Start your day with a banana or any fresh fruit, soaked almonds, or soaked raisins, but not with tea or coffee
There’s no better start to the day than consuming fresh fruit, nuts, and raisins. Going by the norm, a lot of people start their day with tea or coffee, but this is not the ideal move to make if fitness is your goal. The all-rounder banana entails several health benefits such as fiber, weight loss, prevention of constipation, and improving blood sugar levels. 7-8 soaked raisins with 1-2 strands of kesar are ideal for people who suffer from low energy levels and PMS (Premenstrual syndrome)
Add 1 tsp of ghee to breakfast, lunch, and dinner
From the shastras to your grandparents, the Sunday Mail of London, and the Cleveland Clinic of the USA, everyone has sung glories of ghee which is a core ingredient of every Indian kitchen. Adding a tbsp of ghee to lunch or dinner helps with energy, sweet cravings, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome
Don’t limit yourself to a light evening snack, instead eat a wholesome meal between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The make-or-break evening meal is the most important meal of the day according to Rujuta Diwekar. She strongly advises her clients to take this make-or-break meal seriously, as this determines the outcome of a fitness plan. This meal of course can be followed by a light dinner. A handful of chana or groundnuts for diabetics and jaggery with ghee chapatis for low HB levels are listed in the evening snack recommendations
Eat dal-rice for dinner
Did you know that the quintessential go-to Indian meal ‘Dal Rice’ is an excellent pre-biotic, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces the risk of heart disease? Just because you are following a weight loss diet do not limit your rice options to brown rice, because the excess fibre in brown rice comes in the way of absorption of minerals like zinc, crucial for insulin function. White rice has a lot of lesser-known benefits such as vitamin B1 which is good for inflammation and bloating, resistant starch which prevents cancer, and BCAA (branch chain amino acids) in rice helps see results of workout faster
Start with at least one session of strength training every week
It is pivotal to gain lean body weight to lose weight. As we get older, our fat begins to infiltrate our muscles, and our anabolic response - strength training is a good way to turn that around. Don’t just focus on increasing reps - increase the weights you lift. Strength training is extremely effective but an undervalued intervention for maintaining hormonal health. It keeps your insulin sensitive, prevents diabetes, regulates the period cycle, and stimulates growth hormones
Practice Suryanamaskar daily
Practice five Suryanamaskars a day to attain holistic fitness. The one and only yoga asana that has stood the test of time, the one that bridges the gap between strength and calm is the Suryanamaskar. The 4 S’s of fitness namely: strength, stamina, stretching, and stability can be attained with this asana eliminating the hassle of time, space, or money. Make sure you perform five Suryanamaskars every day, whether it is after lunch, pre-breakfast, or post-bath
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