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For me, Durga Puja is the best exhibition of art and craft for the culture capital of India. This really calls for few days of all out fun, enjoyment and adda. It is also an amazing platform for people to meet and explore the opposite sex! Oops, too direct? Maybe, but mostly true…
But let me ask you one burning question…
Have you ever repented your actions during Puja after its end? If not, you have done great. Believe me, several people want to splurge. It seems life ends after Dashami! Baas “Jeene ka hai char din”.
Why should you care at all? Please read on…
For these few days, people want to go for late nights, alcohol, binging, endless walks and finally repent with the onset of post Puja blues. That is a fun term I have coined, after talking to many clients and learning about their psychology.
Let me tell you, little bit of over indulgence won’t damage your body. But following these few tips will keep you stay the same. This is for you if you are health conscious, on a diet, general fitness freak or even if you are even planning to get rid of your extra flab or pot belly. Just read the following tips and think…
Alcohol can dehydrate you to your last drop of water, if you are going crazy to celebrate. Calculated drinking, with enough food and and water is fine. Remember, alcohol may be devastating in case of:
I, personally feel, is the most important diet ingredient to consider as you go pandal hopping. With erratic diet and disrupted lifestyle, don’t ignore water. Even try to have 20-30% more than normal as your activity level increases in hot and humid ambience.
I am not talking about soda or cold drinks. This, after quenching your thirst initially, will lead to more thirst later. Also poor tend to wrongly differentiate between thirst and hunger. You tend to eat more when you are thirsty.
But remember one point. Don’t prefer anything other than water to quench thirst. Why? Read this : The healthiest drink
If you had been on diet or fitness conscious, you must be aware of the problems with these. Sweet and sugary items cause insulin spike, causes sugar addiction, causes fat gain, induces hunger quickly, The benefits you get from long term diet and exercise can be quickly nullified by uncontrolled intake of sweet and desserts. Read this old post to know more : Does sugar make you fat?
If you can’t avoid them completely, try to keep them in moderation. But remember, those extreme sweet items (and sweets in thick sugar syrup) beckoning you, can be really dangerous.
Those deep fried items for quick snacking mostly consist of deadly combinations of simple carbs and trans fat. Oil changes on being heating recurrently to trans isomer which is really bad for your overall health.
Indian roadside fast foods are loaded with the trans fats as well as lots of saturated fat (too much of that is also bad for heart health)
These give you quick energy and provide quick solution when you are starving. We, the Indians, are extremely fond of carbs. But simple carbs and processed food are there in advance. Going for a biryani, rolls, burger, noodles etc. seems the easiest solution to quick food choice.
The simple carbs are safest at breakfast or after exercise. We, on the contrary, take them in every situation other than these two during festive holidays! Seems odd but it’s true. As if a few days of simple carb feast won’t do anything for long term health. We maybe, but I am not so sure.
This seems like a childish advice. So simple but so often ignored. Feeling hungry, you enter an eatery at the roadside. Many people simply ignore this habit of proper hand wash and fall prey to contagious diseases like gastroenteritis and colitis.
If that becomes tough, in case of outdoor places, simply use a hand sanitizer for disinfection. Remember, the adults like us, teach our children these good habits but ourselves forget to practice these.
This seems to be an automatic choice which we often overlook. The unhealthy foods from roadside eateries to multinational restaurant chains is being ingrained in our lifestyle.
Think about it, as you roam about in your town from pandal to pandal and hangout with friends, what do you prefer as you get hungry? The festive season is to satisfy our senses. Do you prefer biryani to fruit salad (difficult to find too!) and burgers/rolls to green veggies salads? Please introspect. It seems so easy to go for processed carbs and artificial foods than natural fresh whole food.
You had been learning and reading several articles on healthy lifestyle practice. Let us consider a few habits:
Now does the above habits seem uncommon in the Puja session? Think about it.
Am I being too negative here? It’s true that abstinence is never the solution Don’t simply go into denial mode. The festivals are there to be enjoyed. But don’t go overboard. Rather use it to your advantage.
Remember the hormone leptin, the fullness hormone? Use it for your benefit. Read the article Leptin, the fat burning switch, for details.
Leptin controls your appetite and metabolic rate. If you are on diet, your metabolism slow down is sure to occur. Use the festive days to have some carbs and gulp in some calories.
Just don’t go overboard, use it for revving up your sagging metabolism. Avoid alcohol, simple carbs, sweet and sugary food, excess fried/spicy food and take lots and lots of water. Also don’t do excessive late-night or indulge in excessive food/alcohol binging.
Use the idea of calories and macros to your advantage and don’t go too much excess of TDEE. (Read the article on Fat loss calculation made easy). Use the festive holidays as the period of calculated diet breaks. Eat correct, eat smart.
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