Reverse ageing through exercise

                                      

                        Tags- exercise, reverse ageing, brisk walking, body fitness

Exercise is very important in all ages. But in old age, it has got a very special role to play. It helps to reduce the many problems of old age and assists in keeping good health. It enhances fitness and helps in the reversal of ageing. The fitness got from exercise will help in maintaining vitality and youthfulness.

 Benefits of Exercise

-          It produces a stronger heart and healthier lungs.

-          Body muscles become more efficient by converting stored fat to muscle and               energy

-          Leads to  slowing down of ageing

-          Reduces old age health problems and joint pains

-          Increase efficiency of all internal body organs

-          Reduces blood pressure, blood cholesterol

-          Helps in body weight reduction

-          Helps to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures

-          Reduces chances for breast cancer in ladies

-          Eliminates toxin and improves elasticity of skin

-          Helps in reducing stress and depression

-          Increases overall vitality, confidence, creativity and optimism

      -         Rejuvenates body and mind

Time for exercise

There is no fixed time for exercise; it depends on the convenience of the individual concerned. Early morning and evening time are both suitable for exercise.

Types of Exercises

The different types of exercise are: Brisk Walking, Cycling, Jogging, Swimming and Skipping.

To achieve optimum fitness, one  need  to exercise for  about 30 minutes.

Walking

Out of all the exercises mentioned above, brisk walking is the most ideal especially for senior citizens. It is the simplest form of exercise. It helps to reduce weight, lowers blood sugar and blood pressure. It is a powerful  therapeutic tool to refresh the mind and body.

Walking is a fun and helps to manage and control tension, back ache, head ache and emotional fatigue. It is the cheapest exercise program as it does not require costly tools or equipment except a pair of good shoes. It is ideal for conditioning  the hips, thighs and stomach muscles.

Make exercise a part of daily routine

Use the stairs instead of an elevator. For going marketing , park the vehicle slightly away and walk.

Join a club in the neighborhood of residence and do have early morning exercise in group. While doing exercise, try to listen to music  so to invigorate the mind.. During rainy season, it is better to have indoor exercise.

LS-02

270511

http://raamachandran.blogspot.com/

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Biodiversity - the necessity of its conservation

Tags: biodiversity, ecosystem, climate, DNA

Biodiversity  describes the variety of life  on earth and all of the natural processes. This includes ecosystem, genetic and cultural diversity. It has taken billions of years to arrive at the present form of biodiversity. It forms the web life of which humans are an integral part This diversity can be seen in terms of plants, animals and microorganisms. Till now scientists could identify only about 13 million species out of estimated 100 million. Chromosomes, genes, and DNA-the building blocks of life-determine the uniqueness of each individual and each species. . Biodiversity provides a  number of goods and services .

These goods and services are:

·         Purification of air and water

·         Decomposition of wastes

·         Control  Earth's climate

·         Control  floods, droughts, temperature

·         Renewal of soil fertility

·         Control of pests and diseases

·         Maintenance of genetic resources

·         Cultural and aesthetic benefits

·         Supply of food, fuel

India  is a mega diverse nation, having around 10% of world's species. Indian biodiversity is  related to the socio-cultural set up of India. Several species are facing extinction due to   population explosion, climate change and  implementation of wrong environmental policies, This affect the  livelihood and the culture of many  Indians who depend on local biodiversity.

A biodiversity hotspot is a bio geographic region that is under threat from humans. There are about 35 biodiversity hotspots in the world. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. Four such regions  exist in India .

• The Western Ghats. These hills are present along the western edge of peninsular India. Since they are situated near the ocean, they are likely to receive a good amount of rainfall.
• The Himalayas. This region comprises Bhutan, Northeast India, and Southern, Central and Eastern Nepal. These Himalayan Mountains are the highest in the world and abode some of the highest peaks of the world including Mount Everest and K2.
• Indo-Burma Region. This region consists of numerous countries including North-Eastern India (to the south of the Brahmaputra River), Myanmar, and China's Yunnan provinces southern part, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
• Sundaland. This region lies in South-East Asia and includes Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. The Nicobar Islands represent India. These islands were declared as the world biosphere reserve in 2013 by the United Nations.

The Western Ghats

 

       Lion tailed macaque 

The Western Ghats are a chain of hills that run along the western edge of peninsular India. These regions have moist deciduous forest and rain forest. The region has high species diversity. How the biodiversity of Western Ghats originated is a still a puzzle. Much of the world's spices such as black pepper and cardamom have their origins in the Western Ghats. The highest concentration of species in the Western Ghats is believed to be the Agasthyamalai Hills in the extreme south.

 The Himalayas

        Indian Rhinoceros

                                              

  

The Eastern Himalayas is the region encompassing Bhutan, northeastern India, and southern, central, and eastern Nepal. The Eastern Himalayan hotspot has nearly 163 globally threatened species including the One-horned Rhinoceros Wild Asian Water buffalo  There are an estimated 10,000 species of plants in the Himalayas, of which one-third are endemic and found nowhere else in the world.. The Himalayas are home to over 300 species of mammals, a dozen of which are endemic. 

Indo Burma region

The Indo- Burma hotspot encompasses2,373,000 sq. km of the Gangs- Brahmaputra lowlands. Indo Burma region is characterized by distinct seasonal weather patterns. A wide diversity of ecosystems is represented in this hotspot. This region is one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots due to the rate of exploitation of the resources. Indo Burma was one of the first places where humans developed agriculture. Aquatic ecosystems are also under intense development pressure in many areas.

Sundaland

  

The Sundaland hotspot covers the western half of the Indo - Malayan archipelago.  More than a million years ago the islands of Sundaland  were connected to mainland Asia. This connection as in due course disappeared. This region is one of the biologically richest hotspots on earth holding about 25000 species of plants. The most significant threat acing Sundaland's biodiversity is destruction of the forest. In recent years fire s have become a major threat to the forests. Another area most affected is the international animal trade of tigers, monkeys and turtles for food and medicine in some other countries

Biodiversity is to be conserved so that not only the present generation but also the future generation can survive in this world. Conservation is the protection, preservation, management, and restoration of wildlife and natural resources such as forests and water. Through the conservation of biodiversity, the survival of many species and habitats which are threatened due to human activities can be ensured. There are two types of conservation - In-situ and ex-situ conservation.

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How to deal mental tension?

 

key words : tension, worry , stress ,anxiety, breathing, meditation, yoga

Almost all the people starting from a small child to an elderly person are undergoing tension  one way  or the other. I t is not possible to completely avoid worry or tension. One has to face the situation. Tension is a feeling of worry and anxiety. 

The symptoms of stress are:

- Angry, impatient, irritable

- Difficulty in breathing

- Depressed

- Feeling of loneliness

- Suicidal feelings

- High blood pressure

- Sweating

Dealing stress

Deep breathing

Regular exercise

Share your problems with friends and relatives

Remain engaged in some activities.

Have a hobby, listen to music

Read some interesting books

Be organized and avoid procrastination

Worry causes stress, stress causes tension

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                                                     Happy and Comfortable Life

Key words- Happy life, health, human being, emotions

Everybody in this world  want  to lead a healthy and happy life.  But is it possible?  It is 

difficult to quantify the degree of happiness. Happiness  is a state of mind and depends on 

the attitude of the person concerned.

The basic requirements of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. One can have a 

meal of a small quantity of cereal while another can have a five star meal; one can have a

 small one room hut  for self and family while another may have a multi story house in a

 large estate; while one can have a single piece cheap dress while anther can have a gold 

laced costly three piece suit. In addition to the basic amenities, one should have good 

physical and mental health . Then only one should be able to enjoy life to its full extent.

But what is the  state of most of the people of this present day world. From a small baby to a

 grownup youth to a senior citizen, almost all are under some sort of pressure due to the 

mental agony ,worry and tension. It can be on the personal account, official account or on 

social account. Is there a remedy for all these problems? Yes, it is there; but one has to find 

the solutions himself and practice accordingly. If one can control his emotions, his anger, 

resentment and greediness and then have a positive outlook towards life, one will be able 

to lead  a happy and joyful life.

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Investment in shares/stocks

                                   

                                Tags- share, stock, BSE, NSE, Depository, Sensex, Nifty

In good olden days, people generally kept their savings (money) in boxes or safety lockers. But  in the present day, it is a risky affair. So people are now  putting their  money  in bank deposits. Other saving schemes are Mutual Fund and Stocks/Shares. The older generation  are slightly hesitant to put their money in shares as they are slightly afraid of losing their money. The stock brokers now a days conduct seminars to educate the people giving  details of safe investment  in shares and stocks. Experts in the field are also holding webinars in these areas .Therefore the youngsters  are evincing keen interest in this field and are investing in stocks  taking into account their future needs.

A stock (also known as an equity) is a security representing  the ownership of a fraction of a company. This entitles the owner of the stock to a proportion of the company's assets and profits equal to the number of  stocks  they own. Units of stock are called "shares." Stocks are bought and sold through stock exchanges. To protect the investors from fraudulent practices, the share transactions  have to conform to government regulations.   

Understanding Stocks 

Companies  when they require money for their business operations, raise funds through  issue (sell) of stocks.  The holder of a stock (a shareholder)  has a claim to be part of company’s assets and earnings. In other words a share  holder is  an owner of the company in proportion to his share holding. Owning stock gives the share holder the right to vote in shareholders  meetings, receive dividends (which are the company’s profits) when they are distributed, and it gives him the right to sell his shares when required.

How to Buy a Share?

Stocks are bought and sold on stock exchanges. In India there are two stock exchanges- Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE).  A  company goes public through an initial public offering (IPO). At that time, its stock becomes available for investors to buy and sell on an exchange. So for an investor to buy and sell shares he has to open a trading account, demat account and a bank account. There are approved stock brokers in almost towns in India for this purpose. 

Some  associated  terms: 

Investor : A person who invests money. One can open an account either himself or through a stock broker. For operating self, one should have an internet connection and aware of the fundamentals of stock market. No minimum amount is prescribed for opening a trading account. The investor’s interest is to get capital appreciation and the part of dividend out of the company’s  profit.

 Stock broker: A firm or individual who executes the buy and sell on behalf an investor for a specific fee. They generally give advice to their clients what to buy /sell and when to do.

Stock Exchange: It is a place for buying and selling shares and bonds.  In India there are  two exchanges –   Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)  and National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI): The basic functions of SEBI are – To protect the interests of the investors and to regulate the securities market.

Depository: Previously share certificates were held in paper form whereas now it is held in electronic form.  Organizations which keep the shares in electronic form are called depositories. They issue holding statement to the investors showing the name of the company  in which they are having shares and the number of shares held. In India there are two depositories -  Central Depository Securities Ltd (CDSL) and National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL).

Nifty and Sensex: These are benchmark indices to measure the overall performance of the stock market. These indexes are considered as economic barometers. Nifty is used by the National  Stock Exchange and Sensex by the Bombay Stock Exchange.  Sensex is a pool of top thirty companies while  Nifty is a pool of top fifty companies.

https://www.mastertrust.co.in 

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Be young in old age

 

           key words: youth, old age, exercise, tension

Young in old age!  Quite  interesting to hear. But is it possible to remain young in old age?  Difficult to believe.

Hours roll into months, days into months and months to years. The old saying ‘Time and tide wait for no man’ is perfectly apt.

We can’t stop time ticking off. As days pass on, we get older. Our thinking changes, our attitude changes and our physical body changes.

Ageing is a natural process. We can’t completely change the effects of old age; but we can, of course retard the deterioration of the body to a certain extent by leading a healthy and positive life style.

Effects of Ageing

As we get older, changes take place both in the physical and mental levels. Increased blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, cholesterol, cancer …. are some of the major common problems of old age.

The body cells start deteriorating and function less effectively; the skin loses elasticity, tissues break down, muscles weaken, eye sight reduces, hearing becomes weak, decayed teeth, increase in degenerative disease- all manifestations of old age.

The absence of care, love and affection from children and other close relatives and friends further add chances for depression and increased mental tension.

Causes of Ageing

As discussed earlier, aging is a natural process and we can’t completely reverse the process of aging. The main causes of premature aging are:

Faulty Life style:

Improper food, lack of physical exercise, increased mental tension- these all come under the category of faulty life style.

Heredity

The genes inherited from parents have got an important effect on aging. However one can’t do anything to influence the genes.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are highly corrosive oxidizing molecules. It is considered that free radicals are the main cause of aging and to a certain extent to cancer. The causes of these free radicals are – poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, strong sun light and air pollution.

Reversing the Process of Aging

The aging process can be reversed to a certain extent by taking the following steps.

-          Have balanced, nutritious food

-          Take anti oxidants : Vitamins A, C & E and the mineral selenium

-          Proper physical exercise

-          Sufficient rest and sleep

-          Avoid mental tension and worry

-          Engage in some sort of mental activity

-          Have a positive attitude

-          Involve in  creative social activity

And finally remember the old saying:

                     Unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday

                        Why fret if today be sweet?

                                   

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