New Years Resolution ‘2013

I have been working on my new year’s resolution since last month and finalized it the first week of January (phewwww ). One of my resolutions is — to loose weight. Surprisingly, I have gained about 20 pounds since last January and I really want to drop those pounds. I know what you all are thinking; a lot of people make the same resolution and usually forget in few months into the year. But I am serious when I say I want to loose weight, I am definitely not joking.

As I recall from high school, our goals have to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed. So, let’s write it out in that manner:

SPECIFIC	I want to loose weight
MEASURABLE	I want to loose 30 pounds
ACHIEVABLE	I want to loose 30 pounds by regular exercising and proper diet
REALISTIC	I will exercise 3-5 times a week and cut down junk food
TIMED	I want to loose 30 pounds in 3 months

I ate well but had no activities in the past year that could keep me in good shape, so I had to research as to what will I do to loose it? I want to do this because health should be our number one priority, no matter what. I did not want to join a gym because of high fees and commitment of a year (at least); plus, we have one car and my partner comes late from work so it would not really work for me.

Then I thought of buying a DVD set so I could work out at home, i.e.,‘Insanity’ and ‘P90x’ came to my mind, but when I saw their YouTube videos, it looks hard (but not impossible) for me to do, especially 1 hour 6 times a week.

After a lot of research I decided to purchase ‘The Firm Express’ from Costco (for an amazing deal of $58.99). The phrases just jumped at me, “Get thin in 30 days” /“20 minutes only 3 times a week.” Now what more would I want? I know there are a lot of scams out there but I researched about this program before I made the purchase. So if you would like to learn more about the program and how I am progressing, stay tuned!

Sick during a vacation

“Ahhh I am sick and vacation is about to start…” – that is the worst thing that can happen to you. Trust me when I say this, IT CAN HAPPEN!

I got sick the day I was leaving from Toronto to Paris (the romantic city), and my throat was killing me, I was feeling down, nose was stuffed and coughing had begun. So I decided to go to the Pharmacy for help, where they told me that I am coming down with a flu (hence the symptoms , and it was true. They suggested taking Advil (every 4 hours) and Ricola or Halls for coughing, but when I got to work my best friend suggested getting something that has antihistamine so it will put me to sleep in the plane instead of making other people miserable on the plane.

I was desperate so I got Tylenol Day and night cold/flu tablets and strepsols, and I must say those were the best thing ever. I was up and better in two days. Plus I drank soup whenever I was hungry and nothing else and it seriously worked wonders for me. Also, don’t eat JUNK food, stay away from anything that is high in sugar and THINK POSITIVE!!!

TIP: Pearson Airports duty free shops do not sell drowsy medications since I wanted a drowsy gravel just in case or drowsy allergy meds but they do not sell it. Be prepared!

Have a great Weekend everyone!

Hot Yoga

My best friend has been going on and on about ‘hot yoga’ for few weeks so I finally decided to research. I am sure you have heard that yoga is benefitable in many ways, one of the major ones being, calming your mind and body which is very important in this fast paced world. I do not like Sauna so the idea of hot yoga was not very appealing to me.

Also, as the New Year has just begun, people have resolutions to get fit and most of the Yoga classes were FULL near our residency. After a week of research, we finally went to a drop-in hot yoga class at MOKSHA YOGA STUDIO after work. The studio was located in a Plaza but was very spacious from inside, and there were a lot of people in line (and it was first-come first-serve basis). The money they collected from this class went to a charity which was really impressive to hear.

We finally got in, changed and laid down our mats; after ten minutes, we started to feel hot, really hot, which made us uncomfortable since it was our very first time. The yoga teacher started the class that lasted for 60 minutes. The only yoga pose I liked was called the corpse pose, where you lie down on a mat (like a corpse) with the palms facing the sky ha-ha. Finally, our class was over and we had survived our first ‘hot yoga’ class.

In conclusion, I slept like a baby that night and my back pain had gone away (which started in the morning) by the time I reached home. I sweated like an animal but the main thing was, I felt good after the class even though some moves were unbelievably hard, I still felt good. So if you get a chance, do try ‘hot yoga’ and let me know how you feel… And if you already do hot yoga, do share some tips.

Just remember à the first class will be hard so don’t give up and try your best, before you know it, you will survive your first class. However, if you feel nauseas, instead of leaving the class, do the child’s pose or the corpse pose to calm yourself down for 5 minutes before you leave class (the yoga teacher had advised me).

Cleaning Update – Day 50

My honest response on cleaning braces, which I am not so proud of, so here it goes:

I use interdentally brush everyday after lunch and dinner because my teeth love bits and pieces of food I eat. Now I floss every three days instead of everyday. I use the Oral B brush morning and night and I think that was the best purchased product ever. I use the Waterpik every two days, the day I have not flossed and I have something stuck in my teeth’s.

I bought a cheaper version of Oral B round brush for work so I do not have to carry my expensive one. I bought a tongue cleaner which I use after a heavy meal (it was used a lot during Christmas times). I also found Crest toothpaste was easy on the teeth and I rinse my mouth with the Crest mouth wash before bedtime.

I know I was doing extensive cleaning the first 15 days I got my braces but it was getting tiring and I heard over brushing is also not good for the teeth’s so I am taking it slow. Will update you in a week…

Update on braces – Day 47

By day 46, I got used to my braces and was able to eat anything except hard foods i.e. Pecan, Almonds and so forth.  I have lost around 10 pounds which I cant believe. So let me update you all regarding my first tightening appointment.

Day 47 – All the rubber bands were replaced and even though I cleaned my teeth’s very well, the rubber bands were light yellow in colour. The orthodontist replaced all the rubber bands and the metal brace that goes between the braces locks. The length of the metal got smaller. Issue in my case: there are two teeth’s that are twisted and pushed in so she put small white wires to pull it out. When those teeth’s are eventually pulled out, then she will work on the crowding effect that is taking place in the bottom. After that is done, she will take care of the spacing issue between three-four teeth’s.

This is an easy but a long process, since she has to think of where to put the extra wirings to shape the teeth. The taking off and putting back the rubber bands puts pressure in your teeth but it’s a quick process. The wiring process was not hurtful at all, it took about 20 minutes.

Day 48 – Teeth’s felt the pressure again and oh my, the next two days were horrible. The pain was similar to when I got my braces therefore back to soups for now…

Update on braces

I am doing well and wax really helps in easing the pain or sleep peacefully. I had blisters in the mouth since the braces was rubbing off the cheek skin from inside. It was painful to eat anything cold or hot and then the next day, the blisters were being ripped and it feels like the mouth is damaged. In conclusion, wax works. Take wax run under warm water and then put it right on the braces, feels pretty good.

I was craving pasta and I ate for two days but still haven’t eaten chicken or beef because I cant chew into small pieces, basically I put food in mouth, chew twice and chuck it down. This is the only way to eat for now and it help, plus take sips of water. I think it’s easier for people under 18 because one is still developing, it’s harder when one is an adult because the teeth’s are all developed and in place. Let’s be positive since I have to wear it for 6 months!

Can you believe I still don’t have any wisdom teeth’s? One is supposed to get the age of 18 or older, and I am way pass that but I never got them. Maybe I am not wise yet, haha.

Cleaning braces…

So I got my bottom braces put on and honestly it didn’t hurt at all when it was being put on but today it HURTS. I ate two Advil already and I am in pain, it feels like teeth are going to fall off. I can’t even close my mouth, my lips stick out plus they are so dry and I am all bruised inside the mouth. And did I mention, I am in lots of PAIN that I can’t seem to talk properly…

I would like to share what I learned in the last two weeks regarding braces, and I know you find this useful:

–          Light brush after every meals or tea, make sure the brush is soft and the tooth paste has the following ingredients: fluoride, soda and peroxide. I picked Sensitive toothpaste since my teeth’s have been really sensitive.

–          Electrical Tooth brush: this was the hardest thing to research on since I didn’t know which one would be best for me… Sonicaire Phillips and Oral B ones with the most positive reviews. They have so many types in both brands that it’s unbelievable. So my theory on electronics is, never get the ones that first came out since the next edition is always better since it’s been edited. For example, IPhone 4 better than 3G, right? So I knew I was going to buy the next best and not the latest because that would cost me more. Now, there were different types and sizes of the brushes and I decided to get the round brush since I have a small mouth and this way it can reach places such as the back teeth. The manual toothbrush doesn’t reach the back since it’s longer in size. Finally I ended with an ORAL B – Professional 3000 and it seems to work pretty well.

–          Next step is to floss with dental floss not regular floss; and they can be any brand because they all look and feel the same.

–          The places you can’t reach with the floss, you can use the brush that looks like a mascara brush which is small in size and soft to go between teeth for braces only.

–          Then I use WaterPik (I believe it’s similar to floss): I was not suggested by the Ortho but by one of my VP’s at work suggested, it cost me $60 but its so worth it. I would definitely recommend this because it flushes out even little pieces that’s between the teeth’s, a very neat tool to use.

–          Lastly, use a Mouth Wash that is strong therefore kills bacteria, I bought Crest since it was on sale at SDM for 2.99 lol…

I hope these suggestions help you. I believe one should lightly brush manually after their meals but a good cleaning before sleeping. As per my research, cleaning takes 20 minutes and gets easier after couple of weeks because one gets used to it. Anyways, enjoy braces!

Braces…

Finally, I got my top braces on November 19^th, ceramic ones called Clarity from 3M. Dentist/Orthodontist had recommended braces a year ago since spacing had started in the top teeth and crowding in the bottom teeth’s. My teeth’s are straight but the spacing was causing a crowding effect and mind you, it’s an early stage. So I decided to go for braces.

When I got them, it did not hurt, it was better than getting your teeth cleaned. However, two hours later, I had a headache, pain near nose and eyes area and felt like ripping the braces from the teeth. I felt something was stuck to me and I wanted it out right away, that feeling was weird. So I took Advil and slept since I was not interested in talking.

After four days, I realized I had no meat/chicken and I was literally on a liquid diet for four days, but it was awful because I love food. I had lost four pounds and was feeling weak but the pain in my teeth and face had died down and my teeth’s were adjusting.

Today marks the two weeks and I am doing better but my teeth’s are more sensitive than before. So it’s not bad after all. I was suggested to spend some money and time on buying an electric brush, will definitely update you on this soon.

Sick over the long weekend…

I got sick over the long weekend, got a sore throat and the fever is rising slowly. I am guessing I have a virus or flu but the treatment is somewhat the same. I am not a fan of the Doctors, so home remedy is important for me. This usually happens to me when I work long hours or totally exhausted.

So here’s my solution to the recovery in a day (max two):

1. Take Advil OR Tylenol – depending on which works on you … this way the fever stays in control. It is hard to bring the fever down when it’s high. If it does get high, get a cloth and run it through a cold tap water, squeeze the water out and put it on the forehead. Try doing it at least 5 times for atleast 5 minutes and the temperature should go down.

2. Drink Tea and soups whenever hungry. You want to flush all out as much as possible. Any types of soups, Chicken or Vegetable soups, I like the Maggi Chicken soup, which take less than five minutes to cook and is nutritious. Also, drink Neo-Citron once a day if you are not a tea person.

3. Drink 1 tablespoon of Buckley’s OR Dimetapp every 4-6 hours, if you are coughing and your throat hurts in any way. Nowadays, there are many types of cough syrup and flavors within them. I have not tried all except the two I have mentioned above, and they have both worked for us. I heard they are all the same, so just grab the one that makes sense to you.

4. Don’t eat food that are heavy or greasy, and probably you wont because during this time no one likes to eat anything. So just sip water once in a while so you won’t get de-hydrated.

5. Lastly, just REST!!!

I am guaranteeing that you will get better in a day or two (max). I have gotten sick so many times that I am used to the recovery procedures. Hopefully you won’t get sick, but if you do, give it a try sometime.

P.s. I have a great Chicken Soup recipe from my mom, which I will post up soon.

Feeling sick when you have a planned weekend is not good.