By Body Plot
•
18 Oct, 2022
Lots of our clients are getting ready for Diwali festivities where we can spend time with our loved ones, eat great food, and celebrate with our nearest and dearest. However, we may also be experiencing feelings of anxiety, nervousness and worry about our health and goals ahead. Don't worry, you're not the only one! It's perfectly natural to be feeling worried, after all, you've worked so hard on your goals and don't want to take steps back. So we have created five easy tips for you to follow which will help you enjoy your Diwali experience with less anxiety and whilst putting your health at the forefront. Get moving Start your day with a great workout! Exercise has the ability to kick start our day with positivity and helps us make great decisions going forward. We tend to eat better after doing a workout and it also helps to boost our happy hormones thereafter. Challenges also occur when we take ourselves out of routine. If exercising is a daily ritual for you, don't forget about it on Diwali. This will help you to stay in routine which will assist all of the following decisions you make. Have a meal rich in protein and fibre before you go! Diwali often includes visiting the houses of loved ones and over-eating as a consequence. The foods are usually higher in saturated fats and trans fats, richer in sugar and may include ingredients that aren't the most nutritious. Starting your day with fibre and protein will allow you to keep fuller for longer and will also help you to pack in these two vital nutrients that you're otherwise getting less of when you visit family homes. It will also help you to not overeat when you eat later. You don't have to eat everything There's a common misconception that we HAVE to try everything and everyone's house. If you think about the role of food: fuel, social, togetherness and medicine, you can do all of this by eating in accordance with what your body wants and needs, not what society expects you to do. When you visit family homes, take one or two things that look the most nutritious and feel free to have a small serving e.g. 1/2 mithai, 1/2 masala sandwich, 1 puri etc. It means you get to honour the person's feelings but also respect and honour your body and gut; after all, nobody likes to feel bloated, tired and unwell. Hydrate Swap the teas, coffees, juices and sodas for water. Foreign ingredients can make us even more thirsty and we often forget about our 2L water when we're visiting our loved ones. Take a water bottle with you and some herbal tea packets in your bag. When visiting a loved one's home, ask them for water or a tea. They may encourage you to have something else instead, but stick to your guns - you're there to have a great time and can do this whilst drinking water. In fact, drinking more water will help you to feel more energised, less tired and less bloated, all of which will help you to have an even better time! It's your turn to make it healthy When people come to your home, show them that it's perfectly doable to make healthy and delicious foods for Diwali. We have a great healthy mithai recipe and chakri recipe on our website (in fact, we think it tastes better than the original!) We also make delicious foods like tofu thepla, chilli tofu, homemade ginger biscuits and more! With more people obese than ever before, coupled with the increase in lifestyle conditions nationwide, it's time to not be ignorant and show the world that you can eat well, make healthy adaptations that taste amazing and still have a great time over Diwali! Lead by example...