Health and wellness tips for upcoming season of celebrations

The Festivities continue with the wedding season here. It’s time for more celebrations, partying and visits from our loved ones. Even though we look forward to all the good stuff that happens during this time, there is a certain level of stress that builds in, about how all this feasting and drinking is going to impact our health goals.

So, here are a few healthy tips that are easy to follow and will certainly help you maintain/improve your health, immunity during this time and most importantly, will help you enjoy the celebrations without any fear.

Moderation is the key

With so many traditional sweets and dishes around, who would want to stick to a strict diet plan? So, the key here is to eat and try everything but in a limited quantity and not to OVEREAT. Learn to say – I’ll have it later or I’m full or simply I don’t want to eat it! There’s no one judging you for what you put inside your body, after all you know what is best for you and stop after you are half full.

Choose wisely at the table

Try picking up the healthier options from what is available on the food table – you can fill yourself with salads and roasted snacks and by the main course time, you may not feel all that hungry and will definitely cut down on the portion size of whatever you want to taste. Try and choose a small plate instead of a full plate, so that you can trick your brain and feel fuller, faster.

Eat without Guilt

Weddings are a time for joy, so enjoy what you do, even if that is eating high calorie sweets and dishes. Do not stress and eat with guilt, because whatever you think will manifest into reality for sure. When we stress, our body releases the stress hormone- cortisol and lowers the release of good hormones that are responsible for the metabolism to remain high. So, you will have a negative impact on your health, if you feel guilty about everything you eat during this time.

Manage with COMPENSATION

Best way to manage a heavy meal is to go lighter on the next one or if possible, skip the next meal and have just a fruit or a glass of vegetable juice. This will help cut down your intake through the day and also give time to your body to digest and detoxify.

Be PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

Let the festival season not be an excuse to stop all your physical activities. You may not be able to hit the gym daily or go out for your long runs but try to be active as much as you can. Best way is to get up and get into your workout gear, and do whatever you feel like- Yoga/HIIT/Weights/Dance/Body weight exercises etc. If all of this is not possible, be active through the day and walk as much as possible, track your steps to try to achieve more the next day.

ADD DETOX DRINKS to your routine

With all the binge eating and drinking, you can help your body detoxify by adding detox drinks to your daily routine. Drink lukewarm lemon, ginger water / Apple cider vinegar in warm water/ Jeera water (soaked overnight), you can also add honey, pinch of cinnamon and black pepper to the drink, for better results. These detox drinks make your system alkaline and help in liver detoxification. It is better to seek guidance with a qualified dietician/Nutritionist, if you have any associated medical conditions.

Take Rest and Sleep well

Do give your body adequate rest and a good quality sleep, if not a good number of hours of sleep (due to late night parties). This is very important for proper detoxification and rejuvenation. You can practice a deep breathing routine, pranayama or meditation, to get into deep sleep and make sure your body gets good quality sleep in those few hours.

So, try and integrate the above health and wellness tips into your routine and you’ll be able to enjoy and maintain good health as well.