High- Protein Vegan dinner recipe!

Protein, protein, proteins!

I made this high protein (25 grams of protein in one bowl) dinner bowl yesterday by putting in random ingredients but it turned out darn good!

Ok its legit as tasty as it looks ( 😉 ). No but seriously tastes amazing! Ill put the macros in below at the end of this post.

I first started with over roasting capsicum/ onion’s and tomatoes. I roasted them for about 20 minutes on 200 degrees. But roast them to the crisp you like. It was roasted without oil but with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and chilly flakes instead. That was part 1 of my bowl.

The next part was just 40 grams of boiled soy beans. The beans were soaked for 8 hours (all day) before cooking them.

The third and tastiest part was stir fried black lentils. Now I used a little bit of oil and stir fried these cooked black lentils (30 grams) with onions, garlic and finely cut tomatoes. For the spices I added turmeric, coriander powder and red chilly powder. To cut through the acidity I topped it with a bit of lemon juice. Also sprinkled in some sea salt.

The sauce used to garnish on top was a blend of Sriracha and peanut butter (1 teaspoon of both).

And there you have it! High protein vegan- dinner is ready!

Macros for the same are:

Protein: 25 grams

Carbs: 53 grams (13 grams fiber)

Fat: 9 grams

Calories: Approx 393.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

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Newbie to a plant- based diet and losing too much weight :(?

This is the second most popular weight related question I get after the “how to lose belly fat”. For someone who is new to a plant- based/ vegan diet, if you do not look after your nutritional intake carefully, you will lose a lot of weight in a short span. This does not necessarily mean you are losing muscle mass, nor is it necessarily unhealthy weight loss (though some cases it might be).

Our bodies are fighting with us constantly to get back to an optimal weight range. The food we eat (or in many cases don’t eat) may interfere with our weight loss/ gain. Consuming more toxin’s into the body such as processed foods, factory- farmed meat/ dairy etc leads to a toxic environment in the body. Thus your body tries to stop all other activities and heal itself by trying to throw these toxin’s out. Side effects of the same could be anywhere from weight gain to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

The less toxin’s we put into the body, the faster the healing process and quicker it will get back to optimal weight range. So if you go from a high meat/ dairy diet to a plant- based diet over night and lose weight suddenly, consider it as a way for the body to get back to its optimal range and healthy. If however you feel you are under weight and feel week, lack of energy, depressed, stressed etc. read on.

Apart form toxin’s the body loses weight because of a few other reasons. Lets talk a little bit of science:

1 gram of carb= 4 calories

1 gram of proteins= 4 calories

1 gram of fat= 9 calories

Approx 3600 calories= 1 pound of body weight.

Animal based food (meat AND dairy) are both very high is saturated fat but low in carbs.

Eg:

100 grams beef= 15 grams fat

100 grams beans= 1 gram fat

So naturally if you are consuming high- fat, you are consuming high calorie. Think of weight gain/ loss as literally calorie- in vs calorie- out. If you eat more than you burn per day, you gain weight. If your per day caloric requirement is 2000 calories, you could be getting these easily from a high meat/ dairy diet because of all the fats. Though not the healthiest way to get calories and could lead to cholesterol/ heart diseases. But will help in weight gain.

Plant- based foods are high in fibre instead.

Again eg:

100 grams beef= 0 fibre.

100 grams beans= 16 grams fibre.

Fibre fills you up very fast. Think about eating a bag of chicken nuggets (no fibre) vs the same amount (in weight) of veggies (high fibre). Though not comparing taste (and by the way meat by itself does not have any taste, it gets the taste from the plant- based spices added on top to flavor it. Imagine eating raw uncooked meat for the taste ;/) or all the time it will take for you to chew the veggies, plant- based food will fill you up very fast and you will not want to eat too much of it. 500 calorie worth of oil’s/ processed, fibre deprived food does not send signals to the brain telling it to stop eating but 500 calories worth of high- fibre food will signal the brain that the stomach is full.

So you involuntarily end up eating less food and feel fuller, faster.

Ok so now we know why we lose weight with the sudden switch, lets see how we fix it.

Easy- eat food high is plant- based fats! Think dates, apricots, nuts, seeds, nut based butter, plant- based dairy alternative that are not processed like home- made soy- milk curds etc.

Also think quality over quantity. Dont take the ‘eat- more’ approach. It will not work on days you are busy, have no time to cook and travelling. Think about eating moderate but calorically packed food. For instance,

Eg:

A bowl of white rice= 200 calories (but too much to eat)

3 dates= also approx 200 calories (but quick and easy to eat).

My next YouTube video will have specific recipes and also a full workout plan that will help you take the right steps towards gaining some healthy weight on a plant- based diet.

But hope this post got you thinking!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

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I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

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Will methi soaked overnight help in fat loss?

 

The most popular question I get on a regular basis is “is there any shortcut to lose weight fast?” Everyone wants to get there fast without having to put work in. But the truth is, there really is no substitute for hard work. Granted taken the right steps will help you get there a little easier, that’s why we hire nutritionist’s, fitness experts etc to show us the right direction. But you still have to put in the work! You still have to eat healthy most of the time and exercise on most days. A fitness expert can only write the routine for you, but you still have to work!

Methi water is one of such “shortcuts” I have come across people asking me about. While this by itself will not help you lose weight, but when combined with right nutrition and workout regimen, you will definitely see a marginal benefit in your progress.

Lets talk how,

1. A tablespoon of methi has about 6.4 grams of carbs and about 4-5 grams of fibre (daily intake for fibre should be 25-35 grams). Since modern day processed food diet lacks fibre, this is a fantastic way to get it in. The fibre in methi aids in digestion and helps relive constipation. We all know that a healthy body starts with a healthy gut and methi seeds help fix issues like IBS, indigestion etc.
2. While on a fat loss program, the body is constantly under a caloric deficit and inflamed due to moderate to intense fitness routine. Fenugreek seeds have been known to reduce inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked with reduces insulin uptake, bad bone health and even heart diseases. The increase in influence resistance is what is particularly important when it comes to fat- loss. Once we eat any food, it is converted to sugar in the body and either used up as energy or broken down by the hormone insulin to be stored in the liver or muscles as a source of future energy. However, inflammation interferes with the hormonal balance and increases the body’s resistance to the hormone insulin.
3. Fenugreek seeds also are loaded with calcium, B vitamins and iron. While on a fat- loss program, it is essential to have enough micro- nutrients as part of your diet. Micro- nutrients ensures the body has lesser and lesser cravings for junk food. This way you are more likely to stick to your diet plan than fall on the wagon.
4. Methi seeds help boost testosterone levels in the body. This is the hormone linked with increase in muscle mass (indirectly read as fat loss). It is impossible to “burn” off all you eat in an hour’s exercise program to lose weight. Think about it, one donut could be anywhere between 400-600 calories, that is about an hour on the treadmill just to burn off one donut! The right way to lose weight and keep that weight off is only by increasing muscle mass, that increases the body’s metabolism. A good metabolism means you are still burning fat while not in the gym.
5. Some studies have also linked methi seeds as an appetite suppressant. This could be due to the high- fibre content of the seeds. I however personally do not find myself feeling less hungry because of methi seeds. However, with all the benefit’s mentioned, there is really no harm in including them as part of your daily diet.

Of course there are loads of other benefits not only to fenugreek seeds, but leaves as well. But so are there with a lot of indian herbs like turmeric, cinnamon etc. I would suggest adding them to your diet but not depending on them as an only source to expect miraculous weight- loss.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

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Why do indian men/ women carry a lot of fat around the belly?

Let’s talk belly fat! Because 70% of the clients I meet just want to reduce belly fat.

Now it is important to understand that the body decides where to lose fat from once you start exercising and eat right. No, spot reduction is not possible people! So the hours you spend on working those abs will not help you with belly fat reduction, I am sorry :(. You can however spot tone muscle fibres. So, for instance of you work really hard on your upper body and not enough on your legs, you will develop more strength and muscle fibres on your upper body. We see this in the gym all the time with guys having huge biceps/ chest but with chicken legs.

So once you lose all the belly fat and want to tone up your abs, the core training workouts will marginally help. So now that we understand spot reduction will not help, how do we go about reducing belly fat.

Well first understand women tend to carry more fat around the lower abs/ hips and thighs just because its biology. A women body is designed to procreate and the extra layer of fat around the belly will help you carry a baby safe. Men tend to carry a layer of fat around the lower back instead because through the generations men were the gender working in agriculture and outdoors and an extra layer of fat around the lower back is protective and helpful to work long hours with a bent back.

A little bit tiny layer of muffin top is healthy and good for you and OKEY! With a little bit of strategic training and understanding hormones will help you however get rid of it if you do want to.

Belly fat storage has been linked with high cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone released by the body in response to external or internal stress detected by the brain. External stress factors could be things like work pressure, relationship and family pressure, long work hours etc. Internal stress could be caused by not eating for long hours, hormonal imbalance in the body, lack of sleep/ rest etc. Cortisol receptors are stored around the belly and the more the release of cortisol, the more it goes and sits around the belly. This cortisol will then hold onto any fat from the food you eat and store it instead of using it as a source of energy.

Thus, you see a lot of people with lean limbs but a lot of fat around the belly. To reduce belly fat, reduce cortisol. My top ten tips to reduce cortisol is a whole different blog post I will write about soon. But external stress is not always in our control, we can however control internal stress. Taking steps like eating enough micro nutrients so that the body can repair itself, sleeping well, and not injecting toxins such as meat/ dairy are some of the ways we can control cortisol activity. Watch out to my article of some easy to follow tips to naturally reduce cortisol also soon.

The other way to help fight belly fat is by adding strategic cardio to your fitness routine.

Watch this video to learn more

Eating less processed food and more clean natural food like fruits and vegetables also helps! The more you stay away form packaged and process food, the lesser toxins you put into your body and easier it is for the body to digest. A lot of times what you think is belly fat might really just be water retention by the body and a bloated belly instead. Tips to reduce bloating are as follows:

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Plant- based diet- Step 1.

Happy world vegan day!!!!

One of the best decisions I made for my body was to go on a plant- based diet. Do I ever think about going back or ‘miss’ any food that is non- vegan, you bet I don’t. And this comes from a hardcore food lover and a once cheese pizza addict. If you have met me in person, you have seen how my eyes spark up at even the talk of food. For me, if something does not taste like unicorns in your mouth then its not part of my diet. My entire career is built on making people fall in love with food and building a healthy relationship with food. Trust me, you cannot meet any other person who loves food as much as I do. The first thing I do when I am booking flights to visit a new place is research the best food out there. Food is Bae, food is life, food over everything and everyone.

So how did an addict like me give up cheese, paneer, ice creams, ghee, butter, milkshakes forever? Like I have always said, do not “give up” anything but instead find an alternative that you love more than what is currently causing harm to your health. I have delicious food just like you do. No, wait, I lied. My food tastes better ;). And I am not talking about baked chips tasting better than deep fried or anything. Remove the health aspect out, plant- based food actually tastes better! Meat has no flavour. Try eating raw meat and you will know what I am talking about. Plants have a distinct taste to them. Meat has to be cooked using herbs and spices (plants!) to make it flavourful. I attended a talk today where the speaker said that if you had raw meat and a juicy mango in front of you, which one would you choose? Think about it.

So now that I have convinced you that plant- based food is flavourful, let talk about how to make it tasty and eating more of it.

1. Give yourself enough time to fall in love with it. Give your taste buds time to transition and be consistent with small changes you make. Maybe having 2 servings of fruits per day. Do it long enough for you to start enjoying the taste of fruits. Trust me, you will. Each one of them tastes distinct.
2. Make only one change at a time. Maybe starting your day with a smoothie like this . And no, these are NOT only for your post workout but can be had anytime. Or maybe switching just your lunch dairy- meat free?
3. Find an alternative you like! Now dont expect to fall in LOVE with almond mylk and soy curds from the very first time you try it. If you make curds at home, even store bought curds will not taste good enough for you. So obviously try multiple alternatives and choose one you like the best. Why only cow titty milk when you can have hemp mylk, soy mylk, cashew mylk, almond mylk, rice mylk, peanut mylk, oats mylk and the list goes on and on.
4. Be ready for some trial and error cooking at home. Soy curds clicked the very first time I made it at home. Check out my recipe link here but almond curds made at home was a disaster. Hey you live and learn!
5. Reach out! Follow some inspirational vegans on facebook and Instagram. Trust me the recipes and pictures they upload will make anyone want to turn vegan.
6. Try a rainbow of fruits and veggies. Especially if you travel and see something exotic that grows on trees, EAT IT! Colours excite us and the plant kingdom has such a wide range of flavours to offer. An apple tastes so different from an orange or a papaya. Try them all!
7. Go spice shopping- actually. I love Food Hall for this but if you find a cheaper alternative please comment below! Spices add the excitement to your food. Go shop for spices and experiment with it. Try weird combinations and let me know what clicks! Like I just made a herbal tea with cut apples, cinnamon and cloves and it was like magic early cold- rainy bangalore morning.
8. Explore all the vegan restaurants in your town and eat from each one of them, twice. This will open up your mind to the kind of options available. Restaurants also cook for the best taste and you will learn how to make your food tasty.
9. Try at least one new recipe per week. This way you are constantly learning new flavours and keeps food fun.

Hope these steps help you to take your first step!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

What do I listen to when running a 5km?

Running does NOT give me the ‘runner’s high’. It is really NOT the most fun activity for me and I will avoid it whenever possible. I personally would love to do anything that involves iron and lifting heavy weights ;). But have been trying to excel at running lately and even prepare my body for my first ever trail run (25 km)! I know right, its exciting!

However, I NEED music plugged in at all times while running. Yes, I will go back home and NOT run if my headphones are not charged or my phone is dying or something. I might consider running barefoot but will not run without music plugged in.

Now I love desi music in general be it a club or the gym floor, but most of my running music is all english with a couple exceptions. Most of these songs are very motivating and will keep you self motivated to run faster. They are also all upbeat and peppy, duh! The playlist is 30 minutes long so if you are planning to listen to these while running a 5km, aim to finish the 5km before the playlist gets over (:

Try them and follow me on Saavan for more playlists by me!

 

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Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Preparing to run the Devil’s Circuit.

If you are planning to run the Devil’s Circuit or really any obstacle race at all, then read on!

This is sort of a beginners guide to run an obstacle race and also includes a full workout plan to help you prepare.

Most obstacle races require you to prepare your endurance, stamina, balance and flexibility and of course mental strength. Climbing walls and jumping into ice water is really not as challenging as they look. But your mind might give up before you even attempt many of these. I am preparing for the Devil’s circuit  (DC) in Bangalore. The DC is a 5 km race with 15 obstacles in between. You do not have to be of any fitness level to start training, but have the will and determination to train. The obstacles are not mandatory (unless you run the competitive league of course) to complete but they are not very hard either.

The way I started to train for this was to first be able to run 5km in the least amount of time I possibly could. It took me a few weeks to get my time down from 35 minutes to 26 minutes for 5 km. Once I was close to 26-27 minutes I started adding in circuits in between my training. So I would run as fast as I could for 300 meters and then stop to perform one ‘self made circuit’. This way I got to training my heart and cardiovascular system to get used to what I would expect to see on race day. The idea was to get to 15 such circuits with 300 meters runs in between as fast as I could.

Obviously my self made circuits were not even close to what I would see on race day, but this was the closest I could get to experience the real thing. I also train at Gold’s Gym which is not really designed for crossfit kind of training. But that really does not matter much. Most of the circuits I designed were done so using plyometric type of movement that really challenged my cardio vascular system while also strengthening my muscle fibres.

Weeks leading upto the race I also worked a lot on my grip strength by hanging on the pull up bar and being able to change grips. Sort of being able to hold on to the pull up bar with just one hand for as long as I could and then changing hands.

I also insist staying away from heavy weight lifting (8 reps or below) kind of training a few weeks prior to the circuit. Concentrate on building endurance and stamina vs focusing on building muscle mass. I will do another post on nutrition while training later. Find attached my training regimen and give it a try!

Warm up with a brisk 1 min walk/ jog

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Grip change on pull up bar (30 times)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Military crawl (30 sec)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– 10 battle rope burpees

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– 10 box jumps (higher the better)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Pull ups (10-12/ assisted machine if needed)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Wall plank walks

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– TRX push- ups

 

­­- Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– London bridge on Battle ropes

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Inverted Rows

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Bear crawls

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Crab Walks

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Moving Plank

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Leg raise (touch up)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Single hand bar hold (max time per hand)

 

– Run 300 meters on treadmill as fast as you can

– Clap pushups (12/ or shoulder tap pushups)

Aim to be able to complete only the first 5 and build up from there if you are a beginner. I will upload a video demonstrating all of the variations on my next YouTube video.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Which tea will put you to sleep?

So I have been having late nights (11pm) and early mornings (3.30am, legit) since the past few days. Inspite of the long hours, I am still working out for about 1 hour per day and been on my foot running around almost all day.

Today was particularly hectic and I want some good sleep (even if it is only for 3-4 hours). So just brewed myself a big pot of rose petals and cinnamon hot infusion. At all cost avoid caffeine or green tea’s at night to help you sleep. The caffeine will only keep you awake and make you restless.

Sleeping pills come with side effects such as dizziness, constipation and even dependency on them.

Cinnamon sticks on the other hand help you relax muscle fibres and regulate hormonal balance thus preparing your body to get into sleep mode. It also helps in easy digestion of food. A restless belly means a restless night. But having cinnamon infused tea late at night will keep an unhealthy gut at bay. A banana peal and cinnamon infused tea would also be a great option since the potassium and magnesium from the banana peal will help you relax your nervous system and muscle fibres. Especially if you have very sore muscle from training too hard, this combination is the perfect solution.

However, I chose rose petals over banana peals today. The smell of rose petals itself is enough to reduce stress and anxiety. This flower also cuts through the strong flavor of cinnamon and adds a sweet tone to your tea. Rose has been shown to also act as a mild sedative and helps with treating insomnia!

Give this one a try and let me know what you think (:

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Easy to follow tips to stay fit while travelling.

The most common excuses people have for not working out is “lack of time”. The second most common excuses I here all the time as a fitness expert is “too much travel”. Being an online worldwide fitness educator and trainer, I myself nationally and internationally every two to three months and have never let this be an excuse for not staying fit. Though I believe it is about prioritizing your health, I will here share some tips and tricks that may help you stay on track.

Plan Ahead: Most people will have their travel itinerary in hand at least a few days ahead of your trip. You will know exactly where you are suppose to go/ stay etc. I personally love exploring new fitness studios in new cities but also know that I will probably get lazy to workout alone without my workout partner while travelling. This is why I look for fitness centers and studios around offering group classes such as bootcamps/ yoga/ core workouts etc. Most of these classes are scheduled early mornings or late evenings, works well with people who are travelling for business. This gives you time to finish your workout early morning and work all day. Most centers will also be more than willing to give free classes for a few days so you really don’t have to pay anything and get a free workout!

Group classes are also an excellent way to meet new people and make friends! Thus, if you are traveling for leisure and actually want to enjoy the way “locals do”, making friends here might help! The above picture was taken while I took a Stott’s Pilates class in Los Angeles!

Explore on Foot: If google maps shows the distance between your current location and destination is anything less than 30 minutes by walk, then walk. It is not only a great way to explore the streets and local café’s but you will get a good amount of physical activity in. I also keep a small pair of walking sandals in my purse so I can quickly change from my high heels anytime I want. Most men should not have this issue but if you are a women, a light wear ballet shoes or similar is a very good investment. When in transit, time yourself and walk around the airport. Even better if you can brisk walk. However it is essential that you time yourself so you do not cheat. Try and get about 60-90 minutes of talking per day. Most smartphones now have apps that will track your distance or number of steps you take per day. It is essential to keep track of this to motivate yourself.

Select Local over chain Restaurants: As tempting and familiar as Cheesecake Factory or McDonald’s might sound, your best bet would be to skip these. Most of the chain restaurants prepare food in bulk for weeks together and load them with preservatives and artificial flavors to keep them from going rancid. Because the restaurants are such large scale, the level of hygiene maintained in these places is also not up to the mark.

Besides, if you are going to a new country, why would you not try the local café’s and local cuisine of the place. I am a vegan and have rarely had any problems ordering food at the local café’s. Infact, small-scale family owned restaurants are more than willing to accommodate your dietary requirements and cook you something fresh. They often have their produce freshly picked for the day (or worse case one week ahead) since they do not expect large-scale business everyday. Families also are warm and welcoming and the food is prepared with love and cleanliness. They take pride in their cooking and cherish foreign customers. Besides you can always have a McD when you are back to your hometown! When will you get an opportunity to try something you will probably never try in your life again.

Try the 15 minutes Routine: Don’t have time for a 45 minutes class? No worries, wake up 15 minutes early and try this circuit you can do at your hotel room

*2 min spot jogs/ sprints

*1 min spot jumping jacks

*30 sec plank

*30 sec mountain climbers

*30 sec squat jumps

*30 min pushups

Repeat 3 rounds.

You can make it more challenging as you get stronger by adding in variations such as declined pushups/ box jumps (in this case bed jumps)/ moving plank etc. This routine covers most of the muscle fibers in your body and burns quite a lot of calories! If you are even more serious, do it as soon as you wake up and right before you go to bed, making it a 30 min full fledge workout. And no, 15 minutes is not too much time to ask out of yourself. Remember, fitness is a lifestyle and not to be practiced only for your convenience.

Dessert Check: Sure you are on a holiday and mostly have been dieting to get in shape for this very holiday, but that does not mean you treat your stomach like a waste basket. Have a check on how much desserts you have on your trip. I have a weakness for desserts and have to be very strict with myself when travelling. Especially being a vegan, I mostly never find vegan desserts in India and tend to binge eat them when travelling abroad. But what helped me was promising myself only one dessert per day and no more than that. This was, I was still enjoying what I miss out on when in town, but not overdoing it. One dessert means one dessert only, not trying one spoon here and there or sharing two with friends. Committing yourself and having accountability to yourself really helps! This is probably going to be the hardest but will also help you most keep a check on calories.

Start the day Right: When travelling you will mostly stay at hotels that will have breakfast included in your package. Go in for a bowl of fruits, fibrous carbs such as oats, baked beans on multi grain toast or mashed potatoes. Skip the canned juices, sugar loaded cereals or fried food. Starting your day right is essential to make sure you do not snack on junk later or binge eat on your next meal. I mostly start my breakfast with a big bowl of oats porridge with raisins, fresh cut fruits, protein powder and nuts on top. I would also pick up a cup of soy- milk or soy coffee later to get some extra protein in. Starting the day with proteins will also help boost metabolism and kill hunger pangs later through the day. Healthy breakfast is essential and vital to be had first thing in the morning. Do not keep a long gap between your wake up and breakfast time. Within 45 minutes is a good window.

Snack Smart: A good idea would be to carry some healthy snacks with you that are easy to pack and packed with energy. Homemade Quinoa bars, peanuts, sunflower seeds, trial mix, baked ragi chips etc are all great options. If you did not have time to cook, no worries. Stick to whole foods you will find around like tender coconut water, fruits, veggies etc. Avoid snaking on bakery products or anything that comes in packets (processed) such as biscuit’s and energy bars. It is absolutely important to have at least one snack between your breakfast and lunch, and one in between your lunch and dinner. Avoid smoking or having a coffee or tea. If you must, accompany it with something to eat. This was avoid spiking your cortisol levels, leading to belly fat and also ensure you do not binge eat for your next meal.

Make your travels a great opportunity to send a message to your sub conscious that no matter what the situation you will take care of your body. Remember, after the travel you will have to come back and start over. The worse part about fitness is having to start over again and again. You did not lose all the weigh and come soo far, to only some so far. Adopt fitness as your lifestyle and give yourself the freedom to cheat 20% only as long as you are true to your regimen 80% of the time.

 

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

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5 tips to help you sleep better and wake up feeling amazing!

I do not really know if I am a morning person or wake up early because my work demands me to do so. My day starts anywhere between 5.30- 6.30 am and on most days I wakeup before the sound of the alarm going on. This is a good sign, meaning my body has got enough rest and is ready to take on the next day stronger.

There have been weeks in the past though that I would wake up sick and sluggish. Mostly after my alarm rang and I had put it on snooze as long as possible till I would finally wake- up and had to rush to work.

These tips however have helped me a huge deal and some of you might find them helpful too! Remember, recovery is part of the process in achieving your goals. A good night’s sleep means less cortisol (the stress hormone) activity and less stubborn fat the body hold’s onto. Besides, it keeps your skin vibrant and shining and your energy levels high. Good sleep is not really measured by quantity but quality. I often sleep no more than 6- 7 hours and some night’s of the week even as little as 5-6 hours. But that does not say much about how I wake up feeling. The quality of sleep I get determines how I am feeling the next day.

These tips might help you a little bit to get some quality sleep and help you recover better.

1. Go to bed only when physically (not mentally) exhausted: See if you can schedule your workout around evening or even a quick brisk walk post dinner is a good idea. I generally like to clean my room, put my laundry away etc. post dinner for about 30- 40 minutes before finally hitting the bed. Avoid technology during this time but some good soft music playing. The activity you choose should be mundane and not trigger a lot of thinking/ chaos in the mind. Even if I schedule a workout, its only because fitness is a form of meditation to me. I zone out of the world listening to music on the floor. But wont a workout energise you before bed? Not necessary- just don’t take a pre workout or caffeine please. A good warm shower post workout will actually put you to sleep.
2. Eat well (yes, I mean carbs) for your last meal: Keep this meal low fat and high carbs with moderate easy digesting proteins. You do not want anything fatty and greasy that will make you feel sick for this meal. Food that you eat last will digest overnight and while you are sleeping, your system is working digesting the food. You do not want something very hard to digest as this will mean a disturbed sleep. Animal derived protein is the hardest to digest and this should be completely avoided. White rice with well cooked lentils (daal/ sambhar) are easy and make an excellent choice for your last meal. Just do not over eat or eat too close to your bedtime. Try and keep a gap of at least 90 minutes between dinner and bedtime. Eat till you are still just a tad bit hungry for this last meal instead of over eating. Smoothie is another fantastic option for this meal especially since its in liquid form and easy to digest. But will fruits late night make you fat?- No. Just like green tea wont make you thin, fruits wont make you fat. Over eating and under training however will.
3. Watch or read: For me its either the latest book I am reading (or audio book I am listening to) or watching the weekly growth session from Infinipath. I read/ watch till I am about sleep (within 10- 15 minutes) and then immediately fall asleep. I used to watch Netflix or YouTube videos before but realised that my brain only got more active instead of quietening down. Of course meditation is another great option and does not really have to be rocket science. Just sit comfortably in a calm and quiet place and let your mind run whatever thoughts it wants to. Don’t try to stop the thoughts but mere observe them like an outsider. Slowly (and over time), the thoughts will start to quiet till you have a state of no thoughts. Bad sleep is almost always related to a stressed mind and the moment you calm your thoughts, you can see improvement. Realistically, circumstances might not be under your control but you will have to do whatever little you can to de- stress.
4. Stay away from technology: My phone and social media are on silent at least 30- 45 minutes before my sleep time. Technology will create distractions and increase brain activity keep you up and leaving you more stressed. Sure if you are in a new relationship mid- night conversations are everything but new love birds don’t really complain about lack of sleep ;). Basically switch meaningless whatsapp messages, scrolling through facebook or watching endless IG stories off at night. It is doing you no good and will stress you out keeping you awake at night.
5. Cuddle: Like seriously. Well you don’t have to have a significant other really and you don’t even have to ‘cuddle’ really. Let me explain. I am single AF and sleep by myself but on weeks I have been over stressed with work and not able to sleep enough I prefer sleeping with my sister or mom. We don’t cuddle but just having someone in the same room is comforting and I sleep much better. If you have a partner, great! Or find a family member, pet, soft toy, favourite blanky, anything! I am talking about just having the feeling of someone or something being around you that is comforting. We are humans and humans need to feel comforted. Trust me on what a huge difference it will make to your sleep quality.

Of course there are so many many other tips out there like herbal infusion tea’s at night and nightly sleep ritual to follow etc but these tips have really helped me and changed the quality of my sleep. Hope you find them helpful too!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!