Fitness with fun

Exercise is one of those things that is difficult to do when you have to but so easy when you want to. That’s why fitness enthusiasts are constantly changing their fitness regimes to keep themselves going. After all, it’s human psyche to easily get bored when doing the same thing over and over again.

However, when one has to exercise in order to stay fit, there are a few things that they need to keep in mind. Prashanth Ponnappa, a cross-fit level one trainer, says, “It’s not necessary to hit the gym to stay fit. You can work out at home, as long as you know what you are doing and are following the right techniques.”

 “For those who are committed to staying fit, it’s a good method to change their workout routine once in a while. This will help them both mentally and physically. Since there are different types of exercises one can adopt, there’s always something fun to do for better results,” he adds.

Harsha M V, a professional, has been regularly hitting the gym for a couple of weeks ever since he realised that he needs to stay fit. “I dropped out of the gym last time due to sheer laziness. This time, I decided to join something that will motivate me to exercise everyday,” he explains.

Harsha does a mix of yoga, zumba and Bollywood aerobics — all high intensity workouts. He adds, “When you’re working out with a group of people and notice how well they are following the trainer, you will also want to push yourself. You don’t want to seem like the odd one out! So this is a good motivational aspect. It’s a good one-hour workout and we do different versions of it everyday.”

When one breaks the monotony of working out, it also helps them focus better at work. He says, “Lately, it’s been quite stressful at work as we are working on a new project. There’s so much strain mentally, sometimes even physically, that it
took away my time to even think about working out. But now that I have started, I’ve noticed a massive change in my way of thinking. The results are not only seen personally but also professionally.”

Muthukumar, a professional and fitness enthusiast, agrees. He started his fitness journey about two years back with running and eventually moving to bootcamps and obstacle run events.

This helped him discover fun ways to stay fit. Today, he practises different techniques like spinning, indoor cycling, body combat, zumba and Bollywood aerobics.

He says, “I have also joined an outdoor workout cult that follows theme-based workouts every week.  I have lost about 20 kg weight after I started mixing my workout methods.

And it’s not about body building or gaining muscle for me. I like that I can keep everyday activities interesting and look forward to the next exercise as well.

Thanks to the various fitness methods, the best part is that I get to travel to different parts of the country and participate in marathons too.”