While at the gym!

I am one of those unlucky ones, who just needs to look at food, I'll put on weight. I am also "blessed" with hormonal imbalances and slow metabolism. So I try to live an active and healthy lifestyle; working out at the gym is my persistent attempt to persevere and stay healthy. 

I head to the gym, equipped with good music, comfortable workout clothes and my kindle too! Often, I choose my choice of "repetitive torture" and invariably end up watching people. You come across such a variety of entertaining people that these tools are often forgotten! Let's get this out of the way, yes! it's great all these people ( yours-truly included) make an effort to stay fit and prioritize some time at the gym in the middle of a busy day! These are just light-hearted observations of people, you don't need to get offended...if you do, please feel free to click on the X button at the top-right corner! 

1. The Rabid Runners
They are perennially on the treadmill running so fast; at such high intensity that the room is filled with the rattling noise. They are sweating it out in buckets, literally! I look at them in exasperation while torturing myself on the elliptical and wondering when I will ever reach those levels of stamina.

2. The Pinterest Pupil
...and then there are those who constantly look at their mobiles to follow a certain sequence of workouts. I take a peek (while humbly picking up a 1 or 2 kg dumbbell) at the super-fit-chick's mobile, who does handstands, burpees, lifts, squats and what-not...and realize that the virtual instructor is Pinterest! ....aah, the many advantages of the world-wide-web, eh?

3. The Spirited Sanitizers
...I am very amused at these people. Before they begin working out, they will obsessively sanitize every equipment religiously - the screen, the handles etc. While I understand that it is good hygiene and is also common courtesy to keep it clean for the next person, it is highly entertaining to see how paranoid people can get, in a place where you expect people to sweat-it-out! To me, it is over-sanitized! 

4. The Passionate Fashionate
....always seen in the most trendy and hip athletic wear, better known as athleisure wear in recent times. Their workout clothes are a perfect fit; extremely flattering and provides "inspiration" to commoners like me. The legs have transparent panels, the sports bras are in trending,neon colours screaming for your attention or they already have flat, toned abs in those leggings that you feel like they probably live at the gym!

Sometimes, there are some really skimpily dressed men in tiny shorts and singlets that make me squirm. Irrespective of the weather, their clothes are uncomfortably short. In addition, they will direct the fan towards them when the air conditioner is full on blowing cold air. Go figure!

5. The Music Mavens
...I can relate to this group a lot! I can't survive working out without good music. I have "inspiring tracks" to keep me going or some moving melodies to relax me, at times. I go into panic mode if the phone charge is low and I am unsure if it will last until I finish my workout time. I am also someone who will stop working out in the middle to change tracks or ensure my headphones are in place, before I do anything else. The headphones and phone are of prime importance to go to the gym. I have observed a few others who are in tandem with me. 

6. The Manic Multitaskers
...those who try to squeeze in as many tasks as possible while walking on the treadmill or puffing away at high speed on the elliptical. I have noticed many people catch up on calls ( I am guilty of doing that too!), check e-mails, messages, whatsapp ( of course!), watch videos on Youtube and even read books. 

If you fall into any of these categories, don't take yourself too seriously. Go ahead and have a hearty laugh!

Idu podum enakku...vera enna vendum?

As I type this blog, Baby Girl is taking a nap and I am listening to some amazing music. Music transcends across anything and everything and makes me happy, calm and makes me realize how blessed my life is! I always feel grateful when I listen to music. 

It puts me in such a happy frame of mind and I always resolve to listen to more music everyday. I always think of my life - like Before Baby Girl and After Baby Girl! I had a lot of time to myself earlier. Now that my little "energizer bunny" is here, she has taken over my life like a whirlwind - I would never have it any other way! There is this song from the movie "Kadal" and the lyrics perfectly describe how I feel about her - idu podum enakku...idu podume...vera enna vendum...nee podum ( roughly translates to this is all I want, what else do i need? you are all I want! )

I always thought the greatest feeling is to be in love. I am totally in love, unconditionally with her - dare I say, I love her the most, more than anyone else - not even S! :)

I realize so often that we are so muddled in our daily lives and routine that we never stop to see how far we have come or maybe even realized or achieved that thing or milestone we have always dreamed of. Take a moment to enjoy this lovely moment in life, acknowledge it and cherish the contentment. It's a wonderful feeling. I am feeling wonderful right now and very thankful ...blessed! :)

Nowadays, I am obsessed with Pinterest and always browsing through some amazing inspirations and DIYs. We tried to make Baby Girl co-sleep with us in her crib. So we cut a section of her crib and attached it to our bed. Then, I had a great idea to personalize her room. 

So I asked the carpenter to make cut-outs from the leftover wood. He came up with a capital "A" and a small "a". I further accessorized it with some jute yarn and jute stickers. She is thrilled with the result.

What do I want to do this year?

Baby Steps at getting back to work:
I want to, plan to get back to full-time work when Baby Girl goes to "big school"....meanwhile, when she is at playgroup, I am working on some freelance assignments. 2015 has begun on a good note. Baby steps indeed.

Travel a lot within India:
When we lived in France, we traveled all over Europe ( almost!) but realized that we had not seen half of India, our homeland! Now that we are back here, I want to go to all the lovely places we missed so far. Baby Girl has begun to enjoy traveling and is always ready to go "doin doin" in the car or "jhoom-Jhoom" in the plane! A girl after my own heart! 

Spend some alone-time with S:
Since we became parents, our whole world revolves around Baby Girl, rightfully and it will always be that way. But I realized that we are so absorbed with her that we seem to catch up on conversations in-between and miss out on important stuff. 

Fortunately, we are each other's closest friend and often discuss and share anything and everything under the sun. We still do, but in installments. So we have decided to at least take one day off a month(reasonable!) - baby-free and just spend time with each other, talk or just enjoy the silence.

Patience
I am much better than I used to be, in the "patience" area but i can definitely do better. I really want to acquire this skill so I can be a better person, a pleasant daughter, wife and mother coz with everyone else in the outside world I am a vision of pleasantry and sunshine! ..and then I think to myself, should'nt i make an effort to be pleasant to my loved ones first? 

I also want to stop reacting to various things and people, often not pleasant ones. I know its impossible for me to just not react at all...but i can make an effort to react less.

What are you planning to do this year?

Skincare:What has worked for me!

Wish all you readers a very happy, prosperous, healthy and a successful new year 2015. For a change, this year I begin with a post related to beauty, skincare specifically.

I was not blessed with great skin. I used to have a bit of acne in my teens due to PCOD and hormonal imbalances. Gradually, it began to improve as we moved cities and later countries. The levels of pollution definitely has a direct impact on your skin.

Having Baby Girl has not only helped me get fitter, she has also made it possible to get rid of my hormonal imbalances. Touchwood. So I try to care for my skin and spend about 5-10 mins before going to bed and it has helped a great deal. Here's what I do:

Moisturize

I live in a hilly region and the climate is extremely dry. So from someone with oily skin, i now have very dry skin. In fact, during winter, I have dark patches near the lips or eyebrows - it is that dry. So I moisturize regularly throughout the day. It helps a great deal.

Night Cream

I have to admit, I have started using a night cream very recently, after the dark patch episode. I was mortified initially and desperately began to seek a solution for the same, when I read on a beauty blog that using a night cream can be amazing for dry skin especially. So I went ahead and bought the Olay Special Effects Night Cream though its a tad expensive. I must admit that the jar lasts for a long period though.

In just about a couple of days, the dark patches and bruises just disappeared. Its an amazing product and i strongly recommend it. When I wake up in the morning, my skin is plump and looks very healthy and well rested.

Rose water spray

This is my very own idea before this gulabari came along, anyway! I buy regular rose water from the grocery store and fill up a spritzer and spray it on my face - whether I am wearing make up or just moisturizer.

The most important and obvious change or routine that is a must is to remove all makeup. Never go to bed with makeup on, it is the worst thing you can do to your skin.