If the holidays sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed and out of control, you’re not alone. And if the Grinch has stolen your spirit and good intentions, try some of these tips to reclaim your ho-ho-ho and stay happy and healthy.

1. Keep up healthy habits.

Make a pact with yourself during the holidays. Decide that you’ll move more and do something active every day over the next three weeks. Take it a step further, and pledge to start the day with a healthy breakfast, limit the sweets and get at least seven hours of sleep each night. If you don’t completely give up your healthy habits, you won’t feel like you have to start over once the holidays are over.

2. Beware of seasonal sweets.

The holidays often dish up extra helpings of less-than-healthy treats. Try preparing healthy snacks that are ready to eat when the urge to snack strikes. If you’re hosting a holiday party, challenge yourself to make delicious and healthier options using our recipes and cooking tips.

3. Stay active.

Instead of beating yourself up about missing a workout, sprinkle some healthy activities into your daily routine. For example, if the weather isn’t too frightful and you’re working from home, ride your bike around your neighborhood during a lunch break. If dinner is going to be a feast, opt for a light lunch, then take a vigorous walk. And keep the family moving. When the kids are home from school, squeeze in some active chores and trips to the park.

4. Take time for yourself.

Give yourself the gift of peace. If you need some downtime to recharge, declare a “me-treat” and do something that relaxes you. Try yoga, meditation or spending time in nature.

5. Make a plan for the new year.

Your poinsettia’s pooped and the gifts are all gone. Now what? It’s a great time to reset for the new year – but don’t go dashing through your to-do list too fast, or you might not stick to your plan. Lay out realistic, sustainable steps for the months ahead. For example, start a daily walking routine and sign up for a Heart Walk before you set your sights on that marathon.

Singer Zubeen Garg’s tragic death during a scuba diving session in Singapore has sparked concerns over underwater safety. Experts stress the need for proper training, health checks, and strict adherence to diving guidelines to prevent such tragedies.

The celebrated Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, aged 52, has died following a fatal scuba-diving incident in Singapore. He reportedly lost consciousness while underwater and was pulled out by Singaporean authorities, but despite urgent medical attention and resuscitation efforts, he could not be revived.

This tragic event is a stark reminder that even experienced individuals are vulnerable if proper safety precautions are not strictly followed beneath the waves. To help ensure safer diving for everyone, the following guidelines are based on recognised practices and expert recommendations.

Key Safety Tips for Scuba Diving

Get Proper Training & Certification

Only dive if you have been trained by a recognised agency (such as PADI, SSI, CMAS). Training includes understanding equipment, safety procedures, emergency response, and rescue protocols. Uncertified diving significantly increases risk.

Health Check Before Diving

Be in good physical condition. Avoid diving if you have respiratory, cardiac or sinus problems, or if you’re suffering from a cold, fever or any other condition that may impair breathing or equalisation of pressure. Even minor ailments can become serious underwater.

Use the Buddy System

Never dive alone. Always dive with a partner or in a group, so that help is available immediately in case something goes wrong — whether it’s equipment failure, disorientation, or losing consciousness.

Pre-Dive Briefing & Dive Planning

Review the dive plan: depth limits, time limits, safety stops, entry and exit points, emergency procedures. Understand the local sea conditions, currents, tide, visibility. Stick to the plan unless there is an obvious and safe reason to deviate.

Equipment Checks & Maintenance

Before every dive, inspect all gear: regulator, buoyancy control device (BCD), air tanks, gauges, mask, and fins. Ensure everything is clean, properly assembled, functioning correctly, and that air tanks are full and well-maintained. Faulty or poorly maintained gear can lead to catastrophic failure.

Proper Ascent & Breathing Techniques

Always breathe continuously and never hold your breath while ascending. Ascend slowly, following safety stop procedures to avoid decompression sickness (“the bends”). Equalise pressure in ears and mask regularly.

Stay Hydrated & Avoid Alcohol/Dr#gs

Dehydration and intoxication impair judgement, slow reflexes, and can worsen the effects of pressure changes. Drink water, rest well before diving, and avoid diving under the influence of alcohol or dr#gs.

Respect Depth & Limits

Know your certification limits (in terms of depth, type of dive, etc.) and do not exceed them. Deep or technical dives require special training and equipment. Maintain conservative safety margins.

Stay Calm Underwater

Panic is dangerous. If things go wrong – low air, strong current, disorientation – stop, breathe, think, act. Use hand signals, stay close to your buddy, ascend or return safely rather than pushing on in dangerous conditions.

Emergency Preparedness

Be aware of rescue and first-aid procedures. Carry safety equipment such as signalling devices, dive knife, whistle, surface marker buoy. Know how to use them. Always have a plan for exit and emergency support.

Mourning and a Call for Greater Awareness

While the details surrounding Zubeen Garg’s exact cause of death are still being investigated, reports so far indicate breathing difficulties during diving and loss of consciousness underwater. His passing has ignited a national conversation about scuba diving safety, reinforcing that precautions are not optional luxuries but essential matters of life and death.

For those drawn to explore the ocean’s beauty, respect for the risks is just as important as the thrill. Following safety protocols, proper training, and good health checks can make all the difference.

Around the world, daylight plays by different rules. In some places, the sun doesn’t bother to set for weeks, and in others, it disappears completely, leaving months of darkness broken only by the glow of the northern lights. These extremes of light and dark shape how people live: dinners happen at midnight, festivals run throughout the nightless summer, and winter turns into a season of quiet reflection. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to have a day or a night that never ends, these are the countries to visit, and the best times to go.

Norway

Norway does the midnight sun like nowhere else. Cross into the Arctic Circle to Tromsø, Nordkapp, the Lofoten Islands or Svalbard and you will find the sun hanging in the sky for weeks on end. In Svalbard, it doesn’t set at all between late April and late August, highlighting glaciers in an eerie glow. Tromsø and the northern coast get about 76 days of continuous daylight between late May and late July, perfect for late-night hikes, fjord kayaking or just watching the sun skim the horizon at midnight. The light peaks around the June solstice, making June and early July the best time to go.

Iceland

In Iceland, the sun never drops below the horizon in June, especially if you make the trip to Grímsey Island, the country’s only spot on the Arctic Circle. Reykjavík and the south don’t get the midnight sun properly, but they do get endless sunny evenings where the sky stays bright well past midnight. Plan to go around the summer solstice for the full effect, when you can hike lava fields and soak in hot springs under a luminous, sleepless sky.

Sweden

Head to Swedish Lapland: Kiruna, Abisko, Gällivare, and you will get around 50 days of midnight sun from late May to mid-July. Abisko is a favoured spot for its clear skies and national park trails that look otherworldly in 2am daylight. This is a season for camping, fishing and endless summer barbecues, and early June is ideal if you prefer fewer mosquitoes and quieter trails.

Finland

Finnish Lapland is where daylight seems to pause. In Utsjoki and the northernmost villages, the sun doesn’t set for 70+ days straight, from mid-May until late July. Even Rovaniemi, Santa Claus’s “official” hometown, gets around a month of it. Midnight golf tournaments, lake swims at 3am and hiking without a torch are summer rituals here. Go in June if you want the full burst of daylight; by late July the nights start to return, and with them the first hints of the northern lights.

United States

Alaska’s far north sees some of the longest stretches of light on the planet. In Utqiagvik (Barrow), the northernmost town, the sun rises in mid-May and doesn’t set again until early August, making it 84 days of pure daylight. Summer here comes with tundra flowers in bloom and bowhead whales offshore. Fairbanks and Denali further south still get 22 hours of light near the solstice, which is plenty for back-to-back hikes and midnight fishing.

Greenland

Greenland’s summer light feels endless. In Qaanaaq and the far north, the sun stays up from late April to late August; in Ilulissat, where icebergs drift through a UNESCO-listed fjord, you get six weeks of midnight sun in June and July. The ice glows gold at midnight here, making Greenland a photographer’s dream. July is the sweet spot for boat trips among icebergs and spotting whales.

Canada

Canada’s Arctic, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut gets its own stretch of sleepless summer. In Nunavut’s northern regions, the sun stays above the horizon for about two months around the solstice. Farther south in Whitehorse or Yellowknife, there is no true midnight sun but twilight lingers late into the night. June is ideal for canoe trips, wildlife watching and road trips under a sky that never quite darkens.

Russia

In Russia’s far northwest, Murmansk gets about two months of polar days from late May to late July. The sun circles overhead but never dips below the horizon, casting a perpetual gleam over the Kola Peninsula. This is when you can hike tundra trails, go on White Sea cruises, and experience the region’s Sami culture without worrying about nightfall. June is the brightest, most atmospheric time to visit.

Why do airlines prefer painting their aircraft white? It’s about more than tradition. Explore how white paint helps reflect heat, makes cracks easier to spot, saves money on fuel, and keeps planes safer.

When you look around at an airport, one thing quickly stands out – most airplanes are painted white. Whether it’s a small domestic flight or a massive international jetliner, chances are it will have a white body with just the airline’s name and logo painted on it. When we think about it this seems like a coincidence but there are many practical reasons behind this approach.

Painting an aircraft is not just about looks. It is also about safety, cost and even passenger comfort. The white colour is the most reliable option for aeroplanes and that is why it has become the industry standard. Here is why this colour is used on almost every airline.

Why are Airplanes Painted White?

1. Reflects Heat Better

Airplanes cruise at quite high altitudes and also sit under the sun for many hours a day which can increase the temperature. That is why white colour is used because it reflects away most of the sunlight. Just like wearing a white shirt in summer keeps you cooler than wearing a black one, painting an airplane white helps reflect sunlight and heat.

A darker airplane tends to absorb more heat in comparison to a white airplane. This makes it harder and more expensive to keep the cabin cool as there will be an increased workload on the fuel usage and airplane’s air conditioning system. By using white paint, airlines can reduce unnecessary energy consumption and costs. The Menkor Aviation mentions: “You can compare the effect of white on the warming up of the cabin to wearing a white t-shirt in summer, it is always warmer when wearing a dark colored t-shirt. You can also compare the effect of white on a plane’s fuselage to applying sunscreen to your skin on a sunny day. White, because it best reflects solar radiation, helps minimize potential damage.”

2. Easier to Spot Cracks and Damage

Safety is the number one priority in aviation, and painting planes white actually helps in that area. White makes it much easier to notice cracks, oil leaks, or any other kind of surface damage during inspections.

If the airplane were painted in dark colours, detecting small structural issues would be more difficult, which could lead to safety risks. Since every aircraft undergoes regular maintenance checks, having a white surface makes the job faster, easier, and safer.

3. Prevents Paint from Fading Quickly

Airplanes are known to face very harsh weather conditions which can range from scorching heat from sunlight to cold weathers. Moreover, they face high altitude pressures as well which can make other colours fade or peel off quite easily.

White, on the other hand, holds up better. It doesn’t fade as quickly, meaning the aircraft looks cleaner and newer for longer. Airlines save money by avoiding frequent paint touch-ups or complete repainting jobs. The Menkor Aviation states: “Airplanes are exposed to a variety of intense atmospheric and weather conditions. Ice, wind, rain and regular temperature changes deteriorate their paint.”

“Colored paints fade faster than white, causing them to lose all aesthetic appeal in the eyes of passengers. Companies then have to repaint their planes at a colossal cost. Painting typically takes one to two weeks, during which time the plane is grounded and does not generate revenue. The cost of the procedure is between $150,000 and $300,000 for an airliner. Moreover, a new paintwork is an additional weight for the aircraft. It can add up to an additional 550 kg to the plane. Weight increases fuel consumption and reduces the profit margin for airlines,” it adds.

4. Better for Aircraft Resale Value

Airplanes are a very huge investment and it is very obvious that airlines often sell or lease these giants to various other carriers. If an airplane is painted in a bright or unique color, the new buyer would have to repaint it before using it, which costs both money and time.

While on the other hand, a white airplane is like a blank canvas and new owners can simply add their logos without spending a huge amount on repainting.

5. Easier to Spot in the Sky and During Emergencies

White is one of the most visible colours and it can be seen easily in sky as well as on the ground. This visibility helps in avoiding collisions and improves overall safet. Moreover, if there is an emergency, a white aircraft is quite easier to spot as other colours blend in quite easily with the surroundings.

In conclusion, white paint helps airlines save money, improves safety and it makes planes easier to maintain. While colorful planes may catch our eye from time to time, white remains the smart, practical choice that keeps the aviation industry flying smoothly.