FITNESS MANTRA - Food For The Day!!!

Acknowledgement to my fellow Readers...

 Happy to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have read my blog. You are my inspiration to continue "The Voyage". Special thanks to all those who shared their views & ideas to improve the blog and those who read ‘FITNESS MANTRA’ to be fitness fanatics.

Hats off to Sreeshmith of ‘VIEWPOINT’, who gave me the idea to kick start a Blog. I am happy that statistics show 297 views on my blog. I want more people to read my blog and share their comments as well. I am writing every POST in my blog with only one AIM that it should be the best of all and it should be taken in the right sense.... 

                                                 “It's been a while I am thinking to write from my column ‘FITNESS MANTRA’, as I know it is vast subject and very difficult to comprehend. I always ensure that I should never suggest anything without trying it. Whatever I am suggesting in this blog is proved to be successful, either tried by me or the ones whom I know. So let's start with the Mantra for the day...”

Gain an Extra Calorie                                          

                   

                    Many who start reading this would think, oh!! This is not for me... Don’t come to a conclusion like that … I am here suggesting my ways to gain weight by following a strict diet and exercise regime. So I believe this may also be useful for those who are trying to lose weight, to an extent.

“It’s been years I am trying to gain weight but I am not even improving a kg in a year", I have told this to many and also heard this from many... It's really an awkward situation when friends, relatives tell that you are too skinny and you have to gain some weight. We feel so dejected when people say like that in front of the whole crowd. This happens for both guys & girls. I know many who stress a lot because of this. The inferiority complex haunts them and makes them hide under the blankets forever... The best example is the one who writes this, the person who was in the peak of inferiority complex and now in the receding phase. I changed a lot over the period of 5-10 years. It's a long time for a change but even then if I wouldn't have put efforts, I would be the same as I was 5 years before. Takeaway from this is that “Don't expect a drastic change, anything that is drastic won’t last for long. So put your efforts consistently and over the years you can see the betterment.”

                   I am still trying to stick to a diet plan every day. It won't work all the days but most of the time we can try to make it happen. Let's discuss what all things which we can avoid in a day. The toughest part in following a diet. 

                          Let's start from the time we end a day... You will tell me at the end of this article whether it was your best or the worst day -with respect to health...

                         Avoid having a late night dinner. Try to have your dinner between eight & nine, at least before it ticks to ten. You will get at least half an hour to relax before you go to bed. Because when you are late to bed you wake up late. As this goes every day, you belong to the “Late to bed late to rise” community. I sleep around 12 everyday due to my job timings and late night chats with my friends, but I wake up for workout sacrificing my sleep. Try not to do this and get enough sleep which is the most important for everyone. Benjamin Franklin quoted “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” We know this but do we practice?

 Dinner

                                Rice at night will add more calories and hence more energy. If you are a person who never do any exercise in your day but have one full bowl of rice daily, I am sure you have a big belly. If not now, but in near future. Avoid rice at night, but for those who want to gain weight -have enough rice. But remember that the day starts with a workout.

                                 Try to include chappatis/rotis/nans in your dinner along with pulses. Try to avoid non-veg at night and have one fruit if possible after dinner but not immediately.

Chit-Chat

“THE HINDU” once published an article on health issues and they mentioned about the eating habits during the evening time. Most of the people especially in India eat unhealthy food during this time, few people go for fruits or fruit juices but most of them prefer junk food like burgers, hot-dogs, oily food items and so on...

                                   Have you ever thought of being busy during this time, sticking to something productive and going for an early dinner by 8, or else having one fruit during this time to meet your hunger and making it a healthy time? If not, try to do it...

Try to be engaged in some works during the evening 4-7 time, something productive other than eating. There is always a temptation to eat unhealthy food during this time, we prefer to have snacks at this time.

Coffee @4 is like a drug for Indians. Everyone have 1 coffee or tea this time, it boosts our energy and makes us active. But we don't stop in a coffee. We have oil foods like crispy Bajjis, spicy chats, etc... If this is once in a week, it would not harm you but the daily routine surely add up calories and bad cholesterol to the body… To add fuel onto fire, some people have cokes at evening... The best thing you can do, if you want to end up in a hospital bed. "A coke a day makes Health away"... I know one of my friends who got stone complaints because of this coke. He had a coke every day like water and at last he went under the knife. Luckily coke couldn't kill him...now he says everyone to avoid it... Me too!!! 

                                       

                               Once in a week you have the snacks that you like or the burgers you can't avoid... It won't do much harm to your body... To those who wants to put on weight ,go ahead and have food like cooked corn, black grams, Chana, a good vegetable sandwich , fruit juices and so on... Try this and you will note the difference.

Lunch    

Try to eat what you like. Try to avoid more oily and spicy foods but as a whole it should be a perfect wholesome food. Try to include fish curry if you are non-vegetarian, if not try to have the leafy greens in the menu. For those who wish to put on weight can have rice, vegetables, egg/fish/red meat, and vibrant salads. Always prefer the curries to the Deep fried or tandoori items when it comes to the fish/meat. I would try to avoid the oily foods and always suggests the same.

Brunch

                               Usually termed for the late breakfast. Whenever we miss our breakfast, we used to cop up with the lunch. Instead of that have some fruits or light food by 11 as brunch. This will keep your hunger away and serves an alternative for your breakfast. But try to avoid junk foods at any cost.

Breakfast

                                The fuel to start our day, it drives the whole day with energy. The day you skip it would always be low... Try to have as much as you can. ”Eat like a king when it comes to breakfast”.  Try to include egg whites, milk, bananas in your breakfast. This will increase the calories and make you energetic. People who skip breakfast are more likely to snack impulsively on calorie-laden foods. Drink plenty of water which helps you stay hydrated. If you are coming after a workout include all those that your trainer recommends like protein shakes /bars/ supplements that balances your diet and workout.

                        I am not suggesting anything about the exercises since this is purely for diet plan, but for all those who wants to improve their physique –don’t wait for anyone or anything. Plan it and execute it. Do exercises on a regular basis and follow a good diet plan. You will see your life moving into a healthier phase.

                       Here I haven’t suggested any popular diet plans like GM diets. Whatever I have suggested is the diets which everyone can follow and is also cost effective one. The most successful dieters eat three meals a day and resist the temptation to snack between meals and after dinner. You eat the best food you get ,at the right time and support them with proper exercise, then I am sure you can see the difference in you both physically as well as mentally .It persuades you and keeps you robust & active all the time.

                        Health is something which we should look on every day and there is no end date for it. If you have good health, I am sure you will be able to overcome any barrier in your life!

 “I wrote this with a motive to get you all into the path of fitness with me. The mantras will be futile if you don’t take it in the right sense. I am here to support you and also to take suggestions from you to make my life simpler and healthier. All the things which I said was tried by me and has proved effective. I have missed so many things which would add more value for the diet, but as I said I haven’t tried those or I have to try that in future. I am also in the path to attain fitness, let’s walk together and make our lives healthy.”