Here’s all you need to know about planning your day while out partying

Team L&M

Christmas and New Year witnesses people ardently indulging themselves in festivities, gatherings, and other work and family functions. While it’s a great time to spend time and enjoy the parties it can also be the time where you will find yourself overindulging in alcohol and calorie intake. Pune-based fitness and health coach Chirag Barjatya shares some important inputs that will help you keep a check on your intake and cravings, while you can enjoy parties as well your fitness regime.

Changes to make in day/diet plan when heading out for drinks
Make sure you complete most of your protein intake at home before heading out for drinks. The high satiating index of protein will stay keep you full for a long time, which make it less likely for you to drink more.

Workout regimen
Whenever we drink, our body first prioritizes alcohol and then the other nutrients for digestion. Wait for as long as you can between your exercise regime and drinks. Keep in mind to drink a lot of fluids and keep your workout short.

Downside of drinking and exercise
Alcohol slows down the rate of muscle building i.e., decrease in muscle protein synthesis. Plus it creates toxicity in the organs over a period of time. Your stamina also decreases once you consume alcohol on a regular basis.

Caffeine & intoxication
Alcohol makes one feel drowsy, while caffeine acts as a catalyst to make you feel awake but it does not help in speeding up your metabolism of the drinks you have consumed. In fact, mixing caffeine with alcohol can be dangerous because it tricks you into believing that you’re sober.
So, rather than consuming caffeine to wear off the hangover, one should go for lemon and saltwater. Lemon water with salt helps in re-hydrating the body that is dehydrated by alcohol consumption.

Pro Tip
When you’re at the party and everyone’s offering you a drink, you can choose to have a diet coke or lime water or soda in your hand during. This way you won’t feel out of the herd and people are less likely to ask you to have a drink.

The holiday season is meant to enjoy and live in the moment but always remember you don’t have to go overboard in terms of extra calories or alcohol. It is better to reach out to your diet coach for special instructions and tips, and if viable, keep your diet coach posted on your plans so that he or she can help you prepare for them.