Month: February 2016

“Tune in to Tuesday with tiny healthy treats”- Delna Pooniwala.

It’s Tuesday and you are back into the home & work routine.

Life is once again like an electric switch that you switch on in the morning and we go through the same things again in a robotic way and then switch off at night.

But let Tuesday be your Treat day. Think of ways to indulge yourself with healthy snacks. Get yourself an organic apple cinnamon bar or some dates or figs that you can munch on.

Tempt yourself with loads of healthy options around you so that your body doesn’t crave for the unhealthy ones.

Fab n Famous by Delna Pooniwala

“It’s Monday. Worry less & smile more”- Delna Pooniwala.

It’s very natural to have a rest-day for your workout or activity on Sunday and indulge along with family & loved ones with some special foods & possibly even put on a bit of weight.

As my mentor always says, “Life goes on in cycles” so nothing is going to be the same. There would always be changes. Your weight, health, circumstances, people in your life, priorities, the way you look or speak & your way of thinking.

On a Monday morning, when you know the routine for your week is starting you should be relaxed and stress free. Your Sunday with the family or friends or loved ones should have rejuvenated you.
Just sit calm for a few minutes and try to clear your mind of every single thought & then start your day knowing that this is a brand new week – A brand new opportunity for so many things you can do for the next 6 days.

If your weight is truly bothering you, try to balance it by consuming loads of fresh fruits throughout the day & being on a clear soup tonight & do not miss out on your workout for sure.

Always remember that if 2 days of wrong eating can get your weight go up, we have 5 more days of right eating to get it down again. So start your week feeling refreshed, de stressed and with a ‘smile’ in place for the week ahead.

“Start the day by capturing each wonderful moment of your life” – Delna Pooniwala.

There is such a big controversy with clicking your ‘pics’. Some elders in the household who were never exposed to this culture may also say it’s a mental disorder – So is it?

Just think about it- Would you ever take a picture of yourself when you were unhappy, sad or crying? Well of course not. We like to preserve memories that are happy and positive and that’s a very healthy habit.
We are so busy with our daily timetable life with a busy schedule that at times we feel our lives have become robotic.

So break away from the monotony and step out in the open. Feed your body on vitamin D that the sun so abundantly provides and feast your eyes with the cool greenery of nature.

Do the things that you would not usually do & capture those memories to share with the people who matter to you and also to remind yourself of these wonderful times.

Above all be positive and happy!!

“A healthy outside starts with what you eat” – Delna Pooniwala.

Do you really think that if you consume junk foods or commercially prepared food regularly, you would look beautiful?

Do you realize, when you complain of hair fall, it’s probably your diet that lacks minerals, iron, beta carotene, folate, magnesium and vitamin C.

Or when some people complain of acne, it may be the intake of foods that cause blood sugar to rise quickly, triggering a boost in insulin in their blood stream. Insulin may play a role in causing this acne. In fact, any food that is packed with oil & Trans fat, stiffens the blood cells making your skin look dull and tired.

Similarly, eating high sodium diets that are usually the case while consuming processed and commercial foods or regular intake of alcohol would cause puffy eyes.

Your Skin, Eyes and Hair are a reflection of your total body health and we need to eat right to look right.

“Attention to health, adds a Fabulous fragrance to life” –Delna Pooniwala.

Someone extremely dear in the family suffered from diabetes for more than 20 years. He would enjoy eating all kinds of foods & sweets and living a sedentary life and puncture his belly with insulin three times a day.

Despite his doctor counselling him, he did not bother and enjoyed life like a true ‘Parsi Bawaji’ till he realised his eyes had got degenerated due to the high levels of sugar. Luckily with the current laser technology, ruptured blood vessels can be sealed instantly while sitting in a consulting room itself. But it does not reverse the damage that wrong high sugar foods had caused.

Suddenly this person realised what wrong eating was doing to him and self awareness was the greatest eye opener. So he started daily walks, which were not easy initially. He could barely walk for 10 minutes at a stretch and would then rest a bit. But we saw to it that he walked an hour daily. His speed and stamina gradually increased. I planned out a diet regime too, which he had no choice but to follow and lost 10 kilos and his sugar level was within permissible range soon.

Today, the person is completely off insulin, leading a healthy life & does definitely indulge in party foods once in a while but it does not cause any alarm.

Paying attention to our health truly adds fragrance to life.

“Workout is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your struggle” – Delna Pooniwala

None of us are perfect because if we were, then we would have little scope for improvement. However, it is extremely important to carry the correct ‘self image’ of ourselves & then be honest.

Many a times when we are overweight, we try to fool ourselves saying “I don’t care… I am fine the way I am… I eat and enjoy everything and don’t bother… I like the way I am”. At times, we stop feeling like dressing up well and grooming & beautifying ourselves too.

With all these wrong messages going to the mind, we confuse our inner self and never truly find the real self.

Its only when you find your true self, that you would be able to address the issue. “I am a bit plump… I need to reduce 15 kgs… I need to set a target & time-frame…. I need a road-map with multiple check points”.

Always face an issue – Never run away from it and gradually, without losing hope, when you start working on your plan, would you discover that you have created a completely ‘new YOU’.

“You don’t have to eat less. You just have to eat right” – Delna Pooniwala.

Over the years people have heard so extensively about fad diets that they have started believing that the word ‘Diet’, means starvation. Youngsters stay on coffee or soup for days & some opt to be indefinitely on fruits only.

A Diet is supposed to be custom designed to suit your activity and lifestyle, keeping in mind your personal requirements and likes or dislikes. You are supposed to enjoy being on a routine and feel energetic.

There are days where you may be cleansing or detoxifying your system & may require to stay only on fruits but it is not indefinitely.
Your daily intake should also compliment your workout. So if you have had a session of extensive weight training, you may require a pre-workout snack to sustain you through the course of your workout & protein replenishment to help in the reconstruction of broken down muscles after the session.

The most important thing here is to consume the recommended daily calorie intake and not any more or too less. But yes! You need to eat right.

“A woman’s body is a temple. Worship it with respect”. – Delna Pooniwala.

A woman’s body is the most sacred creation one can think about. She has a body that houses a foetus for months while she feeds it and carries it & finally bears the pain of bringing them into this world and giving them life. She gets involved in raising her baby and shoulders so many various responsibilities.

It is a natural process that her body that has undergone so many changes would possibly get a few stretch marks and not be as taught as it used to earlier. Her tummy may even sag a bit.

It is extremely difficult to get back into shape but definitely possible. A healthy post natal diet, along with recommended exercise works wonders in the reconstruction, re-sculpting & toning of the body, enabling a good renovation to your temple body.

Treat your body with respect and take care of it because it is a temple and you need to worship it.

“Being yourself is the prettiest thing a person can be” – Delna Pooniwala.

We all have our distinct uniqueness and little mannerisms that lend an individual specialness to every individual.

Some people around us point these out to us or we ourselves observe our role models and then we try to change to become what we are not, just to please others or be like someone else.

We even dress and talk and behave like others at times. But why not just be yourself because no one is perfect and you should love yourself for who you are. That does not mean you let go and indulge in wrong and unhealthy lifestyle. You always need to strive for improvement but not to please anyone else or because you feel you may be more acceptable if you change.

We are all made with a little imperfection and that’s a fact. So we need to first accept ourselves and then decide what we require to change & try to be as close to our original self because “being yourself is the prettiest thing a person can be”.