Its That Time Of The Year Again

For some people, their favorite time of the year maybe thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, spring break, summer holidays, etc. Mine is always New Years Eve. It’s great to look back and see what we’ve achieved in the past twelve months. Check if we stuck to last year’s New Year resolution or not. I know I did not. I was supposed to stay away from chocolates but naturally I failed (it was a disastrous fail).

Here are some of my friends’ resolutions:

1. Run a marathon
2. Drop the usual three cups of coffee to not more than one per day
3. Read more books
4. Stop complaining
5. Get a career switch
6. Find my significant other
7. Get out of debt
8. Save more money
9. Meditate daily
10. Visit a new place
11. Write a diary
12. Reconnect with old friends/colleagues

As much as they all sound promising, I think it redefines the meaning of a resolution; specially a yearly one. For instance, getting a career switch and paying off one’s debt should not really be a resolution but should be more like rewarding your life with your work. Resolutions need to be things you don’t like doing but willing to change your likes for a whole year. The most successful resolution I have accomplished so far was not drinking soda for a year. Not only did I manage to stay away from it, but I don’t drink soda anymore at all. If it was something I could do for a year, I might as well keep it going.

What is your resolution for 2014?

The Naked Truth About Workouts

This post is from a friend, Jason Stubb, who is a personal trainer at the 24-hour fitness club in Hayward, California.

As a personal trainer, it is quite surprising when clients say the weirdest excuses to get out of workouts or to miss their daily session. As a personal trainer, I can offer mental and physical support but cannot force anyone into pushing weights or doing cardio. I want to talk about some common misconceptions that my clients usually have about a healthy lifestyle, diet and various exercises.

1. Fat and Muscle are completely different:
   Some clients think it’s easier to turn fat into muscle and so being fatter is an advantage. This is completely wrong! When working out one should focus on either burning fat or building muscle. It is not possible to convert one to the other. It is true that a person trying to get bigger should consume more calories, but we are talking about healthy calories like protein from lentils, grilled (oil-free) chicken breast, wheat breads, lots of water, veggies, fruits, a healthy breakfast, an extremely light dinner, and so on. The most effective way to build muscle while being overweight is for body-weight training. This workout includes cardio and resistance to burn calories and build new muscle tissues.
   PS: Primary results to be expected in 8-10 month after a consistent schedule.
2. Cardio > Weight-Lifting:
   It is true that calories burn during a cardio workout but the primary goal should be muscle gain. One can lose fat and always gain it back. But muscle stay around forever. Muscular tissues reduces the chance for fat to seep in those muscular areas thereby lowering the chance to gain fatty weight.
3. Myth —> Greater is the number of abdominal routines, the skinner is the waist:
   Sure, hundreds of crunches can be effective; but the most effective and shortcut path to gaining abs is to have a healthy diet. Eat clean & eat small at regular intervals. The exercises can help to strengthen your core muscles but the trick lies in the clean diet. Lots of athletes don’t follow millions of abdominal routines to get those perfect 6-packs. Cardio can also go a long way to get leaner and flatter. By cardio I mean any exercise that makes one perspire and gasp for breath be it basketball, swimming, soccer, football or even rowing.
4. Zero calories does not mean its good:
   Zero calorie drinks and diet sodas have a lot of artificial sweeteners that act as a substitute for sugar. This is equally harmful as regular sugars and honestly, soda is just a good-for-nothing drink in general.

Now drop and give me 2 more sets!!!!!

10 things college kids need to know

1. Drinking every weekend is stupid:
   Drinking itself makes no sense unless you’re with friends/colleagues at a bar watching the game. Hanging out in your college dorm and finding a reason to drink makes the night fun and reasonable if you have a 4.0 GPA that semester. And drinking just packs on extra pounds.
2. Good hygiene:
   Maintaining a good hygiene is a habit that is evolved over time. If you’re able to practise and stick to it during college, you will be a White Collar when you start working. Keep the restroom clean, organize your bedroom, don’t leave dishes in the sink, shower daily, etc. (Facepalm)
3. Chef-it-up:
   College is the best time to learn cooking. Students get a lot of time to experiment and eating out everyday is like torturing your wallet. If you’re a guy and you know how to cook, that’s a bonus point for women. Sure, on a college budget you won’t be able to go all Gordon Ramsey in your kitchen; improvise!
4. Grades prove nothing:
   If you try to impress me with your 4.0 from college, I’m just going to walk away. Learning & memorizing textbooks does not go a long way after college. What really matters is your ability to think outside the box. I have never been asked textbook definitions and theories for interviews. Instead, I’ve been asked about world news, current events, local news, my views on the company operations, etc. In my opinion, regardless of your GPA if you don’t read the news, you’re still incompetent.
5. Man/Woman – Up:
   Quit drama and talk face-to-face. Learn to resolve issues as soon as possible. Drama does not end at school. It can be seen in offices, adult-social circles, holiday trips – you name it!
6. Only thing we have to fear is fear itself:
   One of the greatest quotes from FDR’s inaugural speech. Don’t be scared to try something new, change majors, sit in for classes you might be interested in, develop an interest in non-academic activities, meet people outside your regular friends circle.
7. Emotional freedom:
   If you have to, just cry. It releases depression, takes a load of weight from the chest, clears your mind and eyes and releases stress. There is nothing wrong with crying once in a while; just don’t do it often – then you’re just a cry baby.
8. Ink your thoughts:
   If ever in doubt about anything, put it down on paper and read it. It makes more sense when things are written.
9. Avoid necessitating relationships:Don’t be in a relationship because you’re lonely or all your friends are in one. A relationship would never work if you are not comfortable being single. Understand the meaning of ‘significant other’ before dwelling into a relationship.
10. Parents are always right:
    Well at least they are in their own way. Their thoughts and ideas might be traditional and vintage, but remember that they have more experience than you. After all, they managed to raise and put you into college.

10 things I wish my parents would have told me

There are advice, experiences and life-hacks that we learn from our parents. But I wish, my folks had prepared me for living each day. Here are a few basic things that I realized are important, yet easy to miss in our daily lives.

1. Quality and not Quantity:
   I have over a 1,000 friends on Facebook and truckloads of family members. I bother to keep in touch only with those who bother enough to do the same for me. You want people in your life who will go the extra mile or take that strain to keep in touch with you. These are the people who come into your life to stay and make a positive difference.
2. ‘Boredom’ is fictitious:
   Unless you have learned all the languages of the world, read all the books in the world, tried to learn every musical instrument, travelled far and wide, experienced the richness and poorness of life, solved every math problem, taken every exam, you are not allowed to be bored. Life is too short to be bored.
3. Get used to being alone:
   At some point in their life, everyone is going to be alone; physically or mentally. Go through it because that experience defines you as a person. College students go through a phase where we are confused if we are pursuing the right major, career, and courses. It’s a scary phase because no one can help students decide what they want to do in life. Some find the right answer before college, some during, some after graduating and some even after their first day/year on the job.
4. Put down the technology:
   In this age of laptops, tablets, virtual glasses, smartphones, don’t forget to read books, relax on the beach, keep in touch with friends (Physically meet them), develop your idea for the start-up, and so on.
5. Family:
   You can have a  million friends but only family is guaranteed to stay beside you at your worst times. Your problems are their problems and vice versa.
6. Home Sweet Home:
   After moving around for college for the last few years, I realized that home is a feeling of comfort and safety. It’s not the physical location that matters. It’s the feeling of security and peace that makes any place home.
7. Flash that smile:
   A smile goes a long way. Be it with that cute girl at the cafe, the old couple you held the door for or at a random dude who stole your parking spot at Costco. It eases your mind and after all, Hakunamatata.
8. Know your planet:
   Read the news daily. Be informed of what is happening around the world. If there is a political dilemma, figure out what it is all about even if it doesn’t affect you. Find out who Kony and Assad are before hating on them. News make interesting conversations-starters.
9. Just do enough:
   There is no point in doing too much or doing too less to reach the same goal. Just do enough!
10. Deal with change:
    Change is good and learn to deal with it. Life moves on change. Its how everything evolved to its present state. Embrace change!

Presentation in a flash!

Let it be a school or office presentation, you have to be prepared to face the worst reaction from your audience. However informal it might sound, colleagues and classmates might cut you off in the middle of the slide and ask a question you haven’t prepared for. If you don’t have a good comeback for that, your presentation just got served!

After preparing presentations for a zillion business classes and half a zillion internships, here are a few tips to get you across this threshold and stand your ground.

1. Don’t read from slides:
   Slides are meant to be guidelines for the audience informing them what you’re going to be talking about. Your words should be a brief summary on these guidelines (memorize them or jot them down). Reading from slides beats the purpose of a presentation. By reading, the presenter loses focus on the topic and might have a harder time answering questions.
2. Walk n Talk:
   I get tensed and restless while presenting. It becomes harder to remember what to say while you have a hundred faces staring upon you. So I walk around in circles and try to keep a conversation going on. It’s eases the tension, and actually makes you want to present better, joke around a bit, engage the audience etc.
3. Know your material:
   Sometimes students tend to create a presentation because they just have to. It could be mandatory for the course, chance to get a better grade or compensate for a midterm or final. In these circumstances, take the opportunity to learn the material you’re presenting about till you know it like the back of your hand. Helps to answer questions, and talk about interesting facts regarding the subject.
4. Clean & Clear:
   Keep your slides as simple as possible; white background, black font and a simple logo or design to represent the topic. The cooler it looks on your laptop, the more annoying it will look on the projector.
5. Always have something to say:
   There might a pro or two who is familiar with the topic and might ask you a complicated question. My secret is ‘never lose your cool and puff up your chest to say’ – “That is a really good question sir. But to be honest with you, I did not come across that area during my research. I will find it out soon and let you know. Thank you for the question.”
   As stupid as it may sound, it will buy you out cleanly.

Presentations are meant to be fun and always remember that your audience might be equally clueless or too shy to ask you any serious questions. Just be yourself and grab the opportunity to boldly speak. Bring out the 007 in you!

From TED to INK it goes on….

Image: Inmobi

I am pretty sure everyone reading this blog has heard of TED Talks. My blog is so hard to find that if you are already on this page, you have definitely been on TED. I watch TED whenever I can because it is the best place to be inspired and informed.

India’s INK partnered with TEDx conference to host popular talks from INK on TED.com.

With inspirational talks from Ruchi Sanghvi to Arunanchal Muruganatham, the story of how workshop assistants became successful entrepreneurs will blow your mind.

If you got five minutes to spare (which I am sure you do), visit INK to boost your daily spirits.