Fitness talk with Dr. kalpana

My trip to Chandigarh brought me another story from my dear friend Kalpana, a doctor by profession. She is a regular recipe contributor to a number of food blogs and contributed one of her favorite health recipes for our feature!

Well, her fitness journey is a real inspiration. She experienced post-pregnancy hyperthyroidism. With other health effects, this sent her weight shooting up! She gained upto 80 Kgs and could not do anything about it. Exercise was not helping and she got used to it and gave up after a few months! She recounts that "I just lived with this weight issue for around 15 years. Weight is not just extra kilos, it has so many repercussions, you don't feel healthy, it makes you easily tired, you would go shopping and not find the right size and it does affect your self esteem". She had just resigned herself to fate until a colleague told her about a dietician who could help. She followed the advice to the T with a 20 min walk every day and lost 20 Kgs in a year!

Well, when I met her after a few months - I found a new Kalpana. She feels that life is much more exciting when you feel and keep fit ! The high that fitness gives is worth all the effort! One must go for it!
Though she doesn't follow the diet any more, she has maintained herself by sticking to a few habits that include:

1. Eat everything but keep a count of your calories. Indulge once in a while but then balance it in the next few days.
2. Include lot of raw fruits and veggies in your diet, they not only keep your weight in control but also keep you more energetic and agile
3. Walk, you must, atleast three days a week, 20 min a day
4. Take lots of  warm water!

Kalpana shared with us her favorite Methi cucumber salad, here's the recipe

Ingredients:

150 g methi (washed and chopped)
1 cucumber (diced in cubes)
1 tomato (diced in cubes)
1 carrot (grated)
1/2 beetroot (grated), for the dash of red
15 peanuts (roasted)
5-7 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp olive oil
1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method

1. Mix together all veggies in a bowl
2. To prepare seasoning, heat oil in a small pan, add curry leaves and mustard seeds and saute, add coarsely powdered roasted peanuts
3. Add the seasoning to the veggies and mix well
4. Add lemon juice, sugar and salt to taste and mix well

Your methi cucumber salad is ready - its refreshing and loaded with nutrition! Don't miss it this winter, Methi is plenty!