A perfect start for 2019 - a Health and Wellness Meet-Up

As the year draws to a close each one of us every year make promises and resolutions to ourselves, some which we keep and some which we never get down to. So do I.  Mine being to start exercising. My one and only resolution that I lost somewhere along the line when my knees started troubling me. So when my friends, Dr. Bhavi Mody and Moushumi Pal, invited me to attend their first knowledge sharing and fun event of the year, "Your Health In Your Hands presents Wellness Meet-Up", I was happy to do so. A joint venture by Dr. Bhavi, Vrudhi and Moushumi Pal, Woodpecker Media was not just a meet and greet, but a well curated event organised to talk about something that's most important to each one of  us - our own health.  Topics that were presented by a number of eminent ladies were surprisingly all those that I have covered in my latest published book "Young and Sixty", that talks about my failings, sharing and life experiences to help inspire people to look within again, move forward and play a winning game on your own terms by taking control and living life in the Now!  The event organised on January 5th at Workbay, Bandra was hosted by Niddhi Puranik, the Fitness Ambassador, was indeed a perfect start for 2019. 

Learnings are always to be shared so here are some of the nuggets that I picked up from the speakers and am sure you will like me learn a lot from it too.

Dr.Bhavi Mody, Homeopath, Health Evangelist, Holistic Health Blogger, Speaker

§   When you talk about wellness, you as a centre,  need to feel good about yourself first. Lifestyle changes means go back to the basics. Move, sleep, workout and hydrate. Happiness is state of mind"

Dr Dimple Bhankharia, Dermatologist, Divine Skin Clinic on the secret to timeless beauty

§       Causes of ageing are smoking, prolonged exposure to the sun, stress, pollution, excess sugar and excess smoking.   Ageing happens 10 years earlier to a smoker.

§       As we age our skin begins to dry, get thinner, bruise easily, gets dull and loses its elasticity. 

Tips:

§          Vitamins A,C, E are good for skin

§          Think darker colour of fruits.. the lighter your skin will be..

§          Daily skin care routine important

§         Use a sunscreen every 3 hours with SPF >30 and definitely before moving out

§         Eye cream once you cross 35.

§         Exfoliate your skin. Exfoliating scrub once a week

§         Not just fruits, vegetables and nuts, add oil, green tea, flax seeds and dark chocolate to  your diet.

Dr Rashi Gupta, Dentist

§     Butterfly effect is an optical phenomenon seen in some sections of tooth roots but it is not only about mouth teeth and guns but  proper alignment of jaws also.  Jaws are important to be aligned properly for breathing and therefore attention must be paid to this even in children.  Yawning is important it supplies extra oxygen to the brain. Avoid free dental check-ups and take a proper check up occasionally.

Wellness talk by Dr Naavnidhi Wadhwa, Celebrity Life, Health and Business Coach

§     You need to be aware of your five senses for example we never use our senses especially when eating.. You need to be with food which is the source of our energy.  Mind learns only when you involve 5 senses. There is no stress when you use the five senses properly with mindfulness.  She conducted a unique meditation exercise unlike others where you are asked to blank out your mind first.  She explained that creating thought is work of the mind so we can't ask it to become blank (love this) .

Ms. Marrgalit on Bach Flower Remedies

§   Bach therapy focuses on outlook and personality of person to eradicate seven negative emotions using 38 flower essences that corresponds to a particular negative emotion. For example: White chestnut for persistent unwanted thoughts, Vine for my way or the highway, Beech helps develop tolerance

§      Bach Rescue Remedy combination of 5 flower essence brings you awareness and calms you down was recommended by her

§     These remedies however, cannot be bought off the shelf as the practitioner takes history of person and creates the essence suitably.

§       Up to 7 flowers can be combined to solve two or more specific emotions and situations.

Doodles and health session by Shambhavi Tarotforu, Award Winning Celebrity, Tarot Reader, Life Coach,Vaastu, Colour Therapist

§        An engaging activity and an ice breaker was conducted with the ladies which was fun. From the absent mind random designing on paper is doodles. Each one of us were given a piece of paper and pencil to doodle.  The paper colour and the pencil colour that we actually picked up also spoke volumes about us as per her.  Green being progression, Yellow  being positivity and healing, Orange being spiritually and so on.  On explaining the significance of doodling squares, rounds, etc. she explained when too many doodles are Squares or Circles close eyes and see what you see first. Be aware of what you draw or Doodles..it speaks volumes about you...example when we write names on paper, the way the alphabets are written shows how much attention you seek.

Neha Suradhkar talked about Self Love, Positive Body Image and Loving Yourself Unconditionally.

§        Looking good and feeling good both are important.

§       Do what you can do best with what you have.

§       Dressing up by understanding colours, styles and what works for you and your skin focusing on features that you can highlight

§        If you are on heavier side make sure your negatives are downplayed.

§       Don't put any conditions on yourself but accept yourself the way you are

Dr. Nikhil Shah, WinSoles on the benefits of the soles they create to align the body as per each individual requirement. Some facts he shared were walking for just routine work like market runs does not  count as walking. 15 minutes of concentrated walking is important. Checking right posture, foot alignment, whether flat footed or not, are you standing climbing and running in a proper surface are important for  walking correctly and foot balance.

Rashmi Bagri, Corporate Trainer, conducted an exercise to appreciate, experience and get to know the person sitting next to you. Each one was asked to draw the person and then list features that attracted you or those that you liked. A feel good exercise for participants.

Trupti Sawant  (Trups S Sawant) on Science of Forgiveness - Is it a Choice or a Compulsion today?

§       There are  11 major chakras or energy centre that starts from the sub conscious mind.

§       When a person does not troubled you anymore in thought dream or physically then it is true forgiveness.

§       Write Letter S on unruled paper in script style and say  that you forgive..

Riddhi Doshi Patel, Performance Skills Trainer, Behavioral Coach, Psychologist, Integrated Art Therapy Practitioner on accepting yourself.

§     Made all the ladies get up and loosen up with a bit of stretching exercises and an exercise using modality of dance moves. As she explained, nothing works if there is no connect between mind and body. She conducted an exercise to thank every part of the body by asking us to close our eyes and touch each part of your body in appreciation and thanks.

My take away was simple, that being, to look after my health, exercise and sleep well.  As for eating healthy, I am not the one who can lecture anyone on it for sure, but I do believe in eating in moderation and with a thought that at the end of the day, that I  do not want to be at the mercy of others on account of any ill health.

You too can learn more so join Dr. Bhavi Mody and Moushomi Pal in their endeavour to take you on the path of good health. Like their FB page:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vrudhihwc/?ref=search

And do pick up a copy of  my book that talks of this too ..........

India Links : Flipkart, Amazon.in,  Infibeam, Notionpress.com

International : Amazon.com  Amazon.co.uk

AGE WITH HUMOUR

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

GUILT? …….    STRESS!!

INCOMPLETE BUCKET LIST?

MONEY WISE- MONEY FOOLISH

MEMORIES MAKEOVER

LET’S TALK #MENTAL HEALTH

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

WHEN PANIC ATTACKS !!

GEN-NEXT AND US !!!

  GETTING OFF THE GRUDGE TRAIN

WHY CAN’T I ENJOY MY MONEY?

THE GRANDPARENT GUILT TRAP

   DECONSTRUCTING  DEMENTIA

& ALZHEIMER‘S

BRAIN POWER…   SOUL MATTERS!

…….AND  MORE

#LetsWalk, an initiative to promote health and fitness

An invitation to participate in a beach walk to promote health is honestly something I never saw myself agree to doing. #LetsWalk - Beach Walk, the initiative "your health in your hands" to promote health and fitness got me out of bed on September 2nd, that too on a Sunday; the day I refuse to get up early.  I landed up at Juhu Beach and found myself  enjoying a great morning at the beach and even more so because I found myself screaming out in joy. Everywhere I turned, I found a friend was there too and that was truly uplifting and awesome. 

The walk was organised by Moushumi Pal founder of Woodpecker Media, a consulting company catering to conceptualised events, transformational digital marketing strategies and creative brand design and Dr. Bhavi Mody, a postgraduate with over two decades of clinical experience in providing Holistic Healing and Founder and Director at Vrudhi Holistic Health Care. The event had a participation of over 150 health enthusiasts, started with a round of Yoga (me and yoga. Wow! I did that too), was followed by a 2 km walk on the beach. Fun childhood games such as tug-of-war, passing the parcel and thumbs-up that we have all played as children were a part of the event to bring back that magic into their lives.

I love to interview people and talk to them about their initiatives. so it was obvious that I found myself interviewing these wonderful ladies live on face book. Talking to me about the initiative, Moushumi said "We want to touch lives. We want inclusion. What Dr. Bhavi Mody advocates is making things very simple to follow, like eat less, sleep less, breathe well, things we forget in mundane routine of today's life styles we have. Then gradually I started thinking how can we make it more engaging and that's is why we thought of organising the first walk. We wanted everyone from all walks of life to come out in the fresh air. We want to do it at different locations now. First one was a nature walk and this our second one which is the beach walk."

Dr. Bhavi Mody adds, "This initiative is to help you stress on little changes that you can get into your everyday life to make your life more healthy. Mission #StayHealthyStayHappy is what we believe in. We started out in December last year. As Moushumi mentioned, the first walk that happened was a nature walk at Sanjay Gandhi National Park and today we are on the beach. Next who knows where. Maybe the mountains".

The first walk organised by them was on June 3, 2018. It was an educational 2 km walk around Borivali National Park and I must admit  even though I was invited to that one too, I was just too lazy to get out of bed. What I missed was an opportunity to learn about various species of flora and fauna along with the environmentalists there and more importantly an opportunity to click loads of photos (which is my passion).  I am never missing another walk ever again for sure.

At the end of the walk the participants were given refreshments and goody bags. Each one of us had been given a T-shirt too before the walk.  Eminent power women such as Pinky Rajgharhia (Mrs Universe Business lady 2017, Mrs Asia 2017, Mrs Fitness 2016, Social Activist), Gehna Mehra (Writer & Entrepreneur), Nabomita Mazumdar (Businesswoman  and Speaker for Future of Work, HR, Startup, Women and Business, Social media and Technology), Nidhika Bahl (Celebrity Life Coach), Savneet Kaur  (Vice Chair,  ALL) and Daulatbi Khan (Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation) participated in the walk to support the initiative.

I must admit that I am not much of a health freak,  but the walk did not help me to realise the value of being outdoors. I realised that morning, that I had also bonded and shared so much more with my friends there and even though I could not walk for long (I have painful knees, you see), it was lovely to be out breathing in the fresh air. A big thank you to Moushumi for inviting me to join and cheers to you and your team mates, Ridhi Doshi and Sonu Bajaj for a well organised event.  

I can happily say that the event was not just  #LetsWalk but a lovely #FriendshipWalk for me and that I am looking forward to the next one too.

Connect on FB page for joining the next walk: 

www.facebook.com/groups/vrudhihwc

LET'S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH NOW !!

An invitation on a discussion on Mental Health in whatsapp from a friend caught my eye. The words "Mental Health" meant nothing to a mad bawi like me. It's a given (ha ha ha)........ Me being Me, with a zest of life, always wanting to meet, greet and make more friends, I decided to go to know more about 'Mental Health' that everyone is talking about today.... Actually, if I were to honestly admit, it was just that there were also those two women I just had to meet again - Meera and Sonali.

I must admit that the beautiful auditorium at Godrej's India Culture Lab, Vikhroli, really blew my mind. A pod cast with Nikhil, Aalap and Cyrus Sahukar "Work in Progress Episode 1 - The Anxiety of Choice" was being premiered. Aalap, Cyrus and Nikhil tackled this paradox through some sensible and meaningful ..and some crazy banter. All my friends know that I love taking notes of points that touch me and keeping them with me, but sadly I could not separate names and voices.. Here are some of the nuggets I jotted listening to them, but don't ask me who said what !! They talked about how generations had no choices earlier while today there are choices, choices and choices (oh yes, how I agree with this one). Not to mention that according to one of them today it is a white room with no floors and ceilings.. I totally agreed with their point on 'everyone looks back and thinks the other generation had it better'. As men, they agreed that while women were allowed to express their feelings, men were not allowed to feel sad about anything and if they did it was invalidated immediately. Nikhil made a very valid point saying that when he lost his mobile, others seemed to think that there was more to life than losing a mobile and more worst problems others faced.  I must admit that this really made me sit up and think.  How true is it that we often disregard someone else's problem as unimportant and insignificant without realising that maybe for that person it means a great deal. Nikhil had not lost his mobile but he had lost a script he had been working on that mobile. I asked him after the event and was sad to know that he had not managed saved it elsewhere. Think about it.... Is it not a fact that we seem to be not understanding about how much something affects another just based on our assumptions of the situation. Here is where each one of us needs to step up for our friend, family and others. Don't we say one man's meat is another man's poison. Not saying more on this, here is a link of the world premiere episode and live podcast for you :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjisCI-ial8 .... but wait here is one message that really will stay with me forever. Everyone seems to believe sending out messages to the Universe is a sure shot way to get what you want.  Well, one of them just burst the bubble with, "The Universe is not like Ramu Kaka waiting to take your order"! .... and yes, if you figure out who said that then let me know !!

The panel on stage was Sonali Gupta, Clinical Psychologist, Ranaboli Ray, Founder & Managing Trustee of 'Anjali' Mental Rights Organisation, 104.8 IshqFM RJ Meera Dhamji and Nikhil Taneja, Writer & Storyteller.  Each one of them had battled their own demons and therefore each word that they said, is everything you need to know.  Nikhil shared something that happens to all of us, but we don't really sit up and take notice of it.  He remembers panicking at a world class event and how he could not just get himself out of bed to get there thinking about the worst things that could happen like, he would not get there in time, his suit was not right, he would say the wrong things and so on.  Most of us get these panic attacks but if it passes we are fine, but as Nikhil says when it became too difficult to handle, it is time to take help. He also mentioned how we take "mood swings" lightly and should not as these are triggers and must be addressed at the earliest. As for Sonali, she shared how she had spent her childhood practically living in hospital where her father was admitted and how she began to understand trauma, depression and more, enough to be able to be able to help others today. Meera shared a story of one of her listeners, unhappy and depressed at being unable to conform to society norms of sexuality and not being the son his mother wanted. 

We all have been hearing that mental health is a big issue in these days of stress and so when it starts affecting your personality, social interactions and you get depressed often or get frequent panic attacks, it is time to seek help. We don't do that do we.  We pretend all is good and then move on with our lives till one day you just break down. Did you know that apparently there are just 2500 trained psychologists in our country and that the number people affected by it is increasing each day. When I retired, I knew I would have a lot of time on my hands and for me 9-5 routine meant a great deal because it kept me busy and weekends just were my recycle craft days. Today, all days are recycle craft days (ha ha) so I started writing, blogging, keeping busy by attending events like this one on Mental Health, meeting people, making selfie memories (adore this part), making friends (top on my list) who gave me so many opportunities to do more... and I truly believe in reinforcing belief in my capabilities cause it is my way of dealing with my time and energies today. No, I am not preaching or saying I know best, but simply saying that one has to understand limitations, appreciate change or make the change and find that space that is YOU.  I've said enough, so am going to let the panel speak to us through what they shared.  Here are the nuggets from them to help understand Mental Health....

 Sonali Gupta says..

•  'We become labels we put on ourselves..
•  'Therapy is about helping clients finding their own answers...'
•   'Embracing the fact that sometimes there are no answers..'
• 'Watch out for strained relationships, couples anxiety, loneliness and burn-out'

Sonali Gupta is a Clinical Psychologist and Practising Therapist  who works with people struggling with behavioural,depression and emotional concerns, sexuality related concerns, Psychosomatic issues and  around the science of intuition and self-esteem  - https://www.guptasonali.com

Ratnaboli Ray says.....

•  'Self awareness... Believe in yourself.. Be the subject and the object yourself..'
•   'We talk in a language less threatening to make women in far flung areas to understand mental health..Everyday behavior should not be a label of mental health'
•  'Please make list of 5 people you can reach out to even if you have not met for years...'
•  'Coming out is a difficult task... It's about self awareness... What is your emotional landscape.. Do you not get into the trap of 'thinking'..
•  'Realising your potential, productivity, dealing with stress and somewhere opportunity also plays an important role especially for people who live in the margins of society who get no chances or opportunities.'

Ratnaboli Ray, is a leading advocate for the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities (mental health conditions) in India. Founder & Managing Trustee of 'Anjali' Mental Rights Organisation - Website:www.anjalimentalhealth.org

RJ Meera Dhamji says .......

• 'Even if we up number of mental health officials until we don't have a conducive environment, then we are not doing right'
•  "On radio, I have to be the person who listens to what you are saying. Sharing personal stories help heal"
•  'Anything that keeps you from being the person you want to be'

'Heart To Heart, With Meera' is all about real conversations with listeners. Monday To Friday, 10pm - Midnight 104.8 @IshqFM

Nikhil Taneja says ..

•         Listen.. Be kinder on a day to day basis'
•          'Not every second of our time needs to be used.. Find what makes you feel the moment has purpose....
•          'Sadly, the moment you say mental health people think psycho'..
•          'Chasing the next goal.. next high.. If working its fine. The moment your plan does not work out..Pause, Feel..There is more to life...'
•          'Misplaced ideas of happiness dependent on someone else, something else. We never realise it is something we have to discover ourselves.'

Nikhil is an Independent Writer- Producer-Storyteller- Teacher-Consultant for Digital/Film/TV/Ads

Laughter is the best medicine- who ever said that!!

Laughter is the best medicine- who ever said that. Some might say that laughter is a medicine to hide a hurt, some will say it frees me from sadness, some say it is an exercise to keep happy. Some fake it at social events.

So let me think this through. No one feels like laughing when they lose their spouse or job, no one sees the humour when someone is shown the door or when a relationship fails or when life throws you a bad curve.  Then how can it be a medicine. Such a myth isn’t it? Think about it. When did you last feel like laughing at such misfortunes? If you did laugh then it lasts only for a small window of time till those thoughts come rushing back. Laughter is simply is a means of distracting oneself at that time, that moment and then back to square one….but then there is the flip side to this medicine.  I for one can laugh at anything even myself and that I learnt from my late mom. My Mom never failed to see humour in anything. Walking down to the market with her was a humorous day as she could find something to laugh at. Some might say laughing at someone else’s expense is bad- how rude, but we laugh because mom taught us to laugh at ourselves and to make others laugh. I remember that day when we, sisters and cousin brother were sitting at her 'death' prayers in the fire temple when a young boy came in to pray and our eyes watched this gawky boy as he walked around praying..... and then it happened. Instead of touching each foot of God's photo, he spreads his index and middle finger and places one each at the feet and we burst into laughter and my cousin says “if Mami had been here she would be killing it laughing”.

Laughter is good and happy memories that sometimes burst forth. It is free fun and probably the best way to be de-stress. It is totally contagious and you can never escape that smile.  Laughter will definitely not remove the pain but it will lighten the burden if you let it.  You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing because it’s coming from the heart and not forced. People swear by its positive health effects and there are laughter clubs today making it truly the best medicine and I agree that there is a great deal of positivity in that thought.  So while it’s clear that some events are truly sad and not occasions to break into laughter, there are on the other hand, indeed some that deserve a dose of laughter medicine. There will be loads of those who can’t see humour in what you see. Think of those times when you are watching a movie and people around you are laughing hysterically and you are thinking “what’s so funny about that”. And it’s not like you can’t enjoy a good laugh but at that moment it just revolts you. You know, I have faced that myself and analyzed that situation and have realised that most times I don’t laugh in a movie it is because I am not in a mood to or tired, or had a hard day and just not relaxed enough or genuinely just can’t appreciate the humour. It’s just “ME” in that moment.  After all, we are all different anyways and we all laugh at different things, for different reasons or at different situations, don’t we?  So don’t carry that overpowering feeling of sadness or too much of pretend happiness....... after all it your life. Laugh only because you want to, when you want to, however loud you want.  It reminds me of a song from Mary Poppins "I love to laugh" that goes :

I love to laugh

It's getting worse every year

The more I laugh, the more I fill with glee

And the more the glee

The more I'm a merrier me

.......It is plain and simple. Laughter is a medicine for you to use. It is your choice when and where to use it.