Top 7 Essential Hygiene Tips for Men

Proper hygiene is not just restricted to women. Men have to be equally careful to look and feel good at all times. These 7 essential tips will give you inspiration to groom better and create an excellent impression on everyone you meet.

Money, success and fame are of no use if you are not healthy. You do not have to sculpt a body to die for. But, what you really have to do is to be polished, presentable and well groomed at all times. Let these 7 essential tips give you the much needed dose of inspiration to groom better and create an excellent impression on everyone you meet.

Stick to basics
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of looking great, we cannot undermine the importance of a healthy body and mind. Be well-nourished at all times. Avoid smoking and drinking, sleep well, go for a run, hit the gym, swim if you like, play a sport but be physically active.

Shower some love!
Stay clean and smell good. How? You must shower in the morning, after the gym, and before a party to look ready and fresh. Use some cologne but not too much as it might repulse someone else's nose. Caring for your feet is very important else you might end up inviting a serious and contagious fungal infection called Athlete's foot. Change socks daily, wash your feet properly and use a foot spray to eliminate odour and to repair cracked skin.

Think about your skin
Beauty creams and lotions are not restricted to women only. Get yourself an unscented moisturizer to prevent flaky arms and legs. Devote proper time and concentration while shaving because a cut not only looks bad but also takes time to heal. Invest in a good after-shave lotion for a smoother face. Unlike women, men find it uncomfortable to go for facials. However, fixing one facial massage in a month or a visit to a dermatologist when required should not be avoided.

Help your hands
Always wash your hands with a medicated soap especially before and after a meal and every time you use a toilet. Keep a hand sanitizer in car or in your laptop bag. Long nails never work. Trim them to ensure they do not track dirt from almost everything you touch. Indulge in a manicure once a month at least.

Hairy Troubles
Protruding nose hair, thick eyebrows, ear hair or wax and extra facial hair are not something to be proud of. Invest in a pair of trimmers, tweezers and clippers for a quick grooming session at home itself. Always, trim and wash your facial hair.

Lip Love!
You cannot take chapped lips to a boardroom or the bedroom. Use a lip balm regularly to moisturize them properly. If you are afraid that it looks like you are wearing a lip-gloss, then restrict the quantity before you step out.

Cheery mouth
Yes! Brushing is important in the morning as well as in the night. Follow it up by using a mouthwash. Do not skip flossing. Avoid foods that cause bad breath and keep some mints with you always.

Also, supplement good hygiene with a great sense of style and polished shoes. Check your posture so you do not come across looking shabby. Use an antiperspirant to combat sweating. Look at yourself in a mirror before stepping out for an important date or a meeting.

Fast healthy

The season of festivals has begun and festivals mean fasting. If you are one of those who fasts religiously during every festival, here are few tips on how to retain your stamina and fast healthy.

Fruits and fruit juices: Stick to fruits like apples, guava, papaya, banana and other such fruits as they will keep you energised. Though fresh fruit juices are good while fasting, people with hyper acidic reflux should avoid having citrus juices on an empty stomach.

Drink a lot of fluids: Drink a lot of fluids like water, fruit juice, tender coconut and buttermilk. Vegetable soups, especially of pumpkin or bottle gourd, are very nourishing.

Milk/curd: You can consume milk, about 200ml at a time, two times a day, while fasting. Fresh curd can also be eaten. Having curd in the form of buttermilk is recommended as it also helps digestion. You can also have this in the form of lassi.

Avoid acidity: Keeping your stomach empty for long hours can lead to acidity and heart burns. Milk and cream are effective remedies for acidity

Don’t tire yourself: Try and avoid strenuous physical activity. This way you will be able to retain your energy all day.

Dry fruits: It is recommended you break your fast with dry fruits such as dates, fig (anjeer) or raisins. So after fasting for an entire day, instead of a having a huge meal or a large amount of calories, a bowl of dates might work as an indirect form of sugar which is highly recommended by nutritionists. This would really help if you are more prone to acidity or flatulence while fasting. If groundnut is part of your diet during fasting, try not to eat it raw and plain. Instead have it in the form of chikki or with jaggery.

Small meals: If the fasting ritual permits, you should have small meals or snacks at regular intervals of about two to three hours.

Sabodana: Although tradition says otherwise, sabodana (sago) is not a recommended food during fasting. Eating sabodana during a fast can lead to gastric flatulence or even constipation in slim/lean people. Instead, opt for samo (moraiyo seeds) or rajgira during fasting.

Fight Diabetes the natural way!

Diabetes is among the most debilitating of lifestyle diseases, often the precursor to many other types of health disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and chronic illnesses of the eye.

Most diabetics tend to depend upon taking medications, many of which include hormone supplementation injections and drugs for controlling the sugar levels. Though these aids are often critical for managing cases where diabetes seems to have turned into a monster of a disease, there are plenty of absolutely natural ways to keep it in check.


Drink water 

Water tends to mobilize the high sugar content in blood and thereby helps in preventing aggravation. Drinking 2.5 litres of water, on a daily basis, will not only regulate physical functions but will also lower chances of cardiovascular and diabetic ailments.


Fresh fruits

Natural fruit sugars are the best options, as dietary supplements, since they provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals required. An adequate intake of Vitamin A and C maintains blood and bone health. Include fresh citrus fruits like oranges, apples, pineapples, grapes and lemons in your diet. Consume bananas in moderation, since their sugar structure is more complex than that of citrus fruits.

Exercise

Proper exercise is the key element in maintaining optimum health. Studies have shown that exercise improves the blood flow and clears sugar levels in the blood. This results in higher metabolism and lower risks of diabetes.


Soy

Soy proteins are one of the miracle cures for reducing diabetes among crucial patients. The isoflavones contained in them reduce the sugar content in blood and keep the body nourished, while accumulating much fewer calories, when compared to other foods.


Sunlight

Studies have shown that moderate exposure to sunlight boosts the physical synthesis of vitamin D, which is essential for doing away with insulin resistance in the body. Lack of Vitamin D results in low insulin production.

Fresh vegetables

Fresh vegetables are rich sources of iron, zinc, potassium, calcium and other essential nutrients. These nutrients restore the balance and aid in overall cardiovascular and nervous health. This prompts the body to assimilate proteins and produce insulin in an optimum level.

Lean meat 

Lean meats are great substitutes for non-vegetarians under diabetes risk. The high protein content is essential to sustain physical well-being, since fats and high-carbohydrate diets are out of the question.


Cinnamon powder

Powdered cinnamon, apart from spicing up your foods, has the ability to lower blood sugar levels, as well. Take a pinch of cinnamon with warm water every day and kiss diabetes goodbye.

Small, frequent meals

 

High metabolic rates are highly conducive in maintaining blood-sugar levels and nothing keeps metabolism more fired up than consuming small portions, frequently. Studies have shown that frequent meals result in greater absorption of nutrients and lesser deposition of fat. Without fat deposition, the insulin secretion is normalized.

Using Methi seeds 

Fenugreek or Methi seeds, are considered the most effective of natural cures that can help alleviate typical symptoms of diabetes. Methi seeds should be soaked in water overnight. The water concentrated with the seeds’ juices should be consumed early in the morning on an empty stomach. For making this natural concoction stronger, you can crush the seeds and sieve them through a cloth or filter paper.

Use chapattis to your advantage

Another useful way of managing diabetes is increasing the daily intake of fiber in the natural form. This includes increasing the fiber content in chappatis that tend to be eaten with regularity in Indian homes. The refined flour should be mixed with a combination of flours procured from different cereals, particularly those high in soluble fiber. This includes flours of barley and lentils like Chana Dal and soya bean.

Jamun

Jamun is one of the rarest plants where nearly each part, the leaves, berry and seeds are known to help in controlling blood sugar levels. Neem leaves are useful in a similar manner. Amla or the Indian goose Berry is similarly effective in managing sugar levels. Instead of using only Neem leaves, you can also add leaves of Tulsi and Bel Patra. All these leaves can be boiled together for increasing the potency of the filtered extract.

Know your fats!

We owe fat an apology. It's been vilified for so long, and now it turns out that the stuff may fire up our flab-burning furnace, silence our cravings and power us to a strong, lean body. Still, you've got to know some key facts. Read on to discover the "bad boy" nutrient's healthy side.

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)
The lowdown: Nuts, avocados and canola and olive oils are rich in MUFAs, often the most common fat type in our diet.

Friend: MUFAs help control hunger and blood sugar. Plus, they may turn on genes that trigger fat burn.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats 
The lowdown: Of the three main O-3s, EPA and DHA (in seafood, grass-fed meat and some eggs) are the stars; ALA (in soy, walnuts, flaxseed and more) is beneficial but B-list.

Friend: Bump up your O-3 intake and everything could get better: blood pressure, heart health, even your body's fat-burning ability.

Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats 
The lowdown: O-6s work with O-3s to regulate immune function. They're ubiquitous in the diet: Vegetable oils, fried and packaged foods and baked goods have them.

Frenemy: When balanced by O-3s, they're good. But O-6s often dominate our polyunsaturated fat intake, and this unbalanced ratio may lead to inflammation and weight gain.

Saturated fats
The lowdown: Solid at room temp, most sat fats melt in your mouth, which makes them irresistible.
Acquaintance: Experts have long thought eating sat fats upped heart disease risk, but some recent studies show the link isn't so clear. For now, eat them in moderation.

Trans fats
The lowdown: TFs help preserve foods and extend shelf life. They're in some fried dishes and packaged goods. (That's how those months-old biscuits stay fresh.)

Foe: They have no redeeming healthful qualities. Research suggests diets high in trans fats may be linked to weight gain, heart disease, belly fat and depression.

Is your job making you fat?

Considering that many of us spend more than one-third of our lives on the clock, our office behavior has a huge impact on our health and our weight. In fact, in a CareerBuilder survey released earlier this year, 44 percent of workers said they’ve gained weight at their current gig—and more than one-quarter of workers gained over 10 pounds. Sure, it’s no secret that office birthday cake can pad your waistline, but watch out for these less-expected culprits too:


You usually go out to lunch

Whether you’re entertaining clients or just loathe bringing lunch from home, eating restaurant food for your mid-day meal may sabotage your weight-loss efforts. In a study recently published, women who ate out often lost less weight than those who didn’t—and the strongest link was with eating lunch out. Those who ate lunch out at least once a week lost about five fewer pounds than those who did so less often. The effect may be a combination of eating less-healthy food and also bigger portions.

The fix: The obvious solution is to bring lunch from home more; an easy way is to make bigger dinners and tote the leftovers the next day. When you do eat out, do your homework in advance: scope the healthiest options on restaurants’ online menus so you know exactly what you’re eating.


You have a horrible commute

It’s becoming increasingly normal for many of us to spend an hour or more each way in cars or on trains or buses, which strikes a double blow: It makes us cranky, tired, and stressed, priming us to eat more food for comfort, and it also steals some precious free time we could spend exercising.

The fix: Since exercise is a known stress-fighter, find little ways to bake more movement into your commute. If you take public transportation, could you get off a stop earlier and walk for 10 minutes? If you drive, park as far away from the office door as possible. And if you’re like me and tend to feel famished and ravenous when you walk in the door at home after work (it’s a recipe for pre-dinner pigging out), keep a healthy snack on hand to munch while you ride.

You log long hours

Working overtime can send your stress levels soaring and eat into your sleep time; which is a bad combination for your hunger hormones. It’s been well-documented that people who sleep too little have more junk-food cravings and are prone to weight gain.

The fix: This is a tough one, since today’s economy has many of us working extra hard to keep up. One thing is just to be extra aware of possible junk-food hankerings and plan in advance. You’ll be better equipped to say no to the office candy bowl if you have a shiny red apple and a jar of peanut butter at your desk.

You type and talk all day long

“Sitting disease” is a serious matter—it’s associated not just with weight gain, but cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and early death. If your fingers are the only body part that consistently get a workout during your work day, it’s time to make a change.

The fix: Find a like-minded coworker so you can help keep each other active. Make a point to get up from your desk and walk over to hers to chat a couple of times a day, and take a 10-minute (or more if you can) walk at lunch time. I’ve also seen colleagues stand during short-ish meetings to avoid sitting down or take some phone calls standing up.

Boost your immune system

Are you secretly sabotaging your immune system? Some common lifestyle habits can have a detrimental effect on your ability to fight off infections like colds and flu – as well as your overall resistance to chronic illness.

If so, you need a lifestyle tune-up. Replacing bad health habits with good ones can improve your immune system health. Check the list of immune system boosters and busters to see where you’re doing well – and where you could use some improvement.

Lack of exercise: Sitting at your desk all day can not only make you feel sluggish, it can leave your immune system sluggish, too. Studies show that regular, moderate exercise – like a daily 30 minute walk -- increases the level of leukocytes, an immune system cell that fights infection. Being inactive can weaken your immune system indirectly, too. A sedentary lifestyle can interfere with sleep quality at night and can lead to obesity and other problems that increase your risk of illness.

Eating foods high in sugar and fat: Consuming too much sugar suppresses immune system cells responsible for attacking bacteria. Even consuming just 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about the same as in two 12-ounce sodas) reduces the ability of white blood cells to overpower and destroy bacteria. This effect is seen for at least a few hours after consuming a sugary drink.

Experiencing constant stress: Everyone has some stress in their lives. And short-term stress may actually boost the immune system – the body produces more cortisol to make ''fight or flight'' possible. But chronic stress has the opposite effect. It makes you more vulnerable to illness, from colds to serious diseases. Chronic stress exposes your body to a steady cascade of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which suppress the immune system.

Get more antioxidants in your diet: A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and nutrients can boost immunity to help fight infection. Your body produces free radicals -- molecules that can damage cells. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals so they can’t do any damage. Researchers believe that when the balance between free radicals and antioxidants is upset, it can contribute to the risk of developing cancer and heart disease, as well as age-related diseases.

Protein for vegetarians

A vegetarian diet is a healthy choice. But you need to pay close attention to nutritional requirements and follow a balanced eating plan. Protein is the key nutrient in non vegetarian food. And vegetarians need to ask themselves if they are getting enough of it. The good news is that plant sources provide adequate protein for a vegetarian diet. Here are a few tips to ensure that you are getting enough protein in your diet.

Prepare main dishes or sides using beans and legumes. Beans and legumes offer a flavorful, inexpensive and protein-rich alternative to meat. One-quarter cup of beans or legumes contains the same amount of protein as 30 gm of meat. Luckily beans and lentils feature heavily in Indian cuisines.

Substitute soy for your favorite meat-based dishes. Soy contains as much complete protein as meat. Soy products like textured vegetable protein give the feel and flavor of meat to sauces, casseroles and stews. Tofu works well in soups and stir-fries. Soy milks and beverages give vegetarians -- particularly vegans -- another protein-rich alternative.

Eat plenty of whole grains. Whole grains also offer a source of protein, although you should take care not to rely on them exclusively to meet your protein needs. Whole-grain breads and pastas, or brown rice, can form the basis for a grilled vegetable sandwich or a vegetable stir-fry.

Add moderate amounts of egg and dairy, if your type of vegetarianism permits. Although these foods provide protein, they are often high in fat and cholesterol. Whenever possible, choose low-fat options.

Snack on nuts and seeds with foods like trail mix, sunflower seeds and shelled nuts. Nuts, seeds and nut butters provide protein in a form that makes a quick snack for on-the-go vegetarians. Don't discount nuts and seeds as an added dose of protein in your main meals, though. Nuts and seeds make tasty additions to salads and Asian noodle dishes, for example.