Living with harmony and unity

We all deal with a lot of ups and downs in life. There are some things that give us positivity and optimism to move on. It could be a smile of a child, a hug from your loved one when you are in need, even nature. 

I feel the positivity around me every time I look at nature. The waterfalls, the trees, the forests, the mountains, the river, everything around us. The have been with us from the time earth was born. Human we live and then die. But the river and waterfalls, the trees and forests have been living amongst us for a long time. They provide us with the hope to live on and be a mark on this world. 

There is one more thing that gives me the strength and courage. The buildings that stand tall, in the hot sun and in the storms. They never fall. They are held together without being disturbed. Every time I feel that I have not done anything worthwhile in life, while someone in some part of this world, has achieved something extraordinary at my age. 

Men has grown to what he is now because of the nature. When we think about our ancestors who were living in the Stone Age, they were living as one with nature. They learnt everything they could from the nature. They invented modern things by making use of nature. Even the smallest of the discovery was because of inspiration from nature. 

Even today, the scientists of the modern world have found solutions to lot of troubling questions from nature. Not just the plants and mountains and rivers that teach us thing. But also the animals and insects that teach us a lot about life. 

Take the birds for example. When they flying in a group, like the migratory birds, there is always one in the leadership position that leads flock of birds. The other birds follow the lead. Imagine humans in this scenario. After a point in time, we humans will start a fight amongst each other, everyone fighting for the leading position. Or it will be an ego clash amongst us and we will not be in harmony. 

We act in a way that is most favourable for us, and not that is good for the goal of the team in general. If we could learn the simplicity and harmony from nature, it would lead us to great heights. 

Similarly, the discipline of the animals is another extraordinary feature. Most humans lack discipline, and are in a way selfish. We only think about what we want and not care about how it affects the environment around us. 

Every time I look at nature, I think about the harmony and unity in which they are in, and an optimism that we will live in a world of harmony. 

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The toughest decision of my life

What is change? Anything that is disturbed from the status quo is a change. Even buying a new phone is a change. For e.g., you have always used an Android, now you have bought a new iPhone. That is a change. Though you are excited about owning an iPhone, you are trying hard to understand the features of the phone and trying to adapt to it. This decision of buying an iPhone was an easy one. You wanted an iPhone and you bought it. (Though you saved enough for it to buy!)

Not every decision in life is as easy as it may sound. One of the toughest decisions I faced in my life recently is whether to continue with my current job or quit the job and start being a professional photographer. I have just started to learn photography, just a year or so ago. But the kind of satisfaction and happiness I get out of photography can never be matched with the job I am doing. 

I work in a IT company, as everyone else. It pays me well. It’s been 3 years I started working. In the initial period, I really liked what I was doing. After a point, I realised IT is not something I can do my entire life. I was really thinking should I quit and take up photography as business. 

Photography has now become very competitive with the widespread use of Digital camera. But I know I will love being a photographer. The other side of the coin is, I will not be able to earn as much in photography right now. Once I am an established photographer, then I can earn. So, I sat and thought about my options. 

It wasn’t an easy one to make. People tend to look at short term while deciding on something. It is equally important to look at long term. Japanese believe in long term rather than short. But Indians have the tendency to look at the short term gains. If it isn’t good enough, we don’t do it. After a long thought and discussing with few other friends and some photographers, I decided I will work for few months and then quit the job. 

Now, I have quit my job and started my photography career. This is a big change in my life. Though I am not earning a lot now, I am learning photography and business. I understand what people expect out of a photographer. I would never be able to do a full time photography that is giving me lot of pleasure if I had stayed in the nine to five job. Leaving my job and taking photography full time was the toughest, yet best decision I have ever made.

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That unexpected warmth of togetherness

I am a person born in Delhi and brought up in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Dad had a transferable job so I had the privilege to stay in 3 different cities. I was always pampered a lot in my home. My parents would take care of each and every need of mine. I was never allowed to go alone to any place which was not considered very safe for me. So everywhere I went, it was with my family or in a group.

During the last month of my graduation, one of my friends told me that she is going to get married the next month. I was very excited and so were all of my friends. After all she was the first one in our group who was going to get married. So plan was made. 2 weeks after our exam we will take a train from Mumbai to Varanasi, where the marriage was going to take place. Making plan was the easier part, convincing my parents that I am old enough to be sent alone was the more difficult one. It took me 3 days before my dad finally agreed but not before he gave me a huge list of do’s and don’ts .  Anyways we reached Varanasi as decided. Everything was normal, until that day.

It was a cold horrifying night. There was no source of night anywhere. The only thing that I could see was my own body. There was no human being around. The only sounds that I was hearing was that of stray dogs barking( I thought they were barking at me) and the crickets present all around that dark muddy road. It was the day before sangeet. 5 of us had to go from my friends house to the marriage hall which was around 600 meters away. It was 9 in the night. 4 of my friends had already left for the marriage hall. As I was talking on phone, I asked them to start  and once I was done talking I started walking alone towards the marriage hall. After I had walked some 100 meters, there was power cut. And there was darkness all over. I was a bit scared but I kept walking. As I was walking, two guys entered the road from some crossing street and started walking parallel to me. Both were talking very loudly and the way they were talking and walking, it seemed that both of them were drunk. To make the matter worse I saw a dog barking and running towards me.

I always had a kind of phobia of street dogs. When that dog approached me I thought it was going to bite me. But to my surprise, it came near me, started waging its tail and started walking along with me.  It kept on walking with me till I reached the end of the road where my friends were standing. At times the most unexpected company can give you so much happiness and relief that can change your whole perspective. For me, for those 5 mins of togetherness with that street dog was invaluable and very comforting and certainly helped me overcome my fear of street dogs.

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Beat the Summer, Naturally

Naturopathy is very prevalent in India. With the summer starting now, we have to fortify our body against the heat naturally. It is important to maintain the water level of the body because we dehydrate more during summer. To beat the heat, drink these.

1. Tender Coconut water
2. Citrus Fruits
3. Water melons
4. Butter milk

Avoid tea and coffee. They have diuretic properties and reduce the water content of the body.
Have a nice summer!! 

Health mistakes that women make

Most of women nowadays have a full time job, and are also expected to take care of the family. They tend to ignore their health and put their family’s health before anything. It is one of the biggest health mistakes that women make. By not spending enough time for and with themselves, they land in trouble.

These are some of the mistakes that women make.

1.       Underestimating Heart Disease

It is widely prevalent that heart disease is men’s problem and not women. Most women ignore everything and rarely take any precautions. Women should be aware that cardiovascular problems is the cause of 17% female mortality. 

Women should not ignore and waiter longer when they have any symptoms. Women have a different set of symptoms, not the same as men. Please be aware and don’t ignore any symptoms of heart attack.

2.       Putting off Pap Smear

Most women in India are unaware that cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in women. Pap smear is the screening test for cervical cancer. They are also unaware that pap smear is to be done regularly.

Women should not ignore the symptoms like vaginal discharge with bloodstains, inter-menstrual bleeding, etc.

3.       Neglecting Breast Exams

Cervical cancer was the leading cause of death in women with cancer. Now, breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer in causing the deaths. Our Indian women ignore the beast examinations and are unaware that breast cancer can be a possibility for them. It is necessary for a women above 40 to undergo mammograms regularly.

20 percent of cancers detected have missed the screening tests. So, it is equally important that women should self-examine regularly. Learn more about the self-examination.

 Women should understand that prevention and being prepared is better than the mental pain of going through the diseases when they hit!

Goodness of Whole grain rice

We have always heard that we should have wholesome food. For us to get the wholeness of the food we consume, we should move from having white rice, white bread, etc to whole grain food like brown or red rice, bread, etc.

The whole grain food are rich in fibers that can reduce the cholesterol and blood glucose. Whole grain rice is better than bread or pasta, according to a nutritionist.

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Bring more whole grain into your diet with the following food.

1.       Use whole grain rice instead of white rice for dosa, idli, appams, puddings, etc.

2.       Red rice, and even black rice is very good for health. Try the rice scented brown basmati rice which has more protein.

3.       Some people will tell you that it takes 45 minutes to cook the brown rice, and it is unnecessary waste of energy. Don’t let that deter you. Cook the brown rice for 8 minutes after the first whistle, and keep the lid of the pressure cooker closed for 15 minutes and let the pressure subside. You can spend little more time in cooking the brown rice for the healthier you.

Start a Healthy Lifestyle!

A video I saw recently. It is an excellent summary of how to start and lead a healthy life. Follow these simple steps, and you are on your way towards a new you!

Too much of goodness can harm you

Iron and copper are two common minerals that are essential for good health. But with a twist! Too much of iron and copper in your body can lead to Alzheimer’s and heart disease. If you are over 50, consider your intake of multivitamins, iron, copper, etc.

Multivitamins formulations for older people might not contain iron. But none of them is devoid of copper. The usefulness and health benefits of Multivitamins are unproven. So, it is better to skip the multivitamins if it is not prescribed by your doctor.

You consume copper from sources that are unimaginable. If you have copper tap or copper dish, your copper intake increases. Copper from these containers gets into the water or your food. If it is a tap, make sure you drain the tap for 20-30 seconds before you consume. This will flush most of the copper that is accumulated in the tap when it wasn't in use. Also, try to avoid the copper vessels. Because of the heat in the food, a lot of copper can get into your food. Copper vessels used for cooking have shown to cause cirrhosis in kids.

If you are anaemic and need iron, eating red meat, pork, beef, mutton can increase the iron in your body. Too much of iron can cause iron poisoning. Limit yourself to two or three small servings a week. 

Don’t let hunger creep in

When you are trying to lose weight hunger is the major barrier. Instead of eating less while dieting, try to stock up low-density food that will fill you up for a small amount of calories. The low-density fibres are high in water and fibre. 

DO NOT EAT THESE! TRY THE ONES MENTIONED BELOW!! 

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Try these.

Eat plenty of green leaves, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, melons and onions. Add these to stews, soups, pasta sauces. These are high volume, high satisfaction and low calorie stars! Avoid dry fruits and biscuits for munching when hungry. Dry fruits lack water and can pack a lot of calories in a small portion.

Drink plenty of water. Half of your total fluid intake should ideally be water. Make it interesting with soda, mineral water or herbal teas. Remember that fresh fruits and vegetables have lot of water. Stock them up!

Don’t skip starters. They are not just appetizers, they also lowers the energy density of your main meal. Choose a vegetable soup or garden salad with low-fat density.

Take loads of protein. You have plenty to choose from this category lean red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, soya, and grains. They make you feel full for long period, reducing the intake of other food.

Eat plenty of food containing whole grains. Do check the content for whole grains.

When you have proper and fuller meals, there is a less chance of you feeling hungry between meals. Even when you do feel hungry, never starve. Eat small quantities of low calorie food. 

Burn fat with better breakfast

Just by changing the type of carbohydrate you consume in the morning, you increase the amount of fat burnt by your body the whole day during your walks and workout. Additional advantage is that you will feel less hungry for the rest of the day when you have the right breakfast. The key here is to choose the carbs that are digested slowly, like the unrefined carbs that are high in fibre and not the refined ones which your body will burn fast and produce energy.

Typical Indian breakfasts include cereal and pulse. Both are extremely important during the start of the day.

INSTEAD OF THIS	EAT THIS
Rice and Urad dosa	Mixed dal dosa. Or add soya flour to the regular dosa batter
Plain idli	Mixed vegetable idli
Paratha made with ghee or butter	Paratha made with vegetable oil
Aloo Paratha	Mixed green vegetable paratha
Jalebi and gathias	Mixed fruits with instant cereals, nuts and soyamilk
Poha made with white rice flakes, potato, coconut	Poha made with brown rice flakes, vegetables and herbs

Make these small changes in your breakfast for a more healthy you!

Add the good cholesterol to your body

Cholesterol can be good and bad. The good cholesterol, called the HDL is really good for your body. While the bad cholesterol called the LDL harms your heart and general well-being.

There are some food items which will boost your HDL. Don’t feel bad about consuming cholesterol for once!

Dark Chocolates

100 gm of dark chocolate everyday raises the HDL level by 9 percent in a week. But beware! That’s loads of chocolate, worth 500 calories! Watch your chocolates, but don’t deter from having them. Try, smaller doses (15 gm) over a long period of time. That should be helpful.

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Salmon

Consume salmons, other fatty fishes like mackerel, herring, sardines. 115gm of these fishes every week for four weeks should increase the HDL level by 4 percent.

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Berries

Have plenty of berries, even if they aren’t fresh! A cup of berries every day for eight weeks, increases the HDL by 5 percent.

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Eggs

Eat egg every day for 12 weeks, and the HDL will increase by as much as 48 percent!

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Go ahead! Have a mouthful of these good cholesterol rich food every day! 

Hang out with thin people!

We all know how influential a friend can be in our lives. It is true even when you are trying to lose weight.

A research study indicates that you can actually ‘catch’ obesity from close friends! Weird right? This 32 year study concluded that when you have a close friend who is obese, you have a 171% chance of becoming obese! The theory behind this is: You are influenced by your friends. When your friend overeats, you unwittingly follow their lead and start overeating yourself.

The good news for those obese people out in the world is, this works in reverse as well. Hang out with thin people, who eat extremely less. You will be influenced by them, even be guilty about eating much and you start to eat less.

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Go, find yourself a thin friend who can be influential in making you fit! 

The Best of the day to work-out

The best time is between 4pm and 7pm.

The body temperature is at its highest at this time, and the muscles are warm and flexible, strength is at its peak, while the resting heart rate and blood pressure are at its lowest. At this time, you are less likely to injure yourself, the exertion is perceived to be low and you are more motivated to work out.

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For women

Women get the most of the endurance exercise when they exercise between 7-14 days after ovulation. This is when the hormones are at its peak and the exercise affects how the body uses the fat and carbohydrates.

When you suffer from painful periods, regular exercise even during menstruation can help reduce the pain.

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To progress in the exercise

A given training program is effective and stimulate improvement only for 6-12 weeks. After that, you have to change the exercise, the weights used, reps done, even the feet position for better progression and result. 

The new you

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people who are obese, and are frantically trying to lose weight. Even otherwise, generally there is an increase in the awareness level of everyone about leading a healthier and fuller life. People have resorted to various ways of living a wholesome life. Some indulge in Yoga, meditation, some go for weight training and aerobics, and some for Zumba which has become a bit hit among the young as well as the older generation. Whichever way you follow, only physical activity is not enough. You need to complement the physical activity with the kind of food you consume. I decided I will share all the health and nutrition related ideas and news that I have collected over the recent years to everyone.