Coronavirus restricted us to the four walls physically and in our thought bubble mentally. Quarantine time has given us family time to cherish but brought many difficulties too. An unhealthy lifestyle being on top of these difficulties is a major concern.
A healthy lifestyle has to be maintained by all members of the family. Health is the most important part of every aspect of life. It affects our physical and mental health as well as economical aspects too!
It's a constant fight between good and bad foods. We have to make a choice of what we eat, where we buy it from, and the time we consume it. Rising obesity is a crucial problem faced by people throughout.
5 Weight Management Tips During Covid
During this lockdown, it’s easy to get lost in the cycle of over-eating. How to put that extra effort to manage your weight? The Internet is full of myths with videos and blogs on dietary plans for weight loss.
Natural weight loss is a lifestyle and not just a few months of a strict diet plan. Focusing on a high protein and low carb diet does the trick for body fat burning and losing belly fat. But there are other more effective and easier ways too:
Keep a track of what you eat
Being aware of your calorie, protein, fat, carb, and water intake can help keep your weight in check
There are some great apps available for download to help you:
- Healthifyme: It has almost all Indian dishes, gives daily insights, and provides paid plans to seek guidance from fitness coaches.
- Fittr: Also has a similar diet tracker with all Indian dishes listed. You may also subscribe to a fitness coach.
Keep Exercising
The lockdown might have decreased your body movement. All the gyms and parks are also closed now. It is a great time to explore online fitness classes. We recommend these amazing ( and free ) online classes from Cure.Fit. To see the difference, do these workouts at least 4 times a week. A variety of workouts are available with professional yoga teachers and fitness specialists.
Try different kinds of workouts based on your requirements - for burning belly fat, strengthening the core and full-body, or yoga for weight loss or flexibility.
Cut Upon the Processed and Refined Food
Eating refined foods is strongly linked to obesity and food cravings.
Here are some tips to avoid this:
- Switch to real whole foods instead of ready-to-eats. Switch to food items like nuts, seeds, fruits, oats, whole wheat bread, sprouts, and lentils.
- Cut down refined sugar, ketchup intake and replace it with good quality jaggery, honey, and unprocessed natural sugars like khandsari.
Switch from nutrition-less and chemically treated refined oils to Indian native wood pressed oils (coconut, mustard, sesame oil) and desi cow ghee.
Drink water especially before meals
A study has shown that drinking water boosts metabolism by 20-30% over a while of 1-1.5 hrs.
Another one has shown that drinking a glass of water half an hour before meals help lose 40% more weight in dieters.
Lastly, Don’t Keep Eating All the Day
Fasting is something that is taught by every religion in the world. Our ancestors were wise enough to incorporate good habits into their life.
Our body is naturally blessed to clear out the deposited fats and toxins with the help of blood. But if the blood is stuck in the intestines busy digesting food all the time, it is unable to do so.
Hence, studies have shown that one should eat only 8-10 hours a day and fast for the remaining hours ( commonly known as Intermittent Fasting). The best time for cleansing our body is while sleeping, hence make sure to eat at least 3 hours before bed.
FAQ
Is it difficult to lose weight during COVID-19?
It is not difficult. It is just a little bit of planning and monitoring to avoid having bad cravings for food in between the fasting hours. With regular practice of these healthy habits, it becomes easier to follow a balanced diet without overeating.
"The secret of life is to eat what's good and avoid what's bad." - Socrates
What is the main cause of people gaining weight during Covid?
The main cause of gaining weight is overeating. We are not always aware of what we eat, and most people tend to over-eat. When the body is under constant stress due to lack of food or insufficient diet, it will store fat which in turn leads to unhealthy weight gain.
How has the pandemic changed our eating habits?
There has been a rise in the intake of fast food and junk foods. Most people have become lazy to prepare healthy food, so they opt for unhealthy options that are easy to eat. In addition, there is a huge gap between what we should be eating and what we consume.
As a result of the pandemic, we have to be more careful with what we eat. Even a small amount of junk food can lead to gaining weight. So eating healthy and being physically active is very important for us now.
Stay Motivated
The most important thing is to be consistent. A healthy lifestyle starts with a change in your mindset and habits. This way, you will not feel tempted to overeat or cheat during fasting hours. Another important factor is being physically active all day long, which makes it easier to control your appetite.
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to be consistent and focused on the end goal. You should also take into consideration that losing weight is not easy; it takes time and patience. It's important to stay motivated by finding new ways of dealing with your cravings and to stick with them.