Little Changes... And A Healthier You

You love working out (OK… maybe not “love”) and staying in shape, but every now and then you throw a spanner in your plans and decide to binge on junk food. Well we are here to tell you (after much in depth research) that it’s quite healthy to indulge in your favorite foods, just make sure to follow a few healthy habits that will make it easier to shed those pounds, and keep them off!

Eat Eggs For Breakfast

People who eat eggs for breakfast lose more weight, body fat and inches from their waist than those who ate the same amount of calories in the form of bread. The higher protein content of the eggs helps you stay fuller, longer and leads to eating less throughout the day.

Turn Off The Tv

Studies show that we eat around 40 percent more when watching TV and we’re more likely to eat junk food while distracted. To lose weight without major sacrifice, power down your TV, computer or smart phone during dinner and concentrate only on your meal. Better yet, sit in the designated dining area!

Slim Down Your Daily Coffee
Removing just two teaspoons of sugar from your daily cup of coffee or tea may not seem like a big deal, but it can save you 32 extra calories a day or three extra pounds a year. That’s right.   


Take A Time Out
Too much stress could be thwarting your weight loss efforts. Cortisol is the stress hormone in your body that glues itself onto fat and keeps it on your hips, abs and thighs. To decrease cortisol and decrease fat, try this quick time out every day (especially when stressed): sit comfortably, close your eyes, and choose a mantra such as ‘relax’ or ‘let go’ and repeat it in your mind as you take slow, deep breaths for about 10 minutes.

Get Some Sunshine
Getting about 15 minutes of sun exposure every day will not only help your absorb Vitamin D, it can also help boost your mood and energy level, all of which can help you stay on track with a weight loss program. 

Drink Water Before Meals
A lot of people can confuse hunger with thirst, so regularly sipping on water can help keep hunger and cravings at bay. And if you get bored with water, try sipping on green tea or water with a fresh fruit or vegetable slice.


Inculcating these simple habits in your life could save you a world of trouble and help keep you on track to looking and feeling fabulous. 

Flower Power Pin

Hey guys! Daaman is back with its second edition of the video blog. This time our artsy design associate, Aqsa, shares a quick little technique for making an awesome Flower Power Pin to jazz up a favorite outfit of yours. Pens and paper at the ready, here we go! 

- Mark and cut a circle of 4 inches from plain paper
- Fold a piece of cloth so that it has about ten layers and cut out cloth circles, using the paper circle as a guide
- Mark and cut a circle of 2 inches on felt and sew a safety pin to it
- Fold the cloth circles into triangles and glue them onto the felt
- Place eight triangles on the felt and finish by gluing one in the center 
- Attach to your favorite shirt for a little funky detailing!

Bring On the Calm!

So you’ve got to submit this assignment to wrap up, a deadline to meet and someone’s been raining on your parade (a lot) lately; the traffic jams just plain drive you up the wall. Well let’s just admit: stress is our permanent guest and it’s time to start dealing with it.

We’ve got some simple things for you to keep in mind as you go about your day and handle all sorts of crisis situations.

Smile. It can lift your mood, a phenomenon known as the facial feedback hypothesis. You can actually feel your mood changing as you smile because the brain picks up on the act and assumes you are happy. Go ahead: fool yourself!!  

Sing. There’s evidence that a primitive sensory organ in the inner ear might react to music, triggering a response that creates a pleasurable buzz So get humming your favorite cheerful song, or listen to what we call ‘happy music’, your favorite dance tracks can do the trick (no angry punk rock!).

Sweat. Exercise may buffer the brain from stressful situations. There’s some evidence that working up a sweat promotes the growth of new neurons that are less reactive to stress. So play your favorite jam and take out half an hour for yourself to get feeling (and looking) good!

Hang with upbeat people. Emotions are contagious: You can catch a mood, just like a cold! When you watch a person doing something, the mirror neurons in your brain are activated, even if you’re not doing anything yourself. So if you see someone smile, your mirror neurons for smiling fire up, whether or not you’re in a good mood. So spend time with happy people and you’ll eventually feel happier yourself (also, get rid of THAT snarky ‘friend’!).

And anyway, when was the last time you stopped and looked at a sunset…or looked up, period? We thought so. So put aside your gadgets and revel in what’s around you. Focus on pleasurable experiences and you’ll activate happiness-related neurons, which could make future good times feel even more intense.

Our Favorite '80s Movies

The 80s brought us all things associated with fun, it was after all the decade that saw the launch of MTV, brought us classic rock and of course, crazy fashion: teased hair (dare I mention the Mullet), neon clothing and ripped jeans... Ray-Bans!

Here we present, after much consideration, Daaman's favorite coming-of-age movies about misfits that made their place in pop culture history from the decade that makes us all just a little bit nostalgic (understatement!). 

The Breakfast Club 

Five stereotypical teenagers are stuck in detention, the Emo kid, the Brainiac, the Princess, the jock and the criminal. Though not complete strangers to each other, they come to realize that there’s much more to them than just their appearance. Considered as one of the most memorable movies of John Hughes (and there were plenty!). The movie stars Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson as the high school clique representatives who form the Breakfast Club.    

Pretty In Pink

High school senior Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is a working-class girl who has a crush on one of the rich, preppy boys in her school, Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy) while Andie's best friend, Phil Dale (Jon Cryer), is in love with Andie but plays it off as a joke in front of her. When Andie and Blane try to get together, they encounter resistance from their respective social circles.

Footloose

Upbeat city kid Ren MacCormack (Kevin Bacon) moves to a small town from Chicago where rock 'n' roll and dancing have been banned and also ends up falling for the conservative Reverend’s (the versatile John Lithgow) daughter played by Lori Singer and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace. The movie is loosely based on the religious community of Elmore City, Oklahoma.  

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

“Life moves pretty fast, you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” It's almost graduation and Ferris can get away with just one more sick day – and it had better be a good one! Ferris Bueller, a high school teenager is bent on having a day off from school and so must his best friends, Cameron and Sloane. Matthew Broderick stars alongside Mia Sara and Alan Ruck in this must see classic, after all: While the rest of us were just thinking about it...Ferris borrowed a Ferrari and did it all in a day.

The Outsiders

The movie details a town split between the wealthy South Zone gang called 'The Socials' and the poor North Zone gang called 'The Greasers'. When two poor greasers, Johnny (Ralph Macchio), and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) are assaulted by the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the cast includes Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise.  

Now if you’ve been missing your friends, arrange for a weekend get together, share lots of laughs and watch one (or two!) of these movies while you reminisce about the good ol’ times!

Pineapple Delight

Daaman presents its very first video blog! We are going to be covering all sorts of fun stuff from décor, styling tips to quick desserts and drinks to keep you posted on the latest! So hang around and see what the Daaman team's been up to.

This time our design associate, Mehreen, shows us how to make a taste-bud tantalizing cold pineapple dessert. Watch this quick video and try out the recipe for yourself!