USEFUL TIPS

· Almonds: To remove the skin of almonds easily, soak them in hot water for 15-20 minutes.

· Ants: Putting 3-4 cloves in the sugar container will keep the ants at bay.

· Biscuits: If you keep a piece of blotting paper at the bottom of the container, it will keep biscuits fresh for a longer time.

· Butter: Avoid the use of butter. If it is essential to use, use a butter containing low saturated fat or with plant stanols (which avoid absorption of cholesterol by our body) or similar substitutes.

· Apples: Apply some lemon juice on the cut surface of the apple to avoid browning. They will look fresh for a longer time.

· Banana: Apply mashed banana over a burn on your body to have a cooling effect.

· Bee and Scorpion Sting Relief: Apply a mixture of 1 pinch of chewing tobacco and 1 drop of water. Mix and apply directly and immediately to the sting; cover with band aid to hold in place. Pain will go away in just a few short minutes

· Bitter Gourd (Karela): Slit Karelas at the middle and apply a mixture of salt, wheat flour and curd all round. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour and then cook.
· Celery: To keep celery fresh for long time, wrap it in aluminium foil and place in the refrigerator.

· Burnt Food: Place some chopped onion in the vessel having burnt food, pour boiling water in it, keep for 5 minutes and then clean.

· Chilli Powder: Keeping a small piece of hing (asafoetida) in the same container will store chilli powder for long time.

· Chopping: Use a wooden board to chop. It will not blunt the knife. Don't use a plastic board, small plastic pieces may go with the vegetables.

· Coriander/Mint: You can use dried coriander and mint leaves in coarse powder form in vegetable curry or chutney, if fresh ones are not available.
To keep them fresh for a longer time, wrap them in a muslin cloth and keep in a fridge.

· Cockroaches: Put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. Cockroaches will leave your house.

· Coconut: Immerse coconut in water for 1/2 an hour to remove its hust.

· Dry Fruits: To chop dry fruits, place them in fridge for half an hour before cutting. Take the fruits out and cut them with a hot knife (dip it in hot water before cutting).

· Dough/Rolling pin: If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, place it in freezer for a few minutes.

· Egg peeling off: Make a small hole in the egg by piercing a pin before boiling it. You will be able to remove its skin very easily.

· Egg fresh: Immerse the egg in a pan of cool salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh; if it rises to the surface, it is certainly quite old.

· Garlic: Garlic skin comes off easily if the garlic cloves are slightly warmed before peeling.

· Ghee: Avoid the use of ghee. If it is necessary, substitute it with canola oil. Even for making halwa, you can partly substitute it with oil.

· Green Chillies: To keep the chillies fresh for a longer time, remove the stems before storing.

· Green Peas: To preserve green peas, keep them in a polythene bag in the freezer.

· Idlies: Place a betel (paan) leaf over the leftover idli and dosa batter to prevent them sour.
Do not beat idli batter too much, the air which has been incorporated during fermentation will escape.
If you add half a tsp of fenugreek seeds to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking, dosas will be more crisp.


· Fruits: To ripen fruits, wrap them in newspaper and put in a warm place for 2-3 days. The ethylene gas they emit will make them ripe.

· Frying: Avoid deep frying. Substitute deep frying with stir frying or oven bake. Don't pour the oil, but make a habit of spraying the oil in the utensil for cooking. Heat the utensil first, then add oil. This way oil spreads well. You will use less oil this way.

· Left Over: Don't throw away the foods left over. Store them in Fridge. Use them in making tasty dishes.

· Lemon/Lime: If the lemon or lime is hard, put it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to squeeze.

· Lizards: Hang a peacock feather, lizards will leave your house.

· Milk: Moisten the base of the vessel with water to reduce the chances of milk to stick at the bottom.
Keep a spoon in the vessel while boiling milk at medium heat. It will avoid sticking the milk at the bottom of the vessel.
Adding half a tsp of sodium bicarbonate in the milk while boiling will not spoil the milk even if you don't put it in the fridge.

· Mixer/Grinder: Grind some common salt in your mixer/grinder fro some time every month. This will keep your mixer blades sharp.

· Mosquitoes: Put a few camphor tablets in a cup of water and keep it in the bed room near your bed, or in any place with mosquitoes.

· Noodles: When the noodles are boiled, drain all the hot water and add cold water. This way all the noodles will get separated.

· Onions: To avoid crying, cut the onions into two parts and place them in water for 15 minutes before chopping them.
Wrap the onions individually in a newspaper and store in a cool and dark place to keep them fresh for long time.

· Oven: Watch from the oven window to conserve energy because the oven temperature drops by 25 degrees every time its door is opened,
To clean the oven, apply a paste of sodium bicarbonate and water on the walls and floor of the oven and keep the oven on low heat for about half an hour. Dried food can easily be removed.

· Paneer: To keep paneer fresh for several days, wrap it in a blotting paper while storing in the refrigerator.
Do not fry paneer, immerse it in boiling water to make it soft and spongy.

· Papad: Bake in microwave oven.
Wrap the papads in polythene sheet and place with dal or rice will prevent them from drying and breaking.

· Pickles: To prevent the growth of fungus in pickles, burn a small grain of asafoetida over a burning coal and invert the empty pickle jar for some time before putting pickles in the jar.

· Popcorn: Keep the maize/corn seeds in the freezer and pop while still frozen to get better pops.

· Potato: To bake potatoes quickly, place them in salt water for 15 minutes before baking.
Use the skin of boiled potatoes to wipe mirrors to sparkling clean.
Don't store potatoes and onions together. Potatoes will rot quickly if stored with onions.

· Refrigerator: To prevent formation of ice, rub table salt to the insides of your freeze.

· Rice: Add a few drops of lemon juice in the water before boiling the rice to make rice whiter.
Add a tsp of canola oil in the water before boiling the rice to separate each grain after cooking.
Don't throw away the rice water after cooking. Use it to make soup or add it in making dal (lentils).
Add 5g of dried powdered mint leaves to 1kg of rice. It will keep insects at bay.
Put a small paper packet of boric powder in the container of rice to keep insects at bay. Put a few leaves of mint in the container of rice to keep insects at bay.


· Samosa: Bake them instead of deep frying to make them fat free. Don't fry the filling potato masala.
Preserve the samosas in freezer. For eating, take out of the freezer two hours in advance and bake them over low temp.

· Sugar: Put 2-3 cloves in the sugar to keep ants at bay.

· Tadka: Use sprouted mustard seeds (rayee) and fenugreek (methi) seeds for your tadkas. Both of them when sprouted have more nutritional values. Also this add flavour to the dish and can be more beneficial, besides giving decorative look to the dish. Submitted by MS Itisha Madhav

· Tomato: To remove the skin of tomatoes, place them in warm water for 5-10 minutes. The skin can then be easily peeled off.
When tomatoes are not available or too costly, substitute with tomato puree or tomato ketchup/sauce.
Place overripe tomatoes in cold water and add some salt. Overnight they will become firm and fresh.

· Tamarind: Tamarind is an excellent polish for brass and copper items. Rub a slab of wet tamarind with some salt sprinkled on it on the object to be polished.
Gargles with tamarind water is recommended for a sore throat.

· Utensils: Use nonsticking utensils. Use thick bottom utensils, they get uniformly heated. For electric stoves, use flat bottom utensils.
Add a little bit of common salt to the washing powder for better cleaning of utensils.

· Vegetables: Don't discard the water in which the vegetables are soaked or cooked. Use it in making soup or gravy.
To keep the vegetables fresh for a longer time, wrap them in newspaper before putting them in freeze.
Chop the vegetables only when you are ready to use them. Don't cut them in too advance. It would spoil their food value.

· Sink (Blocked): To clear the blocked drain pipe of your kitchen sink, mix 1/2 cup sodium bicarbonate in 1 cup vinegar and pour it into the sink, and pour about 1 cup water. In an hour the drain pipe will open.

· Soup Salty: Place a raw peeled potato in the bowl, it will absorb the extra salt.

· Yoghurt (Home Made): To set yogurt in winter, place the container in a warm place like oven or over the voltage stabliser.

· Yogurt: If the yogurt has become sour, put it in a muslin cloth and drain all the water. Then add milk to make it as good as fresh in taste. Use the drained water in making tasty gravy for vegetables or for basen curry.
To keep the yogurt fresh for many days, fill the vessel containing yogurt with water to the brim and refrigerate. Change the water daily..

QUICK THINKING

An elderly man in North Carolina had owned a large farm for several years.
He had a large pond in the back, fixed up nice; picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees. The pond was properly shaped and fixed up for swimming when it was built.
One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over. He grabbed a five gallon bucket to bring back some fruit.
As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee.
As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end.
One of the women shouted to him, 'We're not coming out until you leave!'
The old man frowned and replied, 'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked.'
Holding the bucket up he said, 'I'm here to feed the alligator.'

Moral : Some men can still think fast.

CAR CARE

Top 10 everyday things people do to ruin their cars,

1. Not Using The Parking Brake It's a little pedal near your left leg, or a lever on your right. Yes, that mysterious device that you've never used is actually valuable. When you park on an incline, or even on fairly steady ground, without using the parking brake, you're putting all of the stress of the car on your transmission. The only thing inside that transmission holding your car steady is a little pin called a parking pawl . By using the parking brake, you lock up the non-drive wheels as well as the drive wheels and take the stress off of the transmission. It'll add years of life to your cars transmission. Just remember to disengage it before you start driving again.

2. Not Coming To A Complete Stop Before Shifting So you're in a rush, and you pull out of a parking space and shift into drive while the car is still coasting backwards. You've just added months of wear to your transmission in seconds. Inside your transmission is a complex set of gears, when you shift without stopping like that, you're asking those gears to work as your brakes, which puts an amazing amount of stress on such a small area. You can also damage your drive shafts, the things that send power to the wheels, by shifting that way. After a while, it'll lead to sloppy suspension handling, and a worn out transmission.

3. Riding The Brakes Down A Hill If you are driving on a hill that goes on for a while, you'll want to avoid riding the brake the whole time. Alternate between braking and letting off the brake so you don't heat up and wear out your brake pads. It's a common mistake, because it feels like the safest way to maneuver down a hill, but if the hill is sufficiently long, you can end up almost totally wearing out your pads, since as they heat up, they wear faster.

4. Forgetting To Change The Oil You need to change your oil every 5,000 miles at the most. That's really all there is to it. I actually read a blog online that said you can wait until your oil light comes on to change your oil. I've worked in the automotive business… by the time your oil light comes on, the oil inside your engine has turned into jet black molasses and is of no use to your engine. In the short term, I suppose it's not that important, but more frequent changes can actually double the life of your car and greatly increase its performance.

5. Pressure Washing The Engine I can respect a person's desire to want a clean engine. It gets grimy under there and a guy with a pressure washer is a dangerous thing for grime - you want to point it at anything even slightly dirty. But a grimy engine that runs right is better than a clean engine that doesn't run at all. And if you spray a high powered jet of water around rubber seals and hoses and electrical bits, you're bound to dislodge something important. A modern engine is a complex thing, all manner of sensors and wiring harnesses and components, and it's no place for a jet of high pressure water. A regular garden hose is OK if you want to wash it down, just be careful with the high pressure business.

6. Starting Your Car The Wrong Way It seems simple, but you can make a big difference by turning off your radio, wipers, climate control, all of those accessories, when you start the car. Most of the wear on the engine happens when you start the car, and by turning off those accessories, your engine doesn't have to work as hard when starting. Another thing people do is revving the engine in the winter. This actually doesn't help "warm up" the car. Although it does technically make the engine hotter, it's not the kind of "warming up" that you want. Revving your engine in the winter causes extreme temperature changes right away, which is actually the opposite of what you want. When you start the car, the oil hasn't yet worked its way through the system, so the engine is working without lubricant. The right way to do it is just let the car sit and idle for about 30 seconds to a minute at the least.

7. Ignoring Your Car's Sounds Every sound your car makes means something, if you pay attention, your car can usually tell you exactly what needs fixing. Those squeaking brakes mean you need new pads, and if you ignore that sound, eventually you'll hear scraping metal, which means you need new rotors, and if you ignore that, you'll eventually hear the sound of your own scream as you lose your brakes completely and fly off a cliff in a spectacular fireball of death. It's more common than you think. Listen to your car.

8. Letting The Interior Go You're in a rush again, and you eat most of your disgusting egg and cheese bagel, and toss the rest in the wrapper on the passenger seat. Lovely. You know who you are, you're car is filthy, never been vacuumed, 15 air fresheners hang on the mirror, and yet, no air freshener made by mortal man can stop the sickening wind within your car. You need to clean it. If you don't vacuum your carpets and clean out the garbage every so often, you'll develop a smell that is impossible to destroy. I've worked in the auto salvage business, and I know that there exist smells that are so obscene, so inhuman, that no shampoo can vanquish them. The only way to stop them is to never let them develop. Clean your car, for the sake of all mankind.

9. Running Your Car Down To Empty There's actually a bit of a debate about this one. The old wisdom says if your car gets down to E, the sediment in your tank will get sucked into the system and foul your fuel injectors. Although some mechanics says that's not true. Either way, running down to E does pose other problems. You cut the life of the fuel pump considerably, since the fuel actually cools the pump. An interesting note: Most cars can drive another 60 miles+ after they hit Empty, automakers call this extra gas the "buffer zone". US cars have the largest "buffer zone" of any vehicles. German drivers, for instance, like to know exactly how much gas in is the car, so their "buffer zone" between the gauge's E and the actual empty tank is much smaller.

10. Driving Past Attractive Women / Men This is a common mistake, especially among younger male/female drivers. Attractive women/Men can be incredibly damaging to your vehicle, they can cause the driver to install bizarre over-sized woofers or 22 inch rims, or even spontaneously crash the car into a nearby tree or telephone pole. When you're driving, be careful to avoid swimming pools, beaches, college campuses, any place where beautiful Women/Men assemble in any significant numbers. Your car will thank you.

Who Owns The Media In India

Who owns the media in India ?



Let us see the ownership of different media agencies.



NDTV: A very popular TV news media is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain Supports Communism. Recently it has developed a soft corner towards Pakistan because Pakistan President has allowed only this channel to be aired in Pakistan . Indian CEO Prannoy Roy is co-brother of Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist party of India . His wife and Brinda Karat are sisters.



India Today which used to be the only national weekly which supported BJP is now bought by NDTV!! Since then the tone has changed drastically and turned into Hindu bashing.



CNN-IBN: This is 100 percent funded by Southern Baptist Church with its branches in all over the world with HQ in US.. The Church annually allocates $800 million for promotion of its channel. Its Indian head is Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh.



Times group list:

Times Of India, Mid-Day, Nav-Bharth Times, Stardust, Femina, Vijay Times, Vijaya Karnataka, Times now (24- hour news channel) and many more...

Times Group is owned by Bennet & Coleman. 'World Christian Council¢ does 80 percent of the Funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share balance 20 percent. The Italian Robertio Mindo is a close relative of Sonia Gandhi.



Star TV: It is run by an Australian, who is supported by St. Peters Pontifical Church Melbourne.



Hindustan Times: Owned by Birla Group, but hands have changed since Shobana Bhartiya took over. Presently it is working in Collaboration with Times Group.



The Hindu: English daily, started over 125 years has been recently taken over by Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland .. N. Ram's wife is a Swiss national.



Indian Express: Divided into two groups. The Indian Express and new Indian Express (southern edition) ACTS Christian Ministries have major stake in the Indian Express and latter is still with the Indian counterpart.



Eeenadu: Still to date controlled by an Indian named Ramoji Rao.

Ramoji Rao is connected with film industry and owns a huge studio in Andhra Pradesh.



Andhra Jyothi: The Muslim party of Hyderabad known as MIM along with a Congress Minister has purchased this Telugu daily very recently.



The Statesman: It is controlled by Communist Party of India.



Kairali TV: It is controlled by Communist party of India (Marxist)



Mathrubhoomi: Leaders of Muslim League and Communist leaders have major investment.



Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle: Is owned by a Saudi Arabian Company with its chief Editor M.J. Akbar.



> > Gujarat riots which took place in 2002 where Hindus were burnt alive,



> > Rajdeep Sardesai and Bharkha Dutt working for NDTV at that time got around 5 Million Dollars from Saudi Arabia to cover only Muslim victims, which they did very faithfully.. . Not a single Hindu family was interviewed or shown on TV whose near and dear ones had been burnt alive, it is reported.



Tarun Tejpal of < Tehelka.com regularly gets blank cheques from Arab countries to target BJP and Hindus only, it is said.



The ownership explains the control of media in India by foreigners. The result is obvious.




PONDER OVER THIS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY EVERY ONE IS AGAINST TRUTH, HOW VERY SAD.

Ten Power Foods That heal

1. Garlic
Since time immemorial garlic has been used to stave off evil spirits,
build stamina,
enhance immunity,
and ward off infections.
During the ancient Olympic games in Greece athletes were said to swallow garlic
as a stimulant. Garlic is a part of the lily family along with onions and chives.
Undisturbed, the garlic bulb has limited medicinal properties. Chopping and
crushing garlic releases the miraculous properties for which we tout
garlic.
The healing touch Reduces high levels of blood sugar.
Prevents heart disease and stroke
Reduces the risk of stomach and colon cancers
Lowers cholesterol
Helps boost immunity
Relieves asthma
Including garlic in the diet may play a role in preventing and treating
cancer.


2. Papaya
Though we grow a papaya tree, the plant is actually an overgrown herb, known as
an herbaceous perennial. Christopher Columbus termed it as "fruit of angels".
The healing touch
Aids in digestion
Prevents heart disease
Checks cancer
Eating raw papaya after a meal makes it easier for the body to digest
proteins, which helps to ease an upset stomach. It plays a role in
preventing ulcers as well.


3. Tea
The humble cup of tea is whipping up a storm these days, and all because
of the health benefits that ensues with the cuppa.
The compounds of tea help neutralize harmful oxygen molecules in the body
known as free radicals.
The healing touch
Controls cholesterol
Prevents stroke and heart disease
Reduces tooth decay
Prevents intestinal cancer



4. Berries
What makes berries so special is a compound called ellagic acid,
which is helpful in preventing cellular changes that can lead to cancer
The healing touch
Prevents cataracts
Protects against cancer
Prevents constipation
Reduces the risk of infection



5. Apple
Apples are a good source of dietary fiber, which may reduce the risk
of heart disease and some types of cancer. They are a good source of
antioxidants. The apple is actually a member of the rose family and
has a moderately sweet and refreshing flavour.
The healing touch
Weight loss
Diabetes management
Helps in managing asthma
Lowers cholesterol
Prevents cancer of lung, breast and liver




6. Salmon
Salmon is the preferred partner of omega-3 fatty acids.
The healing touch
Lowers blood cholesterol
Decreases risk of heart disease and cancer
Controls inflammatory conditions like arthritis
Enhances memory



7. Cabbage
Sturdy, abundant and inexpensive, cabbage has been a longstanding
dietary staple throughout the world.
The healing touch
Anti-cancer
Prevents anaemia
Treats stomach inflammation and ulcers
Protects against stress



8. Carrot
Carrot in ancient times was much valued for its medicinal properties.
The healing touch
Carrot really helps your eyesight. This is due to the beta-carotene
which gives carrot the orange color and also the name.
The Healing Touch
Reduces your risk of blood sugar and heart attack by enlisting
carrots into your diet.
Quit smoking by making carrots, part of your healthy way of eating




9. Bananas
Bananas--the world's most popular fruit, packed in a biodegradable
wrapper, possibly originated in Malaysia.
The healing touch
Bananas should replace antacids in your medicine cabinet.
If you already have high blood pressure, include bananas in
your meal plan as they are enriched with potassium—the un-salt
of the nature.
Bananas have all the eight amino acids that our body cannot
manufacture on its own.




10. Pears
The flesh of pears was once referred to as the "gift of the gods". It
has a good healing capacity.
The healing touch
We don't usually think of pears as being "bone food", but they
contain the mineral, 'boron', that plays an important role in
keeping bones strong.
What's good for the bones is also good for the brain.
Pears help to improve memory.
It contains a type of dietary fiber that is very effective for
lowering cholesterol.

Common Health Mistake

All of us make little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run - simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by many of us.

Crossing our legs
Do you cross your legs at your knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the lady-like elegant way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don"t want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs and compromise your health, uncross your legs every time you realise you have one knee on top of the other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is a classically elegant way to sit, and is far better for your legs and your health than sitting with your legs crossed at your knees.

Not changing our toothbrush
How often do you change your toothbrush? Most of us wait until most of the bristles have either fallen off, or are in such bad shape that we"d be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However, since not many of us need to pull out our brush in public, we carry on with our frayed one until we lose it. Replace your toothbrush often. Damaged bristles can harm the enamel, and don"t massage your gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do, but know you must do it, you might as well be doing it right. Imagine going through the annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a day only to find out that you"re damaging your enamel every time you clean your teeth. Also, use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised otherwise.

Eating out often
There are oils that are high in cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better for your heart. However, no matter how light the oil is, it is never a good idea to eat too much of it. Avoid fried foods.Remember that in all probability your favourite Indian food restaurant throws a huge, HUGE chunk of butter in a tiny bowl of dal. Rita, who worked in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel, was shocked when she saw the cook chop a 500gm butter slab in half, and throw half into a Paneer Makhani dish. No wonder the customers left licking their fingers. And no wonder they felt so stuffed and heavy afterwards. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you"re getting served light and healthy food.

Skipping breakfast
Never, ever skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it"s been around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day, and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a light dinner. Here are some more common health mistakes we make. Being informed and making a few changes can help make us feel a whole lot better.


High heels
High heels sure look great, but they're murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear them when going out for lunch or dinner - when the only walking you will be doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels, take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you love, that you will enjoy wearing. If possible, get a matching bag. You will then enjoy your flats as much as you do your heels.


Sleeping on a soft bed
You don't have to sleep on the floor be kind to your back, but do make sure you have a firm mattress. Although a mattress on springs is soft and lovely to sink into, it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs, you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs, and place the mattress on the plank. Similarly, if your mattress is old and lumpy, throw it out and get a new one. Your neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If you will be spending hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you completely sink into are not the best idea.

Pillows
No matter how comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist. Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick. If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep on your back, to give your neck adequate support


Not exercising
So all of us know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out. A number of people only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal. Don't wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't exercised for a week, you're making a mistake.