Our best...

I work out every day for 60 minutes. Aerobics, Weight lifting, Pilates, Yoga, Hiking, Biking, Dance, Kickboxing and whatnot,  still I am not content because I never think I am doing enough. I should be doing more.

I prepare most of my meals. I spend around 60 minutes each day in the kitchen on meal preparations.  I eat simple and fresh food. I eat fruits, nuts for snack time. I also consume all my meals before 7 pm and I follow this successfully 9/10 times, the 10th meal I give up, I end up eating restaurant food, dessert, junk food and such. 9/10 successful meals... and yet I think it is not good enough. I should be doing more. 

While I know this feeling of 'needing to do more' will never go away but again it helps me to push myself and never give up. It helps me to stay motivated. 'Not doing enough' feeling doesn't have to translate into disappointment, it can also be translated into not giving up and pushing ourselves. 

When I started working out (I have been working out ever since I remember), my life was at a different stage. When I started blogging (2006?) it was at a different stage. And today (2019) it is at a different stage. With every stage, the challenges have changed and I am sure you have been through various stages/ phases - good bad and the ugly. But as long as we keep doing 'our best' and continue to focus on getting better, I guess we are doing enough. 

Age Gracefully

Life is like climbing a hill. At one point or the other, we reach the peak and from there onward we either continue walking straight on the plateau for a long time or else we are on your way down the hill.

Exercise every day, make an effort, put in some hard work today, eat simple food, give some priority to your health and then one will reach that plateau.

Age gracefully.

Lead by example

I seldom give any weight to someone's opinion unless I respect them in 'that' particular field. If I like your body - health - mental status then I will listen to your fitness-diet tips. There are people who are double my size  - who have given me diet/ weight suggestions/advice.

It doesn't matter if you hold a doctorate in nutrition/ health or diet. First, prove it to me that you have got it under control in your life and then you shall have my 100% attention :-)...

Don't get me wrong, I love to improve myself, I love pieces of advice but say if my mother gives me advice on weight and diet then I would happily take it because she has been in shape forever, her diet is perfect, ever since I remember I have seen her exercise every.single.day, and even after having 3 kids she has a flat belly - she holds the credibility to give a piece of advice...

Or I would happily take a piece of advice on behavior and worldly wisdom from my father, he is one of the best people I have known in my life. But if toxic, negative and just bad people start to find faults in anyone/anything, I can not help but wonder why don't they spend that time in introspection.

I think you get the gist...Lead by example...

The world is changed by our example, not by our opinion.

The world of blogging

I have been writing a diary ever since I remember, even before the blogging world. It was simply my way of venting out my thoughts (and opinions). One day in 2006 I started blogging. This was my first post. I didn't have any expectations or any agenda from this activity. 

Then sometime in 2015 I started clicking pictures of my outfits every now and then and posted them on a new blog that I named as lifestyleandallthatjazz - basically about life, style, lifestyle, and everything under the Sun. 

When it comes to blogging I want to stay away from the herd mentality of gaining followers or having numerous comments and whatnot. Every blog has an aim and reason for its existence. Mine just happens to be for personal satisfaction & personal expression. 

The idea of this blog is to show some creativity with clothes and again to express myself. Be myself. Be honest and voice my opinions. Yes, I am an opinionated person, just like every other person I have an opinion on books, movies, art, god, religion, war, pollution, population, diet, exercise, equality, and everything. While doing that I may have made a connection with a few, or offended a few. Who knows? I am just following my own rhythm. I appreciate you all coming out here and being part of maniacal world of my opinions but don't forget that everything I write here is only an opinion about stuff be it Food, Fitness, Films, Fashion, Family, Friends or F-ilosophy! and I do not expect you to agree with anything that I express. 

Book Reviews. 2017. 3

Reviewing books that I read in 2017:

11. Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty 

I did not like the book but absolutely loved the show on HBO, which would be an ideal example of how to adapt books for TV shows. 3/5.

12. My not so perfect life - Sophie Kinsella

I read all her books, does not mean I like all of them :-). 2/5.

13. Space Chronicles: Facing the ultimate frontier - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Tyson illuminates the past, present, and future of space exploration and brilliantly reminds us why NASA matters now as much as ever. I loved the book. 5/5.

14. My Man Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse

My father has read all of Wodehouse books. And I want to. I am short of words to express what a legendary writer he is. Wodehouse is my favorite author when it comes to wordplay. His writing has a very natural flow, and even though the stories are set in the British context, you feel very close to his characters. The only other author who made me laugh so hard was P. L. Deshpande. Wodehouse's stories are charmingly simple and yet delightfully funny. 5/5.

15. All the missing girls - Megan Miranda

A very well rated book on Goodreads, but I failed to understand all that hoopla around it. 2/5.

Freedom

“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.”

-Paulo Coelho.

Push Over

Be kind and polite but never a pushover. Stand up for yourself! 

Jeans: American Eagle, Sandals: Etienne Aigner, Top: Don't remember, 15 years old from India