Thrinethra Serman
If you were led to believe that eating the minimum possible amount of food and sweating out at the gym at least five days in a week are the only ways to keep body fit, then you are quite wrong. As a woman, we feel a constant pressure to maintain a good body and even if you are a person who does not believe in these norms, maintaining a healthy body will benefit you immensely especially during pregnancy, delivery, menopause and old age as well. Here is a list of simple and do at-home methods which will ensure your fitness and keep you in good shape.
Are You Eating Your Meals Right?
Most of us have to dash to work or college in the morning, and we tend to skip breakfast or grab whatever the handholds and run out; maybe a slice of bread or a banana. Lunch breaks are timed, and so we eat whatever is available in the canteen or what was packed in the morning, in a hurry. And once you get back home to the day, you will be famished and will end up having a lavish and heavy dinner. If this is how your food habits are, then please stop right now; it doesn’t matter how hard you work out, this food pattern will ruin your body and health.
Someone once told me, ‘Eat breakfast like a King, Lunch like a common man and Dinner like a beggar’. After a while, it made a lot of sense to me, and I started following this, word to word. Breakfast, the word itself signifies that you are breaking a fasting period that occurred while you were asleep. The body has no intake for 7 – 8 hours, and it needs to be charged. Adding to this, for a productive and active day ahead, a heavy and healthy breakfast is essential. Try to substitute your coffee for fruit juices or plain milk. Add a couple of eggs and a handful of nuts with your regular meal. Try to push your junk cravings for lunch or dinner, and it is entirely okay to satisfy those cravings 2- 3 times a week. Anytime you need a snack during the day, avoid choosing packed foods as much as possible and go for fresh fruits or healthy snacks like boiled corn or peanuts.
Exercise, Daily
You don’t have to strain too much to feel satisfied that you have exercised. Just form a set of simple exercises that suit your body and perform them for an hour at least. Remember that any set must have these five types of exercises – warmup, aerobic, resistance, flexibility and cooldown. So, make sure your set has an exercise for each of these. You can change them over time.
Walk, Walk And Walk
We have become so lazy nowadays, and we need a vehicle every time we step out of our homes. When you have to visit supermarkets or stores that are less than a kilometre away, please choose to walk. Make sure you take a short brisk walk every day, preferably in the morning. You could start with a kilometre and go up to two and maintain it at that. Also, don’t put your body at rest immediately after a meal, walk around for a bit before settling down.
Sleep Well, Netflix Can Wait
It doesn’t matter how tiring your day was or if you have a cartload of work to complete, make sure you complete everything on time so that you don’t cut down your sleep time. Also remember that sleeping too much is also unhealthy and sleeping patterns for more than nine hours cause the risk of heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and even death. Healthy sleep is between 6 – 8 hours, so make sure you maintain that.
Yoga
Yoga has endless benefits and is becoming very popular among women nowadays. In addition to the benefits related to digestion, posture and movement, certain asanas help to prepare the female body for an easier gestation period and delivery (normal delivery). They also strengthen your muscles and improve blood circulation, thereby enhancing your activeness and physical performance. Performing a set of 5 – 7 asanas is a perfect way to begin your day.
What Not To Do
If you need to stay fit, there are a couple of things to cut down in addition to the things you have to do.
- Avoid alcohol and smoking
- Avoid taking too much carbs
- Avoid fried and fast food
- Avoid expecting results immediately; your body needs time to change.
All The Best!
Remember that getting into the perfect shape is just the beginning; it is maintaining and staying in that shape that is the real challenge. Make a plan and make sure you stick to it. It is okay if you miss a day but pick it up the next day. Don’t let anyone demotivate you and surround yourself with people who will encourage you and also help you stick to your plan.
