Have you joined Tweak India's 21-day fitness challenge yet?
#21Tweaks
The first day of every new year, we have a new-found determination to get fit. This will be the year we finally divorce refined sugar, complete 100 squats a day and run around the neighbourhood without collapsing in a puddle of our own sweat. But listen, we know how hard it is going from dessert-for-breakfast December to juice-fast January. But it’s those unrealistic resolutions to blame, not you. Instead of depriving ourselves of our favourite dishes and straining our muscles and mind until breaking point, we want to keep things real with a 21-day fitness challenge — #21Tweaks — for all the fitness newbies and lazy Latas who, like us, need to ease into action.
Take this journey with us where we will be tapping into our network of experts and enthusiasts, sharing practical, doable tips every day. Covering all things fitness, nutrition and wellness, we’re dishing out professional advice, healthy diet changes and ingredient swaps, meditation techniques, workout hacks, self-massages and so much more.
You can incorporate these small changes in our fitness challenge into your life, at your own pace, without worrying about falling off the wagon and into a bag of namkeen. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and turn on the notification bell so you never miss a post.
#21Tweaks Fitness Challenge
Day 1: Make one healthy swap in your diet
Carbs are the devil and fats are Mogambo… is exactly the opposite of how we’re kicking off our #21Tweaks challenge. This is NOT a deprivation diet.
Instead, nutritionist Nmami Agarwal (@nmamiagarwal) suggests starting off with ingredient swaps to make the most of every bite. Without compromising on flavour.
Amp it up with a 10-minute ab workout
Since it’s day 1 of our 21-day fitness challenge, we’re going to push ourselves a bit.
Follow along with yoga instructor Arezu Kanywanfar as she shows us the best moves for a flat tummy. Sweat out the evening samosas by adding these to your workout. Are you ready to do the (Russian) twist?
Day 2: Clear the kitchen of temptation
Just like a pothole-laden road is likely to lead to accidents, a kitchen full of unhealthy munchies is a recipe for snaccidents.
Swap out your old habits for Twinkle Khanna’s family-favourite makhana, and make sure you don’t add any high sodium, greasy indulgences to cart.
Fix those shoulders
Celebrity trainer Radhika Karle helps Sonam Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez stay in shape, and she has something to say about all of us walking around with rounded shoulders and strained neck muscles.
Day 3: Give weight loss a push with Intermittent fasting
You asked us for weight loss advice as part of our 21-day fitness challenge, so on Day 3, we’re going with holistic lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho’s favourite healthy method: Intermittent fasting.
Beginners can embrace the 16:8 format where “you allow the body to fast for 16 hours to eliminate toxins, cleanse and repair the systems, and eat only for eight hours in a day”.
Eat your last meal before 8pm, and resume eating at noon the next day. Perfect for those who are used to hitting the snooze button in the am, and skipping breakfast.
Coutinho’s tips for beginners:
– During the fasting phase, drink only plain water without any additives (no tea, coffee, green tea, apple cider vinegar).
– Break the fast with a lemon and water concoction, followed by a whole fruit. You can then eat nuts after 20 minutes and a light homemade meal (like dal, rice, cooked veggies) an hour after that.
– Follow this with a snack and dinner during the eating period, and then begin your fast.
Day 4: Include these 6 stretches in your daily schedule
On Day 4 of our 21-day fitness challenge, we’re saying goodbye to the aches and pains that have shown up like bin bulaye mehmaan while you’re working from home. “These pains are caused due to muscular imbalances,” explains physiotherapist Dr Prachi Lotlika, demonstrating 6 stretches that everyone needs to do daily to counter them.
The exercises help strengthen weak muscles and relieve the stiffness caused due to long hours of sitting in one position.
Day 5: Give this healthy sev puri recipe a go
Day 5 of our 21-day challenge, and we’re feeling the munchies kicking in. So here’s a guilt-free recipe for sev puri that is basically also a salad. Magic is real.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh curd; made from toned milk (3.5% fat)
- 25 slices of cucumber, approximately 0.5 cm in thickness
- 1 cup moong sprouts or 1/3 cup uncooked green moong (soak for 6 – 8 hours, drain and keep covered for another 12 hours)
- 1 small onion, chopped finely
- 1 green chilli, chopped finely
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped finely
- ½ tsp chaat masala
- 1 tsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp jeera powder (cumin powder)
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
- Salt as per taste
Directions:
1. Hang the curd in a muslin cloth for half an hour to drain excess water.
2. Meanwhile, boil 300 ml of water with ½ tsp of salt. Add moong sprouts, remove from heat and cover. Drain after 20 minutes and let it cool.
3. Remove the thick curd from the cloth and transfer to a bowl.
4. Add sprouts, onion or tomato, fresh coriander, green chilli, sugar, pepper and salt.
5. Spread the cucumber slices on a serving dish. Ladle spoonfuls of the mixture on the slices.
6. Garnish with green chutney (optional), chaat masala, jeera powder and fresh coriander. Serve immediately.
Recipe: Nutritionist Suman Agarwal
Day 6: Two words for you – B12, D3
On Day 6 of our 21-day fitness challenge, we are stealing a break from the stretches and the pantry, to focus on some mood-lifting, energising pills, err… vitamin supplements.
Vegan bodybuilder Roshni Sanghvi affirms that it doesn’t matter what diet you’re following, don’t forget to add a side of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3 supplements.
“Deficiency of both leads to low mood, depression, exhaustion, you feel lethargic, you don’t feel like working, there’s no recovery, all of this could be because you’re lacking certain supplements,” she says.
Day 7: Always do a warm-up before working out
Sometimes you may think warming up is unnecessary, you’re going to break a sweat while exercising anyway, right? But a good full-body warm-up will make sure you don’t end up pulling a hamstring mid squat. Try these 8 warm-up exercises by energy coach Urmi Kothari, founder of Mumbai-based fitness and wellness studio Kinetic Living.
Including what Kubbra Sait calls the “chaddi exercise”
Day 8: 6 expert-approved surprising weight loss tips you probably never thought of.
These lifestyle changes will improve your mental health and overall wellness, while steering you along your weight loss ambitions.
1. Fat first: Make sure your breakfast includes more protein than carbohydrates to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
2. Swap out your non-stick pans for iron kadhais.
3. Don’t neglect your sleep schedule
4. Take a digital detox.
5. Revamp your dining space
6. Take public transport
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