Harshvardhan Reddy http://harshavardhanreddy.com Sat, 21 May 2016 11:28:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.7 HVR Group racing towards 100 billion $ club http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hvr-group-racing-towards-100-billion-club/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hvr-group-racing-towards-100-billion-club/#respond Sat, 21 May 2016 05:23:03 +0000 http://harshavardhanreddy.com/?p=309    Read More ...]]> In December 2015 when ingenious entrepreneur     Harshavardhan Reddy, chairman of AURA Group, turned down the offer of 3 Billion USD as the first round of funding for his pet project Readydeals.com there was opposition from his partners.

The board questioned his rationale behind refusing the deal. Heartburn among partners lead Reddy to step out of the group with his intellectual project to form his own HVR Group.

In retrospect the decision of not accepting the funding proved right. Currently, Readydeal.com is the world’s largest aggregator and incubator (for startup’s) on a single Artificial Intelligence enabled e-commerce (AIEBOT) platform.

AIEBOT is unique because in addition to incubation startup, this portal also covers all entities of business, consumers and government abbreviated as B2B, B2C, B2G, C2B, C2G, C2C, G2G, G2B and G2C segments.

In the world of lookalikes, Readydeals.com is different, a never before experience for the users and a complete revolution in e-commerce. On one hand it brings world’s top brands on a single platform; on the other hand, it offers unlimited opportunities to start-ups and business prospectors to develop and expand their business models.

HVR group’s support to the “Startup India” and “Make in India” campaign, the current favorites’ of the Government, has given a new lease of life to startups , entrepreneurs and people with innovative concepts to join HVR group‘s start up platform.

According to Reddy, Readydeals is the country’s first e-commerce mall which has created a homogeneous opportunity for start-ups to join and be a part of this 100 billion dollars club.

“Readydeals covers all aspects of products and services and brings them literally to your doorstep,” he added.

The portal has over 600 stores for users to explore personal and professional entities under one umbrella by bringing many of the world’s biggest consumer brands on a single platform.

The all-encompassing Readydeals.com also provides for engagement opportunities with the government including ministries from agriculture to coal, power, steel, science and technology, consumer affairs, food and public distribution, civil aviation, communication and information technology to heavy industries, finance, urban development and rural development, women and child affairs and tribal affairs, etc.

Almost every ministry of the central government is covered bringing the North and South block to the homes of users. The portal will enable users to know and connect to virtually everything in the world at the click of a mouse or a voice command. The portal prides itself in making available a one-stop shop to everything that businesses and individuals seek to access. It is a unique opportunity in self-learning, knowledge upgrade and rich consumer experience unlike anything in the world so far.

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HVR Sports to financially support Indian Paralympians for Rio http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hvr-sports-to-financially-support-indian-paralympians-for-rio/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hvr-sports-to-financially-support-indian-paralympians-for-rio/#respond Sat, 21 May 2016 05:12:25 +0000 http://harshavardhanreddy.com/?p=307    Read More ...]]> HVR Sports Inc, a mega sports company, with a vision of transforming passion into sustainable profession, announced its decision on Tuesday to offer financial support to the Indian participants at Paralympics 2016 for which qualifying rounds will be held in Switzerland and Poland.

A team of eight will represent India at the qualifying round at the same venues before they get in to the main draw.

The eight bravehearts are Vikas Dagar, Neeraj Yadav, Manu, Rinku, Rohit, Vijay Kumar and Gyanender Singh, Dharamvir.

The occasion was graced by the chief guest Dushyant Chautala , the vice president of Table Tennis Federation Of India (TTFI) and Riyaz Bhatti, vice president of Gymnastic Federation of India who expressed their happiness in sharing the same stage to toast the spirit of sports and encourage these Para players to win gold for the country.

HVR Sports will fund the traveling plans of the participants besides other expenses during the competition.

There are a large number of bright young men and women in the country with disabilities. They dream, but do not dare so HVR Sports is creating this platform to fulfill their dream.

While Sports Authority of India (SAI) is mandated with the responsibility of selecting the participants, the buck stops there.

Harshavardhan Reddy, the chairman, hopes that more of Corporate India will come forward to provide the much needed assistance to these immensely talented special sports persons.

HVR Sports has made a beginning by offering support to these extremely talented sports persons, who are driven and capable of winning medals for the country.

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Should You Always Buy Organic? http://harshavardhanreddy.com/always-buy-organic/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/always-buy-organic/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:03:05 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=239    Read More ...]]> Harshavardhan Reddy Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

The benefits of organic farming are undeniable. Crops grown without chemical pesticides do not contaminate the earth with toxic substances. Organic farmers use crop rotation and other natural processes to keep the soil healthy and fertile. Studies show that some (but not all) organically grown fruits and vegetables are higher in certain nutrients than the conventionally grown versions. But organic farming is more expensive than conventional farming, and that fact is reflected in the price of organic foods. As organic farming becomes more common, organic produce will be more widely available and prices should come down. For now, shop strategically. Some conventionally grown fruits and vegetables retain very low amounts of pesticides by the time they reach the marketplace. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an advocacy group that aims to protect public health and the environment. Using government analyses of pesticide levels in foods, the EWG has compiled a list of the fruits and vegetables most and least likely to have pesticide residues: The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. According to EWG, “You can lower your pesticide consumption by nearly four-fifths by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and instead eating the least contaminated produce.” Check out the results of their research, below, before your next trip to the market.

The Dirty Dozen
These fruits and vegetables tend to be high in pesticide residue when grown conventionally. Buy them from an organic source whenever you can.

celery
peaches
strawberries
apples
blueberries
nectarines
swee t bell peppers
spinach, kale, collard greens
cherries
potatoes
imported grapes
lettuce

The Clean 15*
When grown conventionally, these items remain low in pesticide residue. There are fewer advantages to buying them from an organic source.

onions
avocado
sweet corn
pineapple
mango
sweet peas
asparagus
kiwi fruit
cabbage
eggplant
cantaloupe
watermelon
grapefruit
sweet potato
sweet onion

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The Power of Meditation http://harshavardhanreddy.com/power-meditation/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/power-meditation/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:01:23 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=236    Read More ...]]> Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

 

The stress and strife of daily life have a direct effect on our health. Most dramatically, our very chromosomes are affected by stress. Telomeres are the end tips of our chromosomes, little caps that protect our DNA. (The bright spots in the above visualization of a chromosome are the telomeres.) Telomeres play an important role in cell division, and get a bit shorter every time a cell divides. In studies, subjects with inherently stressful lives—notably mothers of special-needs children and spouses of dementia sufferers—showed extraordinary wear and tear on their telomeres. The stress-induced disruption to their cells’ life cycle actually caused them to age faster. But an enzyme called telomerase maintains and repairs the telomeres, prolonging the life of our cells. Increasing telomerase is a way to slow telomeres’ unraveling. And guess how we can we do that? Meditation. An exciting 2010 study showed that people in an intensive meditation practice had greater telomerase activity in their immune cells than those who did not meditate. Scientists are working to gather even more information about how mindful awareness and other stress reduction techniques can help us live longer and more healthfully.

Those who have never attempted a meditation practice may feel unsure about beginning. Do I have to study anything, buy anything? No. There are many ways to meditate, and you may enjoy learning about many of them, but mindful awareness should never feel like hard work or a formal program. Meditation is, by definition, not trying. Start by taking 20 minutes to close your eyes and sit still. Find the quiet in your mind. Focus on one thing: Yourself doing nothing. Be aware of your breathing, let your muscles relax, and let go of your daily concerns. If you are thinking about the future or remembering the past, your mind is not in the present. The goal is for your mind to be only in the present. Not only will you feel at peace, you will know that your practice is benefitting your overall health and longevity.

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Your Heart’s Best Friend http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hearts-best-friend/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/hearts-best-friend/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 07:00:24 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=234    Read More ...]]> Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

 

“Oatmeal is good for you heart.” You hear that a lot, and not just from oatmeal companies. Many cardiologists and other health professionals recommend starting the day with a bowl of oats. There’s a good reason: Oatmeal is one of many foods that contains soluble fiber, a substance that can help your heart by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol (also know as “bad” cholesterol) in your blood. Research shows that a moderate increase in the amount of soluble fiber in a person’s diet is likely to lower his or her risk of developing heart disease. It can also slow the progression of heart disease once it has begun. That’s not all: Soluble fiber can help lower the risk of developing diabetes. And the benefits of a diet rich in soluble fiber apply to children as well as adults. A 2009 study showed that soluble fiber helps reduce a child’s risk for future chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes by helping to maintain normal blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

A Sponge for Cholesterol What exactly is soluble fiber, and how does it work its magic? Fiber is the part of a plant food that your body cannot digest. It travels intact through your stomach, intestines, and colon and exits from your body. There are two kinds of fiber, and both are good for you. Insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water, adds bulk to the material moving through your digestive system and is good at relieving constipation. It’s found in whole wheat, nuts, and many vegetables. Soluble fiber, as the name implies, dissolves in water, forming a gel-like substance. In addition to oats, soluble fiber can be found in beans, barley, flaxseed, and certain vegetables and fruits.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly how soluble fiber reduces the LDL or “bad” cholesterol in your blood, but they suspect it works like this: Soluble fiber acts like a cholesterol “sponge” by soaking up cholesterol-laden bile salts in the small intestine and eliminating these salts along with waste. That not only removes harmful cholesterol from your body, it also keeps bile acids from being “recycled” back to the liver. As a result, the liver must produce new bile acids, and to do that, it pulls LDL cholesterol out of the bloodstream. That reduces “bad” cholesterol levels even further, which is good news for your heart: If there’s less bad cholesterol floating around in your bloodstream, it means there’s less that can collect on the walls of the arteries, where it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Other Health Benefits The benefit of soluble fiber doesn’t stop with cholesterol reduction. Soluble fiber can also lower triglycerides—fats in the blood that contribute to heart disease. According to a 2010 study, it may also help reduce blood pressure and that’s good for your heart health. Soluble fiber can also benefit people at risk for diabetes by regulating blood sugar. It slows down the body’s absorption of sugar, reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and helping to control existing cases of diabetes (4, 5). If that’s not impressive enough, emerging research shows that certain forms of soluble fiber may enhance the body’s immune function.

Foods With Fiber Does this make you want to eat more soluble fiber? It should. And if you’re like many Americans, you probably need to boost your intake of both kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble. On average, children and adults in the U.S. consume less than half of the recommended amount of fiber. The USDA suggests that adult women get about 28 grams of total dietary fiber a day and adult men consume 36 grams a day. Children one year and older should consume 14 grams for every 1,000 calories in their diet.

At least 5 to 10 grams of your total daily fiber intake should consist of soluble fiber if you want to reap its cholesterol-lowering benefits, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its guidelines for a heart-healthy diet. That translates into about 1 cups of cooked oatmeal (6 g of soluble fiber) plus a serving of fruit, such as apples or bananas (4 grams of soluble fiber). If you’re not a fan of oatmeal, there are lots of other tasty ways to get soluble fiber into your diet. Pears, citrus fruits, legumes such as kidney beans, peas, carrots, barley, and psyllium (seed husks) are all good sources. Try to avoid processed foods like pulp-free juice and canned fruits and vegetables and substitute fresh high-fiber ones instead. While packaged fiber supplements are an option, it’s best to get your fiber fix from food sources, since you get the additional benefits of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.Whether you get your soluble fiber by starting the day with oat-based cereal, or munching on apples, beans, or barley as the day progresses, your body will thank you from the bottom of its heart.

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Yoga’s Health Benefits http://harshavardhanreddy.com/yogas-health-benefits/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/yogas-health-benefits/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 06:58:58 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=232    Read More ...]]> Mr. Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

Between work, raising a family, and coping with an uncertain economy, stress has become a “normal” part of daily life for most people. That could explain why so many Americans—about 16 million at latest count—have started taking yoga classes or doing yoga at home. This ancient practice, which started in India more than 4,000 years ago, connects mind and body through a series of postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. By stretching and toning the muscles, flexing the spine, and focusing the mind inward, yoga helps reduce stress. That can impact your overall health since stress plays at least some role in many illnesses. Studies show that chronic stress doubles the risk of heart attack, for instance.

How yoga may promote health Research into the health benefits of yoga is still in its infancy. But recent pilot studies point in promising directions. Yoga has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, which can help reduce a person’s risk of heart disease. There may be other heart benefits, too: A 2006 study found that yoga helped lower cholesterol levels and improve circulation in people who have cardiovascular disease. Some hospitals have incorporated yoga into their post-cardiac rehabilitation programs.

While the evidence of yoga’s success in reducing a person’s body mass is mixed, one study did find that yoga can help people lose weight by leading them to a healthier lifestyle. The study reported that people who regularly practiced yoga started eating less, eating more slowly, and choosing healthier foods. They also showed fewer symptoms of eating disorders.

Many people report that yoga gives them an overall feeling of wellbeing. But research shows that it may also help alleviate specific kinds of pain, including migraine headaches, lower back problems, arthritis, and pain during childbirth. Researchers are not sure what mechanism is at work, but one theory is that the yoga postures work like the way massage works. When a yoga posture places pressure on a nerve fiber, the signal for “pressure” is sent quickly to the brain via myelinated (insulated) nerve fibers, while the signal for “pain” reaches the brain more slowly via less myelinated nerve fibers. The signal for “pressure” closes the receptor gate and shuts out the “pain” stimulus. Another theory is that yoga causes an increase in serotonin, the body’s natural anti-pain chemical.

While more research is needed into these areas, people who practice yoga have also reported that they experience less insomnia and better digestive health. Pregnant women in particular seem to have an easier time sleeping when they do yoga. They are also less likely to develop high blood pressure or deliver prematurely.

Calming the mind Since yoga involves the mind as well as the body, it’s not surprising that it may help reduce anxiety and depression, especially in people whose anxiety is related to an illness like cancer. More research is needed to learn exactly how yoga affects mood, but a 2007 study may provide a clue: It found that in experienced yoga practitioners, a 60-minute yoga session increased levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Low levels of GABA have been linked to depression and anxiety disorders. Another pilot study suggests that yoga may influence depression by increasing the alpha waves in the brain. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation. Yet another possibility is that yoga reduces the amount of cortisol, a hormone that the body releases in response to stress. Some scientists think chronic high levels of cortisol may be tied to depression as well as impaired immune function.

If the potential health benefits of yoga aren’t enough to make you want to try it, consider this: Yoga can also make you look more toned and fit and help you move with greater ease, especially as you grow older. A 2007 study of the Hatha yoga style showed that it increased muscular strength, flexibility, and endurance. It’s no wonder that many athletes use yoga to cross-train.

Getting started You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment or to be in tiptop shape to start practicing yoga. All it takes is loose clothing, a mat (some classes will provide mats), and the desire to learn.

There are several different styles of yoga. Most use a series of postures designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and also use controlled breathing to quiet your mind. The most popular style in the U.S. is Hatha yoga, a relatively slow-moving, gentle style. Other styles such as Ashtanga (also known as power yoga) are more vigorous. Find out about the different kinds of yoga that are offered at classes in your area. Choose the style that fits your goals and level of fitness. You can also get started by using a good instructional book or DVD at home, although it’s useful for beginners to start with a class. If you are pregnant or have any serious health conditions, talk to your doctor before you begin. Once you start a class, let your teacher know about any injuries or health issues.

Whichever style of yoga you choose, take it slowly at first. Don’t try to force yourself into difficult poses at the beginning. After a while, you will develop more flexibility, strength, and stamina. Your teacher shouldn’t push you to do poses that aren’t comfortable. If your teacher is going too fast, talk to him or her, or look for a class that is a better fit.

While yoga won’t cure everything that ails you—or make your boss nicer—it will help you deal with stress better. And that could make a big difference in your overall health.

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Health Tip: Stress and the Brain http://harshavardhanreddy.com/health-tip-stress-brain/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/health-tip-stress-brain/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 06:57:17 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=229    Read More ...]]> Mr. Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

The human body responds to stress with a powerful fight-or-flight reaction. Hormones surge through the body, causing the heart to pump faster and sending extra supplies of energy into the bloodstream. For much of human history, this emergency response system was useful: It enabled people to survive immediate physical threats like an attack from a wild animal. But today, the stress in most people’s lives comes from the more psychological and seemingly endless pressures of modern life. Daily challenges like a long commute or a difficult boss can turn on the stress hormones—and because these conditions don’t go away, the hormones don’t shut off. �Instead of helping you survive, this kind of stress response can actually make you sick.�

Chronic stress can harm the body in several ways. The stress hormone cortisol, for instance, has been linked to an increase in fat around organs, known as visceral fat. The accumulation of visceral fat is dangerous since these fat cells actively secrete hormones that can disrupt the functioning of the liver, pancreas and brain, causing problems such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome. Chronic exposure to other stress hormones can also weaken the immune system and even change the structure of chromosomes.

How Stress Affects the Brain Recent research suggests that chronic stress takes a toll on the brain, too. Studies on mice show that stress-related hormones alter physical structures in the brain in ways that could affect memory, learning, and mood. Some of these changes involve dendrites, tiny branch-like structures on nerve cells that send and receive signals. Several studies have shown that stress hormones can shrink dendrites and as a result, information doesn’t get relayed across nerve cells. When the cell damage occurs in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, it can impact memory and learning.

If stress makes you feel anxious, damage to dendrites might be part of the cause. A 2011 study found that rats whose dendrites had eroded due to stress had higher levels of anxiety. More research is needed to determine the exact effect of stress hormones on people’s brains, but one study of adults with post-traumatic stress disorder suggests that the stress hormone cortisol may actually shrink the size of the hippocampus. Researchers are still trying to determine if this is because of the hormone’s toxic effect on neurons or if there is a genetic component—or if both are involved.�

Another part of the brain that seems to be affected by stress is the amygdala—the part of the brain that regulates fear and other emotions. A 2003 study found that in mice under stress, the amygdala grew larger while the dendrites in the hippocampus shrank. Researchers believe that together, these two effects may cause an increase in anxiety. They think that as amygdala grows in size, you may experience more anxiety and fear. (The amygdala is known to become bigger and more active in people who are depressed.) But because the hippocampus cells involved in memory are shrinking and not transmitting information effectively, you can’t connect the feelings of fear to memories of real events. You’re left with a lot of generalized anxiety.�

Tips on Coping With Stress If this news about stress and the brain is giving you a headache—or stressing you out in other ways—relax. The good news is that you can learn healthy ways to cope with stress that will protect your brain—and the rest of your body—from stress’s negative effects.�

Not everyone is equally vulnerable to stress. Genetics play a role in how a person’s body reacts. Your past experiences can affect your response, too. If you lived through a lot of stressful situations growing up, you may be more sensitive to stress as an adult. Try to notice your own reactions to stress. Do you stay calm when pressures mount, or can you feel your pulse increase just thinking about a stressful situation? Once you become aware of what sets off your body’s fight or flight response, you can use these tips to try to change your response to stress.

1. Resolve the stressful situation if you can. You may not have much control over many of the sources of stress in your life, but if there is a something you can do to resolve a stressful situation, do it! Talk to friends about what you can do to change a bad situation, and consider getting help from a conflict resolution expert if necessary. ��

2. Spend time with loved ones and cultivate healthy friendships. Research shows that a good social support network has definite mental health benefits. It can keep you from feeling lonely, isolated, or inadequate and if you feel good about yourself, you can deal with stress better. Friends and loved ones can be a good source of advice and suggest new ways of handling problems. But they can also be an excellent distraction from what’s bothering you. If your network of friends is small, think about volunteering, joining an outdoor activities group, or trying an online meet-up group to make new friends.
3. Do an activity you like. Part of being stressed out is feeling that you never have enough time. So adding more activities to your schedule might seem like the last thing you need. But if you make even a little bit of time for an activity you really enjoy, the payoff can be huge: You feel calmer and happier and can deal with work and other demands better. Whether it’s playing music, doing a craft, or working on your car, do something that absorbs and relaxes you.
4. Try relaxation techniques. Meditation, yoga, and tai chi can help slow your breathing and heart rate and focus your mind inward, away from whatever is causing you stress.�
5. Exercise regularly. Whether it’s walking outside with a friend or taking an exercise class at the gym, getting active can help you relax and help turn off your body’s stress response.
6. Get plenty of sleep. When you’re well rested, you can approach stressful situations more calmly.
7. Eat a healthy diet. Stress is tough enough on your body, so help it out by feeding it fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat protein.�
8. Appreciate what’s good in your life. It sounds corny, but focusing your thoughts on positive parts of your life instead of the stress-ridden areas can be good for your physical health. Research shows that positive emotions helped people recover their normal heart rate more quickly after it was raised during exertion.
9. Laugh! Researchers are still investigating the precise effects of laughter on stress hormones, but some findings suggest that it has a stress-relief effect on heart rate, respiratory rate, and muscle tension. Your own research has probably convinced you that laughing makes you feel better.
10. Seek professional counseling if necessary. �Extreme chronic stress is no laughing matter. Enlist the help of a professional if you think you are at risk for serious health effects.
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Understanding and Coping with Nicotine Withdrawal http://harshavardhanreddy.com/understanding-coping-nicotine-withdrawal/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/understanding-coping-nicotine-withdrawal/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 06:54:51 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=226    Read More ...]]> Mr. Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi believes in leading a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. He is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

Each year, nearly 450,000 Americans die from smoking related illnesses. That’s more than all deaths from HIV/AIDS, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. So why do smokers continue to light up when statistics like these make it clear that they should quit? Nicotine addiction is powerful, which makes quitting difficult—but it is possible. There are now 45 million smokers, but 47 million successful quitters. By understanding nicotine addiction and withdrawal, you can be better prepared to crush out this destructive habit for good.

Understanding the Addiction
When you smoke, nicotine speeds to receptors that trigger the release of dopamine, your body’s feel-good chemical. Nicotine causes dopamine to be released in several parts of the brain: the mesolimbic pathway, the corpus striatum, the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortex (highlighted above). Over time, the receptors where nicotine can connect become desensitized. This means that they lose some of their ability to send signals that result in the release of dopamine, and other neurotransmitters. As a result, more nicotine receptor sites are created. The overall effect is that smokers who have developed additional receptors need more nicotine to avoid having withdrawal symptoms.

The longer you smoke, and the more you smoke each day, the more severe nicotine addiction becomes. The craving for nicotine intensifies and becomes more frequent. Ignoring the cravings brings on unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. And what alleviates those? Yes, more nicotine.

The Rewards of Nicotine
Let’s face it: If there were no positive outcomes to smoking, no one would ever do it. “There are many motivations to smoke,” says Michael D. Stein, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Community Health at Brown University and author of The Lonely Patient and The Addict. “The dominant one is physical dependence—that is, smokers who try to stop have withdrawal symptoms, and cigarettes relieve the symptoms. But nicotine can also improve attention and vigilance. Smokers smoke when they need to concentrate or focus. Smoking helps some people feel in a better mood, or they feel a high, a buzz. Some smokers enjoy the taste and smell of a cigarette. Finally, smoking serves as an appetite suppressant. People smoke to control their weight.” While all medical experts agree that the health risks are not worth these beneficial aspects, many smokers have a real fear of losing the sense of control and other pleasurable sensations when they stop. So, how can quitters learn to conduct their daily routine smoke-free? Understanding what to expect and planning for withdrawal symptoms is a great place to start.

Managing Nicotine Withdrawal
The physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are rough stuff. The brain and body still crave nicotine’s positive effects, so its absence causes quite an uproar. Quitters can experience any combination of irritability, anxiety, depression, sweating, headaches, insomnia, confusion, cramps and weight gain. Understanding what feelings and symptoms accompany nicotine withdrawal is important, because there are steps you can take to manage your symptoms.

1. Craving for nicotine If you aren’t using a nicotine replacement treatment, you may have cravings. Cravings last only a few minutes, but will feel much longer at first. Stay busy, especially during the times when you used to smoke. Plan a small snack or distracting task during these times. 

2. Irritability The frustration of leaving your desire for nicotine unfulfilled affects your mood. Know that your emotions will be intensified for the first few weeks after you quit. Talk about your mood, and the fact that you’ve quit smoking, to anyone in the line of fire. Going for a walk or other exercise can take the edge off.

3. Anxiety Smokers with pre-existing anxiety disorders have a harder time quitting. Other quitters may have new feelings of anxiety. Anticipating this frame of mind, and knowing that it’s related to quitting is the first step. Try to wait it out, or take a break to talk to a friend who knows what you are going through.

4. Depression Some of the prescription drugs for smoke cessation treatment also treat depression. If you are quitting without those, realize that you may start to feel down. If you have planned a support system and engaging distractions for your transition to the non-smoking life, rely on them.

5. Sweating Metabolic changes and increased circulation after quitting smoking may bring on sweating. Dress to stay cool, and drink plenty of water.

6. Tingling in hands and feet Your circulatory system is making positive adjustments after you quit, which can create some new sensations. A tingle in the extremities is a good thing. Just wait it out.

7. Headache Could be a circulatory effect, or a result of tension and anxiety from craving. Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen if you usually do. Try deep breathing or meditation to relieve tension.

8. Cramps and nausea Smoking can cause peptic ulcers and other digestive ailments. As your digestive tract recovers from your time as a smoker, you can feel temporary discomfort. Avoid spicy, irritating foods as you wait for this phase to pass.

9. Insomnia Nicotine is a stimulant, so it has definitely affected your sleep-wake cycle. Treat yourself to extra soothing activities before bedtime: a warm bath, a massage, total quiet.

10. Mental confusion Nicotine gives smokers focus and clarity. Its absence can make you feel a bit foggy. When confusion takes over, stop. If you’re in the middle of a task, take a break. Confusion gradually dissipates as you adjust to the absence of nicotine.

11. Weight gain Some smokers fear gaining weight so much they don’t attempt to quit. Most quitters gain fewer than 10 pounds.� “Weight gain following smoking cessation is mostly due to decreased metabolic rate, increased food intake, and decreased physical activity” after quitting, says Michael D. Stein, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Community Health at Brown University. “Also, an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which affects fat cells’ metabolism, becomes more active after you quit. And some appetite control agents, including leptin and neuropeptide Y, are influenced by nicotine.” Dr. Stein notes that those who are concerned about gaining weight are more likely to relapse after quitting. Exercise would be a great substitute for smoking, if you’re concerned about gaining weight.

Most of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are short-lived and symptoms pass in time, usually in less than a week. Withdrawal is the most uncomfortable part of quitting, but getting past this rough patch is the first real challenge in staying away from tobacco for good!

 

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No to Corruption, No to Materialism http://harshavardhanreddy.com/corruption-materialism/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/corruption-materialism/#respond Mon, 10 Feb 2014 06:44:04 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=222    Read More ...]]> Mr. Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

International Anti-Corruption Day is observed every year on 9 December, since the passage of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on October 31, 2003. The slogan for this day is “no to corruption”. In terms of celebration it is successful, but in terms of result this campaign is a total failure.

Now time has come to reassess this high project. Objective assessment will tell us that this failure is due to wrong diagnosis. Corruption is not an independent feature, it is the result of materialism. People want to acquire more and more material goods, so they adopt corrupt practices.

The root cause of this evil is materialism. Materialism has led to unchecked greed. But this kind of greed is not workable in this world. Man is subject to the natural law. And according to the natural law, every man and woman has a very short period of their life to live in this world. According to survey, the average age of man is sixty years. It is the fate of every human being that he is born as a child, then enjoys youth age and at last comes old age. Finally, he faces death. In such a situation, no one is able to utilize the wealth he tried to amass through corrupt practices.

If you live on need, it is good. But if you try to fulfil your greed, then that is not achievable for anyone. Greed is against the law of nature.

This state of affairs tells us that on this planet earth, only controlled materialism is feasible. Uncontrolled materialism or absolute materialism simply cannot work on this planet. One who follows his greed and tries to amass wealth through corrupt practices, will finally get nothing except tension and soon thereafter death.

You have to accept this reality. We have to adopt the culture that is workable. Keeping this fact into consideration, one can say that the call for ‘no to corruption’ is not going to yield any result. It is better to adopt the call: ‘no to materialism’.

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How to Stop Overthinking Everything: 9 Simple Habits http://harshavardhanreddy.com/stop-overthinking-everything-9-simple-habits/ http://harshavardhanreddy.com/stop-overthinking-everything-9-simple-habits/#respond Sat, 08 Feb 2014 04:24:15 +0000 http://hvreddy.com/?p=220    Read More ...]]> Mr. Harshavardhan Reddy, Chairman, Aura Group, Delhi is actively involved with social media and frequently shares useful articles / blogs. Below is one such. Readers are welcome to comment.

by Henrik Edberg

What is holding people back from the life that they truly want to live?

I’d say that one very common and destructive thing is that they think too much.

They overthink every little problem until it becomes bigger and scarier and it actually is. Overthink positive things until they don’t look so positive anymore.

Or overanalyze and deconstruct things and so the happiness that comes from just enjoying something in the moment disappears.

Now, thinking things through can be a great thing of course. But being an overthinker can result in becoming someone who stands still in life. In becoming someone who self-sabotages the good things that happen in life.

I know. I used to overthink things a lot and it held me back in ways that weren’t fun at all.

But in the past 8 years or so I have learned how to make this issue so small that it very rarely pops up anymore. And if it does then I know what to do then to overcome it.

In this article I would like to share 9 habits that have helped me in a big, big way to become a simpler and smarter thinker and to live a happier and less fearful life.

1. Put things into a wider perspective.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of overthinking minor things in life.

So when you are thinking and thinking about something ask yourself:

Will this matter in 5 years? Or even in 5 weeks?

I have found that widening the perspective by using this simple question can snap me quickly out of overthinking and help me to let that situation go and focus my time and energy on something that actually does matter to me.

2. Set short time-limits for decisions.

If you do not have a time-limit for when you must make a decision and take action then you can just keep turning your thoughts around and around and view them from all angles in your mind for a very long time.

So learn to become better at making decisions and to spring into action by setting deadlines in your daily life. No matter if it is a small or bigger decision.

Here’s what have worked for me.

  • For small decisions like if should go and do the dishes, respond to an email or work out I usually give myself 30 seconds or less to make a decision.
  • For somewhat larger decisions that would have taken me days or weeks to think through in the past I use a deadline for 30 minutes or for the end of the workday.

3. Become a person of action.

When you know how to get started with taking action consistently each day then you’ll procrastinate less by overthinking.

Setting deadlines is one thing that have helped me to become much more of person of action.

Taking small steps forward and only focusing on getting one small step done at a time is another habit that have worked really well.

It works so well because you do not feel overwhelmed and so you do not want flee into procrastination. And even though you may be afraid, taking just a step is such a small thing that you do not get paralyzed in fear.

4. Realize that you cannot control everything.

Trying to think things through 50 times can be a way to try to control everything. To cover every eventuality so you do not risk making a mistake, fail or looking like a fool.

But those things are a part of living a life where you truly stretch your comfort zone. Everyone who you may admire and have lived a life that inspires you has failed. They have made mistakes.

But in most cases they have also seen these things as valuable feedback to learn from. Those things that may look negative have taught them a lot and have been invaluable to help them to grow.

So stop trying to control everything. Trying to do so simply doesn’t work because no one can see all possible scenarios in advance.

This is of course easier said than done. So do it in small steps if you like.

5. Say stop in situation where you know you cannot think straight.

Sometimes when I am hungry or when I am lying in bed and are about to go to sleep negative thoughts start buzzing around in my mind.

In the past they could do quite a bit of damage. Nowadays I have become good at catching them quickly and to say to myself:

No, no, we are not going to think about this now.

I know that when I am hungry or sleepy then my mind sometimes tend to be vulnerable to not thinking clearly and to negativity.

So I follow up my “no, no…” phrase and I say to myself that I will think this situation or issue through when I know that my mind will work much better.

For example, after I have eaten something or in the morning after I have gotten my hours of sleep.

It took a bit of practice to get this to work but I have gotten pretty good at postponing thinking in this way. And I know from experience that when I revisit a situation with some level-headed thinking then in 80% of the cases the issue is very small to nonexistent.

And if there is a real issue then my mind is prepared to deal with it in much better and more constructive way.

6. Do not get lost in vague fears.

Another trap that I have fallen into many times that have spurred on overthinking is that I have gotten lost in vague fears about a situation in my life. And so my mind running wild has created disaster scenarios about what could happen if I do something.

So I have learned to ask myself: honestly, what is the worst that could happen?

And when I have figured out what the worst that could happen actually is then I can also spend a little time to think about what I can do if that often pretty unlikely thing happens.

I have found that the worst that could realistically happen is usually something that is not as scary as what my mind running wild with vague fear could produce.

Finding clarity in this way usually only takes a few minutes of time and bit of energy and it can save you a lot of time and suffering.

7. Work out.

This might sound a bit odd.

But in my experience working out – especially with lifting weights – can help me to let go of inner tensions and worries.

It most often makes me feel more decisive and when I was more of an overthinker then it was often my go-to method of changing the headspace I was in to a more constructive one.

8. Spend more of your time in the present moment.

By being in the present moment in your everyday life rather than in the past or a possible future in your mind you can replace more and more of the time you usually spend on overthinking things with just being here right now instead.

Three ways that I often use to reconnect with the present moment are:

  • Slow down. Slow down how you do whatever you are doing right now. Move slower, talk slower or ride your bicycle more slowly for example. By doing so you become more aware of how you use your body and what is happening all around you right now.
  • Tell yourself: Now I am… I often tell myself this: Now I am X. And X could be brushing my teeth. Taking a walk in the woods. Or doing the dishes. This simple reminder helps my mind to stop wandering and brings my focus back to what is happening in this moment.
  • Disrupt and reconnect. If you feel you are getting lost in overthinking then disrupt that thought by – in your mind – shouting this to yourself : STOP! Then reconnect with the present moment by taking just 1-2 minutes to focus fully on what is going on around you. Take it all in with all your senses. Feel it, hear it, smell it, see it and sense it on your skin.

9. Spend more of your time with people who do not overthink things.

Your social environment plays a big part. And not just the people and groups close to you in real life. But also what you read, listen to and watch. The blogs, books, forums, movies, podcasts and music in your life.

So think about if there are any sources in your life – close by or further away – that encourages and tends create more overthinking in your mind. And think about what people or sources that has the opposite effect on you.

Find ways to spend more of your time and attention with the people and sources that have a positive effect on your thinking and less on the influences that tends to strengthen your overthinking habit.

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