February 15, 2022
by April Brillantes
The Lunar New Year a normal celebration on the East and Southeastern parts of Asia. This is based on the Lunar Calendar which follows the cycles of the moon during the start of the year. Like all New Years’, comes plenty of traditional foods eaten on that time. From eating longevity noodles (pancit) for long life to eating a whole steamed fish and sticky rice balls to the typical sugary, starchy sweets like hopia and tikoy, with all these delicious foods it’ll certainly be difficult to stay fit when your New Year’s resolution is to be healthy and fit on this Lunar New year. Staying fit in general every year takes a lot of perseverance. A strong self-discipline is needed to stave off delicious food during any celebration on the New Year. So to be healthy and fit on Lunar New Year, you must have:
- Dedication/Motivation/Discipline
Staying fit needs a strong desire or will to cut on those calories and devote your extra time to working out. Even if you’re not going to the gym or doing exercises just staying on the right diet can be difficult when there’s so many delicious calorie-rich food going around. So to ease this difficult task and to ensure one does not stray the path of fitness, you got to make a fitness plan. Your fitness journey starts with a personalized plan that adjusts to your schedule that will help you get results that works for you. Talking to an expert or someone who is into fitness can make your plan better alongside a fitness plan that you can incorporate in your schedule will make your fitness journey efficient and effective. Plans should also be done every once a week to help keep an active and flexible plan. It also helps you focus on the goal of fitness.
Discipline is a key factor for fitness. Giving in to comfort and letting your body waste away as you eat that sugary donut snack will not help you get to your fitness goals. You have to remind yourself of your plans, you have to control that urge to eat your comfort foods. Telling yourself these whenever you face a formidable foe (food) can help you resist the urge. Sure it’s easier said than done but you got to remember that the biggest reward is attaining your goals. Being able to achieve that fitness that you want after hours, weeks, months of hard work is the biggest reward you’ll be able to achieve. Being comfortable in your own skin can help improve mental health, self-esteem, and improve energy levels. Attaining fitness will not only make you feel better, you’ll be actually better as well. So reminding yourself of the goal ahead will certainly help you. Being in the right group of friends or having a partner can also help with motivating yourself to better fitness. Working together is the best way to easily motivate yourself aside for your own personal reason for fitness. Your hard work won’t go unnoticed when you have the body to show it.
- Proper diet
The most important key factor to living your Fitness New Year is to have a proper planned out diet. Keeping track of your calories that you eat and the nutrition that it offers is important. Even if you don’t plan to do activities such as exercise. Being on the right diet will actually get you more results. A typical person eats about 2,500 calories a day, this allows them to stay in the same shape without gaining or losing weight so for one to lose weight one must go into a calorie deficit. It sound scary and almost sounds like fasting but a calorie deficit just means you eat less calories than you use per day therefor instead of eating that 500 calorie cake or that 300 calorie Milk Tea then eating other foods throughout the day you can instead eat steamed vegetables for only 65 calories combining that with other less calorie dense foods throughout the day will make it so you ensure that calorie deficit. Crackers like SkyFlakes as snacks and avoiding foods high in sodium, and sugar is one advice I can give you. But you don’t have to suffer this for years. In fact some people can get over eating sodium and sugar once they have dedicated themselves. Having one cheat meal say once a month can help with the motivation. Almost like giving yourself a reward but if you really want to keep those unhealthy foods out of mind then No cheat meals and show full devotion to fitness. Now if you do work out regularly or occasionally especially on a gym, then you can enjoy much better foods with flavor (or not if you want). Just being smart on food calories and nutrition can help. Talking to experts and researching can help you expend your knowledge then help you formulate food creations that is not only tasty but healthy. Using apps like MyFitnessPal has a great calorie counter that can help you every day if ever you plan to eat outside.
- Sleep and Exercise
Now the final step is getting proper sleep and exercise. With your schedule planned and your diet in order, what you next need to do is to train and strengthen that body. Exercise, reduce stress, improve blood flow and heart rate. So getting at least an hour or two hours of exercise everyday can make a significant impact to your life combined with diet. Thirty minutes of walking or 15,000 steps can help reduce weight and improve your body. Strength training for at least 20 to 30 minutes can help with body strength and the heart. Doing jump ropes, side hops and high knee runs can help with cardio. Squats and crunches can help with body tone. Those are basic exercises that anyone can do even at home. You can even do it while watching your favorite movie or stuff in YouTube to help keep your mind off the pain in the first few months. Sleep is the next important step in fitness. Proper six to eight hours of deep sleep can help improve focus, body restoration, and develop a strong body immune system. Proper sleep helps you ready for the challenge ahead to attain your fitness goals.
Following these advices and incorporating this is one of many ways to stay fit in Lunar New Year. Life gives no shortcuts even with fitness, so focus in the now and be rewarded in the future.