Your neighbour's baby can also help you lose weight!

A research shows that carrying a baby in your arms and strolling for an hour can burn 243 calories. So if you are really serious about losing weight, spend sometime with naughty babies/kids atleast for sometime; and get refreshed too with their innocent smiles.

Some connectivity somewhere!

Applying mustard oil in the navel for a few days will not only soften the cracked lips, but also get rid of itching in the eyes.

Have you noticed your belly bulging of late?

Then it is time you check out the following:
1. Have you been sleeping on your stomach? Sleep on your back instead or on your left!

2.Are you having dinner late in the night? Give a gap of 3 hrs between your dinner and sleep.

3.Have you been taking heavy dinner? Eat like a pauper!

4.Do you starve when you are busy and hog when idle? Do the opposite!(Do not starve literally).

5.Have you been snacking more on fried and junk food? Replace with nuts sprouts, salads and healthy snacks.

6.Have you stopped drinking enough water? Drink plenty of the magical liquid between meals.

7.Have you forgotten or do not have the time to chew food? Chew it well for it to get digested properly.

8.Have you been skipping breakfast? Break that 8-hour fast to stay trim!

Home Spa: Rose petal mist

The hot and cold water therapy for hair has already been mentioned to increase blood circulation and strengthen hair. The hot and cold therapy for the face is beneficial too.

In a bowl, bring some water to a boil. Remove from fire and put some fresh rose petals in it. Steam your face for 5 minutes with this fragrant water by covering your head with a towel. Now splash cool water on your face. Apply moisturiser.
This simple procedure unclogs the pores, removes impurities and improves blood circulation, thus refreshing and renewing the face. Soothes your senses too!

p.s. Rose water is made at home in a similar way, with rose petals put in hot water and covered with lid till it gets cool. It is strained and filled in a sterlized bottle and refrigerated. But this does not last long.

The Amazing Cucumber

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin, and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent which is undetectable to humans but drives garden pests crazy and makes them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes. The photo-chemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and were often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe; its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD-40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voilà, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and in college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. The phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. Also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!