While many are inspired by the idea of meditation, it is often a busy lifestyle that gets in the way of truly experiencing what it’s all about. However, as with most things, it’s a five letter word that’s standing in the way. And that word is habit. Once you experience the outstanding effects of meditation, you will find that taking the time to meditate is not as difficult as you may have though. All you need to do is dedicate five minutes of your day to slowing down, switching off and going within. Gradually, you’ll be able to increase that time to half an hour a day. So what’s so great about meditation and why does it seem everyone is talking about it? While it might seem like some kind of craze that’s sweeping every nation, meditation is anything but new. Like many other ancient Eastern Practices, it’s just taken a little while for the Western World to wake up to our neighbor’s ways of life. But thank goodness it did carry across to the West. Meditation has never been more needed in our fast-paced, often stressful lifestyles that we have created for ourselves. Regardless of your religious background or cultural heritage, anyone and everyone can practice (and master) the art of meditation.

Fleas are almost an inevitable part of being a pet owner. Particularly in warmer months and especially if your cat or dog ventures outside, flea infestations can be prevalent and annoying to your pet and your family if they take over your home. Plus, keeping your pets free of fleas benefits both their comfort (flea bites are itchy as heck) and overall health (bites can spread infection and disease). Fleas are not difficult to see on your pet’s skin if you perform regular spot checks. Adult fleas are flat, dark colored insects, about 1.5 to 3.2 millimeters in length, and often seen jumping on animal skin. If your dog or cat has fleas, you’ll first notice them biting, licking, chewing, and scratching at an isolated body part. To perform a flea check on your pet first, spread hair to inspect the skin and hair roots for signs of ‘flea dirt’ (or flea faeces). If it’s flea dirt, dab a little water on a paper towel to wipe it away. If the substance changes from dark brown to reddish brown (due to traces of blood within the excreatment), it’s flea sign. Now it’s time to treat your pet with one of the various flea treatments available to pet owners.

Binge-watching TV shows is the ideal thing to do when you are confined to your house during the fall and winter breaks. Instead of sulking around about the weather, you can enjoy this brief hibernation spell by catching up on your favorite TV shows or a movie that you wanted to watch since forever. However, there’s one prominent rule of binge-watching TV shows: you cannot do this without snacking on tasty food! Snacking and binge-watching TV shows go hand-in-hand. Although this is an incredibly relaxing experience, you will be ascending a slippery slope here, especially if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight or are trying to lose weight. Coupling unhealthy snacks with your binge-watching sessions can lead to disastrous results, and you will end up putting on a few extra pounds. So, here’s what you can do to put an end to this dilemma—switch to healthier snacks. Well, people often exclaim that what’s tasty cannot be healthy, and what’s healthy cannot be tasty. However, such claims can be contradicted by these amazing healthy snack ideas mentioned below. Salt and vinegar zucchini chips: We need to discard this notion that only potato chips are tasty and make for the best binge-watching partner.

One of the most crucial factors of parenting is the creation of an environment that motivates kids to make healthy meal choices. You must foster a good relationship between kids and nutritious meals to ensure that they remain healthy. However, most parents will admit that their little ones are the pickiest eaters. Convincing kids to not eat unhealthy snacks can sometimes be more challenging than solving a Rubik’s cube. So, what should you do when they start seeking snacks to fill their hungry tummies? Well, quick and healthy kid-friendly recipes are the answer. Here are five healthy snack recipes for kids that are packed with nutritional benefits and are perfect for their little hands. What’s more? You can gladly invite your kids into the kitchen and ask them to help with the preparations! Banana blueberry pancake Pancakes are an absolute favorite among kids and what could be better than offering some banana blueberry pancakes as a quick snack? You can whip up this delicious recipe by following the steps given below. Ingredients: ● Wheat flour – 1 cup ● All-purpose flour – ½ cup ● Sugar – 2 tablespoons ● Baking powder – 2 tablespoons ● Large egg – 1 ● Fat-free milk – 1 cup ● Banana (chopped) – 1 ● Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon ● Butter ● Blueberries ● Sliced bananas ● Maple syrup How to prepare:

When it comes to feeding your dog, don’t you wish sometimes Fido would bark up or point a paw at the bagged or canned, chicken or beef pet food of his choice in the grocery aisle? Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find a food your dog likes and that’s also good for him or her. If you’ve never owned another pet, it can be difficult to venture outside what the vet or breeder recommends. We love our pets, and want to feed them the highest quality, healthful food, but how can you choose between canned or dry food? Here’s the scoop on your pooch’s nutritional needs when it comes to choosing between a wet and dry dog food: 1. Convenient feeding and storage If you’re after a dog food that’s easy to feed your dog, dry dog kibble is the less messy option. Even if Fido is a messy eater, you can sweep away strewn kibbles without much upkeep. However, wet food may produce stains and mess on your kitchen floor. Dry dog food is also easier to measure out meal rations compared to wet canned foods. Dry dog food also dominates when it comes to less food spoilage.