There was a time when only women were conscious of their weight and shape.Gradually, and almost undetected, males have crept into the weight-loss class to join them. Whether or not this has anything to do with the emancipation or subjugation of the global male is open to conjecture. In the final event it may have no bearing on the fact that men have finally come out of the over-weight closet and admitted that ‘they’re fat’!It is a well-known fact that regardless of whether you are male or female, being too fleshy in certain parts does tend to make one slower of movement. This results in certain daily tasks, which hitherto have been completed with little or no conscious thought, becoming somewhat laborious.DIETFor the average man or woman it starts to become a worry when they realise that they’re having difficulty tying shoelaces, or that they can’t actually see their feet anymore (you have to experience an event such as this to really know how devastated it makes you feel). Now, whereas the non-thinkers of the world will totally ignore these warning signs, the rest of us will hunker down and bravely make the cruel decision that a diet of some type is definitely on the calendar.However, it is sad to say that few of even the elite decision-makers will admit to the fact that not only diet must be introduced into their daily lives, but also that other activity they’ve been avoiding all year – exercise. That’s right guys and gals, sorry to disappoint you but the two go hand in hand. Diet and exercise have to be conjoined if we are to see some meaningful and beneficial effects on our neglected bodies.WEIGHT LOSS AND EXERCISEYou don’t need to go to the gym fifteen times each week to lose weight.If you do have a membership (which is doubtful or you probably wouldn’t need to lose weight and get fit – and therefore probably wouldn’t need to be reading this), you will be well aware of just where the exercise gym finishes and where the right eating habits begin.If you’re not in the habit of running because you hate the thought, try walking – if not everywhere, at least a regular daily or three times-a-week brisk 4,000 to 5,000 steps along the beach, country road, or city highway (perhaps not the latter), but certainly anywhere that is suitable for walking. This number of paces roughly equals one and a half kilometres (a mile). If you stick with this practice for a month the change in your appearance will be noticeable.If you’re comfortable with running you’ll almost certainly see that change in about half the time. But don’t overdo it – desperation never solved anything.HEALTHIt goes without saying that even the token exercise outlined here, if continued faithfully, will show you an improved feeling of well-being. The overall result is what we describe as ‘better health’. As health and fitness improves we find that many of the tasks we used to find difficult actually become a lot easier; our tolerance toward those niggling interpersonal things that occur daily improves noticeably. Problem-solving abilities also soar to greater heights, thus making us more likely to experience greater levels of success in our business activities.FITNESSThat hackneyed response to a friend’s question “Are you feeling fit”? “Yeah, fit for nothing”! will become a reply of the past because you’ll most likely feel fit for almost anything. Weight loss, health and fitness = less stress.

It’s a well-known fact that smoking causes an adverse effect on your health. You must have seen the warning message on all cigarette boxes – ‘Smoking is injurious to health’. Smoking tobacco is a root cause of 30% of all cancer deaths and causes 16 times higher risk of heart attack.There are almost 120 million smokers in India. As per World Health Organization, India accommodates around 12% of the world’s smoking population. The number of men smoking tobacco has increased from 78 million in year 1998 to 108 million in the year 2015. Tobacco consumption is accountable for the death of 6 million people each year. Direct tobacco consumption accounts for over 5 million deaths and 0.6 million deaths are due to exposure to second-hand smoke. Considering serious public health risks, the Government has banned smoking in public places from 2nd October, 2008.Not only your health, it also causes you to pay higher premiums for a health insurance policy, due to increased health risks and shorter life expectancy. A nonsmoker however, gets premium discounts as a reward to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being a smoker, it is advisable not to hide your smoking habit from your health insurance company, as it helps you to cover the smoking-related health issues.There is a wide curiosity among people, how smoking impacts the health insurance and its cost. Let’s educate yourself about smoking and its impact on health insurance policy.Smoking – What It IncludesSmoking includes inhalation of of the smoke of burning tobacco in the form of cigarettes, cigars and beedi. Whether you are an occasional smoker or frequent smoker, you will be considered as a smoker under the health insurance policy.Smokers can buy health insurance, however an insurance company may charge extra premium or reject your application for insurance, depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke on a regular basis. A smoker may also have to go through additional health check-ups that can help an insurance company to ascertain the risk factor and then charge the premium amount accordingly.How Smoking Affects Your Health and Insurance PremiumSmoking makes the serious impact on your health, some of them are detailed below.Circulatory System: Smoking results in increased risk in the heartache and blood pressure. Building up of fatty acids could resulting to atherosclerosis.Immune System: Smoking results in severe and long lasting illnesses. Smokers are more prone to develop ulcers, cancer, pneumonia, high blood pressure, bronchitis, and other viral/bacterial/fungal infections.Respiratory System: Smoking may damage lung functions and breathlessness. It may cause damage to the air sacs of the lungs, increased chance of developing chronic bronchitis.Oral Health: Smoking can lead to tooth loss, tooth staining, gum disease which may increase the risk of tooth decay.Cancer: Smoking for a long time also causes cancer to various body organs.When it comes to a health insurance policy, an insurance company considers the magnitude of illnesses and deaths caused due to smoking and that’s why, smokers need to pay higher premiums to avail health insurance cover. Typically, the insurance companies charge around 15 to 20 percent higher from a smoker policyholder. Those who smoke would need to undergo additional medical checks, before the insurer issues you the policy.Let’s understand the difference of premium between a smoker and non-smoker individual.Ritesh (non-smoker) at 30 years of age buys an individual health plan with Rs 5 Lacs coverage, for 1 year policy term, the chargeable annual premium amount is Rs 4,656. However, Raj (smoker) is buying an individual health plan, he is charged with an annual premium amount of Rs 7,552. An increase in premium amount is only due to the fact that Ansh lies in the smoker category of premium. We can see Raj is paying Rs 2896 extra on account of smoking.Smoker with Existing Health ProblemsIf you are a frequent smoker that has caused the symptoms of the declining health condition and getting puzzled whether you can get a health insurance. The answer is yes, the only thing required is to make honest and proper disclosures.The insurance company will then assess the risk associated with your profile and then decide on terms & conditions and the premium to be charged for providing you a health cover. The premiums charged will be higher and a waiting period will be applied for covering your pre-existing diseases. Moreover, if you are seeking an immediate coverage on your deteriorating health condition, you may go for a critical illness policy.Conclusion:Smoking makes an adverse impact on your health and your health insurance policy as well. An insurance company will charge you a higher premium in proportion to the risk associated in providing a health cover. An important point to note that you should disclose all relevant information regarding your health and smoking habits. In case, you are found hiding or providing fake information, the insurance company may decline in settling the claims.

If you know anyone who is suffering from anxiety, you are aware of how much it impacts their lives. It influences every aspect of their being: from concentration to personal relationships and even their sense of self-worth.

Fortunately, there are ways to beat anxiety. Not all strategies work for everyone because different people have different triggers and responses to stressors. However, regardless of personal taste or preferences, there is something here for every reader to adopt and implement.

Change Your Thinking

A lot of the time, anxious thoughts are just the product of outdated habits or assumptions. You may be retriggering old anxieties or insecurities that aren’t as applicable to your life as they were before. You may not be aware that your anxiety is a product of insecure or pessimistic thinking.

Start by asking yourself some questions:

● What do you think will go wrong?

● What are your worst-case scenarios?

● What are your expectations?

● Are they realistic and healthy?

● What’s the biggest thing you’re worried about right now?

● Is it a legitimate cause for concern?

● What evidence do you have to support that idea?

● Are there other possible explanations?

Meditate

There are a lot of benefits associated with meditation, but one of the most understated is its ability to help with anxiety. Meditation is an excellent way to help you get back in touch with your body and what is happening inside. It can help you identify when and why you’re feeling anxious.

When you start to meditate, you’ll notice thoughts entering your mind from time to time. This is normal. The goal isn’t to kill all of your thoughts but rather to acknowledge them, accept them, and then let them go.