Womenlines welcomes its first Shutterbugs Guest Influencer Gunjan Swarup, founder of  The Wishbone Affair for photography in Singapore, at Womenlines. Enjoy the lovely moments of motherhood captured by Gunjan and read the essence of motherhood beautifully described in her words-

The word Motherhood itself encompasses a universe in itself. And even though we all love our mothers deeply, we truly come to appreciate her and the endless sacrifices only when we embrace motherhood. The sleepless nights, painful labour, the stretch marks, nausea, feeding, changing, tantrums, entertainment and the million other small things which keep a mother on her toes from the day she gives birth. And she does this unflinchingly, selflessly, day after day, year after year, till she is alive.

There is no role which is bigger or more difficult and the rewards come in small moments – the tiniest hugs, the joy on the face of a child when he spots his mother in a crowd or how she cuddles up and calms down in the embrace of her mother. Working full time or stay at home, the energy, patience, devotion, love, selflessness that every mother naturally exhibits is something to marvel!

A mother is your sunshine on a gloomy day,

A guiding star on a dark night,

The pillar you can always lean on,

She listens to your words and hears your silence,

She joins your laughter and shares your sorrow,

She is the warmest hug, the safest haven, the staunchest supporter, the truest critic, the biggest strength, the greatest friend and the purest, most selfless love.

Working full time or stay at home, the energy, patience, devotion, love, selflessness that every mother naturally exhibits is something to marvel!

As a freelance photographer, I have had the privilege of shooting some amazing women. These are some of my favourite images of some incredible mothers.

Gunjan Swarup

On a sabbatical from the corporate world, mother to two boys, freelance photographer, blogger.

https://www.facebook.com/thewishboneaffair/

https://www.instagram.com/thewishboneaffair/

Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Underneath the Pink Umbrella as a guest contributor on Womenlines panel. Underneath the Pink Umbrella is a student in Singapore and feels strongly about women issues. This month she is sharing her views regarding ‘Youthquake’, defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”, which has been selected by Oxford Dictionaries as the 2017 word of the year-

Underneath the Pink Umbrella: A new word a day keeps Alzheimer’s at bay. Youthquake is the newest addition to the Oxford English Dictionary, read on to see why this word is the most powerful word. Youthquake is a word, which can be used by the women empowerment movements across the world, and that is the reason, you will find this article here, in Womenlines!

Word: Youthquake

Definition: A significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/youthquake)

Example: The powerful youthquake in form of the social media retaliation to the rape and murder of the innocent Asifa was a poignant moment for Indians around the world.

This word has recently been welcomed into the Oxford English Dictionary: Youthquake. Very evidently, its origins are from the earthquake, which is a tremor of the Earth’s tectonic plates and cause the Earth, to well, quake. Similarly, when the socio-political-cultural milieu undergoes a fundamental change, driven by the youth’s power and collective influence, it is a youthquake.

I read about the admission of the word in an online article, which promised to emphasize on how the inclusion of new words as such is telling of the world we live in. But, the article simply reiterated the power of youth.

Thus, I thought to use my own power as a youth to talk about the importance of such a word being recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.

Using the power of social media, be it positively or negatively, does have the power to get people to listen to you. Be it the #MeToo movement that I referenced in my previous article, or the resounding reaction and collective solidarity portrayed in the shootings at Ariana Grande’s concert. These are all examples of how easily the youth throughout the world have the ability to connect with one another to come together and force the world to pay attention to what they believe is important for the world. It is representative of how the new generation has grown up, including me, as we use the technological advancement to rally and support one another.

Why is this word important?

It is important because it shows that in a world where the same social media is used to carry out terrorist attacks, scam people and for crime, it is important to appreciate and see its positive impact as well. Facebook for example, whenever there is a natural calamity or an incident which causes human harm, the platform can be used to ensure the safety of individuals and call for help. As a teenager, we all heard our nagging parents get off our phones and study. Today, my main source of world news is social media. I know what is happening before my parents, as they wait to see the sensationalized and exaggerated versions of the same incident on our local news channel.

There is misinformation and fake news out there, and these things are indeed looked down upon, but the same tool used to propagate that is also a silent saviour. Therefore, this word is also important, because, it is representative of the official recognition of this power that the youth can yield.

In my own life, I can see Youthquake has such a powerful meaning. The world mourned Asifa’s death and everyone I knew posted a message or composed powerful messages to propel the conversation about rape. #PrayforAsifa was trending, my social media feeds were populated with messages of pain and utter sadness as to how a human can possibly cause such harm to a harmless child. The lack of political condemnation was widely discussed and questioned, how many more rapes need to occur before the laws are made more stringent and the culpable face capital punishment. Every argument in the book, saying her clothes are too revealing, or her actions compel the men to rape her, all fail when the men violated her. What bigger wave of youthquake is needed for it to be a wake-up call for the world, and especially my home country, India?

Words are a way we communicate, when a new one comes about and you use it broadly enough, sometimes, our creative minds can come up with that one powerful word, which crystallizes the essence of an entire movement in a new thought, and when it does happen, the change should be welcomed, and celebrated! In eventual time, this word may even enter our textbooks and our children would learn it as a part of the official English Language. We can now think that it is something we ourselves create.

In school, we might forget, that what we learn, was also discovered or invented by another human in the past. Therefore, this word can be used as an example, to bear witness to a word may increase in usage and may be appreciated by the future generations, for the existence of a word as powerful as, Youthquake.

Underneath the Pink Umbrella:

Hey! I am currently a freshman studying business, quite boring you might think, right? But I’m passionate about it! Besides that, I’m passionate about women’s rights, which is a topic that has been debated for centuries. A historian and artist, I try to research the story behind everything and imbue creativity in whatever I do. My contributions will show you my stance on women’s issues and offer a historical background and a fresher and more relatable perspective on the world and women around you.

An event to help women to re-start their career!

Womenfolk who are looking forward to re-start their career will find this hands-on event interesting!

Women are often surrounded by self-doubt for various reasons, they feel they are constantly being judged and are under pressure to perform. Sounds familiar?

Your career re-start does not have to be that way. Career re-start event can help women across the bridge of transition with a curated panel discussion and hands-on workshop that gives access to real talk on dealing with change, re-inventing careers, finding alignment between heart and brain and a much needed honest look at the LinkedIn profile and CV skills.

The Career Re-Start Workshop is an intimate, full day, hands-on platform for women seeking to start or change careers, be it in startups or corporates.

Ask anything!! Transitioning, marketing, HR, brand building, networking, tech, data, digital, changing careers, balancing with family, how to find your key strengths to position for the future.

This workshop is designed to give you an opportunity to broaden your network with career enablers and other like-minded people, hear personal stories from those who have carved a niche for themselves and are now in a position to help you take charge of your career journey.

Trainers at the workshop will also show you how to walk your talk through a series of workshops to get familiar with insights, strategies & hands-on tools to help you spring back!!

Register now!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Michel Neray,  a professional speaker, consultant and founder of momondays as a guest Influencer on Womenlines panel, sharing his expert knowledge related to public speaking with Womenlines readers. Michel has helped thousands of individuals craft and perform ‘purposeful’ stories to become more effective leaders, salespeople, coaches, teachers, trainers, speakers, and influencers of all types. He also uses Purposeful Storytelling to more effectively differentiate, position and brand organizations in the market. In this article, Michel is sharing about the importance of ‘Story’ in Speaking.

Most speaker training is all about performance, but in the mospeaker academy, we’re all about the story first. Of course, performance is important too, but it comes later. It has to… otherwise what, exactly, are you performing, right? Right. Turns out, according to neuroscience, we are on to something. (Duh!)Lisa Cron, author of ‘Wired for Story’, writes that neuroscientists believe stories are what make us uniquely human, and the way we process stories has been key to placing us at the top of the food chain. We are hardwired to use stories as the primary vehicle for making sense of our world. Evolution has made us crave stories — they fire our dopamine neutrons, and you know how much we crave that! In an article published in Harvard Business Review, Paul Zak reports on evidence that character-based stories cause the brains of the listener to make oxytocin, which in turn increases levels of empathy, trust and safety.  That’s why he advises business people to begin every presentation with a compelling, human-scale story. But is there a specific structure to a good story? Are there any guidelines to engage the listener (or reader) from the very first sentence? If it were as easy as popping your content into a rigid formula, then every novel would be a bestseller; every talk would move millions of people to action; and, computers could write one for you. But alas, storytelling is as much art as it is science, and there are a myriad of tips and guidelines to keep in mind as you develop yours. Here are four:

1. Start as close to the end of the story as possible. Many people start much too early because they feel that a lot of contexts is important. Trust me, it’s not.
2. Build the action so that the listener is always wondering what comes next. Building in action gives the story a sense of movement; building each step of the action in such a way that you pique the listener’s need to know what happens next is what makes it totally engaging.
3. Be clear about the ‘human’ element of your story. Your story is unique because it’s your story. Cool. But, it should also be ‘everyone’s’ story — that’s the human element. Chances are, you won’t know what that is when you start working on your story – trust me on that too – but at some point, as you tell and re-tell it, you’ll figure it out… and that will make all the difference.
4. Consciously balance specific details with general descriptions. Specifics give the mind the meat it needs to chew on, but even the mind needs to swallow once in a while and digest it all. (How’s that for a mixed metaphor?) In other words, not enough detail is boring and generic… while too much detail is, well, too much.

Are these the only four things you need to know in order to tell a great story? Absolutely not. That’s why it takes practice, and perhaps a masterclass or two. (grin)

Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Geetanjali Tandon as a guest writer on Womenlines panel. She has more than 15 years of experience in corporate finance specifically in Financial Planning and Analysis in various companies/ industries. In this article, Geetanjali shares about the importance of taking charge of their financial planning by Womenfolk-

You are responsible for your own well-being and health. You take care of your health by watching what you eat, going for regular check-ups and exercising so your body remains healthy and better prepared to bear the weathering of ageing. Do you do the same for your financial well-being?

This is especially applicable to women. How many married women actively participate in managing their own finances and review their financial well-being on a regular basis? If you are a married woman and are asked if you know about all your bank accounts, credits cards, loans and investments, would you know all the answers? Or will you have to pause, think, ask your husband and get yourself “financially literate” about your own finances. Unfortunately, a large percentage of married women would be the in this category. In 2014, a study conducted by the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center found an even greater gap: only 22% of US Women [1]surveyed, compared to 38 percent of men, could answer three simple finance-related questions correctly.

U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in 2008 defined financially literate as “the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being.”

Women cannot afford not to know about their own finances. It is essential to take ownership of your finances, and also gain knowledge through brands like SoFi who offer products such as loans, credit cards, and a ROTH IRA calculator to calculate savings, all of which can help people manage their money better.
In a marriage, it is not one person’s responsibility or their right to do this all alone. It is your responsibility to become financially literate and fully participate in your family’s financial decisions. Too many women are told not to talk about money or question the decisions made by husbands regarding financial health as it’s considered crass and unfeminine. Per the 2013 Allianz Women, Money, and Power Study, 90% of women surveyed believed that they should be more involved in financial planning. However, 42% said that financially independent women were intimidating to both men and women and end up alone.

On the other hand, empowering women financially has shown more families coming out of poverty as women make decisions for the well-being of the whole family and take long-term impacts into consideration. Here are 7 steps you can take now to start taking charge of your finances:

• Know all your accounts: Understand all the types of accounts you have—savings, checking, fixed, etc. Understand how each of the accounts works and the interest earned or fees you may be charged for some of those accounts. If you have had to move from one country to another, you must maintain accounts in multiple countries and learn the banking rules of the new location. Take your time to understand the different types of accounts and interest and fees for those accounts.
• Know your investments and loans: Understand what investments you have. Investments help grow your money—make your money work for you. It is very important to invest your savings prudently. Money sitting at home losses value rather than gains value. Invest in a variety of investment types—real estate, stocks, mutual funds and even commodities such as gold and silver. Review your entire investment portfolio and evaluate its diversity and understand how much risk you can and should take based on your age and other circumstances. Just like your investments, you should have a complete understanding of any loans you might have—home, car, credit cards, etc. Understand the interest rates and terms for each of them. Taking stock of your investments, savings, and loans help you understand what your financial value is at a certain point in time and based on its components whether you expect it to grow or decrease in the future.
• Know your budgets and what you spend on a yearly basis: Budgeting is a very important exercise. Budgeting does not mean that you should check your balance and expenses every time you spend your money. Budgeting means should you have a good idea how much of your money you want or must spend in various areas such as rent or EMI (mortgage) for the house, electricity, car, food, entertainment, travel, clothes, etc., on an annual basis and review that regularly.
• Plan for big spending items that you anticipate in the future: We all must plan for some of the big expenditures that may come up in the future. One of the biggest ones that you should plan for is your kid’s education. You should have the discussion regarding what kind of school and university education you will be able to afford. This should be a realistic discussion between husband and wife, and when they reach an appropriate age, the kids should be informed what to expect. We all want to provide the best education for our kids but we should also know the limitations of what we will be able to afford without ruining us financially. It is unrealistic for us to expect the kids to look after us because we used all our savings for their education. This planning should be done for each child—do not expect the elder child to pay for the younger one. We should also plan for any expenses we foresee for our parents’ needs and save for them accordingly.
• Save for Retirement: The average life expectancy for both men and women is increasing but women’s’ life expectancy is longer than that for men. As a woman, you should plan to live with financial freedom in your old age. Retirement savings should start as soon as you start working. Each country has different tools to save for retirement—know the rules and take advantage of these tools. Even if you are not an earning member of the household you are an equal member of that household. You should have an open conversation regarding the lifestyle you want in your old age and save accordingly. Do not depend on your children to provide for you. Make sure you have enough savings to live comfortably and pay for medical needs as you grow older.
• Learn basics about finance and taxes: There are a lot of resources available today on the internet that provides information about personal financial planning and provide definitions of the basic financial terms. Take the time to read and learn. Taxation is another area that affects the decisions you make in both the short and long term as it impacts your investments, savings and retirement accounts. Each country has different tax laws. Make sure you are involved in the annual tax filings and take the time to understand them.
• Ask Questions: No question is a wrong question especially when it concerns your own money.

It is your money – Own it!

[1] http://gflec.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WP-2016-1-How-Financially-Literate-Are-Women.pdf

Geetanjali Tandon

Global IT Finance Lead

Monsanto

Greater St.Louis Area

https://dataandfpa.blogspot.sg/

Womenlines Influencer for Yoga, Archana Amlapure sharing this month is about how Inner Space Management can bring clarity in life-

What is inner space?

Our inner space is full of

• Thoughts
• Emotions/feelings
• Memories

HAPPINESS is Inner space management or managing and balancing above-mentioned things.

Circumstances, situations, relationships make us feel demotivated and takes away our happiness, but our attitudes can keep us healthy in any situation and circumstances. Fewer thoughts and fewer activities make life simple and easy. The expansion is immense happiness; constriction is sadness, worries, stress, and tension.

The first step to manage your inner space is to manage and keep your outer space healthy. Ensuring outer space is also maintained well, which contributes to inner space.

What is outer space and how we can manage it?

• Family
• Health
• Friends
•  Work
• Interests

Take out some time and check if each of this space is cluttered or organized.

When we shift our awareness from self to objects, situations and relationships, then the activity of senses increases, and we move in the process of involution.

But when we shift our awareness from objects to self, dependency on senses reduces; we come close to our true self and process of evolution starts.

Regular Practice of Yoga helps and supports the process of evolutions and the tools used are:

• Meditation/slowing down activities of mind
• Yoga
• Gratitude
• Positive actions
• Deep breathing

How do we manage our inner space?

Just by following 5 tips we can manage inner space quite well-

1. Write 3 things you are grateful for (21 days)

The struggles end when gratitude begins.

Very often we crib and complain about the things, which we don’t have. Gratitude means having awareness for the many good, small or big things you have in your life. Gratitude can be expressing and putting it into words. When you express your gratitude regularly, then you can turn negativity into positivity, chaos into order, denial into acceptance, confusion into clarity and a house into a home. When you have a sense of abundance and realization, each day gets better and better.

Write three things every day, which you are grateful for, for 21 days to make this a habit and attract abundance in life.

2. Keep Journal – write one positive thing about yourself

Journaling is like whispering to oneself and listening at the same time- Mina Murray

Journaling is therapeutic as well as healing. Every day along with Gratitude, write down one positive thing about yourself.

Always our mind tends to think or create a situation, which is not in your own favour, and criticize us. The act of writing the positive thing about you will help you to see things positively and train your brain to think more positively

3.Yoga postures to train your body

The entry point or first outer space is your own physical body, which needs to be taken care of. When you are healthy on you’re physically, then only you can manage your inner space very well or else you spend all the time managing your body. Yoga is the best way to train your body to strengthen muscles, improve immunity and stamina and increase flexibility. Dedicating 15 minutes daily and minimum 2-3 days in a week will have a magical effect on your outer space.

4. Meditation to spend time with your self

Our bodies are designed to move and mind to stay still, but we do exactly opposite in this modern age. Meditation is the sure way to make your mind still and when it happens, you stay with yourself and this is the best way to spend time with yourself. This process makes it easier to manage your inner spaces.

5. Random act of kindness without expecting

If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction.

When we do something for others without any expectations, it gives the pure pleasure and happiness. Kindness gives the feeling of gratitude. It promotes empathy and compassion. Doing simple acts like helping others, holding the door for someone behind you, giving the seat to elderly/needy people in bus or train, will lead to a sense of interconnectedness with others. It is the best way to release stress and studies also shows that the people who are happy are more kind.

So, do at least one act of kindness per day.

When we follow above tips, these triggers take less priority and you can focus more on the important task, which you want to do. Remember, wherever you direct your focus, energy floats towards that. Whatever you allow in your space, you eventually become that.

Finally, why not to make a choice to allow peace, content, stillness and feeling of joy and happiness to your inner space…

-Archana Amlapure

Founder-http://Www.ojasyog.com
http://Www.facebook.com/ojasyog
Instagram: ojasyoga0704
Linkedin: Archana Amlapure

Womenlines takes pleasure to welcome Dr Nalini Tandon as ‘Guest Contributor’ at Womenlines. Her incredible working experience in medical field gave her an opportunity to see life very closely and she looks forward to sharing her learnings, experiences, tips, stories with Womenlines’ readers. Her first sharing is an eye- opener for young families which highlights the urgency of changing eating habits for the whole family in present times-

I was numbed with grief today! I received a telephone call informing me that Sanjay, the son of
our dear friend and neighbour, had passed away due to sudden heart failure. His problem? He was a diabetic, very obese, and only 27 years old. His death has set me thinking about the behavioural and nutritional practices of the Indian community, specifically many in the middle class.
Take the example of Sanjay’s parents. His father is a software engineer with a degree from the
prestigious IIT, Mumbai. He works in a multinational firm. Sanjay’s mother is a lecturer in one of the colleges associated with Delhi University. In other words, they are a typical middle-class family in urban India, with extremely comfortable earnings. They have two children, a daughter who is a doctor and married, and Sanjay who was their second child. The parents pampered the children, especially their son. The children were given the latest gadgets and watched TV whenever they liked; their recreations were online games and games in the malls. Every event was celebrated with a party at McDonalds or Pizza Hut since those fast food restaurants were considered prestigious. Both the parents were working and advancing their career, so they had very little time to cook or eat together as a family. In short, the family did everything wrong when it came to nutrition.
When Sanjay was diagnosed with diabetes four years ago, they were troubled, but despite the
doctor’s advice and some efforts made there was little change in his weight. A young life was thus snuffed out due to obesity and its complications!
The World Health Organization has recognized the importance of the obesity epidemic. India is
just emerging as an obesity hub, and instead of procrastinating we should act fast to curb the problem before it grows to gigantic proportions. Research reveals that the number of overweight children in India ranges from 10% to 30 %, while obese children are in the range of 5%-7%, varying from state to state. Considering the population of India, these numbers range from 12- 40 million overweight children, and 2-2.5 million obese children! These are big numbers, and while we also grapple with the problem of under-nutrition and underweight children, we cannot ignore obesity, which is spreading its tentacles to debilitate our children or snatch them away from us.
Studies have indicated that numbers of overweight and obese children are higher in more affluent states like Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi. Low levels of physical activity, television, and junk food are associated with a higher prevalence of overweight children. Obese children often grow up to become obese adults. Obesity leads to many chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, and teeth and gum problems. Such children are often teased and bullied. This could lead to low self-esteem, depression, and other psychological problems. This causes more isolation for the child. Being overweight can also cause breathing problems. Finding it difficult to breathe causes the child to shun exercising, leading to a vicious circle. Research has also shown that children who are obese start showing signs of atherosclerosis (hardening of an artery that leads to heart disease) as early as 11 years
of age and result in devastating outcomes like the death of Sanjay. These are extremely worrisome developments, and the Indian middle and upper-middle-class parents, who as per studies are the most affected, must wake up to these facts and take action to protect their children.
Today, the changing scenario in urban and semi-urban cities has taken a toll on the development of many children in their growing years. Usually, both the parents go out to work and the children are left alone with no proper guidance. Television, internet, and video games consume their time. Parents try to compensate for their absence and appease the guilt, by providing children with the latest gadgets and other luxury goods, thus increasing the communication gap and also pushing them towards obesity.
No child should die due to obesity!

·Parents, please play with your child! This will benefit the entire family and there will be no need to visit the gym for exercise.
· Parents, please eat meals as a family! Discuss the day’s events rather than sitting in front of the TV, or each member becoming busy with his/her own gadget.
· Parents, cook your own meals! Processed food and fast food both are tickets to weight gain.

Revert to cooking fresh food. Take time out for this activity and when both of you will do it
together it will be done faster, and as an added benefit help you to communicate better.
Let us save our children from the entirely preventable malady of obesity and its tragic complications, and give them healthy childhoods that will lead to productive and satisfying lives.

My name is Dr Nalini Tandon. I was born in Lucknow and grew up in Allahabad where I had my schooling. I passed my MBBS from Lady Harding College, Delhi University, in 1972. I worked with the Employees State Insurance Corporation at various places and posts. I retired in 2009 as State Medical Commissioner. After retirement, I volunteered my clinical services and taught at YMCA, New Delhi. I give great emphasis to education thus while pursuing a career I furthered my education by doing certificate courses in Family Welfare and Health Administration from the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. I followed this up with a Masters Diploma in Health and Hospital Management from Indira Gandhi National Open University in New Delhi in 2002 for which I was awarded the University Gold Medal. I did not stop there. Later, I joined Masters in Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, USA in 2013 and completed it in 2015. I followed this with a stint of jobs in USA.

I am now planning to pen down my experiences, as I love the written word. My hobbies are reading, listening to old Hindi songs and taking long peaceful walks.

Hypertension, or an abnormally high blood pressure, is almost as common as the common cold in the present times. However, this abundance is not the worst manifestation of this medical condition. It is rather the fact that it comes and stays without prior warnings, which means there are no specific symptoms to signal its presence. It is a long-term medical condition and one can be affected for years without having the knowledge of it.
The fact that it does not announce its presence with symptoms makes it difficult to identify and hence treat. Some people report headaches or dizziness but these can’t be considered as symptoms directly associated with high blood pressure.

There are two categories of Hypertension:

Primary or Essential, where the cause is mostly unknown and symptoms almost absent; and
Secondary, which suggests the sustained stage of the same where it is accompanied by additional signs and symptoms. These additional symptoms are of medical conditions that coexist with hypertension, that are also deemed to be the cause of it. The prevalent cause of secondary hypertension is kidney diseases, but hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome and other endocrine conditions are also potential causes.

Although apparently harmless initially, a prolonged state of hypertension can be damaging in two ways— increased workload on the heart, and its effect on arteries. The increased workload on the heart causes the size of tissue of the cardiac muscles to expand. As the state of hypertension progresses, the heart becomes weaker. This wear and tear ultimately lead to a plethora of hypertensive heart diseases, coronary and peripheral artery diseases, stroke and chronic kidney diseases, causing multiple organ damages.
Like in most medical conditions, hypertension too should ideally be nabbed at the primary stage before it progresses to cause additional damage to the body. Experts advise regular health check-ups to keep track of the blood pressure, especially if you have a family history of hypertension behind you. Although mostly unknown, the following have been loosely considered causes of primary hypertension:
• Ageing
• Genetics
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Stress
• Depression
• Maternal smoking and lack of breastfeeding in women

Nutrition and exercise: The role of well-balanced lifestyle in a condition of hypertension
At the primary stage, the few causes that can be kept in check are obesity, stress, depression and poor choice of lifestyle. The role of nutritional management in keeping a medical condition of hypertension, therefore, is paramount. A gradual weight loss in overweight-obese individuals and maintenance of body weight slightly below normal levels is what one should aim for when targeting hypertension at the essential level.
Dietary Recommendations-
Dietary approaches to stop hypertension is a plan which is recommended. Its a plan which is rich in fruits, nuts, grains, fish and low-fat dairy. The focus is providing sufficient amount of Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium. Fibre and protein. Typical examples are food like Bananas, Celery, Spinach, avocado, watermelon, beetroot, broccoli, green veggies, seeds and nuts etc Choosing food low in salt is critical as sodium leads to fluid retention which leads to blood pressure.

Meenu Agarwal

Founder of Food ‘n’ Wellness, a food, and nutrition advisory company based out of Singapore. Meenu is a trained clinical dietitian & holds a Masters degree in Nutrition & Dietetics. She is registered with the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetic Association( SNDA).  She specializes in providing nutrition advice with an emphasis on managing medical conditions like diabetes, cholesterol, acidity, thyroid, blood pressure and weight-related issues. 
Visit  http://www.foodnwellness.com

Hello Singapore,

 Let’s have some bonding time with our families in ‘Family Fun Day’ event, doing dance and yoga activities together as a family for enjoyment and charity cause both!

 A cordial invitation to all of you to join us for a family fun day on 20th may at 11 am in the function hall, 9 Thomson lane, 5^th floor, sky@ eleven, Singapore 297726.

The event is both for kids and adults.

There are dance activities, yoga, delicious cupcakes with drinks and many more fun activities for all of you….

The funds raised from the event will be contributed to a charitable organization, “Parivaar” working passionately towards taking care and overall development of extremely impoverished children.

TIME schedule-

 11:30 am to 12 pm, 1 pm to 1:30 pm- dance –Hip-hop, Bollywood, Zumba and Salsa by a certified dancer.

12:15-12:45 pm, 1:45 to 2:15 pm- yoga by a certified yoga instructor.

Looking forward to your kind support to serve this noble cause!

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, a book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook has always been very dear to me as it completely changed my thoughts pattern in a very positive way. I came across Lean in circles through social media and finally got a chance to attend a Lean In Circle event for Women in Tech Community in Singapore.

‘Women in Tech-Power of Circles’ event was organised by Singapore chapter of Lean in at OUE Downtown 2 on 25th April. Lean in community harnesses the power of peer support with circles under various interests groups in Singapore. There are almost 68 circles in Singapore. Lean in circles are small groups who meet regularly to learn and grow together. This event which was sponsored by Aviva gave an opportunity to network with the tech community and witness the power of circles.

At the event, valuable tips were shared and inspiring guidance was given on how to overcome the Unconscious Bias that often prevails in male-dominated industries like the tech scene and the importance of circles to overcome it. Real life tips were suggested during the circle discussion: find a posse to make yourself heard, be persistent in calling out unconscious bias and don’t forget to keep a good sense of humour!

Real life stories were also shared at the event. Three Singapore Circle leaders: Padmini Pandya (Adobe), SETUP Circle Leader, first explained the importance of getting a reality check from your peers once in a while and adds that circles, besides the fun they can be, have very powerful effects on your career. She was followed by Ellie Warner, Standard Chartered Bank Circle Leader: “Creating the SCB Circle has had a huge impact on me, both professionally and personally. It makes me feel enormously proud to be part of this movement. If you want to embark on that journey, go for it, there’s no going back.” Finally, Ana Garcia del Molino, AI Singapore Circle leader, revealed: “I haven’t started my career in the industry yet but I have a lot of information already on how to negotiate, how to build a network so that everything is easier.” Later  Uma Thana B and Aim Kusuwan, respectively Lean In Singapore co-founder and leader, spoke about the importance and the #PowerOfCircles, especially in the tech industry: “Our mission is to empower women and to make you see that you can achieve anything.”

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Womenlines ‘Entrepreneur of the Month’ is an incredible woman who is redefining women’s role in the field of technology through her cloud technology-based company.

It is such a pleasure to introduce Lynette Seah, founder and CEO  of Alpha7, a company named one of the top 25 Most Promising Technology Startups in 2016 by APAC CIO Outlook.

Lynette Seah is an Australian Chartered Accountant with over 28 years of experience in MNCs such as PWC and J.D Edwards, including 8 years’ experience as VP of Finance & Strategy at Salesforce.com  As a passionate advocate of digital transformation, she believes that the use of technology and data can help businesses to stay competitive and relevant in this aggressive and fast-paced digital economy. It is challenging for Enterprises and SMEs to adopt, adapt and plan their digital journey. Read about her entrepreneurial journey in her own words- 

1.Please share with our reader’s little bit about yourself.

I feel I am living in a reverse engineering mode – Born in Singapore, Bred & Qualified in Australia, and Managed in an MNC environment in Technology covering Asia Pacific till I started Alpha7 in Jan 2014. I was so career focused that I missed out a lot of things. I am still learning a lot of EQ stuff along the way in my digital Alpha7 journey.

Although I have been told I am too hard on myself focusing on how to be a better person, I am focused that we “don’t know what we don’t know”. Where I can, I want to make a difference personally and professionally in this season in Alpha7.

2. So when did you started this venture and what inspired or motivated you to take a plunge into this venture?

This venture was part of my retirement plan set forth about 10 years ago. When my last employer requested I moved down under in 2013 to manage the business we acquired, we agreed to part ways as moving to my second home in Sydney was not my season then. I have strong family traditions in Singapore and as the eldest in the family, I felt the need to continue to be based in Singapore to be with my parents as they age. I started Alpha7 in Sept 2013 and began operations in Jan 2014 out of the basement of my home office.

3. Can you share with us some of the challenges you faced during your initial days?

Moving from Senior Management at a High Tech Corporate environment to becoming a startup entrepreneur has been interesting, both professionally and personally.

Professional Challenges range from People-related issues like Culture, Business, Relationship & Networking practices to Processes, Infrastructure, Priorities, Constraints & Budgets. The range is even more complex now with the West-meets-East and East-meets-West adoption of digital, cloud and technology. Planning ahead of the curve seems to be a challenge in more and more businesses in our digital age, hence, providing assistance to those who want to take this digital transformation journey.

Personal challenges range from adjusting and adapting to patience, humility and trust. My personal learning’s have been motivating but at the same time frustrating – imagine you lived many years in a well serviced managed home environment and have everything done for you and you move to a DIY home environment – Time is key to success to be able to adjust, adapt and adopt in a DIY environment.

4. So how do you balance your personal and professional life?

Interesting enough, the line is more blurred being an entrepreneur. Coming from an MNC environment before where my professional life doesn’t really cross the line with personnel on the professional front, I have come a long way and still learning to balance the 2 Ps with a lot of help and advise from friends & mentors in my Alpha7 journey. I seek spiritual mentorship from my church mentors for better work-life balance.

5. What would you suggest to other aspiring women who want to venture out on their own?

All dependent on what the venture is all about and at what stage women are venturing out. Planning ahead is key – plan and talk to as many other entrepreneurs (both men and women) for guidance & mentorship. I myself went through family and friends before I started out and still, wasn’t enough but I learnt a lot.

6. Is there any person who has mentored/supported/inspired you?

Many. I am a strong believer in having mentors and advisors to inspire and motivate me – men and women. To list a few of them in my journey…..

Mike Sheppard (RIP), Alvin Kok, Anurag Srivastava, Carl Schachter, Steve Cakebread, Steve Houck, Lee Thomson, Ismail Shariff, Roy Christian……

Gayle Sheppard, Marilyn Tyrrell, Sarah Friar, Deborah Ong, Lim Moh Cher, Quek Li Huan

7.What do you have in the pipeline for your venture’s future development?

Our immediate focus is to raise funds for my venture. After we launched our product in Aug 2017, our A7 IoB® Business Management Dashboard, the validation has been positive and we know we need funding to accelerate the pace of our venture in digital transformation. Anyone interested in an Investment opportunity, ping me?

Learn more about our A7 IoB® Business Management Dashboard and try it out for free here at this link: https://a7iob.com/

Also, journey with us and follow Alpha7 on our social media to keep updated on all our exciting news!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alpha7c

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alpha7-consultancy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alpha7c

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Alpha7Sg/about