Exercise is like good sex, if you are not having fun, then you are not doing it right. LachmiDeb Roy lists out ways to smarten up your workout. No chances of boredom, or injuries, here!
You want to get in shape. But despite all the exercising, the numbers on the weighing scale refuse to budge, or you end up with some serious injuries that force you to bid goodbye to the gym for at least a while. In both cases, you might be guilty of making mistakes that you should not ideally be while working out.
Mistake 1: I will skip the stretches today
Never: Miss out on stretching
Stretches supply blood energy and nutrients to our muscles. It also helps calm the mind and makes you feel good and helps in reducing the severity of the painful menstruation. Reebok Certified Fitness Professional Supriya Date says, “Very often, the importance of stretching before and after exercise is not given its due. It is important to stretch before any rigorous activity to avoid injuries. Skipping stretches may put you atrisks of joint pain, strains, imbalance, muscle injury and muscle tension. It is important that your muscles are warm and flexible before you stretch. Focus on a particular area of the body each time you stretch. Spend long on the stretch. The stretches should be in dynamic and not in static state.”
Date adds, “Stretching is an important component of our daily routine. In fact, it is more important than the exercise routine itself. Stretching enhances your physical fitness and helps you to perform skilled movements. It helps you to develop body awareness and correct posture by lengthening the tight muscles. It helps us to maintain full range of motion in all joints so that we are our flexible best at all times.”
Mistake 2: I will finish the conversation while working out
Never: Use your mobile during aworkout session
Music from the mobiles add rhythm to your workouts making your exercise more enjoyable and meaningful and fun.
However, use of mobiles during exercise may not be so helpful. Date explains, “Talking, reading or texting during workouts may divert your attention leading you to muscle imbalances and related injuries. Since your attention is divided between two tasks, it may lower the intensity and duration of your exercise session and lead you to postural instability.”
Talking about the ill-effects of mobile usage while working out Date says, “Texting needs the use of thumb and focus. Excessive use of thumb may put pressure on the finger thereby causing discomfort and pain. You may develop tenderness in your neck muscles leading you to muscle spasm. Keeping your elbow in a flexed position may cause elbow joint pain due to strain of nerves. Many people keep their wrists in a fixed position while texting which may put extra pressure on the forearm, as a result the whole limbs are affected hence increasing your stress levels.”
Adds Date, “You may get back pain due to posture instability. When you are texting and reading, you tend to develop a posture where your shoulders and neck are bent forward causing the muscles in the front to become tighter and the ones in the back weaker. This causes back pain. Your optical nerves are also put to test which adds to one's discomfort. Leave your phone on silent or switched off, better still leave it out of your sight if you want to enjoy your workout.”
Mistake 3: I will stick to the same workout routine
Never: Stick to the same workout routine, rather surprise your body
It is observed that there are two categories of fitness enthusiasts. One category is of fitness enthusiasts who like to repeat the same exercises for the same amount of time day after day, month-after-month. They become very comfortable with their workout routines and do not like to risk any change.
The other category is of those fitness enthusiasts who like variety. They like to spice up their workouts with a variety of exercises and movements. Studies support that workouts are meant to challenge your body in ways that keeps you physically fit.
Date explains, “Repeating workouts is not a bad idea if you are enjoying what you are doing. But repetition does make you perfect. After a while repeating the same exercises routinely may benefit psychologically but not physiologically. But our human body is a master at adaptations. So, the workouts that you have been following routinely to build strength and burn out calories now become a futile exercise without any benefits. This is called plateauing.”
“To avoid this ‘no gain’ situation, add variety to your cardio workout with different types of movements and strength training. This also helps strengthen different muscle groups. You may simply follow the FITT principle (frequency, intensity, time and type) by changing the components time to time. Changes are beneficial. You stick to the format to learn the moves and master them but changes are needed,” adds Date.
Mistake 4: I don’t like eating anything before working out
Never: Work out on an empty stomach; always have a light snack
If the body does not have enough glucose, it can eat into our muscle tissue? To consume a meal before a workout or to work out on an empty stomach is a debatable issue. It may work for some and it may not work for others. But consuming pre-workout meal has its own benefits. If you work out on an empty stomach, you may probably burn more fat but you may risk deriving energy from your working muscles which is bad for your body. Muscles give shape, definition and tone to our body.
AvniKaul, Nutritionist and Wellness Coach says, “A study published in British Journal of Nutrition and another one published in International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism had similar findings. They found that aerobic training in fasted state burns about 20 per cent extra fat but consuming sufficient calories before exercise enables to burn more calories overall. The body in the case of fasted exercise is changing the fuel sources which burns the extra fat. Since it has to burn glycogen or stored up carbohydrates and when the body runs out of glycogen reserves, it starts burning the fat. But still it is not recommended because when you burn fat, your body goes into survival mode which leads to burning of fewer calories so that when you eat your next meal, your body thinks it needs to store more of it thereby completely defeating the very purpose of burning the extra fat.”
Long periods of fasting before workout can result a drop in resting metabolic rate. Those who exercise in fasted state feel get more cravings to eat more later. Their appetite increases. Fasting before workout puts more stress on body which releases cortisol leading to breakdown of muscle to use protein as fuel. It can cause you to shed some muscle in addition to fat. Last but not the least it puts you in a bad mood while working out. The feeling of deprivation kicks in.
Kaul suggests, “Having a pre-workout meal suppresses hunger which is important for those whose goal is to reduce weight. It aids in post exercise recovery and reduces risk of muscle loss. A mix of high biological protein and complex carbohydrates is recommended for moderate intensity cardio longer than 90 minutes or high intensity workout longer than 30 minutes - you will need which energy which comes from carbs and proteins will help the body to avoid breaking down muscle. It leaves you feeling happy and fresh also. You can have your pre-workout meal 30-45 minutes prior to starting your exercise routine. You can have a banana before workout or a toast with organic peanut butter. For post workout you can opt for eggs with Toast or Veg Sandwich or low-fat milk with Muesli or yoghurt and some fresh fruits. You can add a protein shake with your carbs to meet your nutritional requirements.”
Mistake 5: Weight-training will bulk me up
Never: Avoid weight training; it improves heart health
It is a myth that women bulk up if they lift weights. On the contrary, women do not have the testosterone levels that allow them to build muscle like men. It is physically not possible for women to gain size from lifting weights. In fact, strength training gives you a lean and toned body.
DrManoj Kutteri, Wellness Director at Atmantan says,“Strength training increases the bone density,improves heart health, reduces your resting heart rate and resting blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, improves circulation, prevents muscle loss, checks blood sugar, and improves your balance and coordination. Age-related muscle loss known as “Sarcopenia”, is a natural phenomenon during aging. After 30 years of age, one begins to lose as much as 3 percent to 5 percent of muscles per decade. This age-related muscle loss can be avoided to some extent by engaging in regular resistance training and following a balanced meal. The increase in muscle mass helps to boost your metabolism and makes your body burn more calories. It also improves your ability to perform the activities of daily living (ADL’s).
Dr Kutteri explains, “Usually women prefer avoiding weight zone which is a serious mistake. On average, starting in late 20’s, women lose 5 pounds of muscle every 10 years and the same doubles after the menopause with a three percent drop in metabolism per decade. It decreases the risk of osteoporosis and reduces the risk of injury. Also, there is a huge misconception that weight training will make them look bigger or “bulky”. In reality strength training adds fun and variety to our workouts and make us strong.”
