Monica's Archives

Most of us who are concerned about our health and weight are familiar with the term metabolism. We often blame our “slow metabolism” for being overweight. Let us learn more about metabolism and the steps which can be taken to manage our weight in a better way. Metabolism refers to the chemical processes that occur within an individual in order to maintain life. This includes breathing, pumping blood, brain functioning and extracting energy from your food. In other words we can say, it refers to the number of calories your body at rest uses each day, just to keep all your vital organs functioning- this is called resting metabolic rate . Your daily activities and exercise add on to the calories burnt. The number of calories that you burn every day is directly related to your body composition. Think of your body divided into two compartments. One is all body fat while other is fat-free which includes e.g. bone, fluid, tissue, muscle etc. The size of fat-free compartment determin...

These days we hear everyone talking about Feng Shui and its ease and effectiveness. There is a great philosophy behind this and would need a help of a professional Feng Shui practitioner for your major problems. Here I would like to answer some common questions which we would like to know about Feng Shui.       What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui is an ancient art and science that was developed in China about 3,000 years ago. The literal meaning of Feng Shui is wind and water which in Chinese culture are associated with good health. Thus, feng shui came to mean good fortune.       Is feng shui the only thing that influences a person’s luck? No, but feng shui correction is the easiest way to enhance our personal luck.       What is “Trinity of Luck”? There are 3 types of luck: (1) Heaven luck, (2) Earth luck, (3) Mankind luck. Heaven luck is the luck you are born with i.e. the influenc...

Whenever a lady is asked about her specifications for a house, the first thing mentioned is the kitchen. It must be large, well ventilated and with plenty of shelf space. Your kitchen would naturally be different from someone else’s. No two family requirements are same, so while drawing rooms can follow a set pattern, the kitchen must meet the needs of the particular family. Some tips for taking care of your kitchen: ·          Should have a bright, airy kitchen as it gives the feeling of hygiene and cleanliness, no matter what its size. ·          Place all kitchen cabinets and fixtures against the wall so that you have plenty of room to move around. ·          If you prefer having the refrigerator inside the kitchen, keep it far from the cooking area and it should be at least eight inches away from the wall. ·        ...

Whenever you feel like having salty, cheesy popcorns, try this cauliflower popcorn. You can snack on this with your hands, warm or at room temperature. The herbs add loads of flavor and the yeast tricks your taste buds as if you are having Parmesan cheese. Ingredients:        (makes one cup) Cauliflower                      - 1 (cut into bite sized pieces) Extra virgin olive oil       - 2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast            - 2 tablespoons Fresh Oregano                - ½ teaspoon (chopped) Fresh Thyme                   - ½ teaspoon (chopped) Garlic powder          ...

It is not unusual to get hungry between meals. Snacking doesn’t have to be an unhealthy habit. Snacking is often mindless, autopilot eating. When we feel hungry, we munch on mostly unhealthy snacks which are mostly easily available, and after eating regret of eating high calories and unhealthy snacks which can result in weight gain. Often, snacks are not eaten because you are hungry, but because you are bored or are simply used to munching while you engage in certain activities. The key is planning ahead to make sure you have some healthy foods available. A better way to snack is to optimize the timing of healthy snacks between your meals. Intentional small snacks help you regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. Here are some healthy snack options which may help you in guilt free munching: Ø   1 cup strawberries Ø   1 hardboiled egg Ø   A handful of almonds (10-15 ) Ø   ¼ cup of dried cranberries Ø   2-3 carrots’ sticks with 1 tablespoon of...

The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, you may not have to feel so guilty about it. Despite its bad reputation for causing weight gain, a number of health benefits are associated with it. Chocolates are widely categorized into 3 types – white, milk and dark chocolates. Before knowing which one is healthier, let us know how are chocolates made? Chocolate is made from cacao beans from the Theobroma cacao tree. The contents of the bean provide the basis for chocolate products. There are 2 terms “cacao” and “cocoa”, which are confused when to be used. Use of “cacao” is for the pods, beans and ground-up contents of the beans, while “cocoa” is used for the powder left pressing the fat out of the ground beans. Makers of raw (unroasted) or less processed cacao bean products often use the word cacao rather than cocoa, which may imply they’re more natural products. Once cacao beans are harvested, they go through several processing steps like fermentation, drying, roasting, crushing an...

“You Can Win” is a motivational book written by Shiv Khera. This book was recommended to me by my father, who is a management consultant. I am glad I read the book as it has changed me quite a lot. I have started looking at everything in a positive way, which helped me personally and also in my profession. The book is divided in 8 chapters which focuses on building a positive attitude, winning strategies, motivating yourself and others every day, building positive self-esteem and image, building a pleasing personality, forming positive habits and character, setting and achieving your goals and doing the right thing for the right reason. The book provides a great learning experience for those who want to achieve success and positivity in their life. Main attractions are short stories from our everyday life which can empower anyone. I got involved in them as if it all happened with me and helped me to understand more clearly the situations we face in our life. The auth...