instagram facebook YouTube Pinterest twitter
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Tech
  • About
  • Declutter
  • Inspo
  • Download
    • Free Printables
    • Free Wallpapers
  • Contact

The Pretty City Girl | Indian Travel & Lifestyle Blog


After seeing people take the 30 Day Workout Challenge on the gram, I challenged myself as well. I was working out before the lockdown was announced; I would run 5-7kms everyday, but now due to the restrictions, I knew I had to continue working out at home. But that required major motivation. Working at home for a few days (a week?) is still easy. However, it gets challenging when you do it after one week because a) the weather is not pleasant b) you prefer pjs over workout leggings c) you just wanna take a nap d) oh no, you just had food and e) because bleh! 

I thought challenging myself would be a great idea especially if I do it on social media. If I would have simply shared it with my friends, I wouldn't have taken it this seriously. Posting on social media just makes you more serious about things. 

30 DAY WORKOUT CHALLENGE

So what is it? Simply put, it's a challenge to get my ass off the bed everyday to workout for an hour. Lucky for me, I challenged myself after I was done menstruating for the month, so I had no reasons to call it off midway. Keeping in mind my period cycle, I can pull off 30 days of working out (though I would start pmsing and wondering "Oh, is it blood?" frequently towards the end of 30 days). However, I know my body and I know my period cycle. So I don't think that would really intervene in things. 

The 30 Day Workout Challenge is more or less ––
  • Working out for one hour everyday - typically includes arm exercises, cardio or full body workout, stomach exercises
  • Including proteins in the diet - consume proteins everyday
  • Having green tea - a mug post lunch
  • Watching what's on the plate - reducing sugar intake, avoiding maida, consuming less oily food

MY WORKOUT

I am following multiple videos, probably the reason why I go mute when people ask me what routine I am following. There's a Chloe Ting 2020 2 Week Shred video I'm following. It's a full body workout routine. Then I'm following her Abs workout and Arms workout (standing arms workout). Along with Chloe Ting, I do Zumba, aerobics as well depending on my mood for the day. 

Post workout routines, for the remaining 15-20 minutes, I just play Workout Motivation Music, in which really hot, fit girls workout in their gyms and you're so motivated looking at them that you don't wanna stop exercising. During this, I do many workouts including squats, crunches, short jumps, jumping jacks, moving my waist in a circular motion, more arm exercises, a few exercises to define the waist and so on. To sum up, this is my workout routine:

  • Full body workout - involves full body exercises (not to confuse it with cardio)
  • Cardio - when you think the fat burn process is taking too long or when you're feeling too bloated someday, burn those fats baby! Cardio involves Zumba, aerobics, short jumps, jumping jacks, high knees, etc. 
  • Abs - check for ab workout routines on YouTube and ensure to be very serious about them. The stomach takes the longest to reduce so involve some really hardcore stomach exercises in your routine. Along with the workout you would follow, separately do more crunches (especially the ones that involve you touching opposite knees to burn fats from the side of your stomach). 
  • Arms - unfortunately, everything I eat either goes in my arms or my face (chubby cheeks aren't all that adorable for me okay?). I follow a separate routine for my arms. The more the arms pain, the better. I also make sure to add in pushups and mountain climbers. 
  • Butt - squats, squats, squats. 
  • Legs - I don't quite workout for my legs as when I'm working on full body or cardio, it burns my leg fats too. But again, check for leg workout videos on YouTube if you need them. 
  • Face - I have a round, chubby face. I do a few face exercises for carving a jawline (takes the most time but worth it in the end).

MY DIET

I'm not big on diets. I workout so that I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. Probably, the only change I usually bring in my diets while I'm religiously working out is watching what I eat. I try to avoid junk and sweet food. Like the other day, I saw ice cream packs and I badly wanted to buy one. But I just refused and walked away. Then I get pizza cravings now and then but I think of how utterly evil maida is to the body and how pizza is nothing but a lot of maida and cheese, and I drop off the plan to order in. Instead, I make something savoury like dal tadka with jeera rice or cook a regular sabzi in a fancier preparation (or just have a few pieces of savoury snacks to curb the craving). 

I'm a firm believer in eating Indian food so whether it's pohe, upma, dosa, thalipeeth, roti sabzi, rice, dal, bhakri, pulses, etc. I don't like following a western diet which includes smoothies, salads, boiled veggies, etc. I prefer what we have been eating for generations together. As Rujuta Divekar, my favourite dietician, says, "How to decide whether a dish is healthy? Just eat anything that your grandma once cooked." Since it's our traditional food, it suits our genes. It suits the season, it suits the region we stay in, it suits our bodies. So oats? You can skip it if you want. But upma? Definitely have it! 

Here are a few changes I've done to my diet. (Psst! I also prefer homemade food since it's much healthier so you will find me cooking instead of eating out or ordering in.)

Liquid intake

I consume a great number of liquids. I have this 750ml tumbler next to me throughout the day. I easily drink 3 litres of water per day. Next, I make sure to have a cup of green tea everyday. Currently, I am drinking Lipton Pure & Light Green Tea. I heat water for 2 minutes and then dip the teabag. I have green tea post meals (usually it's after lunch but sometimes I consume it post dinner). 

I also take one effervescent tablet of Vitamin C. People with less amount of Vitamin C tend to have more fat accumulation around their stomachs and waist. (However, I take this tablet for immunity boost and skin improvement.) 
Another minor difference in my lifestyle is that I now drink tea only once (in the morning) as opposed to having it twice a day. 

There's another drink I've heard of: warm water with 1 tbsp of honey and half a lemon juice. I'd had it just once on an empty stomach as I'm not disciplined about it yet. People have noted amazing differences after having this concoction. I might start being religious about this drink from tomorrow.

Consuming a bowl of Proteins everyday

I make sure to have a bowl of proteins everyday. So whether it is in the form of eggs (two boiled egg whites), dal, sprouts, paneer or spinach. I don't go all out with proteins because it's my belief that proteins lead to breakouts and a lot of heat generation. Yet contrary to my meals earlier, now I ensure to include a bowl of proteins everyday. 

Replacing maida with wheat

You get wheat options in most of the dishes: whole wheat pizza, whole wheat bread, whole wheat Maggi, wheat roti, etc. I avoid maida as it's a big no considering it pushes fat accumulation. Maida also leads to obesity, increased cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, keeps you hungry, clogs arteries, raises blood sugar levels, etc. 

Are you following any workout challenge? How about you take up this 30 Day Workout Challenge? 

P.S. All information mentioned above is my belief/works on me. If you happen to know more than me and want to comment about it, please do so with a little amount of sensitivity. Happy workouts!
April 24, 2021 No comments

Mental health, anxiety, depression, trauma. I've heard these words float around quite recently, because I feel more people are opening up about their emotions off late. Mental illnesses have always existed. From the kings to the inventors, to a commoner like you and I. But they would suppress it in. Now I'm glad more number of people are coming out and expressing themselves. Probably the reason why a lot of us have become sensitive about mental health and prioritising it over any other thing. Probably why mental disorders and therapists are as important as any other illness and regular doctors. 

Just a disclaimer before we begin: I'm no psychologist. I don't intend to know more than a psychologist. I just want to help those having anxiety and their closed ones who so desperately wanna help but don't know how. Given the kind of situation we are in, with Covid related stress, I know it's likely to feel this way. I want to help more people feel safer and happier during this pandemic. 

Something I would personally like to add to those who are here to help a friend or a relative: Treat the person having anxiety like a flower; they're delicate, sensitive, and beautiful!

WHAT IS ANXIETY

There are many people who still have no idea what is anxiety and/or what kind of feeling is called anxiety. Anxiety is your body's normal reaction to stress. It's a feeling of dread or worry about what's in the future or is to come. A job interview, a public speech, a client meeting, etc. may make some people feel scared and nervous.

ANXIETY DISORDER

Occasional anxiety is quite common and it is a part of life. However, when it happens frequently and when it is intense, excessive and continual, it is probably an anxiety disorder. Often, a person having anxiety disorder experiences repeated occurrences of instantaneous feelings of extreme anxiety/fear/terror that reach a height within a few minutes (known as panic attacks). 

Panic attacks are difficult to restrain, affect daily activities and can go on for a longer time. People experiencing these attacks may avoid certain places and/or situations to prevent from feeling anxious. Symptoms can be seen during childhood or teenage and may continue later on. 

Examples of anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder or symptoms that include constant worry, restlessness, lack of concentration, etc.), social anxiety disorder (which is social phobia), specific phobias (fear of height, darkness, etc.), and separation anxiety disorder (high levels of anxiety/panic attacks when loved ones are out of reach). A person can have more than one anxiety disorder and sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment.

HOW TO HELP SOMEONE WITH SEVERE ANXIETY

Ask them to go to therapy

"But can everyone afford therapy?" was my question to a college senior who recommended this. "There are plenty of group therapy options, which help to deal with anxiety specifically. The idea is to help people know they are not alone and we must make people aware about taking help for anxiety. Also, therapy costs a fraction of what we’d spend on conventional medicine." 

Here are a few therapist/group recommendations: Therapize India, Anxiety Drop (it's a new startup by a friend), Moving Minds India, Horizons Meet, Minding the Movie, Mindpeers, Sushreeta Sule, Inner Calm

Listen without judgments 

To be honest, unless the person asks you for advice, all they expect is an ear to hear them out. If you keep putting your own opinion on the table instead of listening them out, they will just shut the door. A lot of people do this. 

So just sit with them during their periods of anxiety. Just be with them on a call––or physically––whatever is possible. Things might be uncomfortable, like they may not talk, but try to be okay with it. Sometimes, people just want to have the presence around. So you can just try and sit with them in silence. However, different things will work for different people. Some may need to hear things like, "You've got this", "you have done this before, I know it's hard but you can do this", "this shall pass", "I am here for you", etc. Sometimes these statements too can ease out things. And some would prefer you not telling them things like "It's temporary; it will get over soon" or "It's just a phase of life".

Do not force things

Try to gauge the situation and do not 'force' them to be positive or happy, or do certain things. It's okay to be anxious and it's perfectly fine to just be without doing anything in those periods. This is what people need to know especially during anxiety attacks. And one has to know that this is temporary, and with small efforts, with small steps from both your and the person having anxiety's end, things can get smoother. 

Create a feel-good ambience

Placing an ice cube on the back of the neck helps. Lighting a eucalyptus candle or any diffuser helps too. What helps most though is understanding that you gave your best to things that were in your control and anything beyond that is destiny.

Change the schedule

Be available to people having severe anxiety; let them know they are not alone. Take them out somewhere to a nice place that would help them ease out or arrange an outing with friends. Make them read books when they are out. Change their daily sitting place, as the environment can play a huge role. Gradually, change their timetable. If they sleep early, make them stay awake by talking to them or watching movies and playing games. Make them sleep late. 

And if they sleep late usually, try to make them sleep early. Exercises will help them feel fatigue so they will sleep earlier. Increase their protein intake with some sweets and do not allow them to skip meals. 
 

The 5-4-3-2-1 method

This technique helps the person get back to their senses during anxiety attacks. It's basically being aware of these when you're having an anxiety attack:

- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell and
- 1 thing you can taste. 

This technique helps the person calm down as it is the use of all five senses. Ask the person having severe anxiety to say out loud what he/she can can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. 

Grounding technique

Another method to regain control over mind is by following the Grounding technique. Ask the person having severe anxiety to close their eyes and move their attention from their head to toe slowly. This technique also helps in noticing where one feels anything different in the body. 

Ask them to set smaller goals

When I'd raised the question How to Help Someone with Severe Anxiety on Instagram, a friend replied, "What I believe and what I know is that people with sever anxiety often only see the bigger picture and get intimidated by it. Because of this they start overthinking and that leads to anxiety. So I believe instead of looking at big picture or setting big goals, they should have a road map or set small goals which they can achieve easily and which will eventually lead them to achieve what they want."

Lastly, getting to the root of it and going back in time where the seed of fear was planted is important to design a solution. Secondly, accepting the fact that it is normal is vital. Ask the person to alienate themselves from their past and listen to them objectively. Ask questions in a way which would not feel invasive. Do not blame on small issues. Help them in social circle. Don't get them feel guilty. Appreciate and motivate on small successes. This will help them and they will get a sense of security and support. Medication and consultation will also help. 

Anything you would like to add to the list? Please comment below and help our readers out. 
April 21, 2021 No comments

It’s about time I revamped my living room space. I’m dreaming about it for over a year and it got stronger last year when I was stuck in my home due to Covid restrictions. I shopped for cutlery, furniture, décor, etc. for the house but it’s the living room I’m more interested in at the moment. It’s partly because of my bestie moving into her apartment in Melbourne and partly because of the gorgeous living room from Ginny & Georgia, a show on Netflix. The urge got stronger over the last few weeks, so much that I spent days browsing through different websites for my needs. 

THE PROJECT: BEFORE

The building I stay in is pretty old. There are talks regarding its redevelopment but nobody has an idea when it’s really happening. Because of the whole redevelopment plan, both my parents are rejecting the idea of paint and new furniture. The paint in the living room is excellent, as it is washable and velvety. So even if it’s been years we haven’t painted the house, the living room walls still look pretty. The furniture is old: the tables have a dark brown laminate sheet, which I dislike. I wish I could just throw all of it or paint them or do something which will bring a better look to the space. 

The sofa is fine. I love the pistachio coloured sofa covers but the cushion covers are horrible (I don’t know why I would get those; they look tacky!). The frames are a mix of religious and traditional art, again something which I would love to change. (Though my parents are against me taking off the Ganesha frame.)

The living room space has no plants. We transferred them to our Pune house since the gardener can water them in our absence. There are a few décor pieces, which I love, and most of those would stay back. 


THE PROJECT: AFTER

Cushion covers
Firstly, I’m going to change the cushion covers. I bumped into this amazing site called Fabcurate.com from where I purchased fabrics. I wanted unique cushion covers so I got a fabric instead of buying cushion covers. For the tiny cushions (which are 12x12 inches), I got a cute peach and green hand block printed fabric that would go perfect with my pistachio green sofa. I’ve given them to my friend’s mom for stitching. 

Hand Block is considered as one of the most pioneering and intricate techniques of block-printing that finds its existence in Rajasthan. Extremely talented artisans carve overly complex designs on the wooden blocks repeatedly, which are later used for printing fabrics. It takes immense effort, time, and dedication and that's why Hand Block represents the top-notch craftsmanship of printing fabric.

I’ve purchased another set of cushion covers for the bed-cum-diwan and three more decorative covers apart from the peach and green hand block fabric.

Plants & décor
I’m buying three sets of frames for different walls of the room. I’m also thinking of getting some décor pieces though I already have many (more the merrier!). I’m getting a bunch of indoor plants. I’ve already filled a glass bottle with a money plant to add to the greens. 

I’m also planning of getting an area rug but it’s going slightly above my budget so I’m hunting for cheaper options. (Currently due to e-commerce restrictions in Maharashtra, I'm unable to place orders.)

Paint (?)
Last but not the least, I’m planning of repainting my tea table and other furniture. Painting laminated furniture is a task so I might skip that. But I’m definitely planning to paint the dark brown legs of my tea table to white (or black or lavender). For the same, I’ll need a sandpaper, paint (spray?), roller and roller pad. I’m nervous for this activity but it might be fun.

I’ll be sharing pictures of the living room on my blog soon. So stay tuned. It’s not a complete revamp as we’re not painting the walls but I’m glad to come across some really amazing sites such as Fabcurate.com for my online fabric store needs. I also need curtains as we had to take them off due to air-conditioner fitting. But I wonder whether it is even possible to fit a rod there. 

Stay tuned for my updates on Instagram and check out Fabcurate.com for gorgeous fabrics from cotton to velvet to raw silk.
April 17, 2021 No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

About me

I'm Rutuja, a travel & lifestyle writer and youtuber. I make videos and love to explore the unexplored. Welcome to my blog! Read more about me.

Follow Me

Labels

Tips & Tricks Nerdy DIY Travel diaries Key Moments Travel tips Beauty tips Product reviews Maharashtra Recipes Styling and outfits Travel Around Mumbai International Blogging Productive tips life Fashion tips Closet Organization Home Organization Desserts Hotels Fitness Tech tips Goa Himachal Pradesh Healthy food Itinerary Desk organization Beauty tutorials

Popular Posts

  • Goa Packing List – What to Pack for a Goa Trip
    I had visited Goa for the first time with my family back in 2008; we were a bunch of 13 fun-loving people and I was just in 8th gra...
  • How to Boost Instagram Followers – 100% Workable Tips to Gain Instagram Followers & Increase Engagement
    I am impressed seeing how social media like Instagram let anyone be what they want and promote or start a business on this platform. One o...
  • Everything about Cysteine Hair Treatment
    I was unaware of cysteine treatment until I saw a friend with magically transformed hair. I saw a change in th...

Blog Archive

  • ►  2022 (8)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ▼  2021 (11)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ▼  April (3)
      • 30 Day Workout Challenge
      • How to Help Someone with Severe Anxiety
      • Living Room Makeover on a Budget
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (1)
  • ►  2020 (27)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2019 (45)
    • ►  December (4)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (3)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (6)
    • ►  March (8)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2018 (64)
    • ►  December (4)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (6)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (12)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (6)
    • ►  February (6)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2017 (154)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (11)
    • ►  October (16)
    • ►  September (11)
    • ►  August (14)
    • ►  July (12)
    • ►  June (17)
    • ►  May (13)
    • ►  April (12)
    • ►  March (12)
    • ►  February (12)
    • ►  January (19)
  • ►  2016 (244)
    • ►  December (23)
    • ►  November (17)
    • ►  October (14)
    • ►  September (15)
    • ►  August (18)
    • ►  July (20)
    • ►  June (20)
    • ►  May (25)
    • ►  April (21)
    • ►  March (21)
    • ►  February (22)
    • ►  January (28)
  • ►  2015 (274)
    • ►  December (25)
    • ►  November (13)
    • ►  October (19)
    • ►  September (22)
    • ►  August (28)
    • ►  July (29)
    • ►  June (26)
    • ►  May (21)
    • ►  April (23)
    • ►  March (26)
    • ►  February (20)
    • ►  January (22)
  • ►  2014 (280)
    • ►  December (21)
    • ►  November (18)
    • ►  October (22)
    • ►  September (24)
    • ►  August (22)
    • ►  July (21)
    • ►  June (22)
    • ►  May (27)
    • ►  April (27)
    • ►  March (30)
    • ►  February (22)
    • ►  January (24)
  • ►  2013 (124)
    • ►  December (25)
    • ►  November (27)
    • ►  October (30)
    • ►  September (42)
  • ►  2012 (8)
    • ►  June (8)
Powered by Blogger.

Created with by ThemeXpose