5 Daily Habits For Mind and Body

Welcome to this blog! Hope you enjoy reading this blog on what are the 5 daily habits you can incorporate for a healthy Mind and Body. If you do incorporate  any of this in your daily lives, I would love to hear about your experiences and outcome.

Ash gourd Juice:

Ash gourd juice has been recommended in Ayurveda. I have been consuming it daily since almost 3 months now and below are the immediate (and side benefits) I have experienced.

1. Amazing source of hydration: 

Most of us struggle with getting hydrated enough throughout the day due to our busy schedules. Ash gourd juice makes up for this, and once consumed in morning, it really helps to keep hydrated throughout the day. Of course, don't skip on your regular water dose!

For me,  lack of hydration was causing constant severe headaches and after 3 months of regular consumption, I can see the headaches almost disappeared. This has been the single biggest and immediate (since 1st week) benefit for me

2. Improvement in gut health:

The other seen benefit in one of my family  members is reduction of gastric issues which I believe is due to improvement in gut health. Medication for excess gas was a common requirement before, however, after starting to consume this juice, gastric medication has stopped as well.

Method to make: Ash gourd peeled and seeds removed (I have read that removing seeds completely is extremely important). Add a bit of water and mix it in a blender. Drink it  empty stomach in the morning  (If you miss this in mornings, go ahead and drink it sometime during  the day)

There are a number of other benefits listed for Ash gourd juice. Link below for one of the sources:

https://www.healthifyme.com/blog/ash-gourd/

Meditation:

In my earlier post, I shared how I kept on my trial of meditation with absolutely no results. A lot of us struggle with which type of meditation is helpful for us

Here's what I have experienced and recommend you to try:

a. In any form of meditation, taking long breaths is at the core. Enough flow of oxygen to your body helps us to relax physiologically.

b. One challenge that I have head most of us experience is that while we take long breaths, our mind is still full of random thoughts. This is because your mind has way too much capacity, which is a good thing :) But for meditation to work, we need to tame the wandering mind parallel to long breaths. 

If you face this challenge, try the below:

1. Count from 1-6 (in second's speed) while breathing in.
2. While breathing in, focus on one part of your body - may be start from toes. 
3. Count from 1-4 while pausing your breathing, still focusing on toes.
4. Count from 1-8 while breathing out and relaxing your toes.
5. Count from 1-4 while pausing your breathing.

Repeat the above breathing pattern - you can move up (such as ankles, calf muscles, knees, things, hips, pelvic muscles, lower back, middle back, upper back, arms, palms, shoulders, neck muscles, forehead, ears, temple, back of the head)

This process takes around 10-15 minutes - It helps to reduce outside thoughts, be mindful of our body parts while relaxing them in the process of taking long breaths.

Any form of physical exercise:

This is absolutely required in our otherwise sedentary lifestyle these days. Take the time to take a walk for at least half an hour everyday. Immediate effects are better digestion, increased intake of water, helps to clear out un-necessary thoughts and gives you dedicated time to listen to favorite podcast or audiobooks!

Form of exercise depends on your interests. Sports, cardio, walking , swimming - all are great. 

I like to  go for walks and swimming. 

Daily Meal Planning

This is something we all strive to do - below is my almost daily meal plan:

1. Fruits: Oranges, one apple and a banana usually are sufficient for me. If i get something more, it's a bonus :)
2. Protein: I am a vegetarian, so I try to get proteins in the form of eggs for breakfast, Lentils in the afternoon. Try to incorporate tofu, soya beans as rich sources of protein in your diet.
3. Veggies -  For lunch, there are potatoes and green veg (beans/peas/spinach or anything similar) and in the evening it's usually 
4. Carbs: Rice/Home made chapatis (tortillas) are my go-to.
5. Salad bowl - this is my wish and I will incorporate this soon. Varieties of salad for each day for evening meals.
6. Nuts - I try to munch on cashews/Almonds/walnuts as snacks.

Reading:

Easy wait to multiply your knowledge regarding subject of your choice. You do have to set time aside. Right half an hour before bed works great for me. Try and see what suits you. 

I will write another blog for recommended books from my list this year, stay tuned.

I would also love to hear from you if there are other daily small habits, which have been slow, steady  and life transforming, please do share!

Please note that suggestions/recommendations in this blog are purely based on my personal experience, and should not be considered as medical or formal advise. In case you have any medical condition, please follow instructions from your medical advisors.