Recovering from Diwali

The eerie silence that follows Diwali can usher in gloom as the weighing -machine needle tauntingly veers to the right at this time of every year. Remorse at our recent gorging is the norm at such times, and getting back to shape with all the barfis and laddoos still filling the refrigerator, the challenge.

Getting back to exercise in this phase poses major hurdles. Our playmates have yet to return to the turf from their Diwali bashes. The bright five-thirty summer mornings have been swallowed by the night. And with the nip in the air, it is prime time to curl up and glimpse a few more frames of pleasant dreams as we wait for our morning cup of hot tea to drag ourselves out of bed.

Where and how then do we begin to arouse ourselves, start moving and regain the lost waist lines and belt holes?

Step 1: Shrug off the laziness.

My German friend Winfried, tells me that there is no equivalent to “wake up” in their language; they only have “stand up”!. I found this German habit of literally standing up beside the bed on waking up from sleep, quite challenging during my initial days at his home. At the sound of the alarm the whole family, children included, would toss their blankets and stand up as though ordered by an army commander. Although he was a compassioante friend with tremendous softness for his Indian visitor, he was intrigued to see me laze in bed a few extra minutes, and often asked me if I was running fever.

Step 2: Get going

Revert back to your daily quota of exercise. Those who exercise vigorously, pile up kilos rapidly as soon as they stop. Gym goers, players and dancers are particularly vulnerable. Each day without exercise counts. Therefore put on your jeans and sneakers and get going today; don’t wait for tomorrow.

Step 3: Give away the extra food in your house

The calories that we burn by exercise are relatively small compared with what our desi mithais and snacks contain: a glass of soft drink (100 kcal), a sweet (100-300 kcal), a handfull of dry fruits (300 kcal), a samosa or kachori (150 -300 kcal).

Burning the extra fat equivalent to 3000 to 5000 kcals gathered during Diwali is therefore not easy. To lose 300 kcals, we have to jog 30 minutes, or cycle for 70 minutes or lift weights for an hour. And do that for 6 long months.

Diet therefore holds the key to losing weight.  Subsist on clear soups, salads, 8-10 glasses of water a day and a morsel or two of sukhi chapatis. Stop eating when you are half full and try going hungry.

And give off all the sweets, snacks and pastries from your home to those who need them.  It will do a lots of good  to both!

As published in HT City(Hindustan Times) dated 30 October, 2011.