Just Gossip Vol. 4 - Changes in my Lifestyle!

Since I mentioned about my yoga classes, I thought I would also make a list of the lifestyle changes it has brought in me which I am totally loving!! Now, I am less on junk and more on fibre. But, its just not the result of yoga alone but a combination of many other things. 

No Snacks

Earlier, I used to prepare some maggi or something coz I feel hungry in the evenings. And, a healthier option takes a lot of time to prepare. But, since my yoga classes are from 6 to 7, I have to make sure I don't eat anything for at least an hour or two before. 

That helps with skipping all the junk I would get into my system in the evenings generally. I have stopped having samosas or golgappas or any such things. At max, I have a glass of milk at around 7:45 or something after having a bath in the evening. 

More Fruits

A guy in our workplace goes every Wednesday to the farmer's market nearby and gets fruits and veggies. So, he started asking us out and whenever one of the people from here go, I do ask them to get some fruits. This has been a new development in the last two weeks. 

So, I have been having a lot of oranges this week and last. I do have pomegranates as well but since they take a bit more of work, they are just sitting in my room waiting for their turn. I shall definitely finish them this weekend.

Herbal Tea and Less Sugar

Earlier, we used to have the regular tea in my workplace because the herbal tea option was missing and I had been planning since quite long to skip the tea which wasn't really easy. I do need something or the other to drink. 

So, a few days back, we bought a new pantry for ourselves which includes a lot of herbal teas. Now, I am hooked up to herbal teas. But, there is one downside to this situation. We have coffee as well and its pretty decent so I am unable to resist the temptation ;)

5 Simple Diet Tips to keep my family Healthy which you can also follow {Health}

Lately, being the sole caretaker of the house and our meal plans, I have started drifting towards the easy and not-necessarily healthy meals. Breakfast is proving more difficult to plan in the long run. It looks like a mess menu with 7 days with different breakfasts repeated without break week after week which is really monotonous.

I have not yet been able to tackle this breakfast issue because of my laziness as well but some of the healthier things I have been able to incorporate in our routine has definitely improved our health overall. Unfortunately, hubs does not take eggs so the protein has to be made up from somewhere else which is as yet I am unsure of.

One Apple a Day keeps Cravings Away

One good thing hubs has is not munching and eating unnecessarily. He has a limited appetite when compared to my voracious one. And, he also has a very limited meal needs. I am the one who needs variety and I so wish there was someone at my beck and call.

Anyways, so to make our breakfasts more fulfilling and due to lack of time to include fruit in any other meal, we take one apple per day during the breakfast. As a rule, I would recommend the fruit at the end of the breakfast so as to help cleanse the teeth as well but eating fruits on empty stomach is also a good idea!!

photo credit: abbyladybug via photopin cc

Good Ol' Dalia or Oats

Did I tell you I suffer from borderline cholesterol? Yup and what else can come to my rescue but the oats. Yes, I love dalia as well. I did not use to like it much but over the years palates have changed. If you are taking oats, I would suggest you to go sugarless way but then considering even I do not find it palatable, a bit of sugar can do no harm. 

Lets go nutty

I love nuts - cashews or walnuts or almonds. I do go easy on the raisins and dates and pistas and all other dry fruits. But, I totally love pine nuts. We used to get loads of them in Simla from our friends (the fresh produce) but if you go to buy them in the market, you really do not find a fresh produce. 

Anyways, either chop your nuts and store them or powder and store them and sprinkle them on the oats, dalia, sweets, salads, smoothies, milk shakes and what not? Best way to get omegas and good fats. Not only that, I have a huge amount of flax seeds sitting at home. Eating them raw is manageable but I am sure most would hate it so roast them and powder them in small batches and finish within a week or 10 days. 

photo credit: cygnoir via photopin cc

Snacking 

As much as I love my gol gappas and aloo tikkis, they do not taste yummy unless you are in the right mood and then I am so lazy that getting ready to go out is a huge task. Instead, I can grab a sandwich or something else made at home. In fact, I have been gorging on roasted lotus seeds. I love them and I love chat masala so mix the two and a yummy and filling snack is ready. 

Similarly, I love bread and there is a host of dishes we can do with it. The simplest starts with assembling all the raw salad veggies in between bread slices and my favourite is to mix cheese and onion and salt and put the mix between the slices and toast it in sandwich maker. A few minutes and you get an absolutely lip-smacking dish ready. Well, that is only for cheese and onion lovers though!!

And, finally Tea, Herbal or Not!!

No, I am not much enamoured of the fact that I have become a tea-addict but sometimes when I have been in the mood I have noticed that drinking any herbal tea helps prevent cravings. Specially talking about ginger tea, it is absolutely amazing that how filling it feels after having it. 

Also, a good accompaniment to herbal teas are multi-grain biscuits. Now, it depends on whether you make at home or buy them in the market. I, for one, love the Mcvities brand of biscuits. 

These are a few healthy things which are there in my routine. Forget exercise, forget drinking water and forget proper sleep, none of them are really happening with me. So, if you are going through the same phase as I am, I would suggest t come up with short cut health tips which you can follow without disturbing your schedule too much. 

So, what are your regular health care tips? Those small things which you do in your entire day which does not feel really important but can do wonders in the longer run. A small routine change, a simple inclusion of a meal plan or a brisk walk of 10 minutes - what is your secret? 

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Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases in Women? {Women Stuff}

Today is World's Heart Day. So, I am borrowing this article from The Hindu Magazine, September 23, 2012. They had published a small article on how to take care of the heart. I shall try not to infringe on the copyright and am again asserting that this post may end up being a copy of the article. So, the entire credit for the post goes to the Hindu newspaper.

Symptoms of CVD in women feeling of discomfort between breasts or behind breastbone pain radiating over arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach shortness of breath, weakness or fatigue unusual anxiety or nervousness indigestion or nausea  sudden sweating, dizziness and collapse

Cardiovascular diseases are getting more prominent in women. Its no longer a man's disease!!!Its especially dangerous if you smoke, drink or lead a sedentary life or have high blood pressure or sugar or cholesterol levels or are under huge amount of stress due to personal and professional problems.

In fact, even children are at risk from the condition called Cogenital Heart Defect. The improper development of heart during the pregnancy can result in this. Mothers who do not take care of themselves or their diet during pregnancy have a high risk of having children with this defect. Also, if you are a diabetic, your child is prone to heart-related problems.

How to Prevent? Be physically active!!! Walk or exercise daily. Avoid salt, sugar and fatty foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  Maintain a healthy weight.   Quit smoking and avoid respiratory irritants.  Limit or stop alcohol.  If you have lung problem, get influenza vaccination annually.

The reason for these heart diseases are mainly the fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries. Interestingly, these deposits may occur on both the inner walls as well as the outer walls. And, in fact, there is absolutely no cure to remove the deposits on the Outer walls of the arteries so that makes weight management and diet a very important consideration in life.

If the arteries are blocked even partially due to these deposits, the blood flow is not smooth to the heart and heart may fall short of adequate oxygen and other nutrients needed to function properly. When this blockage gets severe, it can result in heart attack. Women of 50-52 are at more risk and especially if there has been a family history of coronary diseases.

So, how do you take care of your heart?
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Dare to Change : Take out time for yourself

So, after a long hiatus, I am reviving my Dare to Change series because it really helps with my lifestyle. Now, the reason I wasn't writing on this topic was because of my little unsettled routine and time, I wasn't able to take out to think about my next challenge or anything!! So, this week's challenge came from the same issue. 

Always try to make at least 15 minutes to think and do something you want to do. 

Now, lets review how my previous challenges are faring. 

• First Challenge - Not that I am following it very regularly but I can still say that I am faring well in this challenge of mine because I know my body has got used to this exercise and I can climb up to 6 floors pretty easily. So, yay to it!!

• Second Challenge - Ok, so this is such a difficult challenge that I am not at all sure I can ever succeed in doing it. Getting up 15 minutes early is a far away thing, in fact I have started getting up at 8 these days!!! So, nay to it and try and try and try :(

• Third Challenge - I am not able to follow this regularly because of one major issue and that is boredom. I know I should stay away from laptop after a complete day spent staring at in the office and then while putting up posts and other surfing but I am just not able to do it. So, will have to keep up with it and try to indulge more in books :)

What about you? Are you trying out any of these challenges currently?

Exercises and Health {Health}

I have come to realize of one important factor. And, that is that if you are regular at exercising from the earliest in your life, any disease you might have developed can be controlled. Be it heart issues, blood pressure, diabetes, PCOS, any other hormonal issues, or any major chronic diseases, the exercise is your only savior. 

The reason I am doing this post is because I have lately seen so many people who try to control what they eat in order to control their weight. Well, a conscious diet a very good habit but one has to remember that exercise is an integral part of your routine. 

You might go for crash diets or leave milk or take to fruit diets or go for healthy diets (which is very good) but all of them can not do what exercise does for your body. Without exercise, your body wouldn't have proper blood circulation or properly toned muscles or stronger bones. And, these are very important to prevent any kind of diseases in the long run.

Yoga is one of the best ways to regain the body strength. But, how so ever much you want to avoid exercise, you can not do without it. So, do exercise for a healthy life and not just for weight loss. Think that as an added incentive.

The reality is that a person who has exercised all his life reaps the benefits during old or middle ages when a normal person is actually prone to feel the lack of energy. And, here comes one important message for even the thin people who don't ever feel the need to exercise - you do!

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Weekend Gossip Vol. 6 - On turning 27!

Well, I turned 27 few days back. Yeah, that was day when I was in Jim Corbett. The plan was to call tiger and elephant for the birthday party :D Ok, jokes aside, back to the post.

But, as we age, our skin and health concerns change. So, I thought it would be a good exercise to catalog what changes are necessary from now on. Hopefully, they would be helpful to you too :)

Anti-Aging Skin Care

I have never really cared for the anti-aging skin care yet except being a bit diligent with sunscreen. But, I remember reading about the right time to start anti-aging skin care is in the 20's and blah blah.

So, that's something you might see on the blog this year. But, you are forewarned when I say you wouldn't probably see many anti-aging products! I would still prefer simple and inexpensive ways.

Diet

When I was 18,19,20 or even 21, I used to eat anything and everything without any care. But, now, I have become more or less health conscious. So, less fats and more fruits are the agenda but lets see how much I stick to it :D

Weight Control
Well, you don't get younger ever, right? So, health problems become imperative in life. A little control over weight can ward off most of these issues so yup I shall have to make strong resolutions and stick to them.

Active Lifestyle

Diet, Weight Control and Active Lifestyle are all inter-related. One leads to another. And, anyways, I have always aspired to have an active lifestyle but I do love being a couch potato.

Give me a book and hot chocolate and a blanket and I shall love lying all day long in sofa! Btw, I am gonna do the same right now as well :D

For those interested, I am reading "The Seeds of War" by Ashok Banker. Its his latest and I got it for review. Its another interpretation of Mahabharata and I am loving it.

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Take Aways from the Yoga Classes!

My classes are over now and many of you have asked me to write about the poses and asanas. I shall surely do that soon. But, for now, I want to write few rules of exercising and what I learnt as part of these classes.

Breathing is very important 

I am a person who simply forgets to breathe in difficult situations :D One thing I learnt is breathing is very very important. Regular inhalation and exhalation helps with tireless exercises especially when you are supposed to hold a pose for more than 3 seconds.

Trust me, it sounds easy but its damn hard!! Also, breathing helps to send more oxygen into the body. That way, you feel less tired when exercising. But, you do sweat equally. So, next time, don't forget that!!

Regular Water Intake during Exercise

Oh yes, I have never really understood the importance of water as much as in these classes. Sweating during exercises can make you dehydrated so it is very important to replenish your fluids. Always keep a bottle of water even if you are doing just simple yoga. 

Overdoing is so not fun!

Sometimes, it so happens that in our enthusiasm to lose weight, we always tend to over do things. That causes us to burn out very quickly and kills the enthusiasm as well. So, understand your body limitations and do only that much which takes you a step further. 

There is a downside to it as well. Some people might not realize the extent to which they can actually push the bodies. This might not result in rigorous exercise. So, understand your body well and do as much as you can to stretch yourself.

Regularity is Important

This is the biggest problem with any kind of exercise regimen. One has to be regular, no matter what. And, this is something I am realizing after the classes are over :( Whatever you may do, one has to be regular whether you are dancing or into yoga or aerobics or anything else!!

Motivation has to be internal

Coming from regularity lesson, a related point is that motivation has to be internal. External factors can only help you so much. For example, I had said in my earlier post that money can be a great motivation. But, then, there is a limit to any capacity. What you need is to want to be healthy.

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