Navratri is the precursor of Diwali, festival of lights, and we are on the brink of another festive season, the most colourful and charming, the most energetic and thrilling Garba. 9 nights of enchanting music and dance fervour is what may describe it the best. Apart from being rooted to the cultural heritage of India, these days showcase the skill of both men and women as they perform dandiya raas. These days, rather nights also set the taste buds of people tickling with all sort of cuisines being tried and tested.
Let us this year celebrate Navratri with not only devotion, dance and music, but also with a pledge to regain our health and fitness. Let us endeavour to take this as an opportunity to better ourselves in this festive season with our friends and family members. Therefore I would like to share with you 9 tips to follow this Navratri to reclaim and also improve our health, and make this Garba, a delightful fitness affair.
Navratna for Navratri:
Water
The most important thing your body needs when you sweat it out is this. 70% of our body is made of water, this fact is enough to make us realise its significance. Remind yourself to drink enough amount of water during Garba as well throughout the day. It will ensure that your body is well hydrated and going. Along with water, other fluids like lemon juice and buttermilk will also aid in recovering the lost salts.
Proteins
Dancing to the tunes of Navratri makes you do a lot of unnoticed workout, very much like an intense gym session, a high intensity workout or cardio. It stresses out your muscles to the core, asking for a good recovery. Proteins are the food for the muscle. After a tiring and enjoyable Garba, we must feed our muscles with what they need the most to be back to form by the next eve. A protein rich dinner after Garba is a mandatory task to ensure we come back stronger.
Comfortable Footwear
A big mistake that we do is to dance barefeet or with improper footwear. When a person is running or jumping around, 2-3 times the body weight acts on our feet, and we neglect or are rather unaware of this fact and thereby don’t wear proper footwear. This leads to a detrimental effect on our sole, ankle and knee , especially if we are on cemented surfaces. So the way out is to preferably wear a sports shoe with good cushioned sole or another appropriate footwear with adequate cushion to protect our feet against damage.
30 min continuous Garba
To have an enjoyable Garba like a satisfying workout, we need to be on toes throughout. Recently majority of people dance for some time and then take a break and then again start, which will not yield good results. We must rather focus on long sessions of Garba, we must stretch ourselves, with our hearts pumping out and feet dancing to the tunes.
Intermittent Breaks
Periods of rest are common during Garba, which we should utilise to the fullest. We should ensure that we keep our legs stretched out when resting, and never folded, which may lead to stiffening of muscles. We must take fluids like water or lemon juice to keep us hydrated. Do not fill your tummies with liquids which will make it difficult for you to restart with momentum. Also, ensure that the breaks are not too long, which may lead to tiredness and the body cooling down making it difficult to start the next round.
Rest
Post the fun and entertainment session, how we spend the time till we join back next eve, is most crucial for our health and fitness. It is generally noticed that after the initial couple of days, many people start developing fatigue and thereby lack interest , which is due to lack of proper rest and recovery. Minimum 7 hours of good sleep is mandatory if someone is involved in active Navratri Garba celebrations.
Carbohydrates in Lunch/ High Tea
What Petrol is to a car, Carbohydrate is to our body, the fuel to run and jump around, to clap and bang the dandiyas. The meal/snack before the evening celebrations has to be more of carbohydrates which will supply enough energy to our body to flow with the flow.
Sleep
This is again a very important aspect of our overall well being, and at times of such rigorous high intensity dance and fervour, a good night sleep in quintessential. Sleep is the time for our body to repair and recover itself, without which you wake up tired and fatigued.
Therefore let us get ready to welcome this Navratri with more fun and fitness. After all, Is not our Health more than our Wealth ?
