mandy007
47

We are living in 21st century where we get everything at the click of mouse. The lifespan of people have increased because of advancement in medical science but instances of early aging have increased. People in their late 20s, 30s and 40s are facing many lifestyle diseases like obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems etc which was earlier considered to affect only people above 50yrs of age. Technology has made things easy but it has also made us lazy and non-functional. Simple task of walking and climbing stairs have become a form of exercise which is natural movement of human body.

Myths about Walking Exercise and why it is ineffective:

If you walk daily(not as exercise) you will not become fat but if you are already fat and if you think walking daily will make you thin then you are committing a big mistake. The body will burn fat when the exercise is challenging and when it feels the need to supply excess oxygen from the atmosphere and fat burns in presence of oxygen. If you walk at the same speed for years together you will lose weight on weighing scale but your body composition will remain same i.e. there still will be lot of fat on your body. Walking is good for heart agreed but it will not reduce tons of fat from your body. Walking is form of cardio. Cardio exercises are meant to improve heart rate, blood circulation and also increase stamina. It was never meant to reduce fat from the body. Cardio burns calories agreed but it burns calories only during the activity. Once the activity stops the body doesn't burn calories throughout the day or for more than 24 to 48hrs because cardio hardly causes wear and tear to the muscles. Infact cardio doesn’t strengthen muscles but it uses muscles. Excessive cardio leads to muscle loss. Sprinting is considered a better option than walking and running because it burns fat and also avoids muscle loss because it is short duration activity and is as good as anaerobic activity and challenges the entire body muscles and cardiovascular system. To graduate to sprinting you should first start walking slowly then move to brisk walking and then to jogging and then running. There should be progression in workout otherwise there is no point walking slowly for years.

Myth: Weight Training is only meant for body builders and not for people who are looking for fitness.

Women should not do weight training because it will make them look like a man.

Time to burst the above myths. Weight training increases lean muscle mass and reduce fat. In men it will increase their muscle size and women will look toned. Many women are obsessed with cardio because they think cardio will reduce their fat and they devote all 6 days of the week for cardio. They do reduce weight but the body composition hardly changes and they still have fat in their body. The reason why they are against weight training is that they will start looking like men with big muscles. Women have to understand the science before they come to such ridiculous conclusion. Even a body builder doesn’t build those muscles by accident. They start lifting weights at a very young age and they have to follow a strict diet. Many of the body builders are also blessed with superior genetics and yes they do take steroids to look good on the day of competition. In men the level of hormone testosterone is high which gives them manly look and which is helpful to increase the muscle mass. The level of hormone estrogen is low in men. In women the level of hormone testosterone is very low and the level of hormone estrogen is very high which gives them feminine looks. Women fear that weight training will give those muscles like men but it is impossible unless they inject testosterone hormone. Weight training will increase their lean muscle mass but that increase will not even be visible so there is no question of looking like a man. Without increase in lean muscle mass (even if it is not visible) fat loss is not going to happen.

Women should include weight training in their fitness regime because it offers following benefits:

1. Looking much younger then their actual age.

2. Increase in bone density and prevention of diseases like osteoporosis.

3. Improvement in body composition. (or should I say ideal figure if that is what you understand)

4. Improvement in fitness and functionality.

5. Increase in BMR. It means the body will burn calories even at relative rest. Weight training causes wear and tear to the muscles. It takes more than 24 to 48hrs to repair muscles. Repairing process itself consumes lot of calories which in turn burns fat.

Now this is what women want and they keep on avoiding weigh training for ridiculous reasons.

Weight training is beneficial for both men as well as women. It offers following benefits:

1. Increases lean muscle mass and reduces fat from the body.

2. Increases strength of muscles.

3. Delays Ageing.

4. Improves functionality and Flexibility.

5. Lowers Blood Pressure.

6. Prevention of lifestyle disease like diabetes, heart problems etc.

Now who doesn’t want the above benefits?

Following are Common excuses of people for not joining a gym:

1. I don’t have time for Gym. (But I do have time for surfing facebook, watching daily soaps, whats app etc)

2. I reach home late from the office.

3. Gym is far from my place.

4. I am too old to join a gym.

5. I don’t want to become a body builder by joining gym.

The list is endless. Times have changed now. There are many gyms in the city which are open till late at night. Gyms have become flexible now to meet the needs of office population. Instead of spending unnecessary money on junk foods, hotels, electronic gadgets, jewelleries etc it will be better if that money is spend on one’s fitness. Instead of wasting time by walking for 1 hour it will be much better if that time is devoted at gym. It is not necessary to workout every day. Even if you workout 3 to 4 times in a week it is more than enough. On other days you can relax and enjoy social life.

Following things to look for in a gym:

1. Gym should be hygienic.

2. It should have all equipments, weights and cardio machines.

3. All trainers should be certified who has good knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, exercise science and nutrition.

4. It should have facility for personal trainers.

Invest your time in gym and you will be surprised with the results it will have in your life.

Take charge of your life, feel and become strong.

From India, Mumbai
mandy007
47

I have written this article to increase the importance of fitness in corporate world.
From India, Mumbai
mandy007
47

I have done by MBA in HR and I am also a Certified Fitness Trainer. I am 34 yrs old and many people don't believe that I am 30+. They say that I still look in my 20s. How this was possible? Well friends I have not done any magic. I am weight training since 17 yrs and weight training itself is anti-aging exercise.I have increased protein intake with moderate carbs and low fat, increased water intake and only have junk food once in a month. Now you know why some actors still look young even in their 40s and late 40s. People are jealous of them and they think they take botox injections to look young. How ridiculous. If that was the case Salman Khan would had still looked like what he looked in the movie " Maine Pyar Kiya". He is 48 yrs old but compare him with an ordinary person who is 48 yrs old. Even at this age he still workouts intensely. Appreciate his hard work in this field and forget about all the controversies.

Well what I am trying to prove here? What I am trying to say is even a common man can delay the process of aging by weight training.

Yes a office going guy and girl can have and maintain the body they desire.

From India, Mumbai
Suresh Eachankattur
1

Dear Members, Walking and some basic exercises are very useful to maintain our body in good condition and also take healthy foods avoid junk foods. Regards, Suresh
From India, Bangalore
mandy007
47

As a fitness professional I am not against any exercise. No fitness professional should say that his exercise is superior to others. Walking is a natural movement of human body. Humans were born to walk and run. There is too much obsession about walking as exercise. That has to stop. Don't consider it as an exercise. Exercise is something which challenges the body and improves the functioning of the body, increases strength, stamina and endurance. A person with fit body will never have problem in walking but a fat person will find even walking difficult. I really don't understand why people don't give importance to weight training and are obsessed with only walking and yoga.

I will make this point by elaborating the names of exercises and how they help in terms of fitness:

1. Cardio: They help in improving the function of heart, blood circulation and breathing. Examples are walking, running, jogging, aerobic dance.

2. Endurance Exercises: They help in improving the stamina of the body. Examples are swimming, skipping, cycling, elliptical cross trainers etc

3. Yoga: They improve the flexibility and breathing power. Flexibility is important to avoid any muscle stiffness and injuries.

4. Weight training: They increase muscular size and strength. It also reduces fat and improves body composition. It is important because after the age of 25 we loss muscle mass and we can't afford to lose precious muscles which are important in carrying out day to day activity.

From India, Mumbai
mandy007
47

Include cardio, weight training and stretching exercises in your fitness regime and see the difference.
From India, Mumbai
snehalatamagar@yahoo.in
7

Dear Mandy, Please tell me some of the examples of cardio training & weight training which will work for me at home?? Regards, Snehalata
From India, Pune
mandy007
47

Dear Snehalata,

Cardio training at home looks difficult but I can suggest certain workouts you can do at home or in your compound(if there is open space outside your building). They are as follows:

1.If you have enough space at home and can afford to buy treadmill do that and start with slow walking and graduate to fast running.

If that is not possible do spot jogging for atleast 15 minutes. If there is open space outside your building start with jogging and eventually move to fast running. The duration should be atleast 15 to 20min.

2. You can do skipping exercise at home.

3. Climb the stairs of your building and slowly increase the speed.

Weight training is best done at gym only. If done at home it will have certain limitations. But still I will provide you a solution.

For weight training you can purchase dumbells and start with light weights and graduate to heavy weights once you find light weights not challenging enough. With dumbells you can do following exercises at home:

1. Shoulder Overhead Press.

2. Shoulder Front Raise.

3. Shoulder lateral raise.

4. Shoulder External Rotation.

5. Bicep Curls.

6. Hammer Curls.

7. Triceps extension.

8. Lunges (Legs Workout).

9. Step up (Legs Workout)

9. Bent over Dumbell Rows (Back Workout).

10. Shrugs (Back Workout)

11. Calf Raises (Leg Workout)

Exercises without dumbells.

1. Squats.

2. Push ups.

3. Pull ups.

4. Crunches for abdominal muscles.

5. leg raises for abdominal muscles.

(You can see the above workout videos on Youtube to learn the form and technique)

At the end of workout do stretching exercises.

From India, Mumbai
skundra
8

Dear All,

Very essential post regarding importance of good health in today's life. With the busy schedules that both the woman and the man of the house have, it is no surprise that this is an important aspect that everybody must consider as a daily "job". One must find ways to make it pleasurable. Additionally, in the metro cities, the travel times are so high that it is a genuine fact that people do get less time for themselves and their families, and thus the first casualty is their health.

My take on this is that once a person decides to improve his health, the rest can follow. One can start with smaller exercises, lesser time, and build up as the time progresses and she / he starts to see the fruit of her / his work. Be patient. It took years of misuse to your body to get into this bad state, give it a few months of regular exercise !!!

Make up your mind to exercise, whatever happens.

Reward yourself for smaller achievements initially, and scale up as you go on.

Let your family support you in your initial period.

Once your health improves, you will make it a daily routine

From India, Mumbai
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