Looking to give your weight loss routine a boost? Well there are some pretty interesting trends happening in South Asia and beyond. Are you brave enough to try some of these out?
You blow out the candle on your birthday cake. Then you look down at all that icing and think, “Should I? Should I? But my waist! But I want to stuff my face!”
Sure, you’ll probably gobble it up, but that comes with regret and jiggles.
How to make up for all those bad decision? There are too many health trends out there to count. Here are a few for you to try.
Alternative Yoga
No mid-life, late-life or early life health scare crisis would be complete without trying to figure out that one superior I-can’t-believe-no-one-else-has-thought-of-this-before exercise regimen. Today’s exercise: weird yoga variations.
Practicing painful poses on a mat is so passé, so why not try it on a paddleboard? Or a horse? Sure, it triggers those stabilizer muscles, but is your horse buddy enlightened enough to see that this connects your mind and body?
Yoga on a horse? Sure we'd try that!
Photo Credit: cosmopolitan.com
Or, if you want to be boring and do yoga on a mat like everyone else, then reward yourself with some chocolate in between poses. Some people, like this guy, recommend taking a chunk of the melty stuff after every pose. It’s okay, no one will judge you. They will admire your ability to keep the pounds off — if it works.
That sounds appetizing, no? Adding fat to your weight loss plan. Then you’ll like this.
Butter Coffee
It’s butter in coffee. Also known as Bulletproof Coffee. Add two tablespoons of unsalted butter from the loins of a grass-fed cow and voila, breakfast meal replacement.
Okay. Thanks, but —
But wait! Butter contains butyrate, which was once pronounced unhealthy, has now been linked to preventing neurodegenerative diseases, increased energy expenditure and is also anti-inflammatory, which helps prevent heart disease.
So I guess it is good for you.
But is this?
Cow Urine
Yet again from the sacred loins of the cow, we now turn to urine. The Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been slowly building a hype train for cow urine over the past few years, promoting the stuff as a cure for a range of sicknesses such as liver disease and, you guessed it, cancer. Good thing the RSS plans to soon release the beverage to the masses in the form of a soft-drink. Urine that’s sold in a can AND cures cancer? Shut up and take my money!
If pee isn’t your thing, then how about . . .
Matcha: Take green tea leaves, grind them to a powder, and then either mix the pownder into a frothy drink jam-packed with nutrients, or use it to whip up a soufflé jam-packed with nutrients. For the soft-core of diet enthusiasts.
Chaprah: A dish made of ants. Popular in the tribal population of Chattisgarh, India you would fry the little buggers (who also carry their eggs in their bellies) toss in some spices and serve as chutney. Great for a dip at a health-conscious luncheon.
Kaniwa: Very similar to quinoa, Kaniwa (from South America) contains significantly more iron, plus you never have to rinse the stuff, — and — it’s sweeter than quinoa.
Have you heard of this diet?
The Breatharian Diet. Want a diet where the only food you intake has zero calories? And not only that, but ingesting this food actually burns calories?
No way. What is this mystery food?
It’s called air.
“Breatharians” live on air and air only. And tea, which isn’t a cheat since it has zero calories. This diet has the scientific backing of absolutely no one, but why not give it a go?
Photo Credit: popista.com
. . . and the craziest diet of all?
It’s called “Drop the cake and run around the lake.” Shockingly, you simply don’t eat the sweets, don’t pack your belly until it hurts, and start moving your body. I know, I know, sounds crazy but you know it just might work!
Taras Babiak
Author
Taras is a freelance blogger, video editor and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of "Made In Bali," which recently won Best Short Film of the year from the Director's Guild of Canada.