All posts tagged: stress reduction

Would You Sit Still for 31 Hours for a Digital Detox? This Punjab Village Just Did

Would You Sit Still for 31 Hours for a Digital Detox? This Punjab Village Just Did

Fifty-five enthusiastic residents of Gholia Khurd village in Moga district of Punjab dared to defy the odds by participating in an ‘Idle Sitting’ contest, with two young men emerging victorious after 31 hours. A fun and unique way to raise awareness of the perils of digital overload, the village asked people to sit in one spot without using their phones, getting up, falling asleep, or using the washroom. Food and water were allowed, but all other kinds of movement were restricted, reported Tribune India. The rules might seem simple, but they are far more difficult in practice. A digital detox is not just a fancy wellness fad — it has become a need of the hour. According to Dr Rahul Chandhok, head consultant, mental health and behavioural science at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram, the idea is to minimise distractions and maximise productivity, creativity, and overall well-being. “A digital detox includes eliminating unnecessary apps, limiting screen time, setting boundaries on digital usage, and increasing participation in offline activities like reading, spending time with loved ones, or pursuing …

AQI 400 and you need to boost lung power: Which pranayama breathing routines can do that? | Health and Wellness News

AQI 400 and you need to boost lung power: Which pranayama breathing routines can do that? | Health and Wellness News

When the air outside turns hostile and the AQI (air quality index) touches 400, breathing stops being automatic and starts feeling like effort. Our lungs, meant to quietly expand and soften with every breath, suddenly feel heavy, irritated, overwhelmed. Generally, we consider screaming, howling as negative. But when the AQI reads 400, seek every opportunity to howl. This is about emptying your lungs out, all the pollutants to be blown out. This way you will not harbour toxins in all the five lobes of your lungs for weeks and months together. So, blow it out. At its core, boosting lung power during extreme pollution is not about forcing more air in; it is about learning to release better. Our lungs are elastic organs. When they are not emptied well, stale air lingers, reducing oxygen exchange and increasing fatigue, headaches and breathlessness. Conscious, extended exhalation becomes medicine. Practices that emphasise slow, deep breathing out help clear residual air, calm the nervous system and improve lung efficiency. Why maintaining your lung health and fitness Is important Health …

‘I don’t watch the news’: Barack Obama explains how he stays informed | Health News

‘I don’t watch the news’: Barack Obama explains how he stays informed | Health News

Ever wondered how Barack Obama maintains his cool despite living under public scrutiny, peppered with hectic campaigns and election rallies? The secret to his regulated nervous system lies in ditching cable news. In a recent interview at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, the former US President revealed that he hasn’t watched cable news in over a decade. When asked what his news diet is like, Obama shared: “I don’t have a news feed. In fact, the entire time people used to ask, ‘You seem so calm, Mr President. Why is that?’ No drama Obama. I said, ‘That’s because I don’t watch the news.’ It is genuinely true. I have not watched cable news in 15 years. I don’t scroll.” So, where does he get his information from? “I am old school, and I read a pretty wide mix of publications. I’ll read the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Atlantic, or science magazines. That’s where I get my information,” he further shared. Watching vs reading news: what’s the difference …

Why Padmini Kolhapure performed reiki on Anil Kapoor before shooting Taal climax

He is a veteran, but even Anil Kapoor is not immune to anxiety. During a recent media interaction alongside Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the occasion of their film Taal completing 25 years, the actor opened up about feeling anxious ahead of shooting for the movie’s climax shot. “In the morning, I woke up, and I told my wife, ‘I am not going. It’s a very long scene, and he (director Subhash Ghai) will give the lines at the last moment, and I want to do my best. It was 7 am… 8 am… I called Padmini Kolhapure to perform reiki on me. I was so stressed, so anxious, and nervous. She came, she did reiki on me,” he recollected. Let’s understand what reiki is and how it is practised Reiki, a “healing” practice, came from Japan and is based on personal experience and Eastern philosophy, but it is not limited to its origin. “Yes, the word is in Japanese. Pronounced RayKee, where ‘rei’ means divine or universal, and ‘ki’ means life force. …

Does the time of day you choose to exercise impact health?

Does the time of day you choose to exercise impact your health? To answer these questions, researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, released the findings in a new study published last week. The results suggest that undertaking most of your physical activity in the evening could offer significant health benefits, especially for people living with obesity.  The study, which tracked 30,000 people over nearly 8 years, found that those who engaged in the majority of their aerobic moderate to vigorous exercise between 6pm and midnight had the lowest risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. Dr Jagadish J Hiremath, public health expert based in Bangalore, says, “Evening physical activity can significantly enhance health outcomes, especially in managing obesity and cardiovascular health.”  This timing exploits the body’s natural physiological state at the end of the day when metabolism begins to slow. Engaging in activity during this period, he states, can maintain a heightened metabolic rate, extend the body’s period of increased energy expenditure, and more efficiently utilise glucose, which can otherwise elevate blood sugar levels …