In our zeal to get fit, sculpt an attractive body or lose weight, we may tend
to overdo it when it comes to the exercise we choose.
When you find yourself struggling to get the body results
you want, one enrolls themselves for more complex and intensive training’s,
longer hours in the gym, fad diets and crazy supplements.
What we need to remember, like everything else is that our body parts and
organs have a life. There will be natural wear and tear as we age and that
principle remains the same for all of us. It’s true that the right amount
of exercise can delay this and keep degeneration at bay and that’s what ensures
us a better quality life as we age. A life free of knee/back/joint pain.
The media including Hollywood and Bollywood have blown the
whole concept of exercise way out of proportion. Everyone wants to read about
diets or exercise regimes of these super stars. Spending 2 hours in a gym
or working out thrice a day is apparently what you need to get a model like
body or that of your favorite actor.
Extensive spinning, extremely heavy weights, running more
than a marathon in a year, MMA mixed with weight training, kickboxing integrated
with weights, etc… all require special nutrition plans, if you are really into
all of this.
These are great forms of exercise and we would all like
to think of ourselves as long distance runners etc.. But, is your body prepared
for it? Are your knees ready to take the massive stress that his can put
the body thru? Is your back strong enough to brace impact and support
you for the rest of your years without giving way?
Getting involved in intensive exercise is not your solution or compensation for
binge eating over the weekend.
Your knee has a fluid (synovial) that runs around
it and as this dries up due to stress (exercise) improper sleep (recovery)
and poor nutrition. you will be left with excruciating pain that will severely
alter your lifestyle.
Exercise smart is the way forward.
Short but productive workouts. 1 hour is a number. Break
away from it.
The best workouts get over in 25 – 30 minutes saving you a
valuable 30 minutes of your day to use it for things that are meaningful to
you. Tough to break from it if you have always been a “1 hour” gym
person but, try..
After 45 minutes of exercise, your body generates ‘cortisol’
a stress hormone, that tells your body to ‘STORE FAT’. This becomes
counterproductive to your whole goal or working out.
Body builders and athletes have longer training schedules,
because they have supporting sports nutrition plans and they sleep over 8 hours
for recovery.
Exercising smart is:
- Keeping a day of recovery between intensive workouts or allowing for enough muscle recovery time,
- Doing max sets with minimum rest between sets (depend on your fitness goal),
- You should be maxed out post 30 minutes and you should feel energetic,
- Warm up and cool down will allow you toe more productive.
Break away from traditional exercise methods. Mix it up,
challenge and push your body.
Consistent walking, is one of the best exercises ever,
something that works beautifully with a balanced nutrition plan and great
sleep. You can lose fat and tone up.
Consistency is key.
Meeting and exceeding the 10,000 steps daily is one of the
best benchmarks when it comes to your walks. Re-evaluate your exercise
schedule and how you feel after each workout.
Don’t just think ‘ NOW’, consider the future years as well.
