Mixed media art. Acrylic, watercolor and color pencils .
Happy Saturday my dear kind fellows . My abstract painting .
Author Archives: Ruqia Ismat
English language teacher. Writer. painter and a knitter.
Happy Thursday my dear kind fellows . Here comes a little girl Salma . Lest you should forget to say ‘Hi ‘ to her . She brings magic flowers in her crochet pouch. Her blue crochet bonnet is the gift from her granny .
Happy Wednesday, my dear kind, WordPress fellows . 🙏😃
My watercolour Fish , I painted last winter . 🙂
Robert Frost, his horse and My diversions
There is absolutely nothing that can stop me thinking about the things in a poem, that a poet did not say. Be that a great or a small poet. I mean anyone. The greatness of a writer or poet does not make me a great reader or a great thinker. When I read great poets, I think, “I am such a significant person of my century, who will contribute to the wellbeing of masses with her unique mind; I will fill the space that the poet unknowingly left”. I take pride in my thoughts . And I believe that my critical analysis of ” what ” the poet did not say ‘or did not even imply, is so much entertaining. So, for a while I let lose or loose my brain like a paper kite to places where it wants to fly.
Do I cherish the lofty thoughts of the poets?
Absolutely not, I hate to get influenced by the lofty thoughts of the great poets, especially when I am alone. Dude, how much it hurts to be a great person, do you have any idea? How much the great people are hurting in their heads because they think too much. I am afraid that I may feel pressurized to make some serious promises to God. Then I may act intelligent or modest or become philosopher by the end of the year. Ultimately under the influence of some poet I will apparently become such an exalted one that someday I will regret being that painfully great . Certainly, that is a loss. For sure who cares, if I am great person in myself. At the end of the day, it is only the food on the table that is cooked and served fresh. My son wants only that and he does not care why I had been thinking about a certain horse. The horse? yes, the horse.
The Horse and Robert Frost in the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
No, nothing can make me think what Robert Frost really meant when he talked about his poor horse in the woods. It was Robert’s fault not of the horse when he stopped there. The poor horse had a valid question. I am still sure, Robert did not answer him, even after a century. So sorry for the horse standing and waiting there. Ok, let us move ahead, the poet certainly tried to say something deep at the end of the poem …. What was that. Well, I need to drink an ounce of olive oil to understand his point. The olive oil bottle has caught dust while sitting on the kitchen shelf. I am even afraid to get near and God forbid if drink olive oil and the neurons in my head may catch electric current. And the result ……
Am I a normal or a regular Person?
The question in itself is inherently wrong. Nobody wants to be a normal, or a regular person. Because a normal person is an ordinary person and nobody likes to be called ordinary. They feel insulted. Well, again mostly I feel elated and happier when I try to think and go to the opposite road of every great writer. It takes so much sacrifices and patience to become a good person. While only a careless idiot can enjoy life thoroughly . After all what matters most is the question, did we enjoy life before it ended?
I Am More of a Natural Person ?
Wow, yes, these days everybody loves to talk about nature, going green, being vegan, talking respectfully about mother nature. So, I am natural. I take refuge in nature to look nice. I explain it how? This is quite a human trait to go against things that are deemed obligatory for our wellbeing. So, I am too normal a person. Someday I will again try to ponder on this new found definition of being” too normal.
Who is going to suffer?
Mark it, if you are special or different from others , you are going to suffer. Being different and unique does not serve anything . I trust God for the right timing of making me intelligent. That day will come and I am not hopeless. Nobody should feel hopeless ever in life . But I secretly pray that my particular prayer does not come true. I am more interested in enjoying life than being such respectable lady of grace that people fear to go near.
The woods, snow and the horse
Let’s again go back to that serious looking horse, I left in the woods with Robert Frost. Has the horse moved a bit? No. The woods were full of snow. Robert Frost with his horse stopped there. People like me in the middle of hot summer nights read that poem and cherish the idea of cool soft, snow. I want to grab some snowflakes. Yes, the evening was dark but the nights are darker than evenings. The woods were dark, lovely and deep. After all Robert admitted that it was a nice place. He was lucky not feeling the hot summer of my country. I wish he had come here for the weekend only.
Critical Conclusion Yes, I mean really a critical conclusion. Whatever was the whole purpose and the real point of Robert Frost’s poem does not matter now. At the end, Robert Frost decided to go to sleep and so do I. The only significant difference between his night and my night is that, mine is hot summer night and swarms of Dracula mosquitoes enjoy the prospect of sucking my blood. I wonder why my neighbors think I am a lazy person if I have mosquito bites on me. I will figure out soon. Two spoons of olive oils are what I need to take to solve this difficult question.
Note ; This article I took as a challenge with my son , to create humor about a thing ( being Robert Frost,s poem here ) , that has very serious purpose .
My butter swan with homemade butter .
I wanted to sculpt something that could be interesting and not much difficult as a beginner . So I came up with that idea of making a swan . Butter being white was naturally helpful. In the molding process , I had to place the butter in the freezer every now and then. It was my first sculpture of butter so far. 😃😁
A vintage style painting .
Happy new week My dear kind fellows .
Knitting hands never forget to knit. Saturday blessings to you all. Completed this bag today.
Well this bag is going to one of my relative in the USA.
Happy Friday my dear precious fellows.
Mudhouse of wasps on my rooftop. This one is quite old. Maybe from time unknown. Planet earth home to all life. 🌲🏵🌹🌳🥀🌴🌱💮🌸🌷
10 Outstanding Health Benefits of Swimming
Who does not love swimming? Swimming has always been glamorized but what are the health benefits of swimming? That’s the center of my interest here. Swimming is an excellent exercise as well as a fun activity. It involves both physical and mental rewards. Without much impact on the body all the joints and muscles get involved in the process of swimming. Swimming offers many outstanding health benefits. It also suggests great opportunity to socialize and make friends. While the elderly people who always find it difficult to move around, can benefit greatly from this activity. All age groups of people can acquire swimming skill and stay fit
How to start swimming?
While you are thinking about starting swimming, always make sure that the environment you choose to swim is safe. If you are new to swimming, consider taking lessons. There are a host of benefits you may gain through swimming regularly. It is one of the most popular activities in the world. Following are the safety measures for swimming.
- Be careful that the water temperature suits your physical needs
- Do some warm up and stretches exercises before entering the water
- Stay hydrated and drink regularly, your body needs plenty of liquids
- You may have fun with swimming but don’t overdo it
- Always wear sunscreen to protect your skin, if you are swimming outdoor.
- Do not forget to take breaks after 20 to 30 minutes of swimming.
Now here are some of the outstanding health benefits of swimming.
Swimming Improves Blood circulation
- Swimming definitely improves blood circulation; blood reaches all parts of the body. Better blood circulation means better health.
- An efficient blood circulation reduces the risk of embolism, that is typical blockage caused by a blood clot in the vein of leg, when the blood clot breaks loose and travels to the lung. It poses fatal risk to the individual
- Improved blood circulation reduces the risk of stroke
- People with type 2 diabetes can find swimming very beneficial therapy to improve blood circulation. They need an efficient blood circulation for their extremities
Swimming diminishes risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Swimming helps building heart muscle stronger. It is basically a cardio activity.
- Half an hour of swimming per week can diminish the risk of coronary heart disease in females, significantly.
- Swimming keeps the cells lining of your arteries stretchy and in good form.
Swimming decreases blood pressure.
- As soon as we immerse our body into water our mammalian diving reflex lowers our blood pressure and slows down our pulse to save oxygen.
- Engaging in cardiovascular exercises increase the size and strength of your heart muscle. Over the time this can make the heart so robust that it does not need to labor as hard to meet the basic needs of running your cardiovascular system. That decreases stress on the heart throughout life
Benefits of swimming for pregnant women.
These are some peculiar benefits of swimming for the expecting mothers.
- Pregnancy often puts strain on the lower back. The body feels the weight of baby bump. As soon as you immerse your body in water, the resistance of water takes the pressure off, providing much desirable respite
- Studies showed that Women who swam during their first trimester of pregnancy, had lesser risk of pre term labor
- Swimming exercises relieve lower limb edema and discomfort.
- Swimming makes the abdominal muscles strong.
- Swimming is a low impact exercise that builds strength and do not twist the abdomen.
- During last trimester of pregnancy, it is possible to have safe workout in the pool.
Contraindications of swimming during pregnancy
- Always keep in mind that there is no alternative to doctors’ advice about your specific condition. Only you can decide what is best and ideal for you. Some women have complications about pregnancy and any kind of exertion is contraindicated to them.
- Avoid very warm water for swimming during pregnancy, it may raise body temperature.
- You may tire quickly as compared to normal people. it is not unusual in your case
- Be careful if there are reports of some microbes in water
- The cold water can drop body temperature and place the body in shock or result in illness. You must know the pool temperature before you enter the water.
- Swimming and Asthma. Asthmatic patients need humid warm environment. The indoor pools provide helpful atmosphere to them. How far swimming activity can prove beneficial to asthma patients is as under.
- Breathing exercises associated with this sport, may help you expand your lung capacity and gain control over your breathing.
- Swimming exercises strengthen the muscles and your control over breathing improves.
Contraindication. The biggest known disadvantage for an asthma patient is chlorine in the pool water. look for a pool that uses salt water instead of chlorine.
How far Swimming can be Beneficial to Osteoarthritis?
- People with osteoarthritis suffer with constant pain in joint and muscles. They are incapable to do high impact exercises due to their specific condition. Swimming can be a safe kind of exercise for them. The expected advantages of swimming are as under.
- Swimming may reduce some of the body aches and discomfort
- In a study Patients with osteoarthritis reported significant reduction in both pain and stiffness,
- They felt less physical limitation after engaging in activities in swimming. Their joints and muscles achieved more flexibility. So, the patients felt more at ease to move around. Subsequently their quality of life improved.
Health benefits of swimming for Multiple Sclerosis
An easy movement is one of the major concerns for the MS patients. With their weakening bodies, swimming may provide some support and relief. Let us discuss some health benefits of aquatic exercises for MS patients.
- An aquatic therapy may delay the progression of MS and improves balance, and walking ability.
- Water is viscous and it offers resistance to movement. That means it can help MS patients with limb coordination, and building up muscle strength
- MS patients often feel painful fatigue. They may find swimming helpful to reduce pain. Over time these people also show reduction in symptoms like fatigue, depression and disability. Following are some of the points important for MS with regards to swimming
- Water offers support and helps them feel light. So, it can put less strain on muscles, makes them more flexible. Patients become capable of great variety of motions. Water exercises even help relax tight or spastic muscles.
- Swimming helps build up stamina, and strength in MS patients
- MS patients can use it as an opportunity to socialize with other MS patients and develop their community.
- Though some MS patients may not know swimming already, but they can learn easily.
Swimming helps to achieve your dream weight.
Are you looking for some easy and reliable way to lose weight? Well, it is time to put your foot into pool now. Swimming is an efficient and reliable way to burn calories. Even without putting much strain on your body, you can lose weight effortlessly. Swimming is an excellent way to get in shape. The simple formula to lose weight is that you must burn out more calories than you take in. people who are not big fan of working out in gym, may use swimming as an alternative to tone up their muscles and shape up their bodies.
Swimming Uplifts Mood and takes away Stress
Swimming lowers our stress levels by maintaining a positive outlook on life. These aquatic workouts are psychologically beneficial for people with anxiety and stress. Swimming helps manage stress and it is potentially powerful way to relieve anxiety fast.
Sleep improvement with swimming
Swimming may have the power to assist you sleep better at night. After engaging in regular exercise participants reported both an improvement in quality of sleep and duration.
Conclusion
Swimming is wonderful support for general wellbeing. People who have chronic illnesses can benefit from swimming. They can find a solace in it as their chronic illnesses make life stressful. Swimming helps release stress and anxiety. At whatever point your fitness level is, you can still get benefit. Swimming helps you to regain your muscle and cardio strength and rejuvenates your skin. In a way it turns back the clock in your life. It is also helpful to keep us in good health and shape. Swimming offers a complete body workout, so no other exercise can be better than this.
Disclaimer: This article is meant for general information purpose only. It can not be taken as a professional alternative to medical advice .
Happy Thursday my dear fellows. God bless our souls with peace always.
Our Lives Today 