Fitter Me : Tips on Workout! Important things u need to follow if u r thinking of losing weight :)

I just wanted to list some dos and dont's that might be useful for you guys if u r planning to workout for fitness/weightloss :)

• If u r someone new to exercise or heavier please do not jump straight into hard moves.Start with simple moves with low intensity that do not put too much pressure on your joints. Otherwise it might give u knee cap injuries or ligament tears to say the least.
• Go slow and build pace and intensity as u proceed.It will help ur body to combat injuries :)
• Warm ups and Cool downs are an important and integrated part of ur workouts. NEVER SKIP them! They heat up ur body to prevent injuries during the actual workout.Warm ups can include set of yogic movements/stretching moves/walking or jogging at moderate pace.U can have the same set of movements for both warm up and cool down.
• PUSH YOURSELF but know ur boundaries.Senselessly bending ur body beyond your flexibility threshold can bring on unwanted injuries. U can stretch ur tolerance limits linearly but not exponentially.Ur body is not a machine.
• If u lack motivation, find something to motivate u,set a goal and tell others about it.If u tell others u will be answerable to someone other than urself .Also putting up a prize at the end of the goal is a great motivation factor. Like I had mentioned I wanna wear red denims. Every time I feel like slacking off the red denim flashes thru my mind and I get to work ;)
• Drink WATER. Loads of it.More than ur normal intake.U need to combat the loss of water thru sweat.Better mix electral with ur water and sip it thru ur workouts :) Helps replenish the lost nutrients.
• Take BREAKS. Seriously.It is necessary for our body to repair itself between workouts. If u really have tight deadlines u can exercise max 5 days a week. Not more than that. Otherwise 3/4 days a week will suffice.
• I used to workout morn and even each 1 hr everyday. Honestly, I dreaded getting up in the morn all those times.Now, I have chalked out a simpler and easier routine though it is too early to talk about it.
• I like working out early in the morning on an empty stomach.Otherwise I end up puking all the food/leaving the workout halfway.In the mornings I feel more energetic and charged up for a workout. Never WORKOUT on a full stomach! Give at least 2 hours gap btw ur food intake and exercise.
• DO NOT WEIGH yourself everyday. Once a week is enough! Even then, if the scales are not in your favor do not get disheartened. It is possible to lose inches without losing pounds especially with strength training. 
• Consistency is another key factor. I know u can get easily bored with the same exercise set everyday. But u need to stick to a specific regime for a month or 2 to actually see the results. After that it is time to change cuz u do not want ur body to get used to the workout.It will stop giving results.
• Soreness occurs cuz ur muscles get torn during workout. Wait! that is no reason for alarm! Ur body is perfectly capable of repairing the muscles :) Do not workout when u r really sore. Little amount of soreness is okay. After some days the soreness will vanish.But I repeat do not workout when u r very sore.
• If possible get someone to workout with you. U will stay motivated in a competitive environment.
• Reward yourself every time u lose considerable number of pounds/inches.But not with food. Lipsticks,blushes,eyeliners,shadows,new clothes whatever tickles ur fancy ;) Helps u stick to the goal :)
• Take a bath after sweating subsides. Helps avoid skin infections and acne :)
• Fitness is achieved from exercise and DIET. So avoid junk food, oily stuff and carbohydrates. Eat nutrient rich food. Include lots of vegetables and fruits in ur diet.
• Do not skip meals. And def not ur breakfast! Break ur food intake to at least 5 portions. Try eating every 2 hours. Increases ur metabolism rate :) If u skip ur meals u will end up gorging on junk stuff afterwards. (courtesy Deepika from Divassence ) 
• Always keep fruits and other healthy snacks handy. I recommend Tropicana 100% juice,khakra,cheese,paneer,dates,nuts and makhana. U won't end up stuffinf urself on Lays and Kurkure ;) 

I have covered most of the topics but if u have any queries u can post them in the comments :) 

Disclaimer:

 I am not from the Medical Field and I do not claim to know everything about weight loss and workouts. The tips I have listed down are from my own experiences and solely for informational purpose. 

Image Source : Google

Take care and stay gorgeous :)

Fitter Me: My diet and Exercise Regime!

Since I am tied indoors due to the heavy rain I thot I might as well do this post ;)

So first the diet that I follow:

Morning (6/7) : That's when I get up :)  2 glasses of water + 4 almonds + a glass of green tea.Along with this a fruit/carrot/tomato.I need fuel to work out ;)

Workout

Post-workout (9/10) : A glass of protein.

Mid morning(10/11) : 1 small cup of  Red/brown rice with veggies and lil pickle.

Lunch (1/2) : 2 Roti with veggies/2 dosa/3 idly/ 2 idiyappam/poha

After 1/2 hr:1 glass of milk with turmeric (good for stomach)

Evening : Green tea with a fruit/dates/roasted channa/chivda/Roasted Makhnas(its my fav) U can get Makhnas from Bombay General stores near Duraisamy Subway (opp to Pothys).They are very nutritious and taste yummy.I forgot to mention them in the previous post.

Dinner(7): Salad comprising of carrots,cucumbers,tomatoes,mushrooms,cabbage anything that's there in the fridge at that time ;)  
+
A glass of protein if I workout in the evening.

Late night : I am mostly awake till 11 so I munch on carrots/drink milk.
* I stay away from oily and junk foods
*I recommend not to have carbohydrates(carbs) at night since they take longer to digest and since u will be asleep mostly by that time u won't need tat energy and it will be stored as fat.
*Also try having early dinner mostly by 7 or 8.
*Including more protein in ur diet is important since Protein provides u with immediate energy hence u will feel great as well as not crave for *stuff* (junk)
*Ur body needs nutrients and when u eat junk food u do not provide it with sufficient nutrients hence ur body will send u signals to eat more food.when u do not provide it even then it becomes a cycle. U will feel hungry and tired and pile on pounds!
* If I am hungry between meals I munch on fruits and nuts and drink buttermilk!

My Exercise Regime : I workout at home.No gymshym for me.There is no good 1 nearby and if it's far I start procastinating.

That's me :D

Morning : (after some fuel)

 20 to 30 mins walk in the park (fast walking).I do not jog.But am not regular with this 1 ;)

 Strength training for an hour

Yoga for 30 mins which includes 6 sets of suryanamaskar and some asanas.

Evening: (5)

Cardio training for 1 hr

 or

1 hr or more of shuttle

Yup My workout is intense so I make sure I eat a lot of veggies.I will share my initial workouts in the upcoming posts :)


Keep tuned in for my Next Posts which will be on What to Eat and What Not to Eat and Exercises which worked for me ;)

Till then
Ciao
Raaga 

Fitter Me : Healthy Indian Snacks!

I am starting a new series :Fitter Me to inculcate a sense of fitness and lose weight.I will post exercises,diet and rules that help me to lose weight :) And Believe me I have lost a LOT of weight dng those exercises and diet ;) Hope u guys benefit from these :) I will try to do a post atleast once a week but no promises :) So this is a random compilation of snacks I love and are low in calories and nutritious too :)

1.

 

Dates: Dates have lesser calories than ur Jalebis and Rasagullas and satisfy ur sweet cravings too :) Strawberries have lesser calories than dates but I can't find strawberries in all the seasons ;)

2.

Chivda : Ahhh I use Cardia Extra Virgin Olive Oil for my cooking and use 4 tsps max for making chivda :) It is a healthier version but be vigilant on the salt as too much leads to water retention :)

3.

Peanuts: I never liked peanuts pehle.But now I have developed a liking.It is a great snack and the fat it has is Unsaturated fatty acid which is actually good for us :)It lowers bad cholestral.

4.

 Khakhras: Who doesn't love these?? They are crispy,yummy and perfect replacements for those bag of nachos.Try making at home.U can find a lot of recipes on youtube.
If u r lazy and want to buy them U can get these in various versions at :
Mansukh's in Ramasamy Street near the new flyover on the Usman Road in T.nagar
The street is opposite to the Wine Shop in Dhandapani street.

5.

Roasted Chana Dal :We call it uppu kadalai in Tamil.It tastes so good :) 


Also If u guys want to indulge once in a while u can get the Alive Multigrain Thins which has 232 calories in a single 15Rs. packet :\

Toss those packets of Lays and Kurkures and Hug these healthy replacements :)


Please share ur healthy snacking options and ur opinions on this post :)