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3 Easy Exercises You Can Try At Home

In today’s world, being healthy is an important goal for every individual. Be it coping with work stress or studies; you need lots of energy. This can only be provided by nourishing your body and mind with healthy practices such as exercising regularly, following a balanced diet, practising mindfulness, etc.

In fact, it is recommended that you start exercising every day, especially if you have high cholesterol, blood pressure or sugar levels, regardless of your weight. It’s true – resistance training and aerobics can also help manage chronic diseases.   

Things to Keep in Mind Before Doing Home Workouts

The best time to indulge in these simple exercises is early in the morning: it’s not only more effective but also gives your day a productive start.

Apart from dedicating time to exercise, here are a few other factors to keep in mind before your next work out:

  • Good quality sleep must be your priority for a stress-free and active morning exercise
  • Drinking enough water will help your body make up for the loss of water that it sweats away during exercise
  • A pre-workout snack can be beneficial for the body. However, never force feed yourself, especially before you exercise
  • Remember to wear comfortable gym clothes and shoes
  • Always warm-up before you start exercising

Three Easy Workouts To Try At Home

Often enough, joining a gym is not a viable solution for those with inflexible schedules. Apart from avoiding excessive amounts of and food, performing simple exercises at home each morning can set you on the road to good health without taking up too much of your time.

Begin your journey towards a healthy lifestyle with these three easy workouts.

1. Skipping:

Skipping is a simple yet effective home workout that everyone can try. It is one of the best full-bodyworkouts to lose weight. Additionally, jumping rope is a piece of affordable and readily available workout equipment that can be found in every home. If, however, you can’t find one, you can opt for on-the-spot jogging which is just as effective.
Beginners should do 50 jumps in the beginning and then increase both the speed and frequency gradually. You can even enhance leg and bone strength by practising skipping every day. Besides that, it is the best exercise to lose weight and enhance agility, stamina, endurance and flexibility. 

2. Push-Ups:

Can you spare only 20 minutes every day? If yes, then push-ups are the best home workouts for you. The beauty of this exercise lies in the fact that it is basic but very effective. Beginners should start with two sets of push-ups with 10 repetitions in each and give a 5-minute break between 2 sets. With time, you can increase the number of sets. 
At the beginner level, you can start with vertical push-ups against a wall to build your strength. For intermediary, knee push-ups would be ideal and then you can move on to advance level of floor push-ups. The exercise should be done as per the comfort level of the doer.
By working the pectoral muscles, triceps and also shoulders, push-ups enhance upper body strength. The fact that push-ups are known to make the body core and lower back strong is an added benefit.

3. Squats:

Are you in search of some exercises that will also be helpful in the overall well being of your body? Then opt for squats without a second thought. Not only are squats suitable for beginners, but they also do not require any fancy equipment or too much space.

To do it, stand straight maintaining a shoulder distance between the feet. Keep the back straight with thighs parallel to the floor. Now squat in the sitting position. Taking the help of a chair while doing this exercise to lose weight is best for beginners. You can start with ten sets, gradually increasing it with time.

The Bottom Line

While adding a healthy oil to your diet definitely helps, it needs to be supplemented with simple weight training exercises for lasting results. Implementing physical activity into your routine is easier said than done, but if you are too busy to step out of the house, these three home workouts are a no-fuss way to shed those kilos and keep you healthy. 

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4 Delicious Recipes For A Healthy Heart

A balanced lifestyle that includes nutrient-rich meals and heart health foods along with a consistent workout routine goes a long way in keeping yourself healthy. Nutrients are the building blocks of our health ecosystem. Increased intake of heart health foods like lean proteins, dietary fibre and antioxidant-rich foods can help you build sound dietary habits and meet your daily nutritional needs with ease. Read on to know more about our top 4 nutrient-rich and heart healthy food recipes and see how these heart health foods can work wonders! 

  1. Apple Almond Date Smoothie

Craving for something delicious to drink? Here’s a super healthy smoothie for a heart healthy diet to boost your mood and satiate your taste buds on the go!

Ingredients

  • 1 apple, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons of regular oats
  • 4 pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseeds, powdered
  • 4 almonds, finely powdered
  • 2 cups of chilled milk

Instructions

Add one cup of milk into your mixer and blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Add the remaining milk and blend again to combine well. Transfer the smoothie into a glass and let it chill in the fridge for 10 mins. Once cool, garnish with almond powder for an appetizing look.

  1. Healthy Oats Chilla

Oats are one of the best foods for heart health. Oats chilla is a super tasty breakfast prepared using rolled oats and spices. This Indian pancake is a tastier alternative to add to your heart healthy diet.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup oats
  • ¼ cup curd/yoghurt
  • 1 cup of water
  • ½ tsp ginger paste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 chilli finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp carrots, finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for roasting

Instructions

Take a bowl, add oats, curd and 1/2 cup of water and let it soak for 10 minutes. To the mixture, add all chopped vegetables, ginger-garlic paste and spices in the mixture. Mix it well.

Take a pan, heat it and add 1 tsp cooking oil and allow it to heat. Pour a ladleful of batter onto a hot griddle (Tawa) and spread gently. Pour ½ tsp of healthy Saffola oil over the chilla. Cover and let it cook on a medium flame for a minute and flip

Serve with your choice of fresh chutney.

  1. Sprouted Lentil Salad

This classic healthy food for the heart in the form of a mildly spiced lentil salad is both delicious and rich in nutrients. Let’s look at how to prepare this heart healthy food salad.

  • 1 cups lentil (moon dal) sprouts
  • 1 cup cucumber julienne
  • 1 cup carrot julienne
  • 1 cup beetroot julienne
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 chopped green chilli
  • 2 tsp coriander, chopped
  • 2 tsp chaat masala
  • Salt – as per taste
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ cup grated coconut
  • Curry leaves – a sprig

Instructions

Take a big bowl, place the washed moong dal sprouts in it and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix it well.

For tempering heat a little oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they start to crackle, add curry leaves and saute for a minute.

Add grated coconut and cook until slightly brown. Pour it over the salad, mix it well and serve.

  1. Low Fat Paneer Tikka with Green Marinade

Unlike other dairy products which are not healthy for the heart, paneer is a heart healthy food since it has low levels of LDL cholesterol. 

Tawa paneer tikka is a tasty and healthy dinner idea to consider. Not only is it a favourite dish in many Indian households, but it can also be prepared quite quickly and easily.

  • 1 cup paneer cubes
  • Salt as per taste
  • Oil
  • Few chunks of onion
  • Few chunks of diced pepper

For Green Marinade

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves
  • 1 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/2 cup dill leaves (optional)
  • 1/4 cup blanched spinach
  • 1/4 cup onion (small)
  • 1/4 cup green chilly
  • 1 tsp chopped ginger
  • 1 tbs, chopped garlic
  • 4 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tsp gram flour
  • Salt as per taste
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tsp green finely chopped chillies
  • Oil for cooking

Instructions

Take a bowl, combine and mix all the ingredients of marinade well and puree the ingredients to a fine paste. Sprinkle some salt on the paneer cubes and mix it well. Pour out the marinade over the paneer slowly. 

To the same marinade add chunks of onions and peppers and keep it aside for at least 20 mins. 

Take a pan, heat it and drizzle some oil. Cook the paneer and diced veggies on a medium-hot pan. Turn and cook from all sides before serving hot.

To Wrap It Up

Changing our eating habits is quite challenging. The easier way is to simply include some of the above heart healthy food recipes to create a super heart healthy diet! 

Take simple steps towards a heart-healthy lifestyle and choose Saffola Gold which helps you in this journey!