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“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”.

“Why should I age gracefully, I would rather stop time” – Delna Pooniwala.

Over the years how many times have we heard people being complimented for ‘Aging gracefully’.

I always wondered what that truly meant and all I could conclude was that people were being polite and nice when they saw someone looking older. Especially when you stop applying cosmetics, don’t bother about your parlor activities and hairstyle, are not dressed stylishly and do not consider yourself as important.

We all go through phases in life but should we really let go and not bother?
Should you really just let go of yourself as you progress through the chronological tide of time. Why can’t you reverse this process instead?

Fall in love with yourself & do all the possible things to groom and pamper you. Take care of your diet, clothes, hair, shoes makeup & physique as you did when you were younger. Set yourself a target to look younger by a year on every birthday.
You need to stop time… Not age with it!!

“She turned her Cant’s to Cans & her dreams to plans”- Delna Pooniwala.

Life goes on in phases & we often get thrown off the main road and are down due to circumstances. We want to do things that seem so impossible and life seems as though it’s facing you to the wall of a dead-end.

There are all the possible reasons that things would not move and work. But if we seek within ourselves, there is always a small way – a small little thing that is probably possible. Never leave sight of that ray of hope.

Always be positive and dream & then make plans to achieve those dreams one at a time. Work towards it constantly and never give up because ‘Hope’ & ‘Dreams’ are something that keeps you ‘Alive’.
No matter how tough the situation is & no matter how impossible it may seem, your dreams are your own and you can change it to reality if you want.

It is difficult to hear the orthopaedic give you the list of don’ts that include ‘don’t lift weights, don’t ever bend forward, only wear flats preferably sports shoes, going forward change your activity to a slow stroll or light swimming only and a list of other things that are huge enough to fit into a Pandora’s box.

It is so necessary to listen to your medical consultant but then there comes a point where you just want to believe in your dreams & when you believe in yourself, others start believing in you too.
So no matter how long it takes and no matter how slow the process, trust yourself & make your dream a reality.

“Don’t give up at the beginning. It’s always the Hardest”- Delna Pooniwala.

There are always instances in our life when we are advised to take a break from our routine. It’s a phase where some people enjoy being free from the activity and some don’t.

But soon we require to get back to our normal life’s routine and that’s where you realise that your strength & stamina is not what it used to be. It is a terrible feeling that we go through at times.

I remember the days where I restarted my workouts after my cardiac arrhythmia attack or a slipped disc that had kept me away from activity for years and even basic physiotherapy was painful.
It hurts when you start off. Not only physically but much more psychologically and it’s not once but many times when you think of giving up but this is the time you need to be strong & patient & above all persistent.

It would have been so easy for me never to get back into a gym when everyone concerned was advising me to avoid it. But no hurdle is big enough if you are strong. It’s okay to be at ‘snail speed’ but it’s not okay to give up on life. A health problem requires to be overcome slowly and not drag you down, retiring yourself from life forever.

The beginning is the hardest. If you overcome this phase, the rest of the journey would be a piece of cake. So never give up.

“It’s not about being good at something, It’s about being good to yourself”- Delna Pooniwala.

I love cooking & had a special craze of making cakes & chocolates for the family. The entire family would appreciate it and eventually everyone including myself would consume it. I knew I was good at it & enjoyed the appreciation like most ladies do.

Then one day the realisation dawned that what I was making was not healthy & that was definitely not being good to me of family.
We ladies get so carried away at times and make some wonderful things that are irresistible but we need to switch to healthier options.

So I shifted my culinary skills to creating health foods & salads instead. It was a small lifestyle change that made me feel so good about myself. A member in my family who had a diabetic level of 400 along with insulin is now within normal levels without it.

It’s not always about the appreciation of being good at something or indulging your loved ones. Believe me, the family would still appreciate your healthy cooking and also love it & you would feel GREAT knowing that you are being good to yourself & the ones close to you.

“It’s not Diet, It’s called Healthy eating”- Delna Pooniwala.

When people shift from Halwa Poori, Parathas, Deep Fried ‘kachoris’ & ‘Samoosey’, they are extremely unhappy and try to gullet fruits, salads, oil free sabji, dal, dahi and non greased chapatti, calling it a diet.

Well, truth is that it’s healthy eating & meal times is an opportunity to fortify & nourish your body with the goodness of vitamins, antioxidants’, proteins and various other great things that actually do good for the body rather than eating cholesterol, sugar & trance fats.

There was a time where I was myself was a ‘Foodie’ but a small trick truly helped me.
When you serve a meal portion in your plate, try and analyse what you are consuming & decide if the quantity is right for you. Is it carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats, sugars, starch & then take a moment to reason with yourself, if it is the right thing you are doing & does your body deserve it.

If you feel it is fine, just go ahead but if you have the slightest feeling of guilt and you feel you are not going to do justice to the entire body & just that one inch of your taste buds –that’s where you need to push it off your plate.

During a lifestyle change, never deprive yourself completely. Always take a bite size portion of everything so that you do not psychologically crave for the wrong foods. But gradually train yourself to eat ‘health’.

After all there is nothing like a diet – It is either ‘Unhealthy eating’ or ‘Healthy Eating’ and we require to make our choices right.

“I choose to be Fit, I choose to be Healthy, It makes me feel Younger” – Delna Pooniwala.

We make many choices through life & I sure have made my choice. I choose to be Fit no matter what & I choose the healthy way to do so.
We have so many options available today but I believe in eating well and consuming the right things. So I do have my indulgence days but on a regular basis, I would opt for salads, fruits, mixed seeds, nuts & simple foods preferably without spices & oil.

Since our modern day lifestyle encourages us to work out with weights, it is absolutely necessary to consume proteins, to avoid muscular dystrophy. Egg whites contain all the essential amino acids making it a great source of protein. Protein is composed of amino acids, which fall into two categories: essential and nonessential. The body can make 10 amino acids itself, and these are called nonessential amino acids. Nine amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through diet. These are called essential amino acids.

Besides our diet, a good activity routine is like a prayer for your ‘temple body’. Your activity should consist of a combination of a cardiovascular activity, weight training as well as a stretch or relaxation. The cardio activity could be swimming, walking, running, dancing, and elliptical or cycling. Weight training is a system of conditioning the muscles with the use of weights & could be done using machines or various free weights. Your body needs to be soothed and hence a stretch workout, yoga or meditation class once in a while may be advisable. However, it does not substitute for a good cool down post every workout session.

‘Sleep’ is your magic pill to repairing the body & mind. A good 7 to 8 hours sleep is a compulsory to sooth & rejuvenate your muscles, skin, hair, eyes & mind.

Our body consists of 50-65% water. Our body requires constant recycling of water to act as a natural filtration plant & hence we need to consume about 2 litres of water daily to stay healthy.

If we follow these lifestyle guidelines, you would not only be Fit & Healthy but look youthful & radiant for ever.

“Life Begins at the end of your comfort zone” Delna Pooniwala.

We ‘Exist’, ‘Educate’ ourselves, ‘Enjoy’ through years to its fullest, ‘Endure’ a little pressure but then that phase of life passes on and we get into another phase of life.

This is a new realm, a new step to evolving where pressures build up in various facets of life. Be it professionally, or in your relationships, your drive to achieve something.

Metamorphosis is required for evolvement & it is never pain free. It’s like a deeper understanding of yourself & life- it is a kind of awakening, a rebirth. This generally happens when life faces you with discomfort & puts you into making decision making situations & only then can the cocoon evolve into a butterfly.

We are faced with these situations at various pit stops through our journey & that is life.
I see people get disheartened through their journey. I see them struggle their way to tone up or slim down & it’s because they put in more than a 100% effort that they get disappointed when results slow down at times. But regularity & perseverance is the secret behind all success.

There is a force that guides us through & shows us the light. It gives us strength, but only if we allow it to help us in our endeavours.
We require having a positive approach to everything and not shut the mind blank to a hidden voice. Above all, we need to have faith. In ourselves and whoever we worship- your mentor, Guru, a guide. Faith is what makes mountains move & makes our travel through life smooth.

“A girl should be two things – Fabulous & Classy”- Delna Pooniwala.

It’s not only about a great diet or workout. A great personality is something that catches the eye instantly but remains as a memory for the longest time.

It’s not about the how expensive your outfit is or what your financial status is or even where you live. Grooming your personality is to be more substance & more complete is much more.

Just recently I was at a friend’s function & I met his staff who I found was the cutest looking little girl. She was pretty & extremely friendly, till we sat down for dinner and then there was a reveal of personality. The little girl actually was drinking like a fish, smoking away to glory, discussing her personal relationships to her bosses and to my amusement, when she got up from her chair I realized that what I thought was an off shoulder dress, was a shirt worn off her shoulders to barely cover her assets. Gosh! Poor girl was so crude & crass I was just thankful the shirt didn’t slip ‘off’. I felt so bad for her, because she was all out to portray a ‘Cool’ image & little did she know what image she was coloring. Since there are people from various cultures & strata of society, I truly feel our schools should teach grooming to girls like at finishing school.

What girls require to understand is that you could be sexy without being cheap, stylish and yet simple, elegant and gentle & not loud and wanting to have all the eyeballs sticking to your body.

In other words she needs to be ‘sophisticated’ & soft spoken, with pleasant courteous manners to reveal her intelligence & not her smartness & that’s what makes a girl ‘Fabulous & Classy’.

“We develop our own picture of a healthy lifestyle” – Delna Pooniwala.

We are like a clear transparent glass & what we fill into the glass would finally be revealed outside. So if we fill our glass with a deficit of sleep, what we would get to see is dark under eye circles, a dull skin & a lack of alertness.

If we feed it with fat & sugar rich junk foods & lack of exercise, we are definitely not going to see a taught shapely hourglass body, with a glowing complexion, sparkling eyes & shining hair.

So we require to follow a healthy lifestyle to develop a beautiful healthy picture of ourselves.