3 Ways to Give Yourself Some Love in the Morning

It’s really not too hard. Why do we make it so hard? The pressure of everyday life gets to you and in all the rush you have no time for yourself. It is very easy to forget ourselves while running around trying to get everything done. We are caught up in a whirlwind of activity where we don’t even have any time to think anymore. It gets to us. And what’s even more surprising is that we CHOOSE this. This kind of life is actually a conscious decision. We choose to put ourselves through this strain.

It would be really nice to say ‘make radical changes in your life and lead a life of calm’. But that isn’t really possible. Changes cannot be made overnight. Here are a few ways to love yourself that you can squeeze into a hectic morning:

Wake up 10 Minutes Earlier than Usual

The sun activates your natural circadian rhythm, which in turn affects your endocrine system. Put an alarm for 10 minutes before the time you regularly wake up. Once the alarm rings, get out of bed, go to the window, and open the curtains wide. Stand there, and bask in the warmth of a new day. Breathe deeply and let it wash over you. Even 5 minutes of this is enough. It activates your body, waking you up and ensuring that your drowsiness disappears, keeping you upbeat for the day.

Pick Flavoured Water instead of Morning Coffee

Since you spent those 5 minutes in the lovely sunlight warming up your body, you can skip the coffee this morning. Caffeine won’t be required for the kickstart since you’ve already done that for yourself. Isn’t that neat? But...water is a necessity, everyone knows that. However, if you actually sit down and check how many people drink the requisite amount of water as per their body weight on a daily basis, you will find a comparatively much lower number. Flavored water is easy to make, just slice and add any fruits of your liking to the water! This adds flavour and makes it more palatable, while ensuring that you increase your intake.

Spend a Gadget - Free Hour

This one might be a little hard to do for most of us, but trust me, if you can manage this, it will be totally worth it. Once you turn off your alarm, and spend your five minutes of sunshine time, you’ll be awake enough. Quickly check your phone to see if there are any changes in your schedule for the day. Either way, unless it’s an emergency, put it away. An emergency means something unavoidably important. Your manicure appointment slot being changed does NOT constitute an emergency. So, put away your phone, and do the rest of your morning activities. You will get done a lot faster too, without the continuous distraction of your smartphone or tablet – I can go on with the list, but I’m sure you get what I mean. You can have the radio on though. It would be a nice change.

Try these for atleast a week, and comment below when you see the changes!

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Why Go Green?

Nowadays we are seeing a lot of interest in ‘living green’ or ‘going green’. Apart from it being the latest fad, what do we really know about it? It isn’t just about getting into the latest trend or following the latest fashion. It is fashionable right now, yes. However, I do not advocate this as a trend, or something to do once and move on to the next thing. Do it if you believe this is a way of life, not a new hashtagged trend. What does it mean to go green?

It means living a sustainable lifestyle

Knowing that what you’re using is not going to harm the environment, is a really good feeling. Also, it will be good for your skin and health and your mind, too. Many of these sustainable products also help the farmers and growers who painstakingly ensure that the products are truly green and environment-friendly. That also adds to a sense of satisfaction. It gives a certain peace of mind, knowing that your actions help our planet and the generations to come. Knowing where the ingredients of your products come from or the fabric of your clothes, or the vegetables in your food; makes you more connected with the world, giving you a keen awareness of how our actions affect everyone else.

It means awareness and caring

Being aware to this extent – it stands to reason that you do care about the effect of every decision that is made. It means living in harmony with your surroundings. It means being aware of the effect of every purchase you make. It means living a more responsible life. Being in harmony with the world around you goes beyond healthcare or sustainable fashion. It touches you in ways you won’t imagine or understand till you try it. It is a good lifestyle, one we truly advocate. And I can’t stress this enough – do not treat this as a trend. A green lifestyle is above and beyond such fads. It is something that requires dedication and a will to really make a difference.

It means commitment

Going green is a gradual lifelong process for most of us. We really don’t just wake up one day and decide to make radical lifestyle changes – it requires a commitment and dedication that would be difficult but totally worth it in the long run. The fact that you are here, reading this, shows that you’re wondering about whether to make that commitment. Honestly, go for it.

I'm not saying it will be easy; it is a lot to take in at once. Go about it slowly, make small changes, and you’ll see that it is easier to do so when you do it little by little. 

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Review - Aromas Cafe, Powai

Food: 4.5/5
VFM: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
 
I've been here ever so many times but never really got around to reviewing it. It's awesome how some places just evoke certain feelings in you, irrespective of how much time has passed after your last visit.

I adore Aromas; the ambience, and most definitely the teas. They come in this adorable plunger (I agree that adorable is not an appropriate adjective for something that is used to hold tea but look at the things! When you go, I mean. I don't have a picture.) that keeps your teas warm for quite a while. It comes with a little biscotti on the saucer, which is yum. I recommend the jasmine tea and the peppermint tea. Quite a few people love the chamomile too. 

I had the spinach and feta cheese rolls, which are my absolute favorite thing there. Actually almost everything there is amazing and so it gets really difficult to pick just one. But this is definitely top of the list for me. It's served with pesto aioli which is super. I wish they gave a little more, because I could just eat it with a spoon! I'm not sure how sane that is though.
 

Then, the aglio olio pepperonccino. Now, this literally translates to garlic, oil, pepperonccino (hot peppers). Here, they add olives, chili flakes and Parmesan cheese to the mix. I don't think anyone is complaining! You definitely can't go wrong with adding olives to anything. And the garlic bread that accompanied it was just delightful. Although (and this is just my opinion), don't you think aglio oilo should be spaghetti and no other kind of pasta? Nevertheless, this was pretty good too.

  
And lastly, we ordered the triple choco chunk brownie - so delish! It was a super thick milkshake and quite filling. Yet with all the chocolate you could till taste a strong coffee flavor and that's really the best part. And all the whipped cream!
 
A special mention for the prompt and impeccable service. 

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Review - Between Breads, Bandra

Food: 4/5
VFM: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5

It's a little place and you might just miss it if you don't keep an eye out. We almost didn't find it! Though we walked a little bit along 16th Road and saw it tucked away.
 
It's a cozy little place - not too much space inside though. But with real estate prices being what they are, it's alright, I'm sure. And the lighting is such that it throws direct focus on the food.


There is just one menu in the joint - blown up huge and put up on the wall. Each offering is creatively named and the fixins' described below the name. You will want to order all of it.
 
There are way more non vegetarian options as compared to veg, so that's not very good in my books. But the drinks! Divine!

First we ordered the French Fries BB style. That was easily the best part of the meal, for me. They could have added a little more grilled onions, though. And just a suggestion, but why not add poutine to the menu? I would come there just for a well made poutine, and going by the quality of their fries I'm sure they could do a damn good poutine.
 

Next, I ordered the Farm Fresh. Not enough spinach, too much green bell peppers. Slightly dry, but it was alright. I like cheese and olives, I'm sold.

 

My friend got The Morning After and loved it. Bacon, ham, fries, fried egg, grilled tomatoes. But as you can tell from the menu, their main focus is on non vegetarian dishes, so it stands to reason that it would be their strong point. 

Ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake milkshake, which tasted exactly like a strawberry cheesecake. So that's awesome. We later ordered the French Vanilla milkshake, which was also good. I would prefer the cheesecake one any day.
Oh, and I almost forgot! They have comics that you can read while waiting for your order. Or even while eating. Whatever you like. I picked Archie's :D 

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