SOURCE::::: INPUT FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS… NICELY CATEGORISED IN AN ALPHABETICAL ORDER …A MUST READ FOR PERSONS CARVING FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION AND ALL OTHERS AS A TIMELY ADVICE AND TIP FOR AVOIDING OBESSITY……

Natarajan

A
AVOID ALCOHOL: You booze, you lose! Alcohol increases your levels of the hormone leptin, which in turn makes you crave sweets.Don’t want to be branded a teetotaller? Order a glass of Sauvignon Blanc – 119 cals per 5 ounces.

B
BREAKFAST: A good breakfast with fibre and protein will keep you full till lunchtime and help you avoid bingeing. Opt for multi-grain cereal, lowfat curd or fruits to kick-start your metabolism.

C
CORTISOL: Prolonged stress leads to high levels of cortisol which makes you crave junk foods. Solution: deal with long-standing stressors. As for short-lived ones, treat yourself to an oil massage.

D
DENSITY: Go for grub with an energy density of two or less. To calculate this, simply divide the calories by the weight in grams (per serving). Stay at it and watch the pounds melt faster.

E
EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS: Go no longer than five hours between meals. Several small meals through the day lead to a better metabolism and greater control over binges.

F
FRUCTOSE: Ditch the artificially sweetened juices and sodas and get your fructose from natural sources such as fruits. Because natural fructose is kinder to your waistline.

G
GUM: Chewing on gum helps cleanse the mouth of bacteria, satisfies a sweet-tooth and reduces your urge to eat. The next time you feel the urge to reach for a biscuit packet, try a piece of sugarless gum instead for a zero-calorie treat.

H
HEART-HEALTHY FOODS: Overweight people face a greater risk of heart disease. So, switch to olive and vegetable oils. Fill up on omega rich foods like walnuts and fatty fish. Choose non-fat dairy products and lean cuts of mutton and skinless poultry.

I
INSULIN: The amount of insulin you secrete may dictate your diet. High insulin secretors shed more weight on a low-carb diet and less on a lowfat/high carb diet. Got a jelly belly? You secrete excess insulin and could benefit from fewer carbs.

J
JOURNAL: Write down everything you eat and you could cut your intake by 1,000 calories a day. Food journaling may seem boring but goes a long way in making you aware of what you eat and thereby helps you shed pounds.

K
KETOSIS: Ketosis refers to the point where your body runs low on carbs and burns fat for fuel. Therefore, ketosis jump-starts a diet. Restrict carbs and lose more initially. Later, allow yourself wholegrain cereals and roti, in moderation.

L
LOW BLOOD SUGAR: This is often the reason for between-meal cravings especially for sweet. When it strikes, reach for naturally sweet foods such as fruits and accompany it with a little low-fat dahi for a healthy dose of protein.

M
MILK: Get better results from your workout by downing milk. Two cups of skim milk after intense weightlifting can build more muscle and burn twice as much fat as drinking fruit juice. But go with real cow’s milk as it’s more beneficial than soya milk.

N
NUMBERS: Nobody enjoys weigh-ins, but people who hop on the scale once a day are more likely to lose and maintain their loss. Make a standing appointment for yourself. But try to strike a balance rather than obsess over the number you see.

O
OMLETTE: Eggs are an ideal protein source. Protein helps build muscle, which will fry more calories per pound than fat. Bonus: You burn about 25 per cent of the eggs’ calories just by digesting them.

P
PEANUTS = PROTEIN: Take the edge off your appetite by snacking on a handful of peanuts everyday. Because, protein is the “secret” to weight control. Peanuts also boost your resting metabolic rate due to their fatty acid content.

Q:
Q 10
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the nutrients needed to produce energy. Most people an energy – mg a day. Other benefits include a stronger immune system. Besides, it’s also a great antioxidant.

R
REPLACEMENTS: Replace any silly weight loss pills you have been advised to take, with a good low fat smoothie.You will lose just as much weight without the side-effects of a pill.

S
SLIP-UPS: Slip-ups are bound to happen.Anticipate them. Instead of letting them derail your efforts, learn from them and get right back on track by simply keeping your eye on your target.

T
TEA: The fat-busting benefits of green tea boil down to disease-fighting compounds called catechins. Max your results by steeping your tea for longer. The darker the hue of your brew, the more catechin-rich the cup.Add some lime to tone down the bitterness.

U
USER-FRIENDLY: There are a million fad diets around; your friends are probably trying some too. But what helps you lose weight isn’t the type of diet but compliance with it. Find a plan you can live with so you’ll stick to it.

V
VINEGAR: Studies show that consuming 4 tbsp of a vinegar mixture with a high-carb diet drops your calorie intake by 275 per day. If you can’t stomach vinegar, mix into a low-fat dressing to add zing to your salad.

W
WATER: It quenches thirst without the calories. Infact, water also ups your caloric burn rate. Sipping six extra 8-ounce glasses a day can burn 17,400 more calories (about 5 pounds of fat) per year.

X
XYLITOL: Xylitol is a natural substance found in vegetables that tastes and looks just like sugar. But while sugar harms, xylitol protects against disease and has anti-ageing benefits. In its crystalline form, it can replace sugar in cooking.

Y
YOGA: Normal-weight women who practise yoga for four or more years will gain three pounds less over 10 years than those who don’t. Grab your mat and get breathing!

Z
Zs
When you skimp on sleep, your brain thinks you’re low on fuel and sends a message to your stomach to start growling.Women who sleep for 5 hours or less are an average of 5 pounds heavier than women who snoozed for 7 hours.Want to stay slim? Hit the pillow.

Courtesy: Rajendra Deshpande and A.V.Ramanathan

Exercise the mind gym to relieve stress

SOURCE:::::ARTICLE BY RANJINI MANIAN IN” BUSINESS LINE “….

Natarajan

The other day in class, one of our cross-cultural course participants from Canada asked me if I had any Indian method to share on stress relief.

He was six feet tall and had a tough body, which he had clearly kept in shape by toning it regularly.

Seeing his obvious interest in physical fitness, I decided I would share with him an age-old Indian method for toning the mind.

I had read the points in a book by Berkley professor-turned spiritual teacher, Eknath Easwaran.

Just as we spend a good amount of time on our physical wellbeing and use Dumbbells for muscle strengthening, it is also necessary to do some balanced will strengthening with D BELLS.

This acronym could help us remember six things that will take us towards a reduced stress life. The word is D BELLS.

D – Do be kind

Whenever you have an opportunity to say, do, or even think, choose kindness consciously over the automatic unkind word or deed or even thought that arises in connection with a colleague, a partner or a family member, especially if they are younger in age or lower in status.

Being charitable each time means strengthening your will.

One of my clients recently told me about a team member he usually finds to be lazy and acrimonious. She came to work one day with swollen eyes and he asked if she had been crying. She immediately went on the defensive, saying, “Why would I do that? It’s just that something got into my eyes.”

But my client refused to accept her answer. He repeated the question, and said, “Please don’t hesitate to tell me if there is anything at all I can do for you anytime, I am here to help you.” She broke down and said she was in need of money. He helped her out in a small way and felt good.

But he realised that the feeling was mostly not about the monetary help, but more about the kindness he had managed to show instead of the usual, unkind way he had of brushing her off as a “difficult” person.

Kindness has a two-way effect — it makes the recipient feel good, and it fills the doer with a feeling of well-being, a great stress-buster.

However, it’s hard to practice with a person one doesn’t share a ‘vibe’ with, and that’s where will strengthening comes in.

B – Be patient

This is also hard to do in today’s hurried world. When someone doesn’t get to the point we feel like finishing their sentences for them. When we send out an e-mail request, we want instant action. That’s the time to practice patience. Each instance of patience successfully practiced is equal to a “rep” in will strengthening.

E – Escape need to sound clever at another’s expense

Often we come up with a caustic remark, a repartee, a joke at which our audience may laugh and that makes us sound so clever, but at someone else’s expense — someone who is hurting deep down because of it.

There’s an overwhelming need to escape this tendency at meetings or at the dining table, and to break the habit of simply biting our tongue, thus, strengthening our will to resist boosting our own image by damaging someone else’s.

L – Leave early for work

It could also be for a meeting or an appointment. We all intend to leave early, but something always ‘comes up’.

And that is what we have to prevent. Forcing ourselves to leave just a little earlier needs willpower and disciplined time management, but it pays off, as we find we can get a lot done. Again, an excellent stress buster.

L – Leave work at work when you go home

This is equally hard, if not harder still, especially with the beeping, blinking devices which bind us to our work. Whenever we are able to leave the job and truly go “home”, we can say we have strengthened our will. The other day, I did it for a half day, which I had promised to spend with my mother, and the satisfaction I had was tremendous!

S- Sort out differences harmoniously

When differences come up, as they’re bound to, and voices are raised, our tendency is always to out-shout the other. Or worse, to walk out of the room!

But sorting out differences in a peaceful manner, using a quiet and controlled tone even when the other is ranting, has an amazing effect on strengthening ourselves and eventually wins the other over too. I tried it with a particularly difficult colleague and the sense of power over myself I enjoyed was worth more than the earlier sense of having “won” over the other by having it my way.

So let’s practice D BELLS along with the Dumbbells we lift at the gym, and the fitness of the body will work in tandem with the fitness for the mind.

(The author is the Founder CEO of Global Adjustments, a relocation and cross-cultural services company)

Keywords: Physical finess, also toning mind, Berkley professor, spiritual teacher, book, Eknath Easwaran, D Bells