Monthly plan for a fitter you in 2017

A mental picture of our dream body always stays with us, no matter where we are. Chasing this image of a perfect body and physique, almost every one of us wants to lose weight; many yearn to put on extra pounds but it is only a few of us who realize the importance of staying fit. This is a process that takes both time and effort. So, here is a follow-up sequence plan for the year 2017 that will help you transform into a better version of yourself:

This may take time as you are still in a festive mood, but you need to know your body. Just like the fuels that we put in our cars, our body also deserves the best. If you have not been keeping a tab on what you’ve been feeding yourself, this is the time to begin. Start by making a food journal. This will help you track your eating habits and what you have been missing out on. Stick a fresh portrait of yourself on the first page. Secondly, you need to download two apps, water and activity tracker. Since everything is available on our fingertips now, evaluating yourself will not be a difficult task.

Now that we have an inside picture in hand, the next step is to include antioxidants in our diet. Following the 3:4 ratio is easy and will help you stick to your 4-5 meal plan. This approach requires you to have 4 colours of fruits, for example, papaya, watermelon, pears and oranges along with 3 colours of vegetables, for example, aubergine, okra and pumpkin. More colours in your diet means more antioxidants, which help as an anti-ageing agent and good immunity. Replace two snack times with fruits and veggies salad.

No diet, meal, food plan can help you if you do not move. The science of calorie in and calorie out is important to understand if you wish to be fit. Calories in means the food and liquid you consume and calories out means calories that you burn through exercises, sleeping, sitting or any activity that you do in a day.
This month our goal should be to achieve 10,000 steps in a day. Your activity tracker will help you keep a check on this, so this step should not be hard. Take the stairs, even if you are on the first floor, take a 10 minute walk after your meals, go to the market walking and if it’s a rainy day, walk up and down the stairs!
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Our body is made up of cells that regenerate every 90 days. However, if we do not have good nutrition, then this process gradually makes us prone to illness. Now that we have a checklist of foods we are eating, make this month about detox water and drinks.
For food nutrition to reach every cell, our body requires water. Sipping on detox teas and water will not only be different from the usual but also make being fit a fun process. Start by adding cinnamon sticks, cut apples in your water or cucumbers and slices of lemon. Similarly for teas, you can add ginger and lemon to your green tea and sip on it twice a day.
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This is an important step towards a healthy and fitter you. No healing process can take place if you do not get a proper sleep of minimum 7 hours in a day. While there is little we can do about our work schedule, we can ensure adequate sleep. Exercise, food and water are huge contributors to a good night’s sleep. Resting time is repairing time and let it happen to your body so you wake up with a fresh energy.
A walk before you sleep, a glass of warm milk and a light dinner two hours before bedtime are some factors that will lead to a comfortable sleep. Keeping yourself well-hydrated also helps to avoid getting up with dry eyes.
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We have monitored water, food and sleep, and now to complement these better for wholesome fitness, flexibility and strength are required to graduate to the next level. Flexibility and strength will help in increasing blood flow in the body. Joining yoga and Pilates for flexibility, doing weight training and core based exercises for strength will help you do other forms of exercise better.
Strength exercises will increase the efficiency of oxygen used by your muscles. Not only will these increase your muscle endurance but they help in injury prevention as well. Flexibility on the other hand, will help you reduce stress in your muscles during exercise and improve performance of everyday activities.
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It is important to assess if we are going in the right direction or not. The best way to re-evaluate yourself is buying and trying those clothes that weren’t fitting you about six months ago.
Remember that inch loss is faster than weight loss in most cases. However, if weight loss is not your goal, then re-evaluate yourself through the following checklist:
1. Are you getting a sound sleep?
2. Do you feel lighter?
3. Has your skin shown any sign of change?
4. Do you feel more energetic to do activities?
5. Do you have control over your temptations?
If you are at 50 per cent yes, then you’re on the right track. If you score below 40 per cent, you need to get in touch with your fitness expert (nutritionist/dietician/gym trainer) and see where you’re going wrong.
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Enough of lazying around in the house, doing yoga indoors and being stuck to your office and home. You need to get out and get some fresh air. Choose your favourite outdoor activity, like jogging, walks or any outdoor sport. This will help you feel fresh and at the same time de-stress.
Outdoor activities in a combination with the ones above will help you understand your body’s limit. However, avoid taking your mobile phone with you when you’re involved in an outdoor activity.
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As Indians, we have grown up eating food after 8 pm when the whole family is at the dinner table. Research shows that those who eat dinner late, wake up groggy and feeling bloated in the morning.
September will require you to eat dinner by 7 pm to prep properly for the coming wedding and festive season. Dinner at 7 pm means either soups and salads or multigrain rotis with dal and subzi. This will help you in getting peaceful sleep along with an improved digestion.

Now that we have Diwali, Rakhi, Durga puja, the entire Indian festive season right across the corner, this month will require extra effort from our side. Since this month is high on Indian specialties of sweets and savory items, we need to push ourselves in order to not break our fitness cycle, which we started 9 months ago. Treat your fitness journey like your baby, don’t play with it that it gets hurt and breaks!
Lunch during this time should be light. Keep your breakfast and lunch loaded with proteins like chicken, amaranth and paneer. Proteins will help curb those unnecessary cravings that you will be exposed to in the numerous parties that you will be invited to.
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We are heading towards chilly months and we need to keep ourselves warmed up for the next set of months. A handful of dry fruits and nuts like almonds and walnuts should be consumed twice: once as a snack and once before going off to sleep. Dry fruits and nuts will help increase metabolism and keep your body warm. You can also add dry fruits to your fruit and vegetable salads to add an extra crunch to your meal.
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It may get foggy and really cold outside. It may still be night when you wake up at 6 in the morning to exercise. This is the best time to learn those indoor exercises and make the most of it. You can try adding floor exercises, suryanamaskars, dance, and aerobics to your exercise routine.
These will help you stay active as metabolism tends to slow down during winters. Since this is the last month of your fitness year, you need to evaluate yourself once again in December.
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1. Any practice takes 21 days to make it a habit.
2. Do not forget to consult your doctor/ fitness consultant before starting this year long journey.
3. Do not forget, these are steps to be added each month to your schedule. Do not follow them individually.
4. Too much or very less of anything is bad, so follow proper amounts, and do not overdo it.
5. Build your support system. Someone who keeps check on you, will surely be of big help.