Carnival Fitness:- The aftermath

Carnival Fitness:- The aftermath

We all know Trini’s love their belly and most of our events have food at the center but did you know that Trinidad and Tobago is actually Number 6 in the most obese countries in the world according to the United Nation? firstly let me point out that obesity doesn’t necessarily mean being “fat”. People are considered obese when their BMI (Body Mass Index) exceeds 30 kg/m2.

So anyone who’s BMI is over this number is medically considered to be obese.  Now I know what you may be thinking, this whole healthy lifestyle talk is easier said than done especially since we no longer have costumes that we need to fit into! Costumes or no Costumes, if you want to live a long full life and see carnival 2015,16, and 30…we need to be healthy! I’m talking to myself here as well..

So here are five tips that may or may not help us to maintain our health after the carnival season:

DOH JUMP  OFF D MAXI

You may want to let yourself go after you’ve dieted and exercised for months just to have a hot bod for the carnival season, but no eh!

You can maintain that same diet or even jump into something a little less rigorous that doesn’t involve too much of a transition, your body needs time to adjust.

CLEANSE

When I say cleanse I mean spend a week for the most drinking hot lemon water in the morning. No sugar, if you want you can add a little honey but believe me it works! And If you don’t have lemons try to get your hand on some good ole Braggs apple cider vinegar. Now you can add honey to that one, I highly recommend you do!

JUICE JUICE BABY!

Honestly, when I first tried juicing I hated it with a passion! But now I’ve seen the healthy light and am free from all hate against it! Instead of a heavy breakfast full of flour (doubles, I know you can’t resist) take ah lil visit to the fruit vendor out the road and use that juicer you got for Christmas! If you don’t have one there are tons of places particularly a fruit stall in Tacarigua on the main road that provides some really great juice combinations! And it’s not that expensive!

Beet,Kale,apple,cilantro, cayenne and ginger juice via pinterest 

by the way there are a ridiculous amount of juice recipes out there! there's a juice recipe of anything! it's like an entirely different culture!

TO TAKE OUT FLOUR OR TO NOT TAKE OUT FLOUR?

Ok so I’ve personally wrestled with this one myself! I love pastries, I grew up with a grandfather who could real bake! And to only discover recently that I’m allergic to gluten (i.e no more pastries) so what I’ve done is invest in rice flour, unfortunately It’s wayyy more expensive and of course healthier than the normal stuff.  Also you can look into cutting down the amount of flour you have on a weekly basis!

made with gluten free bread, avocados, tomato, lemon and chickpeas

EXERCISE

You know, I had to save the best for last! Regular exercise not only helps you lose weight but it has been proven to help brain concentrate as well as put you in a good mood! There are a number of options you have! Begin a sport, start walking or running or biking around your neighborhood or savannah, join a gym, learn to swim or join aqua aerobics. The possibilities are endless…

Digicel carnival burnout 

And there we have it!  What are some tips you follow to maintain your health?