Healthy habits you can acquire in 60 secs

If you think good health takes time to build, follow healthy habits that you can acquire in less than 60 seconds

From buckling your seat belt and washing your hands, getting healthier may take less time than you think. Both, the positive and negative choices you make every day factor in. Here are eight good habits that will help you achieve optimum health.

Sneeze into your arm 
When you don't have a tissue or a napkin handy to cover your mouth and nose, your best bet is to cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow, or upper arm. The point is to avoid using your hands, which can easily spread germs around. Covering your nose also prevents germ-laden droplets from launching into the air, where they can land on frequently touched surfaces and infect others.

Give your eyes a break 
Many office goers and students spend several hours a day staring at computer screens, where a combination of glare, slumped posture and poor lighting can trigger a strain the eye and headaches. To protect your eyes from the daily screen time, build in frequent rest stops. Eye specialists recommend the "20-20-20 rule": For every 20 minutes you spend at the computer, glance away from the screen for at least 20 seconds by looking at an object located 20 feet away. Giving your eyes a breather allows them to focus on something else. It is also a good idea to stand up, put your hands in the air, and take a long stretch to promote blood flow in the body.

Apply sunscreen all year round 
Applying sunscreen on a regular basis can protect skin not only from a tan, but also from the visible signs of aging, and can reduce the risk of skin cancer. So rain or sunshine, make sunscreen part of your daily morning routine.

Drink lots of water 
Drinking eight glasses of water a day is a must, but we suggest avoid keeping count. Your body is composed of 60 per cent water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Adequate hydration also keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don't get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration — and the result is constipation.

Microwave the kitchen sponge 
The toilet seat may seem like the most germ-infested item in the home, but studies have shown that the kitchen sponge supersedes the list. A kitchen sponge's frequent use to clean dal or sabzi spills, as well as, its moist and porous texture, make it a breeding ground for foodborne bacteria, and mildew. To stop the spread of germs, make sure it is wet, then leave it in the microwave for 45 seconds every evening.

Count up to 20 when angry 
If you are seething with anger, count up to 20 and take a slow, deep breath between each number. This simple technique can reduce your temper and cool your nerves. Counting distracts your mind, which gives you some time to distance your emotions from the situation that is ticking you off. If you are still angry, keep on counting and deep breathing until you feel calmer, and more in control. Taking slow, deep breaths helps to switch the nervous system from a sympathetic system response, to making you feel more relaxed.

Brush your tongue 
Preventing tooth decay and gum disease requires daily brushing. However, cleaning your tongue is an important step to keep your mouth clean. Research shows that a periodontal disease is not only a threat to your oral health but its effects go well beyond the mouth. The back of the tongue is also a popular site for bacteria and germs that can give you bad breath. After you've brushed your teeth, brush the surface of your tongue from back to front. Doing this once a day removes plaque-causing bacteria and food particles trapped in the tongue, and freshens your breath.

For questions specific to your health conditions, please write down in the comments section and we will answer it as soon as possible. Thanks

Flatten your bloated tummy

The first step to flattening your jelly belly is to figure out its type. Here's how you can get a midriff makeover

For most women, the biggest body hang-up is often their stomach. But before throwing yourself into a heap of sit-ups and crunches, figure out your belly type as there's no one-size-fits-all solution to getting wasboard abs.

Tummy type one: Bloated tummy
If you wake up with a flat stomach but go to bed with a swollen one, you're probably suffering from bloating. This is caused by sluggish bowels, a poor diet, food intolerance or eating too quickly (you end up swallowing too much air). The solution is to make a note of what bothers your tummy and avoid this for a few days to see if it leaves you looking any flatter. Keep your bowels healthy, eat plenty of fibre-rich foods (wholemeal bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables), chew thoroughly and drink around two litres of water a day to aid digestion. Instead of stuffing your face thrice a day, eat three mediumsized meals with healthy snacks in between.

Tummy type two: Stress tummy
Too much stress can also give you a fat stomach. Higher stress levels mean a lot of cortisol, which dumps fat all over your stomach. To slim down, you need to calm down. A stress tummy is easy to identify - women who have them tend to have slim arms and legs but a little swollen tummy. Besides cortisol, stress causes you to make the wrong food choices and thereby making you fat. Sugar and heavily processed foods up your body's stress levels. Put calming, wholesome foods into your body instead, such as lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish) and lots of vegetables for more energy and better health.

Tummy type three: Post-baby tummy
If you've had a baby in the last few years, your tummy probably isn't your favourite body part. However, help is at hand. The most effective post-baby exercise is working your pelvic floor muscles, which are the ones you'd use if you wanted to stop yourself from peeing midflow. Clench them for a few seconds and release, then repeat. Do them every day if you can.

To encourage fat burning and improving your energy levels, take fish oil supplements.

Good fats have the same effect, so include plenty of nuts, oils, olives, oily fish such as mackerel in your daily diet.

For questions specific to your health conditions, please write down in the comments section and we will answer it as soon as possible. Thanks