Sindhu at REFUEL

Organized Training!!!

2011-01-23T00:52:00.002-08:00

Since we have been discussing plateaus and how to get the best out of your exercise in general, a very important and effective way to reach our exercise goals is - periodization! As the name suggests, periodization means organizing, designing and planning your workout, focusing on specific goals - accomplished one at a time and yet covering all goals, over a period of time!

Periodization is popular in the sports and athletic circles, whereby athletes are given planned workouts focusing on specific areas like strength training, hypertrophy, agility training or endurance training.In simple words, Periodization deals with altering the exercise and training to target certain benefits at a certain time of the year and to help the athelete “peak” (performance wise) for big events.

The benefits of periodization are -

* The focus on one component of fitness, maximizes the results with respect to that component.For example, when one is training to maximize endurance or speed, it is necessary to minimize hypertrophy (muscle growth). If not done properly, it can hinder your performance by not only adding way too much extra body weight, but also in other ways!
* It can avoid plateaus, overtraining and over use/stress injuries!
* It can avoid boredom, and improve motivation and adherence to the workout

The modern approach to periodization was developed by a Russian sports scientist and usually begins with a general physical preparation phase(GPP) where the training intensity is kept low and the volume is kept high.

This helps to develop some basic hypertrophy, strengthen ligaments, tendons, other connective tissues, and helps build a foundation from which further training takes place. As the training continues, intensity gradually increases and (frequency and duration may change as well) to become more sport specific while the volume reduces.

Individual programs can take into account, your personal schedule, injury history, and goals.Each phase has a different set, repetition, and speed scheme to target various areas of training.

Is it an attitude plateau?

2011-01-23T00:52:00.001-08:00

Sometimes results of any exercise activity performed repeatedly with no progression, get stagnated due to no additional stimulation for the body to respond and develop in the process!
There are some ways to break out of it, as we have discussed which include total rest or active rest, varying the activities and checking the nutrition and water intake!

However, this is also a good time to question yourself, and see whether it is just an 'attitude' plateau!What we mean by that is, are you simply 'feeling' tired or bored of your workout? And feel hopeless, as if you're never going to get results! Interestingly, the mind-body connection is so unmistakably accurate, whether you believe it or not, that this attitude of yours can actually make you resist any tangible results, that may have been otherwise possible to achieve.
Another reason why it is very important to watch that attitude of ours, is because of the mental-emotional connection to food intake and exercise! So, after an initial bout of enthusiastic effort at exercising, motivated by the initial good response of the body when you begin any exercise activity, in a few days you feel de-motivated if the results are not matching your 'expectations', watch it!
This is usually accompanied by a feeling of 'what is the use' and pessimism.And if you are an emotional eater, then this feeling is enough to get you back right to where you started!

Our body works in simple ways. Short-term efforts give short-term results. Long-term results need patience and consistency in sticking to your exercise routine, rather than a yo-yo of sporadic and heroic outbursts of enthusiasm followed by laziness and binging! So an attitude plateau is best avoided by planning and following a process to reach your goals, instead of constantly being in search of short-cuts and quick fixes!
A possible solution is 'periodization'! More on that next week!

Remember that you can’t continue doing the same thing the same way and expect different results. If what you’re doing is not working, make changes!

Get Unstuck

2011-01-23T00:51:00.000-08:00

In the past week alone, I came across a large number of people, who have been going through what is popular in the fitness jargon, as the ‘plateau’, and which in lay man terms is - reaching a stage where the progress stagnates and results are not coherent with the efforts invested, with respect to exercise! The most common experience is when you lose weight consistently during the initial few months after beginning an exercise routine, and then seem to stay on a constant weight without any further progress!

Dreaded by many fitness enthusiasts, a plateau is common after –

* Performing the same exercise, repeatedly without any progression for more than three to four months
* Changing exercises frequently even before the body begins to respond to it
* Exercising heavily (long durations, many times a day) and without adequate rest, often leading to overtraining
* Exercising without any periodization or planning thereby leaving little scope for progression

The human body adapts to any stress in about 4-6 weeks time. Therefore, any exercise movement performed repeatedly, without any progression (in the form of changing the number of repetitions, form, weight used etc.) leads to no additional challenge on the body, in order for the body to develop additional muscular or cardiovascular strength and endurance to deal with it. So, it may seem like our regularity and dedication to our fitness routine is not bearing the desired results and may de-motivate or frustrate many!

However, at this stage it becomes necessary to understand that instead of working harder, we need to work smarter. Working smarter may need a complete paradigm shift – try telling someone who is thinking on working out twice a day, to break the plateau – that he/she needs to instead take a break from working out completely and rest, and you will be lucky if you can escape with just a shocked look!

There are however, some measures that one can take to break the plateau like –

Take complete rest – Our body, responds and develops the strength and endurance, that we are working for, only when the body is resting. Rest can mean many things – from getting adequate sleep at night, taking a complete break from any exercise activity to changing the activity to something entirely different from the present one. Sleep is an important factor, since the growth hormones are secreted at night, when we are sleeping and help build our body. Not indulging in any activity can be termed as ‘passive rest’ and may not be very useful in the long run. A better alternative is to take ‘active rest’ – which may range from leisure walks, to Yoga or any activity that is less intense and different from the present activity.

Over a period of time, it is not uncommon to observe a plateau in the results of your workout, despite putting in the same or even extra effort! And as observed, it usually happens due to the amazing ability of the human body to adapt to any stress placed on it, in a month’s time. Other reasons include overtraining, lack of rest, no overload or performing repetitive exercises.

Some ways to break beyond the plateau are –

Vary the Training – Instead of weight training every day, as a part of your routine, cut down the volume by doing it 3-4 times a week, and on the other days, take active rest through walks, other cardio exercises, dance, yoga or some sports activities etc. Another option could be to do circuit training, with low weights on one or two days of the week.

Get lots of sleep – A good sleep of 7-8 hours, at night is essential for the body to recover and develop itself against the stress. The human growth hormones are in action only during night, when we sleep, and hence a good night’s rest is essential. Taking power naps during the day is also a good option!

Check your diet – Usually, a very good way to break out of the plateau is to check your diet routine or modify it, or even start one in case of some of us who believe more in exercising and less in managing our diets! It is important to note, that diet, does not mean – as is commonly known to be – cutting down food intake or not eating at all, but more of finding healthier alternatives for your usual high calorie options. For example, a mid-day snack could be a bowl of sprouts or raw veggies instead of something high in calories like chips or biscuits.

A very important case here, could also be that you are not eating enough, and your calorie intake needs to be increased, ofcourse through healthy options. An expert nutritionist or dietician could be helpful at this time.

Wearing the right outfit!!

2011-01-23T00:50:00.000-08:00

Health and Fitness, through working out is the new favourite sport, across a large cross-section of the society, as per recent research! And it is not surprising that people take it up seriously, right from choosing a proper place, to choosing the right clothes, shoes and even water-bottle! Many of the leading sports brands have a range of workout accessories, right from wrist-bands, head-bands to water-sippers and the like!
Though the accessories need not always be a necessary option, when it comes to clothing, it becomes important to pay attention to our choices!

Though it is common to see ladies wearing traditional outfits like salwar-kameez or saree, when out for a walk outdoors, when it comes to working out at health club facilities, most ladies seem to be pretty confident about sporting trendy sports wear like track pants and T-shirts. Most health clubs also strictly require female members to do that, since it helps reduce injury and mishaps due to the clothing that could get caught in between machines. Men, even otherwise do not have to go through major transitions as far as clothing is concerned!

However, even if one has chosen to wear sportswear, the quality and type of the material used, also becomes of primary importance! While the traditional instruction has been to wear ‘comfortable cotton’ apparel, since it soaks up the sweat which almost always accompanies a workout! Needless to say, silk or purely polyester options are then definitely out of the question!
However, what fitness experts over the years have come to observe is that, cotton materials may be good at absorbing sweat but they are not good at managing it, so as to make the person feel comfortable. Also, since cotton gets wet, when drenched in sweat, it covers the body with a cold, wet layer of clothing which could lead to temperature differences between the body and the surrounding!

The type of clothes, and more specifically the material they are made from, are very important factors to be considered, not just from style or comfort point of view, but also from a scientific point of view.
Since, every exercise activity is associated with the release of sweat, it becomes necessary to find effective ways to manage it. Sweating is mechanism to cool the body, and hence the clothes worn by you must absorb it in them, since otherwise the layer of wet clothing clings on your body and stops the process of evaporation and prevents the body from 'breathing'!

· Let's start with the appropriate clothing for winters -
The cold temperatures of winter, cause a huge temperature difference between the body and the environment. While it is obviously impossible to wear sweaters and woolen clothing to help keep you warm while working out (wool and the allied synthetic materials are good isolators and restrict the heat within them, thereby proving to be bad at transferring the heat outside!), multiple layers of clothing is a good way to keep yourself warm, and at the same time ensuring good transfer of heat to the environment.

· There are many materials (like Dri-Fit etc. by some leading brands) available in the market these days, that claim to have excellent sweat absorbing abilities and help keep the body dry.
People are known to change their T-shirts, in the middle of a workout, if it has gotten wet and uncomfortable. Lycra cotton is also very commonly used to make sportswear and exercise clothing. The key is to wear ‘breathable’ materials.

· The type of clothing may also differ slightly based on the kind of workout too, like for example, a Yoga workout may need extra stretchable clothing, and synthetic clothes may hinder the movements.

The clothes also need to be loose enough to accommodate all movements, but at the same time, not be too loose that it hinders the workout by getting stuck in any machines etc.

Multi Gym – Compact and healthy!

2011-01-23T00:44:00.000-08:00

Multi-gyms at home or at a society club house, are a great way to keep your exercise routine going, especially during winters or rainy season, when stepping out of the house to go to your health club may not feel like an attractive option! Needless to mention, there are also many people who use the multi-gym at all times, whether in the comfort of their own homes, workplace or the clubhouse.

A multi-gym is also a good option to be installed at the workplace, if employee well being is am area of interest to the management.
Some of the features of multi-gym machines are as below -
They are very versatile, in that they usually have exercise equipments arranged for almost all body parts, right from chest muscles, back to thighs and abdominals. Some common exercises are bench press, lat pulldown, leg curls, abdominal crunches, tricep pushdowns, bicep curls and in some models, leg press as well.
The space requirement is really compact as compared to the total space that all these machines individually, will occupy. It could be as small as 5 x 5 feet, and hence are ideal when there are space constraints. Also all movements during the exercises also fit in close to the periphery of the machine, and hence there is no need for too much space clearance on either side!
All seats are comfortable and at similar adjustable heights, very much like the regular machines. They also have the usual ranges of resistance or weight plates like the regular machines.
Though they are perfect for weight training, they offer absolutely no options for a cardio workout. A good workout must have a good balance between the cardio, weight training and stretching parts. Hence it is necessary to find ways for a cardio workout in addition to weight training.
Also, multi-gyms are expensive machines, and hence getting them for personal use is a good option, only in case one is serious about fitness and working out. Also, since it may be un-supervised, it is necessary to have some prior experience of working out to get the form and technique of each exercise right, either at a health club or under a personal trainer to avoid injuries and strains.

Winter Woes!!

2011-01-23T00:43:00.000-08:00

Winter is here and one of its common side effects is laziness, with a generous dose of exceptions, mind you! However, it usually is a time of low motivation, especially for the early morning workout enthusiasts thanks to the cozy comfort a blanket can give!

Here are few tips to keep in mind during winters and also to stay motivated –
Due to low temperatures, muscles and joints need more time to loosen up and get ready for workout. Hence not only is it essential to not skip the warm-up, it also becomes essential to extend the time of a warm-up session to anything upto 15 minutes and also to start slowly with some low-impact cardio activity like walking or stair climbing etc. Starting your warm-up with a jog or jumping can be extremely injury-prone.
Another very important area to be taken care of, is the way you get up in the morning. Since the muscles are not very flexible at that time, it is essential to adopt right postures during getting up, to avoid lower back pain or other problems. Some correct techniques are to turn to your right and then get up with the support of your hand and shoulders, or lie down on your back and rock yourself up by folding the knees and getting them close to the chest.
Rest in-between the workout is also best done actively and dynamically, instead of passively like sitting down or stopping completely, since the body temperature may fall down.
If workout during mornings is becoming difficult to adhere to, shift the timings to anytime later in the day, preferably before night. Needless to say, anytime is better than not working out at all!
Having a workout buddy works best during this time, to keep yourself and your friend motivated.
Make sure to cool down your body adequately after a workout, before stepping out into the open to avoid extreme changes in temperature which can cause distress to the body.
Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration since though the thirst level is low during winters, the body continues its metabolic activities causing loss of water
Winter time also sees an increase in appetite, and hence it is essential to eat freshly prepared, hot, nutritious and healthy foods, instead of satiating hunger through junk food and the like.

Post-Marathon Recovery!

2011-01-23T00:42:00.000-08:00

Recovering after running a marathon is as essential as training for the marathon. A marathon run places heavy demands on the runner – physiologically and mentally and hence it becomes essential to rest and regenerate in order to ensure a smooth transition back into one’s normal routine.

Here are some useful tips –

The last few meters during the marathon usually see a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles, which can cause the legs to feel heavy and fatigued. Therefore it is advisable to not stop immediately after the run and engage in some dynamic cool-downs like a gentle jog or run for a few hundred meters to remove the lactic acid from the blood stream. A massage, hot-bath or sauna can also help to relax the muscles. Changing into dry clothes immediately after the run can also help feel better.
The heat generated during the long run causes loss of water from the blood stream and can lead to dehydration. Therefore it is essential to replenish the body water level by drinking adequate liquids and fluids. Liquids and fluids need to be taken in periodically and regularly in small amounts over the next couple of days, instead of gulping down large quantities of water just after the run.
The body also loses a lot of minerals and essential nutrients through sweating and water loss. Therefore, it is important to replenish the reserves of these minerals by consuming nutrient-rich foods for the next couple of days or even weeks depending on the rate of absorption, physical activity etc. Eating some snacks high in carbohydrate, sugar and salt content, immediately after the run is also a good idea to temporarily restore blood sugar and sodium content in the body. Coffee or alcohol, immediately after the race, is not advisable since they will lead to more dehydration!
It is advisable to rest well and get at least 8-10 hours of sleep. Also, engage only in light exercises like cycling, swimming or walking and light stretching for 30-40 minutes and not engage in intensive or heavy training at least for two to three weeks after the race.

It usually takes two to four weeks to recover fully from a marathon, depending on many factors like nutrition and supplements, physical activity status at work or home, mental and emotional status etc. However, it is better to keep yourself active through light physical activity instead of merely sleeping and resting the whole time!

Marathon Training – The D-day!

2011-01-23T00:41:00.000-08:00

After discussing the training and nutrition plans over the entire training phase, building up to the final day of the marathon, it becomes equally important to take care of the diet and nutrition on the final day of the race.
The final day eating plans can be broken down into two phases – before the race and during the race. On the final day, there is usually no physical training practice. It is also important to eat well, and not fast so as to maintain good liver glycogen levels, as well as stable blood glucose levels.

Usually, food items with low glycemic index like complex carbohydrates (whole grains, fiber-rich foods etc.) and some healthy fat sources (like nuts etc.) are advisable. The fat content will ensure a consistent release of glucose into the blood stream.
High glycemic index foods are a complete no-no since they spike up the blood glucose levels temporarily leaving with extremely low blood sugar when the spike dies down leading to pre-mature fatigue and exhaustion during the early part of the race itself. Some examples of high glycemic index foods can be biscuits, chocolates, bakery items etc.

Interestingly, moderately high glycemic index are more suited to be eaten during the race, since they will give a temporary boost to the blood sugar level! Examples of food items that can be eaten during the race are energy bars, gels and energy drinks. The key is to eat light and consistently inorder to avoid a heavy stomach which could hamper performance. Some nutritionists recommend 0.5 gms of carbohydrates per kg body weight, as the normal amount of carbohydrates that can be ingested during at intervals during the race!

Keep sipping water or energy drinks, consistently inorder to avoid dehydration. Avoid trying any new foods during the race and stick to those you are comfortable with and like.

Marathon Training – The Final Leg!

2011-01-23T00:39:00.000-08:00

Following our discussion over the last few weeks about nutrition guidelines during training for marathon, one of the most important parts of the whole planned approach to nutrition intake comes towards the last week before the final day of the event.

In a well-planned physical training program for the marathon, the intensity of physical training reduces in the last one or two weeks before the final day. The frequency, duration and intensity of the training schedule drastically reduces, towards the last week before the final day, and hence nutrition intake has to be modified accordingly to avoid gaining any additional and un-necessary weight!

However, during the last week before the final day, a special nutrition plan – called the super-compensation plan or more commonly carbo-loading plan is recommended, in order to boost stamina and endurance and avoid fatigue (or commonly called “hitting the wall”) during the early hours of the run.
Carbo-loading basically consists of depleting and depriving the muscles of carbohydrates for a few days, and then loading them again, both through diet modification! So, during the last seven days, before the final day, from a carbohydrate percentage of 60%-70% during the initial training period, decrease the carbohydrate percentages to as low as 40% during days one through three, while reducing your exercise duration accordingly. And then on the fourth day, increase carbohydrate consumption to 70%, even though your exercise intensity is gradually reducing. Finally on days five and six, the carbohydrate percentage remains at 70%, while all activities are completely stopped, or in other words, they are complete rest days!

Needless to mention, the percentages of macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fats during and their sources, during the carbo-loading diet plan are important and require expert guidance of a sports nutritionist. As a general rule, sources of carbohydrates having low glycemic index (so as to prolong their absorption into the blood stream as glucose) are good options!

Marathon Training – What to eat and what not to eat!

2011-01-23T00:38:00.000-08:00

Proper and balanced nutrition during training for a marathon is the key to a successful and injury-free performance, as well as to maintain good health post-marathon!

Here are some guidelines, however, nutrition plan during this time, must be designed by a nutrition expert, since the focus is not on weight-loss or weight-gain but on boosting the body’s ability to use the food consumed to provide energy continuously and for extended periods of time!

Salads, complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits and vegetables must form the base, followed by adequate intake of proteins and fats. Carbohydrates can form almost 65-70% of the total food intake, until the Carbo-loading phase a few weeks before the final day.
Proteins from animal sources (except red meat) are the best for consumption. However for vegetarians, soy protein can be helpful. Protein supplements like whey or soy can also be used to ensure adequate intake of proteins. For primarily non-vegetarian eaters, including vegetables is equally important!
Fried foods and junk foods like burgers, fries, cakes and pastries and too much oil for cooking must be avoided. Fats from good sources like nuts, olive oil can be included to fulfil the fat requirements.
2-3 litres of water on a daily basis, is essential to avoid dehydration and also to ensure smooth functioning of body systems during the rigorous training periods.
Alcohol and coffee intake must be avoided or limited to avoid dehydration and other negative effects on performance due to excessive water loss caused by sweating.
Most nutritionists advice supplements of vitamins and minerals, during this time especially for vegetarian people, since meat and poultry provide some essential nutrients that vegetables cannot.

Concentrating on fulfilling the calorie requirements mostly during the day and reducing the calorie intake towards the evening, is also recommended to keep a check on weight gain.
Also, it is important to get adequate sleep (atleast 7-8 hours) inorder for the body to work efficiently and optimally.

Good Marathon, Right Nutrition

2011-01-23T00:26:00.000-08:00

As discussed last week, a planned approach to nutrition during Marathon training is as essential as physical training.

A good nutritional plan basically consists of three stages – nutritional plan during training, few weeks before the final day, and that on the final day. Since nutritional requirements during the marathon training are higher than usual, it is important to eat the right kind of foods to avoid any additional weight gain which will increase the challenge on the body and hamper performance.

Carbohydrate-rich foods (Carbs) form the major component of diet during this time, followed by proteins and fats. Carbs are stored in muscles, liver and blood as glucose, and are easily available for providing energy. The rate at which the energy is released depends on a factor called as the ‘Glycemic index - GI’ (or another factor called glycemic load, closely related to glycemic index) of the carb consumed.
A low GI (usually complex carbohydrates) food gets into the system slowly, and thus ensures a slow and steady supply of energy. This helps to maintain stable and adequate blood glucose levels and ensure continuous supply of energy for longer distances. Simple carbohydrates usually have high GI and enter the system and get depleted fast, causing extreme variations in blood glucose levels, extreme highs followed by extreme lows. Some examples of low GI foods are whole grains like barley, legumes and pulses like kidney beans, soyabean, wheat bran and vegetables like green leafy vegetables, cauliflower etc.
Polished rice, bakery items like white bread, cookies, ready-to-eat cereals are all examples of high GI foods. Low GI foods also help avoid additional weight gain!
Therefore, usually complex carbohydrates form a major component in the nutritional plan (almost 65% - 70%), followed by proteins - for growth and repair, and fats – for proper functioning of the body systems, during the training.

The nutritional pattern changes as you approach the final day, with many techniques that are used to ensure stable energy supply for longer duration on your final day

Running Miles through your plate!

2010-10-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Any discussion on marathon training, irrespective of exhaustive training, physically, with the best plan and trainer will not be complete without discussing the extremely important role of nutrition and diet.

Similar to the planned and periodized approach we take to physical training, it is very critical to plan and periodize nutrition throughout the training period and can in fact make or break your performance!
It will also decide your performance during the entire training period, your motivation levels and your health and fitness status (absence of sickness, fatigue, injuries and beyond that too). Fatigue, lack of ability to cope up with the daily activities, injuries, dehydration, nutritional deficiency syndromes are quite common complaints during the training period.

However, many of the people see marathon training as a weight-loss option and try out low fat diets, low carbohydrate (low-carb) diets and other fad diets, which can not only hamper final performance, but also cause long-term effects, which can sometimes be irreversible!

A good nutritional plan basically consists of three stages – the nutritional plan during the training period, couple of days before the final day, and that on the final day. An added emphasis on carbs is also a sign of a good nutritional plan. A high-carb diet is essential during this time, as decided by the sports nutritionist.
It is important to consult a nutrition expert to get the plan designed. This is because, when one says a high-carb diet is essential, the quality and type of carb is extremely important. Carbohydrates are of many types – simple, complex, high glycemic index, low glycemic index and the like. This is important because each of them has different absorption rates, and hence get absorbed at different speeds and quantities into the bloodstream.

A good nutritional plan basically consists of three stages – nutritional plan during training, few weeks before the final day, and that on the final day. Since nutritional requirements during the marathon training are higher than usual, it is important to eat the right kind of foods to avoid any additional weight gain which will increase the challenge on the body and hamper performance.

Carbohydrate-rich foods (Carbs) form the major component of diet during this time, followed by proteins and fats. Carbs are stored in muscles, liver and blood as glucose, and are easily available for providing energy. The rate at which the energy is released depends on a factor called as the ‘Glycemic index - GI’ (or another factor called glycemic load, closely related to glycemic index) of the carb consumed.
A low GI (usually complex carbohydrates) food gets into the system slowly, and thus ensures a slow and steady supply of energy. This helps to maintain stable and adequate blood glucose levels and ensure continuous supply of energy for longer distances. Simple carbohydrates usually have high GI and enter the system and get depleted fast, causing extreme variations in blood glucose levels, extreme highs followed by extreme lows. Some examples of low GI foods are whole grains like barley, legumes and pulses like kidney beans, soyabean, wheat bran and vegetables like green leafy vegetables, cauliflower etc.
Polished rice, bakery items like white bread, cookies, ready-to-eat cereals are all examples of high GI foods. Low GI foods also help avoid additional weight gain!
Therefore, usually complex carbohydrates form a major component in the nutritional plan (almost 65% - 70%), followed by proteins - for growth and repair, and fats – for proper functioning of the body systems, during the training.

The nutritional pattern changes as you approach the final day, with many techniques that are used to ensure stable energy supply for longer duration on your final day…

Marathon Pointers

2010-10-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to its growing popularity over the past years, here are some techniques that are used in preparing for the marathon.
As emphasized earlier, progression, planning and mental preparation are three of the most important aspects to marathon training for two important reasons – avoid acute or chronic injuries and to perform optimally. Also, the training needs to begin quite a few months in advance, with respect to the final date.
Though marathon training needs to be an optimal mixture of stamina/endurance and mental focus and strength, there are some techniques used for training as follows –

Stay relaxed and loose – Mostly while running, we tend to tense up our shoulders and arms or twist our hands into a fist, both of which increase blood pressure temporarily and also advances the onset of fatigue easily and pain. Hence the key is to relax the shoulder and arms by moving or shaking your arms as naturally as they move.

Countdown the mileage – Break the total distance into comfortable chunks of distances, like say 5 kms each and then countdown from 5kms downwards as you move forward. This reverse counting has proven to be effective in keeping the motivation and mental strength up and going.

Stride length – Longer strides may make you feel like you’re covering more distance but it will advance the rate of exhaustion faster causing any initial gains in distance to get nullified by the slowing down due to fatigue that follows. Hence it is advisable to use smaller strides, or smaller steps to conserve energy.

Pacing – For the first set number of kilometres (as decided by your trainer depending on your goals and level of conditioning and training) use a higher pace and slow down the pace as you progress. Avoid increasing speed un-methodically since any gain in distance will be easily offset by the slowing down that follows, due to fatigue.

Hydration – Drink adequate fluids as decided by the dietician before the run and during the run to avoid dehydration. Even a small amount of dehydration can cause tremendous mental and physical fatigue.

Proper Surface – Usually, the marathons are run on tarred or concrete roads, on the main day of the event. However, while training it may not be a good idea to start out by training on roads, since the impact forces exerted by these surfaces are extremely high which can lead to joint injuries, in an un-conditioned body. Also it increases the challenge and may initially lessen motivation, to be consistent. A treadmill, synthetic tracks or dirt paths are ideal to begin training. However, as one progresses and gaining muscular and cardio-vascular strength and endurance, training can be shifted to actual road surface, in order for the body to adapt to the challenges offered by the surface.

Breathing – One of the most important factors to work on during the training and which can drastically affect the endurance and rate of exhaustion. Practicing deep breathing (through the belly) is essential to increase the amount of oxygen intake into the body. Only chest breathing proves insufficient for the challenge posed by the long duration nature of the marathon. Deep breathing exercises, done on their own or through meditation techniques are very helpful.

Take breaks – Taking walking breaks in between the run, is a very good idea since it gives a small and quick rest to all the systems in the body thereby refreshing you. Water or energy breaks are also a good idea for a quick rest.

Nutrition before and during the run – One of the most important aspects during the pre-marathon training is the nutrition and energy intake, as designed by an expert sports nutritionist, depending on your energy requirements and activity levels. During the marathon, it is perfectly acceptable to refuel your body with food or energy drinks like bananas, raisins, sports drinks etc.
As the final date of the marathons near, the sports nutritionist may suggest structured and planned techniques to store up energy, for the final run.

Therefore, a planned and structured approach is the only way to train for a marathon and enjoy it too!

Marathon Training!

2010-10-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

The Pune marathon always seems to be a great hit amongst the locals and foreigners alike! Marathon training has been gaining popularity over the last few years as an attractive option not only to athletes but also to non-athletes who choose it for the challenge and excitement among other reasons.

Running a marathon, needless to say, takes a different approach altogether with respect to physical training, nutrition and mental/emotional training. Without any previous training, running for such long durations and distances, on tarred roads makes a perfect case of serious injuries which could affect health for years to come.

First and foremost, running a marathon is all about endurance and stamina, instead of short bursts of heroic strides. Short energetic sprints not only depletes valuable energy resources but also builds substances in the body that inhibit adequate supply of energy from other resources.

Some basic rules for beginner marathon trainers include
o Training gradually by increasing the number of miles run, during the training session gradually and progressively, instead of training too much too fast.
o An important goal in the build-up phase of the training is to avoid injuries and ensure adequate rest and not neglect these at the cost of adding the number of miles run per session.
o Running for such long durations requires both - cardiovascular endurance and muscle (local and general) endurance.
o Mostly the running is done at 55%-70% of your Maximum Heart Rate (220-age) in order to build up cardiovascular stamina and endurance. Running above these levels may not help in building endurance and instead tire you out faster. For well-conditioned individuals, the heart rate ranges may vary depending on the level of conditioning.
o Another very important point to consider is getting adequate practice of running on the ground/road, and not just on the treadmill. Even the best of performances on the treadmill will fall short of actual performance on the road/ground. Though the initial training may include using the treadmill to build you up gradually, ultimately you will need to practice on-ground running to consolidate on your endurance and perform at the marathon!

Marathon – what does it take?

The key to running a marathon successfully or at least un-injured are contained in two simple words – Planning (for physical and mental training) and Progression.
The training needs to start couple of months in advance with regular and consistent routines focusing mainly on endurance – cardiovascular and muscular. Also, the training needs to be built up slow and steady and progressively in order to manage long distances with minimal exhaustion and injuries.

Running is a high-impact activity (in which both feet are off the ground at some point for a fraction of a second) and places excessive impact forces on the joints, especially the ankles, the knees and the lower back. These joints which are supported by the ligaments and the associated tendons (connect muscles to the bones on either side of the joint) also bear the brunt of these forces and hence need to be conditioned well.
Usually most of the injuries arising out of improper training are associated with these ligaments (tears, ruptures etc.) and joints (stress fractures, dislocations etc.) which have the power to negatively affect health in the long term also.
A slow and gradual training schedule will ensure that the muscles, tendons and ligaments adapt to the overload (or excessive stress for extended periods) optimally. Sudden and unplanned intense training can place excessive stress on these and lead to tears or fractures.

However, another important area of training is the ‘mental’ aspect. Mental concentration and internal motivation are key elements to effective training and performance. Visualization exercises are popularly used to keep the runner focused and distracted from the exhaustion. It is helpful to break the total distance down into smaller units to keep the motivation levels up. Different strategies can be used depending on the mental state feedback during the practice sessions, like for example some people have the habit of looking downwards while running. However, looking downwards will only increase the feeling of fatigue and hence shifting the gaze upwards or straight ahead, while running will help them cover longer distances as compared to the former.

Intensity Monitoring!

2010-10-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

An important aspect of exercising, whether one is at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level is monitoring the intensity, especially in case of cardio activities.

In case of strength training exercises, intensity can be monitored by noting the amount of weight used per repetition for each set or by determining the volume (reps x sets per exercise), the former being an easy and quick method to monitor intensity.

In case of cardio workout however, there are many ways to monitor intensity. Usually the cardio machines come with heart rate calculators, located at the handles or below the dashboard and are easy to use. The target heart rate is calculated as 60%-70% of Maximum Heart Rate (220-Age) for normal exercise routines. The other heart rate zones can be worked upon under expert guidance.

In case the intensity is lesser than the desired value, it can be increased by increasing the challenge (level, speed etc.) or by including arm movement.
There are also many other methods to calculate, which come in handy when one is not using the cardio machines or during an aerobic class, kickboxing class etc.
Some of them include –

Pulse Monitoring – Locate the pulse on the radial artery (around the wrist, below the thumb) where the pulse is easily palpable, and count the number of pulses in 10 seconds and multiply it by 6 to get the heart rate. It is advisable to follow this sequence since measuring the pulse rate for one whole minute increases the chances of errors as well as breaks the exercise tempo causing the heart rate to come down.
The other option is to measure on the carotid artery, around the neck adjacent to the voice box. However, this artery is highly sensitive to pressure and any excess pressure can affect the blood supply to the brain and cause light headedness, apart from also breaking the tempo of exercise.

Aerobic Intensity Monitoring!

As per last week’s discussion, it is advisable to monitor intensity while working out, especially the cardio aspect. There are many non-invasive, non-intrusive and simple ways to monitor the intensity like measuring heart rate or the rate of perceived exertion.

The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is a popular method worldwide especially in group settings, apart from radial artery pulse monitoring, as discussed last week. Exertion is defined as the amount of stress or effort exerted. Perceived exertion is the way the exertion is perceived which depends on many factors like health & fitness status, conditioning level, mindset to name a few. The rate of perceived exertion scale, also known as the Borg Scale is used to present a quantitative feeling of fatigue. There are 2 ways in which is used – 20 point scale, 10 point scale.

The 10 point scale has a range which starts with the exertion level as
0 - very very light (almost resting),
1 - very light (as in slow walking),
2, 3 - fairly light / moderate
4 - somewhat hard (steady pace),
5, 6 - hard,
7, 8, 9 - very hard,
10 - very very hard
Usually the instructor in a group setting asks for your RPE out aloud, inorder to modify the workout intensity. An RPE of 4 to 6 is a good rate to maintain. With the 20 pt scale, the range starts from 6 until 20, and the reading multiplied by 10 gives the approximate heart rate at the time. The 10 pt scale however is more popularly used.

The other method of monitoring intensity is the Talk test, which requires for the person to be able to talk without hyperventilation, at any point in the workout, to determine intensity.
Both the methods are simple, practical, easy to use and help monitor the intensity of exercise.

Beginner's Diaries - Warmup & Cool down

2010-10-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Continuing the discussion on points to consider when beginning an exercise routine for the first time or after a long gap, it becomes important as a beginner to emphasize on the following the routine step-by-step and not skip steps. In simpler words, the most important parts of the routine are the warm-up and cool down.

The warm-up is an important component for everyone and not only the beginners to get the best out of exercise. However, it becomes especially important for beginners since the muscles in the body needs to be conditioned to sustain the exercise that follows and also to get all the internal systems like the cardio-vascular (heart and blood flow), cardio-respiratory ready for the routine. Sudden pressures on the muscles and internal systems can lead to injury and even prove fatal.

A warm-up raises the body temperature, enhances blood flow and lubrication at the joints, improves the neuro-muscular coordination and generally improves the body’s ability to deal with the exercises and avoid injury.
The warm-up can be general or specific. General warm-ups target the whole body, like cardio activities like walking or suryanamaskars or usually consist of dynamic stretches targeting joints and muscles. Specific warm-ups are for the specific muscles being worked out in the following workout which could range from mimicking the movement of the exercise without any weights or performing some repetitions of the exercise with the lowest possible weight.

Cool downs, are important to restore the blood flow (while exercising blood flow is shunted from non-active systems like digestive and reproductive systems to active systems like the muscular systems etc.), bring down the body temperature as well as to stretch the shortened and tense muscles and restore chemical balance in the body.
Cool down usually has static stretches which need one to hold the muscles in stretched positions for 20-30 seconds, deep breathing and relaxation exercises.

Many of us opt to skip the warm-up and cool down session to save time or to give more time to the main work-out believing that it will bring the desired results faster. Needless to say, it is wise to avoid doing this and follow the process to get the best out of exercise!

Beginner’s Diaries...

2010-10-19T23:40:00.002-07:00

Continuing the series on the essentials when beginning an exercise routine for the first time or after a long time, the focus this week is on the nature of the routine – weight training and cardio. As we have seen that while beginning a routine, maintaining regularity or frequency is more important than increasing the duration or intensity. It is also important to consider the reason for beginning or getting back to the workout, especially if it is after surgeries or other health problems.

As far as weight training is concerned –
o It is ok to begin a weight training routine in the first week itself, provided it focuses on full-body conditioning and includes all muscle groups with lesser weight and average number of repetitions (12-15)
o The first week workout could be all-body parts, three times a week on alternate days to ensure adequate rest. Avoid using body splits and advanced techniques like 2-muscles / 3-muscles per day or techniques like drop sets, pyramiding, reps until burn etc. in order to leave no room for injuries and enough room for progression.
o One or two sets with 10-15 or more repetition, depending on the muscle group worked out are adequate in the first week. For example, leg exercises usually use more repetitions due to the large musculature than chest exercises.
o It is advisable to focus on the technique of lifting, posture and the ‘form’ of the exercise while beginning out, in order to build up on it later. The form is very important to focus on the right muscles so that they develop proportionately and also to avoid muscular imbalance and postural deformities due to the imbalance.
o Most importantly, it is necessary to include a good warm-up session in order to activate the muscle fibers to work optimally. Warm-ups can be general (like a 5-minute cardio activity, walking etc.) and specific (an active stretching of the muscle targeted) and help to get the best out of the exercise and to avoid injuries.
These guidelines apply to both - men and women, who are beginning out on a workout. And for the umpteenth time, weight training is strongly recommended for women since it only strengthens the muscles, and does not cause them to bulk up!

Cardio activities are the best way to begin since they are ideal to condition the cardio-vascular and cardio-respiratory system, which form the foundation of any activity - exercise or otherwise!

Cardio activities in a gym set-up usually range from treadmill, cycle – upright and recumbent, cross trainer, rowing machine to group classes like Aerobics, Kickboxing and its variants. While in the case of beginning a home-based workout, walking is the best way to start.

o In case of the gym, walking on treadmill and cycling are great ways to start off the exercise routine, at least in the first week.
o Cardio workouts need to usually last at least 20 minutes, continuously, or cumulatively over a few breaks in between if it gets extremely challenging. The 20 minute target is required for the fat resources to takeover from the carbohydrates and other sources and begin providing energy to sustain the exercise activity. Ideally any time between 20 and 40 minutes is good enough to provide a good workout to the cardio-vascular system.
o The cardio activity needs to be steady and even-paced, in that maintaining a rate which can be sustained over a period of 20 minutes. It is better to stick to walking and use jogging as progression option weeks down the line. A speed of 4 – 6, as seen on the treadmill screen is good. Avoid using any pre-set programs on the treadmill or cycle and instead stick to the manual mode of varying speed and intensity.
o Gradually increasing intensity and Interval training while walking on the treadmill can be good options. For example, an option may be to start at the speed 4 and progress on to 6 by the 15th minute and then maintain it or switch between 6 and 5 depending on the perceived exertion.
o It is important to remember to slow down speed before stopping completely, to avoid blood pooling in the legs which can lead to dizziness. Also let the treadmill stop completely, before getting off and not get off sideways while it is still working to avoid injuries.
o Even cardio activities need a good 5-7 minute warm up using dynamic stretching prior to beginning.
o It is also recommended to measure intensity to get the best out of the workout, which will be discussed in the coming week.

Slow and steady!

2010-10-19T23:40:00.001-07:00

As discussed, when beginning an exercise routine for the first time or after a long gap, it is necessary to take it slow and work along with your body in getting accustomed to the activity.
This is essential, not only to maintain the motivation and long-term adherence but also to avoid any physical injuries. For those who are getting back to exercise after a long gap, it is essential to understand that our body begins to lose the conditioning within a month of stopping of the activity and must be conditioned all over again!

After preparing for the new exercise routine before hand in small ways as discussed earlier, the next step is to focus on increasing the frequency before increasing the duration and intensity.
In other words, if you begin with 45 minutes three days a week, then the next progression would be 45 minutes 5 times a week, i.e. the frequency is increased without increasing the duration or intensity. However, most of the routines prescribed at health clubs are for 6 days a week, right from the beginning and hence some helpful points to note should be –

o Make sure that the weight training routines are restricted to 2-3 times a week, and with a gap of one day in between. Also 1-2 sets of around 10-15 reps, depending on the muscle groups targeted are sufficient for the first couple of weeks.
o It is also ok to exercise only 5 days out of the 6-day schedules, in the first couple of weeks depending on the signals of fatigue or pain from the body.
o Once the routine feels comfortable, the next step would be to increase intensity in case of weight training exercises and duration in case of cardio exercises. This means, in case of weight training, progress by increasing repetitions to the point of fatigue or increase weight and in case of a cardio activity like walking on a treadmill, increase the time instead of opting for jogging or running in the same time. The reverse way may not be very helpful.
o Get a good 8 hours of sleep and adequate rest every day for optimum results. Needless to say, a good nutritious diet will help boost the energy levels and progress faster.

Baby Steps!

2010-10-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

Everything has its first time! Especially so, for many of us who are considering beginning an exercise routine – voluntarily or forcibly after planning and postponing for ages!

Studies on the percentages of adherence to a fitness routine show some interesting facts. Adherence or regularity with respect to a fitness routine depends on factors like motivation, fear factor, apparent benefits, as well as some basic factors like intensity, duration and frequency.
Another point I would like to include would be ‘expectations’ especially those arising out of a sense of competition or instant results and the like. Many people start out with a bang and then lose steam as the days go by, mainly because of un-realistic standards of progress.

Hence it is important to understand that its important to take baby steps – small, achievable and measurable goals while beginning an exercise routine, instead of going full steam ahead and then losing interest or ability to maintain regularity.

Let’s discuss a few answers to the reason behind failure to be regular at an exercise routine –

Pre - Preparation – This is important, both physically and mentally for those who have never exercised before and are planning to begin in the near future. While those with no medical conditions requiring a supervised exercise routine, it is helpful to start out with basic activities like walking around to finish household errands, taking the stairs instead of elevators etc. for a few weeks before hitting the gym. This helps to get the body conditioned for the following exercise routine.
Mentally, it is helpful to maintain a ‘can-do’ and realistic attitude instead of setting very high goals like losing two or three kilos in the first week itself, or exercising for two hours right from the first day! Sporadic bursts of intense activities are not at all beneficial. In the first few weeks, regularity is the most essential component rather than the duration, performance or intensity. Around 30-45 minutes of activity in the first week is acceptable including the warm-up and cool down exercises and stretches. The routine must include cardio exercises and full-body conditioning exercises with weights.

Bread matters!

2010-10-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

These days, healthy and easy choices for daily nutrition are not only the concern of the consumers, but also the manufacturers and hence you will find the market flooded with many options each with its own uniqueness.
This is especially the case with breads, where until about some years ago white bread was the only option available, now we have so many options ranging from brown bread, whole wheat bread, multi-grain bread, breads with added ingredients like flaxseeds or walnuts. Most of them also claim to be fortified with additional minerals and vitamins.

Well, though the awareness about white bread has grown exponentially over the years thanks to the knowledge that the main ingredient ‘maida’ (refined flour from which the bran and wheat germ have been removed) which lacks any nutritional value and fibre content, brown and wheat bread options are increasing in popularity by the day! Though many of us who have been brought up on white bread can find it challenging to accommodate to the taste, texture and color of brown bread!

An important fact to be noted is that brown bread is not always the same as whole wheat bread! The color can be deceiving in that brown bread is usually made of wheat flour and may not necessarily be whole wheat flour with the bran and the wheat germ. Wheat flour, as mentioned on brown bread many times is almost similar to the refined flour or a mixture of white and wheat flour, with caramel added as a coloring agent!!

Also to watch out are the sugar content and its source (like high fructose corn syrup is bad for health) and presence of any partially hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids, if possible. The bran and the wheat germ in whole wheat bread contribute to the fiber content in the body is useful not only for good bowel movements but also to reduce the chances of lifestyle disorders like diabetes etc.

These days, healthy and easy choices for daily nutrition are not only the concern of the consumers, but also the manufacturers and hence you will find the market flooded with many options each with its own uniqueness.
This is especially the case with breads, where until about some years ago white bread was the only option available, now we have so many options ranging from brown bread, whole wheat bread, multi-grain bread, breads with added ingredients like flaxseeds or walnuts. Most of them also claim to be fortified with additional minerals and vitamins.

Well, though the awareness about white bread has grown exponentially over the years thanks to the knowledge that the main ingredient ‘maida’ (refined flour from which the bran and wheat germ have been removed) which lacks any nutritional value and fibre content, brown and wheat bread options are increasing in popularity by the day! Though many of us who have been brought up on white bread can find it challenging to accommodate to the taste, texture and color of brown bread!

An important fact to be noted is that brown bread is not always the same as whole wheat bread! The color can be deceiving in that brown bread is usually made of wheat flour and may not necessarily be whole wheat flour with the bran and the wheat germ. Wheat flour, as mentioned on brown bread many times is almost similar to the refined flour or a mixture of white and wheat flour, with caramel added as a coloring agent!!

Also to watch out are the sugar content and its source (like high fructose corn syrup is bad for health) and presence of any partially hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids, if possible. The bran and the wheat germ in whole wheat bread contribute to the fiber content in the body is useful not only for good bowel movements but also to reduce the chances of lifestyle disorders like diabetes etc.

TFAs – to take or not to take!

2010-10-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

Trans-Fatty Acids is the scariest word(s) that you can utter, these days! As the awareness spreads, most of the brands are quick to claim proudly on their products on the shelves in supermarkets, that there are “Zero Trans fats” in their products, along with many other claims!

Unsaturated (mono or poly) fatty acids have one or more double bonds, around which carbon and hydrogen atoms are attached. The arrangement of carbon atoms around the double bond can be on the same side (cis-) or opposite side (trans-), and this gives rise to the name – Trans fatty acid.
Unsaturated fatty acids, by their very definition have lesser number of hydrogen atoms, and hence can be subjected to a process called hydrogenation. When the hydrogenation process is complete, it gives us saturated fatty acid chains, but if it is only partially complete, it gives rise to Trans fatty acid chains. Thus, essentially oils from plant sources were used, since they are naturally unsaturated.

The resultant product of partial hydrogenation is a soft, malleable butter like substance (called margarine), which had some special properties like it remained soft even when refrigerated, had a longer shelf life and more. It was also cheaper than butter, since vegetable oils are more readily available than those from animal sources and also could be mass produced easily. It was found especially beneficial for the process of baking and also resulted in enhancing the taste of the products. Thus, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil was a common ingredient on all baked products like cakes, biscuits, breads etc. until recently, apart from widespread use for frying etc. in many restaurants, food outlets etc.

TFAs have no role in promoting health. In fact they have a serious disadvantage over saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in that, they lower the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in the body apart from increasing LDL levels. The others only increase levels of LDL (bad) cholesterols! Thus they have a more serious negative effect on health and increase chances of coronary heart diseases, lifestyle disorders and more!

‘Oil’ is well!!!

2010-10-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

One of the most important and life-altering decisions, apart from the regular ones (about career, relationships and shelter!) is deciding on the right kind of oil to use for cooking!

Oil is an important ingredient in almost all items cooked in our country, with sources and amounts varying depending on the location.
Oils belong to the category of fats and the ones used for cooking, are usually obtained from plant sources. Oils from animal sources are also used for some purposes, apart from cooking.
As per the structure of fats, oils contain fatty acids, which are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It increases the palatability and satiety value of food and hence is widely used for cooking.

As per the fatty acid composition, the sources of oils are classified as mostly containing – Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA), Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA), Mono-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA), and the popular Trans- Fatty Acids (TFA). Plant sources usually contain little or no cholesterol. All oils contain SFAs, PUFAs and MUFAs, however one of them is usually in the highest quantity as compared to others. Fats from animal sources contain high levels of SFAs, whereas from plant sources are usually high in PUFAs and MUFAs.
Though fats perform an important role in the body, excessive amount of fats, especially as SFAs or cholesterols increase the risk for lifestyle disorders.

Oils containing high levels of SFAs are usually semi-solid at room temperature (e.g. butter, ghee, etc.). Hence, it tends to get deposited in the same way along the arteries in the body, increasing chances of lifestyle disorders like atherosclerosis and more. The lower the level of SFAs in the oil, the better it is.
SFAs have a direct effect on the level of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or the ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body, and hence increase the risk to lifestyle disorders like diabetes, heart problems, obesity etc. Hence it is usually recommended to limit the use of SFA rich foods like butter, ghee etc.

So many different kinds of oils flood the market these days with really interesting advertisements claiming different things like cholesterol free or Vitamin E enriched, to attract the consumers.
Picking it up from last week, oils are classified as per the nature of their basic components – fatty acids. Thus there are the SFAs, PUFAs, MUFAs and terms like TFA that need to be understood.

Mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are found in oils from plant origins like olive oil etc. They are liquid at room temperature and are chemically the more stable which also increases their shelf life.
MUFAs are extremely beneficial to the body since their structure causes them to prevent oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL), which if oxidized get stuck on the walls of arteries and obstruct blood flow. It is also known to improve insulin sensitivity which is usually a risk factor for the onset of lifestyle disorders like diabetes etc. and also reduce inflammation in the body.
Some examples of oils with comparatively high MUFA content would be sesame seed oil, canola oil, groundnut oil. Olive oil contains the highest percentage of MUFAs and is a common recommendation by dieticians and nutritionists these days to the weight-watchers.

Poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are again found in oils of plant origin like sunflower, safflower oil etc. They are chemically less stable and hence prone to oxidation and also may turn rancid faster, have lower melting points and are liquid at room temperature. PUFAs also include the extremely beneficial omega-3 fatty acids (as found in fish, walnuts etc.) which have many health benefits. PUFAs, like some MUFAs, are a safe option for daily cooking in high volumes. However, the health benefits are not as good as the MUFAs.

PUFAs and MUFAs are only relatively beneficial than SFAs (Saturated Fatty Acids), and must also be used in moderation. Too much oil consumption is precursor for many lifestyle disorders like obesity, diabetes and also other problems like atherosclerosis, pre-mature aging and the like.
Moderation is the key word!

Nutrition Labels – How to read

2010-10-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

Almost all food items that are packaged and sold now a days have the ‘Nutrition Information‘ panel towards the back side of the package. Though it is a part of a mandatory requirement, issued by the Governments, it also helps identify the composition of the food we are consuming. It is also helpful in planning our daily diet, in-between snacks etc.
It is necessary to understand what it stands for and how it is applicable to our daily lives, especially in case we are dealing with lifestyle problems like diabetes, obesity etc.

The panel is usually in the form of a table denoting the composition, quantity and the number of calories for each macro-nutrient and micro-nutrient, and is distributed as Total Energy, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats, saturated fats, sugars, sodium and other essential nutrients like Vitamins and minerals.
The number of calories - expressed in absolute values or percentages of Daily Value - are per serving or per cup or for a given amount, usually expressed in grams (e.g. quantity per 100 g). Percentage of daily values denotes how much of that nutrient - fat, sugar or a vitamin in one serving will give you compared to how much you need for the entire day.
A serving size is usually based on how much amount a person would normally eat and may differ from product to product and also location. Thus a serving size need not be the entire amount, sold in one pack. For example, if there are 100 g of chips in a packet, and the nutritional information mentions all values are for one serving – which is 50 g of chips, then all the values need to be multiplied by 2 to obtain the total calorie intake by consuming the packet.
This same fact has been used to the advantage of the manufacturers. For example, usually there are separate values for ‘fat’ and ‘sugars’, and thus a product can be ‘fat-free’ and yet add calories from ‘sugars’, which can be as bad as calories form fat!

Here is a guide to help understand how to interpret the values mentioned in the table –

Energy – expressed in calories (Cal) or kilojoules (kJ), it represents the total energy supplied by an amount equal to the serving size or in 100 g of the product. It mainly depends on the individual macro-nutrients like fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Many times, there is a separate heading which mentions the calories, specifically from fat.
Though, food is basically consumed to satisfy energy requirements, it is important to know what macro-nutrient is supplying the energy. Calories from proteins and carbohydrates are used up for body maintenance, repairing the wear and tear in the body and supplying energy for activities of daily living.
Calories from fat are prone to storage and hence can add to body fat and weight too.

Nutrition labels or the nutritional information provided behind most food items these days can supply great information about the levels of different macro - and micro – nutrients included in them which can help regulate the quantity we intake.
The most important macro-nutrient is fat, and which appears on the label in a minimum of three and a maximum of six categories. They are Total fat, Saturated fat, Cholesterol, Poly Unsaturated Fatty acids, Mono unsaturated Fatty acids, Trans Fatty acids.

Total fat represents expressed in Kcal, the total calories from all kinds of fats in a given serving or complete quantity of the item. In case it is expressed in grams, then we can obtain the calorie count by multiplying the value in grams by 9.
Saturated fat usually appears solidified at room temperature, due to its saturated molecular structure. This kind of fat can cause greater harm since it may tend to solidify inside the body as well, and clog the arteries, leading to cardio vascular problems, stroke or atherosclerosis etc. It is therefore recommended to reduce the intake of these, as much as possible.
Unsaturated fats appear in the liquefied form at room temperature and are further sub-divided as Poly unsaturated and mono-unsaturated. Due to their very nature, they do not posses much risk to the body, and are better options.
Cholesterol is an sterol transported through the blood and has important functions in the body, unlike the negative image that has been associated with it. Usually cholesterol is present only in sources from animal origin, like poultry and dairy products, different kinds of meat etc. Plant sources do not have any cholesterol content. This is often used as an attraction factor on many ‘low-fat’ or ‘cholesterol free’ food items to lure the customers into buying them, since cholesterol has long been targeted to be a trouble-maker.
Trans fatty acids, usually generated during hydrogenation of oils (preferred for commercial purposes) poses the maximum risk on the body. It is present in most bakery items, since the hydrogenated oil adds texture to the bakery item and hence is commonly used. It is known to increase the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and also affect the cells lining the blood vessels negatively and hence is considered harmful.

Thus, lower the levels of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and trans fatty acids, safer is the consumption.

The other macronutrients mentioned on the label are Carbohydrates and Proteins. Proteins are usually expresses in their total amount, unlike carbohydrates and fats which are further dissected into constituent parts. The general rule of thumb, is the lesser the fats (all kinds) and more the proteins, the better it is, while with carbohydrates, lesser the sugar and more the fiber, the better it is.

Carbohydrates are also the primary contributors to the total energy content. They can come from the sugar (glucose) content in the food item, as well as from the fiber present in it. While carbohydrates from sugar do not provide much nutrition, and instead add to the glucose levels in the blood and the body. This may be harmful in the long run, since increased glucose levels in the body are the major cause of lifestyle disorders like diabetes, obesity and more.
Most of the complex carbohydrates are usually low in sugar and high in fiber. A high fiber (soluble or insoluble) content is good for health, since it provides roughage and eases the bowel movement. Some soluble fibers also help reduce cholesterol and enhance overall health.

Some of the micronutrients include sodium, vitamins and essential minerals like Calcium, magnesium, potassium etc. A low level of sodium (from salt) content is ideal, since excess sodium causes problems like dehydration, excess pressure on the kidneys etc. Calcium and the other minerals are essential for proper nervous system functioning, neuro-muscular co-ordination as well as for many other processes in the body. Including them through your diet is better than taking additional supplements. Though sometimes it does become essential to take additional supplements, since absorption of these minerals depends on many factors including the quantity consumed!

Vitamins like A, E, B complex group and more become essential due to their contribution to the various processes in the body, health of the organs and making up various hormones in the body.
The vitamins and minerals are usually expressed as percentages of daily value (standard values based on the demography, the genetic history etc.) which may be country, age and gender specific, and are easily available in standard nutrition charts.

Protein Supplements, eh?

2010-10-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

Protein supplements, quite popular with the gym regulars and fitness enthusiasts and fitness freaks, are a hot topic of discussion, with many who advocate the practice, and many others who believe that our body does not need protein supplements, apart from those that can be included by modifying the diet! Originally, it was only used by professional body builders and athletes, thanks to their intense workout regimens and professional demands.
However, these days it has become quite a common practice even with regular gym goers!

Our traditional Indian diet which is mainly vegetarian, is not very rich in proteins, especially since most plant sources are poor sources of useful proteins. Animal sources like milk, egg, meat etc. are very rich in proteins. The only plant source, fairly rich in proteins is Soy, not without its advantages and disadvantages.
And since there is limited scope of increasing protein in the diet, without a proportional increase in carbohydrates and thanks to the fear of adding body weight, protein supplements provide an easy option for use!

Usually available as Whey (obtained in the process of cheese production), Casein (Milk Protein), Egg protein, Soy protein and some herbs and plants.

Whey Protein is considered to be the most useful kinds, thanks to its high absorption capacity, ease of use and high biological value with all essential amino acids and BCAAs in it and hence usually the most popular.
Casein or milk protein is also a good source of protein, again with a good absorption capacity, and rich in an amino acid – Glutamine which aids recovery mechanisms in the body. It is usually used in combination with Whey.
Soy protein, the only plant source of which is rich in proteins with the essential amino acids, and is very suitable for vegans or for those who are lactose intolerant or gluten intolerant. They have the maximum amount of protein as compared other plant sources, like legumes, pulses and nuts..

Continuing our discussion on protein supplements, ranging from discussing their need, to the side-effects if taken incorrectly, to the type of supplements available, no discussion will be complete without discussing the most naturally available and with the highest biological value (a measure of the quality of protein) – the humble Egg !
Eggs, referring primarily to those from chicken, are the nature’s relatively cheaper, storehouse of high quality proteins, with all essential amino acids and some useful vitamins and minerals like folic acid, Vitamin B6 and more. Commonly, the egg white is considered to the best source for protein, although the other nutrients like vitamins and minerals, including fat and cholesterol are contained in the egg yolk.
The egg white (also called albumin) on the other hand, has negligible fat, but is rich in proteins and hence a favourite amongst those looking for protein supplements in the natural form, and even as processed albumin.
Biological value (BV), common guideline while selecting which protein supplement to use, is defined as a measure of the proportion of protein that can be absorbed from a food and utilized effectively for protein synthesis in the body. Egg is one of the only foods with a BV very close to 100, while whey has BV of 96, thus making it the one of the best protein supplement option after egg. Cow milk has around 90, cheese has around 84 and Soy has around 75.
What this basically means is the ease with which the protein available within them is passed on to the body, effectively for utilization.

As with other proteins, egg consumption can be everyday (remember the Doordarshan ad – Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande!), keeping in mind to not overdo, especially the yellow/yolk part of it, and maintaining a good intake of water. Eggs are quite popular, amongst people across all sects, including some vegetarians!!
Nature only gives us useful things, and which remain useful only when taken in moderation! So go ahead, toss yourself an omelette or two!

The baap of all Myths!

2010-10-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Weight loss, still a hot topic of discussion and bonding between friends, strangers, cannot be complete without discussing this myth!! Also a favourite for the ad commercials dealing with exercise related products, this has been exploited to the hilt!
And thanks to our natural, god-gifted tendency to accumulate fat around the central region, this myth is one of the most popular, ever since man existed, if I may exaggerate a little!!!!
Doing Crunches or using the "Ab machine" will get rid of fat around the belly.
The truth is that, firstly – spot reduction is not naturally possible. The body always loses fat, globally, not locally! Can you imagine a person, who has a six-pack abs, but excessively fat on the chest or the hips!! Any claims to spot reduce are also a farce, and may be temporarily effective, but will fail over a long term!
And secondly – crunches are a strengthening exercise, whereby they will tone and strengthen the muscles of the abdomen – the rectus and transverses abdominus and the obliques – and since fat cannot be toned, its really of not much use, to tone the underlying muscles, if the fat covering them is not taken care of first!
And thirdly, excessive belly fat, puts excessive pressure on the lower back muscles to maintain the posture. Thus, if the technique and body form, used while doing the abs exercises are not correct, then the already shortened lower back muscles may strain/pull, thereby causing lower-back problems, where none existed earlier!
Belly fat can be burned only by a combination of diet and cardio exercise, since only cardio exercises target the fat reserves in the body, as has been discussed before. For optimum and faster results, it is wise to combine strength training of the whole body, since that will boost the intrinsic metabolism, thereby aiding the process of fat and weight loss. Interval training is also a good option, with alternate bouts of cardio and strength training, of varying intensities.

Discussing some of our favourite myths, including those about spot reductions and doing infinite rounds of abs exercises to lose central fat, here is one of the latest trends, almost becoming a myth – upping your protein intake (only) helps you lose weight, thanks to the high-protein diets and the very-high protein diets and more!

While, the role of upping protein intake in weight loss is definitely worth considering, and for some, debatable, merely upping your protein intake, without complementing it with the right exercises is again asking for trouble!

Proteins are the building blocks of our body, and make up muscles, hormones and most other chemicals in the body. The rationale, behind these diets being that they boost your metabolism and help in the natural repair mechanism and some more, a high protein intake could actually impact negatively, since the body cannot store protein, as itself. The body may store all the extra protein calories by converting them into fat stores. Ideally the body needs 1g to 1.3g of protein intake, per kg body weight.

Though it is usually advised when a person is into moderate to heavy weight training, since the requirement and the wear-and-tear is higher, it is of not much use, if you do cardio exercises mostly, and then opt for protein supplements or high protein diets, especially in the case of females!
And consuming additional protein, when not into any physical activity is absolutely a bad option, unless the protein intake is for other health related issues, like PCOD etc.

A high protein diet may actually make you gain weight (if not supported by weight training), for reasons mentioned above. It may cause dehydration, unless accompanied with additional water intake, and can also affect the digestive system leading to issues like flatulence, kidney problems etc.

What also matters is the quality of protein consumed – measured traditionally in terms of the biological value – where egg has the highest biological value. Most of the animal sources have high biological values. Soy – which is a plant source, has a lower biological value, and moreover does not suit everyone.

Myths about Weight Loss!

2010-10-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

This week, discussing a favourite, common and popular myth amongst the dieters and the non-dieters alike - avoiding carbohydrates to lose weight!!
The problem lies, when low-carbs is assumed to mean no-carbs!
Carbohydrates are the primary and major sources of fuel used for energy production in the body. The myth implies that firstly, a no- carb diet means control on the insulin production and thereby avoiding weight gain, and secondly, that lower the carbs, faster the body tends towards using fats as the source of fuel.
While in reality, carbs are required for efficient burning of fats, as well as to spare proteins for their primary function of building the body!
The process of burning fats, has carbs as an important requirement, and hence a no-carb diet will hamper the process of burning fat which inturn would not result in a permanent weight loss.
Most proteins also require carbs for their processing, and thus get affected by a low-carb diet.
A low-carb diet may not provide enough resource for your daily body functions. Another aspect is that with low dietary intake of carbs, the body will target the stored carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen), which results in loss of body water, which may be put across as weight loss!
To lose weight, it is necessary to restrict the total calorie intake, and not target any individual source of fuel as bad and cut it off from the diet.

Another popular myth is that skipping meals help lose weight!
The truth is that, skipping meals has 2 adverse effects - firstly it affects the blood glucose level, which leads to binging later and all the excess food getting stored as fat, and secondly, it affects the metabolism, and the body lowers its metabolism and goes into storage mode, thereby storing the food eaten as for later use - and the only way to store - is to convert it into fats reserves!
Also, the question arises, as to how long a person can keep skipping meals. Thus, when the person resumes the normal diet, the lower metabolism means most of the food is stored as fat, since the body is now used to thinking that there might not be any food coming for a long time!

The best option is to eat small portioned, frequent meals all through out the day, with finishing of major food intakes in the morning, and eating lighter towards evening.

Running is the best way to lose weight!
a) The truth is that running is a high intensity – high impact activity. Hence, the impact forces exerted by the ground on your knees and ankles are also greater in magnitude and are related to your weight. Hence, for a heavy person who is just beginning an exercise routine, it is not advised to begin running as a part of their cardio workout. Infact, once a doctor had advised my friend, that if you are even 5 kgs overweight, you must avoid running, as it will negatively impact your knees, for a short-term gain of losing weight, if at all!!
b) Since running is an intense activity, it is ideal as a progression activity to brisk walking and other cardio options available in a health club. In other words, running is an option, only for an intermediate –advanced level individual, who has been working out for some months, and has conditioned his body well through a balance of strength training & cardio, both!
c) Weight loss, as discussed earlier, is achieved through burning fat reserves, which the body uses, only when the activity is medium intensity and sustained over a period of time. Any high intensity activity demands sudden supply of energy, for which the target is usually Carbohydrate reserves, and not fat reserves!! Also, a high intensity activity is difficult to sustain over a period of time, for an average person, and hence what usually results is bursts of running, followed by slowing down or even stopping, instead of maintaining the pace over extended periods of times…

Thus, brisk walking is an excellent option for beginners, with gradual progression onto jogging and running, may be even as an interval-training option! And remember to wear the right shoes, warm-up and cool-down before and after the activity!

That’s a Myth!!!

2010-10-19T23:26:00.002-07:00

Lately I am coming across many people, who have built up an entire encyclopedia of myths about fitness and nutrition, thanks to incomplete information, inspiring cases of fitness achievements from people around, apart from many other issues!
Lets discuss some myths about Fitness here –

You must join a gym to lose weight
This statement found its place in this article because there seem to be an increasing number of people, who love to put off exercising, citing reasons like they do not have time to join a gym or they cant join a gym due to some reasons, and the like!
While the effectiveness of joining a gym is beyond doubts, however incase it seems difficult to do so, there are many other options available as well, like walking, buying a set of dumbbells at home, and working out at home (ofcourse, after consulting with an expert), yoga, martial arts, aerobics and so many more! Again if time is a constraint, then use the NEAT principles, like take your dog out for a walk yourself, or pick up the newspaper yourself, and get some walking done while at work, have discussions with colleagues over walks around the office, instead of the cafeteria, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Well, there is an apt saying -“he who wishes to sing, shall find a song” (Applicable to all the‘she’ also!)

No pain no gain
Exercising must be an enjoyable activity, and usually, pain is not pleasurable (this is keeping in mind the exceptional cases who enjoy the feeling of pain!) It is true that some pain must be borne after a beginning a new exercise routine, however, feeling pain to the point of discomfort usually shows that something is not right. Pain while exercising happens, due to the muscle fibers getting pulled, contracted and torn, however, using pain as a parameter to judge the effectiveness of your workout, will not pay off as expected.
Another outcome of this belief is when some people, overtrain themselves or push themselves too far, in terms of the actual exercises or by exercising twice and thrice a day! One hour of workout with a fine balance of warm-up, cool down, weight training and cardio (need not be in the same workout) is sufficient, unless one is aiming at becoming the next Arnold!

Morning is the best time to exercise!
Well, anytime is a good time to begin a good thing!! Being unable to stick to a morning routine, is no excuse to throw away your exercise routine! I remember being inspired by the story of this doctor in Mumbai, who would go for a jog, after finishing his practice at night, around 1.00 am!! Ladies working out around lunchtime is a common sight too!
A favourite amongst many trainers, working with people working on weight loss ( the morning routines target fat reserves faster), while, for some reasons like, consistency, boosting metabolism, being fresh and alert etc. mornings is a good time to exercise, doing it at any other time, is almost as effective.
In this context, it is important to listen to your body, but making sure it says “ok, now” at least at some point in time!
Another favourite time slot with many is the evening times between 4pm – 6pm, with some scientific evidence also suggesting that the hormonal levels are optimal at these times, and hence conducive to exercise.
However, for all practical purposes, remember that any time in the day is good enough!

All Fats are bad!
This is probably, a four letter word that has been degraded, battered and bashed up, to unimaginable extents!
Fats are an essential part of our food pyramids, with many important functions like proper functioning of nervous system, protection of organs and many more.
While it is important to restrict its intake, due to its high calorie density, it still is necessary to be included… and must not be avoided at any cost!
However, we have a choice to choose the healthier options in fats like, which are mono or poly unsaturated options and which have small or no amounts of Trans Fatty Acids.
TFAs are highly dangerous, and found in bakery items, re-used & re-heated oils, margarine and many more items.
Good fats include peanuts, walnuts, fish, olive oil and more!

The more I exercise, the more and faster I lose weight!
I am sure we all, or atleast many of us, have been through this phase at some point in life! Infact, some love to spend 3 hours at the gym, and becomes something that one boasts about proudly!
The truth is that, the body response to exercise slows down, after around an hour of continuous exercise, depending on the level of conditioning. Also, excessive exercise over continuous periods, cause more wear and tear of joints, as well as chances of dehydration, overtraining and low blood sugar (which can lead to binging on food later).
Good health through exercising, is more a function of regularity and consistency, rather than temporary bursts of enthusiasm! Losing weight is a much easier task, than maintaining the lost weight, and also maintaining good health in the process of losing weight!
An hour of exercising done regularly is more than enough to achieve a good health status. Depending on the goal, one can break down the exercise routine, into one-hour bouts, done twice a day, if needed, although taking care to avoid overtraining.

Weight training makes women bulky!
The oldest myth, probably, and yet very popular even in the twenty first century! Hats off to the ladies, who are presently including weight training in their routine!!!
The fear of bulking up, or developing muscles keeps many from taking up weight training or using really light weights, which fail to provide adequate challenge to the body.
Women, biologically, do not possess the hormone (testosterone) in the levels required for developing muscles, unlike men. Infact any weight training they do, will only help in building up the strength of muscles, which is inherently low, incase of ladies. Apart from that, it will also help in building up muscle endurance, which is necessary for ladies since most also do the housework or manage the house, look after kids etc.
Muscle wasting, as one ages is also another factor why weight training must be included in an exercise routine for ladies.

Heart Rate Zones

2010-10-19T23:26:00.001-07:00

As discussed last week, heart rate monitoring is an important aspect so as to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of any cardio workout.
Heart rate can be manually measured by placing the index and middle finger on the radial artery, along the wrist, and counting the beats for 10 seconds. Multiplying the number by 6 gives you your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm). This is useful, since suspending the activity, for one whole minute, over and over again may be un-desirable and time-consuming.

Now as far as any cardio activity is concerned, there are four zones, as mentioned below –
Please note, as discussed last week, Maximum heart rate (MHR) = 220- age. And Target heart rate (THR), for any cardio activity is expressed as percentage of MHR.
Thus the zones are as follows -

THR < 50% of MHR = Light activity / General fitness zone
THR between 50% - 60% = Fat Loss / Weight Control zone
THR between 60% - 70% = Aerobic Conditioning Zone (generally used for advanced cardio performance)
THR between 70% - 80% = Carddio vascular performance zone (Also focussed on by athletes)

And THR > 80% to 85%, which is very near the Anaerobic threshold, is usually used for cardiovascular tests and evaluation, and is usually not used for training purposes, since maintaining the heart rate constantly in this zone, becomes tremendously difficult, due to the high intensity.

E.g, if you are planning to use any cardio machine, say Crosstrainer, then first calculate MHR. Next, assuming that you are aiming at weight control, calculate how much your THR (take THR = 60% MHR) must be. Begin exercising, and then regularly, say at every 15-20 min interval, measure your heart rate, using the method mentioned at start, and accordingly adjust your intensity, to maintain your heart rate in the desired zone!!!! It must be noted, that these percentages are approximate with slight deviations.

Heart Rate Monitoring

2010-10-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Taking it from the last week’s discussion about heart rate monitoring, it is quite obvious that heart rate monitoring is an essential part of an exercising routine.

The Cardio vascular system is a major consideration in case of cardio activities like walking, jogging, aerobic classes etc. This is because, most cardio activities are full-body activities, especially using the large muscle groups like legs, and also continues for longer time as compared to weight training activities.

The heart rate before starting the exercise activity is called as the Starting heart rate and that during the exercise is called as the Exercising or Target heart rate (THR). The heart rate at rest, especially measured just after waking up in the morning (consistently done for 3-4 days and then averaged) is called the Resting Heart rate (RHR). Well conditioned athletes have quite low RHRs, which means that the load on the heart to pump blood, is lesser and thereby the wear and tear is lesser!
Lance Armstrong has been found to have an RHR of about 32-34 bpm, where as in general, an average human being has a heart rate of around 60 – 72 bpm!!

Heart rate is usually measured in bpm (beats per minute) and is manually measured across the radial artery on the inside of the wrist or the Carotid artery near the Adam’s Temple across the neck. The measurement is done using the index and middle finger held together and placed lightly over the artery just enough to feel the pulse.
The monitors are usually placed on the Brachial artery on the upper arm or across the chest directly.
While exercising, incase of manually measuring the heart rate, it is wiser to measure it across the wrist, because this means that the exercise can continue while measuring (which is essential, otherwise the heart rate will drop down and result in inaccurate reading).

However, the another important parameter is the Maximum heart rate (MHR) which is the usually measured by the formula – MHR = 220 – Chronological Age
This is the generally used formula and proves sufficient to determine the zones, despite claims of inaccuracy.

Fitness Gadgets – Heart Rate Monitors

2010-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

From the discussion about gadgets over the past few weeks, here is another very popular and useful gadget, which is very popular abroad and more common with medical cases as far as India is concerned is the Heart Rate Monitor.

As the name goes, the heart rate monitor is used to monitor the heart rate while exercising, so as to maintain or modify the exercise routine to stay within the appropriate heart rate zones. The monitors are quite common with people with heart problems, however they can also be used in a general setting like a health club or while exercising at home, to keep a check on the heart rate.

This is especially applicable while doing cardio activities, and even though most of the cardio machines come with an in-built heart rate monitor, that can be held to check the heart rate, sometimes, the very action of holding the monitor electrode bar, causes the heart rate to come down since one has to slow down to hold it, else risk getting injured.

Popularly available as a portable, compact, battery operated and easy to use gadget, the monitor is usually strapped (strapless options also exist) on around the chest or worn on the wrist, so that its sensors touch the areas where the pulse is felt the strongest. The reading is given as a digital output, similar to a stop watch!

Most of the monitors show the heart rate, time spent in the zone, with an alarm option sometimes to signal when one is in the required zone. The popular companies that offer interesting options are Polar, Timex, Omron and some more. The basic functionality to ensure before buying one, is the display area and clarity, ease of use and option to set time apart from many other functionalities like calories burned etc.

Some Inspirations

2010-03-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Broken Dreams (A wonderful poem about letting go) – Lauretta Burns

Like children, bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend,

I brought my Broken Dreams to God,
because he was my friend

But instead of leaving them there,
for him to work alone,
I hung around, and tried to help,
with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and said,
“My God, how could you be so slow?”

God smiled and said, “My child, what could I do,
YOU NEVER LET THEM GO!”

“Out beyond the ideas

of right doing and wrong doing

there is a field,

I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down

On that grass,

The world is too full to talk about

~ Mevlana Rumi

Too often we under-estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

What life this is if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare!

~ William Shakespeare

You can dream, create, design and build the most powerful idea in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality ~ Walt Disney

I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence…Two roads diverged in a wood…and I…I took the one less traveled….. and that has made all the difference… ~ Robert Frost

Tao Te Ching

“Like water you do best by doing as you go along, finding the right level, adjusting at the right time, not before, and being able to adjust again.To have the power to nourish life and wash away stone.”

“The soup bowl; useful because of the empty space within it. The wheel; useful due to the empty center it rotates upon. The Windows of your house, drawing in light, their usefulness is in their emptiness.”

“Having enough is true wealth. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Never needing to use force, you got it right,”

Starting with how the Wise take to Tao instantly, the Average try, go and come back and the Fool laughs – and how great this laughter is, because “without laughter there could be no Tao”.

“You don’t need to go anywhere as the core of it all is deep within you.”

“Those who know do not tell, and Those who tell do not know.”

“As long as you know how little you know you are well. When you think you know it all then that is a sign of being unwell. Masters know that there is more to life than can be known and they get on so well because of this.”

FITNESS GADGETS – Pedometer

2010-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

One such useful gadget, which is very popular in many foreign countries, and yet to catch up in India, is the Pedometer, or simply put – a device to measure the number of steps you have walked on any given day. The two basic uses of it being, recording the number of steps, and also acting as a motivator.

A Pedometer is basically a digital and electro-mechanical device, used to record the number of steps, by using sensors to detect the motion of the hips, while walking. The sensors are usually mechanical and the measured value is converted into a readable digital format by the electronic device, usually a step counter. Thus, it is usually, but not necessarily, placed around the hips, especially on the belt.

One can wear the pedometer for the whole day and count the number of steps on a daily basis, or just wear it while going for a walk or any other physical activity that involves moving around. The US norms are around 10,000 steps for achieving a healthy lifestyle.

In addition there are also many modern hi-tech gadgets that provide the Pedometer function like some mobile phones from Nokia, I-pods etc. which can be very useful too. There are also various websites that allow people to track their progress, by entering the records daily. The only limitations, which are being sorted out, are that the pedometers are not sensitive to intensity of the steps and also, unless they are well calibrated, they may record other than walking activities involving hip movement like bending down etc. also as a step, and hence give wrong outputs. Most of the latest ones available, are corrected for these limitations.

They are indeed great motivators and help in maintaining a record of the physical activities and thus monitoring the routine, thus helping to ensure that progression is carried out in the right direction.

FITNESS GADGETS – Fat Monitor

2010-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Technological advances in all walks of life have indeed been a big boon, especially in the preventive health care domain, with the market being flooded with gadgets, for almost everything, right from monitoring blood glucose, blood pressure to even the body composition parameters like fat percentage etc.

The Fat Monitors, which have been fairly popular and common in India, since the last decade are indeed the most helpful and easy to use gadgets existing.
They work on the principle of Bio-electrical impedance, which simply means the resistance offered by the body tissues, especially the adipose (fat) tissue deposits.

They are usually of two types – portable & hand held, or fixed, like the weighing machine, with foot plates that need to be stood upon. A small electrical current signal is sent through the electrodes in contact with the human body, and the resistance is calibrated and measured. The signal travels quickly through the muscle/lean mass tissue, which have higher percentages of water and therefore are good conductors of electricity, and more slowly through fat tissues, which have a lower percentage of water and therefore are poor conductors of electricity.

All the monitors have an internal digital calculator, which then, based on standard formulae, calculates the fat percentage depending upon the measured value, and the gender, age, weight and height of the person, which have to be entered prior to switching on the device.

Some guidelines while using the machine are –
o Usually, removing of any jewellery or accessories on hands and arms are recommended.
o Using the monitor is dangerous if you are a heart patient with a pacemaker, due to interference.
o You must not be dehydrated while using the machine.
o Give adequate gap of 2 hours after a meal, to use the machine.
o Individuals, especially women with problems like water retention etc. may get inaccurate readings.

Body basics!

2010-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

The ideal percentages of fat mass versus lean mass depend on gender, demographics and also the age of the individual, but the worldwide standards for minimum percent of body fat considered safe for good health is 5 percent for males and 12% for females. Around 3% of this fat is - visceral fat, which is the fat around organs, present for their protection and cushioning.
The average percentages, as per worldwide standards for adult body fat is almost to 15 to 18% for men and 22 to 25% for women.For the average Indian body, the fat percentages for Fitness are 21-24% for females, and14-17% for males, while it can be ‘Acceptable’ till 25-31% for females and 18-25% for males. A fat percentage of 32% plus for females and 25% plus puts the individual in overweight and obese categories.
These percentages are of prime importance for body-builders who train to keep the levels low, so that the definition and striations of each muscle are visible. Athletes also aim to keep it at the low end of this scale for improved results, however not at the cost of affecting their performance.
However, trying to keep the lean mass or fat mass percentages low by abusing the body through fasting or nutrient-intake restriction can have adverse effects not only the performance but also on health in general. Also, in case of extreme nutrient deficiency, our bones begin to contribute energy, and this usually leads to reduction in bone density, which again can lead to problems like brittle bones, fractures etc. Females who try to do this usually suffer from problems like irregular or no periods (amenorrhea)
The best way to lower fat percentages and keep higher lean mass percentages is by including weight training in a workout routine, rather than cutting the nutrient-intake drastically!

Body Composition & Fitness

2010-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

We have been discussing the skill-related components of Fitness namely – agility, reaction time, balance, co-ordination etc.
The other important components of fitness, particularly health related are – body composition, cardio-vascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility. Body Composition, basically represents the different aspects that constitute the total body weight of a person. These aspects include the metabolically active lean body tissues - muscle, bone and metabolically inactive tissues – adipose (fat) tissue.

Typically depending on the body type and the genetic composition of the person, his total body weight as shown by the weighing scale, is a summation of the lean and adipose tissue mass. The lean body mass is metabolically active, in that it uses up the energy stores (creatine, glucose, fat) available to sustain itself, and thus does not lead to accumulation of the energy stores. Adipose tissue mass is metabolically inactive, in that it hardly needs any energy to sustain itself and hence it has a tendency to accumulate.

The percentages of lean mass and fat mass define the over all health and fitness of an individual, and hence are important parameters, which need to be determined. Two people with the same weight and height can have completely different body compositions, which inturn will define the risk factors especially with regard to lifestyle related problems. The lean body mass is more dense and weighs more, while the fat mass is less dense (hence they say that fat people float easily when swimming!).

Body composition is also genetically and demographically affected, e.g. Indians have a tendency to have lower lean body mass percentages as compared to the west, where lean, athletic bodies are more common. Also Indians have a tendency to accumulate fat on the central regions of the body, which has a direct negative effect on cardiovascular fitness and increases the chances of lifestyle disorders like obesity, diabetes etc.
These aspects are these days commonly measured using the Fat monitors, skinfold callipers etc. in many health clubs.

Wholistic Fitness!

2010-03-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Its no longer sufficient to only focus on strength, stamina and suppleness as a part of one’s workout – components of fitness like balance, agility, co-ordination etc. also must be focused on to get the best out of any fitness routine, especially, as age begins to catch up with us!
A very important component, along with agility, which was discussed last week, is – balance – the ability to control the body's position, either when it is stationary or moving. This component is especially important for sportspersons, since this contributes heavily to the quality and consistency of their performance.
These components – agility, balance, co-ordination all are an outcome of well-conditioned neuro-muscular co-ordination systems in the body, which in turn depends on activities of daily living, diet and nutrition, lifestyle and occupation!
Balance, in addition is also depends on our senses – auditory, visual and kinesthetic receptors and feedback, along with the spine and brain, all of which define the state of balance while static or dynamic.

Thus, a person with a pre-dominantly sedentary lifestyle, may not have his agility and balance skills up-to the mark, which can hamper his reflexes and reaction times, unless he involves himself in other activities that challenge and develop these components, maybe in the form of games, puzzles and more!

Some tips to work on balance are –
• Un-stable surfaces used while performing the usual exercises, help develop the core and also balance skills.
• Balancing on one leg, when standing, anytime during the day, or even while exercising is a good option. An advanced version would be to stand on one leg, with your eyes closed!

Do not try stunts at home! Make sure you do it along with someone, or in a health club

Simple Agility!

2010-03-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

Healthy reflexes are important part of Functional training, and necessary for all the activities of daily living and must form an integral part of one’s fitness training routine. This is especially so, since the speed of reflexes and agile movements decline with age or due to inadequate use!

Another important aspect is agility – that is being able to move quickly, correctly and effectively while at the same maintaining balance and co-ordination. Very interestingly, the primary reflex and agility training happens early during the childhood, and impaired development of any of the two leads to developmental problems and other problems like ADHD etc.!

While sportspeople use many drills to train for agility, as a part of their training routine, a normal person can also include some exercises to do some agility training, in a normal health club setting.

Aerobics - The regular aerobics (whether freestyle or structured) classes are a very simple way to work on agility, since they demand a lot of attention to the instructions, alertness, rapid in changes in direction, flexibility and control of movements.

Kickboxing & Martial Arts-based classes – Probably the most reputed way to work on your reflexes and agility, while focusing on the body and mind holistically.

20-feet shuttle – In the simplest ways, choose an open area and mark 2 points – Pt. A - one where you are standing and Pt. B - 20-feet away. The task is to run from A to B and then turn around at B and run back to A, and turning around at A, and repeating the shuttle between A & B, 6 times (can be varied) in as little time as possible. A stop-watch is used to mark the start and stop.

Buddy exercises – Stand pivoted at a place, and ask a buddy to throw soft, rubber balls all aimed at you, from different directions, and try to catch them, without moving the feet, while the upper body is free to move in all directions!

Training your Reflexes!!

2010-03-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

As we enter into a new world, where “balance” is becoming the favourite word, its is appalling to see that, “balance”, literally, is hardly focused on, as an intrinsic part of the standard health club workout routine. The 3 pillars of fitness – Strength, Stamina and Suppleness, have been and still are focused on, as a priority, with other essential components like reflexes, agility, balance, co-ordination, power etc. hardly finding any place or importance.
As my friend would put it, “What is the use of a bulky & muscular or chiselled body, if you can’t run for your life, in case a dog runs after you!” True enough the fitness industry witnessed a paradigm shift, when the concept of “Functional Fitness” arrived on the scene.
Functional fitness, simply put, means focusing on those areas, which come into use during activities of daily living, on a day-to-day basis. For example, a house-maker who does activities like sweeping, mopping etc. will need to strengthen and improve the flexibility of her lowerback muscles, hamstrings and legs muscles, as well as work on her endurance levels. She benefits more by training these, on a priority rather than focusing on biceps, triceps, forearms muscles.
Functional fitness also has components like balance & co-ordination training, agility training, explosive power training among others. What makes training these components of Fitness even more important, is the fact that these tend to deteriorate with age! Our reflexes, co-ordination and other components also follow the ‘Use it or lose it” principle of Fitness.
Starting the discussion with training your Reflexes- this must focus on speeding up the reaction times and the response times. Remember, the game ‘dodgeball’ we used to play as kids! Reflexes are needed not just for sportspersons, but also in day-to-day activities like crossing the road, walking through traffic or a crowded place or may be catching something that is thrown to us or just slips our hand! Reflexes tend to dampen with age or due to not being used enough and become an important area of focus for the elderly populations too.
Another component, very close to reflexes is Agility – which refers to ability to change direction quickly with speed, but at the same time maintaining power, balance and co-ordination.

Visualize your way to health!

2010-03-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

A paradigm that has been popular since ages, and something that has been widely researched upon - is the effectiveness of visualization as an important tool right from weight loss to even treating cancer!

Though it sounds illogical and fantasy-like, millions of people all over the world have used and continue to use visualization to get the results they want, of course complementing it with exercising and healthy food habits. Infact, it is not uncommon to find that exercising and eating healthy were a consequence of visualizing oneself in the desirable body! It has also been used popularly in sports, especially athletes, who visualize their winning performance.

The underlying beauty of the visualization process is that it honours the relation of the mind on body, instead of isolating the two or focusing on only either of them. The conscious mind has a limited capacity and is just a small part of our brain-mind system, while the sub-conscious forms the more important part, with unlimited capacity!
The effect of mind over body and its health/illness is well established and is usually categorized as ‘psychosomatic’, with many specialists, experts and therapists working in this domain.
Hence, even if we are regular and religiously do our exercise, if we have a negative image of ourselves or are unable to visualize us in our desirable bodies, the results take a long time to manifest, if they do!

Some simple and very popular tips are -
o Cut out a picture of some actor/actress or any other role model, or may be a picture of yourself from the past, and place it in front of your work-desk, or somewhere in the kitchen or even the bathroom door – any place you frequent! Give the subconscious mind something to chew on.

o Couple of times in a day, sitting/lying down in a relaxed manner, imagine yourself in the desired health or fitness level, soak in and feel the happy and positive emotions that it brings up.

Power Yoga – Discussed

2010-03-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

Power Yoga - the latest trend to hit the fitness industry, especially in India, with many leading health clubs and individual trainers offering interesting classes and variations.
Though many hard-core Yoga followers claim that Power yoga is just some fancy mixture of exercises and hardly resembles the traditional definition of Yogasanas, Power Yoga seems to have started by two Yoga gurus following the Ashtanga Yoga style for decades.

It has also been advocated as a better way to use Yoga for weight loss which has also made it very popular amongst the ladies. Another characteristic of a Power Yoga class is that most of the time is utilized in performing the exercises and minimal time spent in relaxation postures or even chanting.

Power Yoga basically is a calorie-burning and comparatively more vigorous routine than a traditional Yoga routine, that combines cardio, strength and flexibility through Yogasanas and some additional exercises focused on aerobic movements and toning muscles especially the abs, lower back, pelvis, the postural muscles, also on building strength, enhance endurance and breathing. Most of the benefits of classical Yoga are retained, even though the method of application are different.
It also focuses on building up the metabolism through the exercises and asana postures and thus ensures a continuous burning of calories throughout the day, even when not exercising.

The same procedure of a warm-up before the Power Yoga class is used, focusing on easing up and relaxing the muscles and raising the temperatures and stimulating the blood circulation to all parts of the body.

Some benefits Power Yoga are –

o It works on strength, stamina, flexibility, reflexes and agility all in the same workout
o It focuses on boosting the metabolism and helps focus on achieving healthy body weight
o It stimulates the release feel-good hormones, and helps reduce stress levels and detox
o It retains the benefits of classical Yoga

Worldwide Trends in Fitness!

2010-03-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

What is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’? So far this question has figured mostly with respect to fashion! However, the fitness industry is no exception! While Jane Fonda based aerobics was a craze few decades ago, we now have the REEBOK style aerobics or the spiced-up versions including our favorite Bollywood jhatkas and moves to keep the motivation up and going!
In the last decade itself, we have seen many different trends – some coming and going, while some staying on!
Some of the few trends so far, that came and also stayed are –

Circuit Training –
A highly pre-designed and planned workout, done in a normal gym setting or exclusively designed setting, Circuit training, basically consists of doing a round of around 8 – 12 exercises, focusing on all body muscles, one after the other, with no rest in between. The individual is allowed to rest, after one round (or circuit) is done, and the circuits are repeated few more times. An excellent workout to tone the muscles and also target fat, this is quite popular among ladies!

Boot-camp Workouts –
Military-style, high energy and challenging, are the words that describe this, the best. Usually a high impact, and high energy workout which involves doing a series of muscle strengthening, cardio and agility training exercises, a bootcamp session claims to burn much more calories as compared to any other group activities.
It needs a high energy instructor as well to keep the motivation up and going, as well as accompanied by some peppy music.

Pilates –
An advanced form of functional training, Pilates’s has been popularized by its sheer effectiveness in developing the core muscles which also form most of the postural muscles and thus define the quality of life. Basically, an integrated form of exercise with specific focus on the mind-body-breath connection and the art of controlling it, Pilates’ is quite a challenging workout.

Spinning
Usually, a high-energy class, accompanied by fast-music, spinning has become very popular as a Cardio workout, with most health clubs in India too. A spinning cycle is a stationary cycle, although with a weighted wheel, unlike the normal cycle, which offers resistance and increases the challenge. Spinning usually requires technique and expert instructions regarding the tempo, positions, challenge levels, motivation etc. and hence there are specially certified instructors that usually conduct the class.

Outdoor training
Some health-clubs have artificial mountain-climbing walls, and other artificial set-ups that mimic outdoor activities like mountain climbing etc. Some others, also regularly take their members actually outdoors on activities like treks, mountain climbing, nature walks, jogging mornings etc. which give the members a breath of fresh air, variety and a fun alternative to working indoors all days of the week.

Theraband™ Training
Theraband™ are latex bands, of varying resistances in the lower range, ideal as a portable option to keeping fit, especially for people who travel often or prefer to work out at home. Some very important advantages are the ability to isolate and exercise some deep muscles which cannot be targeted with usual workouts, sports-specific training, re-habilitation exercises which demand low resistances, and of course the portability.

Functional Core Training
Un-stable surfaces in the form of Stability Balls, Coreboard™, Wobble boards, BOSUs and many more equipment-based workouts which target the postural muscles and core muscles, providing a functional fitness option focusing on Activities of Daily Living.

Get fit with Pilates’!

2010-03-06T09:21:00.002-08:00

We will see a few principles which are a pre-requisite for an effective Pilates’ workout -

Continuous, Deep and Relaxed Breathing
Slow, continuous and smooth breathing forms the underlying basis of Pilates, which means without holding the breath or fast and shallow breathing. Sometimes when we have to concentrate on the movements and the speed of movements, we tend to hold our breath, and then exhale suddenly and inhale. Watching the breath while performing the movements, calls for controlled co-ordination, which is the challenge that Pilates’ offers.

An example that instructors use while exhaling is - Squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet towel dry. Also the participant is instructed to be aware of the inclusion of the deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor muscles, and stay aware throughout the workout.

Centering
In Pilates’, the group of muscles in the mid-region the body – namely the deep muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks – is termed as the “Powerhouse / Core.” The focus is always to feel the energy flowing from the Powerhouse to the legs and the arms.

Concentration
Performing Pilates’ needs intense concentration and focus on the breathing, the movements and the flow of energy from the powerhouse to the limbs performing the exercise. Some Instructors, re-start all the way from the beginning, if focus is lost in between a particular movement!

Control & Flowing movements
Controlled and smooth movements and breathing are an important part of performing Pilates’ effectively. This requires all of the above and a well-conditioned body. Controlled movements also improve the efficiency of the neuro-muscular system.

Thus it becomes essential to perform Pilates’ under the guidance of an expert Instructor and also get one self flexible and strong enough to perform them!

Pilates’ Mania!

2010-03-06T09:21:00.001-08:00

Everywhere you turn these days, there are Pilates’ classes and batches coming up, claiming a multitude of benefits of following such a program.

Lets see a few details about Pilates’ –
o Pilates’ is a technique of muscle training, named after its founder Joseph Pilates, a gymnast.
o The underlying idea is to use the existing correlation between the mind and the body (namely muscles) to effectively work the latter. Most of the usual strength exercises do not emphasize enough on the importance of ‘mind’ to control the movements.
And it is a well-established fact that the mind, does indeed control the body and hence isolated approaches to Mind and Body are less effective than integrated approaches, such as all the core-training methods.
o The primary focus is on the postural muscles, mainly the core (front and back) muscles which help maintain the posture of the body, in activities of daily living and which are also prone to imbalances due to un-healthy lifestyles.
o All the techniques place great importance on getting the spinal alignment right, prior to starting any movement. This is a very fundamentally important aspect of Pilates’ training.
o Another very important part is that all movements are to be performed in ways which are highly controlled and ‘flowing’, rather than abrupt, jerky movements.
o Also, another very important area of focus is the breathing, in relation to the movements and the rhythm in which the movements are performed.
o The best feature of Pilates’ is that it does not need sophisticated equipments for getting the best out of it. There are many Pilates’ exercises that use equipments and props, but a simple mat can also be sufficient to get a good Pilates’ workout. Hence it is also possible to do it at home or when you are travelling, and can’t be regular at the gym.
o However, from the points above, it is very clear that Pilates’ is an advanced workout, requiring precise technique, control and awareness. Hence it may be a little difficult to beginners and intermediate exercisers to get the best out of it. Needless to say, it is just a matter of getting well-conditioned and then use Pilates’ as a progression tool.

Un-Stable can be good!

2010-03-06T09:20:00.001-08:00

Un-Stability can be good, sometimes. Of course not when seen from the ‘mind’ point of view! But un-stable surfaces while performing exercises can be very useful in improving the effectiveness of your workout!

And un-stable surfaces have been popular since long and easily available in the markets in the form of REEBOK Coreboards, Wobble Boards and BOSUs and many more. There are many trends in the Fitness industry as well, which tend to fade away after the initial craze, but core-training and core-stability are some of the few concepts that are here to stay. This is also because, efficiency of the core muscles is an important factor for Activities of Daily Living – small and big, and hence core-training is very functional in nature.

The Coreboard from REEBOK is highly interesting, in that it works in three dimensions. It can tilt sideways and front and back, it can rock along the same planes, and it can also twist around the pivot, thereby giving it mobility in the third dimension as well. This is very useful in training the reflexes, balance and the side abdomen muscles and is also used in athletic training.
The Wobble boards are like a flat circular surface, placed on a half solid sphere below at the centre, and thus wobble onto either side. It is a great equipment to train for balance and co-ordination and strengthen all the core muscles.
BOSUs (Both Sides Up) look like the opposite of the Wobble boards, and resemble half cut solid spheres with the spherical portion on top. This spherical surface is used to stand on and train the muscles.

All un-stable surfaces basically recruit the neuro-muscular system and thus are very effective in reflex training, balance and co-ordination training.
Incase none of these equipments are easily accessible to you, a simple trick would be to stack the gym foam mats three or four over each other and then perform the standing exercises on them!! You will easily begin to feel your whole body working together in a co-ordinated manner to maintain stability!

A band new idea!

2010-03-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

An interesting way to spice up your routine – using the Theraband™ exercise bands and tubes, which are popularly found these days in many health clubs and fitness centers.

Though they look and sound very simple and interesting to use, before beginning a workout with Therabands, there are some tips to keep in mind.

The Therabands offer resistance and hence it is very important to warm-up using a mild cardio activity.
Post the general warm-up, use some dynamic stretches for the muscle groups that you will be targeting. For-example, if you are targeting legs (quadriceps), go in for a set of free squats, just to activate the muscles, before challenging them!
Preferably use a handle (easily available while purchasing the bands and tubes), since holding the ends, especially at higher resistances, in the hands could cause changes in blood flow and may cause blood pressure to vary.
Always perform slow and controlled motions with controlled breath. That in itself provides a challenge to the muscles.
Check the bands and tubes for defects/tears from time to time to avoid snapping
It is preferable to remove your finger rings, bangles and other sharp objects that may cause problems
Perform a cool down in the same as you do, after a regular workout.
A workout using bands can be safely and effectively performed 3-4 days a week, targeting different muscle groups.
Use a resistance that allows you to do atleast 10-15 repetitions.
Once you get used to the resistance you are using, initially try to vary the speed of repetitions to increase the challenge, and only then consider progressing onto the next higher resistance color.

The tubes and bands can be used to all muscle groups including some deep and postural muscles like Rhomboids etc.

Do something different!!

2010-03-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

Worldwide changing trends in fitness have seen many different things being used to add variety and challenge to your everyday workout. Few examples would be swiss balls, kettle balls and exercise bands and tubes.
Therabands™ and exer-tubes have been very popular abroad in health club settings and as a home workout option.
The primary use and effectiveness lies in rehabilitation exercises for sports injuries and in physiotherapy and clinical settings for special patients. However, these days many health clubs also provide them at their premises.

The bands are basically 6 inch wide, latex bands with varying thicknesses which are colour-coded, into easily recognizable colours. The colours start from yellow, red, green, blue, black and silver in that order and offer resistance starting from 1 Kg to 8 Kgs respectively. In other words, yellow, red, green are light in resistance and blue, black and silver are slightly heavier in resistance.
The effect while using these bands, inspite of comparatively low weights is very different than using the usual dumbbells and barbells. The progressive resistance offers a good scope for progression in the intensity.

The major advantage is that it is very easily portable, and can even fit in your handbags, which makes it an ideal option while travelling!! It is relatively inexpensive and is easily available in leading medical stress or online.
While the ends can be just wrapped around your hands, it is advisable to invest in a pair of handles exclusively available with the bands and tubes.
A few cautions while using the bands could include keeping them away from sunlight, since they are made of latex and not using them incase you have applied body oils or oily creams to avoid injuries due to slipping. Also, they must be checked for tears or punctures regularly, inorder to avoid injuries due to snapping of the bands.
Also, it is important to consult an expert, atleast once before beginning the program to take all precautions.

Creatively Challenging - Swiss Balls!

2010-03-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest developments of last century, and a great addition to the list of effective fitness equipments is the Swiss ball – or exercise ball, fitness ball, gym ball etc.
The Swiss ball is basically a large sized ball, made of elastic, almost puncture-resistant soft PVC material, which is then filled with air. The usual diameters range from 50 to 90 cms and occasionally come with colour coding.

It was originally designed for physical therapy, and was widely used by therapists and sports exercise specialists for advanced athletic training through core strengthening etc.
Presently, the Swiss ball is a common sight at most of the gyms and health clubs, and is used for a variety of exercises – e.g. basic exercises like Swiss ball squats, strengthening exercises for abs and other parts and advanced variations of some exercises, like performing a chest press, lying on the ball instead of the stable flat bench that is normally used. Lately, they have also been used during pregnancy to aid the process of delivery.

The criteria for selection of an appropriate ball diameter, is dependant on the height of the individual using it - one’s feet must touch the floor, when seated on the ball, with an almost 90 degree angle maintained at the knee. Too much flexion or extension at the knee, when seated on the ball, could be a hindrance to effective training.

The key feature of the Swiss ball is the unstable surface that it provides, and hence our body, in an effort to balance itself on it, engages many more and often deep muscles, thereby strengthening them and at the same time increasing the challenge. Mostly, the deep muscles of the core, i.e. the ones around the lower back and abdominals are the ones targeted and thus even the act of just sitting on it, engages these deep muscles and helps strengthen them over a period of time.

There are routines designed for group classes, and certifications available, now a days in training with a Swiss ball. Needless to say, using a Swiss ball requires a basic level of conditioning, and is not recommended for beginners and those with currently unfit health status.

The basic idea of using a Swiss ball is to include an unstable surface, which targets the core abdominal and lower back muscles and strengthens them. These core muscles are also a part of postural muscles and contribute greatly to functional fitness. So, while Swiss balls are mainly used for doing the abdominal exercises, lying on the ball, instead of the floor, it can also be used for working out other muscles.
To increase the challenge of your workout and to add fun and variety, try out the following –

Chest exercises – Instead of using the bench for chest press and chest flyes, position yourself on the ball, keeping your feet firmly touching the floor, and the base of your neck supported on the ball, and perform the chest press, flyes and pull-overs in the same way. Feel your abs getting into action as you move through the repetitions.
For the advanced ones amongst us, try doing your push-ups with the ball, with either your hands balancing on the ball, or your feet balancing on the ball, to add to your challenge. Please note, this is strictly for people who have high fitness levels. So, don’t try stunts at home!!

Leg Exercises – Hold your hands up, with the ball in between them, and perform the Squats exercise. You will feel your core muscles working with every repetition. Many other free-weight exercises that work the thighs can also be done using the ball.

Abs exercises – It can be used to perform a variety of abs exercises, starting from the normal crunches, to leg raises with the ball in between your legs, to reverse crunches and much more.

Suryanamaskars - Discussed!

2010-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last week, we discussed Surya namaskar also called the Sun Salutation, having its origins as a form of sun-worship as a full-body workout.The 12 asanas that follow in a sequence alternately stretch and compress the spine and the muscles around the spine and improve vitality and health among its practitioners.

Let us have a look at the asanas one by one –
Step 1 – Namaskar position
The first position helps to expand the chest cavity, and thus helps breathing in the oxygen deeply which reaches all muscles of the body and energizes them.

Step 2 – Urdhva hastasana
This step further expands chest muscles and the chest cavity and increases the respiratory capacity. It also compresses the spine especially at the lower back.

Step 3 - Hasta Padasana
This step stretches the lower back and rear leg muscles, relieving tension in that area. It also has a positive effect on the digestive system and endocrine glands around that area.

Step 4 – Ardha Bhujangasana
This step stretches the calf muscles and lower back muscles, apart from compressing the spine and helps to strengthen the muscles around it.

Step 5 – Makarasana / Parvatasana
This step has 2 versions with some people preferring to use the plank position and other using the downward facing dog pose. In either case, this step strengthens shoulder muscles and stretches the entire set of back muscles from top to bottom.

Step 6 – Sastanga Namaskarasana
Sastanga implies 7 body parts, which touch the floor while performing this asana. The rest of the body is supported on these 7 points. This step basically strengthens all muscles around the joints as well as strengthens the chest and core muscles.

Step 7 – Bhujangasana
This step compresses the spine, strengthens the muscles around it and stretches the abs muscles over a longer range. This step is commonly used in gym workouts under the name of Hyperextension.

Step 8 – Parvatasana
The downward facing dog pose, this step strengthens shoulder muscles and stretches the entire set of back muscles from top to bottom. Also it increases blood flow to facial muscles, thereby improving the skin texture.

Step 9 - Ardha Bhujangasana
This step stretches the lower back and rear leg muscles, relieving tension in that area. It also has a positive effect on the digestive system and endocrine glands around that area. This time the leg opposite to the one used in Step 4. From here, the cycle returns to the first step.

Step 10 – Hastapadasana
This step stretches the lower back and rear leg muscles, relieving tension in that area. It also has a positive effect on the digestive system and endocrine glands around that area.

Step 11 – Urdhva hastasana
This step is similar to Step 2, where the body is bent backwards at the lowerback, thereby expanding the chest muscles and compressing the spine. Some people use variations to this step.

Step 12 – Namaskarasana
Once again the cycle comes to the starting position, whereby the whole body is brought to balance again.

Breathing sequence starts from exhaling over the first step, inhaling on step two, continuing alternately until step six, where the breath is held, followed up with inhaling over the step seven and alternately continuing.
Beyond doubts, Suryanamaskar is a highly effective and energizing option for exercising the body, mind and soul!!

The Beauty of Suryanamaskars

2010-03-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Although the monsoons are on their way out and soon there won’t be many acceptable excuses to avoid the gym, there are still a few interesting options for those of us who choose to work out at home!

Apart from the exercises discussed over last few weeks, options to work out at home will be incomplete, without giving due credit to Yoga, which can be done at home, but only after learning it under expert guidance. The most common and highly effective Suryanamaskars are an excellent way to get a full-body and mind workout.

Surya namaskar is also called the Sun Salutation, having its origins as a form of sun-worship. Hence it is advised to do it early in the morning around sun rise. However, in a practical world, it can be done at any time of the day.

There must be a gap of at least 3-4 hours between eating anything and performing Surya namaskars. Thus, once again early morning is recommended.

There are in all 12 asanas that follow in a sequence and they alternately stretch and compress the spine and the muscles around the spine. Also, one has to inhale and exhale alternately, starting with exhalation on the first asana, followed by deep inhalation as one extends the hand upwards and backwards, thereby expanding the lungs and chest. However, the breath needs to be held at the sixth step, when your body is parallel to the ground, and then resumed.

It is said that it activates almost all the muscles and keeps them activated for some time after the exercise.

Ideally, one must go slow. A comfortable rate is one Suryanamaskar in one minute, thereby giving each step or pose atleast 5 seconds to hold and then change into the next pose.

Around 12-24 repetitions are a good number to get a full-body workout. It is said that each set of Suryanamaskar burns around 14-15 Kcal!

Special cases of slip-disc, arthritis, heart attack, pregnant women are suggested to take medical opinion. Also if you are feeling breathless or dizzy due to exertion or sudden movements, take a break and rest and slow down the sequence.

It is advised to lie down and rest at the end of the repetitions. Yoga advises asanas like shavasana (Corpse Pose) to completely relax your body after Suryanamaskar.

When Spiritual Life Really Begins -- By Robert Augustus Masters

2009-10-09T03:54:00.000-07:00

A very close friend shared this note with me, and it has been echoing in my head ever since I heard it... Wonderful lines.... Read on

"When your honeymoon with spirituality ends -- and it will end, marked by the arrival of STDs (spiritually-transmitted disappointments) -- and when your affair with being spiritually correct and spiritually "in-style" runs dry, you may say so long to spirituality, but it is a premature goodbye.
Disillusionment with spirituality is not only inevitable, it is also necessary, so that spirituality might be thoroughly de-glamorized. When that disillusionment has had its say--cynicism's couch now being no more than a pain in the butt--and when your fear of re-entering the spiritual no longer frightens or disturbs you, your spiritual life really begins.
Most of the books will be gone; the ones that remain will feel like old friends you don't tire of revisiting, even if only for a page or two every couple of months. Most of the practices will also be gone; the ones that remain will feel as natural to slip into as your favorite jeans or T-shirt, at ease with both being worn and being worn out. Most of your aspirations to be spiritual will also be gone; the few that remain will feel less like aspirations and more like unforced inhalations...
Whatever disciplines we take on will result not from one aspect of us dominating the rest, but rather from a core recognition of what is needed... to it. Instead of being at war with our weaknesses, we bring them into our heart. Instead of trying to get rid of what we don't like about ourselves, we develop a better relationship. Intimacy thus becomes more our path than transcendence.
Seeking will become supplanted by living a deeper life. Questions will still arise, but will ask for something more real than answers. Alignment with the Real will become the ground rather than the goal. Details will cease being just details. Focusing on "might be" will yield to focusing on what's "here now"; that is, hope (nostalgia for the future) will be replaced by faith (radical trust in the now)....
Your longing to be fully awakened will still be present, minus the desperation and ambition that once characterized it. Where once you were in a hurry to "get it," now you are not rushing or pushing, having accepted the fact that you are in it for the long haul. Then, even when you are off track, you are on track.
Life after spirituality is the beginning of authentic spirituality. No fireworks, no applause, no pats on the back from the Important People, no need to present oneself as someone spiritual. This is the beginning of true "nobody-ness." It is not annihilation, but revelation. It is at once bare yet sentient openness, and also the beginning of true individuality.
For every question that arises here, Silence is the answer. Put another way, everything supplies the answer. Nothing is explained, everything is revealed. Beyond knowledge, Wisdom; beyond paradox, Truth; beyond self, Being; beyond everything, Everything....
Life after Spirituality is committed apprenticeship to "What-Really-Matters." All that happens is the practicum. Every situation offers the same fundamental opportunity. The "teacher" is everywhere. There is no freedom from our Freedom. No escape. The implications of this froth then still the mind, awaken and release the body, ground and expose the soul, unraveling all our dreams, breaking us open to what we were born to do and be....
Life after spirituality is a constant "dying" to the now. Emerging from our own ashes becomes "no big deal," but just the way things are in each new moment...."

-- Robert Augustus Masters, in his May 2006 newsletter

Lower-leg muscles - VIPs while working out Legs!

2009-10-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we are so focused on fixing things which are not right, that we forget to be thankful for and take care of the things that are not wrong at all! That’s a spiritual tip apt for the muscles of legs!
Before you start wondering, let me tell you that I am talking about – lower leg muscles, especially the calf muscles, anterior tibialis, peroneus muscles.
Everyone- be it male or female is mostly focused on developing their hips and thighs muscles rightly. And the lower leg muscles which are not usually ‘problem areas’ are neglected, when in fact they are highly important muscles and need to be strengthened and made flexible proportionately. They are the Very Important Parts (VIPs).

In fact it is not un-common to find tight calf muscles correspond to referred pain in the upper back and shoulder muscles and also lower back pain! And the interesting part is that most of us have tight calf muscles, simply due to the way we sit and stand.

You may have tight calf muscles in case (unless you purposefully stretch it post exercise or otherwise) –

Sit on a chair with your legs crossed and heels above and not touching the ground or the footrest (most commonly found).
Sit on a chair where your legs don’t reach the ground or the footrest.
Climb stairs only using the ball of your feet and not placing the full feet on each stair
Do a lot of fast-paced or high impact aerobics or dancing (esp. bollywood dancing) where your complete feet does not have time to touch the ground. So the calves are always contracted.
Wear high heels for most part of the day and life
If your feet don’t touch the ground and you have to balance your heavy bikes on the ball of your feet over a period of time

The flip side of tight calf muscles are stretched muscles on the front and lateral part of the lower leg, like the anterior tibialis and the peroneus longus and brevis respectively, all which result in shin pains, inflammations and bigger problems.
the calves are the unsung heroes in case of legs and need as much attention as we give to the other leg muscles.

Moreover, since our posture could actually keep the calves in tension, an ideal workout for the calves must include stretching and strengthening exercises, both.
If any of the factors mentioned in the previous article that cause calves to shorten ring true with you, then you must initially stretch the calf muscle before focusing on only strengthening it.
An easy example of tense calf muscles could be consistent pain and burning feeling in the calf muscle when standing or squatting even for short periods of time or even when sleeping.

A few stretches would be –

Seated calf stretch –
Sit with your back against a wall, with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Now slowly bend forward at the waist and try to pull your toes inwards with your hand or with the help of a towel looped around the mid-part of the sole, making sure that the knees touch the floor all the time. Hold it there for around 20 secs and then repeat. This can be done one leg or both legs at a time.
The same posture can be repeated in the standing position as well. So, as you stand, lift and place one leg in front of you, with the heel touching the floor and toes pointing towards you. Now slowly bend forward at the lower back and try and touch the toes, keeping this knee straight but bending the other knee as you go down. Feel the stretch and hold for sometime and then repeat.

Standing Calf stretch –
Stand 1 feet away from and facing a plain wall. Place one heel on the floor and the ball of that feet on the wall. Now slightly bend forward using your whole body, with the other leg behind you, until you feel the stretch on the calves of the foot that’s near the wall. With right placement, you can also stretch the calves of the rear leg, however, the stretch should pre-dominantly be on the front foot. Repeat the same process with the other leg.

You can do this even after you come home from work or shopping or anything that involved walking/standing, however making sure that you are not over-stretching the calves especially when they are cold!
As has been discussed, muscles of the lower leg, namely soleus, gastrocnemius, anterior tibialis, peroneus and more must be given equal importance while exercising.
Also as has been observed, that due to our posture, the muscles of the calves are already shortened, and hence before strengthening them, they must be stretched. The stretches discussed last time can be done on a daily basis after coming home from work as well and need not be restricted to only after exercise.

To strengthen the calves, the simplest exercise that can be done, even at home, is the Calf raise. Many gyms have machines for Calf raises, besides using the leg press machine or even some advanced machines like Soleus Trade for working out calves. Machines with adjustable weights can be used to increase the challenge on the calves, once the body is used to challenge offered by one’s own body weight. For most of us, the challenge offered by our own body weight is sufficient enough for generating good strength.

The exercise Calf Raises can be done as follows –

Stand facing a wall or object that can provide support and position yourself against this using both arms. Maintain an erect posture, with body weight distributed on both feet. Now keeping your feet close together, raise yourself, balancing on the ball of the feet, and at the same time, squeezing the calves. Slowly release as you are coming down and again raise yourself and repeat the procedure.

To increase the range of motion, you can stand off a step or an elevated surface, such that you rheels are hanging off the edge. Now when you raise yourself on the ball of the feet and release, the heels can go farther than ground level and thus increase the range of motion and the challenge of this exercise. Needless to say, placing weights on your shoulders will increase the challenge. Remember to keep the hands free to support the body, else you may lose balance and trip. Atleast around 20 repetitions will help to start with. You can increase the number as your strength increases. Remember to stretch the calves at the end of your workout!

Workout @ Home! - Lower body

2009-10-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

we now come to the lower body – a common area of concern for many ladies!
Leg muscles are large muscles groups namely – front part (Hip flexors, quadriceps, anterior tibialis), rear part (glutes, hamstrings, calves) and lateral muscles like tensor fasciae latae, peroneus and many more.
The beauty of leg workouts is that -
- Although they target one of the muscle groups primarily, the other muscle groups are almost equally stressed.
- Also, most of the leg exercises are quite functional in nature

Here are a few exercises for the legs that can be done at home–

Normal Squats -
Stand with feet about hip- or shoulder-width apart. Maintain upright posture and squeeze in your abdominal muscles. Bend the knees and slowly squat down. Keep the feet pointing outwards and check that the knees do not go beyond the toes as you squat down. Return to the starting position by fully extending the legs.To get the right posture, place a chair just behind you and try to touch it as you squat down.
The same can be done without any weights or you can hold bottles/bags in your hand placing them beside your body as you perform the exercise.

Wide Leg Squats / Plie
This is similar to the normal squats except that it targets the inner thighs as well, and provides a different stimulation to the gluteus muscles.
Begin with a wide stance with toes out at a comfortable angle. Keep the feet pointing outwards and check that the knees do not go beyond the toes as you squat down. Bend the knees and lower down into a squat, keeping knees in line with toes, abs squeezed in and upright posture.

A major area of concern for women and a major area of neglect for guys – can be used to best describe legs which mainly consist of the hips, thighs and gluteus muscles. Strength and endurance are two parameters that your leg workout must focus on. Strength can be built by using additional weight to your normal body weight while performing each exercise especially the squats and some more advanced exercises like step ups, lunges and dead lifts.

A few exercises for working the endurance muscles of the legs namely hip flexors, ham strings which can be easily done at home.

Standing Hip Extension –

Stand straight facing a wall or sideways to a wall and balance yourself placing both or one palm on the wall.
Lift one leg up at the hip, bending the knee and push the leg down straight and then lift the leg backwards as far as possible keeping it straight at the knee. Make sure the body is standing erect and not leaning forward. Lower the leg so that both feet are together. Repeat for at least 15-20 repetition on each side.

Standing Side Leg Raises –
Stand straight sideways to a wall and balance yourself placing one palm on the wall. Lift the leg on the other side sideways just below your hip level or over the range that feels possible. Lower the leg back to the starting position, as slowly as possible and make sure you don’t rest the foot on the floor at the lowest position. Repeat on each side for at least 15-20 reps.
Lying down Side Leg Raises –
Lie on the floor sideways with one arm bent at the elbow and supporting the head with both legs one over the other sideways.
Raise the leg which is on the top (the one facing the ceiling), keeping the knee straight till a 45 degree angle to the floor and slowly lower them back to the starting position. The slower you take it, the more burn you will floor. Once again, make sure that you don’t rest your foot on the other foot at the lowest position. Let it hang in the air at the lowest position and repeat the same movement. Around 15-20 reps is a good count to work the glutes and the lateral muscles of the leg.
Inner Leg Raises -
Lie on the floor sideways with one arm bent at the elbow and supporting the head with both legs one over the other sideways.

Raise the leg on the top side (the one facing the ceiling) and bending it at the knee, place it in front of the other straight leg on the floor, right in front of you. Now supporting yourself with the other arm on the floor, lift the straight leg on the floor off the ground and upwards till you feel a stretch on the inner part of the leg. Slowly release it to the starting position and repeat.
Around 12-15 reps is a good count and repeat with both the legs.

Incase you are used to doing this workout at the health-club or at home for more than 3 months, it would be a good bet to invest in a pair of ankle weights, easily available at sports stores to increase the challenege of these exercises.

Here are some exercises –

Kneeling Hip Extensions (Variation 1)–
Get into the box position (kneeling down, bend forward and place palms on the floor to support upper body, lowerback naturally arched and head looking down). Slowly keeping one knee touching the floor as it is, bend the other one taking it forward and close to the chest and push outwards, backwards and upwards to the ceiling over a range that feels possible. Lower it slowly down to the initial position. Rememember that a safe range would be that which does not over-arch your back. The entire movement must be executed only at the hip joint. Around 15-20 reps is a good count and then repeat on the other leg.
Incase your shoulders cannot support for the entire duration of repetitions, you can support yourself with your elbows resting on the floor in front of you and perform the same movement.

Kneeling Hip Extensions (Variation 2) –
Get into the box position. Slowly keeping one knee touching the floor as it is, straighten out one leg backwards. Push upwards to the ceiling over a range that feels possible, keeping your toes pointing down to the floor. Lower it slowly down to the initial position, however making it sure that the feet does not rest on the floor at the lowest point. Rememember that a safe range would be that which does not over-arch your back. Around 15-20 reps is a good count and then repeat on the other leg.

Kneeling Hip Extensions (Variation 3) –
Get into the box position. Slowly keeping one knee touching the floor as it is, straighten out one leg backwards and diagonally outwards from you. Push upwards to the ceiling over a range that feels possible, keeping your toes pointing sideways and down. Lower it slowly down to the initial position, however making it sure that the feet does not rest on the floor at the lowest point. Rememember that a safe range would be that which does not over-arch your back. Around 15-20 reps is a good count and then repeat on the other leg.

Home Workouts - Upper body

2009-10-09T03:20:00.000-07:00

Following the warm-up, many exercises can be done at home, without the need for any equipments or dumbbells and barbells! A few examples would be callisthenics (movements using your own body-weight as resistance), Surya Namaskars, exercises using Swiss Balls, Exer-tubes and an Aerobics Step, all of which will be discussed one-by-one.
Here are some Upper body exercises –

Wall Push-ups
Choose a plain wall or even your Kitchen platform. Stand about one or two feet away from the wall, and incline forward, placing your palms on the wall, with your elbows bent. Now push your body back to starting position using your hands with your heels raised. Exhale while your exert.

Floor Push-ups (Normal or modified)
Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms flat and fixed on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart, your feet together and parallel to each other. Straighten your arms as you push your body up off the floor. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up. Exhale as your arms straighten out. Modified pushups are done the same way, except that your legs are folded at the knee and the knees touch the floor.

Bottle Chest Press
Take two 1-litre bottles filled with water and then perform the bench press that you do at the gym.
Lie down with your leg bent at knees and using a grip broader than shoulder width, hold the bottles above your body, then lower slowly to the middle of your chest. Return to the starting position along the same path.

Bottle Flyes
Take two 1-litre bottles filled with water and then perform the Chect Flyes (lying down) that you do at the gym.

Just one word of caution – make sure your hands are dry so that you can hold the bottles in a good grip.

Major upper body muscle groups are – chest, back, shoulders and arms. Some exercises for the chest were discussed last week. This week, we shall discuss Shoulder exercises -

Shoulder Press – Stand/sit erect with your feet shoulder width apart holding the bottles with elbows bent and hands at eye level. Push weight over the head without arching the back until your arms straighten out and lower them back to starting position.

Upright Rows – Stand holding the bottles, hands close together in front and palms facing you. Bend the elbows and pull the weights up until they're at about chest or chin level. At the highest position, your elbows should be slightly above the shoulders and the wrists straight without shrugging as you pull the weights up. Lower the weights back the same way and repeat.

Lateral Raises – Stand with the bottles held at the sides, palms facing you. Keeping a slight bend in the elbow, lift the arms out to the sides, stopping at shoulder level. Lower the weights back to start and repeat.
Front Raises – Same as above however, starting with hands in front and palms facing you. Lift the arms upwards, stopping at shoulder level
Note: Keep the back erect and your abdominal muscles contracted throughout the movement.
Important –
As you progress, you might find that you get used to the weight of the bottles and the exercise seems less challenging. In that case there are 3 options –
a) Start with 2 sets of 12-15 reps and slowly progress onto 3 sets of 15 reps.. Avoid going on to a 4th set! Try the options below.
b) A simpler and more effective option is to vary the speed of your repetitions. So if initially, it needed you 2 secs up – 2 secs down for one repetition, try and vary the speed like 2 secs up – 3 secs down etc. For this, you have to knowingly control the movement. Target the part of the rep when you are releasing a position – eg. Returning from a shoulder press to the start position.
c) Take a slightly bigger bottle (may be 1 ½ litres) or add stones into your 1-litre bottle. You can also replace the water with sand or fine gravel completely!
d) Last option would be to add functional movements / isometrics into your movement. We’ll see that later!

we now move on to the arm muscles – mainly biceps, triceps and muscles like brachio-radialis and brachialis.
Two one-litre bottles held in either hand can provide good resistance for your home-workout routine. Always remember to have a clean, dry hand so as to firmly grip the bottles. Needless to remind that all exercises must be preceded by a warm-up.

Biceps Curls –
Possibly the best biceps exercise! Stand straight with your hands and legs shoulder-width apart beside your side. Hold the bottles down at arm's length beside you, with your arms, shoulders and hands in a straight line. Now, curl the arm up toward your chest keeping your elbows fixed and close to your sides. Bring the weight up as high as you can and squeeze the biceps at the top. Lower the weight slowly to starting position.

Hammer Curls –
As evident from the name, this mimics the movement of a hammer driving a nail. Put your elbows at your side and KEEP them there during the entire movement. Hold the bottles in your hands, with hands facing each other and inline with the elbows at the side, to start with. Pull your arms up until your biceps touch your forearms. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Tricep Extension (Both/Single hand) –
Sit on a bench or stand with feet shoulder width apart and hold a bottle with both hands overlapping one another. Take the weight straight up overhead with the arms next to the ears. Lower the weight behind the head until elbows are at about 90 degree angles. This can also be done with one arm at a time.
Tricep Kickbacks –
Hold the bottle in one hand and bend over until your torso is parallel to the floor (Soften the knees by bending slightly keep the abs engaged to protect the lower back). Begin the movement by bending the arms and pulling the elbows up parallel to the bent body and close to it. Holding that position, straighten the arms out behind you, squeezing the triceps muscles. Return and repeat.
The other advanced biceps exercises are Concentration curls, barbell curls and few more, which need increased focus on your posture, form and strength. And for triceps you can try Bench Dips, Close grip Push ups and more… However, these exercises discussed above are quite perfect to work out your arms effectively.

Here are a few exercises for upper and mid-back muscles (latissimus dorsi, trapezius etc.) –

One-arm Rows
Stand next to a bed sideways and bending forward at the waist, place one knee on the bed and support using the arm on the same side as the knee. Place the other leg at some distance from the bed, on the floor.
Hold a bottle in the other hand which is free and away from the bed, and while maintaining spinal alignment, exhale, retract the shoulder blades and draw your arms up towards the ribcage. Keep the elbows close to your body when performing the motion. Inhale and extend arms back to starting position at a controlled speed. Repeat with the other arm.

Bent-over Rows (One arm/both arms)
Position yourself with your knees slightly bent, buttocks pushed back, core tight to maintain spinal alignment, and bend forward so that your torso is just higher than parallel with the ground.
Hold the bottles (or bags) in both (or one) hands in front of you, palms facing each other. Exhale and retract shoulder blades, pull the bottles up bending arms at elbows, to a position just below your chest. Inhale and at a controlled speed, lower back to the stating position.

Shrugs
Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder width. Hold two bottles/bags with your arms hanging at your sides. To start with, droop shoulders down as far as possible. Raise shoulders up as far as you can go and slowly return to the starting position. You can also rotate your shoulders by going up in a circular motion from front to rear and then back down.

Performing around 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions is sufficient for a good back workout. As mentioned earlier, to increase the challenge, vary the speed of movements.

Workout at home, this monsoon!

2009-10-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

Monsoons are here!! They are probably the best time to invent the most creative excuses you would have ever imagined! So, while the greenery, beauty and scenery all around, sure are a feast for the eyes, what goes for a toss is the exercise schedule! Exceptions are always there!
So, is there an alternate way to keep those guilt feelings at bay? Yes, there is…. Workout at home! Over the coming weeks, we’ll read about what exercises can be done at home.
Highly suggested is that you set aside a specific time of the day for your exercise. However, remember that anytime of the day is fine, especially if you manage to get to the gym on some days in between. Similar to your routine at the gym, the components of your schedule must be warm-up, core workout / conditioning exercises and cool-own. The core workout can be resistance exercises or simple cardio exercises.
Warming up is essential since the cold weather outside makes the muscles inflexible and cold. Many people choose to skip this without realizing that the first 10-15 minutes of warm-up save you from injuries, strains, joint pains and even your heart! Sudden and intense movements put tremendous pressure on the cardio-vascular system to provide blood to the active part and can prove dangerous. Sudden movements of muscles can also cause excessive strains thereby leading to complications, locally and which may act out in other parts of the body or affect posture!
Typical warm-up steps could be –
Start by simply walking around the house, slowly increasing speed
Once a slight warmth is felt, you can start by movements for loosening the joints – shoulder rotations, hip rotations and twists, forward bends, standing leg curls, hip flexions and extensions, ankle and wrist rotations, neck rotations and other dynamic stretches.
You can now increase the intensity by spot jogging, jogging around the house, climbing stairs, jumping jacks, skipping etc.
Remember to restrict the warm up to 10-12 minutes and medium intensity, just so that you have enough energy left to do the main workout! Don’t tire yourself out during the warm up itself!

Kick & Box for Fitness

2009-10-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

High Energy, sweaty bodies and pumping music is what comes to mind when you think of a kickboxing class in your health club. Kick-boxing and variants like Tae-bo, Cardio Kickboxing are quite popular these days and promise high returns on investment!!
Traditionally, Kick boxing is considered as a contact-sport whereby moves from martial arts and boxing are combined to defeat the opponents, with some standard rules. However, in the realm of fitness, it is modified into rhythmic kicking and boxing movements and self-defense moves targeting the cardio-vascular system without or with minimum use of padding or other safety guards.
The advantages of Kickboxing are -
· Since it involves a high proportion of leg muscles, it gives an intense endurance and cardio workout.
· It improves alertness, coordination abilities, flexibility and above all brings in discipline and a sense of self-empowerment!
· When used wisely and with inanimate objects (!) it can be used to vent out anger and frustration!
Somethings you have to be careful about –
· Know your current fitness level. Kick-boxing, as is the case with any martial art form, focuses much on ‘core stability’. The core muscles are your deep muscles of the mid-region of the body (like rectus abdominus, ). These muscles are, in most people not well-trained due to sedentary lifestyles, over-weight, obesity and postural problems.
· Hence, start out slow and keep the intensity low at the beginning inorder to avoid excessive stress on the knees and lower-back. Use it as a progression from the Aerobics class or after atleast a month of ‘regular’ gymming and body conditioning. A group can be quite motivating but do remember your individual capacity and avoid over-doing it.
· Warm up thoroughly – especially your leg muscles (hamstrings, quadriceps, calves), lower back muscles and shoulder muscles. A warm-up based on dynamic stretches targeting these muscle groups is ideal to avoid strain injuries.
· Build your base well – Learn the techniques, body positioning and speed of the kicks and boxes to get the best out of your workout.
· Also remember to cool down well using static stretches, hydrate yourself well and incase you feel breathless in between, remember to slow down without stopping abruptly.

Getting the best from your Personal Trainer!

2009-10-09T03:17:00.000-07:00

Help the trainer to help you –
All relationships are 2-way streets and you, as the client can always make things easier by following these tips –
· Be regular and on time for your sessions. Commitment from your side will ensure commitment from the trainer as well! Incase of any delays or absence, make sure you inform the trainer as early as possible.
· Avoid chit-chatting with the trainer in between the session. You can fix up a mutually convenient time, either before or after the session to share your thoughts. Also make sure you don’t waste any time on the mobile in between the sessions.
· Although most trainers offer to put back the weights that you use for your workout, offer to do this yourself or atleast assist the trainer in putting them back. The trainer is there to help, assist and guide you and must be respected.
· Incase you learn or come across some information that is conflicting with what your trainer has suggested, bring it to his notice politely and discuss a way to use the information optimally.
From the trainer’s end, note that he does not -
· Answer any calls or talk to other clients or trainers when he is with you, unless there is an emergency.
· Start diagnosing problems and advising medications/supplements for you
· Suggest extreme starvation or fad diets and sets un-realistic targets for weight loss
· Ignores or dismisses your questions and avoids discussing ways to accommodate your considerations
· Recommends a level of workout that is too hard for you and unnecessarily pushes you to higher intensities
· Gets too personal for your comfort and asks you personal questions or suggests meeting post-session.
Communication is the key to getting the best out of your training and your investment – in the training and in your life!

Personal Training - everything about it!

2009-10-09T03:12:00.000-07:00

Personal Training – Necessity or Luxury?
Gone are the days, when choosing a Personal Training option at the health club was the domain of the rich and the wealthy! These days fitness enthusiasts, carrying along their “Fitness Gurus” with them is a common sight at many of the gyms! A very special thanks to Bollywood for this!

So, if you too are determined to get one yourself, make sure you agree with at least 2 of the below reasons!
Beginner –
In case you are just beginning a fitness program for the first time in your life, you can definitely use the services of the personal trainer. This is especially so, in case you use the gym facilities at peak-times – the times when the gym is very crowded, during which the general trainers might find it difficult to pay detailed attention. They can guide you on the right technique and form of each exercise and also help beat the initial soreness that accompanies initial days of exercising. Please note that this need is relative and may not be applicable to everyone!

Motivation –
One of the most important reason people opt for Personal training is motivation. Due to various personal and professional pressures, adherence and consistency at the gym, sometimes becomes a problem. Needless to say, with such pressures, physical fitness becomes of utmost importance. A personal trainer in this case can be of great help, by designing a time-efficient workout.
(May be the Personal Training fees could also motivate you to be regular!)

Efficiency –
A Personal Trainer can design an individualized and effective workout, rather than just wasting time on in-effective workouts. He also takes into consideration your personal health and fitness history, likes and dislikes and time-availability before he designs an optimum workout schedule for you!

Special Conditions – Incase you are recovering from any Surgery – Cardiac, joint or otherwise and exercise has been recommended in the rehabilitation program, it’s a great decision to get a personal trainer. The trainer will provide the adequate attention and feedback required in such complicated situations. Please note, that a Doctor’s clearance for exercising is very essential prior to starting any post-operation schedule.
Even in case of some previous history of severe joint problems or other complications, exercise under guided attention is a good option!

Improving technical skills – For those of us interested in improving our performance at competitive or recreational sports, a high-level of training is required. Performance-enhancing training is a different ball game completely and requires advanced knowledge of sports physiology and related exercises. These kind of trainings, usually cater to skills like agility, mental power etc. apart from strict focus on strength, stamina and suppleness.

Shattering the ‘Plateaus’ - The dreaded ‘P’ word, which basically shows its face once your body gets used to the exercises you do over the months and years. Reaching a Plateau slows down results even if you try to increase your intensity of workout… Breaking a plateau needs advanced knowledge of various modes of training and exercises to break out of the rut!

Frequent Traveller – In this case, you can have your personal trainer custom-design quick workouts while travelling, and also check on your motivation levels while travelling and when in town!

Choosing a Personal Trainer!

Living in an age where a “Consumer is the king” has its own advantages and disadvantages! So, while the consumer has different options to suit his needs and requirements, it also puts quite a bit of responsibility on the consumer to find out and update his knowledge about the different options. And more so, if you are dealing with people who, in turn are dealing with your life!

So, while hiring the services of a Personal Trainer is a good idea especially if you are an absolute beginner, need motivation, want to enhance your sport performance or you have some medical conditions, you need to know how to choose a personal trainer to suit your requirements.

Here are some tips –
Certification – Ideally, the personal trainer must have recognized certification from reputed institutes. Some of the international certifying institutes, which offer certifications easily in India, include American Council on Exercise (ACE), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and a few others including some Indian Institutes.
This is especially so, incase you are exercising post-surgery or have a history of health complications!
Although, the Fitness Industry, today is more experience-driven rather than knowledge-driven, these certifications definitely offer high-quality and comprehensive knowledge about the human body and exercise.

Experience – Experience is an important factor in choosing a trainer. An experienced trainer can intuitively know the needs and limitations of his client and be flexible enough to modify, thanks to his vast knowledge.
However, what would be a better option is to also check the credibility in the claims made by him/her. Because, he/she could have a lot of experience in making the health conditions worse, rather than better!!

Personal Comfort Level – Your first meeting with the trainer can help you gauge your personal comfort level with the trainer usually through his body language, mannerisms and genuine interest in your well-being. Some of the trainers are very commercial and unaccommodating in their approach, which can be very easily detected in the first meeting itself.
Also, since personal training needs the trainer to come in close contact with you, make sure you check out their track record in terms of work ethics and also other factors like punctuality, attention, commitment, regularity etc. Ideally they should be fun, challenging within limits, creative and innovative!
Some other factors to check for are –
· A Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid certificate is a must for every trainer.
· The trainer must be a good listener (listens patiently without jumping to conclusions or advising you to follow their rules) and motivator.
· In case you are going for post-surgery or rehabilitation programs, be sure to check if the trainer has the requisite expertise in dealing with such complications, and must always demand a Medical Release from your Doctor and work in tandem with your doctor.
And there are other factors like –
· Does the trainer ever insist you to take supplements so as to ensure faster results and moreover to buy the supplements from him?
· Does the trainer show you exaggerated outcomes like losing 10 kgs in a month and the like, thanks to his training?
· Does the trainer force you to stick to a pre-determined schedule or not accommodate any changes as the training progresses?
If the answer is no to all of the above, then you can pat yourself on the back for having made a good decision!

Get Fit the NEAT way!

2009-06-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

Are you someone who can’t seem to find anytime for exercise no matter what you do! Or just the thought of a gym makes you want to bury your head in the sand!

Well, the world is really amazing and the number of people working just to help you out will surprise you! What I am talking about is the concept called NEAT or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.
Sounds complicated but is the easiest thing you can do to get fit in your own small ways!
Human energy expenditure (EE),which needs to be balanced as against the input energy through eating for optimal health is defined by 3 components – the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Thermic effect of food (TEF) and Physical Exercise activity thermogenesis (PE). There are also other small components such as the energetic costs of medications and emotion that could be considered.
The equation can be represented as EE = BMR+TEF+PE
BMR is the energy expended when an individual is laying at complete rest, just to keep all body mechanisms running (tested in the morning, after sleep, provided the person is not shocked awake!) and accounts for nearly 60%. TEF is the energy associated with digestion, absorption, and storage of food and accounts for approximately 10-15 % of total daily EE. The PE is a variable factor and depends on the amount of physical activity done as - Exercise and NEAT during any given day.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is thus the energy expended for anything that is not sleeping, eating or strenuous exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, household activities, walking up the stairs or even fidgeting!
NEAT activities are a great way to start incorporating some physical activity in your daily life in a non-time consuming way. However, for those who are still excessively over weight, a word of caution – while NEAT activities can be a great way to start off, this alone will not suffice to get you into optimum health by the right time!

Here are some easy ways –
o Park your vehicle 50 - 100 metres away from your office building or elsewhere, and walk down the distance.
Use the same concept in your society and park your vehicle a few buildings away from your own building.

o Avoid asking the newspaper guy to drop the newspaper at your home. Instead, make it a routine to walk down and pick up the newspaper yourself.

o Try to use the stairs while shopping in malls or even at office and home. Of course, in case of office or home, do choose the number of floors you can climb according to your fitness levels and time, and let the lift help you with the rest!

o Instead of asking for home-delivery of household items, pick it up yourself from the neighbourhood shop.

o Reduce the use of remote while watching TV, and instead physically get up and go to the TV to change channels.

o In the lunch break during office hours, take the longest route to reach the canteen, or incase you eat lunch in your cubicle itself, make sure you take walk around for 8-10 min atleast either before or after lunch.

o Take some time out daily to play with your children, or incase you have pets, take them for a round outside, atleast once a day, and watch your health and relationships improving!!

All over the world, the concept has been put to use quite creatively… Here are few examples I feel that you may find useful too!

o While in office, keep your dustbin 5-6 cubicles away, and make it a point to get up and go over to it every time you want to dispose something!
o During the time that the computer is loading a page or downloading something, try some leg extensions, side bends, shoulder rolls or just stand up and walk around, stretch and then come back to your work.
o Walking meetings i.e. meetings where the participants walk around the office and discuss issues are quite popular abroad!
o Walk down to the water cooler, every two hours and fill up your bottle, instead of asking the attendant to do it! Who would have thought humility could also burn some calories!
o In the morning, while reading the paper, try walking around instead of sitting at the table! Also, you can take breaks in between at office and do the same!
o For mothers who have delivered recently, walking the baby around the house can also be a good exercise.(I am sure some of you must be of the opinion that taking care of a baby can be an exhausting exercise in itself!)
o While climbing steps at home or office, try creative ways to climb – like criss-cross climbing, climb once-step down and climb again – repeat etc.
o For those who sit for long hours at work, consult an expert who can suggest some office exercises for you, considering your workspace.
o In fact, it has also been found that chewing gum can also contribute to NEAT!

Get creative with NEAT and remember that “it’s the little things that count!”

Working with the Subconscious…

2009-06-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

Writing and drawing are excellent ways to connect with the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is always receiving information without judgement.

The simplest way is to write positive worded sentences targeted at the issue that we are working on..
For example, in case you have a trouble remembering things to do or to carry things when you are headed somewhere, you can use sentences like “I remember to take the things I need” or “I remember all that I need to do”. These are positive sentences and have a corresponding positive effect on the mind, instead of using sentences like “I don’t forget to take the things I need or do things I need to do”. The basic intention is almost the same, however, what you focus on is very important.

There is a popular saying that “What you focus on, grows” and that is exactly that we as intelligent human beings can use to our advantage.

Whether you believe it or not, the underlying causes of most of the diseases, problems and conditions we have are the two main feelings – inadequacy and resentment / guilt / anger. Suppression of these feelings is what was taught to us since childhood and which later manifested as health and relationship problems.

So, the only way to get out of this vicious circle is to “let go” of the past conditioning, limitations and inhibitions that were passed on to us by our parents and ancestors and so on. That said, I am sure you think it is not that easy to just “let go” or “forgive” painful experiences or people that have caused us a lot of hurt and problems.
However, if you really look into it, you will realize that all the anger, hurt and resentment is only eating away at you. It is not really helping you live your life any better!

You can today choose to lead a better life and let go of all the anger, resentment, guilt and all negative emotions and move above and beyond these petty things as seen in the larger picture of life! Every experience is here to teach you something valuable!

Minding the Mind!

2009-06-12T00:59:00.000-07:00

The two main feelings of inadequacy and guilt, anger or resentment when repressed give rise to many diseases, problems and conditions.

You might find this hard to swallow since most of this happens without conscious awareness and our human mind is accustomed to relating emotions, feelings and everything with logic and factual reasons!

The Subconscious mind is where all this is happening without your consciously controlling the thoughts. The Subconscious mind is like a sponge, with unlimited capacity and it just soaks in all the information around you unlike the conscious mind which has limited capacity and filters out information and is prone to judgements and bias.
More important is the fact that the subconscious is highly active in the first seven years of one’s life and hence the childhood conditioning stays with us for the rest of our lives, unless one becomes aware and intends to change it.
So, we take on the views, fears, limitations, attitudes of those closest to us during those years.

And that is where the advantage and the challenge lies! So, the challenge is that you cannot always control the information available around you and the advantage is that once you are aware of your mind games, there are ways in which you can tap your subconscious and tune it into positive perceptions and frequencies so as to overcome the effect of any negative conditioning or information that is present in the subconscious.

How to achieve this is by using our senses – namely audio, visual or kinesthetic. A combination of any two or all three works best. Writing and drawing which make use of kinesthetic and visual senses are an excellent option.
However, what to write or draw must only be done in consultation with an expert!

Mindpower!!

2009-06-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

Taking it from the last week, before you learn to apply it, just to understand the power of the human mind, which is rarely discovered, leave alone understood, take this as a simple example –

Don’t think about the white hairy dog! Or Don’t think about Shahrukh Khan!

I am sure all of you thought about it. When ever you hear such a statement, the mind has to first construct the fact and then negate it. So simple things like “Don’t forget to do this, don’t forget to get that” usually end up in a negative way, with the person actually forgetting to do the instructed thing.

And such words are used so unconsciously that we don’t even understand how many times we say or use them, and then we wonder why keep getting negative results. Is it any wonder, now?
In other words, every word we speak has the power to bring about drastic results – good or bad, that depends on us!

Now, I would see that as a boon that the results of our words depend on us! Because it gives us the power to also use the words to our advantage. Actually, if you got to see, the mind is a good slave. It will do exactly what you tell it to do.
So, if you get up one morning on the wrong side of the bed, and keep telling yourself that “I’m having a bad day”, then that’s exactly what you will have! One by one, things may go wrong and just confirm your belief that it is indeed a bad day! If you don’t have one, it is just because you have consciously or unconsciously shifted your frame of mind to the brighter side of things or to positive frequencies, where you don’t let a small issue bother you!

The human mind is a powerful tool which can be used or abused. This is widely observed everywhere, right from books on the “Power of Positive Attitude” or training modules, which tell you how to be positive in life!
It’s easy and yet not very easy, interestingly!

The human body is the only tangible asset out of the three assets – mind, body and soul – the trinity of life! However, what has to be understood is that the other two assets – mind and soul are the ones in control of the body and hence must be given due importance so as to achieve a healthy balanced life.
The human body has been so beautifully and intelligently designed with a divine purpose for every organ, bone, tissue and cell in our body. Everything that manifests outside (effect) on a physical level has a deep underlying internal cause.

As a simple example – take the case of lower back pain. From the fitness point of view, lower back pain can be caused improper posture for prolonged hours, excess weight/fat on the belly, age, not adhering to proper lifting and bending techniques amongst a few reasons.
If you look at it from the other perspective, when a person is depressed, lonely, tensed or fearful about life, his muscles get tensed and usually the posture droops downwards. This causes muscular imbalance in the adjacent muscles and usually it’s the lower back muscles that compensate by becoming shorter and tense thereby causing inflexibility and pain in the lower back.

There is another perspective that, when a person with a history of “emotional eating” (eating excessively when depressed or afraid or undergoing emotional turmoil) is lonely, depressed or fearful about life, he ends up eating more, consciously or unconsciously, which leads to weight gain, which with the Indian tendency, shows first on the mid-portion i.e. the belly. Excessive weight towards the front, tries to shift the Center of Gravity of the body and tries to tilt the body towards the front, and thus the lower back muscles have to compensate for it by tightening themselves and pulling the body behind, thus causing lower back pain!!

Moreover, most of the root causes lie in the feelings of fear, resentment, guilt and anger which has been repressed, that is, it has not been expressed in a healthy way since childhood.

Its not surprising, how these feelings are common to one and all, since ever since we are able to talk, we are told to listen to elders and the society, and that anger is a bad emotion – you are not supposed to be angry, or that fear means you are a weak person and so on..
With no creative outlets to these pure feelings, they build-up and make a person fearful, pessimistic, negative, anxious, worrying all the time, jealous and insecure all of which affect their intra-personal and inter-personal relationships!

As a part of research worldwide and our own research as well, it has been found that two major feelings dominate most our human minds – the feeling of inadequacy (I am not good enough the way I am) and the feeling of anger or guilt towards oneself or especially others (I cant believe he did that to me / I cant do or say this, its not right, people wont like it).
There are many other feelings that are related to these and which finally manifest in disorders, diseases and problems.
For example, if you get angry at your mother for something she said, you stifle your need to give it back, since we have been told that a good child never disobeys or disrespects his/her parents. If there are more instances like this, then build-up starts and then finally either you burst out with anger one day, or you take to substance abuse or it causes other problems!

Mind & Body -- The connection

2009-06-12T00:53:00.000-07:00

Last week, we talked about the power of mind and how it controls our body. This week, we shall see how this can explain the most common complaint in our lives – putting on too much weight, or rather how to lose weight.
Gaining excess weight is usually the effect of a deeper underlying cause.
Everything in our body is interconnected and ultimately controlled by the mind. So, our thoughts and feelings can manifest in the body, over a period of time, cumulatively, as excess weight. These thoughts and feelings are usually of “fear, resentment, guilt, sadness”.

Fear is the most important reason that is interconnected with the other three and various other feelings. Fear is one of the most important underlying causes of anger. When a person stifles his anger or fails to express it and get a closure on it, it usually builds up in the body as resentment. This fear and resentment manifests as excess weight.

Guilt again works in the same way and coupled with any of the above reasons gives rise to issues like emotional over-eating, obsessive eating of sugary foods etc. The fact is that, when you are depressed or sad, usually the blood sugar levels get affected and hence some people get a sugar craving and end up eating the wrong kinds of sugary foods, which gets stored in the body as fat.
Some people are able to step out of their negative emotions, especially when they start exercising due to two reasons –
a) They receive support from the people around or they themselves become mentally stronger and thus can keep themselves motivated.
b) Exercise releases happy hormones like endorphins, dopamines etc. in the body and they like the feeling.

However, this is not true for all the people. If your root cause is not taken care of, the problems will come back to haunt you even if you do manage to succeed the first time.

Mind Matters

2009-04-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

Have you been in a situation where you have been a regular fitness enthusiast and yet not got any results? Or rather, you have been ‘trying’ to lose weight, but the scales just won’t budge! And you wonder why it is so difficult to achieve your desired weight and then feel like giving up?

History has recorded many leading psychologists and scientists proving that it is indeed the mind that controls the body. All bodily manifestations of disorders, diseases and discomforts have their origin in the mind. This has been around as commonsense since centuries but just that it has not been given its due importance.

What is most important to realize is how our thoughts and corresponding actions over a period of time manifest into diseases and disorders. The word ‘dis-ease’ itself shows that something is not at ease! So, sometimes you must have come across people who have developed diabetes after a close one’s death or someone who has developed tumor due to childhood abuse. Trauma usually manifests itself as some chronic disease or disorder.

The power of our human mind to heal itself without external help is unimaginable. That does not mean that medications are not necessary. It just means that along with medications, using the power of the mind can give more effective and faster results. Medications are usually required to bring a disease or disorder under control, initially. However, once under control you can learn to use the mind power to root out the cause of the disease or the disorder.

As a proof of our tremendous power, there have been many cases like the “Miracle Man”, so called because he used his mind power to get him out of a complete paralysis due to an accident. There have been many other people who have cured themselves of their cancers, tumors and paralysis – miraculous things, which otherwise sound impossible!

Protein Supplements – The what and how!

2009-04-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Taking it up from last week, protein supplements are the most commonly found and used supplements these days thanks to the ever popular desire of people to have a “toned” body.

Protein supplements come in two to three types – the egg protein, milk protein or soy protein.
Protein sources of animal origin like eggs and milk, have a high biological value, that is they are better ingested and absorbed by the body as compared to those of plant origin like soy.
Egg protein (albumin) has the highest concentration of protein per unit and hence is generally
highly concentrated. Milk protein (whey, casein) come in close in reference to the quality of protein.
Soy protein has a relatively lesser concentration of protein, but is ideal for those who are lactose intolerant or intolerant to egg proteins and vegetarians!

Proteins are basically a structure formed by amino acid molecules which in turn have nitrogen molecules in combination with oxygen and hydrogen. These nitrogen molecules have a tendency to form gas in the process of digestion, and hence too much of protein- whether natural or supplements cause gas problems (flatulence) and digestive discomfort. The only one way to avoid this is to drink lots of water, throughout the day. This is a very important practice to be done by all those who are on protein supplements, else you can expect liver, kidney and other problems down the line.

Depending on the goal, proteins are usually taken before or after the workout, and usually after a strength training workout. It is highly recommended to consult a nutritionist to determine your dosage and the number of times you need to consume it. Usually, the human body requires 0.8 to 1 gm of protein per kg body weight, which can vary depending on the goal.
It is also usually better to fix up a routine and time for the protein intake and follow it so as to reap maximum benefits.
Remember to consult an expert and not go by the popular opinion, or self-proclaimed masters who believe “one size fits all”, when it comes to supplements. They have the power to make or break your life!

Performance Supplements – Do I need them?

2009-04-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Supplements… now that is a common word thanks to our gym trainers, nutritionists, fitness freaks and of course media! Are they good for you? Do you need them? The answer, ironically is as straight as a curve!

This is one issue where if there are ten people, they will have thousand opinions – some due to selfish motives and some due to half-knowledge about the advantages / dis-advantages of these items.

Supplements have been used since ages to provide nutrients which are missing or not consumed adequately in a person’s diet. These nutrients come in the form of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids which are usually consumed over and above the regular diet. These micro-nutrients help the body to perform at optimum levels and thereby improve the quality of life.
However, over the past few decades, thanks to the spotlight on body-building and body-image, a new form of supplements have emerged as a favourite option amongst many fitness enthusiasts.

Yes, we are talking about the performance supplements – the most popular being the Protein supplements which are quite commonly consumed these days even without an expert guidance.

Proteins have their basic function as building blocks of our body and are found in every part of the human body right from cells to hormones. Inadequate amounts of protein in the diet means that the body uses up stored reserves of protein, which are usually the muscles for their basic function, and as such this defeats the purpose.
Resistance training targets individual muscles and causes microtrauma (micro wear and tears) of the muscle fibers, and hence increases the need for proteins to heal the microtrauma through building newer tissues. Hence, usually the need of Proteins is emphasized if you are into weight training, and especially so if you are a man!

However, when this becomes an issue is when people abuse the supplements, use it as a fad, especially without expert advise. It has been proven time and time again, that a diet can be made rich in protein and that alone can suffice the need for proteins in the body without any need for supplements.
It is only in extreme cases and some medical cases, that one needs to use supplements since they come with their own set of side-effects and problems.

The Exercise – Eating Story!

2009-04-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Do you go to workout early in the morning? Or do you go after work in the evening? Do you feel hungry during the workout? Or do you get low on energy just minutes after starting the workout?
Majority of us fit into at least one of the category, with exceptions ofcourse!

For best results, it is advisable to eat something light but complex carbohydrates like chapati, bread, oatmeal cookies, salad one-hour before the workout. Complex carbohydrates ensure that blood sugar levels are maintained over a long time which means, you have a steady flow of energy. Fatty, sugary foods like biscuits, cakes, chocolates cause instant rise in blood sugar levels but they come down equally quickly! So, after the instantaneous ‘feel-good’ feeling, the blood again goes low on sugar and on energy and you might feel hungry!
Incase you workout early in the morning or you get hungry very close to workout timing, eat a simple carbohydrate like an apple or light fruits, so as to maintain the blood sugar levels and energy during the workout.
Avoid taking in milk or other protein foods just before workout, since proteins have long digestion times and tend to remain in the stomach, causing a heavy feeling. Proteins have their basic function as building blocks of the body, and hence it makes sense to eat them after working out, which is when the body is constantly working to produce energy.
In case you have a strength training workout coming up, then it is best to eat a high protein - medium carbohydrate diet around 3-4 hours before workout for optimum results. In case you workout late at night, remember to eat an early dinner at around 7 pm to maintain blood sugar levels, and avoid binge-eating post-workout which will also be late night! The body metabolism is very sluggish by night and hence the tendency of the body to store food as fat is very high! Post-workout, try to eat some fruits, salads or soups.
Life is really very simple!

Is it eating you up?

2009-04-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Are the thoughts in your head constantly hovering around eating? What to eat before the workout, what to eat after workout, what to eat at breakfast, at lunch, at night or in-between?

Within limits, this is a positive sign of your interest in getting healthier. Needless to say, there are many cases of this becoming an obsession with many people, especially ladies, girls and aspiring models – girls and guys both!
Ancient wisdom says “ Eat like a king in the morning, farmer in the afternoon and beggar in the night” ! Inspite of the hundreds of fancy diets that you can find online or suggested by your well-wishers (those ever-ready with the “ It worked great for me.. You should do it too! suggestions), it does hold some credibility!

Breakfast can be made the significant meal of the day with a higher amount of Carbohydrates, inorder to compensate for the low blood-sugar levels due to overnight fasting! Skip the breakfast and these blood sugar levels drop so much that you start getting irritable, lose interest & concentration, may have difficulty speaking, or even get depressed. This also leads to sugar-craving which could lead into indulgence in sweets or excess coffee or tea or taking in a heavy lunch – which then gets you uncomfortable!

Presently, the suggestions made by nutrition experts are to have 5-6 meals spread across the day, which is basically to ensure that your blood-sugar levels are maintained throughout. Too much gap between meals reduces the blood-sugar levels and leads to craving! If the craving cannot be controlled, one ends up ingesting too much food, which later gets stored as fat. Hence control cravings.

It is always a good option, though to keep the dinner early and light. Avoiding carbohydrates is a great option if you are watching your weight, especially trying to reduce the paunch!
If you workout in the morning, try to eat an apple before the workout.

Get Creative with your Workout!

2009-04-04T06:47:00.001-07:00

More ideas to get creative with your workout!!
Every once in while, try to get out in the open, outside the gym for your Cardio routine.

Cross Training is a great way to spice up your routine. It is also a favourite mode of performance training for athletes!
Simply put, it means training in different ways, using 2 or more different types of activities to improve overall performance – can be applied to resistance training, cardio training or a combination of both.

It also helps break the plateau in case of achieving results as is usually observed after months of performing the daily routine exercises. The results tend to stagnate or proceed very slowly, since the body has adapted to the routine and now does not consider it a challenge any more!
Also, the chances of adherence increase since the activities can be planned according to your interest. Also, it is ideal for the busy working professionals, who find it difficult to follow the resistance training and cardio schedule as is generally prescribed in a gym, due to time constraints.
Another significant benefit is that it helps prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries, which occur due to the wear & tear produced at the joints, if same intense activities are performed consistently over a period of time.
A routine can be designed using different Cardio methods – for example, instead of using Treadmill everyday or Elliptical Cross Trainer or both day in and day out, break the routine by doing an outdoor activity like biking, swimming or mountain climbing 2-3 times a week.

Every activity involves atleast some different set of muscles. For example walking and biking – both being cardio activities involving legs, target slightly different set of leg muscles!
And the beauty of such combinations is that along with the cardio component, the muscles can also be strengthened and skills like agility, balancing etc. can also be worked on. It focuses on the entire body and performance also.

Spoilt for Choice!

2009-04-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Enter a Gym and you will find one hundred and million machines that shout out their effectiveness towards keeping you fit and healthy! But you can afford only 30-40 minutes before you start work!
My friend calls it the 7’o clock dilemma – since he finds it easy to follow the schedule designed for him when he reaches the gym at 6.30am, but when that becomes 7am, he has to spend nearly 10 minutes just to decide what to do on that day!!!

Well here are some suggestions – whether you are like my friend or you just want to be informed!
We will start with Cardio machines. In case you are pressed for time and are not following any rigorous exercise schedule or trying to participate in a competition(!) – always opt for 30 minutes of a cardio workout.
The Cardio machines popularly seen in any gym are – treadmills, elliptical cross-trainers, upright cycles, recumbent cycles, steppers and rowing machines.
Treadmills provide the simplest and the most natural form exercise since they simulate the act of walking and can involve the full body muscles besides targeting the cardiovascular system primarily.
They are designed to provide resistance, incline angles and different speeds at which you can move.
The incline option simulates climbing a slope and puts the focus on particular muscles more than the others, as compared to walking on a flat ground.

Always choose a speed which keeps you slightly out of breath, and enable you to maintain the speed for atleast 10 to 30 minutes. In otherwords, instead of running for 5 minutes and exhausting yourself, choose to walk for longer durations, increase your stamina and then progress on to running.
Remember, fat burns in prolonged activities which last for atleast 20 to 30 minutes and to sustain such durations, the intensity can be lower to begin with and gradually increased over a period of a month.

Although treadmill walking or running is simpler than walking or running on a road outside, it can still provide an effective workout, particularly in the winters!
The treadmill, which we discussed last time is one of the most popular machines in the gym. There are so many people, who do not feel like they did a cardio workout if they do not walk on it for atleast 10-15 minutes!
However, one of the other popular machines is the Elliptical Crosstrainer – my personal favourite too!
It is called elliptical since the path followed by the motion caused by your legs is an ellipse!

The beauty of the Crosstrainer is that it is a highly non-impact machine – as in since the feet are constantly in touch with the feet-pads and there is no lifting and placing of the feet, there are no chances of impact. Impact forces act when your feet is lifted off the ground and then placed down, as is the case in walking.
In this case, as per Newton’s Laws of motion, the force exerted by your feet is countered by and equal and opposite ‘impact’ force which is subjected to the sole of your feet and travels upward towards the ankle, knee, hip and the spinal joints.
Hence, we call jogging as a high-impact activity. The body is usually designed to accommodate these impact forces without causing any problems – however, which can go wrong in case of excessive impact caused due to faulty movements. Hence it is a good option for the elderly age groups.

The Crosstrainers offer a very good cardiovascular workout, which uses the upper and the lower body simultaneously. They usually have the ‘incline’ and the ‘resistance’ functions, as was seen in the treadmills. The incline usually works on varying your stride length, which then affects the perceived exertion of the movement.
Remember to keep your complete foot on each of the pads, and not just push with the ball of your feet. Also, remember to keep the shoulders relaxed and the neck looking straight.
Once in a while, you can also try it out without the hand motion – this calls for higher balance and thus tines your core muscles!
Continuing the discussion on different types of Cardio machines and their effectiveness lets move on to discuss the third favourite Cardio Machine amongst all gym freaks, coming in strongly after the treadmill and cross-trainer!!

The loyal old stationary cycle - based on the lines of the cycle used as a vehicle by a lot of people even now! There are primarily two kinds of cycles – upright and recumbent. The main distinguishing feature is that the cycle is primarily a lower-body intensive machine, with very little effort exerted on the upper body, unless moved.

Upright cycle is the one which emulates the conventional cyclical motion with the feet pushing on the pads in a circular motion, moving against gravity in an upright position. It works in a plane perpendicular to the flat ground, which is technically called the Sagittal plane.
The upper body and the core muscles also get focused during the movement thereby intensely working out the whole body. However, a major part of the body-weight comes on a small area of the lower-back in contact with the seat and hence could cause discomfort.

Recumbent cycle is the one in which the torso and the feet pads are at an angle and the motion is slightly elliptical and moving against the machine-generated resistance along with gravity. It puts the user in a reclined position and is better supported at the lower-back and hence more comfortable.
The weight of the body, especially the upper part is spread over a larger surface area and hence there is less pressure on the lower back. It also does not place any stress on the shoulder or wrist muscles which are quite possible in the upright cycle.
Also a very interesting fact is that in the recumbent cycle, the legs are near to the level of the heart – a fact which enhances venous return to the heart and also helps build endurance.

However, the abdominal and the core muscles also relax in this position and hence are not acted upon as a side-effect, which happens easily on an upright bike. Also, some people find the structure very cramped as compared to the upright cycle.
There is nothing too good or bad…. Take your pick!
The last few of the most commonly found cardio machines after the Treadmill, Cross Trainer, Cycles – Upright and Recumbent are the Steppers and the Rowing machines.

The Steppers as the name suggests are machines that simulate the action of stepping or in other words climbing an elevation like a stair case or something like that.
The Steppers are considered to give the benefit of a cardiovascular workout since they use the larger muscle groups of the legs and involve the whole body. The machines come with resistance adjustments top increase or decrease the intensity of the workout.
However, as compared to the other cardio machines, they rank pretty low on the effectiveness of the workout. The primary effect of the climbing movement is on toning the rear leg muscles especially those of the glutes (muscles of the butt).

However, if the angle of the knee in the bent position is greater than 90 degrees, excessive forces are placed on the knee cap (patella) and hence these technical details have to be taken into consideration while performing the movement so as to avoid long-term negative effects to the knee.

The rowing machine is also a popular cardio option in the west, especially because it involves both the upper and the lower body while working out. The primary muscles targeted are those of the lower back, Latissimus dorsi (of the upper back), hips, arms and of course the legs.
It is a very high-energy and demanding workout and can be used effectively to have a great workout.

However, one of the common mistakes that people make is tense their shoulder muscles while performing the rowing action which can then lead to stiff neck and shoulder muscles. Hence kindly take care to keep the upper body relaxed while performing the action.

To Eat or not to Eat!!

2009-04-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

How early should I eat before working out? When should I eat after my workout? Questions, questions and more questions!

Needless to say, the common sense that prevails is to eat at least 1-2 hours prior to any exercise activity if it is a heavy meal and something light like fruits etc. can also be consumed 30 minutes prior to the exercise activity.

The reason for this can be explained on the basis of exercise physiology, which deals with the study of body response during exercise. As per the science, during exercise, there occurs “blood shunting” where blood from the non-target systems are diverted to the active target systems like the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular cardio-respiratory systems more.
Now, depending on the kind and amount of food consumed, the food can stay in the stomach for more than 2 hours sometimes. In such cases, if there is not enough blood flowing the system, it becomes difficult to complete the digestion and absorption processes, and short-term and long-term problems could arise. Also, the presence of food could exert unnecessary pressure on abdominal walls which could lead to complications. Light foods like fruits, due to their intrinsic nature, pass through the digestive system quickly and easily, and hence do not cause any problems.

Similarly post-exercise, give some time for the heart and the lungs (cardiovascular and cardio-respiratory systems) to return the blood back to the digestive system, so that any food ingested can be processed and absorbed efficiently. This return process usually takes atleast 30 minutes to an hour to complete depending on the preceding activity and the nature of cool down. However, during this time water intake can be done to replenish the body fluids. Relaxation procedures in the cooling down routines help to get to the state of equilibrium faster.

Check List!!

2009-04-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Wish you a very happy and healthy new year.
By now, I hope you all have been following a good cool down routine instead of skipping it just to save 3-5 minutes! If not, the new year is the right time to start!

Usually, the stretches during the warm up phase (note: after an initial cardio warm up) are quite dynamic and must focus on the active part that will be used in the following main workout.
The ones after a workout, for cool down purpose are usually slow and done by holding the stretch for more than 20-30 seconds, and again focus on the active body parts used during the main workout routine.

Here is a general checklist of all the stretches that must be included in your warm up routine –

o Shoulder and neck – neck tilts, shoulder rotations, elevations etc.
o Upper back Stretches – full arm rotations, reaching out moves etc.
o Hamstring Stretches (Focuses on the back of the legs) – Forward bends, high kicks etc.
o Quadriceps Stretches (Focuses on the front part of the leg) – standing leg curls etc.
o Calf Stretches – (Back part of the lower part of the leg) – heel touch etc.
o Lower back Stretches – Forward bends – full and half, criss-cross forward bends etc.
o And many other muscles like – anterior tibialis (front part of the lower leg) as in toe touches, hip flexors as in back taps, Gluteus as in knee-ups and kicks.

Ask your trainer for the right technique and lots of variety in each stretch!
Perform each dynamic action 8-10 times for better effect.

Remember not to hold the stretches for a period of time since it has a relaxing effect and hence lowers the heart rate which was elevated through the warm-up. Since the core workout routine follows the warm up, lowering of the heart rate is not desirable for a better workout.

Creative Cardio

2009-04-04T06:38:00.001-07:00

I admire people who look forward to their 1 hour of treadmill or cross-trainer, day after day, after day without feeling a tinge of boredom!
For the rest of us who cannot even think of more than 15-20 minutes on any machine, fret not! There are many creative ways to ensure a cardio workout that lasts atleast 30 min to an hour.

One of the easiest and most popular ways is – Interval Training. Other options include cross-training, boot-camps, circuit training etc.
The basic concept of Interval Training is to alternate periods of high intense and low intense activities and thus extend the total period of exercise routine. In special cases, the low intense activity could also mean rest, however it is not useful if your target is a cardio activity to burn fat!

You can really use your creativity to spice up your routine. A few examples are given below -

a) Incase you cant sustain the treadmill/cross trainer beyond 15 min either due to boredom or low capacity, alternate the 10-15 min of cardio with callisthenic (using your own body weight and no additional weights) workout using either abdomen or leg exercises.
Perform a couple of sets of 3-4 exercises of each muscle group and then return to the Cardio machine. Remember to end with a stretching based cool-down.

b) You can also alternate cardio machines with other cardio activities like a jog in the surrounding area, skipping, stepping, climbing steps up and down or spot jogging.

c) Another way is to alternate Cardio machines with weight-based activities, using low weight – high reps especially of the upper body like for example push-ups or pull-ups. You can also focus on legs using exercises like squats, lunges or step-ups.

The combinations can be many, as you can see above. The only care to be taken is to ensure that all activities leave enough energy to perform the next activity and hence, it is preferable to alternate high intensity activities with low-intensity ones! End with a proper cool-down for best results.

Stretchy Stories!!

2009-04-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

The human body is an amazing piece of art! And understanding it can take a long, long time but you can only appreciate its beauty if you do understand it! There is a defined logic behind each and every occurrence in the body, and hence we can devise ways to keep it fit.
Last week we saw how important it is to cool down your body after a bout of exercise, and one of the most popular ways to do that is by stretching the active muscles.

Stretches are again of 2-3 types –
Active – when you perform the stretch on your own, till your comfortable range of motion
Passive – when someone else assists you to stretch
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching – when someone helps you to stretch using a slightly different procedure. This is usually used in a lot of rehab situations.

Stretching mainly targets the connective tissue, that is- the tendons that attach muscles to bones, and then the interconnected muscles, in that order. The flexibility of the connective tissue is a major factor deciding the range of motion around any joint.

I am sure all of us at some point of time, may have fallen asleep while being seated – at office, in a bus or anywhere..
The head usually falls to one side and, if it goes beyond a safe limit, the neck automatically jerks you up, and you try to keep your head upright!! The same is the case when you twist your ankle – you twist and suddenly jerk up to the original position.
This is called as the stretch reflex and is body’s natural mechanism to avoid injury due to over stretching. There are receptors in the connective tissue and the interconnected muscles that define the comfort level of your stretch…

However, while stretching in case of muscles which are shortened over a period of time, it is important to hold your
stretch comfortably for more than 20 - 25 seconds in order to re-align the muscles to their original lengths and avoid unnecessary activations of the different receptors.
Never perform any stretch when the muscle is cold. Always use a mild warm up and then perform the stretches.

Ways to be ‘Cool’!!

2009-04-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Now that we know the importance of cooling down after any bout of exercise, let’s check out the different ways to cool down effectively.

Simply put there are 2 types of cool down – Active and Passive

The aim of any cool down is-
o To gradually shift the body from activity to rest
o To get the heart rate down to the resting levels, gradually. Any sudden change, as is the case if you abruptly stop the activity that you were performing, can lead to complications
o Restore the normal blood flow to the different parts of the body – since while performing any activity, blood flow in the body is shunted from the inactive parts like the digestive, urinary systems to the active sites. So it is essential to restore the normal blood flow
o To restore the muscle fiber lengths to their original states

Actively cooling down is when you merely reduce the intensity of the activity that you were earlier doing and stop gradually. For example, if your main activity was jogging, and you want to stop, you gradually reduce the intensity of the jog, till you are just walking along and gradually stop.
If you were performing any other activity, you can also walk on the treadmill or elsewhere for 5-10 minutes and gradually stop.

Passively cooling down is when you do active or passive stretches towards the end of the workout. This is the most common form of cooling down. The stretches are usually for all the leg muscles (hamstrings, quadriceps, calves etc.), lower back muscles, upper back muscles and neck muscles apart from the active muscle that was worked upon.
Stretching works on the muscle fibers and also helps ease blood flow to the targeted body part.

Hence you will see that, a combination of active and passive stretches will give you the best results. Active cool down gets the blood flowing to all parts of the body and the stretches will work on the individual muscle level to give you a total cool and refreshed feeling!! A complete cool down process should last atleast 5 minutes and each stretch should be held for atleast 20-30 seconds for maximum benefit.

Cooling You Down

2009-04-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

Woke up late in the morning – but don’t want to miss the morning Gym session! So? You decide to hit the weights directly, just skip the warm up and cool down – they are just a waste of time!! Do, I sound familiar?

Many of us consistently skip the cool down whenever we are in a hurry. Unfortunately, the negative results are not immediate but in fact they manifest themselves weeks or months later in the form of aches, shortened muscles, strains, muscle pulls and other postural problems.

Incase of any activity, be it a cardio activity like walking on the treadmill or a resistance-training routine, there are continuous muscle contractions that take place. The muscle fibres in a muscle are the ones that cause the contraction. When the activity is stopped, due to the repetitive nature of all activities, the muscle fibres are still in contraction, and have not returned to their original resting lengths.
Over a period of time, these fibres adjust themselves to the new shortened length causing the muscles to shorten.

Our musculo-skeletal system can be best represented by a camping tent – with one pole in between (skeletal bones and spinal column) and strings on all sides (muscles). So the moment one string tightens up, the pole starts leaning towards it. To compensate this and restore balance, you have to pull and tighten the strings on the opposite side – which means increase the tension in that string!

Thus you can see that the muscles get imbalanced and can even spoil the posture. The intermediate effects of this consequent tension in some muscles can lead to aches, referred pains, muscle pulls, strains etc. For example, if your calf muscles are tight, especially in case you jog, then this can cause a pain in the shoulder muscles and back - neck muscles, as a referred pain!
Moreover, as we have covered earlier, during a cardio activity, majority of the blood supply is diverted to the leg and active muscles. So, when the activity is suddenly stopped, due to gravity, all the blood pools in the leg thus causing temporary reduced blood flow to brain which may lead to dizziness, nausea, fainting.
Hence, it is very essential to reduce the intensity of the activity gradually and then stop,

Sweat out the myth!

2009-04-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Imagine if we could just sweat out all our excess fat every summer which would keep us slim-trim till the next summer and this cycle would repeat! And in between you can eat all that you want! There’s nothing wrong with imagining, is there? Well, not every thing can be that simple! That’s no fun!!!

There seems to be a wide-held notion that if you sweat more means that you are burning more calories, and the reverse – that if you don’t sweat much means that you are not burning enough calories.

From last week’s discussion, sweating is a mechanism to control the body temperature. When your body temperature starts rising, sweating helps to cool it down. However, most of the water content of the sweat comes from the water present in blood. Remember, blood has high content of water. It is this water that is lost due to sweating, and nothing else. Fat deposits are not exactly vascular unlike muscles and even then sweating does not in any way indicate fat is burning or your losing muscle, as some people think!

That is why, the moment you drink water, this water content in the blood is replaced and your weight back is to normal! Hence the ineffectiveness of sauna and steam in long-term weight loss.

You can, not sweat much and still burn calories. The process of burning calories does generate heat but depending on your body’s thermoregulation system you may or may not sweat accordingly.
However, the problem arises only in case the thermoregulation system is not functioning optimally, and the all the heat generated has no means to dissipate.

Moreover, sweating helps in flushing out the toxins from the body and leaves you glowing and feeling fresh! Remember to carry a napkin and wear sweat or cotton absorbent materials to increase the comfort while working out.

Is it necessary to sweat?

2009-04-04T06:18:00.002-07:00

They say “opposites attract” – Guess its true…My friend hardly sweats after an intense aerobic session, but me – I literally rain on myself! So, is it necessary to sweat while you are working out?
To start with, sweating is a mechanism (thermoregulation) used by the body to maintain the normal core body temperature (homeostasis), of around 37o C, which is prone to fluctuate especially with intense activities which generate a lot of heat while generating energy.
So, sweating means that the body is allowing itself to cool down and maintain the status quo.
What happens during intense activities is that the blood flow to skin (larger surface area) increases, so as to dissipate heat, and at the same time the sweat glands increase their output. The process of evaporation takes place on the skin – and as the sweat evaporates, it cools the body. So, sweating is actually a good sign.
Infact if you don’t sweat much, you must take care to take some breaks, sip water (not drink!) so that your core body temperature does not go too high.

Incase the temperature goes very high, either due to excessive sweating and loss of water or due to no sweating, sometimes dehydration also sets in, which may lead to heat strokes or other problems. The basic symptoms include feeling dizzy, nausea, high pulse rate, hyperventilation etc. The body uses these as its own natural mechanism to ensure that the body temperature and the safety of our internal organs is maintained.
Excessive sweating also causes loss of salts from the body. It is advisable to limit yourself to sipping water and that too just 3-4 times in an hour, since excessive water will further dilute the available salt content in the blood. This can lead to another condition – hyponatremia (less salt in body) which could lead again to dizziness, nausea, headache, muscle weakness etc.
So a safer bet is to hydrate yourself through out the day, and not just drink while working out since you are thirsty!

Breathing right!!

2009-04-04T06:18:00.001-07:00

Have you ever experienced a situation in which you have searched the entire house for something, only to find that you were holding it in your hand all the time!! Even if you do not belong to the absent-minded lot amongst us.
Similarly in case of exercising, your search for results has very simple companion – your breathing technique! Didn’t think there was a technique for breathing ???????
If your trainer has guided you right, then while lifting a weight (usually) - when the muscle contracts, you exhale and, when you are putting it down – when your muscle relaxes, you inhale. Is it important to maintain this sequence?

To start with, as we have learned, there are 2 basic processes – inhaling and exhaling.
When we inhale, we take in oxygen which then gets dissolved in the blood, and this oxygen-rich blood is pumped by the heart to all the muscles and organs. The muscle then contracts while exercising. This contraction temporarily constricts blood flow through the arteries passing near muscle and later releases some waste products, which are carried by the blood to the heart and lungs for purification.

So, moral of the story? When you contract your muscle, always exhale, so that the direction of blood flow near muscles and that from the heart don’t become opposite. And when the muscle relaxes, inhale, so that the pure blood pumped by the heart reaches the muscle to prepare it for the next contraction.

Whatever you do, please avoid holding your breath – simply or through Valsalva Maneuver – when you are lifting weights, to avoid blackouts and other health problems.

Cardio activities call for deep breathing through nose and mouth, for better endurance. Connoisseurs of Yoga may have different beliefs, some logical others not so much.

Facts Unlimited…

2009-04-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

Lets explore some more facts which are essential for a safe, useful and result – oriented exercise program –

§ Weight training workout designing is a very interesting and detailed procedure, ideally, but of course usually not taken seriously by our lesser trained programmers.
What I mean to say is that, its not just any muscle, any time for how many ever repetitions. There is a logic, order, method and technique to be used. For example, functionally speaking, the muscles of the leg and lower back are “endurance” muscles – that means they help to keep your body erect the whole day (if needed) without much fatigue.

§ As such, your training program must focus on increasing the muscle endurance of these muscles.
A simple technique would be to work the lower back muscles with lesser weight and more repetitions, thereby increasing the time the targeted muscle is under stress. It is pretty obvious that if the weight is very high, then you cannot sustain it for a longer duration.

§ Similarly, all repetitions must be performed in the complete Range of motion – which is the movable range available at any of your joint. Any motion which does not use the naturally available range gives rise to shortened muscles and a distorted appearance, and may be postural problems as well.

§ Also, please try to control the urge to show –off your strength or crane your neck to your side to look at the beautiful people arriving at the gym, when you are working out to avoid injury to the neck. Always look straight ahead and keep your body upright and relaxed. The world can wait!

§ Always use the help of a trainer (Spotting) when you are lifting heavy weights over your head or when you are lying down and lifting heavy weights to avoid shoulder injury or fatal accidents. Follow the right techniques and form while lifting weights.

Counting is the key!!

2009-04-04T02:35:00.000-07:00

Of all the six body parts – chest, back, biceps, triceps, legs and shoulders, the ones of the chest, back and legs are considered to be the larger muscles.
§ Depending on the fitness status, the workout is divided into a 2-day or 3-day split, where in 3 muscle parts and 2 muscle parts are targeted on a single day.
§ Usual combinations include, synergistic muscles – the muscles around the main target muscle which assist in the particular movement – with the larger muscle group being targeted first.
§ E.g. while performing exercises for the chest, the triceps group of muscles also get involved. Hence, it makes sense to train them on the same day. However, amongst other reasons to support this order, the larger muscle being the chest group of muscles, the order is Chest – Triceps.
§ The same way, the usual combinations are Back – Biceps, and Legs – Shoulders. These combinations are not a rule of thumb, but just very commonly found and hence taken as an example.
§ Please remember the combination of muscles and the order is decided by your goals and targets as well as the different principles of weight training (Joe Wieder’s principles and many more..)
§ Most commonly used principle is the “Pyramid principle” – where you start with less weight and more repetitions in the first set, and then progress onto more weight and slightly lesser repetitions in the next set and so on. The logic is quite simple- that the heavier the weight, the lesser is your ability to repeat the movement frequently.
E.g. this would look like, 1st Set – 5 kg x 15 reps, 2nd Set – 7.5 kg x 12 reps and may be 3rd Set – 10 kg x 8 reps.
If this looks like what your workout card looks like, please understand, that every set, the focus must be on completely exhausting your effort (the last rep must be nearly impossible), and not strictly follow the counting! Use the counts as a guideline and decide for yourself..

Like I mentioned earlier, the focus of this article series is to enlighten you as to how a workout is designed, so that you know why you are doing what you are doing! Please solicit your trainer’s opinion too!!!!

Divide and develop!!!!

2008-11-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Seems like a strange heading for an article on health? Well, what it means is that your body is divided into 6 body parts while exercise programming – to develop it optimally!

Whether you are a male, trying to get bigger muscles, or just keep fit or you are a lady who again just wants to be in-shape and fit, it is usually better to focus on specific body parts on particular days instead of working the whole body daily or often.

Working the whole body often has the following drawbacks –
o It’s a simple logic – when the effort has to be distributed, the focus on individual areas is compromised. When you know you have to work your whole body, you tend to save your energy at every stage and not exhaust your energy in just a few exercises.
The principle of weight training is that –the focused body part has to be completely exhausted, which leads to microscopic tears in the muscle (technical term ‘microtrauma’), and the body develops that part by making it stronger.
Once again, please note that women do not possess the required hormones to bulk their muscles and hence will never put on muscle mass. So, get going with those weights to have better strength and tone.
o Another very important principle is that the body needs rest to recover from microtrauma which lasts from 48 to 96 hours, with adequate sleep.
Hence re-working the same body part often, does not give body enough time to recover and could negatively affect the results.

So, usually you will see your workout safely divided into 6 body parts – Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders and Legs. Advanced buffs also go for further classification as in front part of legs (Quadriceps) or behind part (Hamstrings).Usually they are combined depending on the various principles and goals of the person.

Run first or lift first?

2008-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

The next few articles will look into the different goals & objectives and how they figure on your workout card. Hope you find it enlightening!

Reached there. Now hop onto the Treadmill first or finish off your weights routine first? Well, the sequence can make a huge difference.

The basic way that the body supplies energy for both the activities is quite different. Without getting too technical, remember that any Cardio activity uses the ‘aerobic’ pathway to generate energy, which burns fats reserves as fuel. Weight training uses the anaerobic pathways to generate energy which mainly target carbohydrates (glucose) as fuel.

Hold on now – its not that simple! The twist in the story is that, firstly, the body is designed to use carbohydrates reserves first and only then fats reserves, within reason. And secondly, these fuels for anaerobic pathways last only for less than 10-15 minutes, when used continuously! The body then switches over to fat reserves as the primary fuel, for all ‘prolonged and continuous’ activities.

These facts can be used to your advantage as –
o If you are targeting to lose fat/weight, choose to weight train first – it effectively burns out the carbohydrate reserves – so by the time you hop onto the treadmill, there are very little anaerobic fuels left, and fats reserves are targeted earlier.
o But, if you are targeting to build mass, ignore the above option. Heavy training requires anaerobic fuels primarily, and by doing a prolonged cardio activity (> 30 – 40 min), there is effectively very less reserve left.
o But do remember that after any weight training activity, any cardio activity for 10-15 minutes really helps get the blood pumping and wash off any muscle soreness.

However, every body is different, and what may work wonders on one, may not work on another! So, don’t take these as laws, but try them out and see if it works for you!

Workout Programming – Explained

2008-11-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

There are 5 main considerations –
§ Current Fitness Status
§ Past exercise record
§ Goals & Objectives
§ Medical Complications or trouble-points
§ Likes and Dislikes

Usually, if you are just beginning a workout routine for the first time, you are termed as a “Beginner”. From here on, you progress on to “Intermediate” and “Advanced” or even “Management” levels.
The type of exercises and their intensity varies with each of these levels. Management level is reached when you have met your goals and just need to maintain the fitness level.

The goals and objectives are one of the most important factors – since they define the base of the program. A person on weight loss will have a different program than someone of fat loss and so on.
Also important are the timelines and the weekly time availability. There are some people who can work out for 2 hours for 6 days a week, but others due to time constraints may be able to give only 30 minutes, 3 days a week or even lesser. The workout has to take into consideration all these factors.

Medical status is required to modify or avoid problematic exercises / movements. Afterall we exercise to become fitter, not get worse!!

The last factor, often ignored, is a very important factor to ensure adherence to any program. Motivation comes when you enjoy the workout – which makes sure you are regular to the gym.

The story behind the Workout card!!

2008-11-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

The workout card must have the following details –

Start Date – No, it’s not just so that the Tele-callers keep reminding you to renew your membership – the start date is important, since the workout must be changed every 2-3 months. This is something that is mostly forgotten by the staff, in the midst of getting new members enrolled – so take note and demand a review, every 3 months at least.

Name & Membership Number – Again, the membership number is not just a number – it could be make or break your life! Why it is important is because – this is the only way, the gym staff can access your PAR-Q information, especially in case of emergency – E.g. in case of an accident involving blood loss, the blood group information on the PAR-Q can save your life!

Metrics (Height/Weight/BMI) – helps to track progress, review your program in case results are not forthcoming. Also helps to keep you motivated!!

Also, the weight / repetitions / sets information used by some of the health clubs is the ideal way to track your progress, and make immediate changes to the program.

Understanding your exercise schedule helps to appreciate your workout and go after the results you desire or after the programmer, who designed your card, if the results are not as expected!!

Getting the best out of your Gym membership!!

2008-11-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to world of information overload! 10 people, 10,000 opinions on what is right and what is not!! Prod them a little further, and they make you regret the moment you decided to ask them for details (!) – either by confusing you or offering unsolicited suggestions, since it worked for one of their clients / friends etc.
Being informed is the need of the hour, just to ensure that you can sift through the tonnes of information and make the right choice – that will suit you in all respects, and not just follow popular opinion.
And what better way to start, than understanding the essentials and the ‘workout card’– the piece of paper which can define your life in the short-term and the long-term.
But before that, there are two things that set apart good gyms from the not-so-good ones – a Fitness Test / Assessment and the PAR-Q form.

The Fitness test is a short non-invasive test usually to test your present fitness status under the 3 pillars of fitness – strength, stamina and suppleness. It is very important to design an exercise program so as to suit you and give you the desired results.

Next is the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) – which asks you for information about your contact information, age, gender, blood group, physical information, present physical activity level, past medical complications, current medications, vices, daily diet and nutritional status, family history of medical complications and other relevant information.
It is very important for any gym to have these details of each and every member – so as to design an effective exercise program, as well as a measure of safety and to avoid any legal obligations / complications.
You should also make sure that your Health club asks you to submit your doctor’s approval (Physician’s Release) in case you have any medical complications or are under any major treatment.

Laugh your worries out!!

2008-10-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ask any prospective bride about the qualities in her dream man, and you will surely hear this. Ask anyone celebrating the golden anniversary of their married life, and you will again hear this – Sense of Humour.
The fact is that human beings place so much importance on this aspect of human nature – is because of the “feel good” factor that accompanies a good hearty laugh.
The emotions we experience have the power to directly affect our immune and neurological system. Positive emotions enhance secretion of hormones which can counter act the negative effects of stress – and laughter has the power to bring out this positivity.
§ Laughter can negate the effects of stress related hormone- Cortisol, secreted when the body is tensed.
§ Laughter triggers the release of Endorphins—the ‘feel good’ hormone and body's natural painkillers.
§ Laughter has been found to have positive effects on lowering blood pressure and reduce hypertension.
§ Studies have found that, laughter cleanses the lungs of accumulated air as it empties more air than it takes in and is thus beneficial for patients suffering from respiratory ailments.
§ It also exercises our facial muscles and contributes to general well-being.It also promotes our interpersonal and social relations – which have the highest potential to de-stress us.

Although, forceful laughter, as in the case of certain “laughter clubs” does not provide all the benefits of a natural, relaxed laughter, it does seem to be a favourite option with people.
Having a relaxed time with people you like is still a better option – man is, after all a social animal !!

Hunting for the Right Gym !!

2008-09-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

How does one choose which health club to go to… considering the colorful ads adorning every corner of the city..
With more and more people across all age groups getting more and more interested in getting fitter (!), health clubs are mushrooming all over the city, each one promising to give you a mind blowing experience, many times better than the others….
There are many other reasons why people choose to enroll into a gym, like work demands especially in the hospitality industry, health problems due to weight etc.

Whatever the reason, over the next few articles, lets see what criteria should be considered while choosing a health club –

PROXIMITY TO WORKPLACE / HOME – Very important factor. Closer the place to you, more are the chances of adherence. After a tiring day at work, no body wants to drive another ten kilometers to go to the gym…

ADVERTISEMENTS – A good way to judge the kind of the financial backing the gym has, but always be aware of the small star (*) following all statements… which says, that “Conditions apply” and may not be the real deal.

STATE OF THE ART EQUIPMENTS – A very important criteria, which as per my experience matters more to the youngsters rather than slightly elderly people. Nonetheless, try to search online about them and find out which is the best company.. Most of the equipments these days are imported, which usually but not necessarily mean good quality. A good quality equipment surely improves the whole experience.

INTERIOR AMBIENCE – While a pleasant ambience definitely improves your whole training experience, but they need not be expensive or very sophisticated. Remember why you are there…. Its definitely not for the interiors...However, do check out the cleanliness of the place, and how it is maintained, especially if you have any allergies or other such problems.

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS –
Check for any certificates of international accreditation at the gym premises. Also, do not compromise when it comes to the trainers who are in fact dealing with the most delicate product ever created – the Human Body? Demand a certified trainer.
Also, do not fall into the trap of trainers suggesting various supplements or dietary suggestions. Get them verified from your nutritionist or doctor…

SAFETY –
Very very Important factor, but often overlooked.. Safety on the floor may mean proper notices put up, of the possibilities of accidents especially at the free-weight areas. Safety at the premises may mean, presence of first aid and emergency / doctor services, fire safety precautions etc. The most important safety factor could be the trainer himself who must be qualified and preferably certified, especially with a Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate.

PACKAGES –
The packages must be a value for money. Usually, these days most gyms also offer value-adds like grouper sessions along with the basic packages…
One word of caution though – Discounts should not be a deciding factor.

MULTIPLE BRANCHES WITHIN CITY OR COUNTRY–
This may help incase you like variety or if you travel to the locations which have their branches.

VALUE-ADD SERVICES –
Could range from juice bar, cafeteria, fruit bars, parties etc. Although they do add a spunk to your routine, don’t let them rule your decision process. Remember why you are there – you can socialize and eat otherwise also…

Importance of Sleep

2008-09-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

Here is one more excuse for turning up late at office!! How you realized the importance of getting good amount of sleep…
But seriously, this is the most ignored area that generally brings along with it a host of problems down the road. Partying late night, watching movies till late night, studying till late night or working till late night and then getting up early the next day, over a period of time causes a long list of problems, which has also been a favourite topic of research among researchers.

It is only when you sleep, that the growth hormones are secreted by the master glands in the human body – which regulate the entire metabolism on the body and the body’s responses to various stimuli. It is important to get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep everyday.

· A good amount of sleep affects memory efficiency through improving the storage and retrieval of information. It also improves alertness.
· Less sleep affects the endocrine system – thereby altering the secretion and levels of hormones in the body – which affect weight, mood, appetite, and immune system.
· Chronic deprivation of sleep leads to weight gain, and makes it difficult to lose weight.
· Research has shown that chronic sleep deprivation also causes errors in judgement – thereby leading to a higher rate of accidents, mishaps and injuries. It is also said to promote “road rage” – as we like to call it.
· Lack of sleep leads to irritability, road rage, anger, depression, loss of concentration, lowered ability to think and take decisions, moodiness etc.
· Chronic lack of sleep also gives rise to digestion problems, constipation, ulcers, flatulence etc. it also causes drug / alcohol / tobacco cravings leading to drug abuse.
· Sleep deprivation also lowers the immune system of the body and hence makes you easily prone to common infections or other problems.
· It also supports hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart problems, cancer indirectly through weight gain, hormonal imbalances and low immunity.
· Sleep is also very important for recovery and rest after heavy bouts of exercises, especially if you want to build muscles.

Life is all about "Pressures" !!

2008-08-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have reached a point in life when I come up with the best business proposals, the right words to solve a miscommunication, the best decisions and all things good when I am under the pressure of a deadline.
Never ever thought I would see this day, since I have always preached the opposite - that you cant work effectively under pressure.....
However, after intense self -analysis, I realized why this happens is because - I like to stick to my values!! Coz, like they say...at the end of the day - you have to sleep with yourself !!!

Why is everybody after MBA?? (Sarcastic Sindhu Series)

2008-08-30T08:17:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the age where every Tom, Dick and Harry and every Mary, Jane and Anne is running behind those 3 letters on their resume which they believe, will lead them to the ‘flyover’ to Success, since there seems to be a tremendous traffic jam on the roads to Success !!
Hmm… I’m sure a lot of our hardworking ancestors must be turning around in their graves, but ask any youngster about his future plans – and you will definitely hear MBA in it!!
Ask him why – and you will hear – big money, rich way of life and better marriage prospects!!
No doubt the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree is one of the most sought after degrees, and most of the graduates do get into reputed and leading companies. And the most surprising part is that – even the new institutes that come up every year, with absolutely no experience and track record, run their MBA courses full packed with students!!! God is great!!!

Another observation is that while many of the successful people are MBA graduates and vice versa – that is most of the MBA graduates are successful… there are still many of them who … frankly speaking, can’t speak or work for nuts!!
I have personally come across many so called ‘MBA’ graduates who can’t even introduce themselves, or draft an application letter, with absolutely no professional manners or even design a decent resume or …the list is endless….. And yet, they want nothing less than 6 lakhs per annum packages as freshers!!
Anything less than that… and they crib, curse and blame everything and everyone – but themselves…
So what am I trying to say? – I am saying that while getting an MBA is all fine, I have always believed that “Nothing teaches you like LIFE” – no school, no college!!
Academics are all fine, but it needs much more to make a personality and more importantly a good character. Getting a good job is easy…keeping it - is what hurts!!

Only life teaches you the importance of values like integrity, responsibility, commitment, perseverance, respect, teamwork etc. etc., the value of a good character.. and most importantly that “there are still no shortcuts to success“.

All successful people are successful because they have learnt the importance of values in their lives and have realized that there are no shortcuts to success…. unless of course, you are born to the Ambani’s, the Tata’s, the Birla’s or the Donald Trump family!! Or you happen to have links in the underworld or with our dear politicians!!! Allright, apart from the last two, I am sure the others have also had their share of hardwork!!

So Moral of the story is that – An MBA doesn’t define your life.. Join that cultural group, volunteer for the social event.. Explore, experience and experiment with life, especially in the college years.. Understand your shortcomings or weaknesses and work on them… challenge yourself to be the best!!
I’ m sure it will be the wisest investment you make….

Oh, I am planning to start a course in - “MBA – Life Management”… Any one interested?????

The YOGA boom !! (Focus on Shilpa Shetty!) (Sarcastic Sindhu Series)

2008-08-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

What do you do if you are in Bollywood, your films fail to make any impression at the box office, but you have a fabulous figure for which you get paid in crores?
I know what you’re thinking, but if you happen to be actress Shilpa Shetty, then you go and make a Yoga CD!!
Ironically, Yoga, which is originally an Indian contribution to the world, is more popular in the west, than it is in India… and, as we Indians have a fascination for anything phirang / westernized, we finally seem to have woken up to the benefits of Yoga.
Yoga is undoubtedly a complete mind-body exercise, with benefits ranging from increased concentration, improved ability to deal with stress and tensions in life to helping Diabetics and almost all special populations. Yoga asanas, although not specific to weight loss, do help in weight management to some extent.
Yoga centres are mushrooming in every nook and corner in every city, with self-confessed Yoga experts offering a range of programs for everything right from weight loss, increase in height (Mission Remotely Possible) to de-stress, and relax your body, mind and soul.
What goes un-noticed is that these so-called Yoga experts, call themselves so, without any formal training or education in human anatomy and physiology as well as about the science of Yoga.
What appals me is that on one hand, there are experts, who have spent years trying to master the science and different postures and techniques of Yoga, and then there are those who claim to be experts in just a few months of self-practice.
Yoga is a science, and must be understood in-depth. Like any other field, the trainer must have formal education to start instructing. After all, you are dealing with other human bodies and in-turn their lives! You must stick to what you know and avoid preaching what you don’t know.

If you are watching a CD and doing it, half the time your concentration is towards the CD, which is completely against the basic aim of Yoga. You just cant relax!
A lot of people, cant follow the postures the way they are shown, and need modifications or the use of props, which only experts know and must be done under guidance.

But there is one good point in all this – atleast the otherwise carefree teenagers are becoming more and more health conscious and finding ways to get healthier and fitter…

Well, what can I say… tomorrow I might just start writing a book on “101 ways to control your spending”! Oh, I am damn good at it !!Will keep you posted on that!!!!

Born to Party !! (Sarcastic Sindhu Series)

2008-08-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say… Clubbing ‘in’ hai bhai!!
“Rise up, and don’t you fall down again“, blaring out of the woofers, flashy lights streaming all over the room, and everybody in the world in a small room…. its party time !!!
Work smarter (and not harder) and party harder, seems to be the motto these days of the young and the restless – right from the spiked-hair teenager to our dear oldies, who believe that life begins after 50 !!
Socializing into the wee hours of the night, has always been there, but seeing that the chunk of the crowd at all discs and pubs are youngsters is alarming..
When asked, a leading psychologist explains – these days, youngsters are either getting more and more financially grounded at a young age or with nuclear families, rich parents and busy lives, they have access to loads of money. Moreover, the kids spend more time with their friends and as such, many activities, like partying, smoking, drinking etc, are a result of peer-pressure. The emotionally insecure ones think of partying, drinking, smoking as “cool” things to do, so as to win peer support, as well as admiration from the opposite sex!!

As a personal philosophy, I believe there is a good, bad and ugly part to everything.. So here comes the gyaan (yawn! yawn!) Well, inconvenience caused is regretted….
The good part is that, all the socializing and clubbing, makes the youngsters quite conscious of their health and their physical appearance, which makes them frequent the gym regularly, with high aims. And when I say high aims, I mean they will not settle for anything less than Salman or Hrithik biceps, Sharukh abs etc. etc. And how can we forget our own indigenous production (!) the size zero lady – Kareena Kapoor, for all the ladies…
In fact, most of the gyms boast of almost 60% of their clientele as young people below 30 years of age!!
Exercising has a long list of benefits and helps to de-stress in these stressful times of ours! Exercise helps to –
Release the happy hormone ‘Endorphin’ and the feel-good hormone ‘Dopamine’ in ample quantities which help deal with stress and other tensions.
It strengthens the body – internally and externally, with positive effects on the immune system and the overall body.
It helps avoid unwanted weight gain, due to all the junk food and colas that we down our throats daily!

Well, I have a list of 101 benefits of exercising…. But I will stop here, since I really want you to read further down !!

Hmmm.. the bad part, is because too much of anything is bad! The impatient amongst the lot resort to shortcuts to achieve instant results. Examples are when you see already wafer-thin girls starving themselves to attain that elusive ‘ perfect’ figure, leading to medical complications like * Anorexia Nervosa or ** Bulimia Nervosa, which can even be life threatening. With guys, a very common problem is the use of steroids and other “power / mass“ or energy formulas, which promise them instant results in their quest for those biceps and abs !! The side effects of these include life-threatening complications like kidney failures, liver problems etc.
Moreover, too much of partying and hence drinking, smoking also burns a huge hole in our already porous pockets!!

And, lastly the ugly part – is when we see youngsters going a step too far, and resorting to drugs, rave parties, and other illegal behaviours. Most of the drugs are addictive, and hence getting out of the mess becomes very difficult, which affects everything and everyone around…

Well, moral of the story is that - enjoy life RESPONSIBLY, PLAY SAFE and stay within limits….

* Anorexia Nervosa – Eating disorder, in which girls starve themselves to death, due to an obsessive fear of putting on weight, characterized by a low body weight and extreme methods of weight control.

** Bulimia Nervosa – Eating disorder, characterised with binge eating, and immediately purging it out of the system using extreme methods.

Partying away the STRESS!!

2008-08-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Born to Party, but forced to study!! Reads one of my friend’s status messages on Gmail!! I am sure most of us agree with it too, looking at the partying scene in Pune.

Most of the students and working professionals look towards partying to de-stress and refresh themselves after a gruelling day at work or after finishing off studies. It sure is a great choice to just relax and catch up with friends after putting in 10-12 hours at work !!!

However, letting your hair down and letting the night carry you away could have many disastrous effects on the body as well –
· Partying late at night disturbs the body biorhythms and may cause many problems like indigestion, constipation, flatulence, acne, lethargy, lack of concentration.
· These get worse, if they are accompanied with lack of sleep, as in the case of people who have to get up early the next morning!
Infact, recently there was a research done, which found lack of sleep as a major cause of obesity.
· Partying is mostly accompanied by eating and drinking late at night, which itself causes a whole range of problems including those mentioned above.
· Eating out late at night helps build your ‘paunch’, which is a common sight these days with everybody. This kind of central extra flab not only causes internal problems, but also affects your postural balance, thereby giving rise to lower back problems, etc.
· Also, alcohol has a tendency to dehydrate your body. Dehydration can have adverse effects on the blood flow to the body and brain and hence cause many problems.

So, although it seems like a great way to de-stress, you have to be careful and counter the ill-effects of late night partying, by eating right and early, drinking lots of water, getting enough sleep, and regular exercise.

De-Stress with a Stretch!

2008-08-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

What is the most natural, simplest and the easiest way to de-stress? No rocket science here – but it is to stretch out your muscles and body!
I am sure all of us stretch out at some or the other point during the day – may be in the morning, just as you get out of bed or may be after getting out of the car after an hour-long drive or may be just reclining back on the chair during the break etc. etc.

A simple stretch helps to boost the blood circulation and thus helps us feel energized.

The muscles in our body are made up of fibres and are connected to the joints through tendons, whose length, elasticity and few other factors define the range of motion across the joints which they connect.

If these get shortened, as is the case with prolonged sitting or any prolonged activity like typing, driving, lying etc. then the range of motion decreases, thereby increasing the risk of injury, even while performing activities of daily living, like taking something off the shelf or trying to dry clothes etc.

To avoid this, a few minutes of stretching must be included in your daily routine. This may be done irrespective of whether you exercise or not, any time of the day. For those who exercise, the passive stretches are usually done after the workout as a part of the cool down, and also helping in reducing muscle soreness and shortening.

Stretching is a great way to de-stress since –
· It improves flexibility, which reduces as one ages.
· You are able to maintain / increase your range of motion, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.
· Stretches out the shortened muscles, thereby easing muscle tension and relieving stress.
· Increased blood circulation, thereby flushing out the toxins.
· Energizes you, since fresh blood gets delivered to the active muscle.
· It can be used to better the posture by balancing the shortened muscle.

However, one very important factor – for those who do not precede it with any exercise – is to warm up you body a little before getting into the stretches.
Cold muscle stretches less, and is also prone to injury and tears.
Also remember to hold the stretch continuously (without bouncing) for a minimum of 20 -30 seconds for greater benefits.
Most importantly, when you stretch, “slight discomfort” is the word, and not “pain”. In other words, the stretching should never feel painful or unbearable.
Consult an expert for the right techniques, and don’t TRY STUNTS AT HOME !!

Massage away your blues!

2008-08-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well, in these times of uncertainty, there is certainly one thing that I know for sure – which is, that everybody likes to get a massage done!
These days, a lot of people across all backgrounds, look forward to a weekly / monthly massage to de-stress and de-tox themselves. This is only evident from the number of spas and massage centers that are coming up in all corners of the city, offering a wide range of simple to exotic services.
Read on for benefits of massage therapy -
· A massage is a combination of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body.
· It works on the skin and soft tissues immediately beneath the skin to improve their tone and increase blood circulation to these areas. This is especially helpful, in case of people who sit for long hours, thereby affecting blood circulation in the lower limb, and especially the back region.
· Improved circulation of fresh oxygenated blood to the skin, detoxifies the skin, and leaves you feeling and looking fresh and rejuvenated.
· It also has a positive effect on the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body, and thereby providing a detoxification effect.
· Massage therapy is used extensively by sportspersons to prevent strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension, overuse or any problems resulting from structural problems like stiff joints etc.
· It also relaxes the body, and hence calms down the heart and reduces anxiety, tension etc.
· Through its effect on the nervous system, massage has a positive effect on the digestive system as well as the endocrine system and related problems.The latest massages which include aroma-therapy based massages and deep-tissue massages, which reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves, and help in promoting health.

Yoga ? But I am not stressed !!

2008-08-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Probably, the most misconstrued of all the facts, its pure injustice, confining Yoga to just as a means for combating Stress….Because, such a statement grossly overlooks the myriad other benefits that practicing Yoga can provide to the one who practices it rightly.

For the layman, Yoga makes you feel healthier—in mind, body and spirit, fresher, more energized and composed, thus making a strong & tough mind and body.

Yoga means “Yuj” Or “Union” of the Self with the Divine Consciousness. The postures and meditation techniques are a methodology to attain that goal.
There are different styles of Yoga-- most common & widely practiced being the ”Ashtanga Yoga” & “Hatha Yoga”, which teaches a number of postures, and breathing techniques…

Even if you don’t believe in the spiritual side of Yoga, you can still practice it, for the number of health benefits it delivers.
Specifically,
-It helps manage or control anxiety, arthritis, depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, blood pressure, headaches, back pain (most common problem), Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, heart problems.
- Improves Flexibility (one of the important fitness aspects), Muscle tone, strength, and stamina.
- Yoga also helps to strengthen the respiratory system, thus helping with problems, like asthma, etc.
- Improves concentration, memory and self-esteem, mental toughness.
- Improves facial and skin texture, voice, and improves circulation in general.
- Stimulates the immune system, and is not age-specific.
- Helps control abnormalities of the Hormonal (Endocrine) System, especially of the Thyroid Gland, and its secretions, which contribute to effective functioning of the body.
- They massage and tone the internal organs, which improves their blood circulation.
- The Twisting Poses, Forward Bends, like Half-seated twists (Ardha-Matsyendrasana), Plough (Halasana), Bow, etc. stimulate the Pancreas to manage insulin levels better, which inturn can help manage Diabetes.
- Helps in weight management, by boosting metabolism.
- Yoga also helps in case of pregnant women, where postures like the Cobbler pose, etc. are useful.

Getting back to the topic of discussion, it also helps to effectively deal with stress, and related problems like stomach disorders, constipation, insomnia, etc.

Not only that while practicing meditation as a part of Yoga, the brain sends out an increased amount of alpha-waves, which relaxes the mind and body, and gives a feeling of rejuvenation.

The yoga exercises are not fast and forceful, but instead involve slow and steady movements, which incorporate the whole body and mind, hence, a favorite among the elderly.

Yoga is a form of “Mental Gym” for the mind, which controls the body, and inturn all the problems and ailments.

Lastly, but one of the most important advantages of yoga lies in its ability to correct the ostural imbalances.
As a result of faulty posture over the years, especially a sedentary lifestyle, adaptive shortening and muscular strength imbalances, the major joints in the body, like the neck, knee, and the lower back region are subjected to a lot of stress, which causes lower-back pain, and other problems.

It can be used to relieve tension in the muscles of the neck, lower-back, forearm, those around the eyes, common among the corporate professionals, working with the computer for long hours.

Not to dis-regard the importance of other forms of exercises, safe to say that a little Yoga incorporated into the daily fitness routine, along with exercises focusing on Strength, Stamina, can be used as a holistic approach to wellness.

Thus, I hope the above discussion proves that presence/absence of stress need not be the dictating factor to practice Yoga…Practice it to know it!!!!!

De-stress with Dance

2008-08-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Trust me, everybody can dance and loves dancing, deep inside … whether it is the formal Latin dances or our very own Ganesha Chaturthi special style!!! “the two left feet” syndrome is a myth… Most of us are just in denial about this all our lives.
Even the most shy person, if put in a room with music, and promised invisibility to the world, will dance…

Dancing is a great way to de-stress.. It is a complete package – right from the de-stressing effect, to calorie burning, to cardio advantage and many more, as we will see below –

· Most of the dance forms provide a cardio workout to the body – since usually they involve continuous movements usually for more than an half an hour. A cardio workout enhances blood circulation to all parts of the body, and hence helps flush toxins out of the body.
· Dancing along with music, boosts the secretion of feel good hormones like ‘dopamine’ and ‘endorphins’..
· The increased blood flow to the skin, rejuvenates the skin. No amount of beauty creams can give you the effect obtained by the internal rejuvenation of skin.
· Also, increased blood flow due to a cardio activity to all body parts, also takes care of problems like indigestion, constipation, which can also have a very stressing effect on the body and your productivity.
· For all of us (especially me!) who can’t bear the monotony of running on a treadmill for more than 10 minutes, dancing is a better way to get the much needed cardio workout.
· Most importantly, usually most of the dance sessions happen in a group – this provides motivation and healthy competition amongst the participants, which ends up as a good challenging workout.
· In case you are recovering from a surgery / injury etc. a low impact dance is your best option to get your cardio workout going, and which will also indirectly aid the rehabilitation process.
· And most importantly, dancing being a cardio activity, helps in calorie burning.. It has been proved that an hour of dancing burns anything between 200 to 400 calories, depending on the kind of dance. A light body reduces a lot of stress…
· Dancing is a very adaptable kind of a physical activity – A youngster can participate in high-impact dances like bollywood dance, hip-hop etc.. while an elderly person can participate in any low-impact dance forms like Salsa, Jive or all other forms of Latin dancing.

So.. hunt for those dancing shoes, and dance away your blues !!

My Philosophies in life !!

2008-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

There are no mistakes in life - only lessons !!
Money can buy 'almost' everything........ but not love and happiness !!
The purpose of life, is to find your higher purpose in this world...
Seek, and you shall find !!
Patience, Faith, Perseverance, and Forebearance (Shraddha, Saburi, Titiksha...)
The poor who love each other, are the richest people in the world..
As you sow, so shall you reap...
Love thy neighbours, as you would want them to love you !!
Live life with no regrets..everything that you did at any point of time, was just the thing you wanted to do at that time....
Never take anything / anyone for granted.
Never underestimate anyone.
Circumstances maketh a man!!
Do your best, and let God do the rest !!
When you want something truly and deeply, the universe conspires to give it to you !
Never expect anything from anyone.
Only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far they can go !!
There is always a right time for everything...
If there is a problem, there will be a solution..
When there is a will, there is a way.
You can fight the entire world.. its much easier.. but fighting your own loved ones, there can never be anything more demotivating than that...
Multitasking is an art
Love unconditionally...

Let the Music heal your soul!!!

2008-07-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

Let us talk about the power of Music, as a perfect stress-buster, to the daily stresses of the day.
Sometime back, there were a few articles about a leading doctor, who played music, while performing surgery! And another instance, when a doctor plays some instrument in the hospital wards, for his patients !!
Ritual drumming, music mantras, rhythmic prayers have been existing since ages. Everything in nature and the human body works in a rhythm, and hence music and its rhythm help relax the body.
According to the brain waves theory, the human brain generates four kinds of waves – alpha, beta, theta and delta. When you are talking, working etc. your brain generates beta waves. But when you sit down, and relax and calm yourself down, relaxing waves like alpha waves and some theta waves are generated. And when you fall asleep, the brain generates what are known as delta waves.

Slow Music promotes the release of alpha and theta waves, which have a calming effect on the body and cells.
Slow Music also affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls our breathing and heart rate, in our body. Music slows down the heart rate and promotes relaxation.
It also slows down the blood pressure in the body.
Slow, calming music is a perfect relaxation tool, since it helps ease tensed muscles.
Music is said to promote optimism, creativity and a positive state of mind.

Music has been one of the preferred options when dealing with special populations like cancer patients, diabetics, those with attention deficit disorders (ADD) or suffering from insomnia, or depression and many other complications.
And the best part about using music as a tool for stress management is its ease and simplicity of use!
You don’t have to force yourself to sit down in a session and then listen to music..
You can do it while you are taking a bath, while you are cooking, while you are eating, in the car on the way to office and back and absolutely any place! And moreover, it need not be some sophisticated music, it could be anything that you like, and feel comfortable with…

De-stress your life !!

2008-07-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

What is the one thing on everybody’s tongue these days? Inflation? That would be a typical guy answer!!
Well, beyond doubts, it is the most common word of this century – STRESS !
The next couple of articles will focus on STRESS and different ways of STRESS MANAGEMENT.
So read on …
Technically put, STRESS – is a situation or feeling experienced when the demands of life exceed the personal and environmental resources available for use, to a person..
The word STRESS has always been viewed negatively.. But ideally a little amount of stress helps to keep us working to our full potential and prove ourselves in critical circumstances.
Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (Fight or Flight response), which if not controlled create a long list of problems..

STRESS is divided into 2 main types – Acute (something due to a sudden temporary situation like a missed meeting deadline etc.) and Chronic (cumulative stress over the years due to incidents in life etc.)

Too much of anything is bad enough – and hence STRESS causes –
Headaches
Tensed muscles of the neck, forehead and shoulder
Emotionally induced eating – which is one of the leading reasons causing weight gain
Digestive problems including ulcers,
Insomnia
Fatigue
High blood pressure, nervousness and excessive sweating, heart disease, strokes
Hair loss
· Emotional Problems like - anxiety, anger, depression, irritability, frustration, over-reaction to everyday problems, memory loss and a lack of concentration for any task.
· Social problems like - withdrawal from society, phobias, compulsive behaviors, eating disorders and night terrors.And of-course the weak-willed amongst us take up drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. to deal with it!!