Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Mini goals..Baby steps...

Everywhere you look these days, you see signs and posters telling you that you can do anything, you can be anything, if you just put you rmind to it.  Well, I have been thinking and dreaming about big changes in my life.  About being a better person, not just for myself, but in a way that I can make a positive difference in some one else's life as well. Like most of us middle class mortals, I have my daily trials and tribulations to deal with, and the weeks and months just zip by.  Most of all, I would love to do a one-minute meditation and  be transformed into an enlightened soul overnight.  To be rid of common evils such as anger and judgementalism.  To have complete control over my thoughts, speech and actions, and to throw myself into service towards mankind. 

Well, this is all very good, and seems quite possible.  But it takes time (a lot of it), and tremendous effort, and just the thought of doing anything more or different in a day where every minute is planned and accounted for, exhausts me!  So, I decided to do what a lot of self-help gurus advocate doing - take it one day at a time, baby steps, if you will, towards your ultimate goal.  For those of you who have been following this blog, we already have two things we do daily  - drink more water , and meditate for 30 seconds.  Cleanse the body, and the mind, easy, peasy! 

So, before we plunge into making a list of some of the things we would like to achieve in the near future ( I am one of those people who couldn't work without a list !),  I suggest taking another piece of good advice  - take deep breaths!  Now, calm and focussed, here is our baby-step list to becoming less frenzied and more "accomplished" beings (below is my personal list - please add your comments and suggestions - I value and love your feedback!) :

1)  Make weekly menu and shop accordingly in advance
2)  Keep car clean
3)  Exercise
4)  Have groomed nails, shiny hair and always accessorize to look well put together
5) Host tea party for friends

Okay, so I have a few more which are actually more like Big Foot steps and so I am going to leave those out for now, for fear of feeling overwhelmed just by reading them.  I think structure, focus and maybe even minimalism (zero clutter) will help me with the hefty ones, but let's start small and take it from here. 

I will keep you updated...don't forget to share your thoughts with me.  Cheers!



Friday, February 10, 2012

My new love...Grapefruit!

In an attempt to switch to a healthier lifestyle, I find myself hunting for great tasting raw foods, and I am  absolutely in love with grapefruit.  Most people I know always shunned them because they tend to be slightly bitter and/or sour.  I ,on the other hand, have always loved things with a slight bitter twist to them, like tonic water, for example (which is a no-no, since it is soda, after all).  Some prefer to eat grapefruit with a sprinkling of sugar. 

For those of you who 'd like to become fellow devourers (is that really a word?) of grapefruit, please feel free to indulge in some fresh grapefruit salad (recipe in one of my previous posts - Grapefruit Salad, this post also lists some of the myriad benefits of consuming this fruit).   Benefits extend to the peel, which is used for dual purposes.  Grapefruit peel oil is used for massages for it's anti-aging properties.  Grapefruit peel masks and scrubs act as great exfoliants.  Apart from all this, it comes in three great colors - white, pink and red.  So mix it up!


I always look forward to your comments on your experiences with healthy whole foods and your journey to a holistic lifestyle.  Do drop me a note sometime.  Stay Healthy, Stay Happy!



Wednesday, February 1, 2012

What's new in the New Year

So, at first, I dilly-dallied between whether the new year warranted one or more resolutions  (since it is so hard to keep 'em anyway!).   Now, after a whole month has gone by, after much thought and re-thought, I have decided on a new me!!  Yes, that's right - it's either no goals, or, a huge hefty ovewhelming one!  It is time for a new me - a more mindful, less stressed, much-more-pleasant-to-be-with me.  Which is not to say, I no longer care about my outward appearance, losing weight and looking great, but this time, I intend to put the focus on working from the inside-out.
Having said that (and, this is so much easier said than done...), I decided to launch a full blown attack on the best sellers out there on healthy living.  Also, I repeatedly pestered those people in my life who do nothing but support me (they may be very few, but I am so thankful to have them!), trying to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses, and how I could start on this journey to -ahem- 'nirvana'.  In my future posts, I am going to dish out advice on not just healthy food for the body, but also for the mind. For mastering the mind is mastering one's life, it is the only way to be truly happy (worded by yours truly after digesting several books and conversations on joy and peace!). 

To make sure I don't fall off the wagon without a fair shot at my new goals, I have decided to start off with easy and doable daily goals:

1) Drink plenty of water - Drink up, buttercup!   The benefits of drinking water regularly are many, including flushing the body of toxins, moisturizing the skin, increasing productivity and improving the immune system.

2) Half a minute of silence - This is not limited to observing a half-minute vow of silence, but also silence of the mind - to slow down it's galloping nature and rein in those endless thoughts of the past and future.  This helps us become aware of our inner self, our surroundings and feel at peace.  Half a minute sounds miniscule, but you will find that this is in reality a long long time to keep the mind still, at least when you first begin.

I am sure there are a lot of you out there that have similar goals and can relate and advise, and I urge you all to be a part of this excursion to attain peace and happiness.  Please feel free to post your thoughts and experiences and suggestions.