Diwali the festival of light is celebrated with much zeal and fervor all over India. It is one of the important festivals of India and marks victory of good over evil or light over darkness. Continue Reading
Skiing and Snowboarding
Before you hit the slopes to ski or snowboard, make sure you have the right equipment — and that it fits you correctly. Many kids have problems because the equipment they use is too big for them. It may have belonged to an older brother or sister and they’re hoping that they can “grow into it.” Equipment that is too big will make it hard for you to keep control. Continue Reading
Skating
Whether you’re tending goal or going for a triple-spin in the air, it’s cool to glide across the ice. Whichever ice sport you like, one rule is always the same: only skate on approved ice. In places where it gets really cold, you might be able to skate outdoors on frozen ponds and lakes. But these spots must be approved for skating. Continue Reading
Sledding
Zipping down a hill at what feels like a million miles an hour can be a great time — as long as you’re sledding safely. When you grab your sled, make sure it’s sturdy and that it’s one you can really steer. The handholds should be easy to grab, and the seat of the sled should be padded. Continue Reading
Winter Sports
Winter sports are lots of fun — just ask any kid who’s just scored the winning goal during an ice-hockey game or finished sledding to the bottom of a giant hill.
But when you’re sitting on that sled, getting ready to ski, or doing a figure-eight on the pond in your skates, you have to know how to be safe. Otherwise, you could get injured and be stuck inside while everyone else is enjoying the snow. Continue Reading
Fire Safety
Would you know what to do if a fire started in your home? Would your kids? Take the time now to review fire safety facts and tips so your family will be prepared in the event of a fire emergency in your home.
7 tips for winter health
In winter, the sun sets earlier, a chill fills the air, and we spend less time outside being active and more time inside eating starchy and sugary foods. Our hibernating instinct doesn’t keep us healthy. Rather, our immune system takes a hit, allowing winter colds and flus to grab hold.
Luckily, there are certain things you can do to keep your energy up, your immune system strong and your body healthy all winter long.
1. Drink healthy fluids
Sugary and caffeinated beverages can suppress immune-system function, not to mention cause weight gain and dehydration. Drinking six to eight glasses a day of water or herbal tea can keep your digestive system healthy, your weight down and your energy up. This is especially important over the winter months to help flush the system. Green and white teas are also wonderful antioxidant-rich options to keep you healthy throughout the season.
2. Get some z’s
Sleeping is one of the most effective ways to refuel after a stressful day. Make sure to sleep in a dark room to ensure your body properly secretes the hormone melatonin, which is believed to help repair the immune system.
3. Avoid added sugars
In addition to causing weight gain, refined flours and sugars can suppress immune-system function. In other words, if there is a flu or cold circulating and you go a little crazy on the white sugar (cookies, pop, candy, etc.), you’re creating the perfect environment for illness to strike. Turn to naturally occurring sugars found in fruit for some sweetness. If you crave chocolate, go for dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa), which contains plant phenols that have been shown to lower blood pressure. Cut up squares and store them in your freezer. Grab one or two when you need a sweet treat.
4. Go for garlic
The sulfur-containing compounds in garlic help increase the potency of two important cells of the immune system, T-lymphocytes and macrophages, which in turn help battle colds. Eat garlic raw or cooked for an immune-system boost.
5. Eat zinc-rich foods
Zinc helps prevent a weakened immune system. Get adequate amounts by eating oysters, liver, lean beef, pork, turkey, lamb, lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds, garbanzo beans and yogurt.
6. Favour fruits and veggies
A recent study of more than 35,000 Canadians conducted by the Canadian Community Health Survey showed that the majority of us eat fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day – Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends eating five to 10 servings per day. One serving is equal to:
• 1 medium-size fresh vegetable or fruit
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh, frozen or canned vegetables or fruit
• 1 cup (250 mL) salad
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) juice
7. Move it
Don’t succumb to inactivity this winter — hit the yoga studio, run on the treadmill or suit up and head outdoors. A brisk walk burns calories, gets the blood flowing and increases energy.
And don’t forget to watch your stress levels over the winter — when we don’t get enough sun exposure, mood and energy tend to fluctuate. Journaling, meeting with friends, enjoying “me” time and meditating are all wonderful ways to keep yourself healthy and happy.
Winter Season
Winter is the coldest season of the year and it is a part of the main seasons found in the temperate zone. In general, winter is characterized by having minimum temperatures and the days of the shortest duration.
In the Northern Hemisphere, winter is from winter solstice to vernal equinox.
Duration of Winter
The official start of the month of winter is different in various cultures and locations. According to recent meteorology the winter months are December, January and February for the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere they are June, July and August. Even so, many European and East Asian nations regard November as the start of the winter season. The Celtic countries consider November 1 as the beginning of winter whereas according to the Chinese calendar it is from November 7
Features of Winter
- The winter nights are usually very long and the days are short.
- In certain areas, there is extremely high precipitation in the form of snowfall and some places remain permanently covered with snow.
- In places where there are blizzards or winter storms a lot of transportation problems are faced.
- Ice fog is a rare atmospheric phenomenon, in which suspension of ice crystals is formed in the air. This happens only at temperatures that follow below -30ºC.
Winter activities
There are a number of fun sports and interesting activities associated with winter. To name a few we have:
- Ice skating
- Ice Hockey
- Ice Biking
- Skiing
- Snowball fighting
- Building snowman and snow castles
- Sledging
Winter is a season which occurs between autumn and spring.
Health Tips
Health and Fitness is now one of the major concern areas across the world. Easy lifestyle is what we are moving towards. Very less of effort spent on most activities like, travel by motor vehicles, air-conditioned environment, ready-made food stuff, etc.
Earlier humans used to hunt for their living, due to which their body had to undergo a lot of physical exercise. Every part of the body was exercised and the intake was more of natural substances.
Today, we hardly do any of those. Even a simple 30 mins per day of workouts and one good nutritious meal a day can help improve our health. This easy life has restricted humans to do that bit of physical exercise which is required to keep the body fit and healthy.
How do we ensure that we have all that is required for a healthy living? This is a big question among everyone. We need a fit and healthy body. Good Health is all that one craves for. Becoming healthier and fitter though not very difficult needs dedicated efforts.
Nutrition and Health Diet
The basic foundation for a healthy individual starts from his foetal stage with proper and healthy nutrition derived from his or her mother. Hence, a pregnant woman’s diet stands atop all diets.
Your food shall be your medicine. Ayurveda has postulated the role of food and especially nutritive foods for maintaining health as well as cure of diseases. Nutrients are necessary for the proper functioning of mental, physical, metabolic, chemical and hormonal activities. The body is like a machine that will repair and rebuild itself if proper nutrition is provided by way of food.
Sumptous nutrition is available in fruits and vegetables. Fruits have the capacity to give all that a body needs. How to consume? What to consume? Which fruit helps in which way? The answers to these questions can be found in our Nutrition and Healthy Diet Section
Exercise and Fitness
Simple fitness exercises can help to have a fitter and healthy life. Stretching exercises can help in many ways in mainting a fitter body.Weight loss can be achieved by following simple effortless regular exercises. Medical breakthroughs can happen by regular meditation and exercising. Yoga and other workouts which can be performed easily are available in this website to keep you fit and healthy.
Health and Fitness can make all that difference in one’s life. Healthy living is all that one needs, and to achieve that we picked up the best of the articles from reliable sources and have presented here in an organized manner. You might not be able to spend your valuable time on complicated medications and diet controls, but, you can find articles to help you have a better living using simple and easy technics.
Ayurveda, a science in vogue practiced since centuries, uses a wide variety of plants, animal origin substances, mineral and metallic substances to rebalance the diseased condition in the sick. A few tips on simple treatment of life style diseases have been carefully picked for the visitors of this website. These tips can help reduce or control diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
Some facts about climate
The sun’s rays hit the equator at a direct angle between 23 ° N and 23 ° S latitude. Radiation that reaches the atmosphere here is at its most intense.
In all other cases, the rays arrive at an angle to the surface and are less intense. The closer a place is to the poles, the smaller the angle and therefore the less intense the radiation.
Our climate system is based on the location of these hot and cold air-mass regions and the atmospheric circulation created by trade winds and westerlies.
Trade winds north of the equator blow from the northeast. South of the equator, they blow from the southeast. The trade winds of the two hemispheres meet near the equator, causing the air to rise. As the rising air cools, clouds and rain develop. The resulting bands of cloudy and rainy weather near the equator create tropical conditions.
Westerlies blow from the southwest on the Northern Hemisphere and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere. Westerlies steer storms from west to east across middle latitudes.
Both westerlies and trade winds blow away from the 30 ° latitude belt. Over large areas centered at 30 ° latitude, surface winds are light. Air slowly descends to replace the air that blows away. Any moisture the air contains evaporates in the intense heat. The tropical deserts, such as the Sahara of Africa and the Sonoran of Mexico, exist under these regions.