Summer Superslimmers

When the refrigerators are lined up with berry coolers we know it time for the summer season to take over. The season is synonymous with fun, frolic and food. Unlike winter during which most of the time is spent indoors as a result of that the options on the food menu at home is limited, the summer season lays down a vast array of options in front of us to savoir.

You can treat yourself to an unending variety of drinks, coolers, snacks and desserts during the sunny summer days. But with so many options forcing us to gravitate towards the tastier foods, it is very important to control our tasty instincts and get hold of healthy choices. It’s important to be in harmony with the season to reap the benefits of good health. You should avoid gorging on cheesy pastas and stay closer to lighter foods like beans and broccoli. Summer time is the best to lose the extra pounds you always wished to. Losing weight does not necessarily mean sweating yourself out in the gym or starving yourself to death to achieve the desired fitness levels. The most important thing to remember is to eat right. Unlike the present trend losing weight is not about eating less but eating right. Many doctors and dieticians say that by not eating for longer periods we do ourselves more harm than good. So, always remember to eat right food, right portions and at the right time.

There are many summer foods out there which are more effective than any fitness centre around you. There are many foods which help you lose weight albeit not by burning your extra fat off, but in a very different manner. Such foods are called negative calorie foods. They are called so because the body uses up more calories to absorb these foods than the calories these foods return. For example, a negative calorie food “A” takes up 150 calories during the digestion process and returns 120 calories to the body, it ends up reducing 30 calories from the body thus resulting in a net loss of weight. The following fruits and vegetables are the best negative calorie foods: celery, carrots, garlic, lettuce, apples, grapefruits, oranges, pineapples, lemons and mangos.

Remember listed below tips this summer:

2. Onions: a cup of onions not only 64 calories but many anti-cancer agents. So grilling onions along with other veggies like lettuce, bell peppers and zucchini and eating them like kebabs really fills you up and also kills the calories.

3. Fruits: during summer season fruits like grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and cucumbers (yes cucumber is a fruit!!! A brother of the sweet melon) should be your best friends. All these fruits have a high water content making them low calorie but high volume fruits.

4. Cheat your way to health: by following a specific way and order of eating can help you cut down on your calorie intake. By consuming a high volume low calorie soup like cucumber-dill or gazpacho (whacky name right?) you can cheat your tummy into believing that you are pretty full and thus reduce your tasty high calorie food intake.

5. Water : although water does not provide you the important nutrients but it does take up some calories to get absorbed in the body, so stay away from the sodas and gulp down at least 2.5 liters of water a day to keep your skin glowing, system rehydrated and your metabolism perfect.

6. Patience: this is the most effective negative calorie food you have on the menu. It is important to understand that results will not be achieved overnight. You have to follow the above mentioned steps religiously to reach your destination of  “lessland”.

So this summer do not pay attention to the brochures of all the fancy diet or fitness centers which have you gravitating towards them by exploiting your desperate need to look in shape in time for your 35^th anniversary or your beach vacation to Australia!! Just eat right to feel light.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: Randal Droher and  churl on flickr.

An Ode to Motherhood

An angel once asked god “oh lord! What are you making?”

God answered “I am making a mother.”

So the angel asked again “my lord! What is a mother?”

And this is what god said:

“Since I cannot be everywhere, I am made a mother.

She is the one, who suffers the pain of birth,

Only to bring a new life to earth.

Her bosom is warm when it’s cold outside,

It’s where you can keep your secrets safely inside.

She doesn’t need words to speak,

Her eyes give you strength when you are meek.

The touch of her hand is the best life insurance,

Which gives you full cover without a premium.

She infantilizes you even when you become a dad,

Even then when you come home late, she gets mad.

She can touch your face to assure you of your weight loss,

And can barge into your office even when you’re the boss.

The pillows in the house reek of her,

The smell of her wet hair keeps the evil at bay.

A magical hug from her helps you find the right way.

She is the lighthouse in the storm that protects from the rocks,

She has tears in her eyes when the baby walks.

She can’t remember she herself is how old,

Only to remember when did you have your first cold.

So remember to give her some of the love back,

Because a mother is tireless and can never lack.”

The angel had tears in her eyes and said “oh lord! I wish I could have a mother too, who

Could love me like you just said.”

And then came god’s final reply “we aren’t that lucky dear, a mother is not god, not human, a mother

is magic”.

By Shiv Verma

This poem is brought to you by yogacarashop.com, your source of life style women’s clothing inspired by yoga.

Pamper your feet

When an Indian youngster touches the feet of his mother, father or any other elder in the house, he hopes to be showered with the blessings of health and wealth.

The act is like a protocol that has developed in India over the course of centuries. What is interesting to note is that even in the 21^st century where an infant can teach his grandfather how to operate an iphone this tradition is crystallized to almost perfection in India. Feet have always been an important part of Indian culture. In every Indian household one can see two small feet made of either gold or silver placed just outside the place of worship. This is because feet have always been the insignia of movement which in turn is a symbol of growth and prosperity.

With the modern day forces wreaking havoc on our joints whether it is from typing long documents to walking great lengths to reach office, our lower bodies especially our knees and feet have become our most neglected parts. We do not take care of our feet like the way we treat our eyes or skin. We do take chocolate baths to pamper our skin and place cucumber slices on our eyes to treat water bags below them but never pay attention to our pretty feet. It’s time that we look into the demands of our feet and keep them happy as well because just like eyes, on glance at a person’s “heels” can tell us what he feels. Chapped and cracked heels are a sign of a languid and negligent person. These are a few tips to keep your feet happy and healthy:

1. The most important thing to remember is that the best time to relax and pamper yourself is the night as you have the necessary amount of time at your disposal, so begin the pampering in the night.
2. Feet are very easy to please, so, a bucket of warm water with a little salt can really help sore feet.
3. Scrubbing your feet is also important to get rid of the dead skin, thus allowing your feet to breathe.
4. A regular rub of moisturizer is very important.
5. Apply a pack. Foot pack could be sandal powder, a little milk tomato paste and egg white. Allow this to dry for fifteen minutes and then lightly massage it off.
6. An invigorating and intensive foot therapy with thousands of “Fish” doctors taking care of you is also inviting. In this new form of feet revolution thousands of “garra rufa” fish nibble at your feet, eating small particles dead skin doing exactly what a scrubber does but with an added element of excitement and blanching of faces for some.
7. You can also apply a mixture of honey, rosemary oil and peppermint oil to your damp feet and leave it overnight to see your feet thanking you like never before.
8. There is nothing more uplifting than a true pressure massage. Getting a Thai foot massage once a month can really improve blood circulation thus helping you walk towards a better life.

Our feet are not just a combination of 26 bones, 33 joints, 46 ligaments and more than a hundred muscles but something way more important. So go ahead, ask your husband or wife to take you to a massage parlor and switch off your mind from the constant activity that your body especially your feet goes through every day and just pamper them till they can truly be called “happy feet”.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: mwrobison and  alles-schlumpf on flickr.

HIP-HOP YOGA might be perfect for you

“A photographer gets people to pose for him.  A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves”.

~Terri Guillemets

If there is one word that has become an important part of the modern day dictionary, it is “option”. The 21^st century offers to us an unending list of choices. These options whether in the areas of business, sports or even something as trivial as social networking have evolved with scintillating pace over the last decade due to creative pioneers in every field. One of those fields that have been revamped by the very pioneers aforementioned is yoga.

With facebook replacing football, our priorities and affiliations have changed over the last decade. We see many young people fighting the same old battle of survival. What have changed are the magnitude and the rules of the game. Unlike our grandparents we do not have the time to sit and introspect and try and foresee life plans for the next ten years. Today’s life is a receptacle of extremes which can be seen from the fat salary packages to the even fatter hospital bills. What we have learnt is the art of managing these extremes by finding the calmer waters of yoga and meditation.

“YOGA” or “YOG” is not just an ancient Indian practice confined to the jungles of ancient India but one of the most cosmopolitan forms of workout routines which can be seen in the plush lanes of Manhattan. Contrary to popular interpretations yoga is not just a practice of body postures known as “asana” but an ideology in itself, which strives towards helping a person attain total mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Ancient Indian gurus commonly known as “yogis” (someone who knows a lot about yoga) considered man’s journey to eternal bliss a 3 fold process. They believed that happiness had a hierarchy too with mental being at the apex followed by emotional and physical. This comes as revelation for those people who till now believed that “Yoga” or “yog” was just a physically oriented practice. But despite it spreading like wildfire to almost each and every country in the world within a very short period of time, it has started to lose its sheen. The reason for the same can be seen in the words of many young people practicing it. They often snub it as “boring”. And yes, sitting in front of an instructor badgering you with multiple instructions on how to do “surya namaskar” (greeting the sun), the right way can be physically rejuvenating but sometimes mentally tiresome. This is how a new wave of yoga called “HIP- HOP” yoga has been developed over the last 5 or 6 years. It contains all the quintessential elements of yoga as a whole but with a modern twist. This form has done away with the concept of silent absorption of instructions. On the contrary by giving yoga and its students a rhythmic structure to follow HIP-HOP yoga has eliminated the word “boring” from the yogic dictionary.

With live DJs replacing accompanying the wise old yogi to class at a nightclub at 1 Leicester square in London, HIP- HOP yoga has revolutionized the concept of yoga as a whole. Unlike its elder brother which attracted middle aged and elderly men and women, the registers of a HIP-HOP yoga center are filled with the names of young and enthusiastic dancers who leave the streets and give their talent a more definite shape. By associating a set of peppy beats with the existing values of yoga, the efficiency of the process increases. But when these two forms are combined their calorie busting powers also unite to give us some shocking results, a glimpse of which can be seen in the table below:

TYPE OF EXERCISE:                      CALORIES BURNT (PER H)

YOGA (AVG OF ALL FORMS)                         496

HIP-HOP (AVG OF ALL FORMS)                   450

HIP-HOP YOGA                                                   623

Thus this new age hybrid yoga, with a twist of modern hip-hop and the benefits of flexibility, strength, focus, expression and most importantly inner balance is nothing less than a dream car with the speed of Ferrari and the strength of an old school American muscle car. It burns calories and increases flexibility with an added element called “FUN”.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: aquababe on flickr.

Nature’s fascinating gift – HONEY

Honey, the golden drops made in heaven is the sweetest reminder of nature’s astonishing power of procreation. The dense golden liquid, often called liquid gold is not just the official currency of the natural world but an important part of our lives as well.

For centuries honey has been placed at the apex of the list of best nature’s gifts. Honey is formed when bees collect nectar from flowers and mix it with special enzymes. What sets honey apart from things like cane sugar and starches is the fact that it is a predigested product as a result of which it is easy on the stomach and saves it from digestive labor. It contains two invert sugars namely laevulose and dextrose as a result of which it is considered as the single most effective element to generate, create and replace energy and furthermore form certain tissues.

The list of benefits that associated with honey is endless. With vitamins like B1, B2, C, B5, B6 and B3 all of which change with respect to the quality of pollen and nectar, honey has anti – allergic and anti -septic properties. From treating local allergies to treating a cut honey has one of the widest spectrums of medical benefits.

In Europe honey has been used to help cure ulcers and to treat rheumatic fever and neuritis. As a beauty product honey has passed the text of time. It is one of the few products that in its purest form can be used everywhere from hair on our heads to the nails on our toes. Following is a list of some of the many magical properties of honey:

1. Honey mixed with ground almond is an excellent exfoliating face scrub.
2. It works very well on chapped lips because of its moisturizing properties.
3. Honey is a universal skin toner and soother and works well for all skin types.
4. Honey’s healing powers soften hands and even cure fungal infections.
5. One of the latest uses of honey is seen in the dental industry where it is being used as a mouth washing agent.
6. Mixing honey with some beaten eggs softens scalp and even prevents dandruff.
7. But most importantly honey is an extremely powerful element that helps prevent cancer.

As a result of these properties, bees are passive contributors to the economies of many countries like India and Nepal, where the honey industry employs thousands of people, and the art of beekeeping is carefully passed on from generation to generation. It is said that to make one jar of honey a single bee has to traverse the length equal to three times of that of the equator, therefore a bee is a considered to be a symbol of a hardworking and industrious community.

Often called the “drink of the gods,” honey is a symbol of true sweetness in an age dominated by preserved foods and artificial sweeteners. This is why the most romantic period in a couple’s life is called the “honeymoon,” which symbolizes the sweetest time in their lives. What can be sweeter than honey?

Photo credits: Tie Guy II on flicr.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Miracle of the flower

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower, our whole life would change.”

- Buddha

The scent of jasmine or the sight of roses packs a punch of expression more potent than the words of any romantic poet. There is nothing more enchanting than walking through a valley of flowers and experiencing the sweet scents enchanting our soul. Flowers have always been a part of our lives and have found a place in our imaginations. The symbolism associated with flowers has constantly been used to allude to gods like Venus, Diana and Apollo.

From the symbol of chivalry i.e. Daffodil to the symbol of sensuality i.e. jasmine, we have developed a second language of symbolism through flowers. Flowers are an integral part of most religious ceremonies around the world. They accompany a child in his/her cradle and a dead man to his last destination. The petals when connected together symbolize unity and beauty, but when separated and showered symbolize divine grace and blessing.

Many scientists “turned” philosophers believe that flower essences exert a strong influence on us by manipulating our emotions and attitudes through the electromagnetic fields that surround our bodies. Thus the term “energy machines” has often been used for flowers. Flowers have instant boost on our moods, have positive effect on our happiness and connect us to other people. Conventional medicine believes that if the body is free from disease or infirmity, one can be happy, but alternative therapies believe that mental happiness lead us directly to physical well-being.

Aromatherapy is a new stream of science that uses aroma of flowers and other natural elements for therapeutic purposes. In practice, aromatherapy uses plant and flower oil for a complex mixture of physical, mental, spiritual, and even psychological purposes. By applying the essential oils directly at a specific body part one can start the healing process instantly making it an extremely loved form of therapy. Laboratories around the world publish many lists of flower oils and their uses and benefits almost on a daily basis. One of many such lists has been published by http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk .  The list is as follows:

• Cravings
  to stop yourself from over eating sweet foods try vanilla; the sweet smell will help you to stop that sweet tooth.
• Stress
  to help beat the stress away try jasmine, frankincense, ylang ylang, grapefruit, lavender, sandalwood, geranium, rose, bergamot, benzoin, vetiver, mandarin or roman chamomile.
• Emotional baggage
  Many of us have some baggage trailing behind somewhere, to help put the past back where it belongs juniper berry is meant to work wonders.
• Uplift the spirits
  Jasmine is the oil to help bring out your sunnier side.
• Confidence
  To send your confidence soaring through the roof try a helping hand from bay laurel, bergamot, cypress, grapefruit, jasmine, rosemary or orange.
• Depression
  To lift depression, try these oils to change your mood; may chang, frankincense, lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, clary sage, sandalwood, ylang ylang, geranium, orange, neroli (orange blossom) and helichrysum.
• Insecurity
  these oils will help produce inner security and self-acceptance; frankincense, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver, cedar wood and bergamot.
• Loneliness
  many of us feel alone at times, these oils will help take that negative feeling away; rose, clary sage, frankincense and helichrysum.
• Happiness
  To help yourself become a happy, vibrant, full of life person, grapefruit, lemon, orange, rose, sandalwood and ylang ylang may well do the trick.

What sets aromatherapy apart from the more conventional forms of medicinal practices is the ease with which it can be practiced. The benefits of it can be reaped by just putting a few drops of the oil of your choice on your pillow cover while it secretly works its magic during the night, or by adding a few drops into your bathing water.

Many of us have also seen movies where an eccentrically dressed woman is trying to cure a man of a secret illness in a small village in India or Africa, by using various herbs. This is today called herbal therapy. Although, a very new admission to the school of science it’s getting its share of attention. Unlike aromatherapy, herbal therapy uses all parts of a plant from its roots to berries and even its bark. Despite occupying a position outside the conventional framework herbal medicines and products have become a rage with the world. In Germany alone some 600-700 plant based medicines are available and prescribed by over 70% of the physicians. All this has been achieved due to strict quality control measures and detailed clinical researches.

Thus with all their grace and tranquility flowers and plants act as  divine bands that help up stay connected to all things earthly around us. What sets flowers apart from other aspects of nature has been clearly put forward by Sigmund Freud “flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotion nor conflict”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com