You could be as busy as the president of a country, but that shouldn’t be the reason keeping you away from losing weight and staying fit. That is, provided you’re willing to work in that direction.
If your jam-packed schedule is your justification for living with an unhealthy body, I am going to take that excuse away from you right here, right now by sharing my on-the-go hacks for weight loss. Check ‘em out:
1. Meal prep is the first step: Nope, you don’t have to take out the time to buy veggies, groceries, and cook a fancy meal. Just set out shopping on a Sunday evening, maybe? Keep a few healthy options handy. Here’s your cue:
Get your hands on a packet of a seed mix with flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and sesame seeds for a healthy snacking option.
You can buy nuts like almonds and pistachios, which are a good source of healthy fats and protein. They can be very filling as well.
Stocking up on low-maintenance fruits like apple and pears can also save you a lot of time during the week as you can simply grab one from your fridge and eat it on the go.
A smart move would be to buy a packet of oats (not the fancy, flavoured ones if you want to stay away from the water-retaining sodium and the harmful preservatives) and porridge. You can boil them in a cup of milk in the morning or simply prepare an overnight oats smoothie for a healthy, on-the-move breakfast in the morning.
Another saving grace for people on their toes all day would be to hang some curd in a piece of muslin cloth overnight. Add garlic paste and salt to the mixture. This can be stored and used as a healthy sandwich spread for the rest of the week.
Additionally, keeping lentils or quinoa overnight in a moist cloth will take only 5-minutes of your time at night. But, you can boil them next morning, add a few vegetables, sprinkle some salt and herbs, squeeze a lemon and enjoy a delicious, nutrition-filled salad.
Grab on some apple to eat it on the go. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
2. Making smart food choices is important: You obviously can’t survive solely on quick fixes for healthy food I just mentioned above. So, what you need is a back-up in the form of making smarter food choices.
Basically, when you’re at lunch with colleagues, how about ordering idlis instead of burgers or dal rice instead of chole bhatoore or besan/ moong dal chilla instead of paranthas? Trust me, cutting down just a few calories from every meal you eat will fill up your stomach and help you shed those extra kilos gradually.
Even during tea time or a snack break, opt for black coffee or green tea instead of a sugary caffeinated beverage as you’ll cut down on refined sugar. You’ll be giving your metabolism a much-needed boost by doing so.
As for snacking, Greek yogurt, fruit juice, fox nuts (makhane), dhokla, khandwi, bhel puri are way, way weight-loss friendly than masala Maggi or hot samosas.
But remember, exercise is just as important: Ladies, making healthy food choices is definitely going to help. However, exercise has to be a part of your routine—come what may. Not only will it help you lose weight, but exercise is also a proven way of improving concentration and productivity at work as well. It will help you stay active through the day and beat unnecessary food cravings. That said, you don’t have to spend hours at the gym. As I said, it’s about working smart more than working hard.
Don’t let this busy schedule disrupt your workout regimen. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
So, ditch the elevator and take the stairs in the office, at the metro stations, at the mall and basically, wherever else you have the option to.
Take out just 10 minutes after waking up for a quick high-intensity workout. You can do a few sets of planks, burpees, push-ups or simply, skipping or running on the spot. The idea is to get your heart rate up on an empty stomach so that your body takes the energy from the stored fat and not the food. This will get your body in the fat-burning mode for the rest of the day.
In case you have an hour in hand in the morning or evening, you can even fix up a workout date with a buddy and go for a refreshing walk, a Zumba class or hit the gym.
On your way back from work, walk back home from the metro station instead of taking a rikshaw. If you travel with a driver, ask him to drop you off a kilometre away from home and walk down the distance.
Try light stretching during work breaks to relax your muscles tensed from sitting in the same position for hours.
