Thursday, April 29, 2010

I think I need to go to a Rehab!

I might be the biggest addict ever - A "SUGAR" addict!!! I think I was born with this condition but my mother did a good job keeping me away from it. But now I'm on my own and I think I've slipped back into it again. SIGH! But mummy if you are reading my blog, trust me "I'm not going to disappoint you any further! I'm taking charge of my life again!" I have stopped baking cakes every week, stopped getting greedy for chocolates and am switching to Green tea (sugar free :D). 

However, I want to share with you all the side effects of sugar that I observed on my own body during my addiction and some of the research I did on it. 
 1. Bad Skin - I love winters only for the reason that it makes my skin bloom. But this time there were signs of mass destruction!!! I was horrified. I tried everything to make it better but it would some how or the other it would relapse. Finally after observing my food intake I realized that I had adapted a habitual sugar diet. :(
I stopped it and in just 4 days I saw signs of improvement. Phew! At last, I've nailed it! 
2.Mood swings - I shockingly noticed that I had become a "cry baby". I just couldn't handle my emotions. My moods would swing from super happy to super sad at the drop of a needle. And when I noticed that I was PMSing even when there was no "M" to be expected to relive me, it depressed me even more.
Now that I have taken charge of my sugar intake I feel a lot in control of myself. YAY! 
3. Sleepless nights- Sugar makes your mind and blood very active. Too much sugar makes you hyper active. Its alright if kids have a fair bit since they are running around all day and burn it off. . but when we take in a lot of sugar, it stay in your body making you restless which in turn makes your irritable and wide away at nights. Even if your body is tired and sleeps, your mind stays active leaving you tired mentally! 
4. FAT- Sugar is one poison that makes you FAT! Aa Ha! Gocha! Well, this is what the research says cos looking at me you will never believe me if I said I "experienced" this symptom too! So, basically what the research says is that when the body is not able to burn the extra sugar it converts it into FAT which settles in happily in your body. Wondering why isn't your exercise getting you anywhere? You've got your answer!
5. Aging- Now once again my research says that "When blood sugar goes up rapidly, sugar can attach itself to collagen in a process called "glycation," making the skin stiff and inflexible. Losing this elastic resilience of young skin will give you deep wrinkles and make you look old." (Discovery Health)
6. Diabetes - A condition where a person has HIGH Blood Sugar. When the blood sugar keeps increasing it might exceed the insulin's (a hormone produced by our pancreas) absorption capacity which leads to Diabetes, terrible disease to have. 
7. Eczema aggravation
8. Itchy scalp.
9. Craving for MORE!!!
 10. Any more guesses??

So, after reading this of course Chocolates, Candies, Cakes, Carbonated Drinks are definitely all going out of the window. Once you are clean of Sugar, you can have them once or twice in a while but that's going to be based on your free will rather than "HAVE to Have it!" But another eye opener is that food items like "Pasta, Rice, Bread, Potatoes, etc are high in sugar. These carbohydrates convert into large amounts of sugar- As much as a couple of candy bars! Alarming isn't it??? 

I'll give you a simple tip. Avoid packaged food products. They have a lot of sugar as one of the preservatives. Read the ingredients, if it says "fructose" " glucose" etc means its got sugar. Put it right back onto the shelf! Consume sugar free Juices, Cereals and choose fresh food over ready made packages. Have wholegrain/wholemeal breads and pastas and brown rice as its easier for our body to digest and absorb leaving less sugar in the blood. And for God's sakes don't have Jams & Jellies. They are 80% Sugar! POISON!!! Oh yeah! One more thing, the brown sugar you bought from the super market thinking its less harmful, guess what, its just as harmful as the white sugar as its just colored brown in most cases. Try the "brown raw sugar" and see if that does any good. . but in other words just reduce the intake and that should do good anyway.










Friday, March 26, 2010

Let's find some treasure!

I'd like to share a short story my yoga teacher told me once. 

One Sunday night, a man was taking his usual after dinner walk. He came across a woman who was searching for something under a lamp post. He glanced at her and continued to walk his way. After sometime when he returned, he saw that the lady was still frantically looking for something on the ground. So he offered his help to her. He asked the lady, "Excuse me, madam. What are you searching for? Can I help you?" . . The lady was relived to find some help. She said, "I've lost my needle and I just cant seem to find it." . . So the man joined the lady in the search. After sometime, he asked her, "where exactly did you lose it?", the lady says,"Oh I lost it at home!" . . The man now confused asked her why was she looking for it under the lamp post on the street then? and she said, "Because, its dark at home. The lights have gone off and the only light where I can search for it is here!"  

Some of us might have a good laugh at this little episode. We'd reckon, how stupid is the lady to look for something she lost somewhere in a completely different place. Reflect your thoughts on it for a while........ Don't we all do that? 

The story tries to show us that happiness is within us. But when we feel unhappy we try to search for happiness in external things, people, and places.  Just like the lady whose needle was actually at home but she was looking for it somewhere else. These external factors do make us happy, but that is temporary happiness. Things once consumed, make us needy again. If we rely on someone else to make us happy, they can hurt us as well. Places change over time. 

Its important that we learn to be content and seek happiness within us. If the lady continued to search for the needle at home, at some stage she would have found it there. But there was no way she was going to find it under the light of the lamp post even though there was light. 
Happiness has always been a treasure within us which we need to find and....... that makes me a treasure hunter!

 

Thursday, February 25, 2010

R U ELASTIC?


Its funny how people always ask me strange questions when they find out I’m a yoga practitioner. They’ll be like “Oh wow! So can you balance on your hands and flex your legs over your head?”, “Oh! So can you put one leg under your arm and the other over your head?” or “Oh you must be super flexible!!!” or “Oh I can never do it, I’m barely flexible!”. . . I can’t help but laugh to be honest because, I don’t just get these comments from people who have never done yoga but from people who practice it in the gyms too. They make it sound like all yoga practioners have the EDS Syndrom!!! (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrom). LOL!

I think it’s high time you understand irrespective you practice it or not, but for the sake of your general knowledge that yoga is not all about flexibility! That can be achieved in a gymnastics class too. Its aim is not to become flexible. So please don’t stress your body by too many aaaahhhh’s and ooouuccchh’s. By doing that you are just working against the principle of yoga :P

Flexibility is just one of the results of practicing yoga. Do don’t worry, with more practice you will automatically become more flexible than what you were when you first started. But let me warn you, don’t get too excited cos just by doing some yoga here and there you aren’t achieving anything when it comes to flexibility. That’s cos you need to work that particular muscle for certain period of time for it to make the flexibility permanent, otherwise you are back to square one. Yoga has slow, but more permanent and healthier results on your health and body.

Yoga does not try to fit us all into one mold; it respects our differences, mentally & physically. Some of the finest yoga teachers have only a very limited ability in practicing the posture. Of these, a number suffer from a chronic disability, yet their study and approach enables them to show more able-bodied people the way forward. So don’t get upset or discouraged if you can’t perform a certain exercise, or stretch or hold a pose longer. Try to do your best and don’t over do it. It’s not about competition; not with yourself, not with others. You achieve more with patience and persistence.

So be gentle with yourself and realize you cannot accomplish everything in a day!


Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunscreen ☀☂

Once shared by a friend, it touched my heart, opened my eyes and made my life a new start!
A few tips for life, I share with you, once changed my life and the way I think too. . .
Its my little chicken soup for the soul . . . doesn’t matter if you are a teenager, adult or old. . .
Enjoy this precious video &  pass it on, as I’d like to spread this message as life goes on. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Symphony


From technology to human beings, everything today is measured by speed and efficiency. We aim to accomplish more by doing two or three things at once. But naturally we end up getting distracted. This distraction often comes at a price. Ouch!
John Freeman, editor of Granta and author of the forthcoming book, The Tyranny of E-mail, writes, “We will die, that much is certain; and everyone we have ever loved will die, too, sometimes – heartbreakingly – before us… Busyness numbs the pain of this awareness, but it can never totally submerge it. Given that our days are limited, our hours precious, we have to decide what we want to do, what we want to say, what and who we care about, and how we want to allocate our time to these things within the limits that do not and cannot change. In short, we need to slow down.”
Slow down right here and right now and give Freeman’s message a thought. He definitely has a valid point.
  •     It’s scientifically proven that slower breathing is one of the simplest ways to better health. The Hindu mythology says that the length our life isn’t determined by the number of years we live but the number of breaths we take. Deep breathing lowers stress and reduces systolic blood pressure. It allows oxygen to reach the smallest airways in our lungs, (alveoli), where the oxygen exchange is most efficient. Quick, shallow breathing causes our bodies to release less nitrous oxide resulting our organs and tissues to be less oxygenated.
  •     Ever wondered why French women are so slim? I saw a show on Opera once where she invited a French lady to disclose their secret for being so slim. Eat slower and you will eat less is what was revealed! There is a lag time between when the stretch receptors in your stomach signal it is time to stop eating and when your brain gets the message. We tend to over eat during this time lag because we either eat too fast or are busy being distracted by something else.
  •      If you slow your intake, you will also savor your meals more. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island discovered that people who eat slowly consume 70 less calories per meal. Multiply that by three meals a day and you’ll drop 20 pounds over the next year. Boom- boom- boom!
  •       Slowness won’t hurt your love life. Enjoy the moments in life together; make every moment a special one. Enjoy that long, lingering, teasing kiss.
  •      Slowing down prevents accidents. It’s impossible to calculate the number of motorists killed or injured each year because they were in a rush.You actually save time, do better work and prevent more injuries by slowing down.
  •       A more deliberate pace enhances your quality of life. There’s an old Chinese saying, “Man in hurry cannot walk with dignity.” A constant flurry of activity doesn’t present an attractive image. It creates stress and anxiety. It causes us to miss much of what is going on around us. As the philosophical quote states, the wise man is not hurried and the hurried man is not wise.
  •      It’s good to churn some instant money from time to time by opting for some quick but risky derivatives available in the financial market, but it’s wise to play safe and have a slow and steady savings plan for our future/retirement. After all slow and steady wins the race.
We all have obligations and deadlines, of course. But hurry and extreme future-mindedness impoverish the present.
Deep down, most of us realize this. But it never hurts to be reminded!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Its Toxic!

BEEP!BEEP! -HIGH ALERT-BEEP!BEEP!

Gosh! Have you wondered how many toxins we are carrying within our body? I’m not talking about the biological waste /toxic here. I’m sure we all are aware of that one :P … but this is something that absolutely gobsmacked me. Check this out!
Our generation can’t even possibly think of living without mobile phones and laptops/computers. It feels strange to be without one. My friend told me once that he feels naked without his cell phone, handicapped without his laptop, zoned out without his TV and lost without his i-pod. Technolgoy has sure made life easier, entertaining and worthwhile, but its true that every coin as two sides.
These electronic life lines of our’s emit electromagnetic fields (EMFs).  On the other hand our body and mind is like a sponge. It absorbs anything and everything its exposed to. :(  These radiations have proved to be very harmful to us to an extent that they can increases stress levels in our body, cause head ache, migraine symptoms, speed up the aging process and the list can go on ….
Suggestion:

  • Avoid carrying mobile phones in your pockets, or keeping them near your head while sleeping.
  • Don't put a laptop directly on your lap for prolonged hours cos laptops emit heavy radiation and this causes damage to our reproductive organs. :(
  • Keep a green leafy plant next to your laptop on your desk. Plants are able to absorb these radiations which saves you!Excercise and sweat it out.
Even perfumes and scented body lotions are readily absorbed by our skin and this adds to the toxic accumulation in our body.

Suggestions:

  • Please do not put sooo much perfume that makes others suspect that you are trying to cover up for the 3 days shower you didnt take. 
  • Try not using body lotions with very strong fragrance.
  • Use deodorants that are lead and aluminum free.
  • Invest a little in some good quality make up. They seems to have a conscience.
    Dont get fooled by the general notion that “bottled water” is the safest you can get. Just give it a thought. First of all, the bottle is PLASTIC. No matter what quality of plastic it is – it is still plastic and its very harmful for our comsumption. Secondly, imagine how many miles and countries this water would have travelled in trucks and vans to get to your retailer. In the process it is exposed to different weather conditions especially heat, by which the plastic chemicals slowly emulsify with the water properties making it toxic!   
    Suggestions:

    • Store water in glass containers/jugs.
    • Tap water might be recycled and safe to drink in most countries. It might be cleaned and disinfected but it’s not detoxified. This is because corrosion  inhibitors are added to the water and we just seem to gulp it all down! Our body finds it very hard to get rid of these chemicals so it toxifies. It’s recommended to boil the water before consumption as it breaks down these elements and reduces its impact on our body.

      Wednesday, October 21, 2009

      Absolutely Positive++

      Ever wonder why you feel so good and refreshed after a yoga class? “I tend to feel amazing, and I enjoy the calming effects” say some of my students.  Practicing yoga and meditation can affect your brain in a positive way. You can definitely notice a positive difference after attending a yoga session. Even the geeks, scientists,  researchers and my neighbors are now studying how yoga affects the brain.
      Brain-Power
      Courtsey-TopNewsHealth.in
      Studies have been made to prove that after one yoga session, the GABA levels in your brain increase. Anti-depressants (pills that about 27million Americans pop every day as Mentos) also work by boosting these GABA levels. Yoga seems to be the better choice for depression, anxiety and stress, since there are no side effects and many benefits for your mind, body and soul.
      Hang on, before you start the guessing game, let me tell you pop freaks that GABA has nothing to do with Lady GAGA or her sister Lady GABA (just guessing :P ) .. Well to be precise GABA is one of numerous neurotransmitters in the brain that sends messages from one part of the brain to another. High GABA levels are associated with a calming, relaxing effect, whereas low levels are associated with anxiety and stress.
      brain damage
      Courtsey-Thetakeaway.org
      Yoga can improve your cognitive functions and memory by reducing the stress levels in your body. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone” into the blood stream, which uses up a lot of glucose in the body. This leads to a fuel deficit for your brain. Too much cortisol produces high amounts of free radicals which damages your brain cells. I know it says “free” here, but mind you it’s not something you want… please note the following words, it says “brain damage!!!”
      Stress also causes physiological changes that impact the brain and body. 90% of the diseases are psychosomatic in nature. This means they all originate due to disturbances in the brain/mind. You end up using your dominant brain side for organizing thought patterns instead of using your whole brain power to make better decisions and enhance you performance and coordination. Practicing yoga can help retrain your brain and body connection to release old automatic thought patterns and negative habits.The goal is to have what we “think” and “do” to be aligned and function in pure balance.
      Body movements can enhance, manufacture and balance the flow of energy in your body. Fast movements produce more endorphins = happiness, and slower movements stimulate the production of dopamine = adrenaline. This is all happening in the front part of your brain.
      Yoga is a great way to balance both brain hemispheres at the same time. Eagle pose is a good example. By moving opposite arms and legs at the same time you stimulate, reactivate the whole brain. Basically you’re giving your brain a wake up call. As you do this, you encourage dopamine, while enhancing your ability to see things clearly. –Disclaimer- please continue to wear contacts or spectacles if you need to. I am not addressing myopia here. Your mind always tends to feel more at ease after a yoga class. Your thinking patterns are more positive and clear, your concentration and focus is greatly improved and your problem solving skills are enhanced. Hhmm…I think I am ready for a promotion already. Are you???