Most men rely on their wife to dress up

It seems that there is a woman behind every well-dressed man.

Two thirds of the men quizzed in an online survey admitted that they rely on the woman in their life to pick out ties, shirts, suits and even their shoes.

The majority confessed they need the most help on a Monday morning, blaming their own lack of confidence when it comes to style.

Half said they are actually "dressed" by their wife - who does up their tie or -fastens their cuff links.

One in six men has help to pick out what to wear every day, and one in five has clothes laid out in front of them most days, according to stylepilot, an online style adviser for men which carried out the poll.

"Many men want to be better dressed, but lack style knowledge and confidence. That's why millions of men are relying on women in their lives - particularly their wives or partners - to help choose what to wear, not just at work but for other occasions," the Daily Express quoted a spokesman for the website as saying.

"Many men feel like they're stuck in a style rut and don't know where to begin when it comes to sorting out their fashion sense.

"Coupled with the fact most men hate traipsing around shops on a Saturday, facing crowds and busy changing rooms means a large chunk of men tend to wear the same jeans at the weekend.

"They also have the same style of shoe or shirt and some have even felt this has held them back in life. And while they may judge their friends when they step out in something new, many are in fact jealous of their style but fear being ridiculed if they wear something out of their comfort zone," the spokesman added.

The survey also revealed some of the reasons why men let their other half choose their clothes.

A third of them said they trust a woman's judgment but one in six just "give in for an easy life".

Common myths about acidity revealed

Very often, after a heavy meal, we usually pop an antacid to curb that burning sensation in our chest. After a few hours it disappears and we completely forget about it.

But, if these symptoms occur time and again, then you definitely have something to worry about. Commonly called Gastroesophageal Reflux, the condition is characterized by passage of digestive foods and stomach acids up into the esophagus due to a weakened esophageal sphincter. However, there are certain misconceptions and half-truths that act as barriers for the proper cure of this condition. Here they are...

Myth#1: Milk eases acid reflux
Fact: Although, many people recommend milk for soothing the pain of heartburn, the results are actually quite the opposite. It is true that drinking a glass of milk can temporarily ease a troubled stomach by neutralizing the acids. But, the calcium in milk later triggers the production of more stomach acids thereby adding to the original problem. Furthermore, milk is known to be very difficult to digest and to get rid of it, the stomach has to produce extra acids eventually causing more reflux.

Myth#2: Acid reflux medications should be taken for life
Fact: Contrary to what most medicine manufacturers would like you to believe, it is best to steer clear of acid reflux medications as much as possible. This is because the effects of taking such drugs last only for a short while and the symptoms usually return. Moreover, such continuous usage of pills makes a person more prone to developing certain long term side effects. This includes pneumonia and certain bone-related conditions. Hence, try to find some alternative treatment mode with your physician for curing this condition.

Myth#3: Avoid coffee and acidic beverages
Fact: Avoiding the use of caffeine products like coffee or tea should not be imposed on all reflux patients. Although, coffee may trigger the condition in some, there is absolutely no requirement for all patients to stop drinking it. If such products affect your stomach health, then you should surely discontinue their consumption, but if it doesn't, moderation in use should be practiced. Likewise, you should refrain from using acidic beverages like orange juice and alcohol only if they trigger the condition in you. Otherwise, you may continue in moderation.

Myth#4: Avoiding spicy food is a must
Fact: Probably, one of the most common myths associated with acid reflux is that once you are diagnosed with the condition, you have to live your entire life on non-spicy bland food. As with caffeine and acidic products or beverages, moderation in use is the best option. Unless the specific product triggers acid reflux in you, there is no point in giving up and eating a bland limited diet. Instead of giving up on your favorite comfort foods, try to find a balance in your diet habits, avoiding only those that affect your stomach health.

Myth#5: Only people with poor diets have the condition
Fact: Although, the incidence of acid reflux is quite common, researchers are yet to completely understand the mechanism of occurrence. Certain triggering agents may initiate reflux in some people which may not cause the condition in other individuals. You may eat the right foods and lead a healthy lifestyle but still you might end up with acid reflux.

Myth#6: Acid reflux is due to excess stomach acids
Fact: According to specialists, the amount of stomach acids in people suffering from acid reflux is usually normal. It is actually due to the weakening of the esophageal sphincter that this happens. The main role of this sphincter is to prevent the regurgitation or backward flow of the liquids and stomach contents. The sphincter gets weakened due to the prolonged episodes of heartburn making it unable to withstand the pressure of an over-filled stomach. An ideal way to avoid this is to use easily digestible food and that too in moderation.

(Source: Digestive System Disorders)

Slimmer partner leaving you insecure?

Individuals who suddenly resort to weight loss when in a steady relationship are most likely preparing to dump their partners, says a study. Lisa Antao explores the insecurity the other partner feels.

You've been in a steady relationship with your partner for some time now and your partner's extra pounds doesn't seem to have bothered him/her so far. But all of a sudden when your partner starts losing weight or has developed a sudden obsession with the gym or playing sports, that might get you a bit worried. You start developing irrational fears that your new, better revamped partner might secretly be having somebody special in their life other than you or that they might simply dump you!

Well, if you think on those lines, you aren't being paranoid. A new study has revealed that individuals who suddenly resort to losing weight whilst in a steady relationship are most likely preparing to dump their partner! The reasoning behind the inference is that in happy relationships, individuals tend to get fat because there's less pressure to look good. Subsequently, when one is on the lookout for a new partner, he/she is trying to look as attractive as possible. Clinical pyschiatrist and psychotherapist, Varkha Chulani feels the study is too generalised: "There are plenty of reasons that can be attributed to the motives behind someone deciding to look better, fitter, slimmer and it's not just that there is trouble in their marriage".

Television actor Shweta Kawatra, partially agrees to the study. She says, "I find the study absurd but agree to the fact that in some cases people do tend to get fat as a result of getting complacent about one's physical attractiveness while in a steady relationship for example, marriage. However, personally speaking, I'm not the types who would dump my partner just like that. In my case, I workout regularly and eat right not for my husband, but for myself. May be such unfortunate incidents happen to other people."

For those feeling insecure about your revamped, slimmer and better looking partner, couples counsellor Shreya Poddar advises, "If you are feeling insecure you need to work on yourself and not focus on your partner and what he/she is doing! Insecurity is never about the other person, it is always a lack of belief in yourself and an idea that you are not good enough to retain him/her. So, focus on your anxiety producing ideas and work terribly hard to correct them. Then after that if looking better makes you feel better go for it!"

Why men don't cry and women get jealous

Men and women have always been at each other's necks for time immemorial. What is it that makes us so complicated? Why don't men cry? Why do women get jealous? The answers have a psychological side to it..

The male-female war

It's a common question. Why men don't cry? The question goes into the same category of questions like; Why women get jealous? Why men can't commit? Why women can't stop talking? Oh well, we have our differences and it's the psychology one has to delve into to realize some very interesting facts about men and women. In reality, we are very simple people with very complicated emotions. And hence, we've been at each others necks forever.

Men and women have a set of emotions they are "expected" to deliver. Women are weepy, emotional, sentimental and cry all the time. Men are intense, angry, stubborn, possesive and moody. A nagging woman is quite common but a man drowning his sorrows in tears.. a rarity. There is a copious amount of male ego involved here. Psycholgists say that "Emotions live in the background of a man's life and the foreground of a woman's". Food for thought? It has always been said that women are more in touch with their emotions and that actually is true.

However, that does not mean that men aren't capable of expressing. In fact, in a study of married couples, husbands proved to as tuned to their spouse's stress levels and were also capable of offering support. Psychologist, Kiran Nair says that the connection between the left brain and the right is much greater in women. "The left brain holds logic and the right holds all your emotions. Women are capable of shifting between the 2 sides. Men aren't so much," says Kiran. An interesting insight into the never ending battle between men and women, is Khushwant Singh's Women, Sex, Love and Lust.

If you're looking for a debate on love, lust, women and the many nuances of the very same then this is a book you will love reading. Throw in a generous amount of K Singh's humour and wit and you get a book that's worth picking up. Singh skillfully analyzes the fine dividing line between obscenity, pornography and erotica, describing sex from Chaturbhani and his ideas on what the composite Indian woman is. Another book is, Men are from mars and Women are from Venus. The book gives us some insights about the do's and don'ts in a relationship. In general, men and women have their ideas about a relationship quite mixed up. It's not about sacrifice. But rather, it's about understanding. "You never listen to me"... "You never spend time with me" are women's favourite dialogues and "I don't want to talk about it"... "can we change the topic?" are among a men's favourites.

Our best advice, accept them as they are. We all have our quirks, but you don't give up on someone you love. (As mushy as that sounds, its true)

Don't make a toxic apology

The phrase 'forgive and forget' is easily uttered by many, but when it actually comes to doing the deed many of us shy away from it realising that we are incapable of being that generous with someone who has hurt us deeply.

However, giving into guilt or societal expectations we sometimes go ahead and make a half-hearted apology, which does more harm than good. We tell you why you should avoid making toxic apologies.

Half-hearted apologies breed resentment If you make a half-hearted apology and have not truly forgiven the person, you are still likely to hold on to the hurt feelings, which will eventually breed resentment.

Judgment is a slow poison If you let the resentment simmer at the bottom of your heart, at some point you lose all objectivity, you begin to judge the person and may not necessarily be objective about the situation which will only kill the relationship in the long run.

Token apologies set a negative pattern This type of an apology relies a lot on defenses, explanations and excuses, which can become toxic because they wind up creating a form of unexpressed inner permission to offend again. It's a trap that we end up falling in and find it hard to come out of.

It dents your wall of trust No individual is a fool and will either see what your apology really means straight away or will wisen up to it at some point in time, and from then on will not take your words or actions seriously. Thus leading to the fall of the wall of trust that your relationship is based on. Hence, it is better to have an honest chat with the person rather than make a token apology.

You will vent at some point The frustration of keeping up appearances is likely to get to you at some point. You cannot keep your feelings locked up inside for a very long time. Something is bound to trigger an explosion and this may lead to a flare up between you and the individual and a nasty scene could follow.

Love me? Then give me your password!

Gen-i has a new test for intimacy - sharing passwords. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't!

A recent survey claims that 30% of teenagers who use the internet have shared at least one personal online password with a friend or a significant other. The study also says that girls are twice as likely as boys to give away their secret codes. Strange as it may sound, it is beginning to be considered as a sign of trust and intimacy among youngsters.

BFFs share everything
That girlie bonding between two BFFs ( Best Friends Forever) has now extended to sharing passwords. "My best friend and I share everything, and never keep a secret from each other, then why not our passwords? She checks my social networking page and informs me immediately if my crush comments on my picture, and I can check her mails and see which forward mail in her inbox I'd like for myself, etc. It's just fun," says Shweta Pahujani, 19, a fashion designing student.

Some have a serious reason too. "Ever since that b**ch in my class blocked me from her Facebook list, I took my best friend's password to check her account for that girl's updates. She got clicked with my boyfriend... &%*#$..." details a livid Aakriti Menon, 16, a class XI student. Another curious case is of photographer Ayesha Sharma, 22, who feels that sharing passwords with her friend is important. Otherwise, who will keep her account active when she, ahem, dies? "I mean, people can refer to my account even after I am gone," she explains, "I share it with my best friend and I know she can be trusted. That way, maybe, I'd never die, at least not for my loved ones."

Do you love me? Then give me your password.
According to the study, passwords are being compared to sex in terms of intimacy and vulnerability. So, people need to share them to show that they trust their partner. More often than not, girls urge their boyfriends to share their passwords so that they can check if they're cheating on them, etc. The insecure ones even check their BFs' chat records to know 'woh us ladki se kya baat kar raha tha?'

"We know each other's passwords and I love to scan every single chat of his. Somehow, it gives me peace of mind to know that he is loyal to me. Surprisingly, he does not even talk about me with his friends, something I thought he did," discloses Manjari Malhotra, 23, a content writer. But as researchers warn, password-sharing can have dangerous implications. "My girlfriend demanded my password, scanned my chats, and later broke up with me, 'coz she was upset that I complimented my female classmate. I'm not doing this ever again in a relationship," rues Shivam Singh, 20, a law student.

Can't share your password? I'm breaking up
However, some people might suffer a breakup only because they did not share their passwords. Ruchi Anand, 22, recalls, "My boyfriend wanted my Facebook password, and I didn't want to give it. I wasn't comfortable with letting him read my and my best friend's girlie conversations. Eventually, we broke up."

What do they do with passwords?
- "When I found out that my best friend was dating the guy I had a crush on, I forwarded the two's online conversation to my friend's mom. She got the lesson of her life."

- "I learnt that my boyfriend was dating multiple girls. So I used his password and sent a hate mail to all those girls. They dumped him, I dumped him too. My revenge was over."

- I sent a love letter to our class teacher from my ex's account. He still doesn't know who did it."

Facebook buddies not really 'friends in need'

An average young adult has around 237 Facebook friends, but out of that only two can be turned to for real support in times of crisis, a survey has found.

The survey, of 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 35, which was conducted by Macmillan Cancer Support, found that two-third of respondents said they had two or fewer really close friends.

It also found that one in eight respondents admitted they did not even have single person they considered to be good enough to rely on, if life got very hard.

The survey also revealed that men (16 per cent) were more likely than women (12 per cent) to have no one to turn to.

“It is surprising and concerning that people confide in such a small number of friends and family - and more so that others may not confide in anyone,” Jeannie Wilkinson, a Relate counsellor funded by the cancer charity said.

“It is important that, when going through something tough, like a cancer diagnosis and treatment, you can speak openly about what you’re going through to ensure you get the right support you need.

“We meet a lot of patients and people caring for someone with cancer who feel like they need to be ‘strong’ and bottle up their emotions. This causes great strain on relationships,” she said.

Would you shop for a man?

A French dating site is promoting the same giving you the option to pick your type and put the man of your choice in a shopping cart.

The male gaze is already facing stiff competition from the female gaze, and a new French dating website is adding to this divide by treating men like products and allowing women to pick from the site and put men in their shopping carts. Men's profiles are featured as 'deals of the day' and have been categorised into slots including nerd, adventurer, beardless and bisexual. Will this tickle a funny bone or should men be appalled? We quiz both the sexes and find out if the sexist scales are tilting in favour of a skewed version of gender equality.

More about the site Called AdopteUnMec, the site allows ladies to pick the kind of man they would like to meet for an evening out. The idea is to give women plenty of choice and a bargain for their money, as you have to subscribe to get on board. How men feel about being treated like a product? Andrew D'Souza, an advertising professional, feels it's a matter of perception and how one wants to position themselves on the dating scene.

"Personally I hate the idea of being objectified and slotted into categories and being treated like an item on display at a supermarket. However, this may not be the case with other men, for some of them have gone ahead and provided testimonies on the site describing what they desire as their USP. From huggable qualities to their sexual status, it's put out there, seeking contact with like-minded women." Harish Seth, a marketing executive, adds, "I see no harm in it. People tend to take things a tad too seriously at times.

Dating is all about having fun while you get to know someone. This concept is a leveller in that sense as it gives women the chance to be in the driver's seat, calling the shots, and it's all done in a playful way. So, I don't see why anyone would have a problem with it." What women think of men being under the female gaze?

Shivani Gade, a working professional believes that objectifying men or women has become a trend of sorts. It's hard to slot it as black or white as it's catering to a demand, and as long as people are okay with it it's fine." Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, Varkha Chulani, agrees with Shivani and adds, "I think women are coming into their own with regards to their sexuality and for the first time accepting that they can enjoy sex without love as much as if not more than sex with love! Now with this new sexual revolution they are willing to let their hair and clothes down and indulge from a basket of varied kinds.

This website helps in the resource availability! Speaks well for a woman's confidence in their sexual prowess and for once it is being stated unapologetically and without guilt or remorse." She goes on to say, "For once 'romance' is being downplayed and the 'real' thing is at the forefront. No problem really except that there are different strokes for different folks and to that extent everyone who treads there needs to know herself well enough and needs to choose whether they can handle what would ensue from this kind of experimentation." Dr Parul Tank, consultant psychiatrist, feels it's an interesting concept as it gives women a chance to screen guys before they decide to meet them. However, it can be dangerous because even though you are choosing men on the basis of personality types you can never be sure if what you see is what you get."

Gold Medal for Dr. Kurien

Dr. Kurien S. Thomas, Founder - Executive Director of Effective Living Clinic and Chief Editor of Rejuvenate an online health and beauty magazine from Effective Living Clinic received Gold Medal Award from Indian Board of Alternative Medicines for his extra ordinary contributions in the field of Alternative Medicines. Dr. Kurien is an excellent Corporate trainer, Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Yoga therapist, Life Coach, Writer, Orator, Philanthropist, Counsellor and a registered Medical Doctor practicing in Alternative Medicines at Vashi Navi Mumbai. His areas of specialization includes stress management, dilated cardiomyopathy due to stress, life coach, yoga therapy, prescribing exercises, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, building up positive personality, improving inter-personal relationships, counselling, treating various physical ailments with alternate medicines, etc. He has trained numerous executives, managers, students, housewives, retired personnel etc. to become successful in their personal and professional life. He has delivered lectures on various subjects all over India and Abroad. His unique approach blends synergy of the wisdom of the east and transformation technologies in the west.

Effective Living Clinic

B-3/19, 0:1, Sector 3, Vashi

Navi Mumbai 400703

Tel: 9987223811 / 9969105310

www.effectivelivingclinic.com

Celebrity Fitness: Deepika Padukone

Former model and national level badminton player, 25-year-old Deepika Padukone, one would agree, has an enviably toned and lean body. The leggy actress has a figure that can carry of both Indian and western outfits with equal finesse and grace.

An excruciatingly strong will power makes it easy for her to stick to exercise routines and diets without wavering. Here are a few things she and her trainer Yasmin Karachiwala are clearly getting right.
 Start young
“All throughout school, I would go for badminton practice from 5 to 7 am,” explains Deepika. “After school, I would practise for another two hours. It was a routine I stuck to every single day while growing up.

So that definitely had a large role to play in how my body developed and maintained itself. However, after I stopped playing, I also discontinued exercising for quite a few years. And my initial training tided me over that period.”

Not known to be a chubby kid, she glided through her initial years of college and modelling without much training. It was only once work became more and more camera- centric that she felt the need to focus on her body and start to tone up again.

“I was always slim but I knew my body had the potential to really look defined. I wasn’t fat or out of shape, but I wanted to look a lot better. This is when I started training with Yasmin and she introduced me to Pilates and strength training. It did wonders for my tone and definition. I may have lost maybe a kilo or two at the most in all this time, but have lost inches all around and it shows,” she says.
Mix it up
Not one to enjoy conventional gym routines, Deepika likes to shake up her regimen with a mix of cardio, Pilates and yoga, constantly trying to mentally push the limits of her endurance and physical potential.

“I do a lot of freehand weights and four to five sets of stretching exercises with 10 to 20 reps, in between Pilates or stretching routines. I don’t particularly like running so I don’t do a lot of conventional gym exercises,” she says. “I try and exercise as often as I can, but when I’m travelling or shooting, I tend to skip it for days on end.”

One of the toughest things for Deepika was the effort to break her sweet tooth. “All my teeth are sweet. It’s my weakness. When I was younger, it was only chocolates; I wouldn’t touch any Indian sweets. But now I crave anything sweet, but I try and be good. I treat myself once in a while,” she says.
Trainer talk
Yasmin goes into the details of Deepika’s training routine and emphasises on how important it is to have self-control and will power to control urges that work against you.

“Deepika tries to come in every day for an hour. But currently, for example, she is in South Africa and hasn’t been exercising for over 10 days. This is when she’ll usually work out at home with Pilates or yoga,” she explains.

Pilates has worked wonders on her body and uses a combination of strength and yoga to tighten the core muscles of the body and relax the mind. As a routine, it helps build flexibility and creates endurance in legs, abdominals, back and arms through resistance training.

It also involves a steady control on breathing that helps to relieve stress and allow proper oxygen to reach core muscles. The flexibility helps coordination and balance and adequately trains all the muscle groups in the body.
Break a sweat

Deepika’s typical workout consists of functional training at the gym with a mix of freehand and light weights, depending on what body part is being worked upon.

In addition, the Pilates machine and props such as resistance bands, wunda chair, foam weights etc, are used for an overall workout. This gives her the lean look without making the body look too muscular. “We also have a jumping series of the Pilates, which is a combination of cardio and Pilates,” says Yasmin. “Here we do the jumping squat or walking lunges that may be accompanied by light weights of a kilo or two. I also like to intersperse a minute or two of cardio between other routines.” Since Deepika exercises daily, to prevent soreness in the body, weight training is kept at a minimum.

“If she has a shoot where she is wearing shorts or a short skirt, we emphasize on her legs; if it’s a halter that exposes her back and arms, we’ll focus on push ups or pull ups, and weights are decided accordingly,” says Yasmin. “For example, she has a beach scene in her upcoming movie, Cocktail, where we worked on her entire body’s look. Usually, it’s light weights and low reps and I like using a lot of props to keep the workout engaging and fun.”

As for her diet, Yasmin encourages eating small meals every two hours that contain a combination of carbs and proteins. “We recently discovered Quinoa, a carbohydrate substitute high in fiber, which has worked wonders for Deepika,” she says.
Food for thought
This is what Deepika’s average meal plan looks like:

·         Breakfast: 2 egg whites

·         Two hours later: Fruits

·         Lunch: Proteins; usually fish and grilled vegetables

·         Two hours later: A fruit or vegetable juice

·         Dinner: Lean meat; grilled chicken or fish

Effective Living Clinic

B-3/19, 0:1, Sector 3, Vashi

Navi Mumbai 400703

Tel: 9987223811 / 9969105310

www.effectivelivingclinic.com

5 Fruits for a glowing skin

That fruits are the best medicine is a wellknown fact.

We also know that a cup of fruit juice a day is sure to guarantee a clear complexion. How about a massage with a fruit pulp or a fruit facial? Fruit facials have been there for at least a decade now. But with people getting more wary of effect of chemicals on the skin, a majority of them are now resorting to using something from their own kitchen. What better way to pamper your skin than with pure stuff which is free of toxins and not harmful to your skin?

Besides the fact that they hydrate and rejuvenate your skin, the very smell of a fruit on your face is quite de-stressing. Unlike the chemical beauty treatments, fruits are cost-effective, natural and also bring a visible difference. Here are a few fruits and their properties, choose what suits you best!

Banana: This is one fruit that's abundantly available in India all through the year. We know it's a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium and helps reduce menstrual cramps. The effect of banana on skin too is not something that can be ignored. Bananas are rich in vitamin A, B and E and hence works as an anti-aging agent. A fresh mashed banana facial can do wonders for your skin.

Lemon: Lemon juice is an important ingredient in most Indian recipes. This is also a fruit of all seasons and almost always finds place on your kitchen shelf or refrigerator. With its vitamin C content, its juice will keep your skin beautiful. A glass of warm water with a tsp of honey and a dash of lemon juice on an empty stomach every morning is a great skin cleanser. With its astringent properties, it can be used to lighten the skin tone and also diminish acne scars. Rub the inside of a lemon peel on your elbow remove dark spots. Mix lemon and honey and use it as a natural bleach on your skin.Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away is cliched, but its health benefits are undisputable. Apple's antioxidant property prevents cell and tissue damage. Studies by nutritionists have shown that apples contain abundant amounts of elastin and collagen that help keep the skin young. Applying a mixture of mashed apple, honey, rose water and oatmeal can act as a great exfoliating mask on your skin.

Orange: Rich in vitamin C that improves skin texture. Like apple, orange too contains collagen that slows skin aging process. Rub the insides of orange on your skin to tighten the skin. Oranges can be dried and powdered and used as a natural scrub. Like lemon, oranges too help clear skin blemishes.

Papaya: The benefits of this fruit on skin have perhaps been talked about since the time of our ancestors. Papaya is rich in antioxidants and contain a special enzyme called papain that can kill dead cells and cure skin impurities. A glass of papaya milk or just applying the flesh of papaya on your skin can do wonders to your skin.

Mango: Rightly called the king of fruits for not just its taste but also for health benefits. The soft pulpy fruit has an amazing effect on skin too. Rich in vitamin-A and rich antioxidants, it fights against skin aging, regenerates skin cells and restores the elasticity of skin.

Effective Living Clinic

B-3/19, 0:1, Sector 3, Vashi

Navi Mumbai 400703

Tel: 9987223811 / 9969105310

www.effectivelivingclinic.com

11 reasons to control your TV watching habit

What can be your favorite pastime when you think of unwinding? What do you do when you are alone at home? You spend hours in front of your television set. Right? And you think that the TV shows are giving you quality time and a healthy company!
In reality, television viewing is always considered to be bad for your health. You cannot accept this fact readily, but watching TV for a long time can put your health at risk. It is accepted that you can gain a lot of knowledge from a few television shows, but still the disadvantages outweigh these benefits with a big margin! TV serves as a medium of entertainment and education for all, but it is associated with a number of physical and mental health problems such as:

1.             Increase in the Risk of Heart Diseases: Based on the analysis of the data collected over a period of six years from 8,800 Australian men and women (over age 25 with no history of heart disease), researchers found that every hour of TV watching increased a person's risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18%, and increased the risk of death from cancer by 9%. This means that people who watched more than four hours of TV had an 80% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease over the 6-year time period as compared to people who watched 2 hours or less each day. The problem normally crops up from a sedentary lifestyle which television offers to you. According to researchers, the human body evolved to move, not sit still for extended periods of time. So sitting in front of a TV or a computer screen for too long poses serious risks to health, and to life.

2.     Disruption of Sleep: The light emitted from the television can prove to be too stimulating to our systems. This can reduce the levels of the brain hormone melatonin, which usually increase in the evening as light levels fall. This may effect the body's natural rhythm, keeping you awake longer and results in irregular sleep and extreme fatigue. Reduced levels of melatonin have also been linked to early puberty in girls.

3.     Increase in the Risk of Diabetes: When it comes to controlling diabetes, TV watching habit can be included as the risk factor. A 2003 study of women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the risk of diabetes increases by 14% for every 2 hours of television viewing in a day. Another study conducted in the same year and published in the journal Lipids found that men who watched more than 40 hours of TV per week were 3 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than men who watched TV less than 1 hour weekly. According to researchers, all this increased risk cannot be explained by the increased snacking and reduced activity linked with sitting in front of the television.

4.     Increase in the Risk of Obesity: Prolonged watching of television relates to an absence of muscle movement. If your muscles stay inactive for too long, it can disrupt your metabolism leading to weight gain. Additionally, when you are watching TV, you tend to eat more and eat unhealthy foods due to advertising and other food cues on TV. A study compared the television viewing habits of more than 50,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1992 to 1998, and found that weight gain increased as TV watching increased. For each two-hour increase in television watching per day, there was a 23% rise in obesity.

5.     Development of Attention Deficit Disorder: In the 1970s, a Professor named Werner Halperin suggested that the rapid changes of sounds and images on TV may affect the neurological system of a young child and can cause attention problems. Also, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington Child Health Institute found that 3-year-old child who watches two hours of TV per day is 20% more likely to have attention problems at age 7 than a child who watches no television.

6.     Increase in the Risk of Asthma: In the UK, a research studied the TV viewing habits of more than 3,000 children ranging in age from infants to 11 years. The results of the study established that children who spent 2 hours or more watching television per day had twice the risk of suffering from asthma.

7.     Greater Chances of Mindless Eating: Studies conducted by the Stanford University of Medicine prove that TV viewing is directly linked with mindless eating. You have more chances of eating junk foods while watching TV than in any other activity! It really feels very nice to enjoy burgers, pizzas and French Fries while watching your favorite shows.

8.     Negative Effect on the Mental Development: Watching TV for a prolonged period of time has a negative effect on the intellectual development of children. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages TV viewing for kids under 2 and recommends no more than two hours a day for older kids. Prolonged watching of TV can also lead to a deterioration of the mental processing power in case of older people.

9.     Increase in the Eye Strain: Watching too much television is bad for your eyes, especially when watching television in a dark room. Focusing your eyes too long on any one object can strain your eyes.

10.  Portrayal of Aggressive Behavior: Young children are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior after viewing violent TV shows or movies. As part of a study, researchers examined the data on more than 3,000 3-year-olds and found that children exposed to more television, directly and indirectly (exposed to the television while other people in the home are watching), are at increased risk for exhibiting aggressive behavior.

11.  Reduction of Social Interaction: Watching television may replace social interaction with friends and family, depriving children of sharing ideas and feelings with others. This may result various social phobias.

It would be quite difficult for you to control your TV viewing habit. But once you are able to do it, you won't have any repentance. You would want to spend the weekend by relaxing and this might mean sitting on a sofa and watching TV for long hours. Instead, you can go out and spend quality time with your family - a long drive and a family picnic are great options!

Effective Living Clinic

B-3/19, 0:1, Sector 3, Vashi

Navi Mumbai 400703

Tel: 9987223811 / 9969105310

www.effectivelivingclinic.com