10 tips for good night's sleep

Stick to a schedule. Erratic bedtimes do not allow for your body to align to the proper circadian rhythms. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you’d wake later and feel overly tired.

Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.

Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.

Avoid eating just before bed. Avoid eat large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.

Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.

Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?

Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.

Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.

Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people

Helpful Tips on Eye Care

With so many of us spending lots of time in front of the computer every day it comes to no surprise that research is showing a rise in visual problems. What can one do? First, it’s important to find out how you can protect your eyes through eye health exams and by making a few minor changes in your computer viewing habits.

Here are some helpful Eye Care Tips -
Positioning is everything
Correct positioning of your computer, keyboard and typing copy is essential. Your screen should be positioned about an arm’s length from your eyes and 20 degrees below eye level. Consider foot and wrist rests for added comfort.

Lighting can make all the difference
Room lighting should be diffuse, not direct, to reduce glare and reflections from your screen. Look into an internal or external glare screen and be sure to set your colour, contrast and brightness levels to suit you.

A little extra help for your glasses
Anti-reflective coatings on the lenses of your glasses can be applied by your optometrist to reduce discomfort and to ease reduced vision from bright and/or flickering light sources such as VDTs and fluorescent lights. And don’t forget, your doctor of optometry can talk to you about eyeglasses designed specifically for people who use computers a lot.

Take time out, our 20-20-20 rule
Step I :-
After every 20 minutes of looking into the computer screen, turn your
head and try to look at any object placed at least 20 feet away. This
changes the focal length of your eyes, a must-do for the tired eyes.

Step II :-
Try and blink your eyes for 20 times in succession, to moisten them.

Step III :-
Time permitting of course, one should walk 20 paces after every 20 minutes
of sitting in one particular posture. Helps blood circulation for the entire body.

It’s all in the blinking
Did you know that on average we blink 12 times per minute? But wait, did you know that when we’re on the computer we only blink 5 times per minute? That can add up to dry eyes. Relieve the discomfort by using artificial tear drops or gels and remember to blink!

Palming

Sit straight at your workstation and rub your palms against each other till you feel them warm. The warmth of your palms helps soothe and relax tired eyes. Then, lightly cup your eyes with your palms and relax for 60 seconds. Count the seconds in your mind. Repeat this exercise two to three times whenever your eyes feel tired, or as often as you want. While palming, you can either rest your elbows on your desk or keep away from the desk and cup your eyes. Both ways are fine.

Splash water on your face

During breaks, splash water on your face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps you feel refreshed.

Use tea bags

Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before you leave for work. Once you are home, place the tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes as you relax. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.

Eat healthy

Incorporate Vitamins A, C, and E on a daily basis; eat citrus fruits, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, spinach, poultry and dairy products. Pack a box of chopped carrots, cucumber and fresh fruits and munch in-between meals at the office.

How to Participate in Deala no Deala

Dela No Dela Program

Deala No Deala, very interesting game show in South Indian Television history. It is very successful shows in Tamil Television, telecast by Sun TV.

Actually Deala No Deala in Tamil is like international television game show, Deal or No Deal.

Deal or No Deal:

-73 countries Telecast
- Cumulative prize money is Rs 500 crores.

Dela No Deala Prize Money:

In this game show the participant can win upto Rs 50 Lakhs in cash.

Deala No Deala game show Timings:

Saturday: 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.
Sunday: 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.
Sun TV (Tamil), Surya (Malayalam), Gemini (Telugu) and Udaya (Kannada).

Details of Deala No Deala:

There is totally 26 suitcases, which contains different amount of money between Rs 1 to Rs 50 Lakhs. At the beginning contestant chooses any one suitcases among the 26.

How to play Deala No Deala :

Then the participant should choose the box numbers for elimination of money within that box. There are different rounds to play, at the end of each round the banker announce his offer according to possible amount inside the participants Box.

The participants can accept or reject the Bankers deal by saying
'Deal', accepting the offer presented and ending the game
'No Deal', rejecting the offer and continuing the game.
If the participant accepts the deal he/she will get the amount chosen by the Banker OR

Interested to continue by saying 'No Deal' there is a chance for getting any amount between 1- 50 lacks which is inside his/her box.

How to Participate in Deala, noDeala:

To participate in Sun TV Dela no Dela you have to apply through on line, they can select the participants according to their Biodata.

Deala No Deala Application Form:

Download the word form and fill it and mail the saved document with contestant name as file name and mail it to dealsuntv@sunnetwork.in (OR) Download the form either in English or in Tamil language, take a print out, fill the details and mail to Sun TV – P.O.Box No. 3120, Mandeveli, Chennai – 600028

To Apply Online http://www.sunnetwork.org/dnd/

How to Speak Well and Confidently...

Are you very shy when it comes to new surroundings, such as starting a new class or moving to a new area? Sometimes, it is necessary to overcome your shyness and speak confidently. By doing this, it can help you not only to share your ideas properly to others, but also to learn communicating with others. Here are a few steps to consider when speaking with confidence.

Steps

1. Learn how to have conversations with people. Your ideas or opinions may not always be accepted by others, but this is nothing unusual. Open your mouth, express your beliefs! This will improve your courage.
2. Don’t be afraid and speak loudly. If you speak in a low voice, not only will others not be able to hear what you say, but you will also portray a submissive demeanor, which suggests the opposite of a confident one.
3. Make eye contact when you speak. For one thing, it is polite for others. Also, eye contact will help others to listen to your thinking carefully.
4. Praise yourself everyday! This will promote your own confidence, which is important when you speak. With more confidence, people will take your thinking more seriously.

Tips

• Don’t be nervous when you make mistakes. Human error is far from being a new concept — nobody is perfect! It is normal for everyone to make mistakes. Just calm down and keep speaking bravely.
• Try and try again! This may be difficult for a shy person at first, but you need to force yourself to speak, and not seclude your thoughts. If you have some ideas, then try to speak out! Don’t just keep them in your head.
• If you have self confidence issues, try to think that you are the only one who has sound knowledge about the topic. Then go ahead and impart your knowledge to the audience in an effective way.
• Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don’t portray an exaggerated amount of confidence, or you will come off as arrogant, believing that your ideas are better than the ideas of everyone else.

10 Tips to Improve Your Speaking Voice

One of the most important components of public speaking is the sound of your voice. It influences the impact of your message, and might even make or break the success of your speech. Fortunately, for many people, good voice quality can be learned.

Instructions :

1. Breathe from your diaphragm – Practice long and controlled exhales. When you speak, use breath to punctuate your point. For example, take a breath at the end of each phrase whether you need to or not. Use that opportunity to pause and let the listeners absorb what you say.
2. Use pitch – Lower pitches generally are more soothing to hear. However, modulating your pitch for emphasis will keep your listeners engaged. Develop your pitch by practicing humming.
3. Moderate your volume – Find out if you speak too loudly or too softly. When you begin speaking, ask your audience how your volume is (each situation is different). Try to stay at the appropriate volume throughout your speech.
4. Moderate your pace – This one is also closely related to breath. If you speak too quickly, people can’t keep up. If you speak too slowly, people will lose interest. Record your speech to determine if you need to change your pace. Get feedback from others.
5. Articulate – Try exaggerating your lip movement to reduce mumbling. Practice articulating tongue twisters and extending and exaggerating vowel sounds. Become an expert at articulating tongue twisters as quickly and crisply as possible. Focus on the ones you find difficult.
6. Practice your speech in advance and determine where you want to pause for a breath. For more emphasis, pause for more than one breath. Mark your breathing points in your notes.
7. Loosen up before you begin. Look side to side. Roll your head in half-circles and roll your shoulders back. Shift your rib cage from side to side. Yawn. Stretch. Touch your toes while completely relaxing your upper body, then slowly stand up, one vertebra at a time, raising your head last. Repeat as needed.
8. Posture – Stand up straight and tall to allow full lung capacity and airflow.
9. Record your voice repeatedly using different ways of speaking. Determine which one is most pleasing.
10. Practice breath control – Take a deep breath, and while you exhale, count to 10 (or recite the months or days of the week). Try gradually increasing your volume as you count, using your abdominal muscles—not your throat—for volume. Don’t let your larynx tense up.

Indian Website Index. Your Simple, Time Saving Homepage.

Search by Google

Search

News

E-mail

Social

Finance

Banking

Sports

Portals

Information

Maps

Travel

Matrimonial

Shopping

Jobs

Classifieds

Bollywood

Web Tools

Upload

Kids & Exercise

When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights.

But for kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, soccer practice, or dance class. They're also exercising when they're at recess, riding bikes, or playing tag.

More Details: Click here

General Exercise Tips

Golden Rule: ALWAYS listen to your body!!

Upper Body Tips

• Biceps - elbows close to waist and movement only from elbow
• Triceps - elbows close to ears
• Shoulders - elbows slightly bent and only raise to shoulder level
• Chest - keep elbows slightly bent and do not arch back
• Back - keep back straight and squeeze shoulder blades together

Lower Body Tips

• Quadriceps - do not arch back
• Hamstrings - keep head and neck in alignment and heels come to gluteals
• Gluteals - do not let your knee go over your toe
• Calves - do not bounce and keep knees slightly bent
• Inner/Outer Thigh - do not arch back

Abdominals & Lower Body

• AB EXERCISES
• Place hands lightly behind head
• Never pull or roll the neck forward
• Keep elbows out to the side
• Make sure shoulder blades come off the floor

• LOWER BACK EXERCISES
• Keep toes on the ground when prone
• Do not use momentum
• Do not arch your back

General Safety Tips

• Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.
• Do not lock knees or elbows
• Keep all movements slow and controlled
• Breathe out on the contraction and breathe in on the relaxation
• Keep head, neck, and spine in alignment
• Do not compromise form when muscles are fatigued

Remember the Basics

• Lifting weights is a great way to tone muscle and make everyday tasks easier,

if done properly.

• Always remember correct technique will help prevent injury.

Always listen to your body, and stop immediately if you ever have pain!

One More Reason for Men to Stay Active

For years, heath promoters have been racking their brains trying to come up with persuasive reasons for Americans to be more physically active.

Well here's a new one that's sure to get some attention: Men who exercise are less likely to experience sexual dysfunction as they get older.

Analyzing data from surveys of nearly 32,000 men ages 53 to 90, researchers concluded that men who were the most physically active were least likely to become impotent.

According to Eric B. Rimm, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, men who ran at least three hours per week appeared to have the sexual functioning of men two to five years younger.

But even moderate activity proved beneficial: Men who briskly walked for 30 minutes, most days of the week, had a 15 to 20 percent reduction in the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Fewer than 25 percent of Americans get enough exercise, so it is not surprising that sexual dysfunction is a common complaint, particularly among older men.

However, some doctors believe that impotence could be considered an early warning sign of what could happen to the heart.

Exercise appears to benefit the small arteries that control erections, which is the same reason that exercise is good for the heart- it benefits the arteries that feed the heart. And while many men appear unconcerned about heart health, chances are they may be more motivated to do something about the health of their sex lives.

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, 2003; 129, 161-168

How to Exercise Your Eyes...

We all know how important it is to keep our bodies fit by doing things like going to the gym, jogging, and swimming. But, did you know that you can exercise your eyes as well?

Eye exercising will keep your eyes healthy and help minimize eyestrain. Here are some easy to follow steps and tips to exercise your eyes and keep them healthy!

• Palming Exercise - Sit comfortably on a chair. Rub your hands together until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Avoid applying pressure on your eyeballs. Place your palms so that the nose remains uncovered, and the eyes remain behind the slight hollow of the palms. Make sure that no light rays enter the eyes, and leave no gaps between fingers or between the edge of the palms and the nose. You may still see other lingering traces of colors. Imagine deep blackness and focus on the blackness. Take deep breaths slowly and evenly, while thinking of some happy incident; or visualize a distant scene. After your eyes see nothing but blackness, remove your palms from your eyes. Repeat the palming for 3 minutes or more.

• Close your eyes tightly for 3-5 seconds, then open them for 3-5 seconds. Repeat this 7 or 8 times.

• Close your eyes and massage them with circular movements of your fingers for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you press very lightly; otherwise, you could hurt your eyes.

• Press three fingers of each hand against your upper eyelids, and hold them there for 1-2 seconds, then release. Repeat 5 times.

• Sit and relax. Roll your eyes clockwise, then counter-clockwise. Repeat 5 times, and blink in between each time.

• Focusing Exercises – Sit about 6 inches (150 mm) from the window. Make a mark on the glass at your eye level (a small sticker, black or red, would be perfect). Look through this mark and focus on something far away for 10-15 seconds; then focus on the mark again.

• Hold a pencil in front of you at arm’s length. Move your arm slowly to your nose, and follow the pencil with your eyes until you can keep it in focus. Repeat 10 times.

• Look in front of you at the opposite wall and pretend that you are writing with your eyes, without turning your head. It may seem difficult at first, but with a bit of practice it is really fun. The bigger the letters, the better the effect.

• Imagine that you are standing in front of a really big clock. Look at the middle of the clock. Then look at any hour mark, without turning your head. Look back at the center. Then look at another hour mark. Do this at least 12 times. You can also do this exercise with your eyes closed.
• Focus on a distant object (over 150 feet or 50 m away) for several seconds and slowly refocus your eyes on a nearby object (less than 30 feet or 10 m away) that’s in the same direction. Focus for several seconds and go back to the distant object. Do this 5 times.

• Focus on an object in the distance (as far as possible) with a low contrasting background. Do this for a few minutes every half hour or so. This does not improve your vision, nor does any other technique. It can, however, maintain your best eyesight level during the day and prevent significant further vision deterioration.

• Make up and down eye movements starting from up to to down. Do this 8 times. Then do the side to side eye movement, starting from left to right. Repeat this 8 times. Make sure not to add pressure to your eyes! It only worsen your vision!

Tips

• It’s more important to do the exercises regularly than to do them for a long time. Even 30-60 seconds of eye movement every hour is very helpful. For example, when your computer takes its sweet time to do something, most people just stare at the poor thing and waste the time, but you can make a few circles with your eyes. Even the first day you do this, you should notice that, when you finish working, your eyes aren’t as tired as usual.

• Taking short breaks from near work (e.g. staring at a computer monitor) to stare out to the distance also relieves some strain.

• Palming is a good method to help your eyes feel better. You close your eyes and put your palms over them, this will rest your eyes.

• Blink the eyes many times.

• Splash your eyes with cold water repeatedly when feasible, and especially when your eyes are strained.