It is the most special time of the year. With the festive feeling upon us, we break the codes of social distancing to meet our loved ones, we loosen the pockets sewn shut since lockdown and spend money generously, and we break our healthy habits to indulge unabashedly in mithai and other delicious food.
This season is traditionally about celebrations and indulgence, however personally, I always regret the extra pounds piled on this time of the year! Hence, I decided to take preventive measures and gifted myself a dose of health, by joining the highly acclaimed and popular diet programme run by certified nutritionist Suruchi Garg of Diet Sutra. Three weeks into the programme, I am 3.5 kg down and going strong!
The quick and exciting results that I personally witnessed, prompted me to write this article and urge everyone to take their fitness seriously. This festive season, gift yourself a dose of health to allow for the occasional indulgence. Here are some of the things you can consider:
1. SPECIALLY DESIGNED NUTRITION PLANS BY A CERTIFIED NUTRITIONIST
My nutritionist of choice, Suruchi Garg, believes that each individual is unique, with different body types and needs. Hence, she is particular about customising nutrition plans based on specific details provided by each person, taking into account their lifestyle, medical background and eating habits. She firmly advocates balancing nutrients with portion control, ensuring that no one has to suffer by giving up their favourite foods, or their social or professional outings. In fact, one of the pillars of the programme is advising people on what to eat when they are out for gatherings. By designing these client-focused plans, Suruchi Garg has maintained a successful average score of clients losing 4-5 kg in the first month, and has an impressive list of success stories displayed on the Diet Sutra website, where people have lost tremendous amount of weight, reversed diabetes, and successfully battled thyroid and PCOS among other medical conditions.
There are many self-proclaimed nutritionists on the market—some have no training, a few prescribe unhealthy and unverified weight loss supplements, and others prescribe difficult-to-follow diet plans that do not work at individual levels. I have experimented with a few in the past, and narrowed in on Suruchi Garg as the best one for my needs and lifestyle. Her professionalism, lack of judgement and friendly nature make her a pleasure to work with; and her certified degree is assurance that I receive my money’s worth.
2. A FITNESS PROGRAMME THAT ALLOWS YOU TO WORK OUT AS PER YOUR COMFORT
Many of us are still reluctant to step into gymnasiums and other exercise classes for fear of the virus. Additionally, when working from home, finding time to exercise becomes a difficult endeavour. Unfortunately, no diet programme, health transformation or weight loss goal is complete without incorporating some type of fitness regime. To address this, I have signed up for a post-Diwali ‘30 Day Fat Loss Boot Camp’ with Crush Fitness India, a group that designs group fitness and personal training programmes for easy online accessibility. They offer many group training as well as one-on-one guided fitness training programmes at reasonable rates, but I was most attracted to their 30-Day Fat Loss Boot Camp, which began on 18 November. For a very minimal price, every person that signs up has access to a live 60-minute workout video every day for 30 days, ranging from dance fitness, Krav Maga, yoga, pilates, capoeira and a host of other exercise regimes. People that are unable to attend live sessions, can watch the recorded videos at their convenience. A dedicated personal trainer and in-house nutritionist oversees everyone’s progress. One can sign up for this boot camp as well as other fitness programmes on the Crush Fitness India website.
These two programmes are my guilt-free Diwali gifts to myself, allowing me to enjoy this festival to the hilt. By balancing my meals under the guidance of Suruchi Garg and catching up on my exercise with the Crush Fitness India programme, I hope to be at my healthiest this New Year. I highly recommend you gift yourself a dose of health this festive season too.
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles on her successful blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.