Towards a Lighter Stomach

So Deepawali is going to be done with today, and I am sure many, if not all, of you will have some post-festivities guilt about having consumed a lot of fried and sweet stuff. 

Here is a quick guide to giving your stomach a break for some days and help it recuperate. Following one, some or all of these would help you feel lighter in only some days. Yes, it is tried and tested.

• Replace one meal with Fruits, the best is dinner, because most of us hardly move after the last meal of the day.

• Snack on dry fruits instead of fried or even baked snacks. They have healthy nutrients, and will keep you both full and warm.

• Sip on Green Tea to detox. Many people I know swear by it. I think the best part is that it does not need any sweetener, which definitely cuts the calorie intake compared to regular tea and coffee.

• For those who cannot do fruits, try some soup and garlic bread for dinner for they do make a light, nutritious meal.

• Cereal in breakfast, is both quick and healthy, thanks to the fiber rich contents along with many added seeds.

• Move that bum because a low calorie diet can only 'aid' fitness - there is still no alternative of physical activity.

Home Remedies - I

• Applying honey into your eyes can eventually get you get rid of spectacles.

• Rest some uncooked potato (sliced or grated) on your eyes to lessen the dark circles.

• Honey-curd- gram flour- turmeric (just a pinch)-rose water mixed together make a great face mask.

• Chewing on Tulsi (aka Basil in the West) helps dry-up a runny nose

• Whipped egg and beer, each an excellent hair conditioner.

• Oil, mixed with few lemon drops and applied on hair half-an-hour before head bath can make 'receding hairline' a thing of yesterday.

Now, I am not particularly fond of such bullet point posts with little or no writing. Please excuse me, for its one of those days when nothing that I write seems good enough. So you will have to make do with concentrating on information, rather than words.

Winter Care

Hands are drier, lips are chapped. The heels seem rough, and each time I am out in the open, a light cardigan is missed. Winter has officially begun. While the weather is perfect for eating al-fresco, or sipping on coffee, it is quite a task to tend to appearance in winters. Clothes need more care, and so does our body. Here are some tips to let you gear for winters.

Tend to your heels - Mix glycerine and rose water and apply on heels before sleeping at night. It is best to sleep with socks on to seal the moisture.

Protect Lips - Chapped lips are everyone's pain area. Keep a chap-stick or lip butter handy, and make it your best friend for next few months.

Cold Cream - Massage on face at night in upwards motion. Dry skin will soak in most of it. If not, wipe with a warm towel, for a glowing, supple face next morning.

Oil Hair - Washing hair with warm water can result in a flaky scalp. Use warm oil to fight any scalp dryness.

Spare the Nail Paint - Just like the rest of the body, our nails need to breathe too. If closed shoes is what you stick to, then sparing your toes of enamel can be a very good idea.

Sunscreen - Just because Sun seems less harsh does not mean it actually is. The UV rays, the tan, spots - everything every sun related problem remains the same despite the weather. So don't forget your Sunscreen.

Don't Lose Your Mind Lose Your Weight

The author, Rujuta (Ru from here on) claims to be the consultant for Anil Ambani and Kareena Kapoor amongst many others, and motivates people to move towards a healthier lifestyle in general and thus get fit. 

The book is a very simple read, and is quite practical. The author acknowledges that cooking in an average Indian household has reduced owing to fast lifestyles, and people rely of off the shelf food for most of the weekdays. 

She ridicules all most of the diet programs ever heard of, and says that eating everything, but at a right time and in the right quantity is the first step to fitness.

• Food - Eat everything that your genes have been accustomed to since childhood. Ru says that day should be a mix of both heavy and light meals, from morning to evening.

• Timing - Eat something within 10 minutes of waking up, and have a hearty breakfast one hour later. This, as most of us by now know, is because there is a drop in the insulin level in blood as the body has already been starving for many hours. Ru says it is important to have something to eat every two hours(keeps your brain active), and water throughout the day.

• The Dessert - Yes, she advocates it. But not with a meal or after it. Ru asks you to eat a dessert like a small meal in between two big meals, and restrict the frequency to once a week.

• Quantity - Because your stomach is about the size of your hands cupped together, the maximum size of a one-time serving should be just as much. Makes sense.

• Procedure -  When having a meal, start with a glass of water. Eat cross legged or at least with legs raised (to let blood flow to your stomach to aid digestion). Eat slowly - to ensure optimum speed, don’t prepare the next bite before you have swallowed the previous one. 

• Exercise - There is no substitute for physical activity and exercise. Ru asks you to make it a no-compromises aspect of your life. She adds that within 20 minutes post exercise, you should have something to eat.

Other than these main tips, there are various other interesting things like managing small meals in middle of a busy day, meal options (both veg and non-veg), safer ways to have your wine (yeah!) and the importance of squatting. She adds that you can eat more or less depending on the activity level of the day.

I will give it a 4 on 5 - it is worth having a copy if you (like me) count your calorie intake.

You may buy the book here.

Increase your fitness with everyday work

• Station your fridge in the room away from the kitchen
• Park your car farthest from the entrance door
• Take up some house cleaning yourself - may be one corner at a time. Don't shy away from moving furniture yourself and clean under it
• Place the kitchen jars of daily use in the top most shelf
• Take the stairs wherever possible. Extend yourself - use the washroom and printer from a different floor at work
• Aim at a brisker walk