Yesterday's Workout!

Finally got around to doing some real kicka.. workout yesterday. In fact two days in a row.

14th October - 6 rounds around the campus (I estimate a distance of 650 or so mts per round) after my last workout on 5th October. It was a relief to get out of the house with a friend and move around after awating a major Hurricane (Phailin), antcipating, preparing and then tiding over it - over the weekend. Not much damage around the campus except a few broken limbs (from trees, silly) and lots of leaves and twigs.

15th Oct - 8 rounds including some slow jogging  (again with above friend) which felt truly satisfying. Continued onto the gym. Did 3 rounds of weights for legs and arms and then the blessed relief of the vibration plates.

I know these variety of exercise will help better eventually - but there is nothing more adrenaline busting than watching the calorie count going up up on a treadmill!

Here's to more exercise!

Did I spoil it all with a beer tonight? Cannot be helped - sigh. i do so wish I can avoid those mixtures and ...

10 Benefits of a Bowl of Papaya for Breakfast

It is a well known fact that papaya has a huge cache of benefits asociated with it. Together with green tea - papaya is the most revered of food that nutritionists and dieticians recommend. And with good reason.

The 10 Benefits of Papaya

 Reason # 1 to eat papaya

Unlike many other healthy food - a rich ripe papaya tastes like heaven. Its sweet and slightly sour taste provides just the required kickstart to a glorious feeling throughout the day. For a sustained diet of any food - it has to taste good - papaya has that going for it in loads!

# 2 - The fruit is available throughout the year. So it can form a part of any dietary plan in any season.

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 # 3 - Its health benefits are myriad. It contains an enzyme Papain that helps in natural digestion.

# 4 - A bowl of Papaya can provide about 10% of our daily requirement of natural dietary fibre and helps in clear bowel movement.

# 5 - It is a rich natural source of Vitamins A, C, E and flavonoids like Beta carotine  and thus a rich source of anti-oxidant nutrients. These vitamins strengthen the body immune system and what better way to get them then from a natural and easily available source? Papaya similarly has anti-inflammatory properties because of the presence of its unique enzymes.

Check out the Papaya Nutrition content here

Papaya Nutriton Content

# 6 - Lower Sugar (than Mango) - A small bowl of papaya (100 g) contains about 43 calories and 8 g of sugar. Compare it with Mangoes. A 100g intake of ripe mango will have about 14 g of sugar and 60 calories. (all nutrition facts from google search results ) Thankfully mangoes are a seasonal fruit! It is advisable not to take more than 20-22 g sugar in a day. Am not sure if natural sugar is ncluded in that, though.


# 7 -  Beauty Benefits - Papaya is a good source of natural food for a healthy skin. While a dab of mashed papaya can make a good skin pack and skin lightener, the vitamin A in papaya ensures a clear skin tone and good eye sight.

# 8 - Low Sodium, Potassium Rich - The low sodium content of Papaya is a major boon as it prevents water retention. Potassium in the fruit helps control hypertension.

# 9 - Unripe papaya is frequently used as a meat tenderizer while cooking meat dishes - like mutton and lamb. The enzyme papain breaks down the tough meat fibres and makes cooking easier. However the unripe papaya should be eat cooked as direct intake of the enzyme could have adverse effects.

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# 10 - Eating the bowl of papaya has other periphery benefits like healthy hair, good eye sight, clear skin; papain is extracted from papaya for dietary supplements, raw papaya is used everywhere from a face to a hair mask, to a wound soother.

I am really however not sure how many of those periphery benefits are supported by science and facts. Papaya has been touted as a great weight loss enabler. The only way I can see papaya helping to lose weight is because it makes a filling zero cholesterol meal. Be sure to continue counting your sugar when you eat a load of ripe papaya based diet.

I have been having papaya for breakfast for the last so many years and i like to believe it has helped me be a healthy person. It makes a wonerful and healthier filler when you want to nibble on chocolates or chips.

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Papaya definitely needs it be added to one's diet.

Maa Durga vs Cyclone Phailin

Maa Durga has her task cut out for her on this Ashtami 2013. As the devotees gear up for the much anticipated Durga Ashtami Puja - there is apprehension, fear, belief, resignation in the air.

The demon is around the corner. In the shape of a whirling, swirling juggernaut of a tornado that looks ready to uproot everything in its way. This omnipresent Goddess,  the embodiment of power, peace and motherhood - the killer of Mahisashura and all the evils that the demon personified - will she be able to vanquish this massive demon?

I can feel the people still hoping that the Goddess will somehow sway the demon. Together with our belief in Lord Jagannath we believe in this Mother Durga towards whose worship we plan and look forward to throughout the year.

Cyclone Phailin is a tangible monster with wind speed currently at 160 mph and around 400 kms away from landfall. It is showing all indications of a Supercyclone. But I still hear questions like - is it truly coming? Why is there no wind or much rain yet? Phailin is a tangible swirling mass of wind and condensation with no possible (or visible) reasons not to strike as predicted. We havent got the wind yet because we have been warned a lot in advance. The wind is coming and fast.

Two Supercyclones in the space of 14 years? Just when the trees have started to grow back and thrive after the massive devastation of 1999? Just when memories of the devastation and the chaos that followed have begun to heal? Not possible. The Maa will somehow thwart it. Hopefully not at the cost of swerving and sending it to other states.

Belief is a strong and strange thing.

Prayer for you Maa

Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu Matri rupena samsthita
Ya Devi sarva bhuteshu Shakti rupena samsthita
Ya Devi sarva bhutesu Shanti rupena samsthita
Namestasyai Namestasyai Namestasyai Namoh Namah