Trying to eat healthy? Make a lifestyle change

It is one thing to change your food habits and another to stick to it. Most of the time when we change our meal plan from super rich, deep fried and heavily coated outside food to bland food which is either boiled or steamed, it is difficult to stick to it. To sustain it in the long run, a smarter alternative would be to execute an overall change in our lifestyle and walk towards a healthier you.

In the long run it is best option to go for an overall lifestyle change which might also rub along onto your near and dear ones. Some of the changes which we can incorporate in our eating habits to bring in an overall lifestyle change are put down below. From my personal experience, these are the most practical and sustainable.

Substitute Whole grains with refined flour:

Most of the bakery products and Indian junk foods are made out of refined flour which is unhealthy. To add to it is also deep fried which is a double whammy to the person who consumes it. The problem is that most of the office cafeterias and houses store these up for convenience sake not keeping in mind the best interest of the employees. Some of them are just ignorant about the perils of eating food prepared using refined flour. The best option would be to replace any refined flour products with a whole grain based food item. For example a white bread sandwich with loads of mayonnaise and refined fat can be replaced with a whole grain bread sandwich with vegetables or minced chicken/tuna. Sometimes even parotta's and chapathi made in hotels and office cafeterias are made more out of refined flour(maida) which can be replaced with whole wheat flour. Refined flour adds lots of empty calories with no nutrition at all.

Eat more fruits and vegetables:

For people who are not used to fruits and vegetable regularly it will be an uphill climb to inculcate this habit but a small inclusion during the lunch, snack and dinner time will make a huge difference in the overall increase in fibre consumption. Even though the dietary recommendation is 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables for an adult Indian, even half the quantity to begin with will bring in a positive sea change in our overall health benefits. Start having an apple everyday on the way to work and include fresh vegetables and sprouts if possible during the lunch break. Once you are conscious about making these changes in your eating habits it will be a breeze after some time to figure out ways and means to include maximum fruits and vegetables.

Eat leaner meat or better look for alternate source of protein

Switching over to lean meat is probably what is required in our Indian diet with high incidence of cardiac cases due to our genetically weak arteries and our stressful inactive urban lifestyle. It is always prudent to switch over to lean meat and keep the option of red meat for the occasional family get together which happens once or twice a year during major festivals. You can also replace the entire animal protein intake with a plant based protein which is a huge benefit with nil animal based fat. Even though it will be difficult initially, restrict your intake of the same to once a week and probably include it in your cheat day (more on this later)

Cut back on Sweets:

There is no reason to be given in Indian homes for sweets to make an entry on to the dining table. There are sweets for every occasion and during the many festivals that we celebrate. I need to accept sheepishly that it is difficult to stay away from them. The best solution I have figured out is not to bring it home in the first place.Nevertheless this is the most difficult dietary pitfall to avoid with all the temptations around us. Earnestly working towards replacing sweets with healthy options is something which I have figured out and it now works for me. Another fallacy which is prevailing now is diabetes sweets which I presume is just as bad as the regular ones. So stick to the time tested method of avoiding them completely and replace them with healthier options.

Implement these changes gradually. Over a period of time you can become an expert in working out the best and healthiest meal plan for you and your loved ones. Never commit to drastic changes from day one. Sooner or later you are bound to slip up and get back to your old habits. The key over here is to recondition our brain with slow and regular healthy habits which in the long run is more practical and beneficial.

Another thing I always tend to do, is have a cheat day. Here I usually stick to one meal, preferably Lunch, where I do not restrict myself with anything I eat. The only thing I ensure is that I will never go overboard and allow some of my old temptations to kick in. Well there are many ways one can inculcate good habits and sometimes it is sensible and prudent to follow someone who has walked the path rather than reinventing the wheel. The whole idea is to change one’s lifestyle positively and ensure we lead a healthy, content and guilt free life.

How to meditate daily

The Power of meditation needs to be experienced to be believed. It is one of the simplest, yet also the most powerful to reign in focus in oneself. Anyone can cultivate the habit of meditation. It is the least time consuming and the end result is something to be experienced

Most of them believe that meditation requires years of practice and is time consuming. On the contrary it is just the opposite. It is a habit easy to develop and even people who are hard pressed for time can do it in a couple of minutes and experience the amazing power of communicating with one’s mind. Can any other habit be compared to this, in terms of ease and immediate result? I would like to share some lessons learnt through practice which I have developed over a period of time.

Why meditate
There are many reasons one needs to meditate but I would like to list some of the important ones below

1. It helps to relieve stress and most importantly helps you relax.

2. When you practice mindfulness, you can carry it out to the outside world.

3. Mindfulness helps you to savour life, change habits, live simply and slowly and most importantly be present in whatever you do.

4. Meditation has been proven to improve mental benefits like improve focus, clarity and improve performance.

5. Meditation has also been proved to have other health benefit like improved metabolism, improved blood circulation and increase in one’s energy level.
Actually some of the biggest benefits of meditation are hard to explain. You will begin to understand it better and go on a journey of self discovery once you start practicing the same. One thing for sure is that you will tend to have a higher level of self awareness which you would have never experienced before.
Simply sitting for a few minutes of meditation will bring us to an oasis of calm and relaxation that we rarely find in our lives these days.

How to practice meditation daily
There are many ways and means to meditate, but our quest is to figure out a simple and practical way of communicating with ourselves. The important learning from this article is to develop a regular habit of meditation, simple steps to which are listed below

Commit to less than 10 minutes a day
One needs to spare just under 10 minutes to start of the practice of meditation. Committing such a small amount of time initially will make one look forward to it every day. Consciously committing just about 10 minutes a day will be the initial step one would take in the journey of self discovery.

Pick a regular time and trigger
It helps in picking up a regular time during the day. Exact time everyday is not the need of the hour. Pick a time like early morning or during lunch time or even in the evening. The trigger should be something like when you drink the first cup of coffee, read the newspaper or even brush your teeth first thing in the morning. Generally when we associate a habit with a particular time and trigger, it eventually becomes easier to follow.

Find a quite place and sit comfortably
Sometimes early morning when everybody in the house is still asleep is a good time. An unused conference room at work also serves the purpose. Even a quiet corner in a public park is good enough. Do not think too much about how you sit. Being comfortable in the position is good enough. I personally sit on the floor and ensure that I do not have any support for my back to feel the energy flowing through my body. For others even sitting in their office chair or any quite corner at work or home is good enough.

Start small  
It is prudent in any endeavour to start small and so it is with any new habit. Practice meditating for 2- 3 minutes initially for a week to ten days and then gradually increase the duration as per your commitment. The crux here is to start small and move forward. Once you master meditating for 2-3 minutes then it will be easier to do the same thing for a longer duration of time. With this method you are more likely to succeed and make it a part of your life.

Focus on your breath
As you breathe, focus on the energy moving in through your nostrils and throat and eventually filling up your lungs and belly region. When you follow the journey of the breath, just be present in the situation. It also helps if one can hold the breath in this position for 10-20 seconds and release it gradually. What I also tell myself when I do this activity is that I am breathing in positive energy and breathing out negative energy. This gives me an opportunity to condition my mind. If you find your mind wandering initially just focus on the breath moving through your body and eventually with enough practice it will become that much easier.

So this is meditation which is simple yet profound and is bound to give results immediately to any person who can commit less than 10 minutes of their time day or night. With most of us hard pressed for time and looking at shortcuts to do things, meditation will stand as a beacon to navigate us towards mindfulness in this chaotic world.
I do hope most of you who go through this article start practicing meditation and share your wonderful journey with others. People who are already practicing meditation can also share some of their creative ideas that they have been using or have learnt over the years.

As usual would love to hear your comments and look forward to hearing from you all.

The magic in waking up early

I have found that waking up early was one of the best things I have done when I started to change my Life. The magic is not only in greeting the new dawn but also in getting a couple of extra hours to do the most important things in our life. You might like to know that I am up at 4.30-5.00am every day, and my life has changed drastically over the years, due to my early rising.

For many years I was a late riser, just about getting out of bed like everybody else, hurrying through the morning coffee while barely reading the newspaper, getting ready and rushing to work. Over the years as I started practising Yoga, I started getting up by 5 Am. Of late I have started running on alternative days and I happen to get up by 4.30 Am and hit the tarmac.  Some days when I am really tired or hit the bed late then I still manage to get up by 5.30am which is still a decent time to get up. Here are some of the tips I would like to share to help you become an early riser.

Allow yourself to sleep early:

You might be used to sleeping in late after a heavy dinner and watching television or browsing the net. Somewhere you have to draw the line especially with the latest finding indicating that sleep deprivation and lack of exercise is a ticking time bomb which all of us are facing. If you continue with these habits and continue to get up early, sooner or later one of it is going to give way and most probably it will be with you trying to become an early riser. I would suggest going to bed early and even if you are not sleepy, try reading  a book or even better declutter your mind(More on this later).With so much of stress and commute time on Indian roads, in no time you will go to sleep once you start practising this. It would also help, if you move the television out of the Bedroom. Television in the bedroom is the number one culprit which plays havoc with our sleep patterns.

Do not make drastic changes:

Just practice getting up 15-20 minutes early everyday and eventually move towards your final objective of getting up at the crack of dawn. By doing this, one is slowly conditioning the mind to accept change gradually which in the long run is sustainable. I personally used this technique for a period of a month till I eventually got used to getting up by 5.30 Am.

Place your alarm clock as far away as possible:

If you tend to keep your alarm clock or mobile close to you, then it is easy to shut it off and go back to sleep. However if you keep it at  a little distance where you might have to take a few steps to turn it off, then the first initial steps have already been taken by you. Once you walk a few steps then head out of the bedroom either into the wash room or grab a big glass of water which would hydrate you wonderfully. By now you are up and you just need to stay up. I always drink half a litre of water and head out immediately to the wash room to put some cold water on to my face. This still works for me and I see no reason why it should not for you.

Make waking up early a pleasure activity
Yes, it might be that initially that you are forcing yourself to get up early, but once you make it pleasurable, then you will never regret the decision. The mind always works with you, when you link it with a pleasure activity. Once you link it to a pleasure activity then you will look forward to getting up early, fully charged and with high expectations. My reward even now post my run/yoga is to sit with a hot cup of coffee with the day’s newspaper for waking up early, and using it productively. Other rewards for you might be watching the sun rise or mediating or even doing deep breathing exercises. Find something that’s pleasurable for you, and allow yourself to do it as part of your morning routine.

Take advantage of the extra time

Do not wake up early and do things which are not productive, make use of this extra time to do some of the most important things which will impact you positively in your life. It might be mediating or even exercising, or for some, reading a book. It is a huge opportunity to get a jumpstart for the day and do not miss grabbing this opportunity with both your arms.

Enjoy the break of dawn

There is magic in witnessing the dawn breaking out. It gives us new hope and changes our belief structure. So make it a point to at the least, see a minimum of 4-5 dawn breaks in a week, which I shall guarantee, will change your life drastically. There is absolute magic in the air when darkness changes over to light and it is beautiful and pleasing to see. It has become a favorite time of the day for me and getting up early has become a reward in itself for me.

As usual I would love to hear from you as to how this article impacted you positively. Do share this article in your social network circle amongst your family and friends. If this article has impacted you positively, then you need to share this with your dear and near ones. I am putting in my thoughts to reach out to maximum people and create a positive difference in each one of your life. I would never be able to do this alone, only with friends and family’s help would I be able to do what I have set upon to do. Thanks for spending your time in going through my thoughts.

How to turn bad habits into good habits

I was thinking about how easy it could be if one could just replace our bad habits with positive habits. Life would be that much less complicated if we could just about replace our habits of smoking, binge drinking, thinking negatively or even as a matter of fact, unhealthy eating.  Let’s accept the fact that all of us do have some or the other bad habits that pulls us down in more ways than one. Therefore in this article I would like to highlight ways to overcome bad habits and even better replace the same, with a good habit.

1. Identify the bad habit:

First things first, let’s be honest with ourselves and identify the bad habit without any prejudice. Once we are in sync with which habits of ours are pulling us down financially or emotionally, then we can start working on it immediately. The solution always lies in identifying the problem first and it is no different here.

2. Identifying the trigger:

Identifying the trigger is critical towards moving away from bad habits. For example when I was a chronic smoker I identified various triggers which made me light up. For me, sitting with friends for a drink or a cup of coffee was a sure way of lighting up. Therefore I took necessary precautions to avoid those situations and it’s been more than 5 years since I have lit up again. Identify all the triggers for each one of your bad habits.

3. Replace those triggers with a positive habit:

Once the triggers have been identified then it will be that much easier to replace it with a positive habit. Say for example, one tends to park themselves in front of the TV, late into the night then replacing it with a positive habit of reading a good book or listening to music will be a better alternative. The more creative one is, the easier it will be to replace our urges.

4. Be consistent for a month with the positive habit:

By experience and popular opinion it usually takes about 3-4 weeks for new habits to be formed in humans. It is essential to ensure that we stick on to any new formed habits for a month before it becomes an ongoing habit. When I cultivated a habit of waking up early, it was a disaster for the first month but it has become a habit now and I tend to get up more or less at the same time every day. So any habit formation in the human mind does tend to become a habit when done consistently over a period of 25-30 days.

5. Avoid situations where you tend to get back to your old habits:

Once you have decided to stick on to the new habit it is important that we avoid situations which might influence our new habit. If you normally drink or smoke when you go out with your friends, I would suggest that you stay away for some time in doing this. The first thing I did when I kicked the habit of smoking was not taking any breaks during office hours, I also scheduled meetings immediately after my lunch since that was the time when the urge to smoke was overbearing. How you come out with your own game plan is critical, to stay on with the new behavior generator.

6. Realize that the urges will be strong but will eventually fade away

The urges for the bad habit will come out in waves and initially it will be strong.  Eventually if we resist either by doing some deep breathing, mediation, walking around or even exercising, then the urge will fade away. The first few minutes of weathering the storm is important to condition our mind to taste success in our new habit generator.

7. Ask for help:

Get your family and friends to help and support you in your new habit formation. Even seeking support from an online forum and reaching out to people who might have overcome similar bad habits will give you new insights. With technology at our fingertips, reaching out to people who are facing the same predicament should not be that much of an issue. On the contrary asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of being responsible for ourselves and for the people who care for us.

8. Stay positive:

Whenever negative thoughts do come, always replace it with a more powerful positive thought. Say for example if you feel like accepting your friends request for a night out then replace it with a positive thought of exercising or going home and eating a simple home cooked meal with your loved one. There will be many instances where you will be tempted to be influenced, but if you stick on to your objectives you will eventually walk a better person.

9. Failure is not the end of the road:

As in any new endeavor, failing to stick on to a new positive habit is no cakewalk. Be ready to fail many times in reaching your objective and more importantly as long as you learn from your failure it will never be a wasted effort. Remember all successful people failed many a times before they eventually succeeded. Therefore accept failure gracefully and move on with a different strategy, a positive and a can do attitude.

When I do look back at lot of bad habits which I have navigated successfully by using the above pointers, I realize that the journey was more enjoyable than the destination itself  and in each failure the lessons learnt have made me a better person. I am sure each one of you will experience the same in your journey.

If you liked this article do share this on your social network circle and would also love to hear your own experience here on overcoming bad habits and the strategies you have used. The whole purpose of me writing this Blog is to reach out to maximum people and impact them positively, and it will not be possible by me alone.

Road Map for a Flat stomach

The most frequently asked question, when it comes to overall fitness is how to reduce the mid-section. Be it a lady or a man it is probably one of the top reasons why so many plan to hit the gym or get into any kind of physical activity at all.

What is that makes a flat stomach so elusive for most of us and how does one ensure to trim down the waist line and more importantly maintain it.

It’s all together another fact that we Indians are predisposed to accumulation of belly fat. Moreover with changes in our dietary habits and our sedentary lifestyle, it is important we start working on it right away.

I too started hitting the gym with a determination of flaunting a six pack but soon realised that having a flat stomach and maintaining one is more practical than going for a bolly wood style six pack.  I would like to highlight the following pointers for anyone who is looking for a flat midsection.

There is no spot reduction:

One should realise that body fat does not reduce from one particular area in the human body but throughout the body. If anyone is just looking at loosing fat only in the mid-section then sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not possible. Be more practical and focus on changing your lifestyle and looking at long term lifestyle changes for you and your family. A general rule of the thumb is in maintaining a sharp diet and maintain a exercise routine regularly to burn more calories. The clear logic is - “calorie burned more than consumed will reduce body fat come what may”.

Cardiovascular exercise is the key:

Doing weight lifting or indulging in any other sports helps but the key is here doing some kind of cardio vascular exercise like brisk walking, running, cycling or swimming. When one indulges in cardio then the stubborn fat tends to disappear faster if supported by good eating habits and rest. The key is to do any kind of cardiovascular exercise for 30-45 minutes 4-5 times a week. If you can add some weight training along with it then it’s an added bonus though I will highly recommend it.

Reduce Fat and Sugar:

Typically our Indian diet is healthy and wholesome, but somewhere down the line we have got influenced by the western fast food culture which is definitely not helping the cause. If you can cut out meat, refined food and sugar from our daily food intake then the battle is half won. I would suggest you to replace these food cravings with healthier options like fresh fruits and vegetables. Once you are conscious about what’s going inside your mouth you will be amazed with the results.

Time is the essence:

Patience pays and it is no different in this area too. On the contrary losing weight and having a flat midsection needs to be a long term process and there is no quick fix solution, which youngsters are looking out for. Always look at losing 0.5 to 0.75 Kg in a week which is a healthy way to loose weight. Remember it is also important to enjoy the journey rather than only the destination. More than anything it is more important to sustain the weight loss for the rest of your life and lead a healthy lifestyle with a flat stomach. Believe me the feeling one gets when one sees a flat midsection in the mirror is something which I will leave each one of you to experience.

Adequate rest:

All the workouts and maintaining a clean diet is of no use if one tends to sleep for less than 7-8 hours As in my previous article I will reiterate that good rest is critical and maintaining a regular sleep pattern is important for each one of you especially in stressful times like these. Ensure that you maintain a regular snooze time of 7-8 hours at the minimum which will help you in the long run in developing your immune system and you can also work at your sub-conscious level (more on this later).

Getting a flat midsection should not be the only thing. With a steep increase in lifestyle diseases and spiralling health care costs, it is a big investment for ourselves and our family.To get into the rhythm is difficult initially but when one starts seeing results and the compliments start to flow in, it will surely make it more worthy than any other materialistic thing you would be looking forward to possessing, be it a swanky car or the latest LED TV.

I am alarmed at the way I see people around me abusing themselves, be it with unhealthy habits or total disregard to their body. Even though most of them want to be healthy, I feel that somewhere down the line priorities have changed drastically along with the economic growth which we are seeing around us. If all of us realise this and takes a step forward in the right direction then we can say that India will not only be a Super economic power in the years to come but also a healthy nation which according to me is far more important than being rich and unhealthy.I would like to end this article with a Quote 

"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear". Buddha (c. 563 BC to 483 BC)