Love yourself, pamper yourself, time to yourself…

I have been following WiredBerries for the past two months, and this article “A Little Luxury” compelled to me. It talks about taking little (luxury) breaks in the midst of your busy schedule.  

The article is so apt for my stage of life now. My life has been hectic. Many times, I felt fatigue and burned-out. However, in order to move on, we need rest.

Here’s what WiredBerries and I suggest you could do.  Take time to enjoy a little luxury – do it for yourself, my dear friends.

Luxury #1 – Steal time for a short nap

I did that on last Saturday – it was awesome. 🙂

Luxury #2 – Take a long shower

I would add in a scrub session as well to pamper my skin a little.

Luxury #3 – Do nothing for 10 minutes

This would mean “stone” for 10 minutes and totally let go. I have tried this, and I almost doze off after a while!

Luxury #4 – Put on a face mask

I did that on last Saturday too! It was a great feeling – I could hear my skin exclaiming “thank you” to me for pampering it.

Luxury #5 – Enjoy good (or very good!) wine with some dark chocolates

I have not done this before. It would be my wish to have this session soon.

Luxury #6 – Indulge in mani and pedi-cure session

I cannot even recall the last time I have such indulgence. I definitely am going for one soon.

Luxury #7 – Stay in with a good book, or find a nice cafe and enjoy a good book

If I have time to finish reading my textbooks and case studies, I would love to reach for a good book.

Luxury #8 – Stay in your pyjamas for the whole day

I miss doing this.

Luxury #9 – Have a solo dance

This sounds cool. Has anyone tried this before? I am sure it would be pretty therapeutic! 🙂

Now, it is your choice – love yourself a bit more.

Lose weight without dieting

I am whiny. I whine about everything. The top whine hit would be “I want to lose weight”.

I usually go on diet (for a few days) and jog more often only if any of the following scenarios happens:

Scenario 1: When I have problem zipping up my jeans

Scenario 2: When my tummy shows under my favourite fitting top

Scenario 3: When my friends comment that I have put on weight

Secnario 4: When I look at my old photos and see how slim I used to be

If you got the drift, I only diet for a few days – it is random and unsystematic. And of course, I don’t see any results. However, Melissa Clark totally save me out of this misery. She tells us how we could eat what we like and still shed some weight.  I would highly recommend her podcast on The Skinny on The Skinny, hosted by Ann Landi on WiredBerries.  I have pulled out some wonderful tips from the podcast.

 

Tip #1: Eat what you like – go ahead and eat it. If you want that cookie, go for it. Instead of having a rice cake, then yet another rice cake. Yes, I don’t think I will feel satisfied with rice cake too!

Tip #2: Eat it in moderation. If you wish to have a piece of chocolate cake, take a small proportion, cut a slice from the cake.

Okay, I promise I will be good and just stop at one slice.

Tip #3: Eat more fruit and vegetable. When you have your piece of chocolate cake, have some salad on the side!

I think this is easy, I could see this as a balancing rule.

Tip #4: Be in the moment when you are eating. Do you really want to eat the food in front of you? Be in touch with your hunger verses your appetite. Eat only when you are hungry.

This is an issue for me – I am constantly hungry, I think there is a greedy food monster in me.

Tip #5: Hunger or thristy? You may think you are hunger, but you are just thristy. Have a big glass of water/tea with milk and honey will be satisfying enough. It satisfy your hunger, thrist, and it also brings comfort.

Tip #6: Take a moment to look at your food. Savour the food and eat slowly… Besides being able to enjoy the food more, you will eat less because you are eating slower. Melissa said our bodies takes about 20 minutes to realize we are eating something. When you are eating something slowly, you will realized you are full before you finish your food! Do not finish all your food if you are already full.

Well, another issue for me – I hate to waste food so I will usually finish up my food even when I am already full.

Tip #7: Eat from a small plate. People who eat food from a smaller plate will be satisfied too, and tend to eat less, because we are customed to finish all that is served on our plate! Do not use a huge plate and place little cake on it, because (visually) it creates a lot of absence, and you will not feel satisfied after the meal.

I think this one makes a lot of sense and I will start eating on small plates! (I meant plate, what is the point of replacing a huge plate with three small plates!)

Tip #8: Eat like you shop. When people are shopping, you will think about your purchase first, you take your time, and appreciate the purchase, you don’t just grab the boots and pay it without considering it. So, eat like you shop, the next time you see a cupcake, resist from popping it right into your mouth.

Not difficult right?

Alright, I am determined to try the tips out. I will review this post in a month’s time. I am aiming to lose at least 3kg!