Plan on trimming your waistline? Here are easy ways to do knock off those extra pounds

If there is one part of the body that most of us would like to be free of fat, and in perfect shape – it is definitely the belly area. Nicknames like spare tyre, muffin top and beer belly aren't exactly words that a person enjoys hearing!

A strong determination, mindful choices, and a good push is all you need to make all your dreams for a slim waistline come true. While many of us are home these days, don’t let social distancing and the fact that gyms and fitness centres allow restricted entry, deter you from your fitness goals.

Begin your journey towards a slimmer you, with these tips:

My plate for the day

The first thing to do is to inculcate a good diet sense which can be easily put into practice by following the rule of ’my plate for the day’.

Apply this to all your meals in a day and here’s what you need to do. Recommendations from NIN (National Institute of Nutrition), India, say that 50% of the plate should contain vegetables and fruits, a little more than 25% should be cereals and millets, and the remaining should be protein-rich foods like pulses, meats, eggs, dairy, nuts like almonds, seeds, and also a small portion of fats and oils. 

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Fruits and vegetables should be fresh as far as possible and can be cooked or raw. The more the variety, the better nutrition you get. Grains can include unpolished rice, whole wheat, and millets.

Once you implement this in your regular meal planning, not only will you enjoy your meals, but also ensure that with every meal your body gets a healthy balance of nutritious foods while avoiding any over-indulgence.

Mindful snacking

Along with proper meal planning and keeping a watch on what you eat every day, make sure to switch to healthy snacking.

With social distancing still applicable In India, and several people working from home, snacking has become a regular part of our lives. While the urge to snack isn’t something we can control every time, we can however reassess the available options available and choose foods that are nutritious, satiating and don’t add any unnecessary weight.

The first step to mindful snacking is limited access to unwholesome food – if you don’t keep unhealthy food at home, the opportunity to binge on them is automatically removed.

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The second step is to re-look at your grocery list and include healthier options like almonds, raisins, roasted channa, etc, to it. Almonds have been a part of the Indian traditional diet for many years now, and are rich in plant-based protein, which helps keep a person satiated. Besides this, almonds are also a good source of dietary fibre, which helps facilitate proper digestion.

Additionally, according to new research published in the European Journal of Nutrition, it was found that almond consumers in the UK have a lower waist circumference and lower BMI, both modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and better diet quality when compared with people who do not consume almonds.

So be sure to snack on a handful of almonds every day, to keep your hunger pangs under control while managing your weight. You could choose to snack on them in the morning, while watching TV or after a refreshing workout!

Try some high-intensity workouts

Sometimes, just exercising every day isn’t enough to lose weight. Weight loss requires a certain sense of routine and a lot of dedication. It’s good to regularly mix up your exercise forms, to ensure your body doesn’t adjust and adapt to one set schedule.

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When it comes to weight loss, the truth is - you cannot control where your body decides to burn fat. Thus, it’s important to approach your workout in a way that focuses on your entire body and not just some parts of it.

HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training is a good way to begin. If done right, HIIT continues to burn the body fat even after a person has completed his/her workout – which is an added benefit. As the name suggests, this workout is intense and requires large amounts of energy.

Good nutrition, therefore, plays an extremely important role to meet the energy demands of the body. Beyond that, HIIT will also help you achieve your goal by focusing on all parts of the body in a holistic way.

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