Sleeping well is important to prevent muscle loss: Rujuta Diwekar
Highlights
- In 2020, you need to shift towards more sustainable ways of eating
- A healthy lifestyle is essential to gain health and prevent muscle loss
- Do not keep too long gaps between meals
New Year 2020 is finally here, and people are nothing less than delighted about it. This is not just because of the beginning of a new decade, but also because the past few years were replete with rising awareness about fitness and good health. More and more people, especially celebrities, used social media as a platform to share about their fitness regime and their weight goals, inspiring millions on fans to workout, lose weight and be healthy. The year 2020, however, must be all about gaining health and not just losing weight.
The weight loss industry gave us many things like fad diets, weight loss-friendly snacks, low-calorie, gluten-free, fat-free and carb-free alternatives to foods that were once a staple part of our diet. And while doing this did help many achieve their weight loss goals, it also led to some unavoidable side effects like unexpectedly high amount of cravings, more irritation and mood swings, bouncing back of weight after resuming regular eating habits and the worst of them all - nutritional deficiencies!
Calorie-restrictive diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies
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Also read: Things You Should Keep In Mind Before Starting Your 2020 Weight Loss Plan
New Year 2020: Why this year should be all about gaining health and not losing weight
In one of her recent posts on Instagram, celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar talks about the many reasons why you lose muscles, including quick weight loss. In a short video, she lists the following reasons for loss of muscle:
1. Lack of sleep: If you don't sleep on time or don't get sufficient sleep regularly, then you are likely to look much older than you already are. Rujuta recommends sleeping on time at night and also taking an afternoon nap of 15-20 minutes if possible.
2. Lack of exercise: We live in an obesogenic environment. Exercising and being physically active is an essential prerequisite if you want a healthy weight and want to prevent loss of muscle. Not walking, not exercising and not being physically active can reduce muscles.
Regular exercise is important to maintain muscle loss
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Also read: Not Losing Weight Despite Working Out? 5 Exercise Mistakes You Must Watch Out For
3. Long gaps between meals: Rujuta says that eating meals in long gaps can also lead to loss of muscle.
4. Air pollution: Believe it or not, but air pollution is harming us in more ways than we can imagine. Apart from causing respiratory and breathing problems, air pollution can also lead to loss of muscle. Rujuta says that more air pollution means more muscle loss and damage to health.
5. Quick weight loss: Losing weight too quickly can lead to loss of muscle as well. Quick weight loss is achieved by massively cutting down calorie intake. Diets that are calorie-restrictive in nature can make your body break down muscles for energy and fuel. This loss of muscle can slow down your metabolism, and this will make losing weight more difficult.
Also read: GM Diet For Quick Weight Loss: Lose Weight In 7 Days With This Diet- Here's How
The idea is to move towards more sustainable ways of eating and living, in order to gain health along with weight loss. Eat more protein (to gain muscle) but do not forget other, equally important food groups like carbs, fats and fibre.
This 2020, focus on gaining health instead of losing weight.
(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.