Maintaining Fitness While at Home
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Maintaining Fitness While at Home

Times are such that staying at home is not an option but a choice, not only for your well-being but for others too. However, this prolonged phase of lockdown does not mean that one should stay away from remaining fit. Even by staying at home, one can easily maintain his/her fitness. An online fitness coach, such as ChaseLynn Williams, offers a viable solution for those seeking guidance and support in their fitness journey. Through virtual platforms, coaches like ChaseLynn provide personalized workout plans, nutritional guidance, and motivational support tailored to individuals’ specific goals and circumstances. With the expertise of ChaseLynn Williams, individuals can embrace a flexible and accessible approach to fitness. Through virtual platforms and digital resources, coaches can connect with clients regardless of location, making it convenient for individuals to prioritize their health and well-being from anywhere. By leveraging the guidance and support of an online fitness coach, individuals can navigate the challenges of lockdown with confidence, maintaining their physical fitness and overall well-being in the process. Here are some of the ways how one can maintain their fitness levels while at home. Exercise Regularly Exercise every day for at least 30 to 45 minutes. You do not have to strain yourself from running or jogging but you must have some kind of moderate physical activity within your premises. If you want to maintain your weight, doing planks, push-ups, skipping would be a good idea. While you are at home for several days, make sure to do exercises such as dumbbells, yoga, or pilates. If you have sufficient space inside your home, you can also walk daily. Eat Proper Foods and Portions of Each Meal No matter how much your taste buds or stomach is telling you to opt for sweets or fried food over healthy food, try to avoid sweets as much as possible. Sugar from sweets will not help you remain in shape. Even if it is only a single candy bar, one will gradually lead to another. Fruits and vegetables are the best options to eat when trying to remain into shape. Apples, for instance, does a good job of making the stomach feel full for up to 3-4 hours. Green vegetables such as spinach, green beans, and broccoli keep the digestive system clean and smooth. Also, stick to chicken, paneer, and soya as they are great alternatives. These foods are a source of protein and have other healthy nutrients too which help to keep muscles fit and ready for workouts. Also, be sure to portion what you consume. Getting good metabolism comes from portioning meals. Try to plan eating 6 times a day and in smaller portions, rather than having 3 large meals in a day. This will also let you find yourself breathing smoothly when working out rather than struggling for air. This is due to the fact that when you have less food in your digestive system, more energy is needed for your exercise. Keep Watch on Calories and Food Consumption Every Day Keeping a watch how many calories you consume in a day will be helpful in planning your physical exercise. Ever thought why body builders’ body masses are so big? It is because they plan out their meals and take in healthy calories than the average person. On the other hand, reducing weight and striving for a skinnier physique will need more physical exercise than calories you ingest. Drink lots of water all through the day. By Avni Kaul, Nutritionist, Wellness Coach & Certified Diabetes Educator, Founder of NutriActivania. Maintaining Fitness While at Home

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Stars Pledge to Protect the Planet
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Stars Pledge to Protect the Planet

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Simone Khambatta of Mama Says brings celebrities together who tell us how they want to heal the world for their children and the future. While the human race is facing the toughest time dealing with a worldwide lockdown, our Mother Earth is healing and reinstating herself. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, while each one of us is hoping for a better and brighter future Bollywood celebrities did not forget their social responsibility. India’s leading parenting and motherhood blog, ‘Mama Says’ has brought together these celebrities who have pledged to ensure that our planet continues to thrive when we enter the world again- in its present state with clean air, blue skies and beautiful oceans stays that way, and teach their children how to protect their home, i.e. their planet earth. The video features Karan Johar, Neha Dhupia, Soha Ali Khan, Esha Deol, Tusshar Kapoor, Pragya Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Amrita Arora and Neelam Kothari along with Simone Khambatta, Co-Founder of Mama Says. With the world’s biggest lockdown in place, these celebrities came together to spread the message and pledge to heal the world for their children and their future. Simone Khambatta, Co-Founder, ‘Mama Says’ and one of India’s top Mommy Bloggers said, “We as parents are responsible for our kids’ well-being and as humans responsible for the well-being of our planet. The pandemic has made us realize many things with the most important one being that we need to care for Mother Earth! We don’t have to do big things; we have to small things but have to do it together. I am so grateful for all the amazing likeminded parents who have come together to spread this powerful and important message. I hope everyone who watches this chooses to make their own pledge too.” Tusshar Kapoor said, “I agreed to be part of this initiative to pledge my support for our planet, simply because I’m very passionate about saving animals from cruelty and firmly believe that humankind must protect the biodiversity of the planet in order to protect themselves!” “It’s a wonderful message that’s told at the most perfect time. With the current situation we all are in, there couldn’t be a better time to spread this message “A new world”, when we as parents need to secure a safe healthy future for our children to live in and most importantly it’s the small things that matter the most! So, start today in your own little way and make it happen Now! Let’s enjoy and nurture our planet!” added Esha Deol. Karan Johar said, “All of us are very proud parents, we all love our children. And it’s very integral that we give them all the love, the attention and the care. We also really make their home feel beautiful, we make them love their home, we make them feel like home is where the heart is. But we sometimes miss the point, we sometimes pretend that their home is just their residence, but that’s not true. our planet is also our home. There are few things that I have done with my kids at a very young age apart from the emotional encouragement that one has to always give them about making sure that they don’t fall into stereotypes. The other thing that I do is I tell them about plastic, single use plastic and about how it’s important not to consume single use plastic, because you know that it’s a big deterrent to our planet and we must be very careful. So, say no to plastic is the one thing that I’ve been actually inculcating within their sensibility.” “Apart from all the other conscious work that we are doing, I also pledge that we continue buying wooden toys for our daughter Mehr, try and keep her away from plastic toys as much as we can. And more importantly we are totally open to hand me downs. Mehr has got a lot of friends who are six months or a year older and we believe in hand me down toys, clothes, books, all of it. It’s great on the pocket and more importantly it’s very good for the environment. We are doing our little bit and I think you guys should do yours too just so that our planet can accommodate our beautiful children in the future,” added Neha Dhupia. Soha Ali Khan also said, “I pledge to use a reusable water bottle with me every time I step out of the house instead of buying plastic bottles because I care about the future of our children and our grandchildren on our planet.” A pledge to enter this new world with mindfulness, compassion, wisdom and a whole lot of love: Stars Pledge to Protect the Planet

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Svalbard – An encounter with Silence
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Svalbard – An encounter with Silence

A land where there is no Sun in winter, where our insurance against Armageddon is stored, where there is no requirement for a visa and anyone can settle in and work, where everyone stays out of choice and not because they have to, where nature and its beauteous might is visible every minute in the form of 24-hour Sun or the Northern Lights or the vastness of the icy wilderness, where the polar bears outnumber the humans, where it’s illegal to die (since the bodies don’t decompose here) where the beer is the best in the world… Sounds like paradise? It is a paradise in a way – it is called Svalbard! Up above the Arctic Circle, the last inhabited town before the North Pole… Svalbard I landed in Svalbard straight from sunny India (okay, with an evening in Oslo). India is about the Sun, brightness, people (lots of ém) and noise (one helluva lot of it). Svalbard is about none of these – no Sun, perpetual darkness (at this time), very few people (there are more polar bears than people here) and no noise. The rest of it is fine, but the silence is seriously disconcerting and comforting at the same time… I started thinking of Pullman’s iconic “His Dark Stories”, the Norse mythology that I had read earlier with Odin and Loki and Thor and the Gods and even Led Zeppelin and their Ïmmigrant song” with the Hammer of the Gods… Northern Lights The prospect of seeing the Northern Lights was exhilarating – they have their own charm irrespective of the number of times I have seen them.  I still stand and gape open-mouthed every time I see them (this was my first trip to Svalbard, earlier I have witnessed the lights from Iceland, Norway, etc, all of which are very different from Svalbard, to say the least). The Northern Lights – Perpetual night for 100 plus days every year. The Northern Lights through the day and night… through the night rather… Heaven, don’t you think? Well, it can get a tad boring for the locals, but it is sheer exhilaration for us plebs who aren’t as blessed. You can call it what you will – the Gods racing across the skies, Gods playing football with a walrus skull, solar flares, nature’s discotheque, djinns casting an evil eye, whatever… For me, every time I am in the presence of the Northern Lights, it gets me all philosophical. I start contemplating my own insignificance in the larger scheme of things, the presence of a supreme power holding it all together, the ridiculousness of targets and measures of success in an ephemeral life that is but the twitch of an eye in the larger construct. Of course, there’s a lot more here: Polar Bears Revered and feared, there’s no stepping out of the town precincts without a guide with a gun to scare these big 1000-kilo blighters off… We didn’t catch sight of them, though we hoped to…The Coal Mines The Coal Mines Now abandoned, they are still open for tourists to come in and take a look at the way the mines were operated a few decades back. They even give you miner overalls while going in, for that authentic feel… And then, deep inside one of the abandoned mines, we all switched off our headlamps. The darkness was so intense that if one kept one’s hands in front of one’s face, one couldn’t see it. Pitch black darkness that seems so thick you will feel you could cut it with a knife… And in this, one of our group started singing The Sound of Silence… She sang really well of course, but the setting gave us all the goosebumps… Barentzburg Camp A replica of the original camp in the midst of the icy wilderness which was set up by the initial settlers in the region. This is where we caught sight of the Northern Lights dancing in the sky and then warmed ourselves up with some reindeer soup, Akkevit and stories around a fire. Svalbard Bryggery The place that distils their beer from the Polar water. Lends quite a different taste to the beer I must say. In the interest of academic research (and only that), I went to the distillery and tried all their varieties of beer… Quite an experience, especially when one had to trudge back to the hotel in the cold, with all that beer sloshing around in one’s belly. Global Seed Vault The iconic place where the seeds of all plants on Earth are stored for posterity for reuse in the event of the plant line going extinct, or in the event of all plant life on Earth being wiped out. This is the cradle of the resurrection in the event of Armageddon… SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder, the onset of depression, nausea, laziness, etc coming on due to the lack of sunshine… Folks told me about it, but this is one thing that I did not experience unless the need to listen to Simon & Garfunkel can be a symptom of this… ? Svalbard Kyrka This is the northernmost Church in the world, with its plain, simple elegance and warmth (literally, the Church is open 24/7 for folks to keep warm and pray)… People of Svalbard – Nomads at heart This is where I met Mike from Brazil. He moved to Canada to work in a restaurant and Spain for a year and now has been in Svalbard for the last 2 years. When I met him, he was working as a Chef in one of the restaurants there. He intends to stay for a while, till he gets bored of the life here. He says till now he hasn’t been and expects to be here for far longer. They work really hard to survive here, they party harder and they enjoy nature. According to him, life and its setbacks and issues seem fairly trivial here when confronted with nature at its brutal,

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Order Delicious Food at your Doorstep
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Order Delicious Food at your Doorstep

These are uncertain times. It’s hard on everybody but for businesses that supports many people the challenge is even more daunting. Till a few weeks back, we didn’t see much hope of surviving the crisis but with the government allowing restaurants to start home delivery, there’s a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. So after discussions with friends in the medical space and other restaurateurs, the entire building was sanitised with professional help, with PPE sets for all the staff and a new road map for the restaurants, a premium Bengali restaurant called Esplanade and an Asian chain of a restaurant called Pot O Noodles, was chalked out. What worked in their favour was the staff being housed in their own premises. Even then, since it is delivering food to people one has to be careful. So they initiated daily temperature checks for all their staff and delivery boys. The kitchen, the waiting area and even the dining area has been completely sanitised (even though there is no dining in option), it is mandatory for every member of the staff to wear disposable gloves and mask at all times, the kitchen counters are sanitised every hour over and above the regular cleaning of the worktops. The delivery boys are mandated to keep safe distance between themselves while they wait for their order. As for the food, since the majority of the population are expected to be working from home for pretty much the next few months, they launched the Limited Edition for Home menu which is designed as meal boxes that are hassle and mess-free and can be enjoyed either while working or in front of the television or with the family. The dishes are less of the exotic and more of the comfort, nostalgia food. Their staff has taken all the necessary measures while preparing their meals. Following are the meal box combos available to order on Swiggy, Zomato or for Dunzo-ing. Alternatively, one can call on +91 96861 92617 and they will deliver for a fee. The boxes are priced between INR150- INR 225. Green onion fried rice+ chicken dim sum+ Calcutta style chili chicken Hakka Noodles + cauliflower Manchurian + lumpia roll veg Hakka Noodles+ Kung pao chicken + lumpia roll chicken Hakka Noodles+ schezwan chilli chicken+ chicken lumpia rolls Green onion fried rice+ spinach and corn Momo + Veg balls chilli garlic Green onion fried rice+ chicken dim sum+ black pepper chicken [envira-gallery id=”9394″] Order Delicious Food at your Doorstep

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Shoppers Stop launches a new campaign for Eid
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Shoppers Stop launches a new campaign for Eid

Shoppers Stop’s new campaign highlights celebrations with oneself and family amidst lockdown. This Eid, Shoppers Stop, India’s leading fashion and beauty destination invites people to get #Selfieidi ready! The brand in their new campaign, encourages their customers to get dressed up and celebrate the festival indoors safely. The mandated lockdown should not curb the spirit of the festival and the celebrations should not stop! Customers can get all dressed up and show the world how best they are celebrating the festival at home. Post a picture of your Eid celebrations, tag Shoppers Stop and use #Selfieidi to win discounts and E-Vouchers! So, this Eid, splurge on yourself, pamper yourself, love yourself! Buy your favourites on the Shoppers Stop App and Website and remember to click a #Selfieidi. Tag the brand and get amazing rewards. The contest winners will be announced on Facebook and Instagram handle of Shoppers Stop. In addition to the campaign, Shoppers Stop will also be wishing their customers Eid Mubarak on the day of Eid in a unique way on its social media page. Shoppers Stop launches a new campaign for Eid

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How Robots will change the future post COVID-19
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How Robots will change the future post COVID-19

As India’s healthcare system grapples with increasing cases of COVID-19, India’s No.1 consumer robotics brand Milagrow has announced its efforts with AIIMS, Delhi to help contain the spread of the pandemic amongst doctors and healthcare workers. Under this effort its advanced AI-powered robots – Milagrow iMap 9 and Humanoid ELF – will be tested in the advanced COVID-19 ward at AIIMS, Delhi. Manufactured in India, the Milagrow iMap 9 is a floor disinfecting robot that can navigate and sanitize the floors without any human intervention. It can destroy COVID spores on floor surfaces using sodium hypochlorite solution, as recommended by ICMR. The robot moves around autonomously without falling, avoiding obstruction while planning its own path, guided by LIDAR and advanced SLAM technology. Milagrow’s patented Real Time Terrain Recognition Technology (RT2RT) scans at 3600, 6 times per second to make a floor map in real time with an accuracy of upto 8mm over a 16m distance. This enables the iMap 9 to perform successfully in the first attempt, whereas other robots can take twice or thrice the time. Additionally, the robot can do zoning, virtual blocking of avoidable areas and sequential cleaning of zones based on specific needs. The Milagrow Humanoid ELF enables doctors to monitor and interact with contagious COVID-19 patients remotely with no person-to-person contact, thereby significantly reducing the transmission risk. Bored patients in isolation wards can also interact with their relatives from time to time through this robot. The Humanoid ELF can navigate around the ward independently and record the activities in high definition video and audio. Offering 8 hours of battery life, it can travel about 2.9 km per hour, is 92 cms tall, has more than sixty sensors, one 3D and one HD camera, and a 10.1″ display screen. The advanced humanoid features eyes with Emotion, Open API for further development and customization. Both the Milagrow iMap 9 and Humanoid ELF come with the auto charging feature. How Robots will change the future post COVID-19

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Five DIY Toys for Your Furry Friends
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Five DIY Toys for Your Furry Friends

Has the lockdown cut short your weekly trips to the pet store and deprived your dog of his goodies? Here are some easy to make DIY toys, using simple stuff from around the houses by Tanya Patel – Dog Trainer & Behaviourist: 1. Braided cloth – take an old t-shirt, bedsheet or pillow cover. Cut it into three strips which are joined at the top and then make a regular braid. Tie multiple knots at both ends so it doesn’t open up easily. This give you a nice rope toy. 2. Shredded cloth toy – If your dog is one that likes to pull on the ends of carpets or chews on hanging curtains or gets tempted by a hanging dupatta, this is a good one for you. You can use any material but a slightly thicker one is recommended. Take a rectangular piece of cloth and fold it in half. Use a scissor to cut along the breadth leaving at least an inch at each end. Keep the width of each strip about 1.5 inches. Do this all the way till the bottom of the cloth. Once done open it out and after every fourth frill use two of them to tie a knot. This will leave you with a toy that has hanging frills and you can tie it to a table leg or to the top of your dog’s crate so he can pull on it and play by himself. 3. Rope – You can use a jute or nylon rope from the house and poke it through the end of a plastic bottle. Once through tie a few big knots at both ends of the rope so it can’t slip out. You could even use more than a single bottle make this a fun, noisy, long toy and get your dog to chase it around. 4. DIY squeaky toy – This one is really easy! Use an empty plastic bottle without the cap, the label or the ring. Stuff it inside an old sock and tie a knot so it can’t come out. This then becomes a squeaky toy which you can press to make noises but with the smooth texture of the cloth on top. 5. Treat dispenser – Take an empty plastic bottle with a narrow mouth. You can poke some hole along the body of the bottle, making sure they’re big enough for treat pieces to fall out. Put some dry treats or kibble inside the bottle in front of your dog and shake it about to get him excited. Then give him the bottle and let him push it around till all the food inside falls out. Five DIY Toys for Your Furry Friends

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Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s Paani Foundation
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Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s Paani Foundation

Andrew Millison, a well-known international permaculture designer and a professor at Oregon State University recently released an episode on his YouTube channel on Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s ‘Paani Foundation’. Andrew visited a village in Maharashtra to understand the work that they do on watershed management. He was completely amazed by the work the villagers have learnt doing, thanks to the water cup competition, held by the Paani Foundation and described it as the biggest permaculture project on this Earth. He even made a short film on the same and shared it on his YouTube channel. Paani Foundation is a non-profit organization that actively caters for the sustainable environment. It looks into the areas of drought prevention and watershed management in the state of Maharashtra. The organization has been founded by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Reena Dutta and Satjayjit Bhatkal. One of the accomplishments of the Paani Foundation has been restoring water supply in many villages across the state. Permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems to achieve sustainability and self-sufficiency. It is a holistic approach towards living-in-harmony-with-nature and the primary goal of adopting permaculture techniques is to empower individuals to be their own producers. Paani foundation is growing and prospering in this technique, Andrew rightfully calls it as the world’s biggest permaculture project and that is one step closer to Aamir’s vision of having drought-free and sustainable villages. Paani foundation provided training to the villagers in watershed management through which the villagers maintained a united front and raised the level of a spillway to ensure the rise of the water level in the whole reservoir which in turn replenished their water supply. The results were astounding and led to the project being one of the most prolific ones. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s Paani Foundatio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDMnbeW3F8A

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Ranga Shankara AHA!’s Little Cloud – Series 2
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Ranga Shankara AHA!’s Little Cloud – Series 2

Ranga Shankara AHA!’s “Little Cloud”, the story telling programme is back with Series 2. There will be 20 stories for children aged 4 and above, performed by 17 storytellers. These stories are in 6 languages (Kannada, English, Tamil, Hindi, Marathi and Sign Language). There will be three stories in classical Indian traditions – Yakshagana, Kutiyattam and Gondhal. Five of the stories are from storytellers abroad – Germany, Switzerland and USA. Two stories will premiere every day from 22 May till 30 May at 11 AM and 11 30 AM everyday. Prasad Cherkady, a renowned Yakshagana artiste from Udupi will kick off the series with the story of Ekalavya. The other story tellers are: Gertrude and Maximilian Trobinger from Germany (Eng), Malavika from Pondicherry (Tam), Mandya Ramesh from Mysore (Kan), V Balakrishnan from Chennai (Eng), Eshwar from Pondicherry (Eng), Bonnie Duncan from USA (Eng), Ajeet Singh Palawat of Mumbai (Hin), David Benito Garcia from Germany (Eng), Simone Oswald from Germany (Eng), Ipshita Chakraborty Singh from Mumbai (Hin), Kavya Srinivasan of Bangalore (Sign Language), Kapila Venu from Iranjalakuda, Kerala (Kutiyattam), Anita Bertolami from Switzerland (Eng), Nandish Umap of Mumbai (Marathi in Gondhal form), and Puja Sarup of Mumbai (Eng). There is wide variety in the stories – some of them from mythology, fairy tales, some of them devised by the storytellers themselves, some of them by written by well-known story writers. “Our first series of Little Cloud going digital had a very heartwarming response – children and grownups enjoyed it equally. We are very encouraged by this and hope the second series will be equally well received. I am particularly happy to have stories in Yakshagana, Kutiyattam and Gondhal – all the storytellers have taken extreme interest to make their complex forms accessible to children. Of course, the story in Sign Language is another favourite. With five story tellers from abroad bringing their stories from their countries, the Little Cloud is slowly becoming a treasure chest of great stories from around the world,” says Arundhati Nag, the Artistic Advisor of Ranga Shankara. Ranga Shankara AHA!’s Little Cloud Series 1 premiered a few days ago and 22 stories by some of the country’s best theatre actors is available on Ranga Shankara’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. This series was a runaway hit and the stories are also published on the websites of Govt of Karnataka’s Department of Public Library and Department of Primary and Secondary Education, a testimony to their relevance and popularity. When: Friday 22nd May to 30th May 2020, 11 AM and 11:30 AM. Ranga Shankara AHA!’s Little Cloud – Series 2

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DIY Recipe for Quarantine
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DIY Recipe for Quarantine

Everyone is bored with this quarantine that seems to be getting extended, but it is mandatory for us keeping in mind the present situation. Who says that we cannot enjoy this time at home. Why not try this cool recipe to enjoy these quarantine days at home? Eggless Banana Pancakes Who doesn’t love pancakes? They are the best dessert to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, evening snack or even dinner. Banana pancakes are one of the easiest and best pancakes which can be prepared at home. Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour ⅔ cup whole wheat flour ¼ teaspoon salt 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons white sugar 1 ½ cups skim milk 2 small ripe bananas finely chopped Directions In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in milk and bananas just until moistened. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Wait for it to turn brown on both sides Drip some honey or maple syrup on top and serve hot.     DIY Recipe for Quarantine

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