PremiumWeek 1 - Start your day with a banana or any fresh fruit or soaked almonds or soaked raisins and not with tea or coffee
Notes:
Why:
Also read: Rujuta Diwekar on why we shouldn’t chase weight loss in 2020
Good to know
Remember that fitness is built one step at a time by small but daily actions. The body rewards consistency over anything else. Being consistent with this practice within 15 minutes of waking up is a big step forward.
Week 2 - Eat ghee. Add 1 tsp of ghee to breakfast, lunch and dinner
Notes:
Here are some other ways in which you can consume it, especially in winter, to keep your joints supple and skin glowing:
Watch:
Why:
Q: How do we know how much ghee is to be added in each meal?
A: It depends on what you are eating. Foods like dal-rice, khichdi, roti-sabzi will require less ghee compared to puran poli, dal baati, bajra (pearl millet) roti, etc. Ask your grandmother if you are still confused.
Week 3 - Rethink, reform and regulate the use of gadgets in your life
Notes:
Why:
Q: But I use my phone as an alarm.
A: Just get yourself a real alarm clock, it will even look nice on your bedside table and it will be charming to wake up to a ghanti that you can’t put on snooze
Week 4 - Eat a wholesome meal between 4 and 6 p.m.
Notes:
Why:
When we don’t eat anything in the evening or kill our appetite with chai or coffee, our body works at producing more cortisol instead of reducing it. This will lead to:
Q: What not to have at this time?
A: This meal has to be wholesome. So, no oil-free, sugar-free, exotic fruits, juices or any ‘diet’ options. Have a traditional meal the way it is supposed to be. The benefits of this meal will be nullified if you mess up the basics. As much as possible, stick to the easy and made-at-home options listed.
Week 5 - Move more, sit less
Notes:
Here are some easy ways to move more, sit less:
Why:
My work involves sitting and here’s what I have done to help myself. I bought myself a bench instead of a chair and I sit cross-legged on it, instead of leaving my feet dangling. Also, consider buying a footrest, so that you can rest your feet and allow for the back of the knee to open out and receive better blood circulation.
Good to know
You may not realize the importance of movement and activity but it retains brain plasticity, especially in older adults, helps prevent back pain, diabetes, heart disease and even depression. And remember, activity is different from exercise, and is not a substitute.
Week 6 - Start with at least one session of strength training every week
Notes:
Most people want to knock off the kilos, but to lose weight you have to gain weight i.e. lean body weight—the weight of your bones and muscles. Most of us lose 2-4 kilos of muscles every 10 years. In women, especially after 30, we lose muscle from our thighs and gain intramuscular fat at a fast pace. This continuous and progressive loss of muscle and bone density can be reversed with exercise, and more importantly a structured workout regimen that includes strength (weight) training and follows some basic principles of exercise science.
Why:
Q: I already do cardio/swimming/ zumba/dancing, etc., should I strength-train?
A: Yes. And the reason is afterburn or excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Afterburn is a process that follows every session of strength training, where the body burns fat at a higher rate for up to 36-48 hours. This is not the case with aerobic exercises, where fat burn, if at all, happens only during the duration of exercise.
Week 7 - Eat dal-rice for dinner
Notes:
Q: How to cook rice?
A: Cook rice in a way that unlocks its flavours, which is invariably how your grandmother used to. There is no such thing as “removing starch" from rice. It’s an essential nutrient. “Removing water" from rice depletes these anti-ageing nutrients too. And if at all it is removed, traditionally, it would be cooked along with some grains and offered as kanji or pej to the oldest and youngest members of the family as it’s easy on the GI tract. Also, it’s liquid and doesn’t require chewing, therefore it’s perfect for the elderly or young toddlers who don’t have fully developed teeth. It has vitamin B that helps with metabolic processes. So the removal of water was a result of using it intelligently; it didn’t emerge from the fear of getting fat. Eating rice at night is a brilliant strategy for those who plan to but don’t work out in the morning, as it can really help with restorative sleep.
Q: What if we have late dinner? Can we still have rice?
A: Yes, it’s the easiest meal to digest. You can have it as khichdi or dal-rice.
Q: Can diabetics have rice?
A: Rice is traditionally eaten with dal/sabzi/meat/dahi, etc., along with ghee, and this lowers the glycaemic index of meals and is therefore totally safe for diabetics.
Why:
Q: Brown or white rice?
A: Hand-pounded or single-polished white rice. Too much fibre in brown rice comes in the way of absorption of minerals like zinc, crucial for insulin function.
Week 8 - Use the mental meal map as a tool to help you eat the right quantity
Notes:
What if I like something, can I overeat?
A: Yes, by all means. Some chais or some samosas or some jalebis are so special that they deserve an extra bite. Eat it in a manner that allows you to celebrate the meal long after it’s over, like a happy memory. Here’s what I always say to my clients, my secret rule to overeating, really— did it lead to good conversation, sex or laughter or allow you to close an important business deal? If yes, then it was worth it. Celebrate it. And from the next meal, go back to living and eating normally. The key is to be aware of your appetite and to know when you have crossed the Lakshman Rekha.
Q: Why not just portion control?
A: Because appetite is a moving entity. Season, your state of mind, where you are eating, who you are eating with, everything affects it. Even your workout intensity and quality of sleep will influence your hunger. So stay engaged with your meal and eat exactly as much as you need to, not more, not less. And over a period of time, even awareness becomes natural and effortless. Work towards it.
Edited excerpts from ‘The 12-Week Fitness Project’ (Juggernaut). The book releases on 5 January.
