The Power of Healthy Habits for 2022: Applying Age-Old Traditions to Your Daily Routine, Skincare, Meal Plans, and More
“Happy thoughts, Positive vibes, and Eating right” is my mantra. I believe in focusing on good karma and eliminating the junk in all forms, thoughts, vibes and food. If you’re happy from within, you glow naturally.” Today’s woman dreamer, Jasmine Soni, is a former model, a realtor and a mother. She shares her essentials for creating a clean and healthy lifestyle in 2021. From building healthy habits into your daily routine, to applying age-old traditions, Jasmine shares her personal health journey for skincare, weight management, exercise, a positive mindset, diet secrets, and her sample meal plan for success! Jasmine’s Tips are Perfect for Crafting Those New Years Resolutions! Enjoy her story, and have a wonderful New Years Day!
1) Tell us your story!
Born and married in a Punjabi family, food is my first love. I moved to the U.S. from New Delhi with my husband and a three-year-old son in 2007 to experience life overseas. We love meeting new people, learning about different cultures, and enjoy different experiences in life. After spending 10 years in San Francisco, we lived in Boston for 4 years and recently moved to Texas. In addition to being a full-time real estate advisor, I am a parent of two boys, 16 and 10, and am fully committed to success. God is great to have blessed us.
2) Over the years, you have made maintaining a healthy lifestyle a priority, no matter how busy life can be. What does your daily diet and routine look like?
“Happy thoughts, Positive vibes, and Eating right” is my mantra. I believe in focusing on good karma and eliminating the junk in all forms, thoughts, vibes and food. If you’re happy from within, you glow naturally. Over the years, I have learned that when you eat good, you feel good. I don’t stick to a particular diet plan but believe in making healthy choices on a day to day basis along with exercise. Since 2013, I switched to organic food and gluten-free choices.
I start my day with a glass of water (something I learned from my dad), soaked almonds, walnuts, and raisins. During the day, I drink green tea and eat fresh fruits that help me control portion size as then I don’t feel hungry that much. I am very fond of fruits like berries(anti-oxidants) and anything raw like avocado, carrots, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes. I absolutely do not munch on snacks. Very rarely, I eat sweets. To settle my cravings for chocolates, dark chocolate bark thins and truffles (gluten-free) come in handy.
My diet consists of balanced meals with a variety of options like green vegetables, lentils, yogurt, ghee, and salad on the side. I have a salad (cucumber, tomatoes with fresh lemon juice) with every meal for freshness and vitality. I am a non-vegetarian and love chicken and fish. I have grown up eating malai (white butter) with paranthas and enjoy 1 tsp. of ghee in my bowl of lentils and on my chapati. I believe ghee in moderation helps lubricate the joints in the body. In winters, I mix a tbsp each of Pearl millet (bajra), jowar, and Finger millet (ragi) to the multigrain flour for fiber content and easy digestion. Chia seeds and flaxseeds are other options that I mix regularly with flour.
3) As we kick off the New Year, many are looking to start new diet plans and adapt a healthier lifestyle. What is your advice to those looking to get healthy? What are some ways to get healthy at home?
Know your body and eat right.
Good quality sleep is essential.
Switch to Gluten-free choices for bread, tortillas, pasta.
Walk during lunch hour or use stairs at home.
Keep light weights handy, use them whenever you can.
Dance to your favorite tune.
Train your mind, find time for yourself, you can do it.
Find a friend who shares the same interests/goals towards fitness as yourself so you both can motivate each other.
For a healthy lifestyle and fitness routines, discipline is the key. Pre- Covid, I used to hit the gym every morning for group fitness classes. I am not great in those classes but I get the inspiration from the group and keep going till the end of the class at my own pace. I have experienced that exercising helps in relieving any stress I have, and boosts energy levels. I feel more active after the gym. Post-Covid, Peloton is my best friend at home. Also, I purposely go up and down the stairs many times a day. At least 3 times a week, I follow low-impact exercises along with youtube trainers. Whenever I get a chance between calls, I tone up using weights and jump-rope while listening to music. A proper sleep routine helps me in preventing weight gain and boosts my immune system.
4) In addition to healthy diet and lifestyle, you also have a passion for healthy skin. What are your top tips for healthy skin in the New Year?
Skincare: I believe that great skin is simply not a matter of DNA but your daily habits as well. Caring for your skin is simply personal. I am happy to share my skincare regime.
Cleansing: I wash my face with warm water many times a day.
Toning. : I apply papaya, tomatoes, and egg-white with honey as skin toners. I use a mixture of yogurt, gram flour, turmeric, and milk as a face pack.
Moisturizing: Hydrating and softening the skin is of utmost importance to me. Coconut oil, almond oil, and glycerine work wonderfully for my dry skin.
Makeup: I don’t wear much makeup. My everyday look is kajal and sunscreen.
5) You are a big believer in applying age old traditions and spices to your meal plan. What are some of your favorite ingredients? Any family recipes/traditions that you believe are essential to health?
Food: There's nothing like ‘Maa Ke Haath Ka Khana” and I look forward to eating it when I visit India. My role models are my Nani(maternal grandmother), my mum, and my mother in law. The food cooked at my Nani’s place is the simplest yet the yummiest food in the entire world. I learned the benefits of different spices from all of them and they make the base of most vegetables or lentils I cook. I imply their teachings in everyday life. My all-time favorites are ginger, garlic, cumin, black pepper, cilantro, turmeric, white pepper, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves, fennel, basil, and green chilies in my gravies or dry vegetables. Even my morning cup of tea/chai always has ginger and ground whole masalas( cloves, black pepper, black and green cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seeds). You will always find a mint and cilantro dip in my fridge that goes with every meal. The benefits of lemonade and coconut water are uncomparable.
Do you follow a routine, exercise regimen, and/or diet? If so, please share with our audience what your day looks like and why it has worked for you? What are some challenges you have faced and how do you overcome them?
Initially, it was difficult for me to get into an exercising routine with work and little kids but when I felt the need for my space, I knew losing pregnancy weight will make me happy. Tired of all day, after tucking kids in bed, I would push myself to go to the gym and when I started enjoying the experience, I would go early in the morning at 5 a.m. Believe me, morning time is the most inspiring. Then there was no looking back.
Also, getting back into the routine of exercising after vacation is difficult. I usually take a week to settle back into the routine of eating healthy and exercising daily. Further, getting used to foods with acquired tastes. Many foods like avocado, kale, dill are acquired taste. I try different combinations of spices to make it tasty.
Taking care of children, home and job have always been a challenge but slowly I figured time management. Planning for the next day's meal in advance is the key. I do grocery shopping on a Friday evening after work, to save time the next day. I prepare the main ingredient,(gravy) on Saturday morning. With practice, I have developed speed and it takes me a total of 2 hrs to cook on 6 flames for the next 5 days. I make a variety of vegetables that get consumed in one meal respectively. Listening to music helps me enjoy cooking. With gravy ready n set to go for the week, every morning I pressure cook either kidney beans, garbanzo, lentils with gravy in it and simmer it till I get ready to go to work. In the evening, another 15 mins of simmering and beans are ready to be served. By the time kids eat healthy lentils, I cook chapati to go with cooked vegetables and yogurt. Fresh-cut cucumber, spinach leaves, and cherry tomatoes go on the side, with fresh lemon juice sprinkled on top.
Finally, at work, a 10-minute break led to quick solutions like carrots, fresh-cut cucumber, a whole apple, banana, berries, and avocado with salt n pepper. Walk at lunch hour is mandatory for me as it freshens me up.
As a dreamcatchers platform we would love to know; what is your big dream?
I am grateful to God for everything I have achieved. My biggest dream is to give back to society and be helpful to others by contributing my time, knowledge, money, or effort.