Fitness is a function of body and mind

By Aditi Pai: No fad diets and no punishing long fasts for her. Dean Pandey, renowned health coach and author of three books including “Balance: The Secret to True Health and Happiness in 13 Ways,” says that a happy state of mind is the key to staying in good shape. Panday started training and playing sports at the age of 15 while still in school, has tried various fitness regimes from kickboxing and weight training to Ashtanga yoga, trained over 2000 contestants for the Miss India pageant, writes columns and blogs and is healthy coach of several. The time spent on her yoga mat each day, she says, is “meditative,” and she advises people to find their true joy and happiness in order to stay healthy.

Release the stress

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Fitness and health cover a wide spectrum. I believe that nutrition and exercise are important, but secondary to your mental and emotional state. If you have toxic relationships, stress over work, finances, relationships, or anything else, it will affect your health. A health coach should understand your entire lifestyle and lifestyle and then recommend a holistic approach. I have seen so many women who try so hard to lose weight but just can’t. When I ask them about their lives, mental state, and relationships, I can connect the dots and see where the problem lies. Being stressed all the time is toxic. When we’re stressed, we release a hormone called cortisol, and a constant flow of it is unhealthy.

Find joy

Find out what “joy” is for you. Remember that joy is not about expensive bungalows, cars or jewelry. Despite external ways of securing happiness, people can still be deeply unhappy inside. And this is what gradually kills you. Stress inflames the gut, which attacks the immune system and leads to disease. When you are constantly under stress, you develop frequent coughs, colds, allergies and other diseases. Find things that bring you joy from within.

No diet

Do not blindly follow fast diets and fad diets. I do not recommend protein shakes or crash diets at all. It is important to lose weight in scientific and safe ways. People have different taste buds and cultural backgrounds and dietary needs. Fad diets work for a short period of time, but the worrying thing is that people become obsessed with them.

Dive deep

Find a spiritual connection. For me, yoga practice on the mat is the spiritual aspect of my life. I never think about my weight or my body; my mind shuts down when I’m on the mat. I go into meditation mode and become a better person after I get off my mat. Put yourself first Making yourself happy and putting your happiness before anything else does not make you selfish. Women in particular play multiple roles and I believe that as mothers we shouldn’t feel guilty about taking time for ourselves. Learn to find happiness on your own.

Do it yourself

Learn to be with yourself. Be yourself. People do not know how to be alone, but we must master the art of being content without too many things around us. It is a good idea to take a short break, listen to music, read a book, admire nature or watch a movie. It’s soothing when you disconnect from the world and your routine and just be with yourself. Feel the joy and peace of watching the beauty of the sunset, hearing the sound of the waves or playing with animals.

Give your digestive system a break

Humans love to eat all the time and we put our system under excessive stress because of it. Snacking is definitely not good for the system because every time we put something in our mouth, our system has to work to digest it. See what procedures our grandparents followed. They usually ate little and had dinner early. The next meal will not be until the next morning. They naturally followed the popular trend of intermittent fasting today. Eat smaller portions and do not abuse diets. I have seen several people who may lose weight on these diets but end up with other health ailments. Instead, eat smaller, balanced meals, eat dinner early, and skip snacks.

Eat fresh

Don’t eat anything that comes out of packages. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits of all colors that give us food. Even when it comes to simple masalas, make them at home as much as possible because we often don’t read the fine print of what is in the packaged food.

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