It is rightly said that “those who don’t have time for exercise will sooner or later find time for illness.” Fitness is not something that you dread, like a treadmill, but it should be physically and emotionally rewarding.
In our so-called busy lifestyles, all we crave for is to relax on our couches, despite knowing the benefits of regular exercise. So then, what exactly is the problem? Why do we stick to excuses rather than exercising? Excuses generally stretch from ‘lack of time’ to ‘hectic working schedules’ or ‘no spare time after household chores’ to ‘no break from the kids’. As far as time is concerned, it depends upon us whether we treat fitness, health and exercise as a priority or choice.
The time problem has a solution.
Cut down on our TV and computer time and spend it doing some push-ups, squats or jumping rope. Instead of using vehicles, you could try walking or even cycling to the nearby places, and use stairs instead of escalators. Taking care of kids is an
arduous task, but with kids along, you could go for a short walk or even to the playground for a fun run.
“I am all washed out” is another popular excuse. It is a proven fact that exercise
reinvigorates you. All you need to do is start. Waking up early in the morning for walks, light jogging and a little warm up keeps you chirpy throughout the day and is good for blood circulation too. If you are not a morning person, the lunch hour could be the time for you to stretch a bit.
Multiple benefits
But exercising in summer means sweat, and if you are one of them who hates sweaty t-shirts, then try working out in air conditioned indoor spaces or the gym. Swimming and aqua aerobics is a great relief for people with hard joints. If the pool doesn’t interest you, then try out simple yoga postures. Walking with friends and kids or exercising with family sets an example for your child and serves as a good family bonding experience.
Exercise could be a bit boring, but to overcome this problem, try to do something new in a while. Try new yoga postures, do just a little so that you feel like doing it again the next day. To spice it up, add your things of interest to it like music or watching TV while on an exercise bike or treadmill. Skating, dancing and gardening are some ideas to work upon.
A major problem that people face is that they have tried before and failed. To solve this problem, one should set smaller goals, celebrate it and then move ahead. Getting an exercise partner is a plus point as it gives you a reason to go exercising, knowing that someone is waiting for you. Try going slow with exercises, don’t take it as a burden or practise very difficult exercise moves. Instead try to achieve small goals, encouraging each other.
As the temperature soars high, the need for precautions and care increases. Even though exercising on hot summer days can be gratifying, one must be aware of heat-related illness. One research says that weather plays a vital role in setting our mood, and rainy, cold, windy and hot weather can easily dissuade us from going out to exercise. Hot winds can easily smack you back to your comfortable couch; but life is all about making changes and no excuses. Choose time wisely and avoid the peak hot hours, that is, 10 am to 3 pm. Wear cotton clothes or loose pyjamas and t-shirts in light colours, which reflect the sunlight. Applying sunscreen prevents sunburns and drinking a lot of water or drinks like glucose water keeps you hydrated, active and healthy.
Not only exercising, jogging, walking, skipping rope or other workouts, but
opting for customisation of meals is also very important. Here are a few fitness trends will make it easier for you to stay fit and make you feel more energetic, healthy and active. Once you start, you can get on to more aggressive workouts like:
Spartan race: This includes obstacles with races and challenges for your fitness and endurance. You will be running, climbing and crawling across some unidentified obstacles. It ensures full body movement and enhances flexibility.
Steel-flexx: As the name suggests, steel-flexx is a new form of yoga with steel, that is, lightweight dumbbells included. This too helps in improving flexibility and body strength.
n Aqua exercise: Doctors suggest aqua exercise to people with hard joints as the upthrust provided by water helps in effective full-body movement.
Parkour: A combination of different moves taken from jumping moves of monkeys, speed of tigers and flexibility of cats, it is an amazing full body workout.
It is inclusive of a lot of body weight techniques such as jump squats, pull ups, high jumps and many more. This technique can take your agility and flexibility to a whole new level.
Gladiator yoga: A new trend being followed in India, it is a combination of extreme yoga stretches with slow Tai Chi combat movements. Practising this gets interesting with a lot of body balancing postures, screaming, extreme stretching and combat moves. It enhances your muscular strength and improves mind-body coordination.
All these fitness tips, trends and exercises will surely help you out in beating the heat this summer. But be sure to take a trainer’s advice before starting your
summer workout this time. Stay fit, stay healthy.
(The author is celebrity fitness expert & nutritionist)