Solitude

5 Foods to look fabulous at 40-plus Even after the baby, the French President's wife Carla Bruni  sports  a body that can put many young people to shame. Carla's "a little of what you fancy" approach to dieting is very popular in France. Here's how eating like her could help you too. No dieting Only 10 per cent of French  women  are overweight. Fullfat foods can actually keep you slim for two main reasons. They keep you fuller longer. Foods such as butter switch on 'full' signals in your brain but 'diet' foods, which are nearly always full of preservatives or sugar make you hungrier. And fullfat foods are difficult to binge on. It's hard to eat too much strong cheese or dark chocolate. Food from scratch In France, 76 per cent of women eat  meals  prepared from scratch at home. Meals from scratch usually contain less salt, sugar and preservatives. So prepare as many meals at home as you can. Don't add ready-made sauces to pas...

"Life is what we make of it.” We have all been told that a countless times. But do any of us take the time to understand this statement? Life can be beautiful, exactly the way we want it. There can be a world where there is peace and prosperity, where you are surrounded by the people you love and respect. All it requires is a change in perception and the realisation that we can create a world as we want it. We see what we choose to see and believe what we decide to believe. If we choose to focus on the goodness around, we won’t encounter the bad. Every experience that we currently perceive as negative and painful will then be perceived as a part of learning and growth. If we choose to trust, then betrayal will remain only if there is a lesson to be learnt from it. Yet, our shortcoming is that most of us are not in the habit of trusting in the goodness and in our power to create. We are taught that people don’t do things without a personal reason and that there must be...

What's the secret of eternal youth? see the answer from experts If there is one thing on the wish list of most adults, it is to remain forever young and escape the effects of aging. However, getting on in years is something that cannot be avoided. What accelerates the aging process is the polluted environment we inhabit with all its toxins and chemicals, and the part played by free radicals. Although the human body produces a certain amount of antioxidants to counter free radicals, the silver lining is the fact that Nature has generously provided us with enough antioxidants in fruits, nuts, vegetables, and grains/legumes to help halt the damage. In simple terms, antioxidants are agents that inhibit oxidation and neutralise the oxidant effect of free radicals and other substances, in other words, counter oxidative stress. The rusting of iron, brass artefacts turning black, an apple slice or a piece of raw potato turning brown, are examples of oxidation which happens to all cells i...

Quick tips for the frequent traveller. Frequent travellers often adopt a sitting posture irrespective of the mode of travel (by air/land). During the journey their spine is subjected to prolonged stress owing to bad posture, vehicle vibrations and poor ergonomics in the vehicle. Repetitive stress in frequent travellers leads to mechanical injury that, if left unattended, results in disabling conditions. The importance of maintaining a good posture and following proper mechanics during lifting heavy baggage, in prevention of back injuries, cannot be overemphasised. Neck Isometrics:  Place your hands against the back of your head. Begin putting foreword pressure against the back of your head and resist the movement with your neck muscles. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat 5-8 times. Shoulder stretches:  Clasp hands behind the back and raise the hand till you feel a mild stretch over the chest and shoulders. Hold for a count of 10 and relax, Repeat 2-3 times Hamstrings stretch: ...

I think I am too fat', ‘too short', ‘my hair's too straight'… if you are the type who never tires of self-assessment, then get ready for a mental makeover. Self-image is how you see yourself which reflects on how you feel. Today's youngster often suffers from poor self-image. It's a young people's ‘thing'. Sometimes even something as simple as walking across a room may be traumatic, as the person feels like all eyes are on him/her, judging and analysing. Ask any person how they feel about their looks and you will probably get something like, “I'm too fat” or “I could've been a little taller” or “Maybe if I had straight hair, I'd look better” or “I'm a shade too dark” ... Very few actually say they feel perfect, inside out. It's nobody's fault, really. All in the mind In today's world, with so many ‘beautiful' people around, one who is different from the conventional perception of beauty may actually feel awkward. “I rem...