Saturday, 30 June 2012
MANGO AND ORANGE - A REFRESHING DRINK
While I was at Birmingham aiport last month, it was breakfast time and I felt like having an orange juice with my breakfast and while I looked at the fresh juices available at the supermarket at Marks and Spencer food outlet, I saw this Orange and Mango drink and I enjoyed every sip of it.
The exotic king of fruits, mangoes are all over in the market and oranges are in plenty too. They are very nourishing, both high in vitamins and anti-oxidants. Cut pieces of half a ripe mango or a full one (preferably alphonso) and blend it roughly with fresh orange juice, so you'll have bits of mango pieces in your drink. Add a litte water or more orange juice if necessary. You don't have to add any sugar and there is your very own healthy energetic, mood enchancing drink!
OASIS - PRETTY DRESSES
When I was as Oasis outlet in Avenues, I saw some really nice dresses in their new collection. Here is a picture of two of them I thought looked nice, but there are plenty more pretty ones in their outlets. I wasn't able to take anymore pictures, as I was in a bit of a rush.
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
JACK WILLS CLOTHING
Jack Wills clothing line at Marina Mall ( atrium ). Their range of fashion is basically aimed at University students
WEIGHT LOSS - HOW TO FIGHT OBESITY AND REACH YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT
I was recently talking to someone who told me, 'I have achieved so many important things in my life, but trying to lose weight is the most challenging thing I have ever faced, I know I should lose weight, I know how to, but I can't seem to stick to a healthy diet and exercise'. And this post is a more elaborate form of the advise I gave her. Every obese person knows he or she must lose weight to regain their health and improve energy level. No one wants to be obese and trapped in a body of fat life long. When trying to lose weight, it appears as a mind boggling challenge, where on one hand, you desperately want to lose weight, you are trying but temptations and old habits of grabbing or going for those high fat foods, sugary foods, and even binge eating seems unavoidable and you end up wondering, what are you doing, why is it so hard to lose weight.
There is more to dieting and exercising - the psychological aspect. We are guided by our conscious mind and the subconscious mind. Our conscious mind knows that it's unhealthy to be overweight or obese and tells us, we want to lose weight and have to lose weight and helps in making diet and exercise plans. We start off with good intent with the help of our conscious mind. But after a few days of dieting and exercising, there is a sense of boredom. When we see the foods that gave us joy and comfort like sugary, fatty and junk food, we become tempted. The craving is so overpowering and we grab for what we promised to stay away from, sabotaging our diet or weight loss plan. Sometimes we go for those foods, because the high sugars and fats are stress relievers, giving us comfort after we eat them. We seldom remind ourselves besides comfort, they are loaded with calories which get converted to fat. Although we seem to satisfy the craving at first, we end up feeling guilty and promise to go back on the diet and repeat the same cycle. Why does that happen? Besides the conscious mind that guides us, we are conditioned by our subconscious mind, where there is no sense of reality, but just information stored from the past habits. So if we were used to eating a lot of sugary and fatty foods or binge eating, that is what your subconscious mind will make you do, because it's ingrained in the subconscious mind, all the foods that you were habituated to. Any new decision that tries to alter that programming, will create an automatic shift towards what it was used to. There is a constant ongoing war between the conscious and subconscious mind. You get it right?
Now the most important thing is to get your conscious mind and subconscious mind to work in harmony. Both should want the same thing. You have to undo the programming of your subconscious mind, feeding it with new information and let it sink it. Before you go to bed, do this mental exercise. Tell yourself that you want to lose weight, tell yourself the target weight, imagine yourself eating healthy foods and mentally imagine avoiding all the foods that are 'bad' for you, imagine yourself as this thin person and wearing smaller size clothes. Visualize yourself as totally determined to lose weight, eating healthy, saying no to foods you want to stay away from. Do this mental exercise everyday at night before you sleep and also, when you wake up in the morning. Print weight loss 'notes and affirmations' in bold and stick it on your fridge on kitchen walls. Everyday, take a look at your old photos when you were thin and be determined to return to being thin. Stick before and after pictures of celebrities or people, on your fridge or kitchen wall who have lost weight. Go on the internet, read weight loss success stories every day. Make notes from they have shared that can work for you. You are feeding your subconscious mind with new information that will replace old habits. You should consciously make it a point to follow your diet and exercise. Slowly, but surely, your subconscious mind and your conscious mind will want the same thing - lose weight and work towards achieving your target.
If you are one of those people who think you can't do it alone, equip yourself mentally and emotionally with all what I shared, and join a weight loss program or slimming club where there are others along with you who are trying to lose weight. You will feel empowered in the presence of people working towards a common goal to lose weight. It also means you have to be ready to pay for the weight loss program, where you would be given healthy diet and exercise plan and your progress would be monitored and you will be extended a lot of support and help to lose weight. However it is definitely possible to lose weight on your own without having to spend any money. Whatever way you chose, be determined to lose weight. Please stay away from weight loss pills, teas and products that promise to help you lose weight, for they don't work and you lose your money.
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
WHAT'S YOUR AFFIRMATION FOR TODAY?
Affirmations and positive attitude are so self empowering, it's effects are magical. You are bound to attract good. When you whine, fret, fume, worry, complain, it becomes a vicious cycle, it attracts more bad stuff. So what's your affirmation for today? Thoughts and words have so much power towards what you can attract, achieve or accomplish.
This lovely t-shirt is available at Debenhams in Avenues and Sharq Mall
MY PHOTOS FOR THE DAY - CHILDREN AT PLAY 'CURIOSITY'
Little children can be curious about so many things. Their sense of wonder is amazing. They like to inspect, and explore and find joy in doing little things, well, until, a parent or adult might say, 'Hey, what do you think you're doing!' These pictures were taken in Niagara, New York.
IMPORTANCE AND DANGERS OF FAT IN OUR DIET
Dietary fat provides energy and calories for the body. Our body makes it's own fat from the excess calories we consume through the food we eat everyday, acting as a storage medium for the body's extra calories. It fills the fat cells (adipose tissue) which help insulate the body. Dietary fats provide linolenic (Omega 3) and linoleic acid (Omega 6) which are essential fatty acids, that cannot be made by the body and has be obtained from food. They are important for controlling inflammation, blood clotting, brain development and numerous other body functions. Now this means, our body requires fat, but in moderate amounts. The good fat or unsaturated fat from foods are of two kinds, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which our body needs. It's the saturated fats, trans fats and hydrogenated fats that should be avoided. They build up bad cholesterol.
Monosaturated Fats - Contained in olive oil, canola oil, black or green olives, sesame oil, almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, avacados
Polyunsaturated fats - Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids in safflower, fish oils, sunflower, corn oil and soya bean, olive oil, salmon, sardines, flax seeds, walnuts.
Saturated fats - butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, fatty meats
Trans fats - commercially prepared foods such as packaged popcorn, french fries, muffins, cakes, pizza dough, pie crust, chocolate drink mixes, potato chips, candy, frozen foods, soups, certain noodles, fast food, fried foods, processed foods, margarines
Hydrogenated fats - hard butter, margarine, vegetable shortening, non-dairy whipped dessert topping, cake frosting, white bread, non-dairy creamers, tortilla, fast food, donuts, peanut butter, icecream, white bread
* Olive oil contains both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
Consuming the wrong kinds or excess fat has an unavoidable and dangerous dark side to it. Foods high in fat leads to weight gain, obesity, overstimulates the hormonal system, clogs arteries and increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer of the reproductive organs (ovaries, cervix). Also can lead to rectal, cervical, prostate, colon and breast cancer.
It's important to observe your diet, take a serious look at your eating habits. How much of fat do you consume? What kind of fat is present in your every day food (breakfast, lunch and dinner)? Do you consume food containing saturated fats, trans fats and hydrogenated fats or do you make a conscious choice of having healthy fats in moderation? Do you read food labels before you purchase them? Here are some tips for what to avoid and what to have to ensure your body gets the right kind of fat in just the right amounts for a healthy lifestyle.
- Go for lean meat, fish, skinless chicken, and fat-free or low fat dairy products (low fat cheese, skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt).
- Eat fruits and vegetables that are naturally low in fat.
- Avoid fried foods, processed foods, and commercially prepared baked goods (pastries, cakes, cookies, donuts)
- Consume less of egg yolks, cheese, whole milk, cream, ice cream, and red or fatty meats.
- Read food label for presence and level of saturated fat and avoid or limit such food.
- When you find food label that says "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated", avoid them, they are loaded with bad fats.
- Use less oil in your cooking.
- Few tablespoons of olive oil for cooking or in your salads will contribute to good health.
- Include food containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (oil and nuts must be consumed in moderation; for any excess calories will get converted to fat)
Monday, 25 June 2012
JON BON JOVI - HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME
'Have a little faith in me' a lovely song by Jon Bon Jovi. Enjoy!
JENNIFER ANISTON'S SUPER SMOOTHIE - A WONDER HEALTH DRINK
I have always been a fan of Jennifer Aniston from the time I used watch her in the popular t.v. series 'Friends'. After 'Friends' ran for a decade and came to a closure in 2004, we have always watched her movies. One amazing fact about Jennifer Aniston is that, she has hardly aged, though she is 43. She looks amazingly healthy with glowing skin and a wonderful toned body. She can easily pass for a young woman in her 20's. So how does she manage that. She has a tough fitness routine combining strength training, cardio (spinning, running, the elliptical) , yoga three times a week and pilates once a week. She also believes in 8 hours of sleep and drinking plenty of water and eating healthy. If a celebrity as busy as her can find time to eat healthy, work out and stay fit, anyone who aspires to be more healthy or fit or lose weight, achieve their goals. The important thing is your desire to stay fit and eat healthy should be a decision based on the fact that you realize why and how important it is to be healthy and no one other than you can nurture your health.
Once in a week, Jennifer Aniston is said to have a wonder smoothie, a super health drink, using fresh organic vegetables. It prevents bloating, helps mood swings, eases water retention and has blood cleansing benefits (by helping to clear blood of accumulated toxins). The smoothie is made using beetroot, carrot, cucumber, spinach, parsley, garlic, celery and kale.
You can try it too for a glowing health. The vegetables and greens are anyway, wonder foods with great health benefits.
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| Jennifer Aniston with boyfriend Justin Theroux in Paris (June 12) |
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