Contributed by Abhignya V
Another friday is here and I'm sure meeru ee weekend edo plan chese untaru. Be it a weekend getaway or a weekend party or just stay home and binge watch movies. Kaani veetanitlo manam chese common mistake is to not check on what we are eating. I know, I know.. you might say "Arey week antha intha kashta paddam, weekend aina koncham nachindi thinatam is not that bad afterall". But on contrary ee self pampering will turn into a habit and you might just get used to eating unhealthy food. But again ee Swiggy and Zomato delivery has helped our busy schedules (debatable) quite a lot and nijam cheppali ante we really don't have a complete idea about the ingredients they put in. 'What we eat is what we are' antaru. So here I am this week talking about habits that I tried and really worked for me and might help you to become healthier and fit.
1. CHANGE THAT SNACK:
Snack anagane em gurthochindi meeku? Punugulu? Bajjilu? Samosa? NOOOOOOO! I know it's really tough to say no to such yummy food. But you know what, good things come to people who have self control. Also snacks that are healthy aren't boring either. Na personal favorite - Dry fruits. A fist full of that and some water post that will keep you going. Idhe kaakunda, there are so many berries you can munch on and so are fruits. Tasty and refreshing. So something like apple, strawberries, pomegranates, orange, dates and sometimes a good smoothie kuda. Every meal counts, small portion lo unna unhealthy snack kuda. So take care and choose your snack right.
2. STAIRS INSTEAD OF ELEVATOR:
I live in an office that has two floors and nijam cheppali ante somedays I get so lazy that I end up choosing lift to go from 2nd floor to 3rd. But then I took a resolution for myself to choose stairs wherever I can. Enduku? See our lives have become evidently busy or lazy and ee process lo not everyone is making time for a workout. Instead of that mana daily activities lone if we could make something out of it? Like lunch break lo muchata walk chesthu cheyochu instead of sitting and talking post lunch, or instead of leaving a text message to your colleague who is working a few cabins away- actually walk towards them. Alane ee move- 'stairs instead of elevator'. Every step ki you burn 0.17 calories and imagine taking stairs for a good 3 floors? Thank me later :P
3. SALAD BEFORE LUNCH AND DINNER:
A good amount of veggies is always a right choice. Including greens is again a bonus! So meeru a plate full of salad right before every meal thinnacho your stomach will be already half full so meeru thine rice or roti following that will eventually less tho your regular portion size. So mee carbs intake and fiber intake manchiga balance aynattu. Salad ante fancy places lo iche mayonnaise and cheese tho undedi kaadu, authentic ga simple ga manam kitchen lo cheskune di. It could be either boiled or raw like- carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, beet root with any of your favorite veggie. Most of the times naaku salas ke potta nindipothadi :P But it's one healthy habit everyone should inculcate
4. AVOID SODA/CARBONATED DRINKS:
Oka article kuda undi deeni meeda from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that says that if one person is aiming for fat loss/ weight loss, reducing your calorie intake from liquid calories like colas, sweetened teas and lattes leads to greater weight loss than if you reduced your calories from other foods. Andulo they also mentioned that there seems to be "Black magic" associated with sugar- sweetened beverages ani. Also, I'm a sweet toothed person and personally to give on anything that's sweet is a VERY BIG DEAL to me. So starting lo it was very tough for me as such endukante cravings chala untunde. So I shifted to naural sugars anamata like a fruit or a date to curb my cravings. Now I am not fond of sodas anymore and guess what? I can kill that bloat ;)
5. MAKE SLEEP YOUR TOP PRIORITY:
There is absolutely no reason or excuse for having no rest or sleep. Imagine intha kashta padi em labham daaniki saripada rest lekapothey? Anthenduku chala mandiki gym ki elli sarigga nidrapokunda complain that they're not losing/gaining weight. Here's a simple insight on how our body works- If you put your body under any extreme work or work as such it loses it's energy with time, mana phone laga. And when given good rest it will regenerate energy for next day's work an work efficient. Sleep helps muscle recover. 2010 lo University of Chicago also made a study that said that skipping sleep can sabotage your efforts to lose fat through dieting. Always aim for a good 8 hours of quality sleep every night and then kick start your day keeping the 4 above points. :D
6. STOP MULTI TASKING WHILE EATING:
So idi inko chala bad habit that I had trouble time cutting down. Frank ga cheppali ante ee alavatu completely ellakapoyna, tagginchatam valla changes chusa body lo. Actually, whenever you watch something while eating, you end up not having a track of how much you're eating. So eventually you'd end up eating excess or less indulging yourself excessively in the watching process. Plus oka episode ayyentha varaku or oka season ayyentha varaku you wanna eat and watch. So deeniki solution or hack is to pack a box and just stick to that amount. That way you're happy and healthy.
7. PUT ONE PERSON TO NOTICE:
Meeru chese ee chinna chinna prayathnaala gurinchi oka person ki cheppi pettandi. And mid way oka vella meeru give up chesina, aa friend or family person will ask or check on you. Ala guilty ga feel ayyi, you might get on track. Also, mock chesina or praise chesina you'd possibly take it as a motivation to keep yourself going. Ide person shall also check your progress physically and notice that you've lost few inches and that again works for you right?
8. WORKOUT:
I don't want to be modest about it, but spending at least 35mins a day for any physical activity really changes your life. There is no such food that'll cut down your fat except physical workout. So physical workout ante it's not always gym. It can be any of your favorite sport or oka walk in your favorite park/jog or dancing anamata. So indulge yourself in such activities and don't forget to follow the above tips and see what wonders you could do. Deeniki bonus is if you keep a track of the amount of calories you burnt for that and that's it, the world is yours!!
Adi matter, Try these habits for a month at least and notice the difference. And they say you are what you eat- so next time you call yourself a potato or a fry potato know that fries are more harmful ;)
