, and perhaps avert them completely.

The first step a program is Healthy Nutrition and there are ten basic rules:

1. Never skip a meal again (keep the calorie burning furnace burning)
2. Eat real, unprocessed foods
3. Eat balanced meals (protein, fat, and carbs in every meal)
4. Choose a protein as the main nutrient in your meal
5. Add some healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, cold water fish, and olive oil)
6. Add real carbohydrates (whole grains)
7. Add non-starchy vegetables (green and brightly coloured)
8. Eat snacks (keep the calorie burning furnace burning)
9. Eat solid food (fiber)
10.Drink enough water(body weight x .7 = no. of ounces to drink)

The second step of the program is Stress Management:

1. Make downtime a daily practice (you are important)
2. Put your life in perspective (don’t sweat the small stuff)
3. Keep track of stress signals (heart rate increase, blood pressure, anxiety, yelling)
4. Get enough sleep (6-8hours)

Third, avoid all toxic chemicals including:

1. Nicotine
2. Alcohol
3. Refined sugar
4. Artificial sweeteners
5. Illegal drugs
6. MSG, additives & preservatives
7. Fake fats and fat blockers
8. Caffeine
9. Certain prescription drugs

Fourth, practice cardio, resistance and flexibility/relaxing exercises.