Happy Half-Year! Where Do You Stand on Your Health Resolutions?
We are exactly half way through 2019, this is after all the end of June. So how many of your resolutions have stuck?
We are exactly half way through 2019, this is after all the end of June. So how many of your resolutions have stuck - weight loss, walking every day, 10 minute morning meditation, going for a long trek, changing the cooking oil, cooking more at home, absolutely no gadgets be-fore bed time - or did they fall flat one by one with every passing month.
It’s time to take stock and get a reality check, before this year too passes by like all the others before this one. It’s time to do the count and then an audit of the reasons (for failure). Don’t waste this year. Like I said we still have 6 months left to salvage our health and peace of mind before we hit 2020.
So I say pick up a pretty diary. List the resolutions you had made in January beginning. Mention what happened to each of those.
For how long you stuck to it (Jan end, or did it last till May) and why you think it fell flat (was it undoable, downright shaky (give up sweets totally, really!), or circumstances were behind you (couldn’t afford the gym).
Then finally salvage 3 (yes, only three) of that long list of wishes and focus on only those for the next 6 months. That gives you 2 months for each of those (and call them ‘changes’ instead of resolutions this time round), and a far better chance at succeeding.
Do it right - opt for two changes that you feel most comfortable doing, and one that you must do to get your health sorted (say cut down on salt intake in your blood pressure is proving troublesome).
If you feel you need some suggestions of doable ‘changes’, pick from these 6 easy, doable ones.
For Weight Loss
Eat protein early on in the day. It’ll help maintain better glucose and insulin control through the day. Zero in on foods like chia seeds, eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds and have at least one of these early on in the day.
For Avoiding the Evening Slump
Trade that samosa (and other carb-rich fried snacks) with almonds and butter milk. Besides keeping you going till dinner this combination will save you loads of calories everyday, help reduce your belly fat, keep your gut happy and also significantly improve LDL and total cholesterol.
For Better Heart Health
Stop calling ghee names. Take a good look at your fat sources and make quick changes. Use a mix of Kacchi Ghani sarson (mustard oil) or coconut oil for cooking the vegetables, ghee for dal tadka (or that occasional frying that you just have to do) and virgin sesame or olive oil for making the salads.
To Prevent Inflammation
People who never eat fruit, those who eat fruit every day cut the inflammation in the body very effectively. Inflammation is a number one reason for most lifestyle disorders we face today. Reason enough to chomp these antioxidant powerhouses more!
To Boost the Memory
Trans fats are bad for our memory. Time to really weed them out of our diet; found in margarines, fast foods, baked goods, snack foods etc and in foods made with partially hydrogenated oils.
To Protect Your Brain
Your green cuppa can not just keep heart disease away and help prevent cancer, it can help boost your cognitive abilities too. Drinking green tea increases connectivity between the parietal and the frontal cortex of the brain, which improves task performance.
(The author is a nutritionist, weight management consultant and health writer based in Delhi. She is the author of Don't Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico) and Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You (Rupa).
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