Monday, March 7, 2022

Tiffin Tales 131

 

Bonjour Spring

We all expressed our love in the month of February and now it's time we move to the lovely weather of Spring. The season of spring is almost here and most of us are bursting with ideas of travel and gardening. Ever wondered what's so special about the spring season? Spring brings hope, inspires us and makes us believe that we can still fulfill those unfulfilled promises. The return of leaves, the blooming tulips and daffodils are all nature’s cues that we have crossed the long, dark winter nights. The days are longer, the sun rays are warmer and nature looks ready to burst out with colors. It all looks splendid.

A lot of people will agree that longer daylight hours to an extent is sure a mood uplifter. It helps with better concentration and zeal to achieve the day's goals. In countries like India there is a festival called ‘Holi’ which marks the beginning of spring. People play with dry colors to soak in the sun and celebrate the season.

When we think of spring we think of love which isn’t just about two individuals. True love starts with a little self care. Many times while racing against the clock we tend to forget ourselves or pay very little attention to our bodies.

True love begins with self care and self love. Self care is never selfish. If you love yourself and you are at peace, only then you can start loving people and accepting your situations more comfortably.

We had a life before Covid 19 hit us in different ways. We found different ways to fight it and deal with it. Life certainly has thrown giant balls of stress in these covid times which is why we all have been fighting extra hard to keep it at bay. In the process to keep our thoughts and spirits uplifted, we all have been practicing old hobbies or taking up new, learnt new craft, baked new dishes or better learnt a new language. We all struggled to keep ourselves engaged and active.

The tides are certainly getting calmer. We are slowly but certainly marching to our pre covid lives. Even though it's early to completely let our guards down yet we all cheer ourselves that we have made it so far. We all have made many lifestyle changes during these times and we should certainly hold on to the ones which kept us safe and healthy.

Let’s start with a basic few reminders which should be on our list every day. Inspiration anyone?

Exercise- Love your body. Never be conscience stricken about your body. Our bodies, especially female bodies undergo lots of hormonal and childbirth changes. Accept those changes gracefully and work towards overall fitness. The overall goal for anybody is to be healthy and build better immunity. Start with any low impact exercise and gradually move towards anything challenging. Start simple. So just grab your water bottle, a mat if you want to start with yoga, or put on your exercise shoes. Yes, don't forget to turn on your favorite music. It certainly adds extra punch to your workouts.

Healthy eating- We love to eat and indulge occasionally. Healthy eating hugely impacts our bodies. Try to satiate your cheesecake cravings by having a single piece. Never deprive your yearning but

portion control certainly helps to stay within the boundaries. Add more fruits and vegetables to your palette. After all, with summer coming up, who doesn't want to look great in that little black dress or a pair of shorts.

Water- Water, water and more water. Ditch those cans or bottles and stay focussed on water. Boring, you bet! Add some lemon or mint or strawberry. Okay we know you have lots of ideas to make that glass of water interesting. So just start. Water not only just hydrates your body but does tons of other chores for our bodies. Well, after all those harmful toxins are flushed out of bodies, you will love that soft glow on your skin. Smiling already, so just start right away!

Sleep- At some point in our lives we all wanted to throw that alarm clock away because we wanted some extra sleep. We wanted to steal those extra minutes before rubbing our eyes to open wide and start our day. Sleep deprivation is like refusing food to our brains. Our brains need it in the right amount to function effectively which is why it makes it extremely important to sleep well. Plan your time well. Let your favorite shows or movies wait a little longer while you catch up with your sleep. A good sleep helps to fight stress a lot better than just brooding over it.

Stress- Stress is synonymous with each of us these days. While stressing, try to stress less. Well, easier said than done but stress has huge impacts on our bodies. The heart is one of its worst victims. Try to manage stress with meditation by stealing a few minutes each day. Change will be noticeable, guaranteed!

Baking- Love cake? We all do. We do not need birthdays to bake or eat a cake. Try baking, it's very therapeutic and your family members will simply love and appreciate your effort as they dig into each slice.

Vacation- It’s spring! No need to pack those heavy jackets to keep you warm when you are on your vacation. We all need a small break from our lives from time to time and hit a new road. You need not fly all the time. Pack some healthy snacks, your favorite clothes and zoooom to some countryside location. Soak the sun and it will leave you rejuvenated.

Gardening- Most of us love flowers but do not have enough space to keep enough plants in our balcony or patio. Winters can be quite harsh for the plants too. It's spring and perfect time to plant those seeds which will bloom perfectly by the time summer sets in. Gardening can be a big stressbuster and the end result of gardening will be purely joy.

Sport- Adding a sport to your life is a great way to keep yourselves fit. Any kind of sport takes away all the negativity and dullness from bodies and minds. Just make sure to keep yourselves hydrated whenever you are playing any sport.

These are a few elementary self care ideas which we feel will make you feel enlivened and reinvigorated. Enjoy the season and catch you in summer!