You don't like water? Try some coconut water!

Isn't the summer heat getting you down? Even a minute's walk in scorching sun makes me a little dizzy. So even though I live about 15 minutes away from my workplace, I'm frazzled at the end of the commute. And I take a rickshaw :|

Anyway, my Dad has suddenly got it into his head to get me some tender coconut water daily. And wow, it's made such a big difference! So I decided to do a bit of research about coconut water.

Here are some of the health benefits of drinking coconut water:

Thirst-quencher:

A draught of tender coconut water is super hydrating

Energy Drink:

Rich in minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes, it gives your energy levels an instant boost

Quiets Hunger Pangs:

Tender coconut water post-breakfast keeps you sated till lunch-time (only if you eat at noon). So it helps curb your hunger cravings. And hey, it's naturally sweet! So coconut water also takes care of your sugar cravings

Cleanses your Skin:

Aha! That's got the attention of pimply teens! :P Apparently applying coconut water on your God-awful zits and spots clears up your skin.

18 Forever:

While staying 18 forever is impossible, you can at least slow down the signs that herald the onset of aging. According to some research or the other, cytokinins in tender coconut water slowdown the effects of aging.

There are other health benefits of drinking coconut water too, like it helps dissolve kidney stones and ease your hangover symptoms. This low-fat health drink is also beneficial for your heart's health.

So drink away to stay hydrated and healthy this summer :)

An impressive list of ingredients in coconut water:

• Potassium 
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Sodium
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Iodine
• Sulfur
• Manganese
• Boron
• Molybdenum
• Ascorbic acid
• B-group vitamins

How to lose weight without a gym?

I hate gyms. The idea of exercising in a closed room using daunting (and not to mention heavy) equipment gives me the willies. So I researched all night and all day on weight loss without exercise, as if I was researching for an antidote to a slow poison that's killing me. Finally I came up with a plan that has served me well. I was 69 kgs earlier, and today I am 54. This happened over a period of a year. Instant weight loss is definitely not possible.

Here are some of my weight loss tricks:

• Drink a glass of water (warm water with honey and lemon juice is the best) as soon as you wake up
• Have a banana – it helps with digestion and what not. The idea is that the more goes out, the less stays on you :P
•  Do some basic stretching exercises followed by push ups or surya namaskar (do this only if you know how to!)
• Have breakfast by 8 AM, a juice or two digestive biscuits by 10.30 AM, lunch by 12.30 PM, a healthy snack and a juice at 4.30 PM, dinner by 7.30 PM.
• Eat small meals. No fried food and sweets please. You can treat yourself to one fried item/1 sweet per week if you're that desperate.
• Most complain they don't have time. Well, at least you can walk 20 minutes a day, right? Just make sure the first 5 minutes you walk at normal speed and then gradually increase the pace till you're walking briskly. You can take Sundays off :)

Follow my healthy weight loss plan and you can see the difference for yourself. I'll write some more on this topic soon. Toodles till then!

Indelible Fiction – My Not-So-Secret Retreat

Ever since I remember remembering things and filing them away in my mind for future use – which is nothing short of a miracle considering my poor memory – I have always loved retreating deep into my mind. Reality has never interested me. I always had my nose buried in a book, and when I wasn’t reading, I was dreaming. My dreams would vary depending on my mood and the book I’d be reading at that time.

 At times I would be intrigued by life’s little mysteries like where do the birds go to die, while at other times I would pretend to be an elf – lithe, swift, and nimble. And elves are magical creatures. So I would weave story after story and fight great battles in my head. I was full of wars, sorrow, tragedy, happiness, bloodshed, and my books alone know what else.

The life I lived outside my mind was worth nothing compared to goings-on within my mind. So you cannot really blame me if the thoughts and ideas from my books have addled my brain a bit. Now I find that I cannot control myself anymore. They all MUST come out in some form or the other. That’s when I started this other blog called Indelible Fiction.

Through this blog I plan to express all my dreams. The blog will be as random as our minds are. The first post was posted a year ago and now I’m in the process of writing the second one. The second one is going to be a little story…the protagonist may be the girl from my first post. I don’t know…yet. Like I said, I always promise randomness :)

So check out this blog and feel free to comment.

May both my blogs rain posts enough to sate thirsting bloggers. Amen.

Just my luck :)

I’m not sure I believe in luck, you know. As soon as I say something like “Hey, I’m so lucky to blah blah blah”, a damn pigeon craps on me. See what I mean? Not even a crow! Coz apparently, it’s lucky if a crow poops on you :|

And just when some well-meaning friend tells me that the wrong planet is now doing the rounds in the wrong house, something really good happens. So rather than remaining in this state of perpetual wonderment, I choose not to believe or disbelieve. So I royally ignore the concept of luck.

But what I do believe in is the power of the mind. It’s just amazing how controlling your thoughts can change your life. Now I don’t claim to be some kinda guru or anything. I don’t like preaching to anyone because you gotta live life the way you want and pave your own path.

I’ve always thought it’s wrong to say that the road less traveled is the better one…just go wherever you want to…You don’t have to have a dream or do something great (or what’s deemed great in the eyes of the world), as long as you’re doing what you want to.

To ensure I do the things most important to me every day, I’ve penned them down on my phone and saved the note as my lockscreen paper. I’ll share the less personal ones here:

                        Did you do this today? 

 Breathe deeply?
Drink water?
Stretch?
Take a walk?
 Write?
Cannot reveal.
Cannot reveal.

If I can answer yes to the above list, then I’ve had a highly productive day. This way I can make every single day - the awesome and the unawesome ones - count.

By the way, the number of “things to do” total 7…the supposedly “magical number”. Lucky, eh? ;)