Fit and fine for 2014

It’s a forgone conclusion that you will pile on a few extra kilos in the festive season. For the winter months are jampacked with weddings, Christmas and New Year celebrations! Eating without a care is the order of the day! However, the party-time can end with a strict resolution to lessen the excesses in the brand new year. Follow these pointers to reduce calories and get into shape.

Join a gym: This is the only sacred place where you’ll burn calories and also get a well-toned body. Just give yourself 45 minutes, four days a week, to remain in the gym-mode.

Don’t starve: An empty stomach can lead to muscle loss. The stress hormone cortisol is released to mobilise glucose in times of starvation, which helps muscles function. When your body is void of calories, and you are active, then cortisol is released to address such short-term “emergencies” like starvation. The catch is, it does not allow the loss of body- fat easily.

Eat healthy: Remember the saying, Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.

What to eat: Multi-grain breads plus rotis, fruits, eggs, milk and dairy products, vegetables, salads, sprouts, soup, paneer, curd, chicken and fish. Supplement your meals with calcium tablets and multivitamins.

What not to eat: Rice, maida products, too many fruits after a meal,  high-sugar products, fried food, starchy food like potato, corn, fruit juices which are devoid of fibre, cold drinks and ice-creams.

Keep snacking: While overfeeding is detrimental, starving yourself for five-six hours at a stretch is also injurious to health. Instead, consume small and frequent meals to maintain a high rate of metabolism throughout the day. You may also munch on wholesome snacks like peanuts, almonds and walnuts at regular intervals.

Drink plenty of water: Drinking three to four litres of water daily helps retaining proper weight.

Here’s why you should:

• When you find yourself hungry at odd times of the day, have a glass of water before grabbing food. This saves you from calorie-counting by not cramming food when your body doesn’t need it!
• Water cleanses toxins and waste from the body.
• It pumps up your metabolism.

Include protein in every meal: Protein plays a vital role in building muscles. More muscles are equal to high basal metabolic rate ie. the rate at which your body burns calories. This helps in fat loss. Sources of proteins are white meats, eggs, milk and milk products (skimmed), soya. Protein supplements like whey, casein and hydro whey are also recommended.

Calcium — the key to strong bones: Calcium is especially important for people who perform a lot of physical activities as they are more prone to lose it from their bones. Calcium is required for muscle contraction, blood clots and transmission of signals to nerve cells. Without enough calcium in the body, one may experience muscle cramps.

Sleep tight: Sleep plays an important role in keeping your physical health in balance. It helps in healing and repairing muscles as well as blood vessels.

Sleep also strengthens the immune system. Hence, sleep deficit or sleeping erratically can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and even the dreaded obesity.