Diwali is here and we are all excited about the celebrations. The festival of lights brings to us an occasion when we can indulge in good food to our heart's content. However, overeating and eating fast, sweet and fried foods, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, can often lead to weight gain. You may have already made resolutions for a weight loss routine after Diwali. But don't let that veer you towards an unhealthy routine.
Stay safe
It is still possible to catch and spread COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated. I know this first hand from suffering with Covid 4 months ago.
With high numbers of COVID cases stay safe over the festivities and do what feels right for you. Gov.UK guidelines advice: Wear a face covering; Let fresh air in if you meet indoors. Meeting outdoors is safer; Get tested and self-isolate if required; Wash your hands regularly and cover coughs and sneezes; Try to stay at home if you’re feeling unwell - to protect you and your loved ones.
Snack on Exercise!
Do not rely on a post-Diwali workout session to lose weight. If you are consuming more calories than usual, you should also burn more calories.
You may not have time to do a full hour’s workout during the festival so SNACK ON EXERCISE! Just doing short bite size amounts of movement, even 5/10 minutes throughout the day adds up!
For example, do a “Strength Snack” some bodyweight squats, lunges, press ups, dips and plank while you’re cooking or before getting ready!
Or go for a fresh brisk ‘Feel Good Walk Snack’ outdoors after each meal – will help aid digestion and help release magical feel good endorphins!
If you can’t get outside, do some Stair Snacking – three flights of stairs, three times a day!
Get your family and friends to dance it off with you after the Diwali meal!
Plan Your Meals
This always helps! If there are evening parties to attend or get-togethers with heavy meals, balance it out with light and healthy food. Be mindful of your daily diet and other meals. Fresh, home cooked meals with lots of colourful vegetables and proteins like tofu, lentils and whole grains will keep your satiated.
Control The Portions
You decide what food and how much of it goes into your body. Do not overeat, or feel the peer pressure! Try everything but only take small portions of food on your plate. Choosing smaller plates for your meals is another trick that you can try. Try to fill your appetite up to 80 per cent. If you do feel like seconds, give yourself a break first to actually gauge how hungry you are before you dive back in!
Make your own Diwali Sweets!
Stay healthy this Diwali by making your own sweet treats as when you make them yourself you know how much sugar you add in and exactly which ingredients. You don’t need to be on a diet or feel deprived this Diwali. Just make a few simple swaps. Treat yourself and your loved ones with my “Feel Good Protein Balls,” the perfect healthy swap to traditional sugar laden fried mithai, that main leave you feeling bloated, tired and heavier. Plus a homemade gift is always appreciated!
Recipe being released on my Instagram.
Drink Water
Keep yourself hydrated with water alone and ditch the health drinks or fruit juices. Water is a natural detox mechanism which helps to cleanse the body during festive days too. Aim for 2 litres a day and have extra before heading out for your Diwali meal. Keeping hydrated will also help alleviate the temptation to overindulge!
Do Not Skip a Meal because of a Party
If you enter a party with a terribly hungry stomach, there are high chances that you will end up overeating. Do not skip your lunch because you want to eat heavyweight food during an evening party. Instead, consume a healthy meal rich in greens and grains that will help detox the body.
Eat Slow & mindfully
Do not rush. When you eat fast, you don't chew the food properly, which makes it difficult for the digestive system to assimilate all the nutrients. At the same time, rushing while eating can lead you to eat more. Instead, choose to eat slowly and enjoy every mouthful of the food.
Special Free Diwali Workout this Friday! – Get your loved ones to join me and my amazing 73-year-old mother-in-law this and every Friday at 10am for a FREE Feel Good Workout for Seniors, Less Mobile, Beginners & anyone WFH/ sitting too long! (All sessions saved on my You Tube Channel)
Lavina Mehta was awarded an MBE for services to health and fitness during Covid-19. She is passionate about promoting the health benefits of exercise to treat, prevent and reduce risks of common chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis.
In her regular Feel Good series with iGlobal, the award-winning personal trainer and wellness coach shares stories from her journey into fitness, workout tips and announcements about her upcoming online sessions.
*Catch Lavina on Instagram IGTV; check out special offers at Feel Good Facebook Community; tune into her free seniors workout sessions Zoom; and replay saved sessions, many translated into Gujarati with her mother-in-law, on YouTube.
