Without food, festivals are incomplete, and we all end up indulging ourselves (especially with mithais) during celebrations. While festivities like Diwali come laden with joy, if you let your typically calorie-conscious mind go on a vacation, toss regular diet regimes out the window, and succumb to gluttony, your happiness could quickly turn into guilt.
Binging on the treats only leads to those unwelcome extra pounds. But don't get too worked up just yet. There are several simple yet efficient strategies to help you burn off those Diwali calories after the celebration. Let’s have a look at them.
Consider your options outside of the gym
After overindulging in festive food high in sugar, salt, and trans fats, we get determined to burn off those extra calories. During the festival season, however, you may not be able to get to the gym or devote sufficient time to proper exercise. Your family can help you in this situation. Turn fitness into a group activity that everyone can enjoy. Jogging, brisk walking, tennis, badminton, or even gardening for 30 to 45 minutes might help you burn off those additional calories. Make fitness enjoyable and a regular part of your life.
While the fitness drive might be entirely optional, you should encourage each family member to take part. Maintain a good attitude and discourage people to make fun of another's efforts or participation. Be a role model for your children and they will quickly get into the spirit of the exercise.
The family fitness challenge
Begin by convening a family gathering and stating your objectives to everyone. Then, as a group, decide on an activity schedule. Make an interactive family fitness page to help everyone stay on track. Make a schedule of all the events for the duration of the fitness drive and post it on your refrigerator or somewhere visible to everyone. Keep track of all the activities you do as a family and create a reward system for each accomplishment.
Here are some ideas for activities to include in your program:
1. Hiking: This is a terrific way to get in a good workout without even realising it. Set out to find some scenic hiking paths in your area that are easy to moderate in ability. Remember to bring some nutritious snacks with you. Dates, mixed nuts, and chana-murmura are all wonderful choices.
2. Play hard: Whether you're playing cricket, tennis, volleyball, football, or other outdoor games with your family, it may be a lot of fun. Make your own rules and incentives for your family. You could also play classic games like relay races and sack races.
3. Treasure hunt: Hide something unique—it may even be a nice (healthy) food—and create a treasure map. Encourage everyone in the family to look for the 'treasure.' Make it physically difficult for the treasure hunters by sending them all over the house and garden, forcing them to bend down, climb stairs, and so on. Keep it light-hearted, and they'll have a fantastic time while getting some great exercise.
4. Goals: Set a goal for how many kilometres you'll walk in a week and stick to it. Then pick some fun destinations to walk to, such as a mall or a movie theatre. By organising a charity walk, you can even broaden the circle and turn it into a community event.
5. Push-ups: Start with a round of push-ups and track each member's progress throughout the week to create a push-up challenge. Recognise and acknowledge each individual's accomplishments.
6. Pose and shoot: Make a family exercise video to get silly and fit. Plan out what types of workouts you'll record and what each of you will undertake. Upload your completed project to YouTube or another social media platform. This is also a wonderful method to motivate your friends and family to join you in your fitness journey.
There are easy things that all of us can do to keep those extra calories from sticking to us, in addition to planned physical activity.
- Take advantage of every opportunity to go for a walk. Walk to the store, to your relatives' houses, to a get-together with friends, or just walk around while talking on the phone.
- Instead of taking the elevator, take the steps.
- While you're watching TV, do some stretching exercises.
And, of course, while you're doing all of this, remember to eat well. After all, healthy families are happy families.
Also Read: 5 Mother Daughter Exercises You Can Try Out
Also Read: Family Fitness: Activities To Get Everyone Moving