No need to give up on late night parties, great food, drinking and cards. Just be smart about it.
Now, am I NOT averse to journalists, but I certainly am to the idea of ‘detox’, the silliest urban myth around. When you stuff your stomach when it would rather be in sleep mode, you damage your system and wearing white clothes, fasting, juicing, steaming and the like will not undo that damage.
The way out of this seemingly difficult situation is to reduce the damage without dampening your festive spirit. What I’m saying is: No need to give up on late night parties, great food, drinking and cards. Just be smart about it. Here’s a quick way to remember:
S—See all the food laid out before you, but choose only two items. Do not ‘try’ (the usual euphemism for eating) other foodstuff. There will be another party to go to tomorrow, even maybe with the same caterer.
M—Mithai should not be within 50 feet of you. Give away every box you receive. Eat homemade mithai, as far as possible, and just one piece a day, not with your meal, but as a snack by itself.
A—Act as if you are drinking, but don’t drink at every party you attend. Restrict yourself to consuming alcohol just twice a week; decide how much before you enter the room, and stick to your decision. And remember: always eat before you drink.
R—Rest to recover from all the hectic partying, hosting and gossiping. Lack of sleep upsets your body’s metabolic pathways. A good oil massage from a trained therapist will also help you.
T—Train your muscles, which basically means exercise. If you typically work out for one hour, make it 30 or 20 mins during this ‘hectic’ season but don’t skip. Working out is a foolproof way of preventing the bloating that is often the return gift from all the partying.
(A fortnightly column on nutrition and fitness by the best-selling author of Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight)