Photo Courtesy: AARP
As the months in our country are filled with festivals, culture and tradition. Teej, being one of the major festivals celebrated in our country, the festival doesn’t only consist of worship and having fun but also fasting. Teej can be real fun if you can fast with being cautious and dance. As facts say, people who fast regularly often hope to lose weight or live a healthier, longer life. However, fasting can be dangerous if not done properly.
Here are a few tips to fast safely not only on fasting days but on regular days as well:
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1. Take short walks or meditate
Avoiding eating on fast days can be difficult, especially if you are feeling bored and hungry. One way to avoid unintentionally breaking your fast is to keep busy. Activities that may distract you from hunger — but don't use up too much energy — include walking and meditating. However, any activity that’s calming and not too strenuous would keep your mind engaged. You could take a bath, read a book or listen to a podcast.
2. Don’t break fasts with a feast
It can be tempting after a period of restriction to celebrate by eating a huge meal. However, breaking your fast with a feast could leave you feeling bloated and tired. Additionally, if you want to lose weight, feasting may harm your long-term goals by slowing down or halting your weight loss. The best way to break a fast is to continue eating normally and get back into your regular eating routine.
3. Stop fasting if you feel unwell
During a fast, you may feel a little tired, hungry and irritable — but you should never feel unwell. Consider limiting your fast periods to 24 hours or fewer and keeping a snack on hand in case you start to feel faint or ill. If you do become ill or are concerned about your health, make sure you stop fasting straight away.
4. Eat enough protein
One way to minimize your muscle loss while fasting is to ensure you are eating enough protein on the days you eat. Additionally, if you are eating small amounts on fast days, including some protein could offer other benefits, including managing your hunger. Therefore, eating some protein on fast days could help offset some of fasting’s side effects.
5. Eat plenty of whole foods on non-fasting days
Most people who fast are trying to improve their health. Even though fasting involves abstaining from food, it’s still important to maintain a healthy lifestyle on days when you are not fasting. Healthy diets based on whole foods are linked to a wide range of health benefits, including a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic. You can make sure your diet remains healthy by choosing whole foods like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits and legumes when you eat.
6. Consider supplements
This is because regularly eating fewer calories makes it harder to meet your nutritional needs. In fact, people following weight loss diets are more likely to be deficient in a number of essential nutrients like iron, calcium and vitamin B12. Regular fasting may increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially if you are in a calorie deficit. For this reason, some people choose to take a multivitamin.
7. Keep exercise mild
Some people find that they are able to maintain their regular exercise regimen while fasting. However, if you’re new to fasting, it’s best to keep any exercise to a low intensity — especially at first — so you can see how you manage. Low-intensity exercises could include walking, mild yoga, gentle stretching and housework. Most importantly, listen to your body and rest if you struggle to exercise while fasting.
—Compiled
