The festive season feels delightful with one-plus-one festivities coming from all directions and a wholesome richness surrounding the air during Diwali time. This most prominent festival of the year, is a celebration of not just our incredible Indian culture, its traditions, the vibrant outfits & crafts but also our rich Indian cuisine and of course, delectable sweets. Then how does one help themselves but indulge?

Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. But I also don’t want you to have this one season wipe out your entire year’s efforts to stay fit. So if you have been looking for ways to get back from your Diwali indulgences binge, this is just the article you need, to guide your transition from Diwali spirit to your regular fitness routine a walk in the park.

Do Not Guilt Trip After A Diwali Binge:

The first thing you need to do when you decide to get back in shape is to stop taking stress. Understand that worrying about weight won’t in any way contribute to your physical health, while your psychological health, on the other hand, might suffer immensely. Take charge of your health by being a doer, and not just a thinker. When you actively participate in your life to take care of your health, the difference is personally felt and observed by you and is significantly more effective in terms of results as well.

Actively Manage Your Diet:

Careless eating habits and overindulging during the festive season is very common, and so is gaining a few kilos over the festivities. But if you intend to get back in shape, you need to manage your diet, now managing your diet doesn’t mean that you have to cut down on your meals, you can perfectly have your three meals in a day. The trick is to prepare your meal portions as per your daily dietary requirements of carbs, proteins, and fats per your body weight, and keep your calories under your belt. Some healthy protein sources that you can incorporate into your diet are egg whites, chicken breast, low-fat milk, and soy chunks.

Good fats can include olive oil, coconut oil, almonds, pumpkin seeds, low-fat paneer, and not more than two egg yolks. Then again, carbs like oats, dalia, brown rice, chapati, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta are always great for weight loss. You should also try to steer clear of too much snacking on Diwali leftovers and stick to salads largely while keeping yourself hydrated with water and seasonal juices like orange, carrot, and the evergreen option, coconut water.

Incorporate Regular Workouts Into Your Routine:

Now, if you’re coming out of the festivities after having ditched a healthy diet and regular exercise for good over the past few weeks, a bull-headed approach towards working out will do you more harm than good. Try to make the transition as smooth as possible by starting out slow and gradually increasing the amount of workouts and time. Some exercises you can start out with are; cardio, brisk walking, cycling, and running on an empty stomach. But keep in mind, you have to stay regular with your workout routine and devote a minimum of 30-45 minutes every day, solely for exercising. As an active effort, try to stay active as much as you can during the day.

If these tips and suggestions are followed religiously over a minimum of four weeks after your festive binge, as they say, with the right diet and exercise, you can achieve anything, and getting back to your normal fitness routine is but a trivial thing.

Abhinav Mahajan has over 7 years of experience in workout programming, nutrition and lifestyle coaching — as an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist, he’s helped over 1,000 clients transform their lives.

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