Fitness Fundamentals

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...

 "Why am I not able to build muscles?" "Because you have low testosterone." "How can I increase my testosterone?" "By building muscles." "But I am not able to build muscles." "Because you have low testosterone."   😕  😕  😕 ! ? ... A.   Myths and Facts of Muscle- Building (i) Myth - Muscle-building is only for bouncers and bodybuilders.       Fact -   Everyone needs muscle-building, men and women, young and old alike. (ii) Myth - Muscles make you attractive.       Fact - Any woman (with brains) will prefer a man with intelligence (optional) and fat salary to an idiot strutting with his six-pack. (iii) Myth - "It has been 3 months since I joined the best gym in the town, equipped with the best machines and instructors and frequented by the best bods, yet I am not able to gain even an ounce of muscles!"               Fact - Brother, CCTV camera footage shows that you h...

If you've read the weather forecast for rain today, in all likelihood, you will not leave your home without an umbrella. A.   What is Aging? i.   On September 30, 2023 a veteran athlete (b. March 15, 1940) boards a plane to participate in the Masters Athletic Meet. On the same day a cardiac patient , born on the same date and year, is transported in a wheelchair for his routine medical check-up.  Both of them are 83 year old. This is their 'chronological age' . However, when you examine their biological status , i.e., their cardiac health, strength of  bones and muscles, cardiovascular capacity, etc., the veteran athlete might be comparable to a normal 60 year old and the cardiac patient in wheelchair to a normal 95 year old.  This is their respective  'biological age' . ii.   When we talk about aging , we mean biological aging . Aging is thus a study of progressive changes (let's not call it deterioration - that will help you to remain upb...

  A weighing scale is second only to onions in bringing tears to the eyes of modern urban women! Ladies, you might have probably tried all these methods for weight loss -    Eating salad like a goat    Intermittent fasting    Low-carb, no-fat, high protein diet    Hours of cardio     Gym workouts    Walking 10000 steps every day    Caloric deficit    No sugar, no rice diet, and so on... And, you are at a loss - why there is no weight loss!? Exhausted and dejected, you have now started consoling yourself by blaming your genes, menopause... Don't lose heart! " Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood." Marie Curie A.  Let's Understand the Basics of Weight Loss ( read fat loss ) 1.  Your body weight consists of fat + lean body mass ( muscles, bones, water, etc.). You need to lose fat, not lean body mass. 2. Body Mass Index (BMI) , despite its popularity an...