Category: Diet and Health

MLMM- Photo Challenge # 376

Weejars is our host for Photo Challenge this week.

black and white ceramic figurine

Adrian Swancar on Unsplashhttps://unsplash.com/photos/72El6N0cmj4

Use above image as inspiration for a poem or short story.

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I………said……….no……!!!

How many times I have to say it so that you’ll believe me?

Henry was shaking his head so vehemently that it appeared like a blur. Jennifer tried to calm him down by taking away the plate of food she was offering to him. His constant denial of any nourishment was beginning to alarm his sister. After the passing away of their parents, she felt responsible for her younger brother.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but it was time she sought help for him. She thought that only young girls suffered from anorexia, but it seemed that teenage boys did too.

She went away to her room to look up the helpline number provided by her university. She hoped that with proper counseling they can help him out of this and the depression that had taken hold of him when their parents had died.

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#Keepitalive

#PhotoChallenge

Restful sleep and your pillow; My experience

How often this happens; you are tossing and turning on your bed, trying to get your beauty sleep, but this comfort eludes you? To me, it happens way too often.

And then there are days when you get your six-seven hours of uninterrupted sleep and it feels like you’re a totally different person.

Recently, I’d noticed that I got up with shoulder pain as well. The whole area and my neck felt tight and hard. After giving the matter some thought, I decided to try something different.

Previously I have tried many types of pillows. Soft ones, hard ones, flat ones, fluffy ones, one made of memory foam, and a combination of the above. My usual is two pillows, a medium one and a soft one on the top. But since this wasn’t producing good results, I got rid of them.

And I bought a memory foam contour pillow for myself. The deal was that I had 24 hours to try it and if I wasn’t comfortable using it, I could exchange it for something else.

The first night wasn’t that great a success. But I thought that it deserved another try so I decided to keep it and the second night’s sleep was better. It’s gone successively better from then.

The higher side supports the neck and then the head rests at the level of the heart when we are sleeping or lying down. This facilitates the blood flow towards the brain and helps us get better sleep. The neck is supported in its natural position and I get up free from any pain in my neck or shoulders.

All this long story is to convey to you that sometimes we need to break old habits and do something different to get more out of life.

How well do you sleep?

Are your bed and pillow helping or hindering in your efforts of getting a good night’s sleep?

#Keepitalive

#GoodSleep

#Health

Stream Of Consciousnesses Saturday- Up and down

Linda is the host of Stream Of Consciousnesses Saturday

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “up/down.” Use one, use them both, but try to put one in your first sentence. Bonus points if you use the other in your last sentence. Have fun!

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Up and down, up and down, like a yo-yo, my weight fluctuates almost on a daily basis. I blame it on the fact that I was a chubby baby who grew up to have a marked tendency to gain weight.

Add to it the fact that I had an autoimmune disease that gradually destroyed my thyroid gland, and you have the perfect person for yo-yoing weight. The more I dieted, the more I craved food, especially carbs. I can, and do lose weight when I put serious effort into it. But the moment I stop dieting, it creeps up gradually and surely.

I have just two states, losing weight and gaining weight. There is no middle ground where I can just maintain my weight.

As an act of desperation, I have given up dieting, and weighing myself. If my clothes fell loose, I am happy that the weight is not going up. And if they feel tighter than usual, I know I am gaining a few pounds.

But I think at my age, I need to be concerned more with feeling well and remaining healthy rather than being my ideal weight. So I walk daily, keep my blood levels in range and avoid too much junk food.

One get only one life after all to enjoy!

#Keepitalive

#SoCS

Stream Of Consciousnesses Saturday- Drive

Linda is the host of Stream Of Consciousnesses Saturday

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “drive.”Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

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“I prefer to drive instead of walking!”

This was how I thought for many years of my life. Walking was never one of my favorite activity. I would walk if I had to, but not by choice.

It all changed, when I had my first knee replaced. My doctor told me that for the surgery to be truly successful and beneficial, I had to walk at least a mile, twice daily.

I started walking, albeit reluctantly because I didn’t want another surgery. After 3 and a half years, I got my second knee replaced. By that time I had developed a healthy walking routine.
I’d walk 30 minutes early in the morning, and 30 minutes in the evening.

But my love for walking strengthened when I bought my first Fitbit. Fitbit is an exercise tracker and it records steps and other forms of exercise. It was the first time I wanted to walk, instead of driving. It gave me the incentive to walk 10 k steps daily and then some more.

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#Keepitalive

#SoCS

A to Z Challenge- People, Qualities or Things that inspired me – Z

For Letter Z, my choice is ZZZZZ

Yes, you’ve guessed it right my sleep.

So this might be cheating because sleep and sleeping starts with S but I feel to end this challenge, stressing on getting good quality and quantity of ZZZZZZZ is very important.

The day I get my 7 hours of beauty sleep, I feel so wonderful and energetic. My mood is elevated and I feel I can tackle any obstacle with panache!

Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. A good night’s sleep helps us not only be active during the day but also is vital for maintaining good health and weight.

Lack of restful sleep results in lower immunity and we are prone to fall sick. It also effects our ability to handle stress of life.

A few helpful tips for a good night’s sleep;

• Avoid caffeine in the late evening and night time.

• Hydrate yourself well during the day.

• A light stroll or walk after dinner helps in going to sleep.

• Avoid screen time before bedtime, as it’s glare/ light can wake up or agitate the brain.

• Lie in bed only when sleeping, it helps condition the mind to recognize it as sleep time.

• If sleep is hard to come by, half a glass of warm milk or a banana can do the trick.

Hope these tips can help those struggling with sleep.

Sweet dream.

Thank you everyone for reading and commenting on my A to Z challenge. I enjoyed myself this year.

#Keepitalive

#AtoZChallenge

WQWWC # 21 -Nutrition or Nourishment

Marsha is the host of WQWWC

Let’s start with nutrition;

Our bodies need food to fuel our bodies. The balance is the key. Not too much not too little of any of the vital nutrients and we will be either lacking or overindulging.

Good nourishing food, eaten mindfully is how we can look after our bodies.

I have been to-yoing all my life and learned this lesson a few years back that dieting is not the answer. I now eat healthy ( mostly!) and walk a lot. I have found a balance when I am nearly sixty. And this is logical. When I was younger, losing weight always held the charm of looking good. Now, postmenopausal, the looking good desire has been replaced by the desire to feel good.

But it’s not nutrition alone we need but the nourishment of the soul is also required.

“Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well”

Michael Pollan

The experience of eating with family is enriching and satisfying. That’s why when during this pandemic, we cannot meet friends and family for a meal, we feel more deprived.

“The nourishment of body is food, while the nourishment of the soul is feeding others”

Ali ibn Abi Tali

I love this quote as it is one of the beautiful practices of Islam. We are encouraged to feed those who cannot afford good food. Sharing with those around us on festive occasions is also recommended.

“There are realities we all share, regardless of our nationality, language, or individual tastes. As we need food, so do we need emotional nourishment: love, kindness, appreciation, and support from others”

Goswami Kriyananda

How wonderful it would be if both the body and soul are nourished at the same time. I am really looking forward to a time when we all can meet freely and share our table with our loved ones.

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#Keepitalive

#WQWWC

Writer’s Quotes Wednesday Writing Challenge- Fitness, health and wellness

Marsha is the host of WQWWC

The way to participate in this challenge is to find a quote or use one of mine and expound on it through words or pictures. Each week I have a new topic. Find them all on my Writer’s Quotes Wednesday page.

WQWWC Instructions9 Ways to Respond to a Quote for Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays Writing Challenge

The topic of this week is Fitness, health, and wellness

I started on my journey of weight loss when I saw a friend of mine who had lost quite a bit of weight. I asked her how, and she directed me to a weight loss clinic.

It was a shabby affair but it worked like a dream because I hadn’t done this sort of thing before. I lost an amazing 80 pounds in four months.

Yes…….

Too much

Too soon

It was Atkins diet, no carbs, no vegetables to speak of, and no fruit at all. A very restrictive diet that meant that as soon as I stopped it, I would start gaining weight.

I gradually gained back all the weight that I had lost plus some more.

But I acquired one good thing out of my first serious effort at weight loss. The habit of walking daily.

At the same time, I was diagnosed with seronegative arthritis. It meant many episodes of swollen knee joints where I was unable to walk or even stand without pain.

To cut a long story short, I needed knee replacement surgery on both knees. I got the first one at the age of fifty and the second one three years later.

After my surgery, my doctor told me that if I wanted to avoid revision surgery before ten years, I needed to stay fit by walking two miles every day and to reduce weight.

I took this advice to heart. I started walking morning and evening. At first, I would barely be able to do 20 minutes each. But with the fear of another surgery driving me, I achieved the 30 minutes target and then exceeded it to make almost an hour in the morning and evening.

Though I still am not at my ideal weight, I feel healthy and fit. I can walk up to 7 miles a day and it is such a boost to my morale.

And my titanium knees are doing very well.

I think my post is longer than I intended, but it’s a topic that is close to my heart.

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#Keepitalive

#WQWWC

Friday Fun – streaks

Kate is the host of Friday Fun

streaks come in many forms … clouds, hair, naked run,
so cut loose and have some fun
keep it family friendly but streak away …

photography, poetry, creative writing
post your streak and link back here!

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I was on a losing streak and was so happy about it

Lost one-fifth of my body weight in one year

That was a dream come true for me and I was jubilant

Then a huge craving for carbs sunk my victory boat

The urge to eat potatoes and pasta, rolls and cookies

Derailed the whole process and fate added another stroke

I had a surgical procedure and felt I could only eat rice and dhal

Now I am restored to full health and did cautiously approach

The weighing scale full of fear and trepidation

The results were as expected, I had found half the weight I’d lost

Now it’s back to the dieting, with a renewed resolve

To find that losing streak that was working so well!

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#Keepitalive

#FridayFun

Sunday Writing Prompt – 21st February – Aghast.

Michael is the host of Sunday Writing Prompt this week

Imagine walking along and as you round a corner you see something that leaves you aghast.

This week write your response to something that leaves you aghast.

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After practicing healthy eating, walking miles and miles daily, I was expecting a significant weight loss. But imagine my horror when I stepped on the scale and saw it had gone up instead of down.

It left me aghast and disheartened. What was the use I thought to myself? So much care with eating and burning calories by walking 5-6 miles a day and I was gaining weight!

I was in this dismal mood when my younger daughter asked me what was bothering me. I told her my sad story and she was quite amused.

“Mom you aren’t eating healthy anymore. You are having so many carbs daily and then you expect a weight loss. Try cutting out these carbs and you’ll see the difference!”

I thought about what she had said and I had to agree reluctantly that she was right.

I hope I can bring back my eating to a healthy routine.

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#Keepitalive

#SundayWritingPrompt

Friday Flashback- Do’s and don’t’s of ketogenic diet

I am sharing this post from 23 October 2018 as a part of Fandango Friday Flashback

Most people who try to follow Keto diet are confused as to what they should eat and what to avoid. Here I have compiled A list of dos and don’ts of Keto diet.

In one of my previous post, you can read it here, I gave an outline of my initial daily food intake.

Now I want to help people who have started Keto diet and haven’t much information about how to go about it.

1. Meals and their timings:

It is a vital part of Keto diet to eat your meals according to a fixed schedule. Now don’t get the idea that this would tie you to an unreasonable routine. By a schedule, I mean that the time between each meal should be around the same, daily. Now if you have breakfast early in the morning, you don’t have to have it at the same time every day, but make sure that the time difference between dinner and breakfast stays (almost )the same. And apply the same principle to lunch and dinner.

2. If you are not hungry at mealtime, don’t eat. The idea of 3 meals a day or short frequent meals is not good for health. Frequent eating releases Insulin, which will hinder your weight loss and can make you Insulin resistant.

3. Appetite management:

It is natural to feel hungry initially when you start on Keto. The Macros of Keto as I explained in my previous post are:

FAT:70%

PROTEIN 25%

CARBS 5% 

You can add non-starchy vegetables to this.

Vegetables allowed on Keto: 

Eat as much as you want:

Green leafy vegetables like ;

Spinach, Iceberg, Rocket( Arugula), Mustard greens, Collard greens, Kale. Lettuce

Cruciferous vegetables like;

Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels sprouts.

High water content vegetables like;

Squash ( all types), Peppers( all types ), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Turnips, Zucchini, Celery, Asparagus. Mushrooms, Olives

Eat less of these:

Tomatoes, onions, green beans, okra, carrots

These vegetables will not only fill up your tummy but will also provide essential nutrients like Potassium, iron vitamins, especially vitamins B and C. 

Start your meal with a large plate of salad. The daily recommended amount of vegetables/salad per day is around 7-10 cups. Divide it into two servings one with lunch and the other with dinner. If you find it difficult to eat that many vegetables, then you can try a veggie smoothie.

     Avoid completely

Potato, peas, lentils, beets, yams, corn.

All the products made out of potatoes and corn also must be avoided.

4. No snacking:

This is a difficult habit to stick to, especially in the beginning. But to get your body into ketosis, you must stick to this important rule. If you feel hungry in between meals:

a. Increase your intake of fat in your meals

b. Have a glass full of water with a tablespoon full of Apple cider vinegar in it. You can also add some lemon juice to it. It will lower your urge to eat.

Hope that these tips will make it easy for you to follow Keto Diet.

I will follow up with another post of foods allowed on keto!

Thanks for visiting.

Please let me know how you like my post.

#Keepitalive

#FFF

#KetogenicDiet

#KetoDiet

#Weightloss