Health Blunders You Must Avoid to Stay Fit

Today is World Health Day, and if you are aiming for a healthy life, pledge not to make these health blunders.
1. Avoiding checkups 
One may think that medical tests are mandatory only for middle-aged or old people. But it’s people between the age group of 18-25 who are more prone to diseases of the heart, liver and lungs, “Youngsters should get regular health checkups done. Lipid profile for cholesterol, sugar fasting for fluctuating sugar levels also the vitamin B12 and D3 tests are very important. An annual eye checkup too is mandatory due to high stress levels faced by today’s generation.
2. Not getting enough sleep 
It’s necessary to get enough sleep to recharge our system, “A good 7-8 hours of sleep is essential. Lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of stress, restlessness, fatigue, loss of appetite and also weight gain, as one tends to indulge in binging at odd hours.
3. Thriving on Junk Food
” Junk food is empty calories. “Burgers, fries, pizzas are great for taste, but are devoid of carbohydrates. It’s essential to include fruits, vegetables and lean meat like fish and chicken in your diet. Also, avoid junk food at night as your metabolism is low at night. If one wants to indulge, then daytime is a better time.
4. Going on Crash Diets
” It’s a myth that if one stops eating they will lose weight. “Many people stop consuming visible fat like oil, ghee, butter, etc. Five to six spoons of fat consumption is essential every day. Omega 3 and fatty acids are essential for the brain, else one tends to feel tired and suffer from lack of concentration. Staying Hungry can give you dull skin and a weak immune system.
5. Pairing meals with aerated drinks 
It’s best to avoid aerated drinks and artificial juices along with meals as they are high on sugar and contain empty calories. “These drinks wash away the benefits of all the iron and vitamins that we gain from our food.
6. Not exercising daily
It’s not only important to exercise daily but to exercise in a right manner. “Half an hour of exercise daily is the mantra to good health. It’s not necessary to hit a gym. One can go for a 20 minute jog or brisk walk.
7. Guzzling alcohol
Partying hard often means drinking lots of alcohol for youngsters, which lead to serious ailments. Once you cross the safe limit (14 hard drinks a week for men and 7 hard drinks for women), you are prone to fatty liver (100% people get it), which leads to liver inflammation, and even liver failure.” 
8. Not kicking the butt
Smoking is one of the greatest causes of premature deaths. “The number of chain smokers, specially young women, is increasing at an alarming rate, resulting in dangerous health disorders”. Bad lungs, chronic cough, asthma, stomach ulcer, and even lung cancer are common consequences of smoking.
9. Ignoring burnout Symptoms
Unrelenting stress can result in a burnout — a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. You could feel worn out, detached, and defeated. “A large number of young people are suffering from burnout, and are not even aware of it. It’s important to watch out for the symptoms, and seek professional help.


Source - HT City, 7th April 2012

Board Exams- A Nightmare for Takers

With Board exams round the corner students must be studying hard for good marks. Studying for long hours at a stretch without giving proper rest to the body is not only harmful to the body but to the mind as well.

Unfortunately these long hours are not only harmful to your eyes and back but in long run have other serious complications as well. You should make sure to study in proper light and have minimum effect on eyes when using computer screen. Your body posture plays an important role, while studying and using computer, to reduce effect on your eyes and back.”Never lie down and read “as this puts extra pressure on your back and your eyes get affected as well. One can always use a study table for the same.

You also have to make sure that your sleep is something which should not be compromised upon. A good sleep and proper rest is something which helps in keeping your mind fresh which in turn helps you to store things effectively.

Some Quick Tips that might help you sail through smoothly:

1.       Take a 5 mins breather every hour

2.       Wash your eyes on regular intervals

3.       Close your eyes and blink frequently while studying.

4.       Liquid consumptions should be increased in various different forms like                coconut water, juices and most important plain water.

5.       Instead of eating 3 heavy meals it is advisable to eat light every 02 hours.

6.       Take good 08 hours sleep

7.       Do some meditation or yoga to increase your concentration.

8.       Have lot of green and raw vegetables and fruits rich in protein.

9.       Keep your diet light.

 Study in proper light preferably white light.


Need Counselling to reduce your exam pressure and to choose a career aligned with your hobbies and passion, Call +91 98113 11354 or mail at harsharora@improvelife.in. Know more about me by visiting www.improvelife.in

How Harsh Arora helps youngsters choose their career

I love talking, meeting new people and dropping pearls of wisdom. So I decided to make a career out of it. My previous stints in various capacities with ICICI Prudential, Wipro, Spectramind, Hutch and American Express made me realise that I wanted to be involved in training and counselling. In order to follow my passion, I quit my executive job at AmEx and donned the entrepreneur's hat in 2009, all my anxieties about chucking a secured job be damned. 

The problem was that I neither boasted relevant experience, nor a client base and a brand. Whatever HR-related experience I had was limited to stints at Hutch and AmEx. Undaunted, over the next few months, I got in touch with leading training companies who were loaded with projects and willing to give a newbie like me a chance. 

I stated a partnership concern called Improve Life and immersed myself in freelance training. Over the next year, as my experience grew, so did people's trust in me. In January 2010, I finally cut the umbilical cord and took the next big step, I registered Improve Life as a private limited company. There's been no looking back, and I've been offering career, personal and relationship counselling ever since. 

Helping Hand 

I strongly believe that you never face problems in life, only situations. If these situations are not handled with the right attitude and skill, they magnify into problems. My role is to help people in getting rid of the situations, helping them in finding different avenues of solutions so the situation does not spiral out of control. 

So you'll find me giving lectures and conducting workshops in schools and colleges as well as corporate offices. However, the counselling and training sector in India is still at a nascent stage; only recently have people started slowly opening up and sharing their personal and relationship issues. 

Juggling Roles 

My current project involves career counselling in 50 schools in Delhi-NCR. But I have not limited myself to the metros alone. In fact, I mainly concentrate on the Tier II and Tier III cities, because although the spark is quite obvious in students there, they lack the correct exposure. For close to three years now, I have been travelling to schools and colleges in remote towns of Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat to help students figure out their careers. 

When I meet children from these parts of the country, I realise how a small interaction can help them shape their career decisions. They have passion and the requisite knowledge but are unable to leverage that in the right direction. This is where I come in. I point students towards the vital piece of the jigsaw, which sets them on the right course. 


I also work with companies to provide training on work-related issues. For instance, Hindalco had hired me to train its workers at its plant in Renusagar, around 200 km from Varanasi. The workers were being promoted, and my job was to make them understand the nuances of their new roles. The initial response was one of scepticism, given my age, but I was able to win them over. By the end of the workshop, some of them even approached me for advice on issues concerning their children's education. 

I also mentor budding entrepreneurs as part of my Entrepreneur Development Programme. In today's world, no matter what kind of hobby or passion you have, it can be converted into a business. And I can help. Currently, I am mentoring seven people with ideas ranging from a home decor business to a concept cafe. While some need a lot of hand-holding, others come to me just for guidance on how best to go about starting their businesses. 

Building a Brand 

Apart from an online presence, I have never done any aggressive marketing; I have always bagged clients through word of mouth. I believe this is the most powerful form of advertising, and it does not cost anything. If you contribute positively to somebody's life, they will spread the word. 

My clients are my biggest brand ambassadors. I am also particular about not diluting the Improve Life brand, and that's precisely why I'm not focussing on expansion. I believe that as brand grows, it loses its personal connect. The Harsh Arora brand is more important to me. 

I'm not in it only for the money, either. I derive satisfaction out of meeting new people everyday. It feels good to hear them out, solve their issues and show them the right path towards a more successful and contended life. Money is just a byproduct. Till the time my work gives me satisfaction, it is worth doing. 


This article was published in The Economic Times, a leading National Business Daily on 23rd Oct' 2011. The direct link of the article is:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/how-harsh-arora-helps-youngsters-choose-their-career/articleshow/10454772.cms?curpg=1

Combine Careers to Reach Your Potential

When it comes to careers, most of us are pre-programmed to follow one career and prepare for it. Most times, this is based on opportunity and finances and not so much on ability and aptitude. However, increasingly there are options available that account for combinations of different aptitudes within people thus giving them the choice to combine what would at first appear to be two different career streams.

Options such as those which combine an aptitude in management with a passion for retail. Or an aptitude for all things technical and an innate ability to plan finances. Such combinations not only enrich professional lives but also provide a practical back-up in case of career problems. Linked career combinations help you to pursue similar fields with a little different perspective and to keep your motivation levels high during changed situations.

Management courses can have various combinations; retail management, entrepreneur development program, Six Sigma Certification, project management, psychology to add more value to the core management program of Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, International Business etc. Computer Programming, BCA, MCSE etc can have combinations with web and graphic designing, Mass Communication, 3D and Animation etc. Similarly, literature students can opt for foreign languages, creative writing and copy writing combinations to have an added advantage in their chosen career. Law students can opt for Cyber Law, Intellectual Property Law and corporate law as value adds. However, it is important to make sure one is working on one’s core area of competence before looking at adding value to it through a combination.

There are numerous occupations that attract or are compatible, with two or three combinations according to your personality patterns.

1. If your personality allows some combinations in an unusual way, keep in mind: You are not abnormal; we all have differing gifts. Value your uniqueness.
2. Choosing an excellent career is likely to be more challenging, but there are many career options for which you are uniquely qualified. And, once you are in a career, you will likely find opportunities to do tasks which better fit you.
3. You may need to look for ways outside of your core work area to satisfy the other side of your personality.
4. Professional career counsellors are well qualified to help. You may want to seek the help of one.

These combinations will help you fulfill your creative urge and will equip you in something you like doing, not something which your parents wanted you to do.

Apart from fulfilling the creative urge, these combinations also help in acquiring knowledge, specialisation and control in the specific domain. After assessing your strength and choosing the combination, stretch yourself to achieve the desired goal. Nothing comes easy in life, but the effort to try and do what you want to do is always worth it.

Stressed & Suicidal

ONCE, being a child was simple. You went to school, played with friends and studied. The pressure to do well was present, but not at the cost of fun and a life beyond school books.

But times have changed. A recent study has found that not only adolescents, but kids as young as 11 may try to harm themselves as a result of stress- related depression.

The study was carried out among 30 children in Kerala, many of whom had consumed pesticides, kerosene, drugs, face cream and even gone to the extent of trying to hang themselves.

Of these, 90 per cent were in some kind of stress.

The study, published in the journal Indian Pediatrics, is based on interviews of children and their parents conducted at a child guidance clinic attached to the Calicut Medical College.

“High parental expectations contributed to school- related stress in the children,” the scientists who carried out the study said.

Twelve of them were suffering from school- related stress, while 18 were dealing with conflict with parents or siblings, fighting/ alcoholic parents or grieving the death of parents.

Among the 21 boys and nine girls the scientists spoke to, the majority were between 11 and 13 years of age. The youngest, a six year- old, had been told by a relative she would die if she ate face cream. Fifteen of them had wanted to kill themselves by consuming the harmful substances.

One child died in the attempt.

As only a small percentage of such children seek professional help, the study may only be the tip of the iceberg, the study warns.

Deliberate self– harm is an indicator of underlying psychosocial problems, including an increased risk of suicidal behavior in later life, the scientists say. Moodiness, academic decline and social withdrawal are the early signs of depression.

Kids may try to harm themselves by banging their head against a wall or poking a pencil or compass into the body.

“ Self- harm among children is becoming a public health problem,” Dr Anjali Varma, attached with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Tamil Nadu and an assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said.

“Pediatricians, parents and school teachers need to identify the early signs of depression and anxiety in young kids,” she added.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter also contribute to kids choosing selfharm as a way of dealing with anxiety and depression.

“ Bullying and adverse comments on these sites on looks, relationships and school performance can damage the youngsters’ self- esteem, provoking them to take the extreme step,” psychiatrist Dr Jitendra Nagpal said.

“The trend is on the rise. I get three to four children a month on the wrong side of social networking,” he added.

TOO MUCH FOR A YOUNG MIND

The study showed kids as young as 11 harm themselves and commit suicide because of stress- related depression

The kids took pesticides, kerosene, drugs, face cream & even tried to hang themselves

Reasons for stress included school work, conflict with parents or siblings and fighting/ alcoholic parents

Moodiness, academic decline & social withdrawal are the signs of depression to watch out for Stressed & suicidal

Source Mail Today, 16^th May 2011

A matter of degree, not kind

A very good article in ET...

It is notable that 175 years after Macaulay's minute on education, which led to monumental changes in pedagogy and learning here, things remain very much in a state of flux.

Now, in calling for changing the medium of public instruction from ‘Sanscrit and Arabic' to english, and its contents metamorphosed from ‘sacred books' to, generally speaking, ‘the poetry of Milton, the metaphysics of Locke, and the physics of Newton,' Macaulay was of course prejudiced, conceited and plain biased.

But it cannot be gainsaid that he was a public policy enthusiast with remarkable vision. As we contemplate path-breaking reform in the domain of higher education, holistic policy design needs to be the watchword.

For instance, it is welcome indeed that the mavens seek to integrate the various streams under a single, overall umbrella for proper oversight and genuine cross-fertilisation of ideas.

However in tandem, there is no reason why all first degrees, across streams, need not be the BA, as is very much the norm in the ancient universities.

Our educational institutes do need to aim at being world-class of course, and we cannot any longer afford to remain contend with a few holiest of the holy centres of learning which anyway contribute precious little to domain knowledge and thought.

The point is to improve standards across the board, with stress on inculcating new knowledge and practices. But in tandem, we surely need uniform nomenclature for the first degree.

It would bring about much-needed inclusiveness across disciplines. And with common degree certificates and honours grades, graduates can look forward to postgraduate education in law, business and medicine. The world's leading universities follow such a system.

It is also notable that Macaulay based his reasoning on facts and analysis, although the unabashedly superior tone in the minute certainly seems quite uncalled for.

After all, it is a no brainer that higher attainments in industry and commerce also tend to show up in parallel literary achievements.

In his note, he was, as chair of the Committee on Public Instruction, excised over what in today's parlance can be called the cost-benefit ratio of public education. There was a ‘lakh of rupees' at the committee's disposal, we gather. But the expenses were thoroughly questionable, it is averred.

The policy hitherto had been to provide stipends to students enrolled in ‘Arabic and Sanscrit' colleges. Macaulay cites the figure for December, 1833. ‘The whole amount paid to them is above Rs 500 a month’, it's surmised.

And what is the fruit of all this? A petition was presented last year to the committee by several ex-students of the Sanscrit College, it is revealed.

And the petitioners are said to have added, “we have but little prospect of bettering our condition without the kind assistance of your honourable committee...” They have wasted the best years of life in learning what procures for them neither bread nor respect, adds Macaulay.

We might with advantage have saved the cost of making these persons useless and miserable, he concludes.

And those who learn ‘English are willing to pay us,' the minute enunciates. The amount realised from the ‘out-students of English for the months of May, June, and July last — Rs 103', it is documented.

The point made is the pressing need for up-to-date knowledge, skills and broad-based learning.

Fast-forward to the here and now, and it is indeed welcome that the proposed National Commission for Higher Education and Research is to replace the stodgy UGC and the corruption-ridden All India Council for Technical Education. It also makes perfect sense to include purview for medical and legal education in the commission.

In the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the first degree remains the BA, never mind if one reads history, land economy or engineering. There is certainly a case for professional bodies to retain accreditation functions.

But the idea of a uniformly termed first degree, with a common system of markings, grades and ‘classification,' cannot really be faulted. Besides, we do need to set up new institutes where students can read various subjects all under one roof.

In this day and age, when knowledge is a clear source of competitive advantage, compartmentalisation just makes no sense.