Eat Smart, Sleep Well, Move More, Relax More

I was never this happy, energetic, outgoing, person that you see today! It took years of work, I must say, to come out of my shell. Though my work spoke enough for me, my personality was of this shy person who was not confident enough to talk to a group of more than 2 people.  In meetings, I never opened my mouth, never asked a question, due to the innate fear of rejection.  Years later as my career progressed, I was faced with situations where I had to open my mouth and speak for myself. I realised I was losing out on many frontiers of my growth, if I never spoke.  I realised no one would do this for me, unless I take the steps myslef to become a better version of me I made a plan and started with baby steps In work meetings, I made it a thing, to speak at least two sentences. Trust me, it was a struggle to get myself to do even that, trying to build the confidence I never had In college I sarted asking questions to professors even though they were silly, just to partici...

Have you ever dreamed of skin that is glowing and without dark spots? With a little effort, and without spending a lot on expensive products, you can achieve the skin of your dreams! Why Vitamin C & E? Vitamin C is the single largest water-soluble vitamin & natural protector for the skin against sun damage. Vitamin E is lipid soluble and is rich in antioxidants, fights all those free radicals. Both make skin glowing, clears dark spots and evens complexion! When to apply? This serum should be applied in the evening, after cleansing & toning, before applying moisturiser. Remember to wait 2-3 minutes before applying moisturiser. Apply a good sunblock at SPF in the mornings. How to store? Store in blue/brown bottles in a cool place and use for a week. Make a new batch every week. How to apply? Apply every night, all over the face, neck, and back of the hands.  Do not apply over eyelids, around the eyes, and on the lips. ...

I have always been that morning person with a set routine: wake up early, read a newspaper, go for a run and then to work. Since a young age, a wholesome breakfast with eggs, fruits and cereals has been the centrepiece of my morning. I, like most, have always subscribed to the notion of starting the day with a hearty breakfast. So intermittent fasting was going to be a big shock to the system! You may have heard about intermittent fasting (IF), it is gaining traction in world media and with several medical thought leaders. Having worked with a community of thought-leaders in health and wellness, I was aware of its benefits and happily advised my clients to try them - but was always reluctant to do it myself! To put it simply, IF means you only eat during a particular window of time - this is usually an 8-hour period. The typical day starts with black coffee, tea or water and you have your first meal at around noon. The last meal of the day will be at 8pm if you are aiming a 16 hour...

Very rarely do we consider muscle as an organ. But no mistake, it is an organ. Muscle is not just 'dumb meat' that we think it is about, it plays a lot of active roles in maintaining health. The more we have the better. Muscle cells have a high concentration of mitochondria ( the energy house of the cell). So the more muscles we have, the more potential we have to make energy Interleukin 6 which is a kind of chemical messengers called cytokines help to reduce inflammation in the body. These interleukins are released in good amounts with every muscle contraction we make. Hence every muscle contraction we do at the gym is an anti-inflammatory signal to the body. As you know, every single disease in the modern times is caused due to inflammation and strength training is the quick fix solution for it. Strength training along with high-intensity interval training helps switch off the inflammation in the body. When you have diabetes, strength training is the best treatm...

Do you give instant noodles to your kids? I think most of us do because our kids love it so much. But we cannot blame our children completely on this, and you know why !;-) But are we really aware of how bad it is for growing up children? Here is a list of reasons why you should think twice before giving instant noodles to your kids 1. MSG MSG is a flavour enhancer found predominantly in processed foods which are known to cause headaches and anxiety. It causes the liver to dysfunction and studies have proven that MSG causes asthmatic responses in adults as well as in children. Children with Asthmatic conditions should completely avoid MSG 2. Refined flour Instant noodles is a processed food which contains 'maida' or refined flour which has no nutrients and just contains empty calories. 3. Trans-fats The trans fats which are added at the time of processing are harmful to child's health and also adds extra pounds. 4. Sodium High sodium levels in the ins...

Yesterday I was reading a book by Osho on Yoga. I loved the book in and out and I thought I will share some bits of it on my blog. As a student, I always had an inclination to learn Yogic philosophy. I was well aware of the general principle that a yogic mind is one where there is no flow of thoughts. During meditation this is what we try to achieve, 'a mind which is free of thoughts'. Many a times I have wondered where are the thoughts coming from? Where do they originate? Where do they go? etc etc In the book, it is mentioned that, we have thoughts all around us. Thoughts are like microbes in the air. You cannot see them. But there are millions present around you. Sometimes we feel sad or happy for no reason. It is because of the thoughts lingering in the air around us. We cannot determine when a particular thought was created. It must have originated millions of years back.  When a person is alive, he will have millions of thoughts inside his mind. When he d...