Express news service
We have entered the New Year and I hope that most of you have made basic resolutions for a healthy lifestyle this year. But along with new resolutions, it’s also important to analyze what worked best for you in 2022 and follow these habits regularly. We need to understand that everyone is different and unique and identify the right foods, the right type of exercise, the right tools to manage stress, etc. that work for us, we need to identify the right food that gives us energy, that strengthens our immune system, helps us maintain maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if overweight.
Knowing the right amount and quality of sleep we need allows us to wake up refreshed and feel completely rested without depending on too much caffeine, sugar and carbohydrates all year round. Ask yourself: What is the right amount of exercise that works for me, not what the rest of the world does. Whether it’s walking, yoga, weight training, dancing – find what works for you without injuring yourself and keep doing what you enjoy.
As mentioned, it’s not just food or exercise; we must also identify the following: How does stress affect our health? Does your anxiety last long? Does your stress level go up and down? Look at releasing excess emotional baggage and what we can let go with or without help, try to seek help and advice whenever needed.
We have to determine what is best for us in terms of our choices and lifestyle. We shouldn’t copy others, and we shouldn’t feel empty, discouraged, or angry if these things don’t work for us. We must define our lifestyle so that the end product is our happiness.
In the past year, intermittent fasting and circadian rhythm fasting have worked for most of us, and that one lifestyle change can be followed by anyone who can manage at least 14 hours of fasting – to rest the digestive system – and improve overall body healing. In 2022, everyone was busy with festivities and celebrations; this meant constantly snacking and eating too much – too much cake, sweets, salty food, no vegetables, fried, unhealthy, etc. All this overeating led to digestive problems, especially acidity and flatulence, which is why fasting is necessary for us because so we give rest to our digestive system which promotes healing and controls acidity.
When you plan to fast, try to start with fixed timing, follow your biological clock. Eat an early dinner and keep your sleep-wake cycle, your eating cycle and your digestion right. Eat before sunset or as soon as possible because our pancreas is not designed to break down food after sunset. Late night meals make you feel heavy and wake up with acidity, indigestion, puffy eyes, bloating, constipation, IBS, etc. People who eat early in the evening usually get rid of all these problems by testing their digestive tract as well as better sleep quality .
Our bodies operate on their natural clocks, and if your body can’t keep track of the clocks, chaos ensues at the cellular level—disrupting and disrupting digestion, weight, hormones, cellular communication, movement, detoxification—and everything else. We need to align ourselves based on the circadian rhythm and therefore – have dinner at sunset, preferably at 6 or 7 p.m.; Gradually move to a late dinner, because it will take time to say goodbye to year-round habits. Eat a well-balanced dinner and then fast for 12-14 hours with only clean water (sleep time will also count). After waking up, continue drinking plain water and break your fast with lemon water when you are hungry in the morning. Follow with fruits and nuts to add a more alkaline dose and digestive enzymes to your body. Set mealtimes and sleep-wake cycles five or six days a week, and enjoy mindfulness on the weekend.
Listen to your body and break the fast when your body is ready. Let’s start 2023 healthy with fasting and simple but effective lifestyle changes.
Deepika Rathod
Director of Nutrition, Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems.
The author is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on a healthy lifestyle.