By: Rashi Chaudhary
Want to Avoid Weight Gain On Holi? Here Are Some Tips That Might Help
The festival of colours is here again! Holi is all about dance, music, drinks, unlimited fun, and most importantly food. Nobody can refuse to indulge in delicious Holi treats like Thandai, Bhalle Papdi, Tikki, and most specially Gujiyas. But festive foods like this are loaded up with sugar, spice, and oil that can lead to weight gain therefore, you should know where to draw the line.
Although you can’t lose weight whiles this festival but you can surely learn some tips and tricks to maintain it as you celebrate Holi with your friends and family, keeping the COVID-19 precautionary measures in mind of course!
Plan Your Day
This can be a great way to control what you eat. If you haven’t planned yet how you are going to celebrate Holi then it is the right time to make one. Plan on what you will eat, how will you keep yourself and others protected from getting contaminated by the infectious disease coronavirus, how you will make time for exercise, etc. This is very important to set a limit on your cravings and how you will burn more calories while having fun.
Pro Tip: Plan your day in such a way so that you don’t stay up late at night. Late-night munching is a one-way ticket to weigh-gain. You gotta avoid that!
Don’t Be a Couch Potato
Try to stay more active right from today if you are not already. Burn more calories than you take each day. During the Holi, don’t just sit on the couch throughout the day. Indulge in such activities that make your body move. Here are a few easy-peasy tips that you can follow to stay active on Holi:
- If you are celebrating virtually with your friends or family, make a video call and keep standing. Spending time on your feet has some incredibly amazing benefits
- Use stairs over lifts
- Take a walk-in the evening
- Go out and meet friends while taking all the safety precautions of COVID-19
- Play games with the kids, friends, or elders of the house Indulge in a good yoga or stretching session after vigorous Holi sports activities
Take a Nourished Breakfast
Don’t celebrate Holi on an empty stomach. Not only the Holi activities will drain your energy but they will also increase the chances of overeating. For this reason, start this amazing day with a healthy breakfast loaded up with fruits, fresh juices, nuts, and other healthy carbs that can help to boost your energy and mood levels. Avoid excessive consumption of unhealthy food like carbonated sodas, alcohol, coffee, adulterated sweets that can result in weight gain and other health conditions.
Watch Your Intake
I understand that Holi is a festival of feasting, but it is important to eat everything in moderation to avoid weight gain. It’s fine if you are having one or two sweets, the problem is when you don’t realise and indulge in binge eating. Therefore, it is important to keep a record of what you are eating to avoid indigestion, weight gain, tiredness, and other ill-effects of unhealthy eating. Don’t have too much sweet, oily, and spicy stuff rather choose the following food options to replace the unhealthy alternatives with healthier ones with same the same taste & flavour.
- Make Thandai at home. Use loads of dry fruits and natural sugar like honey or coconut sugar to make it sweet yet healthy
- Have oats idlis for breakfast, they are super filling and healthy
- Eat home-made Dhokla
- Replace cold beverages with healthy & natural juices
- Make Dahi-Vada without deep frying
Stay Hydrated
Holi is not just about playing with watercolors but also drinking plenty of it. Amidst the Holi madness, one can neglect drinking enough water which can make you dehydrated and tired. It’s of utmost importance to stay hydrated as the Holi activities can make your mouth and tongue feel sticky and dry. Hydration is essential for proper digestion and gives a feeling of a fuller stomach for longer periods that can help you to avoid unhealthy cravings. All things considered, keep drinking water, healthy juices, coconut water or anything that will help you in boosting energy.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to stop yourself when you are surrounded by varieties of mouth-watering sweets and other food items while enjoying the festivities. But this Holi, you must try to put a leash on your taste buds and avoid unhealthy calories. The tips that I have shared hope will be a great help to at least maintain your weight during this colourful festival.
To conclude, spend time with your friends or family, avoid unhealthy food & China- made colours, follow the tricks discussed above, and just keep a check on your intake to make this day extra memorable.
Have a Safe Holi!