Dr Areno Odyuo, PT,ACE, member of American Council on Exercise, is a successful Personal Trainer based in Dimapur. She specializes in Weight loss & Body Toning. Contact her at fitnfinefitnes@gmail.com or 8974036994
Getting oneself FIT is something we are being progressively aware of in this fast world. For most people the hardest part of exercising is just getting started. Hectic schedules and lack of time certainly contribute to the excuses. But for many people, lack of basic workout knowledge intimidates them and prevents them from even getting started.
It’s easy to understand why some feel overwhelmed about beginning a new fitness routine. Virtually every day the media is bombarding the public with the latest “diet research” often times contradicting what may have been reported just weeks earlier. And infomercials swear that 20 minutes of this or 15 minutes of that is all that is required to look like a Hollywood star. With so much information (and misinformation), it can be hard to decipher what fitness regimen will really deliver results. But truthfully, it’s not difficult at all to determine what workout will provide health benefits. Contrary to popular beliefs, “eating right” is not synonymous with “deprivation and suffering.” Likewise “staying active” does not entail long hours devoted to a human hamster wheel.
In this article, we are going to delve lighter into basic fitness necessary to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Take a deep breath. This is not going to be as hard as you think. When you look at fitness, you need to remember that it is more then just exercising. It is overall a combination of Weight Control, Strength, Endurance, Fat & Calorie Content. SPOT TRAINING is a myth, I dare say. Your body determines which fat stores it will use. There is no such thing as, “I want to reduce on my arms but not on my hips!” For example, Sit-ups may strengthen your abs but will not take the fat off your stomach. Working as a Personal Trainer, I discovered two different species of client. The first group surrendered completely to me through every aspect of diet and exercise. They put their trust in my expertise, rarely questioned anything, and proceeded through training with moderate success. In contrast the second group questioned my methods, sometimes quoting books and articles that contradicted me. This group made real progress. And I learned something as well: People are more likely to follow a prescribed eating plan or exercise program if they have a basic understanding of how and why the routine works to help them meet their particular training goals.
To achieve your fitness goals you need to balance all its components of Strength, Endurance (cardio) & Flexibility. I cannot stress enough. Over a period of time, without an exercise program our muscle mass decreases (atrophy) become weak and fat stores increases. The more you delay exercise the more difficult it will be to shed off the fat you have accumulated over time. Likewise when you start working out, take it slow. You cannot expect to lose 10kg of weight in just a month or two that you accumulated over the years! It is unhealthy to lose more then 1 to 2 pounds/week. Remember too that your heart is a muscle, so the stronger it is the more blood it can circulate through the body, thus keeping you healthy just the way the human body was designed to do. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 min(2 1/2hrs) of moderate intensity exercise per week for Optimal physical health. That will be 3-5 sessions/week. Though frequency, intensity, and duration can vary for beginners.
To know your ideal weight simply just follow the formula
Weight in kg
height2 (m)
The value you get is your BMI (body mass index)
Normal - 18 to 24
Overweight - 25 to 29
Obese - 30 or above
One can only hope not to be in the obese category!
Now lets move on to a popular variety of workouts that will be of interest to you.
Cardio-Kickboxing : This workout combines elements of boxing,martial arts and aerobics. It provides you overall physical conditioning and toning. It is basically a cardiovascular workout. Although there is strength and flexibility improvements as a result of kicks and punches. And you can easily lose upto 500 calories in a single session! Since it is a high intensity high impact form of exercise it is probably not a good idea to plunge in after a long stint as a couch potato.
Aerobics : Aerobic classes involve a lot of body movement and are designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system and provide an all round body workout. Its very common to use circuits of dance-like motions to get the heart rate up for atleast 20-30 mins and burn calories. Most classes involve a series of exercises and movements carefully choreographed to work on specific areas of the body or the whole body, Performed to upbeat music and the steps follow the beats of the songs. As popular as this workout and most loved among women, men should try this more often since it is intense, high impact, takes less time then normal workouts, great fun and most importantly guys need the flexibility!
Body-Sculpting : Coming on to this, body sculpting are exercise programs that are designed to help tone the muscles in specific areas of the body. Basically a muscle toning class. There are several different forms of exercise that can be a part of a body sculpting program, depending on the area of the body requiring the sculpting. Like upper body and lower body sculpting. Anyone can do this, who would like to firm up. Although it takes a few classes to learn proper form. Prepare to be real sore if you are a novice!
It’s easy to understand why some feel overwhelmed about beginning a new fitness routine. Virtually every day the media is bombarding the public with the latest “diet research” often times contradicting what may have been reported just weeks earlier. And infomercials swear that 20 minutes of this or 15 minutes of that is all that is required to look like a Hollywood star. With so much information (and misinformation), it can be hard to decipher what fitness regimen will really deliver results. But truthfully, it’s not difficult at all to determine what workout will provide health benefits. Contrary to popular beliefs, “eating right” is not synonymous with “deprivation and suffering.” Likewise “staying active” does not entail long hours devoted to a human hamster wheel.
In this article, we are going to delve lighter into basic fitness necessary to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Take a deep breath. This is not going to be as hard as you think. When you look at fitness, you need to remember that it is more then just exercising. It is overall a combination of Weight Control, Strength, Endurance, Fat & Calorie Content. SPOT TRAINING is a myth, I dare say. Your body determines which fat stores it will use. There is no such thing as, “I want to reduce on my arms but not on my hips!” For example, Sit-ups may strengthen your abs but will not take the fat off your stomach. Working as a Personal Trainer, I discovered two different species of client. The first group surrendered completely to me through every aspect of diet and exercise. They put their trust in my expertise, rarely questioned anything, and proceeded through training with moderate success. In contrast the second group questioned my methods, sometimes quoting books and articles that contradicted me. This group made real progress. And I learned something as well: People are more likely to follow a prescribed eating plan or exercise program if they have a basic understanding of how and why the routine works to help them meet their particular training goals.
To achieve your fitness goals you need to balance all its components of Strength, Endurance (cardio) & Flexibility. I cannot stress enough. Over a period of time, without an exercise program our muscle mass decreases (atrophy) become weak and fat stores increases. The more you delay exercise the more difficult it will be to shed off the fat you have accumulated over time. Likewise when you start working out, take it slow. You cannot expect to lose 10kg of weight in just a month or two that you accumulated over the years! It is unhealthy to lose more then 1 to 2 pounds/week. Remember too that your heart is a muscle, so the stronger it is the more blood it can circulate through the body, thus keeping you healthy just the way the human body was designed to do. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 min(2 1/2hrs) of moderate intensity exercise per week for Optimal physical health. That will be 3-5 sessions/week. Though frequency, intensity, and duration can vary for beginners.
To know your ideal weight simply just follow the formula
Weight in kg
height2 (m)
The value you get is your BMI (body mass index)
Normal - 18 to 24
Overweight - 25 to 29
Obese - 30 or above
One can only hope not to be in the obese category!
Now lets move on to a popular variety of workouts that will be of interest to you.
Cardio-Kickboxing : This workout combines elements of boxing,martial arts and aerobics. It provides you overall physical conditioning and toning. It is basically a cardiovascular workout. Although there is strength and flexibility improvements as a result of kicks and punches. And you can easily lose upto 500 calories in a single session! Since it is a high intensity high impact form of exercise it is probably not a good idea to plunge in after a long stint as a couch potato.
Aerobics : Aerobic classes involve a lot of body movement and are designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system and provide an all round body workout. Its very common to use circuits of dance-like motions to get the heart rate up for atleast 20-30 mins and burn calories. Most classes involve a series of exercises and movements carefully choreographed to work on specific areas of the body or the whole body, Performed to upbeat music and the steps follow the beats of the songs. As popular as this workout and most loved among women, men should try this more often since it is intense, high impact, takes less time then normal workouts, great fun and most importantly guys need the flexibility!
Body-Sculpting : Coming on to this, body sculpting are exercise programs that are designed to help tone the muscles in specific areas of the body. Basically a muscle toning class. There are several different forms of exercise that can be a part of a body sculpting program, depending on the area of the body requiring the sculpting. Like upper body and lower body sculpting. Anyone can do this, who would like to firm up. Although it takes a few classes to learn proper form. Prepare to be real sore if you are a novice!
Some Do’s and Dont’s
• First thing it is always a good idea to see your doctor before you start any type of exercise program. This is extremely important if you have any chronic medical conditions such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes.
• Secondly always wear cross-trainers at all times during workouts, not tennis shoes. Because cross-trainers allows for side to side movements.
• Thirdly perform warm-up and cool-down in the form of stretches or low intensity exercise for a period of 5-10 mins before and after exercise to avoid muscle cramps.
Keeping this few things in mind, start up move and shake towards a healthier and long life. Remember, One is never too old to start Exercise. In the end the decision is yours alone.
