Pre-Get Away!

The thought of a get away in itself is so relaxing! It doesn't really matter if it's long or short, I am already on a vacation at least 3 days prior to my travel emotionally (who isn't?) and also for preparing to get set go (which I rarely see others doing.) And when there's no preparation, there's so much pressure at the last moment which affects the quality of one's vacation. Hurry actually ensures you forget something even if little, later turning out to be a huge problem during your vacation. If that's not the case, then disastrous at your home while you are enjoying your vacation. Either which way, it lands you in trouble. And believe it or not, the pleasure of our journeys are determined more by the mindset with which we travel than the destination. So to rid yourself of half done things, it is a good idea to have a preparation countdown too!

Here's what I do before I leave. Good News! It's just 5 tasks each day with a last 30 minutes of run through. Hope this gives you the right state of mind before, during and after your vacation! -

Count down 3 days. Check (Just in case you need to step out and buy) -

1. Clothes sets for miss matches or additions
2. Medicines kit (Expiry dates of existing contents and status of SOS medicines)
3. Toilet kit (Shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant, sun screen, moisturizer, etc.)
4. List of things to buy and people you intend to buy for (If shopping is on your mind. Save yourself the pain of spending on things you already have)
5. Gifts for visiting members (optional)

Count down 2 days. Arrangements for -

1. Care taking of your pet (if you have one)
2. Care taking of your garden (if you have one)
3. Handing over home keys to your friends/ neighbors in case of emergency
4. Intimation of receiving mails to neighbors
5. Intimation to daily supplies like milk/ papers/ etc.

Count down 1 day. Final preps.

1. Out of office intimation with alternate contact 
2. Print outs or photos of your travel and lodging documents
3. Set of travel documents (Passport/ ID profs/ Currency/ etc.)
4. Charging camera batteries and checking for adequate memory
5. Booking your cab or transport up to the means of travel (air, train, bus). If going by your own vehicle fill up the fuel tank

Count down 30 mins. Run Through -

1. Dispose the garbage
2. Lock all doors
3. Switch off lights, taps, gas supply and all other electronic gadgets at home
4. Cover furniture to protect from dust (if traveling for a long time)
5. Lock your bags 

And get set go!! Happy Journey!! :-)

Fitness begins with being happy with "Me"

The significance and place for Fitness has been in my routine ever since I remember my childhood days. What is funny though, is the way I learnt its importance - As a defense mechanism. I am a chronic asthmatic patient which was detected at the age of 9-10 years or may be even before that. As a toddler and pre-adolescent, I was plump-ish in shape in spite of having sports in my routine which affected my confidence in a very adverse way. Funnily enough, being committed to sports wasn't difficult for me even at that age. What I struggled till I reached mid 20s was the comparisons!

From the teens I have always been quite lean! Unfortunately by then I had associated so much anger to the comparisons that my fitness failed to show its great effects in my spirits! I had lost all the confidence long time back, so I could never recognize that I am enough fit that it looks very good to be in my own skin! Today at 30, I can clearly identify how my perspective, training regimes and its benefits have evolved over these years!

If I can turn back time, I'd tell myself these things and correct what went wrong in my approach towards fitness.

1. Fitness is a means of self discovery. Any other reason to resort to it is going to affect its results.
2. Stop taking your anger out on work outs, it is a by product, not a motive to exercise.
3. Being happy in your own skin will elevate the quality of fitness to a level you can't even imagine! 
4. No one is perfect! The imperfections in your body actually add to your beauty as it is natural!
5. Slow results are actually long lasting results. Never settle for short term gains! 

English Breakfast

Nothing works like a Sunday Brunch at home! You save so much time in cooking on the weekend and can use that extra time to indulge in something interesting! The spread was selected from this link which distinguishes the Traditional English Breakfast items! Although the eggs in a typical English Breakfast are fried eggs, our members for brunch loved scrambled eggs. So that's the only personal preference change. The ingredients are from the authentic spread, though! :-)

Our Brunch had -

1. Toasts (brown bread)
2. Eggs (scrambled)
3. Sausages
4. Baked beans
5. Mashed Potatoes
6. Cup of tea

Trust me all these items are made quicker than you think, but are very filling! I enjoyed looking at the happy faces at the brunch!