It’s a common sight to see models and young girls smoking in order to remain slim. Unfortunately after a few years, they can’t quit smoking even if they want to because their bodies have got accustomed to nicotine stimulation. Some girls also fear that they will become obese after giving up smoking. This is because after one kicks the habit, their taste buds improve and they tend to enjoy their food more. This leads to eating larger quantities.

Biologically too, after giving up smoking the basal metabolic rate goes down and the body burns fewer calories. Also many people start binging on snacks in order to resist the temptation of smoking.

Tips for weight loss

But giving up smoking is a very healthy thing to do. So, don’t worry about gaining weight, just follow these tips which will put the extra pounds at bay.

1. Plan your meals, make sure they have the required amount of calories and then strictly adhere to the diet.

2. Avoid sweets and foods made of cream, maida, ghee and oil.

3. Exercise regularly. You can do yoga, brisk walk etc.

4. Drink more water.

5. Chew two to three pudina leaves after meals.

6. If you are feeling nauseated eat a hard fruit like a guava, apple or pear.

7. Be proud of the fact that you have given up smoking.

8. Maintain a distance from other smokers until you are confident that you can resist temptation.

One of the most important things about yoga is that it enables you to relax. It is possible to be tense all the time and not known it – even to lie rigidly in bed, grimly awaiting sleep, without realizing that mind and body are merely galvanized for the sound of the alarm clock and the next headlong rush into action. Try consciously tensing and relaxing your muscles to see just how to keyed up you are.

Exercise and Yoga

The exercise of yoga consists of getting into and out of series of your reach gradually and should never be forced. After a session of yoga you should feel both relaxed and full of energy, not exhausted and strained. Breathing is important to help you more correctly.

In performing the following sequence of 12 asanas, do not worry if you cannot get into some of the positions at first. You will be able to in time. Imagine yourself forming the shapes described by the illustrations even if you cannot achieve them.

Steps for performing the Sun Salutation

1. Stand with your back straight and feet together. Press your palms together in the prayer position. Feel balanced. Exhale.

2. Inhale and stretch up your arms, arching your back from the waist and pressing your hips forward. Keep your legs straight and let your neck relax.

3. Exhale and bring your body forward and down so that your hands touch the floor. In time you should be able to press your palms flat alongside your feet.

4. Inhale and push one leg out behind you, touching the floor with the balls of your toes and your knee. Stretch your leg and arch your back. Lift your chin to form a continuous curve.

5. Holing your breath, stretch the second leg back to join the first. Raise yourself up on hands and feet. Keep your body in a straight line.

6. Exhale, lowering yourself to the ground – first the knees, then the chest, then the forehead. Keep your toes curled and your hips straight.

7. Inhale, lowering your hips to the ground and raising your torso. Point your toes and completely arch your back.
8. Exhale, raising the hips, curling your toes under and bending head inwards. Be conscious of making a regular inverted V shape.

9. Inhale, stepping forward with one foot between your palms. This position is the mirror of that held in step 4.

10. Exhale, bringing the second leg forward to join the first as in step 3.

11. Inhale, lifting your torso up and stretching your arms forward, then back over your head. Arch your back, relax your neck and push your hips forward as in step 2.

12. Exhale, returning to an upright position. Let your arms fall gently by your sides.

Sashanka asana:

1. Sit in Vajrasana, slowly raise both your hands while breathing in and slowly put your palms down on the floor and breathe out.

2. Bend your elbows to touch the floor, finally touching the floor with your forehead. Remain in this position for at least for 30 to 60 seconds.

Savasana:

1. Lie down on the floor and spread out your hands and legs. Let the palms face the roof. Close your eyes.

2. Observe your abdominal movements while you are breathing in. If your breathing movement is correct, your abdomen wall will move upwards when you breathe in and go in when you breathe out. Remain in this posture for at least 10 minutes.

Chandra Bhedana pranayama:

1. Sit in a comfortable posture and close your eyes. Close your right nostril with your right thumb.

2. Breathe in slowly with your left nostril; close both your nostrils with your right thumb and ring finger.

3. Then touch the chest with your chin. Remain in this position for six seconds and slowly straighten your neck.

4. Slowly breathe out through your right nostril while closing the left nostril with your right thumb.

5. This is one round. Repeat 1020 times. This pranayama activates your para sympathetic nervous system, which in turn calms your temper.

Meditation to calm anger:

There are quite a few meditation techniques that can calm you down. Here is a simple technique that can be learnt and followed easily.

1. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, straighten your back and observe your breathing.

2. Observe your abdominal movements, while you breathe in the abdominal wall should come out and while you breathe out it should go in. Do this for two minutes.

3. Slowly count backwards from 100 to 1 in your mind, giving a gap of one second between each digit.

4. During that gap say Om or utter any other sound you like.

5. While you are counting down if you miss a digit, begin counting from 100 again.

6. Practice this for at least 15 minutes.

Note: Anger is a natural instinct, which you cannot completely get rid of. But by practicing yoga and meditation you can understand how much damage anger can cause and you will learn to distance yourself from this emotion.

In short, Fitness exercise is good for you, especially for women’s. But it is good for you only if you enjoy it. Punishing forms of exercise, intended to thrash the reluctant body into fitness, would not succeed if they make you miserable. The best unfit, begin gently, not expecting too much of yourself, and gradually build up your strength and energy until you can push yourself a little harder and enjoy it.

Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises – those that involve processing oxygen efficiently through the body, such as running, rowing, swimming and cycling are much better for body maintenance than anaerobic exercises, which involve very vigorous bursts of activity that will leave you exhausted. Anaerobic exercises are sports such as squash, tennis and sprinting. The kind of exercise that is best for overall fitness involves a sustained effort. And aerobic exercises are the best possible training if you want to succeed at anaerobic sports.

Other forms of exercise include ballet and yoga and involves graceful and rhythmic movements that develop the suppleness of the body, the tone of the muscles and the lubrication of the joints.