Balancing festivities and health.

It’s that time of the year again, when one evening of slipping, can become a reason for letting ourselves just slip away. A piece of mithai here, some alcohol there, a late night and there goes your morning workout, for many days in a row.

Let’s get this straight, being ‘healthier than thou’, is a serious challenge during this time. You also don’t want to be a party pooper and super strict around others. But a little bit of mindfulness and balance could hold the key to sailing through.

And here’s what making that effort could be worth –

It shows you value yourself and are committed to your your own well being. You will feel great about yourself.
You could potentially inspire others around you. It may seem like they don’t care much, but deep down they do, but just don’t know where to start and what to do.
You won’t have any guilt feelings by the end of the month, no weight to lose, no pain of trying to coerce yourself back on track.

Hence, here are my top 5 tips to stick by, which may not seem so heavy, but really work wonders to keep you close to track!

Always eat something nourishing and filling at home before stepping out. It could be a Green Smoothie, a filling salad, or soup. This way you could just get by with nibbling when out and since you would not be very hungry, you could select smart. Go for salad sticks or grilled foods, instead of fried.
Load up on fresh fruit and raw salads on days that you are not socialising – as they help to balance out the heavy food. They also keep you hydrated and energised, also because your sleep hours may be erratic.
If you are going to an intimate home gathering, offer to bring a dish along with you – could be salad or a healthy dessert. Chances are all guests will be wowed by your dish, and will be gorging on what you brought than the other foods, and also a great way to open the conversation to health and self care!
Have desserts mindfully. How do you do that?

Try some healthy, sugar free desserts at home- Besan Barfi, 5 min Coconut Barfi

Firstly, you would agree that all desserts are not made equal. Some are better than others. So make a mental note of the ones you like better and reserve your sweet spot for only those. Skip all the others.

Second, when indulging, sit down and enjoy the dessert with all your senses. Eat slowly, and enjoy every bite. You will find yourself so much more satiated with such little.

Get exercise EVERY DAY. Now this may seem a little difficult to begin with, but if you break your goal down and make it something like the bullets below, it could feel a little more doable right ?

10 minute brisk walk
5 Surya Namaskars
7 minute HIIT
Climbing the stairs 3 times a day
Dancing to 2 bollywood numbers

It could be anything else you enjoy doing and anything more than this as well.

Staying healthy must go beyond eating habits. They must also include conscious practices that do not pollute our surroundings or environment. For in the end, it all comes full circle and affects us. We don’t really have to let our health or the health of our environment suffer to have a good time and bond with family and friends.

And you, how do you take care of your health and environment around you during festivals?