don’t be just loud
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CONTENTS 10 PUBLIC INTEREST 9 Mass Shooting: A Remark On Freedom! The constitution of any country states that people have equal rights to live with freedom anywhere, but where anywhere?
FEATURED
10 Aadil Khan “Pictures Or No Pictures, I Always Smile.”
LIFESTYLE 14 Why Walk Down the Aisle? Most of the people choose to walk down the
ON THE COVER MODEL: MELISSA LETELLIER PHOTOGRAPHER: ALINA VIDAL MAKEUP: NATALIA PARRALES
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aisle in a particular age of their mid-twenties and this is how the convention of marriage has been in practice in our society like many other societies since the times immemorial. 15 What Exactly is True Love? Defining true love is one of the simplest yet the
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toughest question to answer. 16 Guzara Singer Gurpreet Chattha Gurpreet Chattha is a Punjabi singer. He got fame after the release of his single, Guzara. He just released his new single Kkajla on October 3.
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CONTENTS 18 Procrastination is a Practice Ground for Life Mastery
Should Watch Out For Being healthy is a common goal for many people, but good health does not have a finite endpoint; it's an ongoing process that unfolds over a lifetime.
There isn’t a person among us who doesn’t procrastinate — put off your work for the day, distract yourself, put off pursuing your dreams, put off putting your work out in the world for fear 27 Four Ways to Take Back Control From of being judged. Breast Cancer
The emotional journey of cancer is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are ways you can help those experiencing it feel more in control of their situation.
18 20 How to Train Yourself to Stay Focused It’s possible to get better at focusing, but I don’t recommend expecting to be focused anywhere close to 100 percent of the time.
CLICK OUT LOUDER
28 Dig Up Some Goodness with Mushrooms Mushrooms have some medicinal values. These are the good sources of proteins, vitamins, iron and other micro-nutrients. Due to the low starch and sugar content, it is called as the delight of diabetics.
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VAPID By Patrick Prickett
40 Transform Your Backyard with these 3 Elements When creating your own outdoor living space, 30 Survey: Millennials Manage Pain with you can combine three basic elements - decking, Healthy Lifestyle Choices railing and lighting - in nearly endless ways to Spending their days hunched over phones, tablets "paint" a personal masterpiece of fun and or computers and their free time at spin class or relaxation. playing sports, millennials are the next generation poised to experience chronic pain.
22 Prathamesh Chhatre ART He is a thirty-five years old photographer based in 32 Patrick Prickett: A Magnificent Artist He was born and raised in a small town in Pune, Maharashtra. He do photography under the Southern Alabama where his budding interest in name D-Cygnus. the arts was restricted by geography and circumstance.
House TO Home
BLOUDER FITNESS
42 Loose Weight without Dieting Obesity is obviously a risk factor for diabetes and high blood pressure. So we should maintain body weight to normal limits. Now the main point of concern is how to achieve this. 43 Five Fitness Tips From Melissa Letellier, Owner of LetlerFit™
36 Handle Chores, House Cleaning and Errands with Simple Systems The key to creating calm and simplicity in your life is creating simple systems, instead of haphazard systems of chaos that form naturally when we don’t give thought to these things.
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38 Ready, Set, Guests: 3 Paint Projects for Fall Entertaining "Despite the hectic chaos that comes with the back-to-school season and adapting our family schedules, I find fall to be the perfect time to tackle my home to-do list," explains Cyndy Aldred, the do-it-yourself paint blogger behind The Creativity Exchange. 39 Bring Sustainability Home is as Easy as ABC
BHEALTHIER
26 Good Health at Any Age: What Women
Here are three small ways you can make a big difference (and spare your wallet) when it comes to the sustainability of our world.
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CONTENTS 44 How to Get In Lean Shape With Little or No Equipment Two common barriers for people who want to exercise and get in shape are a lack of time and money needed for fitness. Who has the time to go to the gym, or buy expensive equipment, or take long bike rides? Well, if those are the things stopping you, you’re in luck.
44 46 Metastatic breast cancer patients tell their stories through art and photography When most people think of breast cancer, they think of the pink movement, and often times, "beating" the cancer. A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), a late stage of the disease in which the cancer has spread beyond the breast, is different.
BLOUDER EXCLUSIVES 48 Melissa Letellier, Owner of LetlerFit™ “I decided to become a fitness professional because I loved being able to help women achieve confidence they never knew they had by feeling better about their appearance and over all shape.”
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52 Super Couple Joan & Marcos Love is a deep feeling of affection but for Joan Ivars, “Love is understanding, patience, amazing sex, joy, support and be supported, love is to be free and set him free, love is helping to grow.”
STYLE OUT LOUDER 56 Fashion Trends for Diwali Diwali or any festival is not only associated with rituals and remembrance but it also involves showcasing the wardrobe and setting new fashion trend in the industry. The trends and fashion styles change each year and this year too. Diwali is the best time when people can show off their own style. Here are some unique styles that will help you get a perfect festive look. 57 Style Out Your Personality Fashion is not just about what dress you choose as per the trend or what your favorite celebrity wears neither it’s just about your dress nor some cool shoes you wear. It’s about how in totality you are able to elicit the perfect real personality that you are and how well you are able to mingle and create a look.
56 68 Rev. Puneet: The Witch, Witchcraft and Mysticism We have heard about witches and warlocks from our grandmothers, read in fairy tales and seen them in the movies but if you think that those witches and wizards were just the imaginary creature then you must stir your mind and give it a thought. 70 Life without You A poem by Nishant Ganatra.
BLOUDER LITERARY 62 26th September A poem by Ambika Mazumder. 63 Was My Fault A poem by Diksha Sharma.
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64 Old Soldier Diaries: Memoirs of the Men of Honor Soldiers don’t even care about the little things. Also tolerance is very important it doesn’t make you weak but it makes you strong. One should have the ability called resilience. It’s very essential to quickly recover from the setbacks both mentally and physically if you want to get success in your life. 67 Flavours of Instagram Flavours of Instagram is not just a book but a plethora of the most wonderful opportunities for young and talented writers who dream to be a published writer. VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE ARTICLES ARE OF THE AUTHORS/SUBJECTS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE EDITORS OR PUBLISHERS. WHILE THE EDITORS DO THEIR UTMOST TO VERIFY INFORMATION PUBLISHED, THEY DO NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS ABSOLUTE ACCURACY. BLOUDER TAKES NO RESPONSIVITY FOR UNSOLICITED PHOTOGRAPHS OR MATERIAL. IN MATTERS WHICH MAY BE SUB JUDICE, BLOUDER TAKES NO LEGAL STAND. BLOUDER CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCTS, PRODUCT INFORMATION, PICTURES, ILLUSTRATIONS, ETC.
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EDITOR’S LETTER Write to us
bloudermagazine@gmail.com
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@bloudermagazine on Instagram @bloudermagazine on Twitter Fb.com/bloudermagazine bloudermagazine.com
Rise Up & Raise Your Voice Against Violence
Last week, I was having a great time, hanging out with my friends, listening to music, eating delicious food, and making fun of my friend’s new shoes. Then I read something online that took my breath away. “More than fifty people were killed in a mass shooting in Las Vegas.” I had no words. I just stood there looking at my phone screen. It was heartbreaking. It was one of the most deadly mass murder ever committed in the U.S., and was perpetrated against a group of people who had gathered for a music festival. I found it very difficult to believe that so many people are dead. The families of these people are totally devastated; the whole world is devastated. The only question I asked myself at that time was, “Where’s humanity?” We all are human beings. Why not show love toward other human beings? It’s not the first time when something like this has happened. We should rise up and raise our voices against violence. We are the future, and only we can protect our world by setting our anger aside and spreading love and peace. I am keeping my editor’s page black and white to mourn the victims of the shooting.
JASKARAN S. DHILLON EDITOR Instagram: @jaskaransdhillon jaskaransdhillon.com
Rev. Puneet
Melissa Letellier
We Hear You! Write to us at bloudermagazine@gmail.com
PUBLIC INTEREST
MASS SHOOTING:
A REMARK ON FREEDOM! By Scribble Scripted | Instagram: scribble_scripted
O
ctober 1, 2017, the nation woke up with the news of the worst mass shooting of the history, claiming the lives of at least 58 innocent men and women with more than 500 injured in Las Vegas. It was just a like a shook to hear all about this. I mean why? Why are the innocents killed? Why they’re the lone sufferers? Hearing about the Las Vegas mass shooting had question every single soul that, till where are their lives safe? Every mind is flooding with the question of freedom, every mind need to ask about the security to their life and family. The constitution of any country states that people have equal rights to live with freedom anywhere, but where anywhere? The increase in the number of mass shooting incidences over the years has questioned them about the freedom they provided with, about the security they are imbibed with. According to data collected by the non-profit Gun Violence Archive, in the first nine months of this year, there have been 271 mass shootings, meaning four or more people shot in a single event, not including the shooter; 11,572 gun deaths; and 2,971 children or teenagers shot. The report says around 12000 lives, 12000 isn’t a huge number? Aren’t these lives killed just because of no reasons? There are few questions that needed to be answered. Starting with why
are the innocents killed? Why it’s happening again and again? Who’s responsible for it? Isn’t the safety to people’s life necessary? But another question is who will be going to answer this? Who? Till when the innocents will be killed like this? I think no one, the concerned authority always claims the attackers as mentally ill victims, they always says that he lost his control over his minds and thus he gave rise to such mass shooting. But is the mass shooting really linked to someone’s illness? Is it? As per the definition, a mass shooting may be committed by individuals or organizations in public or non-public places. Terrorist groups in recent times have used the tactic of mass shootings to fulfil their political aims. Individuals who commit mass shootings may fall into any of a number of categories, including killers of family, co-workers, students, and random strangers. Individuals' motives for shooting vary. I think political issues are the major reasons behind such verdict, asking the authorities for demand and when not fulfilled they come out for mass shooting and killing the innocents. The main motive behind doing this is to spread the message that terrorism isn’t yet over, they filled the mass with fear of death, they let the people questioned about their safety, and it helps them to change the political environment and leads to sudden conflicts between the system. Now a day, it’s been observed that mass
shooting is one of the most coward actions that agencies are opting. But what’s the motive behind this? How will death of innocent help the one doing this? Why mass shooting in on rise? I guess nobody has the right answer, neither have we nor the government authorities have it.
It’s been observed that mass shooting is one of the most coward actions that agencies are opting. Over the years such mass shooting verdict are happening around the world, out of which maximum are witnessed in America. But who’s responsible? Is it a terror attack or a massacre or a hate crime? Mass shooting are becoming common, they are happening after a regular interval, and the innocents are being killed. A mass shooting is done to disturb the natural environment of people, it questioned their freedom and in the mean time when they get recovered another happens. The story always continues what changes: - are the character (the one who did this act) and the number of deaths, which mat rise or fall, it depends. 9 BLOUDER
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FEATURED
AADIL KHAN “Pictures Or No Pictures,
I Always Smile”
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A
renowned YouTuber with over 6.8 million views on his dance videos, Aadil Khan has taken the industry by storm. Touted as one of the most recognized Bollywood choreographers in Mumbai as well as a notable Zumba fitness instructor, his popularity has been capitulating with a consistently growing fan base of dance lovers. Aadil has various dance shows to his credit naming a few - He has successfully completed 1000+ shows of Zangoora musical at Kingdom of dreams, Delhi.
He has judged college talent hunts, dance competitions and has been the chief guest for Thirkan season 1 and 2. He has choreographed for corporate events and school shows too. He has also represented Bollywood fitness on India's got talent season 7. He was also a part of the Zumba Fitness series on zoom channel lead by ZES Sucheta Pal. Aadil Khan has conducted a lot of dance workshops in Mumbai and recently in Ahmedabad. Acting being his passion he has worked and featured in TV commercials for brands like Big flex protein with the great Khali, Asian paints with Deepika Padukone, Cadbury gems, Himalaya body lotion, joy facewash with Anushka Sharma and a recent ad with NETFLIX. 11 BLOUDER
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FEATURED
H
ow long have you been dancing? What got you into dancing? I started off dancing at a very later age, unlike most people. It has been five years now since I have been dancing. My high school friends saw that I was reasonably good in dancing and encouraged me to learn dance professionally.
Instagram: @aadilkhan
What inspires you to dance? Inspiration actually comes from my love for acting and Bollywood movies; an actor is not successful if he can’t pull off a good Bollywood dance number. If you could give advice for aspiring younger dancers, what did you discover about the industry that you would want others to know about? There is nothing grey about this industry, in simple words there is one side where you butter up people and make your way in, and by butter I mean tons of butter... and the other is creating your name through platforms like YouTube, showing your good work and working hard without giving up ever and get the industry call you. What type of dance do you practice/train? While I was a part of Shiamak Davar institute I learned various dance styles like Ballet and Hip Hop. What is something that keeps you strong when things get difficult? At a very early age, I was put in the position of a family head. The responsibilities and the utmost desire and wanting to be the best at what I do keep me moving forward at all times. How much time are you willing to practice dance? I practice till I don’t feel I have delivered my best and rarely am I satisfied with my work. What are your hobbies and does this help you with your dancing? Watching movies be it Bollywood, Tollywood or Hollywood, and it does help me with my dance and acting both in a major way. Can you choreograph any type of dance or does it have to be something you like? It’s very important for me to feel that particular genre of music to have that instant connection with the dance style. It is also very important I shouldn’t look like a monkey doing it. I feel the dancer needs to incorporate the style of the dance form than just knowing the steps. Can you choreograph a dance without music? Our mind and body can create music. I sometimes feel I can create a dance chunk and then sync music to it. How did you decide to become a choreographer? Was it something you always wanted to do or is it something that happened suddenly? Choreography wasn’t ever the part of my plan, it was acting but then one thing lead to another and here I am. How hard is to find a way to express yourself according to what you have on your mind? 12 BLOUDER
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INTERVIEW WITH AADIL KHAN It is easier for me to express myself through dancing. Was there any person that had great impact on your decision to become a choreographer? No one specific but my school friends pushed me to start dancing. What is your YouTube channel about? At present it has my choreographies on famous numbers but I have a lot in mind for my future content and currently working on it. Why should anyone subscriber to your channel? Because I focus on dancing and style. Where do you see yourself (and your YouTube channel) in 5 years? Performing at the YouTube fanfest and doing a world tour of my dance workshops. What inspired you to start making videos? I wanted to showcase my talent to the audience. I can’t butter people so I took the path of hard work to success. Who are some of your favorite YouTubers? Matt Stefanina and Bhuvan Bam (BB ki vines) What are the best thing and worst thing about YouTube? The best thing about YouTube is that you can connect to millions of people and showcase your talent and ideas. The worst thing is… actually I can’t really think of anything. What are your goals when it comes to YouTube? Everyone should know who Aadil Khan is. If I may add... for all the good reasons.
Any advice for new YouTubers? There is a difference in what you want to do and what you are naturally good at, polish what you are good at, and give that talent more time you are sure to excel in it better. Do you always smile for pictures? Pictures or no pictures I always smile :) What are some little unknown facts about yourself you would want others to know about? I have had a very difficult childhood and nothing has ever come in easy for me. My first dance lessons were sponsored and today it’s my dream to have an institute and help other talents to grow without them having to shell out loads of money. Anyone who can’t afford to attend my workshops, even now can get in touch with me or my team, we will help them out with a free pass to my workshop.
Five Tips to be a Great Dancer 1)Always dance like a Star.
2)Be a great performer, a great performer beats a good dancer. 3)Personality matters a lot, work on it. 4)Never stop learning, be past the senior and junior just be a student always. 5)And last, focus is important, practice daily, be humble to all and try to be better than yourself each day.
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lifestyle Relationship
WHY WALK DOWN THE
AISLE? T
By Kanchan Sharma
oday's society is changing at a rapid pace. There is a paradigm shift in the each aspect of social life. If we compare and contrast our present way of living with that of the bygone decades, it will enlighten us on the facts that modern man is in no way the replica of the man of yore. Apart from a slew of other changes a great amount of change is very perceptible and conspicuously noticeable in his social relations with his fellow human beings. One of the changes in this respect that has occurred is about the marital bond which is gradually losing its sacrosanct status among specific class of Indians. Indian society is primarily a monogamous society in its nature, though bigamy and polygamy are also scantly prevalent in some communities with certain riders and caveats. But on the whole, monogamy is the concept of marriage to which both sanction and sanctity are attached.
Most of the people choose to walk down the aisle in a particular age of their mid-twenties and this is how the convention of marriage has been in practice in our society like many other societies since the times immemorial. But a section of this newly emerged socio-cultural ethos has fiercely defied this custom of marriage tooth and nail. The prophets of his credo are those youngsters who have evinced their sheer preference for the solo life and choose not to enter into the pact of marriage that according to them incarcerates them and deprives them of their most precious freedom. As per the statistics available, the number of such individuals is startlingly rising and it is the bigger cities which have witnessed the deluge of these singletons and where the newly founded cult of solo life is gaining a great momentum. The proponents of this cult are often viewed with a degree of some scorn and reservation by the champions of the marital life. They are also dubbed as the radicals, rebels and renegades who think out of the box and in an iconoclastic manner do not hesitate to trample upon the old fossilised conventions. These singletons are at one with an American comedian Grucho Marx who states that marriage is a wonderful institute but who wants to live in an institute. If their preference for solo life is sanely scanned, there are umpteen numbers of reasons which cause to swell the strength of these 'queer fishes'. In the antiquated ages many ascetics and 14 BLOUDER
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the hermits used to abstain from entering into the nuptial bond as they did not want any worldly attachments and obstructions in their path of ultimate salvation. But todays singletons have their own stories to relate and the reason, that motivate them to stay single, have nothing to do with religion and asceticism. All of them are not the recluses; neither do they live a life of self-abnegation, austerity and obscurity. They are very much the part of the main stream society and take keen interest in various social activities. All of them have their own selective reasons which make them refrain from singing any permanent pact in form of marriage with the other individual. There is no divergence of opinion that in this modern world of hard-core competition and rank materialism, it has become an uphill task for a person from the middle class to make his ends meet. His fragile financial status is one of the major deterrents that discourage him from getting hitched. Indeed marriage is a very costly affair in which the cost of living spirals upwards and due to the thin resources with meagre income, one, at times, contemplates and chooses not to invite any additional burden in the shape of other expensive relations and kids. Such individual, sometimes, opt for live-in relationships in which both the partners share all the incurring expenses and stay put together without any legal commitments. The irony of the situation is that the rich and affluent Babas of the day are enjoying the luxury of martial comforts with their consorts whereas the common struggler young guys, quite a time, turn reluctant to permanently settle with a partner. But it is not only the finances that determine one's choice to be remaining single. In fact, it has been often observed that the exponents of the solo life lack the required amount of compatibility and in them the adjustment and patience factors are drastically low which are, in a way, the prerequisites to a successful marriage. Arguably, hedonism is the canon to which they embrace and often believe that their life is theirs only, and they should not waste their hard earned money to fulfil the needs of their family, instead they would often wish to live the life to the fullest by spending their money on themselves. Some of them are radicals to the extent that they opine that marriage is a price a person has to pay to savour sex. Now the ready and easy availability of sex without marriage has also pumped up their agenda and has beefed up their belief to be
single.
There is no divergence of opinion that in this modern world of hard-core competition and rank materialism, it has become an uphill task for a person from the middle class to make his ends meet. The needs of companionship of the modern day people have got a new shape. Their addiction to the virtual world of internet has minimised the cravings to have some companion in their room to give vent to their pent up feelings. They have contrastively created their own virtual world where the emotional outlet is done and the resultant Aristotelian catharsis is achieved by forging online connect with others. It is rightfully argued that marriage is not the union of two bodies neither the union of souls can happen unless two minds reach in the state of fine tuning and mingle effortlessly. It is only a blissful affair if handled with care. The observations throw light and reveal that most of the people from the class of intellectuals have ended up with solo life till their concluding day. They mostly find it hard to spend their entire life with someone who has unlike bent of mind and after all it is the mind first that should be in unison with the other mind. The much talked about union of the soul is only a metaphysical concept that is the part of ontological research. The union of the minds makes a big difference. Though no attempt to caste aspersions on the class of singletons is made as at the end of the day marriage is a matter of personal choice. Indeed one fully reserves the right to make his or her choice and social intervention in this regards particularly must be discouraged and dissuaded.
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lifestyle Relationship Tips
What Exactly is True Love? BY RAHUL CHOUDHARY BHARDWAJ | Instagram: @rbhardwaj024
W
hat exactly is True Love? Does it exist? Can someone love another person like nothing else? Does every person on earth have power to love someone till eternity? If it has happened to you, can it happen to anyone? Defining true love is one of the simplest yet the toughest question to answer. Many tried to answer it, represented their opinion, succeeded to some extent but no one defined it as whole. Because love is next to God and we don’t have enough words, emotions, ways and resources to define God. Even we lovers can feel the Love but when it comes to explain it, even we stand our hands. There are so many definitions defining love but they just don’t fit in every love story. This is the versatility of love that it is formless, limitless, pure and eternal. Every couple has their own love story so the definition of love varies from couple to couple. No matter in what form love strikes at your door if it is love then certainly God has come to you to fill your life with colors and happiness. For me it all started with a coincidence. It started with fighting first, then comes the f lirting part followed by meeting each other and then ended at being caught in true love. Now for the answer to your question, I will answer you what a True Love means to me. True love is when I see her every time, sometimes face to face or just her picture and I know that she is going to change my life—for better of course. True love is when I look at her and realize that the two of us are destined to meet and this is not the end but just the beginning of a new era of love in my life. True love is basically, that molecular moment which happens when I feel that my heart and my head are in complete synchronization with each other. When I look at her, it is that moment when my entire being knows that she has come from another world and I've been waiting all my life for this exact moment.
And then, it hits me—I’ve never felt this way before. It’s not normal, at all. It’s something magical, miracle and above all that, a blessing, no less.
is really happening. And it felt all divine that the two of us met at that perfect moment because there really could not be better timing. Divine intervention actually exists!
True love is when I think that she has captured my entire existence. It’s like my entire existence has led me to this moment and to her and my purpose of life has now been solved and achieved.
True love is the curiosity when I want to know what it would feel to hold her hand, put an arm around her shoulder, hold her back and pull her closer to me. I want to know how her skin would feel under your fingers; or how her lips would taste when I kiss her. I want to know what she would smell like if you were to breathe her in. There is so much I want to know and I can’t wait to get to know her. And chances are, she is thinking of the exact same thing; I can tell by the way she looks at me— there is something in her eyes; it’s like she’s wondering about you. She’s curious, and so am I; and there is only one way to find out. But, I'm holding back out of sheer nervousness and fear that I don’t know what lies ahead.
I knew it from the very first minute you said ‘Hello' to me that she is going to affect me in ways I may never have known. And all this while, I'm thinking about how this is all going to unravel the adventures coming in my life. Love is the mutual understanding. We talk about things, people and circumstances that no one else could ever understand except the two of us. In fact, we’re saying things to each other that we have never said before. We don’t need words. We don’t need anybody else. I just need her and she needs me. True Love is when I decided to go out on a date and believe me it was the first time in the history of my life that I’ve tried to look my best, wearing that shade of blue color which girls always love on boys, that Denver deodorant sprayed to just the right amount to smell good and my hair perfectly combed and coiffed since forever. I was nervous and excited as well at the same time and I wasn’t able to wait long to see her. Even a single minute seemed like eternity. On the date, I was hardly eating; but I was talking nervously and was feeling shy enough not to look into her eyes. In fact, I needed to calm myself down because the adrenaline was rushing through my blood very fast. This was the first time that I had gone on a date and the experience is just unexplainable. You have to feel it to understand it.
But I want to go ahead anyway. We are freefalling into this whirlwind together. I don’t know how I got here; I don’t know how I’ll get out. I don’t know if I want to get out at all, and that’s the scary part. This is what it is and it’s the only way to describe it because honestly, I'm running short of words now. It’s just a matter of time before I fall hopelessly, head over heels, in love. Yes, it’s going to be the scariest thing you ever do. It’s going to be a warzone and paradise—wrapped in one. But this time, my head and my heart are welcoming it together. That, my friend, is when I know it’s true love, and I'm in true love indeed.
Every time I laughed and looked at her I was dreaming if this 15 BLOUDER
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lifestyle Music
BLOUDER
“MY VOICE IS
MY IDENTITY”
Instagram: @gurpreetchatthaofficial
GUZARA SINGER GURPREET CHATTHA QUICK TAKES WITH GURPREET CHATTHA
G
urpreet Chattha is a Punjabi singer. He got fame after the release of his single, Guzara. He is nominated for Punjabi Music Most romantic Ballad of the year Award, Punjabi Music Best Debut vocalist (Male) Award and more. He just released his new single Kkajla on October 3. His official music video of Kkajla already reached 1.6 + million views on YouTube.
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What made you realize that music was your path? At what age did you start singing? My teachers, friends & family asked me to listen to my voice then I realized that I can sing. I started singing when I was in Class 6. How would you describe the music that you typically create? Whatever comes to my mind as per the mood which will touch everyone's heart. Who are your biggest musical influences? Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab, Rahet Fateh Ali Khan Sahab, Shafqat Ali Khan Sahab
What makes your music unique? Do you write your own songs? Yes, I do write my own songs. The emotions and feelings attached with the lyrics make my music unique. Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of? 4 nominations - Best Debut Vocalist, Best Romantic Song, Radio Mirchi nomination, Best Lyrics (Satnam) for my two songs in the same month made me feel proud. What did your family do to encourage you? Who else in your family sings? My father always says that fate is nothing, courageous people makes their own destiny. No, none of my family members can sing.
If you could perform anywhere, in the world, where would it have to be? I would like to perform in Birmingham University in London where even Nusrat Ali Khan Sahab had performed. If you weren't singing, what would you be doing? My father wanted me to get into Cricket. How did your life changed after releasing your song Guzara? Everyone now knows who Gurpreet Chattha is. How your new song Kkajla describes you? Kkajla depicts my three years’ journey of struggle even after the success of Guzaara. What are you excepting from Kkajla? What efforts did you put to bring it to your fans? I don’t have enough words to describe how much efforts my team is putting. People now should know Gurpreet Chattha by face - the actual voice behind Guzaara.
What is your gym routine? Give five fitness tips. I do 1.5 hours of Gyming daily. Five fitness tips are a. Release all your stress in the gym b. If you don’t have time/money to go to the gym, you can do this at home with strong will power. c. Daily pushups, pullups (minimum 6 sets). d. Consume water 5-6 liters everyday. e. Define your goals clearly and don’t compete with anyone, just set an ideal. What is an average day in your life? Music, Gym, Diet What are the five things you cannot live without? Tea, Gym, Music, Phone and yes, Roneet Modgill. Do you have any events coming? Many... What are your future plans? You will get to know soon...
BLOUDER
lifestyle All About You
Procrastination is a Practice Ground for Life Mastery
T
By Leo Babuata
here isn’t a person among us who doesn’t procrastinate — put off your work for the day, distract yourself, put off pursuing your dreams, put off putting your work out in the world for fear of being judged.
But here’s the thing: most people think that this procrastination is a problem. Most people stress out about being a procrastinator, and feel bad about themselves for doing it.
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we’ll see how our minds work, and learn to be better at all the difficulties of life. Because life will always have these difficulties, no matter how much we’d prefer to avoid them, and how we respond to them will determine everything. Let’s work on our responses to the hardest things in life.
How We Usually Respond
Au contraire (that’s French, don’t bother looking it up, it means you’re way wrong).
When we procrastinate, this is the usual process: 1.We have something difficult or uncomfortable to do.
Instead, procrastination is the perfect place to practice all the most important life skills. Our tendency to procrastinate is exactly how
2.We don’t feel like doing it, because it’s difficult, uncertain, uncomfortable. 3. Our minds habitually turn away from this
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task, and find a more comfortable, certain thing to do, like watching videos or playing games or checking email or social media. 4. We run to the easier thing, and then put off even thinking about the other thing. 5. We feel bad that this happens, and start to form a negative image of ourselves. We rain harshness and criticism upon our psyche. This makes us less likely to do better the next time around. It’s a vicious cycle, I tell ya. We can learn to do better.
Procrastination is an Opportunity, Not a Suckfest So what should we do instead? Ideally: 1. We set a hard task before us. 2. We feel the difficulty, but see this as a signpost that we’re pushing into uncertain ground. 3. We relish the opportunity to push into uncertain ground, and dive in with gusto. (I love the word “gusto,” btw.) But that’s not where we are. We have to practice in this way: 1.Set a hard task, feel like procrastinating
lifestyle All About You
because it’s uncertain and uncomfortable … 2. Start to procrastinate by going to something easy. 3. Once we’ve switched over and noticed that we’re procrastinating … we pause. This Pause is the key to everything. 4. We see this Pause as an opportunity to practice a key life skill, and we light up with joy. And yes, gusto. 5. We practice with discomfort and uncertainty. What does it feel like? Is it horrible? Can we work in the midst of it? Can we open up to the discomfort of it all, embrace the uncertainty, and see it as a beautiful part of what we’re doing? Slowly, through this practice, we can get better at not running, at staying with the discomfort, at embracing it all, at being patient and joyful in the middle of chaos and the unknown. Commit yourself to this practice. You’ll find it life-changing and gorgeous.
Practicing with Discomfort & Uncertainty So you are in the Pause. And you see that you have a chance to practice with discomfort and uncertainty.
Here’s what you do. You turn toward the feeling — the physical feeling in your body, not just a mental idea of it — and see how it feels. Where is it located in your body? How would you describe the sensation? Can you give it an energy, a color, a sound? You stay with the feeling, with curiosity. You surrender to it, with trust in yourself. You allow it to be there, with acceptance. Then you go forth and do the work. The hard thing. The thing you’re completely uncertain about. And accept the uncertainty as part of life, as part of the mission you’re on, because no worthy mission will be fully certain. No hero sets out on a journey knowing how it will end. You’re that hero, and yes, you’re completely up to this mission. You do the work, notice the discomfort, allow it to be there. You notice your urge to turn away and run, and you don’t follow the urge. You mess up, and start all over again, like the golden hero that you are. You fall down a thousand times, get up two thousand. You are courageous, inspirational, and stronger than even you believe. One step at a time, you’re expanding your comfort zone, your zone of genius, your hero range. And with each step, you’re getting stronger, and inspiring the world to do the same.
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lifestyle All About You
How to Train Yourself to Stay Focused BY Leo Babauta you have to do, unhappy with your lack of focus … then this one skill will help you turn that around in a big way. So let’s move on to the how.
The Method
It’s fairly simple: Pick an MIT. First thing in the morning, before you get on your phone or online, think about what you need to do. What would make the biggest difference in your life, your work? If you have several, it doesn’t matter … just randomly choose one for now. You can get to the others later. Don’t waste your time in indecision, the point is to practice with one task. This one task you choose for today is your one Most Important Task (MIT). Do a 15-minute focus session. As soon as you start working for the day (maybe after getting ready, eating, yoga/meditation/workout, whatever), clear away all browser tabs, applications, and anything you don’t need for your MIT for today. Start a timer for 15 minutes. You only have two choices. For these 15 minutes, you can not switch to anything else (no checking email, messages, social media, doing other work tasks, cleaning your desk, etc.). You can only a) work on your MIT, or b) sit there and do nothing. Those are your only options. Watch your urges to switch, but don’t follow them. Report to an accountability partner. My coaching client is going to succeed in large part because he has me to keep him accountable. Find a partner who will keep you accountable. Create an online spreadsheet or use an accountability app that they can see. After your focus session each day, check in that you did it. That’s it! One focus session a day for at least two weeks. If you do great, add a second focus session each day, with a 10-minute break in between sessions. If you have any trouble at all, stick to one session a day for the first month before adding a second.
After six weeks to two months, you should be fairly good at doing two 15-minute focus sessions, and you can add a third. Then a fourth when that gets easy. Stop there for awhile, and then add another session in the afternoon.
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t’s a common problem these days: switching between browser tabs and apps on your phone, checking social media and messages and email, thinking about the million things you have to do but putting them off … Anything but staying focused on one task at a time. And it’s hard to break out of the mental habit of switching, being distracted, letting the monkey mind jump from one shiny thing to the next. So how do you train your mind to stay more focused? It’s possible to get better at focusing, but I don’t recommend expecting to be focused anywhere close to 100 percent of the time. Not even 80 percent, and perhaps not 50 percent. Just more than now, which is more than enough to see big differences in effectiveness in your day. Recently I took on a coaching client, and his biggest area for improvement is focus. So I gave him a plan, and I’m going to share it with you here.
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Start with the Why
Why should you care about this? It’s best to give this a moment’s thought before diving into any plan, because when things get uncomfortable, you have to know your Why. Otherwise you’ll crumble at the first urge to switch. This is important because constant switching and distraction leads to your time being frittered away, so that the day goes by and you’ve barely done anything important. You’ve procrastinated on the big tasks to take care of the little ones, and worse yet, squandered the day in distractions. Your life is too precious to waste, so you want to use your days better. Staying focused on one task at a time, at least for some of the day, will help you get the important things done: writing, programming, studying, taking care of finances, creating of any kind, and so on. Those things tend to get pushed back, but staying on task will increase your effectiveness with the most important things by leaps and bounds. If you’re feeling stressed out by all
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Some Important Tips
With that simple method in mind, I have a few key ideas to share: Turn off your Internet. Like disconnect from wifi or turn off your router, or use an Internet blocker. Turn off your phone. Close your browser and all applications you don’t need. This is the ideal method. If you need the Internet for your MIT, then close all tabs but the one or two that you need for the task, and don’t let yourself open anything else. If you turn off the Internet, keep a pencil and paper nearby. If you have an idea, a task you need to remember, anything you want to look up … jot it on the paper. You can get to those later. Don’t allow yourself to switch. Don’t allow yourself to rationalize putting off the session. It’s easy to say, “I’ll get to it in a bit,” but then you’re putting it off until late morning, and then the afternoon, and finally you’re doing it at 8pm just to say you did it. This defeats the purpose of the practice. Watch your rationalizations, and don’t fall for them. That said, don’t aim for being perfect. There are some days when you just can’t do it — for me, it’s when I travel or have guests. If something big has come up where you don’t have time, don’t stress about missing a day. Get back on it as soon as you can. Worrying about keeping a streak going is counterproductive. If 15 minutes is too long, just do 10 minutes. If that’s too long, do 5 minutes. Increase your number of sessions as slowly as you can. There’s no rush to do more. Focus on building a solid foundation. 1.
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Prathamesh Chhatre
PRATHAMESH CHHATRE “The biggest challenge is to create an identity for yourself through your work.” Prathamesh Chhatre is a thirty-five years old photographer based in Pune, Maharashtra. He do photography under the name D-Cygnus.
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hat does photography mean to you? Ideally I would say Photography is my passion. But now it is something much more than just passion. Photography engages my mind in process of creating appealing visuals, which will showcase a person in different light. It is also a medium for me to support models/ actors achieve their personal dreams. Being a part of this journey through photography has given me a deeper understanding of human nature, their dreams and life from someone else’s perspective.
How did you develop an interest in photography? As a kid I was always fascinated about taking pictures. It seemed to be a cool thing to do. Although photography was not so easily accessible due to costly equipment and film roles, it used to excite me when I used to wait for the images to get developed and printed. In my early 20’s I preferred to be in front of camera and on stage for a while, which later got left behind due to routine job responsibilities. Around 7 years ago, I got a digital camera in my hand and I started clicking again, graduating to DSLRs soon. The journey from there was mostly self-taught, with trying to understand the techniques of lights, editing and principles of photography. In spite of working with lights, the shadows attracted me more. As I feel that it’s the shadow which gives emphasis to light, the darker side. And D-Cygnus (Dark Swan) came into mind as an idea, and I started doing photography under the name of D-Cygnus.
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Instagram: @dcygnus_photography
Who are you as a person? I am sensitive and practical at the same time. Both qualities although opposites, complement each other in understanding everything from a second perspective, creating balance. How do you as a photographer make sure that the thing, person or landscape you want to shoot looks the way you want it to? Visualization and intuition is the key for me. Visualization helps to create the things in actual. And intuition during the shoot helps add the magic element in images From your point of view, what makes a good picture? Establishing the primary element or the focal point of the frame and balance of other elements in a frame, where in secondary elements although present compliment the primary element. The secondary elements could be in form of a color, object, or different light. What were the challenges that you most commonly faced and how did you deal with them? The biggest challenge is to create an identity
for yourself through your work. How important is it for a photographer to “connect” with his subjects to bring out their true self? Comfort level between the subject and the photographer matters the most. There has to be a mutual understanding and trust, which I feel is the most important aspect. Once the connection is there, then the model is able to rise up to his full potential and understand photographers perspective. I achieve this by discussing the details of the shoots and encouraging them to give their best. Since the photography techniques and equipment change quickly, it is important to stay up-to-date. What do you do to always keep up with the times? For me technology is the secondary aspect. What needs to be updated is the vision and how would you capture it differently. In every shoot I try to do something different to keep
the audience engaged. I personally feel that technology is an aid to your visualization, but not the primary focus. Technology can be obtained; vision needs to be developed with practice and patience. Nowadays almost everyone has access to devices with which it is possible to take pictures. What do you think is the difference between a professional photographer and any other hobby photographer? As mentioned in the earlier part it’s the visualization of the subject which differentiates the hobby photographer from the professional one. One who is really interested in developing this hobby to professional level needs to develop his visualization skills Which one is your favorite lens and why do you prefer it? Canon 24-70. Due to its versatility. Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path? I am still in process of getting influenced by the masters. For me every photographer teaches me something. Hence pin pointing one will not be possible What, in your opinion, is most important to consider while shooting portrait pictures? Can you walk us through the actual process that you use to set up a portrait? Light, Light and Light. How my subject is being lit up is most important aspect for me. As I like to play with shadows, I prefer one or 2 lights sources. I place the subject in place where the light creates a balance with the shadows. Which editing software do you usually use? As how good would you describe your skills in that software? Photoshop and Light room. I think I am pretty decent at it. Exactly what it is you want to say with your photographs, and how do you actually get your photographs to do that? More than what I want to say, I want to show case the people. I want to show what they want to say, what they want to project themselves as. In your free time, what kind of pictures do you like to shoot? Prefer to do artistic shoots, bodyscapes.
GOOD HEALTH AT ANY AGE: WHAT WOMEN SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR
BHEALTHIER Good Health at Any Age
(BPT) - Being healthy is a common goal for many people, but good health does not have a finite endpoint; it's an ongoing process that unfolds over a lifetime. For women, aging can bring on surprising health changes as they move through the decades of their life. From good nutrition and proper exercise to bone health and vaginal wellness, knowing the changes aging may cause can empower women to better care for themselves and prepare.
fluctuations. For those experiencing an infection for the first time, it's best to visit the gynecologist to confirm the diagnosis.
"From puberty to pregnancy to menopause, a woman's body can go through a plethora of changes in her lifetime," says Dr. Alyssa Dweck, an OB/GYN, author and expert on women's health. "Once adulthood hits, the next few decades bring about expected, and some not-so-expected, physical, mental and emotional changes. Those changes mean how we care for our bodies will change, too."
The hormonal changes that occur with pregnancy and/or use of birth control can cause shifts in pH balance, which can lead to infections. Being familiar with yeast infection symptoms from past experience allows women to find quick and easy solutions, like the over-the-counter treatment of MONISTAT(R) in the feminine hygiene aisle of local drugstores. It relieves symptoms four times faster and works on more of the most common strains of yeast than the leading prescription.
While each woman's aging experience will be as unique as she is, Dr. Dweck points to some common health changes women may encounter during several decades of their lives:
20s
With puberty completely over, women can begin to identify what is and isn't normal for their bodies. While diet and exercise are important at any age, during their 20s women begin to understand what is required in order to maintain a healthy weight. Menstrual health may fluctuate during this decade of life and many women will focus on both contraception and feminine hygiene, Dweck says. "Women ages 21 and older should get a pap smear at least every three years," she adds. During this age range, infections are not unusual. In fact, three out of four women will experience a yeast infection in their lifetime. Diets high in sugar and/or alcohol can increase the risk, as well as other factors like staying in a damp bathing suit or tight clothing for extended periods and menstrual cycle
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30s
During their 30s, women often start to focus on family planning and pregnancy, among other things.
Nutrition continues to be important during this decade, whether women choose to begin families or not, as bone loss generally commences in the fourth decade and metabolism slows. Women should adjust their diets and exercise to ensure their caloric intake meets their needs, including maintaining their intake of calcium and eating nutritious, low-fat foods.
40s
Perimenopause can cause significant health changes for women in their 40s, including a decrease in estrogen levels. Something many may find surprising is that at this age, women are at their sexual prime. However, intimate areas become thinner and less elastic in a woman's 40s, which may cause varying degrees of discomfort.
50s
Most women will experience menopause during their 50s, and while this new stage can cause pH changes, having no more menstruation or erratic cycles can be very freeing. With diminished estrogen, drying can occur in private areas, for which moisturizers and lubricants can be useful. Women should avoid feminine products that are not both dermatologist and gynecologist tested as they can cause yeast infections, Dweck cautions. At this age, it is more important than ever to maintain a regular exercise routine, including cardio, strength training and flexibility training.
60s and beyond
By this age, most women know their bodies intimately and can quickly tell when something isn't right. Common health issues that can occur with age include diabetes, arthritis, cancer and heart disease, many of which also cause irregularities in feminine health. Women should remain active and continue to eat healthily as metabolism slows and bone health decays. Brain health is also important. Along with regular exercise and intellectual stimulation, social interaction with family and friends can help prevent cognitive decline. "Women will typically know what's normal for them. There isn't one normal - just normal for you," Dweck says. "Women should never be afraid to familiarize themselves with their bodies and ask their doctors questions. Be inquisitive and don't consider any topic taboo. Good health is a multifaceted process, and gynecological health is an important part of a woman's overall well-being.�
BHEALTHIER Health Advice
The emotional journey of cancer is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are ways you can help those experiencing it feel more in control of their situation. Photographed by Ryan Cordwell for Wanderlust Festival
FOUR WAYS TO TAKE BACK CONTROL FROM BREAST CANCER
(BPT) - It is no secret that dealing with breast cancer is hard. It can turn lives upside down, inspiring concerns on topics as wide-ranging as maintaining daily routines, paying for treatment and life expectancy. Underlying it all is its emotional toll. According to a survey by Ford Warriors in Pink, 44 percent of breast cancer patients report needing help maintaining a positive outlook, while 43 percent report needing help maintaining their self-confidence. As supporters, we want to alleviate the burdens on our loved ones, yet only 28 percent of Americans say they know how to best support a patient during and after treatment. Although the emotional journey of cancer is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are ways you can help those experiencing it feel more in control of their situation. Encourage your loved ones to engage in activities that nourish their spirit and support them in pursuing avenues for self-care to help them maintain a positive outlook on life.
Expand your world. Many patients feel as though breast cancer takes hold of their life as its own. Remind your loved one that cancer is not the center of their world by encouraging them to pursue their passions. "Amidst chemo and radiation, you're constantly
finishing battles. But when life is constantly pushing you down, you need more wins. So I decided to hike through the rainforest in Colombia immediately post radiation," says breast cancer survivor Lara Mehanna. Participating in new experiences - even those in your own hometown - can allow those who have been touched by breast cancer to refocus on their spirit. Treat your loved one to an experience that aligns with their interests, like a local pottery or cooking class, to provide a much-needed outlet as they continue their fight.
Create peace of mind. Mindful meditation is one method of self-care that helps lower anxiety and stress. As part of her "integrated care" treatment plan, breast cancer survivor Ana Mostaccero practiced meditation and visualization exercises prior to surgery. "Doing these exercises helped me to not only reduce stress, but to begin practicing an all-around mindful life with heightened perspective and appreciation for what my mind and body were experiencing." Help your loved one tap into their own inner peace by making meditation easily accessible to them. Popular personal meditation app Headspace offers meditations specific to every phase of the cancer journey.
Channel your chi. Breast cancer often brings feelings of being betrayed by your body. "It took a long time to learn to trust my body again," says survivor
Amber Tumbow. "For so long it felt like my own body turned against me in a constant state of battle. I began practicing yoga, and slowly but surely I was able to feel more in control." Because yoga is a gentle exercise with a variety of modifications, it can be a manageable exercise for patients at different stages of their journey. Start a regular yoga practice with your loved one to encourage regular activity, keep them motivated, and help them reconnect with their bodies. Look for programs like the Wanderlust 21-Day Challenge that can be done at home and are designed especially with breast cancer patients in mind.
Empower with community. Cancer can feel alienating. While patients undoubtedly appreciate the support of family and friends, they can also feel like no one understands what they are going through. Connecting with others who have also experienced cancer can help patients feel less alone. "The greatest blessing was support from fellow survivors, the Models of Courage community," shares survivor Jessica Ayers. "Being diagnosed so young, I felt alone. Hearing the stories of those who had gone through the same thing as me, and seeing their strength as they offered support, advice and love completely changed my outlook on my disease. It turned me into a warrior." No matter what you choose to do, it's important to let your loved ones know that you are there to support them, on days good and bad. By doing so, you can provide vital support for making your loved one's journey just a little bit easier. For free patient support resources such as Headspace meditations and the Wanderlust 21day yoga challenge visit www.fordcares.com.
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BHEALTHIER Vegetables
DIG UP SOME GOODNESS WITH MUSHROOMS BY KHUSHBOO SHIMRAN AND RAVI KUMAR | INSTAGRAM @KHUSHBOOSHIMRAN certain deficiency and other diseases, there is an obvious place for this type of protein in the diet.
M
ushrooms have been cultivating and consuming for over decades. Its products have been for almost 40 years. But nowadays the world has witnessed a rosy picture of mushroom production in most of the countries including India, owing to substantial investment in mushroom research and development of enormous location specifies mushroom varieties. In India, the production has increased many folds and the consumption of these products has begun to increase. The majority of Indian population is below the poverty line and their diet is often lacking in very important components of nutrient in terms of quantity and quality of protein on a daily basis in quantities sufficient to provide the recommended amount of protein. Thus, there is a requirement of protein-rich novel foods. Further, various therapeutic benefits have been confirmed by research. As people will become more aware that healthy food habits can prevent and treat 28 BLOUDER
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Yet, despite the obvious benefits, there is still not much awareness among Indian people either these benefits or about the different types of products available in the market. Some had heard that there are good for health but have no idea why this is so. This situation can only change by educating people regarding the nutritional and health benefits of these proteins or products and importantly by showing or training how to incorporate these in diets. Mushrooms are fungi. These might not be the best-looking thing but looks like everything as leaves. Mushrooms have some medicinal values. These are the good sources of proteins, vitamins, iron and other micro-nutrients. Due to the low starch and sugar content, it is called as the delight of diabetics. There is no cholesterol because it converts into vitamin-D during digestion. These serve as a preventive medicine for tumor and cancer. These also lower the cholesterol, lipids in the blood and blood pressure. Therefore, dishes made with mushrooms are healthy for heart, skin disease patients.
Consumption of different varieties of mushroom is a common practice as these are inexpensive sources of various nutrients. These nutrients are essential for growth and maintenance of normal health. In a low-income homestead, a number of vegetables procured are mostly used by the important members and women, who are in more need of nutrition for child's birth, lactation is derived from this. So, for meeting their daily nutrition requirements, mushrooms are very useful. They can be grown year-round in the backyard even by hanging. In different parts of the world, the varieties, name, cultivation technologies and recipe of mushroom vary from each other. Thus, some names in different languages are described below.
Common names of mushroom in different parts of world Indian Languages Hindi -Kukkurmutta, Khumb, Guchhi
BHEALTHIER Vegetables
Himalayas Region -Guchhi Konkani -Alambo Kannada -Anabi Tamil -Kaalaan Telugu -Puttagodugulu
Foreign Languages
Arabic -Futr Belarussian -Hryb Chinese -Muogu, Nanhua Danish -Svamp Esperanto -Fungo, Agariko, Sampinjono French -Champignon Greek -Mykes, Manitari Hungarian -Gomba Irish -Beac Italian -Fungo, Funghi Japanese -Kinoko Korean -Posot Latin -Boletus, Fungus Norwegian -Sopp Portuguese -Cogumelo Russian -Grib
Slovenian -Goba Swedish -Vamp Turkish -Mantar Ukranian -Hryb Welsh -Laws Llyffant English -Mushroom Mushrooms have been given the meaty taste. Various varieties of mushrooms grace modern day mains diet, soups, so thanks to their adaptable flavors and wholesome properties. The way these grow is attractive and eye-catching. These are healing and balancing food for the body. These are having dense nutrients and fulfilling the dietary allowances. Mushrooms are naturally gluten-free so these fit new age groups diets with ease. The modern trends of going gluten-free, mushrooms have probably popularized even more, as they are an abundant source of proteins, vitamins - B & C. These tend to be lower in calories, have lower glycemic index. The iron present in mushrooms is helpful in curing anemia. The protein content
of different varieties of mushrooms is differing. Even in a variety, there is also a difference in protein content. It is thought that the protein content is equal to the meat and poultry products. In the view of vitamins content, these are superior to vegetables and fruits. Thus, these are helpful in curing edema, skin diseases, beri-beri etc. These are nutritive for the growing population trying to stay fit. It can be consumed as they are most palatable when cooked. It can be used as puree, soups, sauces, etc. These can be healthy supplement because these enhance endurance during exercise and help detoxify the body. These are also used for supplementing nutrients for vegetarians. Mushrooms with other vegetables help in the skin regeneration, nutrients, and healthy glow. The ideas behind the selection of mushroom-based foods are to nourish the skin. The different dishes of mushrooms have been long time staple food both for a comfort and healthy meal. In this way, the nutritive content and their values, mushrooms must be given a priority in the diet.
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BHEALTHIER Survey
Survey: Millennials Manage Pain with Healthy Lifestyle Choices
source of that pain is reflective of millennials' lifestyle, including technology use, migraines and sports injuries.
People in severe pain who don't find relief through lifestyle changes can see a physician who specializes in pain management, such as a physician anesthesiologist, to address pain before it interferes with quality of life.
To help all generations cope with pain, ASA offers the following tips:
* Take a break from devices and gaming. To avoid aches from smartphone, tablet and gaming overuse, use devices at eye level instead of looking down for long periods of time, which puts strain on your neck and back. To avoid digital eye strain, look away from the screen every 20 seconds and don't sit too close.
* Don't be a weekend warrior. Whether you plan to hit the basketball court after many years away or do CrossFit weekly, ease into it. Warm up your muscles and stretch to avoid pain and injury. If you think you've been injured, see a pain management specialist right away.
(BPT) - Spending their days hunched over phones, tablets or computers and their free time at spin class or playing sports, millennials are the next generation poised to experience chronic pain. Millennials say acute and chronic pain are already interfering with their quality of life.
of the silent generation (72-92).
But while older generations are more likely to turn to medication for pain relief, millennials' preferred method is lifestyle changes such as exercising, eating right, quitting smoking and losing weight, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The survey found that millennials were half as likely as baby boomers to have turned to opioids to manage pain, and 1 in 5 millennials regret that they used the highly addictive painkillers. But while the results reflect a positive trend, they also reveal a knowledge gap. The survey found many millennials were:
* More likely to think it's OK to take an opioid without a prescription. Nearly 30 percent of millennials thought it was OK to take an opioid without a prescription, compared to 20 percent of Gen Xers, 12 percent of baby boomers and 3 percent of the silent generation.
* Less likely to dispose of leftover opioids safely. In fact, 1 in 5 millennials said they "did not know" the best way to safely dispose of opioids, and only 37 percent were aware that a collection center at a local police station, hospital pharmacy or drug store was the best method of disposal.
"It's encouraging that millennials see the value of opting for safer and often more effective methods of managing pain," said ASA President Dr. Jeffrey Plagenhoef, "But clearly they are in need of further education because using opioids initially to treat pain can turn into a lifelong struggle with addiction.
*More likely to obtain opioids inappropriately. Ten percent of millennials (ages 18-36) obtained opioids through another household member's prescription, compared to 3 percent of Gen Xers (37-52), 1 percent of baby boomers (53-71) and none
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* Get healthy. Take charge of your health now and engage in healthy lifestyle changes before chronic pain sets in. Maintain a healthy weight and eat a balanced diet. Quit smoking.
* Remember to move. Whether you're in the library studying or at a desk job, get up and move at least once an hour, if not more.
"Learning how to manage pain is vital: 75 percent of millennials say they have had acute pain (which comes on suddenly and lasts less than three months) and nearly 60 percent have experienced chronic pain (which lasts longer than three months). The
* Take and dispose of opioids the right way. If prescribed opioids, ask questions about taking them appropriately. If you have leftover opioids, dispose of them at a collection center at a local police station, hospital pharmacy or drugstore. This will ensure that others who have not been prescribed the opioids do not have access to them.
For more information about pain treatment, visit the ASA's pain management page at www.asahq.org/ whensecondscount.
CLOWN By Patrick Prickett
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art Patrick Prickett
PATRICK
PRICKETT A Magnificent
Artist Instagram: @patrick_prickett_art
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atrick Prickett was born and raised in a small town in Southern Alabama where his budding interest in the arts was restricted by geography and circumstance. His move to Charleston, South Carolina over a decade ago launched him to his current place as a rising star on the bustling Charleston art scene. The first few years in the Holy City found Patrick searching for his place in a new and unfamiliar city while beginning to foster his creative talents for drawing and painting. It was during this time he married his first wife and became a proud father to his two sons, Evan and Grayson. After suffering from a series of personal setbacks and challenges, Patrick turned his full 32 BLOUDER
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attention to his artwork; using his creativity as a conduit to navigate life’s obstacles. This catapulted him into a near-obsession with painting while also exploring his interests in tattooing and body art. This, however, was not enough to satiate his imagination and desire to share his passion with the public. Patrick only found this when he began teaching painting both publicly and privately to a receptive and diverse clientele. His continued fervor in the field of body arts was also rewarded with Resident Artist status at Motor City Ink in Summerville, SC. More recently, Patrick’s work was shown to the producers of Stephen King's "Mr. Mercedes" TV show that is filmed in Charleston. The producer was immediately moved by Patrick’s body of work and he was contracted to produce a series of original paintings to be feature on the
show, which premiered in August. These works can be seen in episodes 9 and 10 on Audience Network. Currently Patrick is steadily busy with commissioned and commercial pieces while continuing to establish and redefine himself on the Charleston art scene. His philanthropic nature is also evident in the many pieces he donates to local non-profits and worthy causes for silent and public auctions. His signature style and love of portraiture and the human eye can be seen in many recent works. Patrick’s artistic interests also continue to mature as he explores new technique and mediums for his pieces. From an impressionist-inspired landscape to a detailed pencil drawing while sitting at a cafe, his style and mastery of the arts continues to morph as he grows personally and professionally.
Jack Bender By Patrick Prickett
Great Face By Patrick Prickett
Melting Man By Patrick Prickett
WHAT’S ON
BLOUDERMAGAZINE.COM
5 Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower
One of the problems in our daily lives is that many of us rush through the day, with no time for anything… and when we have time to get a bite to eat, we gobble it down.
The Success Mantra How do people actually succeed? How do they emerge from nothing and passionately achieve everything they want? What is the magic which only a few people are able to do in their lives?
Secrets As Legacy Excerpts from Jaskaran S. Dhillon’s debut novel, a mystery thriller.
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Handle Chores, House Cleaning and Errands with Simple Systems
T
he key to creating calm and simplicity in your life is creating simple systems, instead of haphazard systems of chaos that form naturally when we don’t give thought to these things.
Let’s look at how simple systems for chores, cleaning, yard work and errands can simplify your life and bring order to the chaos.
From Complicated Systems to Simple First, let’s take a look at some of the complicated systems we might have for these things, when we don’t give them much thought, and how they can stress us out. See, when you don’t intentionally design a system, one will form anyway, and it probably won’t be an optimal system. But it’s the one we use, so we just continue to use it.
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For example, let’s look at a complicated system that might form for cleaning our house if we don’t intentionally design it: 1. We intend to keep things clean, but our lives get busy, and things come up, and we’re tired when we get home. Things start to get messy. 2. Company is coming over! We clean like crazy at the last minute, raising our stress levels. Still, we only do a quick clean, which means there’s still a lot of clutter and mess even when the guests do come over. 3.We let things deteriorate some more until the next guest comes over, or until we’re sick of things. There is really bad dust under the furniture, grime in that “crisper” drawer in the fridge, and we don’t even want to talk about the bathtub.
Now, you might not be this bad, but you can kind of get the idea. No system is designed, so things get complicated. And we get stressed out at the last-minute cleaning, and by the constant mess.
The solution:
Design a simple system
intentionally, making a routine that works for you, and alter it if it doesn’t make sense. Write out the system, so it is formal, and try to stick to it as much as possible — religiously, if possible.
House Cleaning: A Simple System For all of these simple systems in this article, please remember that they are just examples. You should modify them to fit your life. And another important guideline: write them down, put them somewhere you’ll see them, and focus on making them a habit for at least a month. Here’s a sample system for house cleaning: 1.First, have a big weekend dedicated to cleaning, so you can start your system with a
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clean slate. Get the whole family involved (if you have one), and clean one room at a time, from top to bottom, clockwise, until you’re done. It also helps to get rid of clutter. You might need two big weekends if there’s a lot of cleaning to do.
Other Chores: A Simple System
Errands: A Simple System
2. From now on, have a clean-as-you-go routine: when you’re getting ready in the morning, do a quick wipe of the sink and toilet and bathtub. Put things away as you go through the day, wash dishes when you’re done using them, wipe the counters and table when you’re done cooking or eating.
Besides cleaning your house, you probably have other chores you need to do on a weekly basis. It’s good to get a weekly routine going as your simple system, so you never forget to do them and you know when you have to do what.
Running errands throughout the week will stress you out, and cost you time and money. Here’s a sample simple system for errands that works well for me:
3. Also have a daily routine: Every morning, make your bed, take out the trash, and do a quick pick-up. In the evening, sweep the kitchen/dining room, clean up after dinner, and do a quick pick-up before bed. 4. Have a weekly routine: either designate one day for a quick 1-hour clean (it shouldn’t be that dirty if you’ve been cleaning as you go), or have different days designated for different things — vacuum the living room, for example, or wash the linens, etc. 5.Every few months, do a deep clean: clean out the refrigerator and oven, clear out the cabinets and clean them, etc.
Here’s a sample weekly routine:
Monday: Yard work Tuesday: Clean car Wednesday: Pay bills, update financial software Thursday: Errands, groceries Friday: Laundry Saturday: Clean house, put away laundry Sunday: Family Day
1. Keep a running errands list, adding to it as you think of things, so when errands day comes, you know exactly what you need to do. Also keep a running grocery list. 2. The night before your errands day, you plan your dinner menu for the next two weeks and complete your grocery list, then look at all the errands on your errands list and plan out the most efficient route. 3. On Errands Day, you spend a couple of hours doing all the errands on your list and then buying all your groceries. One trip, planned efficiently, saves gas and multiple shopping trips.
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READY, SET, GUESTS: 3 PAINT PROJECTS FOR FALL ENTERTAINING (BPT) - "Despite the hectic chaos that comes with the back-to-school season and adapting our family schedules, I find fall to be the perfect time to tackle my home to-do list," explains Cyndy Aldred, the do-it-yourself paint blogger behind The Creativity Exchange. "It's perfect because fall is our favorite time of year for entertaining!" With kids in school and summer travels winding down, fall can be the perfect time to complete quick projects to get your home ready for fall social gatherings. Whether you're gearing up for the big game or hosting next month's book club, Aldred offers her favorite paint projects that are sure to wow your guests. * Add instant curb appeal with painted porch furniture Aldred loves the tried-and-true trick of painting your front door, but she recommends adding an even bigger pop of color with painted furniture. For her front-porch makeover, Aldred painted her porch bench using PPG Timeless exterior paint and primer in a soothing, soft grey, Silver Reflection (50BG 54/017), and added decorative pillows to create a warm and
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welcoming entrance for a gathering of friends. With an open front porch, Aldred made sure to use PPG Timeless paint, available at The Home Depot, because it provides good resistance to chipping or flaking and extreme weather conditions. "I found out that this new line of paint uses UV-Protect Technology, which uses the same technology as automotive paint, so it won't fade in sunlight or dull over time," says Aldred. * Declutter your home with color Busy fall schedules often mean more school bags, homework, sports equipment, crafts and holiday decorations around the house. Aldred recommends quickly tackling a cluttered area of your home with a fresh paint job. For example, if you have bookcases in your family room or glass-faced cabinets in your kitchen, Aldred suggests painting the backs of them in a standout color, like the PPG Timeless 2018 Color of the Year, Deep Onyx (00NN 07/000). "I love this trick because of how the eye is drawn to the color and not the clutter that might be around or behind it," says Aldred. * Transform your favorite gathering space with a fresh coat of paint
Kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms are often favorite gathering spaces for friends and family in the home, so they are ideal spaces to make a great impression with a fresh coat of paint. "People always gravitate to our dining room when we are entertaining," says Aldred, "so I love to freshen the space each year with a new paint color. It's one of the least expensive and easiest ways to get a new look, and I love using a one-coat product to make it even easier." Aldred recently used PPG Timeless interior paint and primer in Bluegrass White (30GG 73/048) to update her dining room. For an on-trend look, she went with a flat finish. "Contrary to popular opinion, a flat finish in a high-traffic entertaining space is durable if you select the right product," explains Aldred. With the paint's outstanding washability, scrubbability and stain resistance, Aldred was sure it could withstand the wear and tear of countless social gatherings. Perhaps it is time to embrace fall with a few fresh paint projects to impress your guests and make lasting improvements to your home. For more paint inspiration, visit Diy.PPG.com or www.TheCreativityExchange.com.
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BRINGING SUSTAINABILITY HOME IS AS EASY AS ABC
Switching to down and feather bedding is one key step to adopting a more sustainable home. (BPT) - With 67 percent of consumers from across the globe preferring products from sustainable sources, according to a recent Nielsen survey, creating a more sustainable home is the new normal. From buying down and feather products to repairing leaky pipes, making your home more sustainable is as easy as the ABCs. Here are three small ways you can make a big difference (and spare your wallet) when it comes to the sustainability of our world:
A is for AUDIT Do a home energy audit by checking your windows and doors for air leakage, and by checking your pipes - faucets, toilet flappers and valves - for any leaks. Air leakage from windows and doors can impact your home's energy use. The United States Department of Energy claims sealing uncontrolled air leaks will save you 10 to 20 percent on your heating and cooling bills. Check your home for drafty windows and doors and discuss leak prevention options, such as weather strips and caulk, with your local hardware store. Fixing leaky pipes can prevent gallons of water from being lost every day. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency states that tightening pipes and repairing leaks can prevent the average household from leaking 10,000
gallons of water per year. These types of leaks are often easy to fix, which can save homeowners about 10 percent on their water bills.
B is for BEDDING Changing your bedding to down and feather can help reduce your heating bill. Down and feather pillows, comforters, duvets and mattress toppers provide superior warmth, which in turn lets you lower the thermostat. You can save as much as 10 percent on your heating bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, by lowering the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees while you sleep. Better yet, down and feathers are a natural byproduct of the food industry. So recycling them into warm comforters means the down and feathers do not end up in our global landfills. Since down and feathers are a natural fill material, they have a lower carbon footprint than products made from synthetic fill materials. They are biodegradable and can be composted along with your food scraps or yard trimmings. Not to mention down and feather products are long-lasting with a lightweight feel, so you don't have to replace them as often. For more information about the sustainable benefits of down and feather products, visit the
American Down and Feather Council website at www.DownandFeatherCouncil.com.
C is for COMPOST Composting is the practice of recycling decomposed organic material waste with manure to turn it into rich soil. By composting in your own backyard, nutrients are restored into the ground and less waste ends up in landfills, waterways and water treatment facilities. What's more: landfills cause organic waste to generate greenhouse gasses, so methane emissions are greatly reduced when waste is composted. This practice can also help you save money, since it allows you to purchase fewer soil conditioners and bagged manures for your property. By using down and feather, a byproduct of the food industry, along with creating your own compost by using vegetable scraps, you can make composting a core part of your lifestyle. These simple steps make it easy to reduce the carbon footprint of your home, and contribute to the overall sustainability of our Earth. By following the ABCs and making these small changes in your everyday life, not only will you be doing something good for our planet, you'll be helping out your wallet as well!
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TRANSFORM YOUR BACKYARD WITH THESE 3 ELEMENTS
(BPT) - It's amazing to contemplate that all the famous paintings in history - from da Vinci's Mona Lisa to van Gogh's Starry Night - are essentially formed from three primary colors. Artists skillfully combine red, yellow and blue to formulate an infinite range of colors to bring their paintings to life. Likewise, when creating your own outdoor living space, you can combine three basic elements - decking, railing and lighting - in nearly endless ways to "paint" a personal masterpiece of fun and relaxation.
1. Get decked out with modern decking For decades, backyard decks mainly have been rectangles. This is largely because of the rectangular shape of traditional wood deck boards. With the advent of modern materials, it is now easier to fashion decks of virtually any shape - from curved sections following the contours of a sloping yard to round decks. Or, let your imagination run wild and create a specialty shaped deck of something you love, like a giant guitar or stacked leaves.
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"Today's decking options offer exceptional design flexibility," says Brent Gwatney, senior vice president of MoistureShield Decking. "Composites, in particular, are more easily bent into creative shapes than wood decking, and can be ripped and routed to form virtually any design you can think of." DIYers and deck builders can even install moisture-resistant boards in the ground or under water for more design possibilities, notes Gwatney.
2. Rail against the ordinary Many decks are required by law to have safety railings. But, with some creativity, the railing can enhance your deck's look even as it prevents falls. With the variety of products now available, the railing can be a visual complement to your home and deck. For example, if you have a cabin, you could install hewn timber posts and railings for a rustic appeal. For a waterfront home, a nautical-themed railing system of posts and ropes could do the trick. Or, if you have a modern home and prefer simple visual lines, cable-and-wire railings or glass panels could be your style.
For a distinctive look for your deck, consider mixing colors and materials, like combining white aluminium railing and balusters with rich brown composite posts to create a dramatic look. Or, to add a sophisticated mix of texture and color, you can install on the top of a black or white railing a composite board that complements the decking color.
3. Light up the night A third element to add to your outdoor living design palette is deck lighting. With the right lighting, you can extend your hours outside and keep your deck as charming in the night time as it is during the day. From subtle post lights that cast a magical evening glow to understated recessed lights and rail strip lights that help guide guests' steps, today's deck lighting choices are both functional and affordable. And, with the emergence of energy-efficient LEDs, you can use them liberally with little effect on your monthly electricity bill. Some decking manufacturers like MoistureShield offer deck lights specifically designed to integrate with their decking and railing.
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LOOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING By Dr. Rajesh Kumar
Every food have glycemic index, which means how easily a food is absorbed in blood to raise blood glucose.
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H
items instead of dieting.
ow to lose weight and look like celebrities even without dieting?
We should firstly know what our goal to achieve is. It is Body mass index (BMI). BMI is normal in range of 18.5 to 24.9. And more than 30 ranges for obesity.so our BMI is to be in normal limits. Obesity is obviously a risk factor for diabetes and high blood pressure. So we should maintain body weight to normal limits. Now the main point of concern is how to achieve this.
In Indian food culture we have to find out food with low glycemic index. These included use of food items with glycemic index less than 60. These include: Food Glycemic Index 1. Roasted peanuts 14 2. Cherries 22 3. Whole milk 27 4. Apple 38 5. Pears 38 6. Oranges 44 7. Brown rice 50 8. Banana 55 9. Basmati rice 58 10. Corn flakes 84
Previously we used to restrict high fat diet to control weight gain but now it has been proven that we should manage high carbohydrate diet. Yes you get it right we are talking about managing the diet not to restrict it completely.
Use these food items with glycemic index less than 60 along with whole wheat bread rather than white bread and use brown rice, kidney beans and high fiber contents like cucumber daikon radish (mooli), radish and avoid potatoes.
Let's learn how to make it happen. Every food have glycemic index, which means how easily a food is absorbed in blood to raise blood glucose. Knowledge of glycemic index gives us opportunity to use low glycemic index food
Furthermore do not eat large quantities at single time rather split it into small multiple meals with proper nutrition. And do some exercise rather restricting diet which may lead to several deficiencies.
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fitness Yashvir Sorout
FIVE FITNESS TIPS FROM MELISSA LETELLIER
Owner of LetlerFit™
1
2
Working out is not about quantity, but about quality. Spending 2-3 hours in the gym every day is not necessary. You can get a KILLER workout in when done properly in as little as 20-30 minutes.
Focus on long term habits. Drastic measures to get quick results only yields short term results. Consistently building habits over the long term is what creates healthy habits that last a life time.
3 Create a workout and meal prep schedule and get rid of the “I don’t have time” mentality.
4
Do your research. Not everything marketed in the fitness industry is good for you or actually works. Many companies make money from marketing to uneducated consumers. Educate yourself as best as you can before investing in a product!
PHOTOGRAPHER: ALINA VIDAL MAKEUP: NATALIA PARRALES
5
Do not fixate yourself on the number of the scale. The scale should be a small factor within the total equation. Focus primarily on how you feel and how your clothes fit.
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How to Get In Lean Shape With Little or No Equipment
By Leo Babauta
T
wo common barriers for people who want to exercise and get in shape are a lack of time and money needed for fitness.
Who has the time to go to the gym, or buy expensive equipment, or take long bike rides? Well, if those are the things stopping you, you’re in luck. It takes no equipment to get a great workout and get in shape, and with one or two pieces of simple equipment, you can turn that great workout into a fantastic one, you magnificent beast, you. And with little or no equipment required for a fantastic workout, you can do it at home, or wherever you are. Even if you’re in solitary confinement. It’s hard not to find time for this type of workout — you can do it while watching TV, for goodness sake!
The Pros and Cons of Bodyweight Exercises Using just your bodyweight, you can do a large number of challenging exercises. I designed a workout that I do when I can’t make it to the gym, for example, and I can testify that it’s incredibly challenging (more on that below). If you add just one or two pieces of equipment: a dumbbell, a kettlebell, a jump rope, a medicine ball, or a chin-up bar, for example, you can increase the challenge even more. Now, I’m not putting down lifting weights — I truly believe in lifting heavy weights when you can, but there are tremendous benefits from bodyweight exercises as well: 1.
2.
No gym fees or need to buy expensive equipment.
should ever do, however, for several reasons: 1.
3.
4.
You can do the workout anywhere, anytime.
2.
5.
6.
7.
Most exercises involve many muscles working in coordination, resulting in great overall fitness and strength.
3.
4.
8.
9.
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For people who are just starting with strength training, bodyweight is often more than enough to begin with. And it gives you a good foundation of strength you can build on later.
After awhile (a couple months perhaps), they aren’t all that challenging. You’ll need to continue to build your strength by adding weights. You can do that with some simple equipment.
5.
If you don’t have at least one or two pieces of equipment — a chin-up bar or a resistance band perhaps — some muscles don’t get worked out as much as others. That’s not a problem over the short term, but over the long term you’ll want to make sure you get a balance.
and then slowly transitioning to a combination of bodyweight and weight training to get a good balance. And even if you’re doing a complete weight training program, you can always use bodyweight exercises anytime you can’t make it to the gym.
My Workout — Just a Sample What follows is a little workout I’ve been doing recently when I can’t go to the gym — it’s just a collection of exercises that use compound muscles and joints to give me a total-body workout with nothing but my bodyweight and my chin-up bar.
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6.
I suggest starting with bodyweight exercises,
However, this is not the only workout you can
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do — not by a long shot. This is a sample, but you should look at the next section for a much wider variety of challenges.
How to do this workout: Do a bit of a warmup — jumping jacks, jump rope, or just jogging in place for a few minutes will get your heart rate going. Then do the exercises in order, for 30 seconds to two minutes (depending on what kind of shape you’re in), with as little rest in between as 4possible. If you’re new to exercise, feel free to rest fully between exercises, but if you’re in decent shape, doing them one after another is a great workout. Like me, you’ll probably have to stop to catch your breath a few times — it’s a tough workout! Pull-ups (palms facing away from you). Chin-up bar required. Push-ups. As many as you can. Do modified push-ups if you can’t do full push-ups, with your knees on the floor. If those are still too hard, do wall push-ups, leaning against the wall or a chair. Jump squats. Basically you squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then jump up as high as you can, and repeat. Bicycle crunches. I don’t normally recommend crunches, but these use a good combination of core muscles. Jumping lunges. Burpees. Hanging knee raises. Chin-up bar required. Hindu push-ups. Russian twists. Diamond push-ups. Chin-ups (palms facing toward you). Chin-up bar required.
Create Your Own Awesome Workout Now that you’ve seen my sample workout, you can create your own by picking whatever exercises tickle your fancy. Just choose 5-12 exercises and do them all, either with or without resting. Once that gets easy, do a second circuit. A few suggestions: Choose a variety of exercises that work out all the parts of your body. Don’t do all variations of push-ups, for example. You should be doing some pulling exercises (like pull-ups), some lower-body exercises, like lunges and squats, and others that work out all of your body, like burpees. 1.
2.
3.
4.
If you want a real challenge, mix cardio exercises with the strength exercises.
5.
6.
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If you have some of the equipment listed below, definitely use them. Or buy one or two pieces of equipment … but there’s no need to rush out and buy a whole bunch of things. You can get a great workout without equipment, at least for awhile.
8.
9.
10.
If you’re just starting out, take it easy and gradually build up. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t overdo it!
balls are some good ways to do that. It’ll take a couple months of bodyweight exercises, though, before you really need to move to weights. 13.
Basic bodyweight exercises There are many, many variations of bodyweight exercises, but here are some of the more common ones:
You don’t need to buy all of this equipment, but if you have any, these are great. Or buy one or two pieces in order to add an extra challenge to your workout: Pull-up bar: Chin-ups, pull-ups, hanging knee raises Resistance band Medicine ball Kettlebell Dumbbells Tractor tires — there are lots of exercises where you flip tires, jump through them, etc.
Push-ups (there are many variations — Hindu push-ups, dive bombers, diamond push-ups) Burpees Squats (variations: jump squats, Hindu squats) Lunges (variation: jumping lunges, side lunges) Chair dips Planks (variation: side plank) Crunches – my favorite: bicycle crunches Bear crawl – crawl quickly on hands and feet Lateral barrier jump – jump sideways, over an obstacle Isometrics Plyometrics
11.
12.
equipment
Cardio exercises Jumping jacks Jump rope – requires jump rope, of course, but it’s a great workout Side shuffles Touchdowns Run 800 meters (or a mile) Interval running Rowing (requires a rowing machine) Other cardio exercise machine if you have it.
As you get stronger, gradually add weights. Dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and medicine
Exercises requiring minimal
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METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS TELL THEIR STORIES THROUGH ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY (BPT) - This article is brought to you by Eisai Inc.
and encourage donations for more MBC research.
When most people think of breast cancer, they think of the pink movement, and often times, "beating" the cancer. A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), a late stage of the disease in which the cancer has spread beyond the breast, is different. There is no cure and, until recently, the number of people living with MBC in the United States was basically unknown. A new study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates more than 150,000 people are living with metastatic breast cancer.
"The metastatic community really wants to be involved in research. The more people we can educate about metastatic disease, the more money we can raise for research that will ultimately help us to live longer and better-quality lives," said Leslie Falduto, who lives with metastatic breast cancer and participated in the project. "Participating in #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project was a very powerful moment for me. I felt confident. I felt like art. I felt good about what I was doing for my community and I felt good about myself."
Although the MBC population is larger than ever before, an estimated 17 percent increase from 2000 to 2010, the implication is positive as it means people are living longer in spite of their diagnosis and sheds light on the increased need for more services and research focused on MBC.
The 16 people living with MBC chosen to participate in #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project tell their stories through the powerful and artful combination of body painting and underwater photography. Created by Ren and Keith Dixon, a married couple who have both lost loved ones to metastatic breast cancer, the storytelling begins in an interview with Ren Dixon, the body painting artist. After discussing their MBC experience, Ren visually represents each person's experiences through the use of vivid color and symbols painted directly on their body. Next, Keith Dixon captures the mood and emotion of the patient's personal journey through underwater photography.
The NCI study brings attention to a growing community of people with MBC whose meaningful lives and stories are largely unheard. To give voice to those living with MBC and bring to life the reality of living with MBC, #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project was created by METAvivor, an organization dedicated to funding research focused on the metastatic breast cancer, in partnership with Eisai Inc. #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project uses art to empower people with MBC to share their experiences, educate others about this disease
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"It is important for women and men to see that you can live a life, a fruitful and loving life, with metastatic breast cancer," said project
participant Sheila McGlown. "I think #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project brought out the boldness in me. It allowed me to express myself and my life experiences in a way I never thought I would be able to and it made me proud - proud of being a voice for young women, proud of being a voice for African-American women, proud of being a voice for veterans and proud of being a voice for the breast cancer community." From July 2017 to October 2018, one patient a month will be showcased, through images and video from the photoshoot, on MBCinfocenter.com and METAvivor's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts (@metavivor). The images will also be featured at an art gallery reception in New York City and made into a calendar. These calendars are available for free with a donation to METAvivor, which can be made at www.metavivor.org/store/. Donations will go to METAvivor to support research specifically for metastatic breast cancer. A fundamental component of #ThisIsMBC Serenity Project is the belief that women and men with MBC should live their lives as fully as possible and take advantage of all resources available to them. Many educational resources and helpful information about metastatic breast cancer exists at MBCinfocenter.com. To support METAvivor's ongoing commitment to funding MBC research, which could help those living with this disease, consider making a contribution at https://secure.metavivor.org/ page/contribute/thisismbc.
MELISSA LETELLIER
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exclusives Melissa Letellier
PHOTOGRAPHER: ALINA VIDAL MAKEUP: NATALIA PARRALES
Instagram: @letler
MELISSA LETELLIER
M
elissa Letellier, owner of LetlerFit™ is a 24 year old with a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science and a Minor in Nutrition and Dietetics as well as an International Relations and Political Science BA with a minor in business. By the end of 2019 she will have a Masters of Science in Kinesiology. She has always had a passion for fitness. Growing up, her parents supported her participation in soccer, dance, gymnastics, and tae kwon do. Eventually, she decided to dedicate her time and focus solely on tae kwon do. She practiced for 13 years, earning her 4th degree black belt, 2 sparring state championship titles, and a bronze medal at the world championships in sparring along the way. When she started college in Fall of 2011 the academic time constraints did not allow her to continue her practice, but she was not satisfied leaving fitness out of her life.
Owner of LetlerFit™
Subsequently, she began doing Crossfit and at home workouts. Now, she focuses exclusively on powerlifting and her own training. Her most impressive record is her back squat of 303 pounds at 5’6″ weighing 155 pounds. She says, “My mission is to empower other women into fitness.” Where did you grow up? I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and Miami, Florida. Why did you decide to become a fitness trainer? Why do you feel this is the ideal profession for you? I decided to become a fitness professional because I loved being able to help women achieve confidence they never knew they had by feeling better about their appearance and over all shape. It is the ideal profession for me because now not only do I continue to help people achieve their fitness goals and improve their functional living, but one of purposes in fitness is to educate people on what science
says about fitness in a world that disregards what literature has found.
How would you define yourself as a person? I am shy at first, and then once you get to know me I am outgoing, but also very serious. I am goal oriented and driven to achieve them in order to set new goals. I am incredibly passionate about animals and doing my part as a vegetarian to minimize my overall animal consumption. I like to stand. What is LetlerFit and why did you create LetlerFit? As a fitness professional who began her entrepreneurial journey as a full time student, and is now going to continue as a full time graduate student, I understand life gets hectic. Oftentimes life gets in the way with fatigue, countless daily tasks, and stress standing in the way of the gym. I, however, believe exhaustion and responsibilities should not be an excuse because health needs to become a priority! We always find time for what we deem important, so why should our health and fitness not be 49 BLOUDER
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deemed worthy of being a priority? I was laid out my at-home workouts, which have become a total body series and now offer personalized fitness coaching 100% catered to YOUR body and its capabilities. I also believe it’s important to feel good in order to look good and what better way than to have lively patterned workout clothes that you can enjoy wearing? This is the thought behind my decision to create an apparel line for the empowered woman that is a 100% reflection of my personality and allows it’s wearers to be comfortable and excited at getting ready to get fit, in the highest quality, of course! We are on a mission to empower women into fitness! Where did the name LetlerFit come from? When I was in middle school, my best friend at the time got a kick out of everyone always messing up my maiden last name (Letellier), and somehow came up with the nickname Letler. Ever since then, it’s stuck. How are you helping people to get in shape? Through my personal training online and in person as well as my fitness e-books and nutrition counselling. What diet chart do you follow? I personally do not follow a specific diet; I look at food in terms of energy and fuel myself with the energy and nutrients that I need. How do you keep your fitness training knowledge up to date? I read case studies on a daily basis, I also re-read my university textbooks, and currently I am a graduate student pursuing my Masters of Science in Kinesiology (exercise physiology). What diet and nutrition education have you received? I have a minor in Nutrition and Dietetics and have also received
nutrition training from my exercise science bachelors degree and now as well with my masters. What evaluations do you conduct with a new client eager to begin a fitness regimen? I always begin online or in person with a needs analysis that tells me what kind of skeletal and muscular imbalances a client has that they may not be aware of. I also make sure if a client has any limitations from a previous or current injury to use that along with my findings from my needs analysis to create a program that will help them reach their goals but also keep their body in long term shape. Many times trainers focus too much on short term and forget about fitness in long term.
personal basis. However because most people train with me only 2 times a week usually I will do 1 strength training day and one cardio intensive day. Give me three essential exercises you suggest for all clients? Why are these in your top three? As long as the client is able to perform them currently a squat, and variation of lunges, and push ups are essential because they work multiple joints and their corresponding muscles. I love exercises that integrate muscles instead of isolating them (though each serve their purpose).
What are your thoughts on a vegan diet? I am all for the vegan diet not just morally, but also as a way to get people away from processed diets. When done properly, vegan diets can give you all of the nutrients you need. I do not however support the claims that vegan is better than any meat eating diet. If the meat is grass-fed, organic, and you eat your fruits and vegetables you will be healthy.
Do you have fitness goals for yourself? If so, what are they? Currently I am working towards regaining my 303 pound squat after suffering multiple non-exercise related injuries last year, working towards matching my deadlift and a body weight bench press for powerlifting. I try to focus on performance goals versus physique goals. And Usually when I reach my performance goals, I also reach my physique goals.
Give me an overview of a training program you would set up for a client strictly looking for weight loss and toning? This is a tricky question as I set it up on a
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood? My strongest memories growing up are centered around my tae kwon do competitions,
more specifically achieving the state champion ship titles and bronze at the world championship as the years of hard work I put in and seeing the results is a feeling that cannot be described. What’s your scariest experience? Recently, we were threatened with a direct hit from Hurricane Irma as a category 4, potentially category 5. Fortunately for us the hurricane shifted west, but unfortunately in doing so the lower keys got completely destroyed. Just the thought of potentially losing everything and having to rebuild petrified me. Describe a real-life situation that inspired you? Specifically in regards to me solidifying my passion for fitness, one of my first clients came to me wearing her hair in her face, frumpy clothes, and over all shy and just wanting to blend in. Seeing her transform not only physically, but also mentally into someone who wears loud colors, tight clothing, bright lipstick, and wanting to stand out is amazing. It is even more incredible knowing that I was the catalyst behind that. Focus on your career aspirations. Ten years from now, where do you see yourself? 10 years from now I will have completed my Masters in Exercise Physiology and plan to continue coaching and training people, but also am focusing on leading lectures and educating other health professionals on how to better prescribe exercise. How can you inspire people to eat healthy? By leading by example. I am a big proponent of practicing what I preach. How can I inspire people as a hypocrite?
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exclusives Super Couple Joan & Marcos
Instagram: @supercouplejoan @supercouplemarcos
SUPER COUPLE JOAN & MARCOS
Marcos Casado and Joan Ivars are a couple from Barcelona, Spain. Thirty-four year old Joan is a makeup artist. He used to be a gymnast, dancer, actor, singer and circus acrobat. Thirty two years old Marcos is a software technician. He also started learning aerials five years back. They are addicted to fitness and sports. They have been married for three years. Love is a deep feeling of affection but for Joan Ivars, “Love is understanding, patience, amazing sex, joy, support and be supported, love is to be free and set him free, love is helping to grow.�
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In Conversation With
JOAN IVARS How did you two come out to your family? What was their reaction? For me, it wasn’t difficult to tell them because they are really open minded. For Marcos, it was a little bit more difficult, he had to wait until his grandma died… She was to old to understand so he thought it was better this way. He didn’t want to shock her. How was your life changed after coming out? Just as much as it would have changed any other way… that’s what live is about…. Constant change… Worst? Better? It’s always up to how
you want to see it. How long have you been married? We have been married now for three years and many to come. What do you do for living? Marcos is a Software technician and I’m a make up artist for a deluxe brand. What does love look like to you? Love is understanding, patience, amazing sex, joy, support and be supported, love is to be free and set him free, love is helping to grow.
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exclusives Super Couple Joan & Marcos
What are some ways you communicate with your husband? We talk about everything… always… because we know we have the kind of love that helps to fix things. Are there couples you look up to, what do you respect about their marriages? We don’t look up to anyone… love and marriage is something you have to do your way… never compare with anyone. Do you think being friends with your husband is an important part of marriage? Absolutely he is my best friend I can always count on him. What are the differences between romance and love? The only difference is what you want to see… love is romance and romance is love but some times people gets stuck on “to be used to.” What do you think are the guidelines for a successful marriage? Don’t expect anything and don’t demand… just enjoy what has been given to you. How do you communicate love and appreciation to your husband? In every single gesture. Have you ever been through a time when you felt a void that needed to be filled by someone other than your husband? If you feel a void inside… no-one and nothing can feel it up. It’s a sign that you need a change and is something that can depend on no one but you. If you could do your marriage over again, what would you do differently? I would change nothing at all, even mistakes are good if it helps you grow. Some marriages are "passionate," some are "companionate": which fits you? Our love adapts to our needs because love is not what matters… what matters is your partner and you. You always have to try to keep your needs satisfied even if it is passion or settle. From your experience, what have you learned about relationships? Lots of things and nothing… relationships depend on people. Don’t learn about relationships, learn about your partner. Any advice you want to give to someone who is struggling with his/her sexuality? Love yourself upon anything in the world and everything will work out.
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Fashion Trends
FASHION TRENDS
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FOR DIWALI BY SONIYA SETHI | Instagram: @soniyasethi
ashion is an art, religion, and job, a peek in to a personality, playfulness, escape or disguise. Fashion is an individual statement of expression for each one of us. Fashion is an extension to our own identity. That is how we signal our values to the world. It is an amazing game of mix and match that we play once we hop out of our beds. Fashion changes from time to time. Today’s fashion is declared outdated by tomorrow. Like Diwali is approaching now. Fashion trends bend towards flattering your body type; add bling that will complement your style and wearing a great attitude. For all those people who are wondering what Diwali is, then Diwali is one of the biggest and the most popular festival \celebrated throughout India. People lit lanterns, make sweets, visit relatives and do every possible thing to enjoy this festival. Apart from this, their obsession for adorning stylish attires cannot be over looked. Diwali or any festival is not only associated with rituals and remembrance but it also involves showcasing the wardrobe and setting new fashion trend in the industry. The trends and fashion styles change each year and this year too. Diwali is the best time when people can show off their own style. Here are some unique styles that will help you get a perfect festive look. To shine this Diwali, try something which is eye-catching in all the possible ways. Let's start from the clothes, one should try wired combination. Gone are the days when people hesitate to wear something exceptional. Try polka dots dresses or bold and vibrant color or along flowy, floor length Anarkali gown might be the latest trend this Diwali season. Straight cut lehenga dress with huge danglers; digital prints, embroider or simple saree with designer blouse will also make you look stunning this festive season. If we talk about jewelry, keep it modern with simple accessories or wear just one statement piece. Cult jewelry like diamond or jaded jhumkis, chaand balis, balas, kadas or pendants are great options. Experiment with a variety of fusion jewelry, textures and finishes, enamel and stones. Moreover, heritage jewelry is also making its revival on the festive occasions. Whatever the outfit you choose to wear, go for trendy heels when it comes to footwear. Heels as they add elegance to any outfit and make you stand out in the crowd. You can experiment with wedges too if you love them or your all-time favorite pair of high-heeled stilettos. With amazing outfits and eye-catching jewelry, I would recommend you to keep your make up light. Let your way of dressing and style do the talking. You can try different-different hairstyles which compliment your dress. Keep all these fashion tips in your mind before you go for shopping. This festival of light is waiting for you to sparkle in all its glory. 56 BLOUDER
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Fashion Tips
STYLE OUT YOUR PERSONALITY
F
ashion is not just about what dress you choose as per the trend or what your favorite celebrity wears neither it’s just about your dress nor some cool shoes you wear. It’s about how in totality you are able to elicit the perfect real personality that you are and how well you are able to mingle and create a look. To all the ladies and men, we all from time to time face the dilemma of what to wear and what not. From in season outfits to numerous funky, subtle, basic trends and then choosing from stacks of desirable clothes eying for your attention from every glass building flaunting the attires on the so perfect mannequins. To select something that suits your personality and what you want to portray is often a tedious task. Here we are with some tips and tricks for you all guys and girls to impress and accentuate your true personality with how you dress this autumn fall. It’s all about the occasion: Dress as you should with your own touch in your apparel and never ignore the power of a perfect accessory. It’s not always about going out of the box and wears any catchy trend sometimes staying with the occasions theme can outshine you perfectly. For men – Be it a formal attire or a casual outing or some fun party stay as supposed.
BY ANJALI SHARMA | Instagram @anjali_scribed Be creative and use your shirts, coats, jackets etc. wisely to create a new look by pairing and mixing them up to create a vibrant look. For men - a casual t-shirt with a formal shirt layered with each other can create an entire cool look. For women- a fun see through over any off shoulder top or a crop top paired with denims makes a perfect outfit. Accessorize: Never underestimate the charm that an ideal accessory can bring but keep in mind that you don’t overdo with the accessories. Focus on statement jewelry or just one part of your body this avoids the chances of you messing up your look. For men – a statement watch be it a sporty one for your casuals with wayfarers or aviators or a metallic classic one with some geek glasses it will surely spice up your look. For women – be it the all-time favorite chokers, hair accessories or statement jewelry like a necklace or hand piece try keeping your focus on one aspect. Basics are always bold: And some trends will always be in no matter what and you can never go wrong with them.
will always help you. For women – LBDs and cocktail dresses or just simple denims and funky cute tops paired with sneakers and bellies are perfect for all parties and casuals. Nude pumps and open hair will never get old. Care about your hair: In the glam and excitement of dressing up and charm of our outfits we often get aversed to one of the most defining feature in our looks that matter and that is our hair style that in a way compliments our whole look and gives it an edge. For men- keeping your hair well gelled for formals and styling it funky for casuals is a must. For women- decide your hairstyle as per your hair cut and length of hair. Tie them for classy and sophisticated look and go unleash your wanderlust with loose hair. Half buns, one side tied, and high ponies are all time basic hacks for a perfect casual look. Walk in the right shoes: Ladies, boot it up this autumn and slay your style with boots of all ranges be it flats, heeled, long boots pair with cool shorts or leggings or ankle length.
For men- a white shirt paired with blue denims and sneakers. All black suit and a block color tie or a one step above casual look. These basics
For women – From glam parties to casual trips or be it an office day always let your cloths speak for you. Play with colors -layer:
And for our gentlemen, boots and sneakers with classy and casuals in all shades of beige are in this fall season. 57 BLOUDER
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B AUTHENTIC B YOU
B FORMAL B YOU
Ask Us Anything at bloudermagazine@gmail.com
th
26 September BY AMBIKA MAZUMDER INSTAGRAM @miss_oenomel th
26 September, the day had come again Again when you were supposed to come The flashback of old memories, wrapped in wooden boxes Your letters, the old-gold watch and rosemary flowers handkerchief Embroidered from my love Today, on your homecoming eve every preparation is done The way you loved the wild pansies on vase, Blue curtains with silver tassels And soft violin music along with your favorite dessert. I remember the last time we talked, You talked about those dangers The war ammunitions, your fellow brothers And your promise Even distances are of miles and miles, you would come th Come on this day, 26 September. 20 years have passed but you didn’t come They told me you are gone, buried in cold coffin of dead But promises are meant to be kept, And you promised never to break your promises. People call me insane, insane by your love, But the flickering hope resides deep down When you will return never to go away? The dessert stale now, blue curtains faded Violins music turned hoarse But still you haven’t arrived. With the striking of twelve, another day passes by Like endless sand dunes, another year withered away. The next year you may come, come to embrace with your soft smile Till forever, th On the day 26 September.
WAS MY FAULT BY DIKSHA SHARMA
INSTAGRAM @SHARMA.99DIKSHA
Starting Conversation
was my fault... Making you my friend was my fault.. Accepting your proposal was my fault... Loving you was my fault... Caring for you was my fault... Not listening people was my fault... Seeing future together was my fault... Excepting something was my fault... Unconditionally accepting you was my fault... Thinking about you was my fault... Ignoring all your mistakes was my fault... Standing by you was my fault... Being faithful was my fault... Connecting with you was my fault... Fixing everything was my fault... Staying with you was my fault... Every moment I spent with you was my fault...
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literary Old Soldier Diaries
Old Soldier Diaries: Memoirs of the Men of Honor
BY SURAJ KUMAR SINGH Instagram @suraj24thecount
A
s I have set out on a new journey and discovering tales of valor and gallantness, I have brought some experiences of a war veteran to you and I am still on it. I hope that there might be plenty of things or a few that you would have found helpful.
IN CONVERSATION WITH CAPT.UMA TH KANTA SINGH 5 RAJ RIF (RETIRED) THIS TIME
But I must confess to you something that you are not the only one who is learning from them. I have also taken some important lessons of life. I have learned that fighting over small issues is the worst thing one can do and it’s a pity that people nowadays do it more often. I mean look at these people! Our soldiers don’t even care about the little things. Also tolerance is very important it doesn’t make you weak but it makes you strong. One should have the ability called resilience. It’s very essential to quickly recover from the setbacks both mentally and physically if you want to get success in your life. And most importantly courage is an indomitable thing with courage anything can be made possible. And one must learn to be optimistic.
Capt. U K Singh during his Army days
If you have all these qualities nothing is impossible for you. And lastly one should learn to find happiness in life. I hope you too might have realized some of these things from our dignified soldiers. But now I am about to bring you some stories which will introduce you to the realities of war. The pain and misery it brings to some people, into some homes, the horrors of the bloody battles and the pain of the beloved of the soldiers. So I have brought to you one such story this time. Is it possible that one day a beloved disappears and never returns? You have been told that they are no more. Your world is completely broken. But then after sometime they come back for you! In this case a similar thing happened here but it happened in reality.
Listening to my dad and some of his friends and other elders I came across a name which turned out to be one of the most impressive and inspirational figure in my life. Capt. Uma Kanta Singh, 5th Raj Rif. Others called him Capt. U K Singh but for me he was just ‘captain uncle’. But unfortunately we got separated for many long years when I was a kid. For all those years my question remained unanswered! Where is the captain now? It was only recently that I managed to get his contact details and got in touch with him again. I learned from him that he was posted as the Senior Security Manager at WCL, Nagpur Maharashtra. Very recently he got posted at my city Ranchi at CCL where he is Chief of Security and is serving till date. From sources I only knew that he was part of
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the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Forces) and was wounded in a battle. A classic war veteran with memories from the battlefield! While I was thinking to start this segment ‘Old Soldier Diaries: Memoirs of the Men of Honor’ I felt that I must bring his story to my readers as it is a unique one. His story is one of those rare stories where unusual things happen. His story is of valor, courage and wit as well. My appointment with him was scheduled on the th evening of 15 of September at his residence. On my arrival I received a warm and hearty welcome from Captain and his wife. With exchange of greetings and well wishes and a glass of water and some delicacies our conversation began. Those days Engineering and Medical were two of the most coveted field of studies for a student finishing High School. And students if desired to study further after intermediate/ +2 were most likely to choose in between these two. Other options that people would go for were Teacher, Lawyer etc. So why did you choose to go for Army? What motivated you to join Indian Army? UKS: When I was young I would observe the Men in Uniform at Railway Stations leaving for the front during 1971. I loved to talk to them. Talking to them was a wonderful experience and it definitely inspired me to wear the uniform. What was the mode of your entry into the Army, NDA or CDSE? UKS: Actually I appeared for the CDSE. I cleared my CDS Examination got selected and was recommended. Humor is a part of many lives. Can you share an instance of humor from your training days in the Academy to my readers? UKS: Okay listen it happened when Diwali was near. Our Platoon Under Officer (PUO) came to us and asked something to all the GCs (Gentlemen Cadets) there. He said “Gentlemen do you want your Diwal gifts?” All the GCs replied with vigor- “Yes Sir” He said, “Okay then come along.” We were excited and were expecting something special. He took us all to the black road during the afternoon hours when the sun burns the most and asked us to crawl upon that road up to a point. When we reached that point he asked us to crawl back to the point from which we started. And he continued this cycle for long. Almost every GC’s elbow was bleeding. Then the Adjutant came and he asked
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the PUO, “Hey what are you doing? Even 4-5 minutes were enough!” So he asked us to stop. And that was our Diwali gift from the Platoon Under Officer. Here I was thinking how come this torture could be called an instance of humor? And surprisingly captain was narrating it with a smile! Then I remembered that I was not talking to an ordinary person. I was talking to a battle hardened soldier from the Rajputanana Rifles. What was the year of your passing out of the prestigious Academy successfully? And how you came into Rajputana Rifles? UKS: I joined the course in 1982 and completed my course successfully in 1983 and was commissioned into the Army thereafter. Actually a cadet is asked to give three preferences/choices. My first preference was Gorkha Regiment and third as well as the last option was Rajputana Rifles. But while inducting you to a regiment they analyses you on many parameters like your efficiency, your skills, interests etc. during your training period and they also consider the vacant positions. However there were many intelligent cadets in my course that unlike me got their first choice. Since I was not among the best cadets I was given my last preference.” This came out with a smile. He continued “But I was satisfied as it was a matter of great pride for me that I was part of one of the oldest and most decorated Regiments of the Indian Army.” He also revealed that he was the first soldier from his village ‘Sondiha’ which lies in the Khagaria district of Bihar. Tell me more about the battle in which you were wounded. We were given four hours’ time to depart from Lucknow. We were told that we were being taken to Sri Lanka. Within four hours I packed my bags and wrote a letter addressing my wife that I am leaving for Sri Lanka. Surprisingly it was not a military transport Aircraft but an Air India plane which was supposed to fly us to Sri Lanka. During the journey the Plane crew did everything to entertain us and offered us every food items they had with them. It was like a celebration for us. In Sri Lanka I was part of the Bravo Company of my battalion. Our Brigade was under the command of Brigadier Manjit Singh. The battle in which I was injured took th place on 18 October, 1987 at a place called Uduvil. I was leading my company from the front. But suddenly we came under heavy enemy fire from the left flank. A battle between us and the enemy ensued and we were able to contain them. After the battle was over the dresser came from behind and said “Sir at least get your wounds dressed before evacuation.” I said “Why? What is the dressing needed for? What has happened to me? I am fine!” Then he asked me to look down below my torso. And I saw that my lower body was severed by shrapnel/fragments. Then I realized how grievously I was injured. Before looking down at my wounds I was not even a bit aware of the fact that my lower body was fatally wounded. Later I caught infection due to which it was decided that I have to be evacuated for better treatment. I was airlifted. Surprisingly the battle of Uduvil was the first and last battle of my life! What were the challenges the enemy posed for the IPKF?
literary Old Soldier Diaries
The most effective weapon they deployed were the mines (Claymore, IEDs etc). Mines were responsible for the majority of the loss and damages incurred
Telegram sent to Captain's family on 29th OCt.1987 saying that the Captain is no more. It reads-Please accept Sincere Condolences from the Chief of Army staff and all ranks on sad demise of your son SS3/6/8 Capt. Uma Kanata Singh, Indian Army
Capt. showing the bullet holes caused by enemy fire by our forces. One of our BMPs was blown up by the enemy. Since I was skilled in detecting mines this skill helped me a lot. Apart from this they used tactics like tying themselves to the tree tops. During a confrontation even after aiming precisely the enemy would not fall from the tree giving us an impression that they are still alive. Secondly it is not always possible without binoculars to see from 100-150 meters away that the enemy has actually tied themselves due to which they are not falling even after getting hit. Then they also used the most dreaded weapons in their arsenal the suicide bombers. They could even send young children (both boys and girls) and women as suicide bombers. What was your family’s reaction on getting the news of you getting wounded in the battle? UKS: You won’t believe me if I will tell you what actually happened then. Actually due to miscommunication with the concerned department my family didn’t receive the message that I was wounded. They received a message that I was dead via a telegram dated th 29 Oct.1987. At my home every member of the family was mourning. Around my home a mob of almost 1500 villagers assembled who came to console since I was the only soldier from the village then. Realizing their mistake the concerned department sent another telegram seeking apology and clarifying the news of my condition clearly stating that I am not dead and I am injured only and being given medical treatment. However on its arrival nobody was willing to believe it as there was a lot of chaos. Do you believe that the IPKF’s action was a success as the civil war in Sri Lanka ended st only by the end of the first decade of the 21 Century? Almost 30 years later after the arrival of IPKF in the war-ridden country.
Another telegram that was sent to Captain's family saying that captain is not dead he is only wounded and inconvenience caused is regretted UKS: Well if you see then you can realize that the losses suffered were ample but we finished them from most of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. We finished them at Jaffna, Vovuniya, Trincomalee etc. So overall we gained some success too so it cannot be deemed entirely as a disaster. Okay, now can you share some of your experiences while serving in Arunachal Pradesh? UKS: In Arunachal Pradesh we would be given with the task of LRPs (Long Range Patrolling). Once I even got an opportunity to patrol up to Sino-Indian Border and once up to Indo-Myanmar border. We had also to patrol the dense forests near the borders through which intrusions by the terrorists and other enemies could take place into our land. However intrusion was not likely but we had to secure those tracts. The forests were treacherous and posed several problems including Mosquitoes, harmful insects, and the most dreaded ones-leeches. While moving in the forests we had to make marks on the tree so that we could avoid getting lost. Once while patrolling we were moving alongside the Lohit River and stumbled upon some slippery rocks. We had to cross them. While crossing over them I accidently slipped but then suddenly I got hold of a branch spreading out from the vegetation’s emerging from the gaps in between the rocks. If I wouldn’t have grabbed that branch then certainly I would have rolled down and got drowned into the river there would have been no chance for me. From the Arunachal chapter he also mentioned about the celebration of Miami Day. “We would celebrate the Battle Honor Day also 65 BLOUDER
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known as the ‘Miami Day’ the tradition of th which dates back to 18 Century.” Army life is something that no soldier forgets. Full of action, surrounded by men and machine all the time is different. How do you feel about your present responsibilities in the civil? (At this I noticed a remarkable change in his expression which indicated that most certainly he was not happy with his present job. And he also stated the reason for it. UKS: “Working with civilians is the most difficult job. The juniors don’t comply with the instructions seriously and the bosses are busy in being bossy. Politics prevail at every level in the civilian departments and there is no discipline in the people.” He shared an instance from his service at Dhanbad when he was posted there as an SSO (Senior Security Officer) at BCCL. One night he noticed some illegal and unauthorized construction going on inside the premises being carried out under some anti-social elements. He raised objections to them but they didn’t pay heed to him. So the Captain decided that next morning he will bring force and stop the construction. Meanwhile he reported it to the concerned authorities. He also informed the concerned Thana (Police Station) and asked for co-operation. The next morning captain with his force (comprising of few men armed with lathis and one security inspector) came to demolish the unauthorized construction. But to their surprise by the time they demolished one wall the anti-social elements came back with around 500 people of their community and started beating the security inspector and threatening other security officials. Seeing the situation getting worse they somehow managed to telephone the CISF Official. The CISF guy said “haa captain saheb force bhej raha hu aur khud bhi aa raha hu force k saath aap befikar rahiye” But no force came to their help. The police officer somehow gathered courage and took out his service pistol and pointed it towards the goon to scare them off. But one of the goons kicked his hand and his service pistol flew and landed a few meters away from him. Seeing the tense situation Captain ordered his men “Lathi-Charge....” But no one did. He kept shouting to his men to charge but nobody did. Instead they chose to run away. Captain and his fellows somehow managed to escape to safety. Later on an FIR was registered against the goons and four of them were arrested. That unauthorized construction was never completed thereafter. He also confessed that during his tenure he removed around 295 unauthorised constructions which is indeed a big achievement! “So this is the difference between the civilians and Army men. In the Army the men would care nothing but in civil the men would look for their personal concerns first.” He emphasized. He also pointed that secularism is one of the core ethos of Army but in civil casteism and communalism are the only things around which people easily unite. Otherwise they won’t. Hahaha......
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A Jovial Capt. Singh blessing our correspondent Suraj So lastly is there any message you want to give to my readers who are mostly youngsters? UKS: Yes! If you truly want to serve the nation, you should try to join the Armed Forces. Serving as an Armed Force Personal is the biggest service to the nation which can be replaced by none other. Not just this, the Armed Forces offers you several benefits which no other job can give you. You get CSD and medical facilities for lifetime. Even when you are commissioned under SSC you get the benefits post retirement and most of the organizations have quotas for EX-Servicemen. So placement/employment is also not a thing to worry. You can even go for gazette posts under the central/state organizations. And what if someone fails to join the Armed Forces or is simply not interested to join Armed Forces but still wants to serve their nation? UKS: Just become a diligent, hardworking and honest person no matter what profession you choose. Every legitimate profession, be it doctor, engineer, teacher, scientist, artist whatever it might be is good. And diligently working under these is also a service to the nation. Also don’t spend your money and efforts on useless things. If you feel that you can help those who are in need then spend it on them. There are many poor and needy deprived of even the basic amenities. You can ensure that your services are delivered to them. As it has been said-“Service to mankind is also service to god.” Concluding the conversation I thanked him for giving me his valuable time.
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literary Book
FLAVOURS OF INSTAGRAM BY ANJALI SHARMA
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Instagram @anjali_scribed
lavours of Instagram is not just a book but a plethora of the most wonderful opportunities for young and talented writers who dream to be a published writer. It’s conceptualized by Miss Shreya Kanodia, and her team. They have been able to launch and successfully publishing more than 120 writers. Flavours of Instagram has a series of books covering almost all the possible themes be it values, love, relationship, fiction, non –fiction, fantasy, pain, childhood, motivation and many more. The first book in series named Flavours of Instagram has a total number of eighty two writers on board and it’s a collection of poetries, taking the reader to a journey of experiences like childhood, parental care, friends, love, dreams and fantasies from all over the world. The other books in series which are launched and doing terrific success in the writing world are Flavours of Instagram 2 (collection of quotes). Also the team is supporting our Hindi writers giving a platform and encouraging India’s national language with books in this series, Alfaaz Dil Ki Zubaan part one and two which are a collection of beautiful Hindi poetries and doing equally well in reviews and purchase. The sole purpose of this series and the conceptualist is to give a platform to all the aspiring writers s upporting young talents and empowering them for their tomorrow and to give them wings to fly to make their every dream come true. The team is all set to soon continue this venture with their upcoming books like Flavours of Instagram 3 (short stories), Flavours of Instagram 4 (book of nano tales and micro poetries), Jashn e Shayri (Hindi shayri collection) and an unrevealed project which would be in records book. Instagram @twinklewrites2 67 BLOUDER
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REV. PUNEET
BLOUDER
literary
THE WITCH, WITCHCRAFT AND MYSTICISM We have heard about witches and warlocks from our grandmothers, read in fairy tales and seen them in the movies but if you think that those witches and wizards were just the imaginary creature then you must stir your mind and give it a thought. Rev. Puneet, a Wiccan priest and a Clairvoyant psychic works as a paranormal investigator and tarot card reader. He has been reading tarot cards from last 12 years. He is a Wiccan soul, an ancient soul. Wicca is a neo pagan religion which was formed and was brought into the world by Gerald Gardener in 1930’s. Paganism or Witchcraft is the oldest way of living. It’s the oldest religion which he believe doesn’t bind you but it lets you spread your wings and live as you wish to live. When he was about 5 years old, he could see the future. He could see those personalities who had left this world long back but still they got stuck in the eternity. He calls himself a witch. In Wicca, this term is not only used for Instagram: @witched_felis females but also for men and this is because the word witch means ‘the wise one’ and he believes that we all have wisdom within us. It is the element of soul irrespective of one’s gender, age, sex and sexuality. Witchcraft is not just about casting spells, making potions or charms but it is something beyond all these. It is a way of living. It begins accepting your flaws, accepting your existence as you have been gifted by nature. Witches believe and have strong faith within that the nature has its own flow, it has its own movement and once we have aligned ourselves with that flow then one can bring out the changes at all levels, be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. Witchcraft is the craft of wise. It focuses on taking life as a celebration, death as a shift from one dimension to another and birth as a continuation of the previous journey. In his journey he has been to different cities, small villages, hills and mountains, industrial buildings and hospitals for the psychic investigations. He says, “I have had enough experiences to make myself realize the truth that there exists life after death.” All those promises which we make and all those expectations we keep, victories and pain are burnt with flesh and bones after the body has lived enough, but what about the spirit? The consciousness which stays back to make its presence known to all. Dr. Raymond Moody in books has written about the journey of people those who have come back from death. The book of death written by Tibetan Magicians and monks has explained about the life after death. He has read all about the life after death but being a sceptic he believes in what he experience and allow his soul to analyze its truth. He says, “Knowledge is everywhere, one must have passion to grasp it but Wisdom comes to you naturally.” It’s a gift of universe. It gives you the divine knowledge and allows you to understand truth of life. Witches are not made, they are born as witches. One can realize one’s reality in later phases of life. Witches are gifted with the talents of fortune reading, communicating with nature and spirits. He lives his own truth for what he knows about illusion and the reality. To be a witch is to be a learner, a teacher and a healer. He has learnt different divination techniques to connect with universe and the planets to make the predictions or to see the hidden mysteries. He has the expertise in tarot card reading, crystal ball gazing, numerology, rune casting, chakra healing, geomancy, scrying, pendulum dowsing, vastu and fengshui. He has received awards in tarot card readings and crystal ball gazing. He conducts workshops on tarot, candle magick (in Wicca, it is written as “magick”, not magic) and tea leaf reading. He says, “Life is all about dancing in the present moment, accepting whatever comes on your way and creating a possibility for something that seems impossible.” He believes if we all become aware of our divinity which is within all of us then we can make the best use of our existence. True magick is neither black nor white; it is neither evil nor good. It is somewhere in between, Buddhism believes in the concept of “madhya marg”, which is all about being in a balanced state by keeping all the emotions, pleasures and desires in balanced state. He says, “This universe has no end, the scientists say that it still expands, this life has no end, your mind has no end, everything is moving in a cycle which repeats itself so do not stay at one place, with one thought, one person and one situation. Stimulate your mind, disturb it to get answers, develop passion for that is the true essence of life. Live more if you are alive.”
69 BLOUDER
october 2017
Life Without You BY NISHANT GANATRA INSTAGRAM @NISHANTGANATRA
Of broken dreams and fond memories Of stranger tides and summer rides Of untraveled roads and unsaid words Of rainy days and open highways Of winter blankets and spring walkways Of early breakfast and late night outs Of sipping coffee and gulping beer Of shopping spree and lemon trees Of walk in the park and scream in the dark Of holding hands and lying on the sands Life without you is none of the above
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