2 Week Goal: Yoga and Cardio

I stuck to this! Ok I did eat some crappy food on Sunday (burger, tiramisu)  but I did eat healthy all other times. Regardless, I must say the results are almost in!
This was what I did since the 25th of Feb 2013:

At least 30 minutes everyday!

M-yoga
T- cardio
W- Yoga
Th- Cardio
Fr- Cardio
Sat-Yoga
Sun- Cardio

That's what I did. I rested Sunday though.
Dropped 7 lbs to 142lbs but my scale at work (which is calibrated) said I was 135 lbs! So I don't know. My arms are more toned and the rest maybe TMI! Either way it's not about how much I weight, but how I feel, fit and follow through.

Overall I feel better, active, lively, positive, happier, and that I am losing inches little by little. Not even noticeable. Slowly but surely like the tortoise. My body is different from another person's. I did 35 minutes to an hour of cardio, and an hour of yoga every other day. Everyone's body responds differently. This weekend I will do about 2 hours of yoga, a 2 - 3 hour hike hopefully, eating healthy the whole time. This is my follow through, which will continue beyond. This will also help me prep for bicycling in the summer.

My old pants fit a little better, I feel more muscle underneath, and more fat can be flung off and away into oblivion... especially off the hips and middle area. Of these "child bearing" hips which is so genetic. However even with the larger clothes I did purchase, there is noticeable difference as to how I fit into it!


Breathe!

This is not me!

Healthy Food can be SO Delicious!

Bean Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can of Kidney Beans
1 can of Garbanzo Beans/ Chick Peas
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley chopped
1 Green Onion chopped (some people don't like the onion)
1 seedless cucumber chopped
1 tomato chopped/ diced
1 red/yellow/green pepper diced

Dressing:
1/4th tsp salt or to taste (I like less salt!)
1/4th tsp pepper or to taste (I like more freshly ground pepper!)
1-2 cloves garlic or to taste - minced (some people like very garlicky!)
1.5 tsp olive oil or whatever other oil / to taste
1 - 2 lemons freshly squeezed / or bottled - to your taste (some people like more tangy!)

Chaat Masala is available, just a sprinkle!

Mix it all together and you have a delicious healthy meal!
If you want to make a larger batch add 1 can of fava beans and 1 can cannelli beans, and use the whole bunch of parsley. Add the dressing to your taste!

Breathe!


Great with hot chamomile tea or iced green tea with honey!

What I Miss From My Childhood

1991-2001

Walking barefoot in the wet mud, the grass, the hot sands of mid day, the gravely path...

Morning Assembly and sitting on those yellow bamboo mats, cross-legged, straight back; singing, listening, sitting in silence...

Nature walks, enjoying the little things in nature

Having time to notice the tiny things in life- little bugs that move about, grains of sand and their different colors, enjoying a pebble's smoothness...

Running to play; running to feel the wind in your hair, and sand between your toes... running to feel free

Climbing trees just to climb and mangoes, tamarind, were just the bonus

Going to the library to read and reading with friends, exploring books, exploring worlds...

Lazy Sundays and laying out on the terrace with the dog and sister, and doing homework

Tennis and swimming with my bestie and sister... world's best coaches!

Imagination during play time with my sister, creating different worlds, songs, and art...

Yoga class at the Chennai Sivananda Center every evening with my sis

Sitting on the balcony and feeding pigeons

Short hair all those years...

Wearing those absurdly loose comfortable clothing all the time

French classes, German class, Choir, Bengali Class, Hindi tuition!

Walking around the Green Tower's compound with friends in Golf Green

Playing basketball, throw-ball, softball, dodge-ball, cricket, football, badminton during "games" at the end of the day... I liked playing barefoot!!

Licking Glucon D and Glucon C from our palms on sports day

The sandpit

the strange area of limbo between the UKG-LKG building and the senior quadrangle

Freeplay!

Trips to mahabalipuram and muttokaddu on the weekends

Enjoying the coolness of the hill-stations in the summer - horse riding, boating, hiking, and nature preserves

The celebrations, business, guests, hustle-bustle during Durga Puja

Taking the dog for a walk through IIT campus, and AC Tech College

Going birdwatching ridiculously early to cool places... and seeing amazing birds

Going on turtle walks all night long, and playing with the luminescent phosphorous the Bay of Bengal spat out...

Floods during the monsoons, the large puddles which would let my paper boats sail far and wide

Music on cassettes meant you had to listen to the whole thing, and B side...

Good lyrics in good songs with good music...

The Doberlane concert series and meeting amazing musicians in a half asleep state...

Bicycling for the fun of just wandering the neighborhood, bicycling with bestie, and sister, finding puppies and kittens along the way

Ice cream on special occasions only

The random drives to Besant Nagar beach (Elliot's beach), just because my dad felt like it

Making apple pie with my mum, and all my friends loving it

Making fruit salad in a watermelon basket with my mom and all my friends loving it

Sitting under the tree at the car-park and waiting for the car to show up, enjoying the bark of the tree, enjoying the curious red beetles with diamond designs on their backs...

The flock of parrots that fly over head

Eating puchka (Golgappa)

Going to the stationary store once in 2-3 years and getting a new pencil box, sharpener, eraser, pencil

The yearly notebook and textbook buying for school...

Going to dad's work and getting scrap paper to draw on...

Those old printers and the noise it made, was like music, and I could almost dance to it

The Video Cassette rental store and the different worlds it held

Getting a phone call from a friend on a week night and sister picking up the parallel line and eavesdropping on the plans for the next day!

Going to the dentist/ doctor, and seeing what I could be afraid of this time, or what I would become a hypochondriac about

Spending time with my dogs, napping with them, feeding them, walking them, barking with them...

Talking to my sis all night long...

My awesome neighbors in Kotturpuram

Bus rides to and from school with the best bus people in the school

Playing indoor cricket

Playing leg cricket

Dosa, Idly, Sambar, Rasam, Chutney, Vadai, Mullagai Podi, Korumbu

Biryani

The rare summer time family trips to the most boring places like "The Himalayas", "Corbett National Park", "Agra", "Kolkata", "New York", "Ooty", "Kodai", "Mysore", "Coorg", "Pondicherry", "Delhi"...

Grandma's cooking

Going to Mama'r baari in Boronagar, Kolkata

Begun Bhaaja, Alloo Bhaaja, Bhaat aar Ghee... Iktu dal - simple satisfying meals

Dadu taking us to "bara" to the most random-est places...

Going to the book store with mom, and wishing to buy all the Enid Blyton books... or all the children's books in general

Reading non-stop during Summer Holidays

Reading non-stop during the term

Taking part in plays, the drama, the hustle, the thrill of performing...

Creativity - art, pottery, weaving, dance, gymnastics, writing, acting, singing

Calls from my uncle Danny in USA

My uncle introducing me to "outer space", "physics", "astronomy", "star wars" and being cool in general in a nerdy way!

Never missing the internet or smart phones... and Prince of Persia was the only fun thing on computers.




 Breathing the whole time! Loving every second of it!

Visiting Our Childhood - Piyali Banerjie

Ego

I hide from plain sight,
I hide so well even when it's not night.
I seem all warm and fuzzy
Come close and I burn you with my fury.

I snap out in a flash when I feel threatened,
Diminished, belittled, hurt of forgotten,
My punches blow holes through your metaphorical mind,

At my peak I am very unkind.

I simmer down like a mouse, I hide in wait,
When the time is right, I stride up in a flamboyant gait,
I tower above you, transforming from mouse to lion,
Devouring you,just another meal for the dragon.

Oh why did you think you could win against me?
From now on just grovel on one knee. 
I always knew I was superior,
You're genes are simply inferior.

I am the one that feeds my master,
I am her protector, keeper and defender,
I fuel the fire, and encourage the flames,
So that I always win, and you are the one to blame.

Survival is my middle name,
Being the fittest is my game.
I run the fastest race there is,
I hold the peace for my id.

Some people quiet me down,
Some people let me drown,
Into a bottomless pit I will be lost
They meditate till I am forever tossed.

I do lurk in that deepest darkest hole,
Waiting for a day I will come back and be whole,
A day of opinions, discussions, ideas,  and arguments
A day when frustration surmounts and we need to vent.

I'm always there the devil in disguise,
I am the ego and the will await the demise
Of that beautiful angel that guides you
Away from my conniving way and more to pure truth.

I See You For Who You Are
Picture Courtesy Piyali Banerjie

 Let go!






Breathe

M for Mommy Madness!

Last night I took my mom out to eat Indian food with all my friends, and it was super fun. However I was almost late, because I left work late, then I got to pick up my mom late, and had to stop and change my clothes too. I rushed my mom, cause when I got there she was still in her scrubs! She hurried and changed into a nice sweater, and pants.

Later that night I noticed a little circular M sticker on the left side of her chest. Yes her sweater was spanking new, and she missed one small sticker. I would have tried to take it off there, but it might have looked like I was doing inappropriate things to my mother's breast!

When we finally got home, I tried to remove it and she was shocked as to why I was trying to molest her! So I said "Ma look at your shirt!" She still didn't get it, because looking down, apparently it looked like a logo. I persisted in trying to remove the sticker and she finally saw it was an M when I took her to the mirror and pointed it out.

She was so embarrassed. "I had an M on me the whole night and you didn't think of telling me?"
Me-"Ma what was I supposed to do? Say 'Ma you have an M on your boob?' And I very well couldn't take it off!"
Mom- "You could have told me in Bengali!"
Me- "I forgot about that trick! At least now everyone knows you're a medium!"


This morning my mom tells me she had nightmares of "M" all night, and it woke her up and she couldn't get back to sleep!

I love my mom!

M for Mom!


Breathe!

Also, this lovely lady, believes she saw a a foofie/ fuffy the other night. She was experiencing insomnia and got out of bed and looked out the window and saw a Foofie cross the road rather slowly. A foofie as she calls it, is a fluffy, furry, cute, gopher like, free, creature that has a long bushy tail... I still think she was hallucinating, that often happens to people who have insomnia. :-P