Everyone does not need to workout!

The biggest workout myth I have ever come across is when people tell me that I don’t need to workout, mainly because I am slim, and not overweight and so on.. Frankly, I really get annoyed with such people, who themselves (almost) never workout and have no interest in living a healthy life, however they are ready to make judgments on other people’s life who are actually making a generous effort!
Anyways, my answer to all such people is – My dear friends, please get your facts right! Each and every one of us need to workout. It does not matter whether you are slim, or overweight. Both ways, you must adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes eating fresh, home cooked food and exercising regularly. After all nothing matters without good health. Am I right or am I right?

I have had my share of ‘overweight’ days (you know it..!!), however, I managed to get out of that phase, but trust me it was not easy. It required a lot of dedication and commitment. You have to be committed to your body for your whole life. It does not matter if you have too many problems in your life (we all do!), or you suffer from mood swings or you crave comfort food – to me, all these are mere excuses! Your body deserves more than that! If you treat it with love and care, your body rewards you with good health and a toned figure. And who does not want that?

source

So the big question is why do slim (or not overweight) people need to exercise?
It’s because exercising reduces your chances of falling ill, boosts your metabolism rate, enhances your stamina, makes you feel light, look good and feel confident about yourself. Do you seriously need more reasons? (cause trust me, I have more than you can count)!
Hope now you get it.. everyone should (read ‘must’) workout. Factors like gender and age do not matter. Depending on your interest, your likes and dislikes you may choose your favorite sport (like boxing, aerobics, yoga, tennis, football, cycling, running etc.), but it’s really important to stay active. Specially in winters when people tend to become lazy about everything, you must not neglect your body and it’s needs. And this applies to everyone reading this (even to those who are not reading this article..)!

I have said this before and I am saying it again - Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.
So do yourselves a favor - Get-up and Go. Workout. Leave your lazy self behind and do something for your body. Your body will find a hundred ways to thank you.
Stay Fit.
Stay Active.

Cheers!
Ritika

How to Avoid and Lose Post-Marriage Weight Gain

I have been wanting to write this post for quite some time now. All the views are my own and here I am penning down all the thoughts and ideas based on my personal experiences.
So, I got married two and a half years ago. And it’s no big news to the world how big and magnificient Indian weddings are! From food to lights, clothes to crackers, everything shines, dazzles and is over the top!
We Indians believe in showing off all that we have! We have to show off to the whole world that our son and our daughter is getting married! The celebration may go on for weeks or even months..

Anyhow, so coming back to my story, I was exercising quite well before marriage and was at a moderate weight and height proportion. But then marriage happened, a big lavish wedding followed by week-long honeymoon and many, many weeks of lunches and dinners with the extended family and friends. It was a big change for me, in so many ways. Emotionally, I was on the ninth cloud with all the special attention, all the love and all the affection of my new family. It was all new to me, I was trying to absorb as much as I can! I wanted to seize every happy moment life was throwing at me..and well.. all my happiness started to show – not only in my eyes but on my body too. I started gaining weight, and fast! It’s another thing that I have a tendency to gain weight as soon as I start neglecting my healthy habits. And right then, I was just enjoying every bit of the newness life was showering me with! My lifestyle was changing, my body was changing, my habits were changing, I was not cooking for myself, I was not a regular at the gym anymore, and obviously all of this was not helping. Now when I think, all I did in the initial months of getting married, was eat, eat and eat since food is a medium of showing love in India. My husband is a foodie and so are my in-laws, which acted like a cherry on the cake!

In India, people show their love by cooking and serving delicious food, our very special Indian delicacies and it does not end here, they even make you eat more than your appetite (of course out of love). Politely and lovingly they will keep serving you that last (extra) helping just when you announce that you are full! And since you are new to the family, you can’t just say no and hurt their feelings! And since I was new in the family, I was shy and nervous to even think of saying no, or hurt anyone's feelings! As a result, I gained quite a lot of weight. I started disliking the face and body I was seeing in the mirror. I was just not feeling myself. And then I decided I was done with all of it. I decided to step up, for myself.
I then joined my office gym. I drafted a plan for myself – like how much to eat, when to eat, what to eat. And I started working on myself, my diet, increased my physical activities, walked more, worked out fiercely and what not! I did this with full dedication.

Of course results started to show! I also learned to say ‘No’. We all must learn that. And there is no harm in saying no – in a polite and firm manner, after all, its your body and not a dustbin!
Well, in a matter of 4 -5 months, I was back to my normal self. My confidence was back and I was enjoying my married life like never before! Nonetheless, I even motivated my husband and in-laws to follow the healthy way of living life!
So after all this brain storming, I have come up with the below few solutions which may help you to lose weight or even avoid gaining it.

• Learn to say NO – Stop feeding your mouth when you clearly know you are full! Say no to others generously, when they offer you that extra helping which you clearly don’t need. Say no to yourself when you know you are done!
• Cook for yourself – I know this might be tough for working women, but you should still try to make an effort. Nobody understands the needs of your body more than you.
• Eat home cooked food – as much as possible. No explanation needed.
• Workout – Last but not the least, work the hell out! Even if you are not over weight, or fat, you still need to work out, to keep your heart strong! Do anything that amuses you – be it dancing, running, cycling or yoga!

So that’s my story and a few suggestions! I also tried putting up my before and after pictures! It feels like I have come a long way.. Though this is a never ending journey :)

Cheers to healthy living!

Ritika..

I like to RUN!

I bought a Groupon three months ago for a month of unlimited Yoga classes. For some reason I never redeemed it. And kept postponing it till the last week when it was finally going to expire.
May be the reason was – I started to enjoy something else. Something I thought I would never like. And that was my evening running sessions. I was never a big fan of running truly. I even hated the 10 minutes of jog on the treadmill which used to be a compulsory warm-up (as instructed by my then gym instructor).
Well, I love doing body weight exercises, lifting light weights, abs-toning workouts etc. But running was something I always disliked and dreaded from!
Then things changed.. I moved to U.S. My work hours changed and hence my gym hours changed too…
Now I had less time to workout since I had to perform all the household activities and go to work as well. So I came up with the idea of brisk walking in the evenings. Slowly those walks turned in to jogs.
And now I can happily say that I RUN! Yes I do and I enjoy it.. But the most fascinating part is the post run feeling.. it’s like an achievement in itself! My strength and stamina increases everyday with every run... No wonder my body is thanking me in so many ways..
And here I am.. thinking why didn’t I start running sooner.. Well its LIFE.. As they say – Better Late Than Never. Right?
So tell me – Do you run? Do you enjoy it?

Cheers!
Ritika

T-shirt: Gap | Skirt: Loft (similar) | Shoes: Aldo | Clutch: Aldo | Watch: Fossil

Excuses are useless. Results are priceless.

Fitness is the topic for today. Oh, how I love this topic! Can talk about it for hours and hours. Thanks to my dedication and determination, I'm getting fitter. The waist line is getting slimmer, my stamina is increasing, I can push myself more and I'm enjoying the feeling the way my body feels these days, though there is a super long way to go.

So, the change is that I've stopped going to the gym and now I work out at home itself.

I do these super short 12 to 15 minutes bodyrock.tv workouts every day. And by my own experience, I can say they are AWESOME and very intense.

You can check out their website here, and let me tell you this is NOT a sponsored post. I am talking about my own views and experience here.

I have been doing these workouts for 8 -10 months now and I love the fact that they are short and can be done at home. You don't have to go to a gym (though you definitely can) and hence all your excuses of not having time and such nonsense can be trashed in to the bin! You can have Results or Excuses. NOT BOTH.

12 minutes everyday - now that's not a big deal people! And need not mention, Slow Progress is better than No Progress. At least give it a try!

We all can do this much at least for our bodies. Leaving for you to decide!

Stay Strong. Stay Fit.

Yours truly

Ritika

From Long to Short

Lately I escape for a coffee all by myself. And because I don't have a car of my own yet, I take a 15 minutes’ walk to Starbucks and enjoy my evening coffee with the company of my own.

I enjoy doing this once in a while. Though I have shared the best coffee dates with my husband, but still I relish the ‘ME’ time I enjoy these days.

Well of course, there are mood swings on bad days (I being a Cancerian) when I don't feel good about anything, but such bad days are few. And I make sure to divert my mind into something creative or something that I enjoy doing, like cooking something new (from scratch) for dinner, or baking a cake, or watching a movie or simply doing a high intense short workout  (at home itself)!

Yes, my workouts give me an intense energy boost and it lifts my mood! There is no better feeling than those out-of-breath moments post workout every day!

Try it out people, I bet you won't be disappointed J

I know, I know how can I forget that I spoke about a surprise in my previous post, and I am super excited to share it with you guys! Check the last two pictures and you will know!!

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Here goes the surprise people! Yayy.. It’s a haircut. From Long to Short! I am loving this new look of mine with short hair, it is so easy to handle and I feel so chic myself! And trust me on this - Life is much easier now.

You know what, I have been wanting to cut my hair short for about a year now. Finally made up my mind one Sunday and BOOM! Got my hair chopped to an inverted bob. And here are the results!

Cheers to healthy living!

Blouse: Forever 21

Pants: Allen Solly

Shoes: Metro Shoes (last worn here)

Sunglasses: Oakley

Watch: Invicta

Bag: Wilsons Leather

Pearl Earrings: Random

Morning Fitness

Have you ever wondered why do you feel more alert and energetic if you exercise in the morning? It is because a morning workout has many positive effects on our body and mind. First, exercise jump-starts our metabolism, and second, helps us keep burning calories at a higher rate all day.

Below are few ways which can help you stay motivated for the morning workout. So ditch the comfort of that bed and train hard to see results.

1. Every Sunday night, create your workout schedule for the coming week. Tell yourself, for example, “This week, I’m getting up at 6 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and running three miles before work.” Schedule your morning workout just as you would an appointment. Following your morning workout routine would be easier if you write it down.

2. Keep you exercise clothes and equipment ready the night before. That way you don’t waste any time getting dressed and ready for your workout. One possible disadvantage of exercise in the morning is that your time may be limited — overcome this limitation by having a set routine and not wasting time looking for your shoes or your track pants.

3. Thanks to social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you can tell everyone about your morning workout routine. Post your exercise plans on Facebook. Once you do so, it’s harder not to follow through with it. You also can use social media to boast of your accomplishments. They surely will be impressed, and it will motivate you to keep up your workout schedule.

 At first it may be difficult not to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, rather than jump out of bed to exercise at the gym or go on a 30-minute walk. But after about a week or two, your body will adjust to your early workout schedule and it will be easier to get up and out of the house and head for the gym. Here’s why: When you exercise regularly, you sleep better at night. And when you sleep better at night, you wake up fresh and exercise is easier to do.

If you get up early and meet your exercise goals for the whole week, then treat yourself for the good work. You may get a manicure done, watch a new movie with a friend, or go to a baseball game. Buy a new workout outfit, or go shopping — find what motivates you and use it to give you that push out of bed each morning for your workout routine.

You may want to eat something quick, like a banana or a handful of almonds, to give you a boost of energy before your workout routine. Then after you cool down, have your real breakfast — and make it special as a reward for your efforts. But don’t waste all your exercise efforts by eating a high-fat muffin or fried eggs. If you promise yourself a healthy, satisfying breakfast, such as eggs with veggies or oatmeal with fruit and nuts, when you get back, that will motivate you as well.

Cheers
Ritika

Commit to be FIT

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths. ~ Steven Wright

I thought of sharing my fitness story with you all today. Like how I became so aware of my body and fitness. I was never on the skinny side though was slim in my school and college days (I was staying in Kanpur then, with my family and relishing mom-cooked food). Then my life took a turning point, I completed my studies and I decided to move out of Kanpur and shift to New Delhi in order to pursue my career in the aviation industry. I worked for Kingfisher Airlines for few months (which happened to be a tiring 12 hours job, by the way), and also faced the sad side-effects of staying away from home à Weight Gain. Yes, I gained weight, very rapidly, all because of the junk and outside food I was relying upon. And the bad part, I did not even realize it. Everything in my life was happening so fast that I did not get time to sit and think of what am I eating and what is its impact on my body.

I did not use to cook back then, hence eating out all 3 meals was part of my daily routine. After a year and half, I started realizing the negative changes in my body. I had love handles, a waist with a round tyre, sagging arms and fat thighs. All the charm was gone. My previous clothes did not fit me now. Nothing was looking good. I thought to myself “How can I neglect myself so much! I look so different now. This was not my motive when I came to a different city and decided to live all by myself.”

Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it. Then I took a decision to stop abusing my body and do something (good) for myself, but did not know where to start from. That was the time when Kareena Kapoor’s (an Indian actress) size zero was in the news all over. Though I was not at all influenced by that kind of a figure, but that particular news hi-jacked everything from News channels to newspapers to fashion magazines and what not.

Then one fine day on TV, I watched Rujuta Diwekar (Kareena’s nutritionist) being interviewed. And only after listening to her, was I convinced to buy her book ‘Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight’.

I immediately ordered that book online and got it delivered on a Saturday (which luckily happened to be my weekly off day). I read that book in flat 2 hours (or may be less). And it would not be a lie to say that the book changed my way of thinking forever. It was that kind of a moment for me – when you badly need help and God sends someone to help you right in the middle of the ocean! I was inspired to the highest level on earth! The very next day I got myself a gym subscription, stopped feeding my mouth with all the junk, processed and unhealthy food. Eventually started cooking healthy and nutritious food at home. In the words of Rujuta (the author), started eating the right thing, in the right quantity and at the right time!

This book is truly an eye-opener. The author connects with the reader so well that one gets addicted to the book. It becomes difficult to keep it down. I then started seeing changes in my body (over a period of 3-5 months), which were the combined results of good diet and work-out sessions. I lost all my extra weight and started to look good and healthy again.

I seriously, whole heatedly thank the super generous lady “Rujuta Diwekar” for writing such an amazing book and sharing her knowledge with the masses.

It’s been close to 4 years since then and my journey towards a fitter body continues. I treat my body as my temple. I love love love working out. I love my gym and my food. I actually wait for those 40 min daily when I get re-charged from within. Though there are days when my energy levels go down and I don’t feel like working out or eating right, then I head back to the book (which, by the way, I have read for at least 100 times by now), and get all my inspiration back in gear.

“Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing money can't buy.”

“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no 'I'll start tomorrow.' Tomorrow is disease.” – So friends, let’s get going!!

Cheers to fitness!

Ritika