Slow and Steady wins the race #SlimTurns4

I was always slim or should I say underweight, even after birth of my first child my weight didn’t even cross the half century. I always wondered will I ever have to fight to reduce my weight, or worry about my stomach or about toning of my arms, but as they say whatever you attract comes your way. And with age and time, year on year I started gaining weight, It was after birth of my second child that I came into the category of fat. Even after 4-5 months of delivering her, people used to give me place to sit in public transport or used to ask me about my delivery date. It was getting embarrassing day by day. However still I had good reasons of not focusing on my health as I was already juggling with office and home. It was all tiring and overwhelming, I always knew and believed that exertion and exercise are not the same, however both of them drain you of energy, however post exercise happy hormones are released but same isn’t true with exertion.

My husband who has always been a fitness focused person, motivated me. His relentless efforts, push, reminders made me come all the way where I am today on the health scale. Will share some of the best ways to get fit. And believe me nothing comes for free, you have to bear the pain to gain the results.

Lets begin

1. Intermittent fasting:

I am sure you must have heard the word, its been trending for long. In some of the religions people don’t eat after sunset, this is something similar if not exact.

Intermittent fasting deals directly with insulin secretion, further helping into reduction of fat.

You can eat whatever for 8 consecutive hours of the day, post that for next 16 hours you cannot have anything else but water, green tea, black coffee or tea of course without sugar or even honey. It’s called 16:8. If you can you can even stretch it to 18:6 means 18 hours fasting window and 6 hours is your eating window.

Although you can have anything during your eating window, but the lesser proportions or less fat or sugar you consume the better. The results start showing within 10 days, if you are doing it honestly, initially the hunger pangs bother you fight it with warm water or green tea and determination. You can surely take a break or cheat day once a week. It has worked for me, it is our lifestyle now.

 

2. Exercise:

Although diet plays the most important role, however if you club it with physical activity for 30-40 mins, it will show faster effect. Although walking and jogging is fair enough exercises, however if you have to loose more weights are your best friends, pick up weights to loose weight. Go to gym anytime you get free, don’t keep a taboo that exercise should be done early morning only, its better to go at 11am or 5 Pm rather than not working out. So find out and steal that 30 minutes of your day for yourself.

 

3. Portion Control:

Our stomach is just as big as our fist, its elastic so it expands as much as we keep pushing it. We can increase or decrease our appetite. So, during your eating window, eat everything but in less proportion, even if you are eating gol-gappe instead of 5 eat three, instead of eating 3 idli’s eat two. Slowly your appetite will grow less. Portions will get smaller; hence you won’t feel hungry or deprived and still will end up consuming less calories. you can even try eating in smaller plates.

4. Eat Slowly, Eat monotonous:

Our elders would always tell us to chew every bite minimum of 32 times, it has lot of science behind it. When we eat fast before our stomach can communicate to our mind that it is full, we are done eating more, as we are always in a rush, or at least that is what we sell to ourselves. But slow eating has great effects.

Eat monotonous, eating same things regularly will automatically drain your interest of eating, and you will eat less and slow. But make sur that food is full of nutrition and magic food like broccoli, beet root etc.

 

5. Love yourself:

Believe me, I learnt it hard way after being on medicine for 6 months, keeping yourself on low priority and thinking you love everyone so much that its OK to keep de-prioritizing yourself, is the worst mistake you can do. If you are happy and healthy is only then your family will be happy and healthy. Keep your health on top and I am sure you will find motivation and time for everything. And if you are following a healthy routine, as a home minister you will make sure the entire house is eating, sleeping and working in a healthy way.

 

These are my fitness mantras, I am following it, they have immensely helped me and I am sure they will change your life for good. Don’t stop yourself, you will never find time to workout or jog you will always have to steal it.

Being healthy is a lifestyle, it doesn’t need time but intent.

 

 This post is a part of #SlimTurns4 Blog Birthday celebrations hosted by Slimexpectations and Thoughts by Geethica.