GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

A cup of tea, a favourite book, and some music in the background while you feel the sprays of monsoon on your face. That’s what dreams are made for your casual & chic home. We all have unique ideas of our happy space and how we want to decorate them according to our tastes. Some of us are truly blessed with good aesthetic sense, while others have to depend heavily on the internet for ideas and inspiration.

After spending hours on various websites and choosing the best options, you create the perfect room for yourself. What about your balconies? This article will discuss some exciting and economical ways to revamp your balcony to make it the perfect cosy space for you to unwind.

1. Plants are the perfect backdrop:

Adding plants is one way to add colour and freshness to your balcony. You can opt for flowering or nonflowering plants depending on your choice. If you are a beginner, go for low-maintenance plants like the snake plant, money plant, spider grass, etc. You can also use different prints and colours on flowering pots to add more character to the balcony.
Artificial turf is a game-changer if you want more greens with minimum effort. Homeowners use these to give their balconies the feel of a miniature carpet garden that adds more comfort and cosiness to the entire space.

2. Sitting arrangements beyond ordinary:

Since your balcony is susceptible to rains and sun, one way to ensure the sitting area is not perishable by using metal chairs and tables. These bring a certain antique charm to your balcony without overbearing on your pocket. You can also add swings to make it more fun and quirkier. Adding rugs, floor pillows, and pouffes can make the space seem instantly cosy, and in the event of rain, you can quickly put them back inside.

3. Add lights for vibrant nights:

Adding tiny yellow lights and lanterns is probably the best way to make your balcony beautiful and warm for the evenings. You can further add scented candles if you have visitors, making it the perfect hangout spot for you and your guests. This way, you may even bring the romance right to your balconies and plan perfect dinner dates with your beloved or instead just indulge in your favourite pass time.

4. Textured wallpapers:

Using textured wallpapers can bring a new life to your balconies. Depending on the plants and other furniture used, you can either select a bright pop of colour or an understated neutral look. Wallpapers are a foolproof way to instantly elevate the interiors and add a certain elegance to the space.

5. Shade and privacy:

Most people do not spend time on their balconies because of a lack of privacy or unfavourable weather conditions. Use an awning or extended coverage to protect your balcony from direct sunlight or rains. Opting for a retractable or a folding roof is a choice that you must consider to change and alter the look of your balcony.

These are a few ways to turn your old balcony into a cosy living space. Remember to not go overboard with the decoration. A cluttered space kills the purpose of building a comfortable space for yourself. Talking to an interior designer or an architect can help you understand how you can modify the area without spending a lot of money.

Add value to your home and memories by investing in home insurance. Home insurance is a safety net for you and your family that will help you in case of any damages or losses. Along with beautification, you need to ensure your happy place's safety from mishaps like theft, fire breakout, etc.

Click HERE to learn more about home insurance plans.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

We all have heard “health is wealth” a hundred times from our elders, haven’t we? And it is one hundred percent the quintessential truth. We all try to take care of our health by maintaining our physical and mental strength through yoga, exercise, and a balanced diet to add the perfect amount of nutrition. These factors influence the path towards your goal of a healthy body and mind. A slight health issue can delay your daily lifestyle, affect your wellbeing, and lower your confidence.

People in the olden days had the perfect routine which supported their bodies in every way possible. They had the cleanest air, food, and water for daily consumption. And they performed extensive physical activities throughout the day, which kept their body active and their blood pumping. Due to the hectic modern lifestyle, it has not been easy to obtain clean and pure resources to attain peak health in recent times.

Excessive pollution, global warming, and urbanization have also harmed humankind. While our lives have become more effortless, we are unfathomably dependent on technology to do a significant chunk of our daily chores, which has reduced the level of our physical and mental assignments, thus making us lazy and prone to diseases.

Nutritionists, dieticians, and doctors prescribe alternative medicines and supplements to ensure that our body receives the required amount of nutrients to build stronger immunity during severe medical emergencies like the covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what you need to know before using alternative medicines.

1. Connecting the mind and the body:

Medical practitioners recommend mind-body therapies to many patients to deal with various health issues. These therapies involve meditation, hypnosis, yoga, and tai chi. Meditation helps you develop focus, increase concentration, control anxiety and depression, reduce insomnia, etc. Yoga, tai chi, and hypnosis help you reduce stress, get sound sleep, treat back pain, manage weight, and boost your quality of life.

2. Nutritional supplements:

Many doctors prescribe certain standard nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.) to ensure that their patients achieve the individual dietary requirements during the treatment of their respective medical conditions. Some commonly prescribed items include turmeric, ginger, primrose oil, castor oil, aloe vera, etc. They help in building a solid gut and immune system and treating various skin and heart issues.

3. Medicinal streams of treatment:

We all have heard about various medicinal treatments, which are considered alternatives to standard allopathy or western medicines. The ayurvedic system, homoeopathy, and naturopathy are the most popular alternatives with their own beliefs of procedures and treatment. Practitioners of Ayurveda strongly believe that just like our planet Earth, our body too is made up of the five essential elements: fire, water, earth, space, and air. The elements govern our bodily functions.
The Homeopathic system combined two theories that dictate that small doses are effective. And Naturopathy takes a traditional approach to treatments. These alternatives strongly recommend the usage of natural substances, medicines, and therapies which do not have any side effects on your body. They connect your body to nature and allow it to heal your ailments.

Other alternative medicine treatments include massages, acupressure, chiropractic techniques, therapeutic touch, etc.

While discussing various medicinal treatments and their alternatives is essential, it is equally important to understand how to safeguard your body in severe health emergencies, which usually come without warning. They can lead to excessive stress and unprecedented damage-financially, physically, and emotionally. To protect your and your loved ones’ health in sudden circumstances, you need to purchase health insurance. Opt for online health insurance to avoid the hassle of numerous procedures, submission of documents, and involvement of intermediaries.

Click HERE to know more about online health insurance.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

Basketball is a lesser-talked-about sport in India, but it has seen an increasing number of people investing time in it. The enthusiasm of spectators is overwhelming, making this sport popular. Basketball can be one of the most physically demanding activities. If you are looking to start investing your time to this sport, this article will help you figure out the dos and don'ts of basketball.

1. Buying good shoes:

This is a no-brainer as any sport you play would require you to buy a pair of good shoes. Wearing the wrong size or one with no cushioning can lead to various injuries to the ankle. Buy shoes with proper cushioning and good ankle support while also keeping in mind the shoe's weight. Appropriate shoes are important for basketball players to obtain the optimum leg movement and lift to score baskets.

2. Warm-up:

A good game of basketball can be highly straining and exhausting. Warming up is an excellent way to prepare your muscles and joints for intense physical actions. It also helps reduce the chances of injuries and decreases the efficiency of various body parts. Jogging, jumping jacks, and skipping are some of the best warm-up exercises to prepare you for basketball.

3. Shooting practice:

Basketball is all about getting the ball in the hoop. Shooting from various positions and angles will help you understand the distance and the power you need to throw the ball. Understanding your shooting ranges is vital to ensure you perform well under pressure situations. Start shooting practice within the three-point line and work your way outwards to the half-court.

4. Dribbling:

One common mistake that beginners make is dribbling with their dominant hand. It is important to have command over the ball with both your hands. This is to ensure that in case you are up against a player from the opposing team, you are capable of making a switch between your hands without having to let go of the ball.
During the warm-up, one way to practice this is to try to dribble along the course of your jogging track. Dribble using your dominant hand using the first lap, switch to the non-dominant hand in the next lap and keep switching between the hands in the third lap. Repeating this cycle will ensure a good command over the ball.

5. Jumping:

Be it to defend the ball, collect rebounds, or make a go for the loop, jumping can not be ignored. Various jumping activities such as vertical jump training, jumping jacks, burpees, linear jumps, and rebounding are good ways to ensure flexibility and firm footing. At the same time, stretches effectively increase the height and the general mobility of the entire body.

6. Correct coaching:

Basketball is a team sport and taking note of how your fellow players perform and understanding their skills is vital if you want to improve your techniques. Another benefit of training alongside players is developing a good instinct for the game. It will give you a better insight into the body movements of other players, thus helping you in analysing and predicting the next move. If you intend on taking this sport, training under a coach's guidance will help you understand various tips and tricks associated with the game.

These are a few things you need to keep in mind if you wish to master the game of basketball.
Dedicate a considerable amount of time to practice. However, over-exerting your body can have other long-term implications, so it is also essential to take breaks now and then. If you consider basketball as part of your everyday fitness schedule, investing in personal accident insurance India would be beneficial. Personal accident insurance is an intelligent way to safeguard yourself in case of any accidents or injuries you might face while playing the game. Don’t let injuries hold you back, live your passion and make every moment count!

Click HERE to know more about personal accident insurance India.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.

With the summer months approaching, it's time to restock on our summer essentials, from sunscreens and deodorants to the quintessential cotton clothing. But having said that, it is imperative to remember that summer months also come with a plethora of diseases ranging anywhere from jaundice to heatstroke.

Due to increasing global warming, the temperature is constantly rising as high as fifty degrees Celsius. Summers can be extreme in certain parts of India, especially in the months of May and June.

In this article, we will take note of a few summer diseases that you need to be careful of and how to protect yourself from them.

1. Heatstroke:

Heatstroke has become common for people to feel extremely nauseous and experience severe headaches, cramps, and weakness. These are all symptoms indicative of heatstroke. Although these symptoms are often neglected and mistaken as lethargy, heatstroke can lead to coma and other severe health ailments.
Treating heatstroke focuses on cooling down the body by reducing the overall body temperature to keep it normal at all times. Maintaining the body temperature to ideal levels ensures a lesser risk of organ damage. Taking a cold bath will significantly help you in reducing your body temperature.

2. Jaundice:

Jaundice is another common summer disease that spreads through contaminated food and water consumption. The most common symptoms of jaundice are yellowing of the skin and the eyeball, loss of appetite, and dark-coloured urine.
If you notice the symptoms mentioned above, it is best to consult a doctor to get it checked immediately. Timely treatment is crucial to ensure optimal liver functioning and avoid any complications.

3. Food poisoning:

Food poisoning is an awful result of consuming contaminated, stale or toxic food and impure water. The symptoms include nausea, fever, cramps, weakness, and diarrhoea.
Mild cases of food poisoning can last up to three days and generally heal by themselves. However, to ensure faster recovery and regain strength, it is essential to stay hydrated. Drinking water and other liquids such as fresh fruit juices and tender coconut water help flush out the toxins in the body.

4. Sunburns:

The harsh sun is not healthy for humans. During the hot summer days, exposure to the sun for more extended periods can lead to redness in the skin, itchiness, or flaky skin. This can worsen, causing blisters and peeling off of the skin.
The best way to avoid sunburns is by using sunscreens and cotton clothing overalls. Sunscreen with SPF above 30 acts as a barrier between your skin and the UV rays in the atmosphere, whereas cotton clothes overalls are an excellent way to prevent sunlight from directly hitting the surface of your skin.

5. Chickenpox:

Red and small rashes all over the body and high temperature are symptoms of chickenpox. These red rashes are filled with fluids that eventually burst and spread throughout the body's surface. People with weak immune systems are susceptible to chickenpox. Chickenpox is highly contagious, and it spreads through droplets present in the environment of an infected person.
Chickenpox can last for up to 14 days, after which the symptoms die down slowly. Since the body tends to become extremely weak, it is advised to take ample amounts of rest to ensure a faster recovery.

These are a few common summer diseases that can take a toll on your happiness during vacation time. The summer is a favourite hosting ground amongst bacteria and viruses, being the most favourable weather condition for them to grow and spread. Proper hygiene and constant hydration are the simplest ways to keep these diseases at bay and spend your summertime peacefully enjoying with your loved ones.

If you feel dizzy or nauseous constantly, it is best to get yourself examined by a doctor who will be able to provide you with medicines or other remedies to combat the diseases. Do not forget to renew your health insurance to ensure that the tests and medicines do not burn a hole in your pocket and you are safeguarded against financial burdens.

Click HERE to know more about health insurance plans.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.