Get On Your Bike: 5 Reasons To Take Up Cycling

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Don’t let that bike rust away in the shed. There are plenty of pros to cycling that can make it the ideal way of getting around. Here are just a few reasons to get on your bike.

It will keep you fit

Cycling has all kinds of health benefits from building muscle to helping joint stiffness to helping circulation and breathing. It’s the perfect aerobic workout and one of the best ways to lose weight. Cycling however is not only healthy for the body, but the mind. Whilst cycling, you totally replenish your body’s supply of oxygen, providing fresh oxygen to the brain which helps with concentration and work productivity. Health.harvard.edu lists some of the major health benefits.

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It’s faster than walking

When it comes to getting around locally, cycling can be twice to three times as fast. If you usually walk to work, cycling could allow you to leave the house later, which could in turn allow you to wake up later.

And it’s more eco-friendly than driving

Meanwhile, for those that drive short distances to work, taking your bike instead could be a much greener way to get to work. Bicycles don’t use up fuel and don’t damage roads as much as cars leading, leading to less repairs. Meanwhile, whilst there are some fossil fuels burnt up during the manufacture of a bicycle, it’s nothing compared to the manufacture of a car. For helping you to feel happier about your carbon footprint, taking the bike to work instead of a car could be worthwhile.

Cycling

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It’s family friendly

Cycling can be a great family bonding experience. Whether you go a bike trip along roads or simply cycle around the park, the kids will love it and you’ll all improve your fitness from it. Even for kids that are two young to cycle, there’s the option of trailers as available at sites such as BikeTrailerHub.com. You can also pursue cycling as a holiday activity – there are plenty of vacation hotspots around the world that specialise in cycling.

It’s also cheap

Riding a bike is also remarkably cheap. Your biggest cost is going to be the purchase of the bike itself, which may be a few hundred if you’re looking for a professional model. However, after this, you won’t have common driving costs to worry about such as insurance or fuel or parking or road tax.

Bike repairs are generally cheap as you can go DIY on most of them. Even if you do visit a professional to get your bike fixed, it’s unlikely to set you back as much as a regular car repair. Few people would ever swap out a car for a bike, however you could lower your driving costs by taking the car less and a bike more. Cycling may even save you on extra costs in the long run. For one, it will keep you healthier longer, which could lead to fewer medical bills in the future.

 

 

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The Sugar-Free Saviour Of Dessert!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

In our quest to find the perfect dessert, we always come up with the one thing we know we should avoid, sugar. Sugar turns into fat, which turns into extra digits on the weighing scale. And, yes that tasty cheesecake is sheer heaven on a plate, but all the sugar and carbs will weigh heavy on you in so many ways. The answer? The fat bomb!

Now, the name might not sound like a weight-loss miracle, but they’ve been used as part of the very popular ketogenic diet, where you have no carbs but fill up on fat for weight loss, and the results have been shown to work. If you check out the Bulletproof Diet or the LCHF pages, there are plenty of sources out there that swear by it, not to mention the fact that various types of natural fat are now been shown to very good for you. The great thing about these fat bombs is that they are only a few ingredients and require no baking. Now, there are some great no bake desserts and no bake recipes out there, and these fat bombs are sort of taking the inspiration from them, but have gone low sugar and low carb. So, to get you started, here are a couple of simple and sumptuous fat bombs.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

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A filling, tasty and healthy alternative to the ones you buy in the store, these are high in good fats, have a big dollop of protein and provide some key minerals.

Serves: 32

Ingredients:

1 cup of melted coconut oil

1 cup of organic peanut butter (no added sugar or palm oil)

1 cup of organic cacao powder

Instructions:

  1. On the stove, melt the coconut oil on a low heat and add the peanut butter and cacao.
  2. Using a whisk, whisk until the texture is smooth.
  3. Spoon ½ a tablespoon of the mixture into 32 small paper muffin cups.
  4. Store in the refrigerator or place in the freezer until the mixture has hardened.

And that’s it! You can choose to replace the peanut butter with almond butter or a nut butter of your choosing.

Chocolate Fat Bombs (With Sea Salt)

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Chocolate and sea salt has converted many people to its wonderful taste, but here’s a low sugar version which is just as good as the sweet treats in the store.

Ingredients:

½ cup of heavy whipping cream

½ cup of coconut oil

½ cup of sunflower butter

1/3 cup of cream cheese

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

3 tablespoons of grass fed butter

2 tablespoons of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Whip the cream until they form soft peaks, add the vanilla and fold in.
  2. Place the sunflower butter, butter, cinnamon, cream cheese, coconut oil and the cocoa powder into a food processor and blend until smooth.
  3. Fold the mixture into the whipped cream until it is all combined.
  4. Pipe the mixture into silicone molds, sprinkle with the salt and store in the freezer for 6 to 8 hours.

 

 

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Been Let Down By Your Medical Care? Here Are Your Options

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We live in a very fortunate time, in 2017. The quality of medical care in most western countries is very high, and whether you have public healthcare or rely on your insurance, you can usually find the help you need fast. We put our trust in those working in the healthcare profession, simply because we have few reasons not to. After all, these people are trained professionals, so most of us have no qualms putting our health in their hands. But what do you do when something goes wrong? Of course, all medical procedures go exactly as they should 99.9% of the time – however, if you are one of the rare few who experiences a fault with your procedure or service, this can be little consolation. Receiving a botched treatment, or having your time wasted with the wrong type of treatment or medication can be incredibly infuriating, not to mention potentially dangerous to your health. If any of these scenarios happen to you, here are a few options you will want to take into consideration.

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Try not to lash out

When something has gone wrong with your medical treatment, it is fairly likely that it happened either because of human error or because of a data mix-up (i.e. the electronic system that processes patient information failed in some way). Neither is excusable, but they DO happen – some medical professionals have even expressed concern that longer working hours are resulting in more slip ups from staff. Either way, a mistake that affects you can quickly leave you feeling angry, let down, and distrustful of the system. You may find yourself shouting down the phone at your hospital receptionist and writing angry posts on local forums. While making formal complaints is advisable, try and remain calm for the most part. Your complaints will be taken much more seriously if you do, and you will also put your health under much less strain too.

Find an alternative doctor

If you have suffered a botched surgery, going in for further surgery may be the last thing on your mind. But usually, it takes a subsequent surgical procedure to fix the mess created by the previous one. A common example of this is breast implant revision surgery, which many women go through each year. Paying for cheap cosmetic surgery overseas might seem more friendly to your budget initially, but remember, these types of surgeries can easily come back to bite you.

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Claim compensation

As the saying goes, when there’s blame, there’s a claim; and you may be entitled to a payout to compensate for any mistakes made by your doctor/surgeon. Check your health insurance policy to see what you are covered for. Normally, you should be able to (at the very least) claim for things like missed wages while you are in recovery. Or, depending on the situation, you could even have a potential medical negligence case on your hands, meaning that you could be owed a huge sum of money for the inconvenience.

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Choosing A Wedding Venue: What Should You Ask?

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

So, you’ve officially begun planning your wedding, and you couldn’t be more excited to be finally viewing venues. For every couple, finding and booking the perfect venue is at the top of the to-do list, or at least, it should be. It’s vital to pick your wedding venue before anything else as it’s the venue that dictates the time, date, and size of your celebration, as well as the vendors that you are able to use and kinds of photos you can get. While you may have a list of venues that you are dying to see, that doesn’t mean that you know what to look out for and what to ask when you are viewing them. It can be a somewhat daunting process viewing venues and making sure that everything that needs to be asked is asked.

To help make ensuring that you are selecting the perfect venue easier, below is a list of questions that you should ask. (We’ve skipped the basic ones, like how many guests the venue holds, and focused on the things that you are more likely to forget!)

Does the venue suit your theme?

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This is one to ask yourself, not the venue manager, but it’s still worth taking note of. It’s easy to get so caught up in how beautiful a venue is that you fail to take your theme into account. Obviously, if you are yet to select a theme then this doesn’t matter, but if you have an idea of the type of theme that you would like to incorporate, it’s vital to take that into account. Ask yourself whether the venue can accommodate your theme and whether it will be everything that you hoped it would be.

Are there any rules & regulations regarding the vendors that you can hire?

If the venue allows you to hire your own vendors that’s great, but it’s important to ensure that you have completely free reign over who you hire. Some wedding venues have a list of vendors that their guests need to use to be able to use their venue. So it’s worth finding out about this before booking a venue, as the last thing you want is not to be able to use a vendor that you are keen to incorporate into your big day.

Are there any restrictions in terms of decorations and flowers?

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A lot of people presume that wedding venues have no restrictions in terms of decorations and flowers, but that isn’t always the case. Believe it or not, some wedding venues do have restrictions in place regarding decorations and flowers – some even stipulate what confetti can be used – so it’s best to ask about this beforehand. You want to be able to make your wedding venue your own, and the decorations and flowers are a big part of that.

Is there a wifi connection available?

You may not think that wifi is a deal breaker, but if you are hoping to utilise social media to share your big day, then it is. Today, more and more couples are choosing to incorporate Snapchat wedding filters, personalised Instagram hashtags, and music streaming into their big days, which is why having an internet connection is vital. So, before you book, make sure to ask whether there is free wifi available to you and your guests.

Will there be any other weddings/large parties at the venue on the same day?

Do you want to have to share your wedding venue with another large party? Do you want to have to plan your photos around them? Do you want to have to stress about not making too much noise because of the other party that’s in attendance? If the answer is no to all of the above, then it’s a good idea to find out if it will only be your party at the venue. This is important as you don’t want to share your wedding day with strangers, do you?

There you have it, a guide to the questions that you should ask when viewing any wedding venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Entertain New Friends At Home The Right Way With These 4 Simple Tips

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Moving to a new location or starting a job is never easy in the first place, but one of the more challenging aspects of this is making new friends in your area. You might have met them at your new working area, in your apartment complex or when experiencing a random and strange event occur at a supermarket. No matter how you came together, what is important is that you did.

You might like to cement the budding friendship by inviting them and their significant other to your place for a simple meal and entertainment. This can be nerve-wracking. How are you supposed to make the right impression on people? How can you seem relaxed without coming across as too relaxed? How can you look interested in them without seeming

desperate for friends?

Not everyone is a social butterfly, and for some people, these questions pose genuine and significant worries. First impressions matter, and being rejected by someone after a first meeting is a real and justifiable fear people hold. You shouldn’t fear, though. With the following tips, any person worth knowing will react well to these post-dinner entertainments.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Conversation

Deep conversation is maybe to be discouraged with new guests, but it isn’t to be prevented entirely. If the topic heads that way, let it. People who hold naturally opposing viewpoints should be able to discuss them with grace and decorum. If the person you’re hosting can’t do this alongside you, then that person isn’t worth knowing in the first place. Often the unlikeliest couplings form the strongest friendships, so don’t be afraid to disagree with your guests. Just be respectful of their opinion.

Introduce A Little Liquor

Alcohol can help you overcome the initial social inhibitions and allow the conversation to move freely. It can also allow a vast majority of people to feel comfortable in their skin in a new situation. You needn’t spend too much on overpriced liquor, finding alcoholic local store promotions or the best kikori whiskey price can allow you to host cheaply, but with quality drinks worth drinking.

Video Games

For the uninitiated, this might seem silly. Surely board games or party games are more sociable? It all depends on what game you play. There are many party games available for groups of people, and you might just have a more fun and reactive experience this way. How else could you get in a competitive game of bowling, a boxing match and a quiz all in one room?

Ambient Music

Music allows you to set the tone of the evening, even if this is in more of a subtle way. Slow, gentle music promotes unwinding, while happy, upbeat music brings an energetic vibe to your entertaining. It all depends on the hour of your relaxing with your new friends, and how you assess their temperament.

Include everyone, ask questions, and be sure to hold a genuine interest in your new potential friends, and you might just make reliable contacts for the years to come.

 

 

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Giving Yourself The Summer Glow

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Now that we’re officially in summer, the time has come to up our makeup game. Say goodbye to the dark lipsticks that have taken up the the past six months, and embrace the neutrals that are coming out.The best thing about the summer sun beating down on us is that the majority of us get a nice, healthy glow to boot – but doing a little extra to our faces to keep us looking dazzlingly beautiful doesn’t hurt, and only adds to the seasonal magic.

Highlight

The one product that has been up-and-coming over the past couple of years has been highlighters. Whether it’s strobe, shimmer, glow or any one of the other host of different types that you can go for, it’s there to do a job – and that job is to make you look as brilliant as you can. The great thing about highlighter is that you can use it to pinpoint features on your face that you really want to stand out; it’s one of the best beauty supplies that you can invest in at the moment for giving yourself a unique glow. The different shades that you can purchase mean that no matter what skin tone you have, you will be able to really rock a sun kissed look without having to put much effort into looking specifically for what you need. 

Bronzer

A lot of people nowadays are getting this confused with highlight, but it’s not the same at all. Bronzers tone whilst highlighters, well, highlight. There is a lot of depth that you can get from using a bronzer, but you need to be careful not to overdo it – or else you risk looking like you are going for a completely different look than the one that you were originally aiming for. There are different brushes and applicators that you can use to apply this handy makeup tool, and it’s not just your face that you need to stick to with it, either; it can be used on your arms, chest, anywhere that you can think of that needs a bit of warmth adding to the skin.

Gradual Tan

Rather than going straight in for a darker shade, which can look unnatural if you have never fake-tanned before, it is best to get a moisturising gradual tan from your local drugstore. That way you can build up on just how tanned you want to be, as well as keeping a dewy, moisturised and glowing look to your skin. There are many different companies that have their gradual tans on the market, but you need to be looking for one will suit your skin tone well.

The Sun  

Let’s not forget that the best way of getting that summer glow is to go out and bask under the sun’s warm rays itself – but safely. You can still give yourself a sun kissed look by using a sunscreen that’s SPF15+; it’s your safety that is of the utmost importance here rather than your looks, so don’t compromise it.

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A Picture Says 1000 Words – How To Capture These Memorable Moments

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We may live in a digital age, but most of us still fill our homes with photos of family and friends. They serve as reminders of past events, happy moments, and memorable occasions. You might not spend hours staring at them, but you wouldn’t want to have a home without all those faces around you.

You might use a digital photo frame that scrolls through holiday snaps, historical shots of senior family members, and old baby photos. Or you might have the entire wall of your stairwell filled with framed pictures of everyone you love. A giant canvas art in the living room and printed pictures held up by magnets on the fridge are all common uses of photographs. So which moments do you treasure most?

The Family Portrait

This is often staged and produced at a professional studio. The photographer will position each of you, so you all fit in the frame. He might request that you all wear the same color, or choose something with different textures. This can add to the visual impact of the shots. Portrait photography like this is often digitally altered, edited, or graded to appear more art-like than your standard taken-at-home shot. This makes it perfect for a large print in a frame or a large format canvas art.

Photo at Pexels

The Wedding

This is a pivotal moment in your lives. And it’s also the day when you’ve never looked more beautiful. When you’re discussing the photography, make sure all the shots you want will be covered. You can also choose how they’re presented, although an album is most common. Why not invest in a large portrait print for the wall? Photos last just as long as the memory, so why shouldn’t you adore that day?

Picture at Pexels

The Big Birthday Bash

This might be the event of the year. Chances are a lot of planning went into this one to make it perfect for the birthday boy or girl. These are the photos you see most often on social media. Themes that involve dressing up certainly make the best shots, and everyone wants a pic of themselves in their fancy dress costume. You could hire an event photographer, or ask that everyone uploads their pics to a common FaceBook page. That way, you pick the ones you want to treasure and arrange for prints.

Picture at Pexels

Graduation

This is another fantastic photo opportunity that is often covered by the professionals. That doesn’t stop you taking a few pictures yourself in a more casual stance. It can help to show the enjoyment of achieving that all-important certificate. Bring all the family in for a group shot.

What should you look for in a great picture? A natural smile and interaction between the people in the photo always makes for a good pic. Think about what else is in the frame. Remove clutter, and try to avoid straight-on portraits. A little turn to the side helps add depth to the image. Most importantly, let what we see in the frame tell the story of the occasion.

 

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I Do: Important Wedding Dos and Don’ts

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Planning your special day? Whilst a wedding shouldn’t have to come with rules, there are a few important dos and don’ts that could be worth considering to help your wedding go smoothly.

Do make a checklist

There’s nothing worse than getting to the wedding day and realising you forgot something. A checklist can help you to keep on track of organising your wedding. Make a list of everyone you wish to invite. Then make a list of everyone you need to hire. Will there be live music? Do you need a photographer? On top of this list out all other expenses such as venue, dress, rings etc. You may be able to save the stress by hiring a wedding planner.

Do have a budget

It’s easy to let costs spiral out of control in pursuit of the perfect wedding. Have a tight budget and keep to it to avoid overspending. This will allow you to negotiate prices and shop around more effectively. If you’re taking out a loan, make sure that it’s a loan that the two of you can comfortably afford to pay back – you don’t want to be resenting your wedding afterwards.

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Don’t drink too much too early

You’re likely to drink a lot on your wedding day, but be careful of drinking too much early on. You want to remember the day after all. People will buy you drinks throughout the night but don’t feel you have to drink them all. Be careful of having drinks before the ceremony to calm the nerves and go easy during the toasts.

Don’t be afraid to put a time limit on speeches

Talking of toasts, nobody wants the speeches to drag on. If you’ve got the type of family that will all want to contribute, don’t be afraid to put a time limit on this section of the day. Speeches that trail on for hours will eat into your party time. You may have guests that you haven’t invited to the meal, but who you’ve invited to the reception party and you don’t want them to be waiting around for you to finish your meal.

 

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Adding Extra Sparkle To Your Dinner Party

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Entertaining at home used to be considered a casual alternative to a night on the town. If you wanted a low-key, easy way to catch up with friends and relax, you would get them over to your place and either order takeout or cook a cheap and quick meal. Restaurants and bars were reserved for special occasions only – but these days things are quite different. Home entertaining has not only become more common in everyday society, but it has also become much fancier. People go all-out to impress with both their hosting and their cooking skills. After all, many of us have a natural need to nurture, and providing entertainment and quality food to those you care about can be a rewarding experience. There’s also no denying that it can be a bit of an ego-boost when people enjoy something you have done for them! So, if you’ve persuaded your loved ones to come round to your place instead of going out, you’re going to want to pull something off that truly makes it worth it for them. Here are a few ideas to help you add that extra bit of sparkle to your dinner party.

Appetizers

Nothing screams ‘posh event’ quite like a selection of canapes and appetizers – so why not try making some of your own? Typical practice for home entertaining is to throw some potato chips in a bowl and be done with it, but hand-making some pre-dinner treats shows that you’ve gone the extra mile. They can be quite fiddly to make if you’ve never done them before, so don’t try anything too ambitious just yet. There are plenty of flavorful yet simple combinations that won’t take a lot of time to make, but will still whet your guest’s appetite.

Quality alcohol

‘Bring a bottle’ is the usual protocol when it comes to having a meal with friends at home. However, if you want to treat your guests, ask them to leave the bottles at home – and YOU will provide the alcohol. This way, you can meticulously match the wines (or beers) to the food you are going to serve. Plus, you may want to invest in something a little harder for later in the evening, such as kikori whiskey. The spirits market has seen a huge resurgence in Japanese whiskey recently, so if you want to impress your guests, being knowledgeable about the most fashionable spirit around will certainly make your party one to remember.

A show-stopper dessert

Even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth yourself, simply bringing out a beautiful dessert can be enough to take your dinner party to the next level. Thanks to shows like Cake Boss, and across the pond, The Great British Bake Off, desserts have become more and more outlandish in recent years. Think of your dessert as a centerpiece as well as a sugary way to finish off the meal – there are some amazing designs you can use as inspiration if you’re not sure where to start.

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Hotness at Hotmess..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

So when a person like me visits Hotmess in CP, its called Hotness in Hotmess 😉

I happened to indulge in a nice lunch with some foodie friends recently and quite liked the place. It has a lounge type ambience, cool and comfortable and just apt for spending some cosy time with friends or family. The food and drinks served also good and here are my recommendations

  1. Chicken Steam Momos- really nice and juicy ones. I quite liked them.
  2. Foreign Cheese Pizza and Italian Cheese Pizza- nicely done, thin crust pizzas, perfectly spiced, and the toppings too were good. I enjoyed the chicken one a lot.
  3. Middle East Bites- a platter that comprises of falafel, hummus, lebneh, fattoush, pita and mukhalal was totally worth indulging in.
  4. Rogani Seekh Kebab- tender and juicy mutton seekh kebabs, topped with a cheesy sauce, they were delectable.
  5. Mexican Jalapeno Pop- a must try dish, very cheesy and tasty, these will be loved by everyone.
  6. Dahi Kebab Drumsticks- dahi filing like  bread rolls is how I can define these nice and delicious dahi kebabs. Vegetarians can definitely enjoy this.
  7. Cheesy Macaroni Veg Pasta- a typical mac and cheese, this was nice, but could have been spiced a little more, as I personally found it too bland for my liking.
  8. Dal Makhani and Butter Naan- good old favourite, as I was already too full with the starters, I just gobbled a couple of bites from this, but can say that the dal tasted perfect.
  9. Puppy Grilled Chicken- this was a very nicely done chicken. The flavours were perfect and must try this one.
  10. Double Dense Chocolate – its a perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. A dense and moist chocolaty cake served with vanilla ice cream.

The drinks too were good and they have good options in both mocktails and cocktails. Try the LIT Khamba, Whisky Sour, Watermelon Mojito, Summer Directions and Rang De Basanti.

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Overall it was good fun indulging in food and drinks at Hotmess, and you must give it a try.

HotMess Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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