Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
Introduction
“Thank you,”
It is one of the beautiful gestures that spreads positivity. Pongal is a festival that celebrates this gesture.
Pongal is a Culture more than a festival, Thanksgiving where farmers feel grateful to the sun, rain and mother earth for aiding them to harvest.
Farmers sow seeds, nurture them and reap the crops. This is a repetitive action that enables them to achieve a successful harvest every year.
Although farmers, with humility, owe their success to mother nature, their efforts can’t be forgotten. Their consistent efforts are the vital reason for their yield.
Farmer’s goal is to reap well-matured crops, which is obtained by a framework they follow every day. It becomes a well-established system on the long run and also supports them to ripe crops annually.
Why build systems?
Because systems lead to goals.
“LOSERS HAVE GOALS
WINNERS HAVE SYSTEMS”
SCOTT ADAMS
Systems are necessary. A successful system is made out of constant action called habits. Habits help us to become better than yesterday and push us to move towards the ultimate goal.
At the time of Pongal, just like the cultivator, we encourage you to begin a healthy (lifestyle) system. Cultivate habits and harvest wellness for mind and body.
Here are wellness habits that can be followed easily. These small habits can promote massive wellness to your body and mind.
Cultivate Food Habits
Watch your plate before you eat. Food habits can influence most of your wellness. And a few things you can try this month.
1.Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time every day. (Each body type has a specific biological clock time for their meals. To know your body type, take the Prakriti test.)
2.Turn all Monday Morning to Organic by including whole grains in your breakfast. Example: Switch to ragi, kollu, kambu or any other millets.
3.Go for a vegetable diet (meat-free) week every month.
4.If you are a meat lover, remove fried items from your diet and have boiled fish, or lean meat.
Sow some physical activity
Sometimes it is hard to move around, but now it is hard to move. The XYZ generation thinks that glued to a beanbag with a laptop is a productive life.
Lack of physical activity is ignorant behavior. Your body requires a little running, walking and jumping.
Here are a few easy habits you can incorporate into your routine
1.Skip elevators & escalators at the office, supermarkets, malls, cinema theatres and anywhere you go.
2.Pick one day in your week and take a bus or metro to work. You have your office nearby, use a bicycle then.
3.For couples (with or without kids), turn one of your Sunday into an outdoor playtime. Instead of having your family time at restaurants and theatres, you can all play together with a ball, tennikoit or frisbee.
4.At Liveright, we practice “Gadget Free Lunchtime”. You can try this too if you want to have improved digestion, absorption and also to bond with your colleagues.
Conclusion
If you follow anything 21 days continuously, it becomes a habit. And a habit that is prolonged to 48 days will become a lifestyle. This is called as Dinacharya in Ayurveda
No time is better than now. Practice one habit per month and you will have your wellness harvested before you even know.
This Pongal, say Happy “Pong-Well”.
