Stay Healthy And Energetic During This Mahashivratri Fast

By Niharika Choudhary

Monday, March 7, 2016, 10:03 [IST]

So, it's time for the wedding of the year and everyone is invited. Yes, we are talking about the auspicious occasion of the marriage of Goddess Parvati to Lord Shiva.

Mahashivratri is also commonly known as Shivratri. It is celebrated to mark the meeting of Shiva and Shakti. This festival is celebrated by millions of Hindus across the world. The devotees flock to the temples early in the morning, worshiping the ‘shivlinga' and offering milk, honey, water and bael or wood, apple leaves and dhatura flower to Lord Shiva.

Shivratri is said to be a favourable day to raise one's spiritual energy more easily. It is said that the planetary positions in the Northern hemisphere act as a catalyst along with the repetition of the powerful Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra that increases one's spiritual energy greatly on this night.

Devotees celebrating ‘Shivratri' fast for the whole day. Though the Shivratri fasts are not as strict as compared to other Hindu fasts, some devotees don't even consume water on this day.

Majority of the devotees consume a fruit diet or non cereal diet along with water, nimbu pani or milk during the fast.
So, today, we are sharing some of the tips that will help you to stay energetic as well as healthy during the fast of Shivratri. Do have a look:

Don't Overeat The Previous Night

Please refrain from overeating in the night. If you have to fast on a particular day and you think that overeating in the night will sustain you the next day, you are absolutely wrong. Overeating at night will only end up in making you feel bloated and clogged the next day. You might also end up feeling irritated the whole day with all that undigested food in your gut.

Keep Your Meal Simple And Light The Previous Night

Try to have a complete meal the previous night though not in a very large quantity, include lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits with natural sugar and lowglycaemic fruits like berries. This kind of a balanced meal will give your body a slowburning nutrition that'll last the next day during your fast.

Drink Lots And Lots Of Water

Whether you drink normal water or nimbu pani, drink lots of it. Drink a glass of any of the drinks between an interval of one or one and half hours. You can opt for fresh fruit juices, nimbu pani, coconut water and a wide range of only natural drinks.

Refrain from adding syrups or artificial flavours in your drink; they might have ingredients such as artificial colours or preservatives that could lead to stomach troubles, since you are on a fast. However, you can add glucose powder to your normal water to boost your energy levels.

Eat At Regular Intervals

Staying hungry for a longer time might rise up the acidity level in your body and you might end up feeling uneasy. You also need energy to sustain yourself the whole day, so it is highly advisable to eat at regular intervals. Take at least six small servings throughout the day.

Take Small Servings Of Food

Eating at regular intervals does not mean loading yourself with food. If you end up eating the whole day, what's the point of fasting, right?

Take a small serving of food throughout the day. These small servings should only be small portions of fruits, may be half an apple or a banana that'll give your body the required nutrition.

Do Not Miss On Your Regular Medicines

If you are a heart patient, BP patient or suffering from any chronic health problem, then do not miss on your prescribed medication. Take your medication on time.
There's no point of fasting risking your life, even God won't appreciate that.

Take Proper Rest, Don't Over Exhaust

During a fast, it is advisable to keep yourself engaged. Sleeping all day or watching television might give you a bad headache or make you feel dizzy. If you are working, go to work. People staying at home utilize the day in some DIY craft or anything that is creative.

This will keep you occupied and divert your mind from the thought of food. Whatever you do, do not exhaust your energy levels because you already have less of it and have to sustain yourself for the whole day.

Stay Prepared For The Fast Emotionally

Prepare your mind before the fast. There's no point of observing a fast when you are thinking about food all the time. Don't let your hunger pangs disturb your spiritual connection with God. Also, keep all the tempting food away from your kitchen counter or fridge. You could hide them.

Remember, ‘out of sight is out of mind'!

Do Not Stress

Again do not stress yourself a lot. Stressing yourself will also disturb your connection with God as well as exhaust your energy levels. Keep your mind free and clean from any kind of turbulence. Meditate!

Do Not Stuff Yourself The Next Day

The next day after your fast, avoid overeating. It's just been a day since you last saw food and not ages. So, keep your food simple and nutritious for the next day. Avoid harddigesting foods, instead eat light small portions. Give your metabolism sometime to come back into its original form.