How can you make social distancing an opportunity to keep well and manage a healthy weight?
The majority of us make new year's resolutions at the end of the year, for example, losing a couple of pounds or to start going to the gym more often. However, as time flies, many of us lose the determination to follow through and our promises start to fade away as we get caught up in our busy day-to-day lives - making excuses such as, 'I don't have time' or 'I have to do my work'.
Most of the time we become absorbed in our daily lives, not giving ourselves the time to stop and review our mental and physical health. However, COVID-19 has bought us time to pause and reflect. Additionally, a lot of us are staying safe and working from home, so it is best to utilise our free time and make the most of it.
During this pandemic, many of us are trying new recipes and cooking tasty dishes meaning we end up eating more and putting on more weight. Don't worry, you aren't alone in this!
Due to this, I am constantly being asked, how should we stay fit and healthy whilst staying at home?
I would like to take this opportunity to share some simple tips about how we can enjoy staying at home whilst being able to fulfil our goals, for example, weight management, staying healthy, keeping fit, etc. According to Ayurveda, spring is the perfect time to refresh and cleanse our body.
An Ayurvedic approach to maintain a healthy routine and manage weight:
- Start your morning by 6 am. As 2-6 (sunrise) is Vata time. Vata governs movements, the flow of breath and energy.
- Drink a warm or room temperature in (summer) glass of water first thing in the morning to help and start the digestive system gently.
- Try drinking turmeric tea with ginger, lemon, and honey regularly which helps to cleanse our system and reduces Ama (toxin) from our body ( if you like add honey in luck warm water before drinking, never boil honey).
- Exercise for at least half an hour. In your workout, you should include cardio, walking, yoga, pranayama, and meditation. According to your body type, you can tailor your exercise plan for the week.
- I recommend performing Sun salutation, which is one of the powerful Yogasans. For your reference, click here on my Instagram or FB page here.
- Breakfast should be by 10, I recommend to include seasonal vegetable juice, for example, green leafy vegetables and aamla, red juice with carrot and beetroot.
- Consume tea/coffee, ideally, after eating some fruits and vegetables.
- Lunch between 12 and 2 pm. During this particular time, our digestive fire is high, which helps optimal digestion of our meal and nutrients. A proper meal should include homemade food (avoid processed & junk food) like pulses, grains, bread ( wholemeal chapati), salad, rice, and one sweet dish according to your taste.
- Ayurveda suggests having a glass of buttermilk during warm weather with cumin powder and rock salt. It helps in enhancing Agni ( digestive fire) and creates good bacterial flora in the gut. (I do not suggest to have buttermilk during evening time)
- I advise you to avoid using your gadgets whilst having lunch, this helps us to enjoy our meal and observe mindful eating. Also, eating your meal whilst sitting in Sukhasana will help with digestion and minimise overeating.
- When you feel hungry later in the afternoon, it is good to have seasonal food such as coconut water, coconut, dates, freshly made smoothies, peanuts, and herbal tea (mint, lemon, turmeric, carom seeds)
- It is advised to eat your dinner by 7 pm or at least three hours before going to sleep. Your meal should be light like vegetable khichari, vegetable soup, steamed/roasted seasonal vegetables. cooked Vegetable rice or Quinoa but always avoid eating raw food or salad in the evening because raw and cold food aggravates vata in our body.
- Ayurveda suggests drink golden milk (hot milk with turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom) before going to sleep.
- Set a routine of going to sleep by 10 pm to get benefits of optimal sleeping.
Ayurvedic Essential Herbs and spices to include in your daily diet to manage a healthy weight.
Turmeric, dry or fresh Ginger, Triphala, Guduchi (click here)
Things to Remember:
- avoid overeating
- avoid refinding sugar, ready meals and frozen food. It is best not to take more than 3 TSP of extra sugar per day.
- Ayurveda recommends eating 3/4 of the meal which helps the stomach to digest your food efficiently
- use seasonal fruits and vegetable in your diet
Note: Appropriate use of Ghee helps in weight management and supports metabolism. Ghee contains plenty of omega-3, fatty acids, and micronutrients along with vitamin A. You can see more details about the benefits of ghee on my Instagram @rajayur.london
This is a general guideline to help but if you would like to know your body type and want to adopt a diet accordingly then take a few moments to fill out the questionnaire on our website. We will be happy to recommend your next steps, diet and routine.
Get in touch with us for 15 mins free pre-consultation here
Keep well and stay healthy!