Fitness Fundamentals

If you boast that in your life you always went to bed at the same time every night and woke up at the same time the next morning, it only  indicates that you never fell in love, you were never driven by the thought to change the world, you never read a good book, your soul was never charmed by a starlit sky, and you never opened your window to the sobs of the homeless family across the street... Why do we  sleep? (i)   It is during sound sleep that the body performs various maintenance functions such as the repair and growth of cells ( fitness enthusiasts may pay special attention to this), clearance of unnecessary garbage by brain , etc. (ii) Sleep temporarily takes us away from a world that is so boring and intolerable. If the world were different, we wouldn't imagine paradise in our religious and political texts! (Sadly, by creating paradise, we inadvertently made something more boring and intolerable...!) (iii) Occasional sleep deprivation may be unavoidable. Ho...

 "He (Jean-Christophe, the child) opens the piano, and brings up a chair, and perches on it. His shoulders just about reach the keyboard...His heart beats as he lays his finger on the key...Suddenly a sound issues from it; there are deep sounds and high sounds...they seem to call to you, to draw you away farther - farther and farther into mysterious regions...They are like spirits... [But when his father commenced piano lessons] "There was an end of the magic sounds, and fascinating monsters, and the universe of dreams felt in one moment...Nothing but scales and exercises - dry, monotonous, dull..."  ( Jean-Christophe ,  Romain Rolland) Researching the health benefits of tea and coffee triggered a similar sentiment within me. To me tea and coffee were not merely beverages; they always came as an experience. Tea reminded me of animated discussion with my friends about Rawls' theory of justice, leisurely sitting on the university lawns. It brought back memories of wak...

Your grandpa buys the most expensive tiles for his bathroom floor. A few days later he slips in the bathroom, fractures his hip and gets himself admitted to the most expensive hospital in the city. You become wiser .  You ( still ) buy the most expensive tiles for your bathroom floor. Then you cover the floor with the most expensive ani-skid mat. And, you walk on it in your anti-skid slippers. This only shows that you have a lot of money, and no common sense! Sadly, this is how capitalism grows... A. Don't ignore your bones Bones have three major functions in our body - (i) They carry our muscle frame; (ii) They are important source of minerals, mostly calcium and phosphorous; (iii) They protect our internal organs. Of all the bones you should take particular care of your backbone and funny bone. That will add joy to your life and (sometimes) misery to others' lives!  B. Bones, bridges and banks Strong bones are to our body what high quality steel frame is to a bridge . Yo...

  A.  Effects of eating raw sprouts, as told by a nutrition neophyte Enthused by an article, forwarded to me by one of my ('naturopath') friends, I have been eating raw sprouts for last 3 months. These are the effects of my experiment - 1.   My wife's sleep quality has improved. She does not have to wake up early in the morning to prepare an elaborate breakfast for me. I wake up, rinse the sprouts and eat them. The whole procedure hardly takes more than 5 minutes. 2.   I have lost 3 kg during last 3 months. The very sight of the sprouts is enough to kill my appetite. The earlier breakfasts of aloo-paratha, puri-sabzi, idli-sambhar-chutney...are a thing of the past!😞 3.   My guests have stopped visiting me. I would serve them sprouts - the wonder foods, full of excellent nutrients.  B.  What do the experts say? 1.   The process of germination causes release of  enzymes in the seed which help in improved digestion of carbohydrates and prot...

A. A gym trainer's advice " Why does my gym trainer insist that for maximum muscle gain I must drink 3-4 liters of water every day?"   "He may be right in doing so. By weight, water constitutes approximately 45%-60% of your body depending on your age , body fat % and sex . ( Women have generally lower amount of body water because of higher fat % in their body.  "By the same logic, obese persons with high body fat % will tend to have relatively less body water. This peculiarity combined with their larger body surface area puts them at greater risk of dehydration.  "In other words, obese individuals will have a higher water need than non-obese ones. "Your muscles, brain, heart, kidneys are approximately 75%-80% water . Therefore, it's very important to maintain fluid balance in your body for its optimum functioning.  "Water transports nutrients and oxyge n  to your muscles (and other parts of your body) and takes away waste products ...

The terms cardio, aerobics, cardiorespiratory or cardiovascular endurance training are often used interchangeably. All of these exercises involve the same organs , viz., heart, lungs and blood vessels in the same manner. A. What is not a Cardio? Look at these examples - - A patient lying on operating table learns that the surgeon would be performing the first surgery of his life on him. His heart  suddenly starts beating very fast and he starts sweating. ( The surgeon is already sweating.) - An unprepared student in the examination hall looking at the difficult question paper  - A ticketless traveler in a train getting jittery at the sight of  approaching Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) - A husband waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat from a nightmare that his affairs have been caught by his wife - A police officer facing a violent mob - An actor facing the camera for the first time No one in the given examples is performing a cardio because cardio is...