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Rajvee Gandhi from Fitternity tells you how to fight off sadness, bloating and lethargy.
After a year of being homebound in a raging pandemic, most of us may still be mourning over that cancelled beach trip.
But before you turn on your air conditioner and resign to planning out the rest of your sedentary day, it's important to remember that now, more than ever, we have to keep our spirits up and immunity high.
With healthy meals and a steady workout regime, you can achieve both!
Here are some diet and exercise tips to tackle the muggy weather and stay fit.
1. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
It is essential to stay hydrated with water while working out as you’re going to need to replenish your lost electrolytes.
You are going to need to replenish your lost electrolytes by staying hydrated with water.
You can also mix it up and get your water intake through fruits-infused water, nimbu paani, coconut water, aam panna, or iced tea.
Infused water using mint, lemon, berries, cucumber, and oranges are great options!
With the changing climatic conditions, your body is working extra hard to regulate its temperatures, and our usual trips in and out of air conditioned rooms makes the regulating even trickier.
Lend it a helping hand by opting for lighter, fibrous meals instead of heavier foods, and you'll notice your body's sluggishness from the weather lift.
Pairing a glass of buttermilk with your meals helps with making digestion easier, and with reducing bloating.
2. Practice early morning meditation by the window
While we generally practice meditation in a silent place or within four walls, it is also essential to get your daily dose of vitamin D. So why not practice meditation early morning by the window?
Meditating by the window helps us to concentrate better while we can extract all the essential vitamins by absorbing the sun.
It will help you stay calm, composed and focused throughout the day.
3. Eat healthy and light
As humidity gets more oppressive, our blood vessels and capillaries dilate, which results in fluid retention in the areas between organs and tissues.
Even our digestion is affected since the body goes into overdrive trying to keep its internal temperature low.
To aid your body through this weather, eating light is extremely important.
Eating smaller meals in shorter intervals helps your body digest the food better.
Making it healthier, you can draw up a menu of healthy munchies from your kitchen at home itself.
Buy some chickpeas -- rich in fibre and proteins -- to make some delicious hummus in olive oil and pairing it with a cucumber or carrot can make it a healthy and filling snack.
As for your daily dose of fibre, get it balanced with beans, pulses, fruits, and vegetables.
Include hydrating fruits like apples, watermelons, pears, muskmelons, mangoes and pineapples, and salads with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and carrots.
It's a great practice to switch out one meal, every three to four days, with fresh fruits.
You can even significantly combat bloating and water retention by ensuring your meal of fruits is a dinner.
4. Stick to your workout regimen
With the sun working overtime to break people into a sweat, exercising tends to slip off many priority lists.
Having a workout routine helps you stay fit, healthy, and motivated during this season.
Pilates, yoga, weight and strength training, resistance band workouts, HIIT, and aerobic exercise can offer you a wonderful fitness session at home. Just make sure to stay hydrated!
5. Rest well
While you are following your workout regime regularly it is equally important to allow your body a rest day.
This allows your body to repair tissues damaged from the mechanical stresses of exercise.
Light evening yoga sessions or guided meditations can get you relaxed and ready for bed. Deep and restful sleep is necessary for your body to recuperate from the day.
6. Say Hi! to comfort food
While we know how much we love indulging in our favourite, comfort food but it is also essential to keep a check on the portion size.
You can relish your favorite foods, even if they are high in calories, fat or added sugars just by eating it in the right proportions.
The key is eating them once in a while and balancing them with healthier alternatives and physical activity.
7. Progress reports
It can get easy to lose sight of our fitness or even mental health goals.
A journal to keep track of your diet, workout regimen, sleep habits, and even moods can offer invaluable insights into yourself while helping you stay motivated!
Tweak your diet and workouts to change how you experience summer this year.
Don't let the heat bring you down, and channel it instead to make lifestyle changes that will have you feeling fresher, fitter, lighter, healthier, and happier!
Rajvee Gandhi is AVP marketing, Fitternity, one of India's largest fitness and wellness communities.
