Sunshine On My Shoulders

As a child, I would spend most of my spare time by myself – either playing with my dolls in the verandah or roaming around in our huge garden. I loved to admire the variety of roses, dahlias, chrysanthemums and marigolds – their vibrant colours never failed to impress me. I would keep looking for lily buds which would bloom the next morning, and never quite understood why a single stick of tuberose took so long to blossom! And without my own knowledge, I was so close to nature, soaking up the summer and winter sun with equal ease.

As I grew up, I got more and more engrossed in my own life – first in my higher studies and then in my job. And just like any other working woman, my daily routine got as mechanical as waking up, preparing for office, spending the whole day inside the office building surrounded by computers, and returning home in the evening. I had lost touch with nature, and more importantly, I had got completely alienated from the sun!

It is common knowledge that sunrays help to generate vitamin D in our bodies, vital for strong bones. Was there an easier way to build healthy bones than a 10 minutes stroll on a sunny afternoon? But due to my schedule, I was missing out on my share of sunshine, and I needed to consciously bring it back in my regular lifestyle. And yes, I did make an attempt to get back in touch with my old childhood friend – the sun….

• I have made it a habit to take a short walk in the office campus after lunch (which I have either at my desk or at a food court in the office). Of course I wear sunscreen to office, so my skin is protected. Though an umbrella is advised while walking in the sun, sometimes I prefer to go without it.
• When I am at home in the mornings, I keep my windows wide open to let the sun into my home. Sunrays are known to kill bacteria that grow in damp atmosphere, and so sunshine is essential for a clean air in our homes.
• My weekly visits to the grocer, salon, ATM, utility bill payment centre, Bank, courier – anywhere at all – which are within walking distance, are now on foot.This gives me some time to enjoy the sun while attending to my regular chores. 
• I have very long hair – upto 6 inches below my hips. Drying them after a wash used to be cumbersome, and so my hair dryer would always come to my rescue. But now I dry it in the sun, thus protecting my hair from the intense heat of the dryer, and at the same time feeding a slice of sun to my bones.
• My love for lazy weekends meant that I would either perch myself in front of the TV set or slump into a siesta immediately after lunch. But now I take a few minutes after lunch to sit in my terrace or balcony, soaking up the sun while watching passers-by on the road and enjoying soothing music.

I have got so used to the sun now, that 2 consecutive days of cloud or rains make me feel dull and gloomy. The sun lifts my mood, cleanses the air around me and gives me a feeling of wellness.

Needless to say how much I agree with  John Denver’s words:

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy…..sunshine almost always makes me high”

A Splash of Colour

Sometime back when I visited my younger brother, a bachelor working and living in another city, I did not expect him to cook fancy meals for me. He is after all my kid brother, I am supposed to take care of him, and I take pride in the fact that I being the elder one keep giving him advice on practically all matters in the world as part of that responsibility. I just refuse to let go, to accept that he too is as mature as me – he will remain the little one till I am 90 and he is 88!

But I was taken by surprise (and particularly touched) when I woke up the first morning - the aroma of warm grilled sandwiches wafting through the kitchen! My brother had cooked up sumptuous mashed potato and egg sandwiches. The breakfast was a treat, but it also left me wondering about the kind of food my brother eats – mostly carbohydrates and fats, high in calories, and very less vegetables. And as usual, I decided to shower him with my advice on the importance of vegetables of various colours, and how easy it is to incorporate them in his daily diet without too much effort.

I use some very simple ways of adding a splash of colour to my regular dishes, as each colour stands for a particular energy (the basis of colour therapy) and nutrient. Let me share some here:

• Coriander – Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves on salads, curries, raita, sprouts. Use in paratha fillings, cutlets, omelettes, sandwiches for a refreshing green.
• Capsicum (bell pepper) – Instead of using green capsicum in pasta, noodles, curries, sprouts or salads, combine yellow and red capsicum also. While they add vibrant colours to your food, red and yellow peppers also add a bit of sweetness to the dish.
• Pomegranate seeds – Sprinkle a few of these bright red seeds on fruit salads, curd rice, kheer, custard, pudding, sooji(rava)/carrot halwa.
• Corn – This yellow vegetable can be boiled and sprinkled into raitas, mashed potato, spinach curries (or any mixed veg curry), chaats, pasta, noodles, cutlets.  

Here is my quick recipe for multi coloured potato and vegetable sandwich:

• Finely cut and boil vegetables, like carrots, green peas, corns and beans for bright red, green and yellow colours. Shallow fry and add to boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt and green chillies to taste.  Fill between 2 slices of bread and cook in a sandwich maker (or directly on a tawa/flat pan)

Go on....add colour to the lives of your loved ones...it is not that difficult, yet worth it after all!

Get Conscious - It Does The Trick!

A working woman in her 30’s, employed in the IT industry, staying single in the city – a hectic lifestyle is characteristic of this species, having to manage work, life and health all by herself. I am one of these, and sometimes I wonder how I am managing it all! My day starts early, at 6 am, and after endless meetings in office and calls (a term for telephonic conferences in this industry) with overseas teams after reaching back home at night, the latest around the world on TV (and sometimes the saas-bahu soaps for a dose of fun), there is nothing more I can think of doing than plopping in bed. In this crammed up schedule, where is the time to think about cooking healthy meals, exercising, taking care of your skin and hair?

Well, it was about 4 years back, when I had put on a whopping 10 kgs of weight during my stay in London (yes, I had indulged) that I realized I needed to get ‘health-conscious’ . I had to be conscious about what I ate, drank, my lifestyle, habits and a bit of physical exercise (I know…it can be quite a lot to start with, but believe me, it is not that difficult afterwards). I did lose those sinful 10 kgs in about 6 months, and have maintained my weight since, with no health problems to complain of so far. And inspite of my superheroic schedule, healthy living is embedded in my routine now

If you believe in healthy living, you can do it too….