BMR

BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate) in simple English means the amount of energy a body expends/uses at the state of rest to maintain normal bodily funtions.

Definition: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain normal body functions. It is the amount of calories per day your body burns, regardless of exercise.

So higher the BMR of your body, more is amount of calories it burns at the state of rest. The BMR of a person changes according to age, gender, diet and exercise. The BMR of a person is determined by various genetic and environmental factors. Some of them are:

• Genetics: Some people have a higher metabolic rate, while some have slower, and that is because of Genetics.
• Age: BMR reduces with Age. It drops 2% per decade after the age of 20.
• Gender : Men usually have a higher BMR as they have more muscle mass and less fat.
• Body fat percent: Your Body fat percent has to be low if you desire a higher metabolic rate.
• Physical Exercise: Physical exercise not only burns fat but also in turn increases your BMR. If you are doing weights and building muscle, you are burning calories even while sleeping.

How to increase your metabolic rate:

• Eat at regular intervals: Eating at regular intervals helps in increasing the BMR. Try and have 5-6 small meals in a day. Starving or eating very less food will only slow down your metabolism.
  
• Exercise: Regular exercise helps in speeding up the metabolism. So exercise daily.
  
• Weight Training: Weight training helps in boosting your BMR as it builds up muscle. 1 pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day.
  
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water.
  
• Avoid Alcohol, excessive sugar intake and starving.
  
• Consume food with High Nutrition Value.

Hope this post has given you a general idea of BMR. Stay fit and live well:)

Personal Training

Personal training was something that I've wanted to do for a very long time.. Its been over 4 years now that i have been working out and i never felt the need to take up personal training. On my 25th birthday i thought why not gift myself a few sessions of Personal Training. So i took up 3 months of it( i had stashed up some extra cash, so m glad i cud use that at the right time). My trainer was my good friend too, so enjoyed it even more. It is very important when taking Personal Training that you be comfortable with the person training you. Because he was my friend my sessions were always fun:)

It always helps to have a right view of training. People sometimes take it as drudgery. With that kind of mindset, it kinda ruins the whole mood. It definitely is difficult when you have a personal trainer, as they push you to your limits. That is very exhausting and sometimes frustrating, as many a times you feel you cant achieve the desired results (m telling out of my own wonderful experience he he). But trust me the trainer knows, they see your potential and will push you to how much they think you can achieve. Many a times you can feel that they are expecting a little too much, but sometimes that is good:) It helps us to widen our horizons.

For me the whole experience of Personal training was wonderful. At that point of time i needed something different. And for once it was good to have someone else think for you:)

In the end all i wanna say is THANK YOU GAUTAM. You really have been very patient with my craziness...All the best for your future...

Eat more to Burn more

People think that if you want to be fit or if you want to lose weight u should reduce the quantity of the food you are eating. Some people end up starving themselves. This will just make you gain weight instead. To see a change in your body there definitely has to be a change in the quality of your food. Anything deep fried, sweets and simple carbs should be avoided. Food groups like protein, complex carbs, fruits and vegetables should be included in one's diet. Instead of having 3 large meals, divide them into smaller 5-6 meals. This helps in increasing your BMR i.e the Basic Metabolic Rate*. It is the rate at which your body burns energy. The higher the BMR the better. Let your last meal of the day be the lightest and avoid any carbohydrates in the night.An early dinner is always a good option. Include oats in your daily diet as that helps reduce cholesterol and is a good from of fibre. Proteins can be derived from fish, chicken, pulses and eggs. Avoid bakery products as much as you can and especially anything made of refined flour. White bread can be replaced by whole wheat brown bread.

Let you diet plan be flexible and something that you can maintain. It should not be a tedious task to keep track of what you eat. It should be enjoyable. You can treat yourself once in a while with something that you really like, but do watch on the quantity and the time of the day you are eating. Incase you have to go out for dinner or lunch, be extra careful with your diet for the next few days, and put in a little more time in your exercise. Please do remember that exercise and diet go hand in hand and it helps in achieving your targets faster. Develop a mindset of healthy eating and living thus you can indulge in your favourite things once in a while. Remember one thing, that every person is different and every body's requirement is different too. So if one from of diet is good for Mr A it not necessary that it has to be good for Mr B too. So find out your body type and make your own diet plans that will suit you.

*Will write a seperate post on BMR.

ACE Examination

Its been so long since I’ve put a post on this blog… and I don’t blame anyone…I’ve just been very lazy…Have been doin a lot of thinking about fitness lately and I want to get myself educated in this field… just being passionate about fitness will not make me a professional… I planning to give the ACE examination… (American Council on Exercise) (www.acefitness.org) it is quite a difficult examination so I wanna start preparing right now it self…will probably give the exam in the yr 2010..So even if in the near future I don’t enter the fitness profession, at least I can help myself and will not have to entirely depend on the trainers in the gym for advice…

Strength training Exercises

Strength training workouts basically help in building up your strength and muscle in your body. It helps in targeting specific areas of the body, or muscle groups as we may call it. For Eg: biceps, triceps, hamstrings, shoulders etc. For beginners it is better to start off with a full body workout where u have two exercise per muscle group. Start off slow so that your body will get used to it gradually.
Those who don’t want to join the gym could invest in a few dumbbells, barbells, an exercise mat, a fit ball, a stretch band and a bench. This will make the workout a lot more interesting. In case you find these things too expensive, for your dumbbells you can use your old coke bottles(filled with water).

Key Pointers to be kept in mind before start strength training:
Ø Always start off with ten minutes of cardio and stretches. This will help your body to warm up. Even a set of exercise can be done with lighter weights.

Ø The most important part of weight training is to get the position of the exercise right. If the position is wrong then the effect will not be on the desired area.

Ø Let the momentum of your exercise be slow. If you are swinging while performing the exercise, then probably you are lifting weights that are too heavy.

Ø While exercising don’t hold your breath, see to it that your breathing is normal. Also,that you have a full range of motion * throughout the movement.

*Definition: Range of motion means the most distance you can achieve between the flexed position of a joint and the extended position of a joint. For example, in a bicep curl, full range of motion would begin with the arm straight and end when the weight comes close to the shoulder, elbow bent. You can often improve limited range of motion with flexibility exercises if you have chronically tight muscles.

Full Body workout:
Back:

Bent over rows

Description: - Begin with barbell on floor in front.- Stand with knees slightly bent and feet about hip distance apart.- Bend forward at hips, keeping low back straight.- Lift barbell up to abdomen.- Lower and repeat.

One arm Rows

Description: -

Begin in position shown.

Right leg bent, toes forward, right arm on right thigh,

left leg straight and extended back,

toes pointed to left.

Keep back straight, parallel to floor,

with shoulders squared.-

Begin with weight on floor.-

Raise it up to abdomen,

keeping elbow close to side.-

Lower and repeat.

Biceps:

Bicep Curls
Description: - Begin with arms at side, sit or stand, elbow straight, palms up, dumbbells or barbell in hand.- Bend elbows upward.- Return to starting position.

Bicep Hammer Curls
Description: - Stand with feet hip distance apart.- Begin with weights in hands, palms inward.- Bend elbow of one arm, bringing weight up and out slightly to outside of shoulder. Keep palms inward.- Lower while raising other weight in same manner

Chest:

Bench Press Description: - Lie on bench press bench.- Grasp barbell bar or dumbbells, hands shoulder distance or slightly more apart.- Lift weight off of support.- Lower weight to chest.- Push weight up.- Repeat and place bar back on support when finished.

Dumbbell Pullover
Description:- Lay on back holding weight straight overhead.- Keep elbows straight.- Lower weight until it almost touches floor and return to start position.

Shoulders:

Shoulder Press Description: - Stand on both legs holding weights in hands, palms inward.- Bend both elbows and turn palms upward.- Continue by lifting weights overhead and straightening elbows.- Lower by reversing motion and repeat.
*Can be done by raising one arm at a time, then alternating.

Lateral Raises Description: - Hold weights in hands.- Begin with arms at side elbows straight.- Lift arms out to side, up to shoulder level.- Keep elbows straight or slightly bent.- Return to start position and repeat.

Triceps:

Tricep French Press
Description:- Stand/sit with barbell/dumbbell in hands overhead.- Bend elbows, lowering bar/ dumbbell behind head.- Straighten elbows.- Lower and repeat.

Tricep Kickbacks

Description: Kneel comfortably on a bench with the same leg that you hold the weight with. Now with your back straight and your head looking straight ahead start with the weight at a ninety degree angle (as shown). Extend the weight keeping your elbow completely stationary.

Squats:

Description:

1. In correct posture, stand with your legs spaced shoulder width apart. Your focus should be on splitting the weight between your hip line and knee line.

2. Keep your abdominal muscles tight, knees bent and chest up.

3. Under control, push your hips back ( like your sitting in a chair) and squat directly down.

4. Stop where your feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) and stand the weight directly back up.

5. Under control, stop just before your knees are straight and reverse the motion back down.

**Can be done with barbell, dumbbells or even just free squats.

Lunges:

Description:

1. In correct posture, stand with one leg forward and one leg back. Your focus should be on splitting your weight evenly between your legs.

2. Keep your abdominal muscles tight, knees bent and chest up.

3. Under control, slightly move your hips back ( like you are sitting down in a chair) and squat directly down.

4. Stop where your feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) and push your weight directly back up.

5. Stop just before your knees are straight and reverse the motion back down.

Well hope u enjoy doing the full body workout. This workout can also be done if you are resuming your exercise after a long time.

Lets get it started !!!

Well now that we have gone through as to what needs to be done before you start working out…Lets get to the main part as to how it has to be done… Whenever you are gonna start an exercise routine after a stagnation period or if you have never worked out before, please start at a slow pace. You might feel that you are strong enough to go for a jog for an hour on your first day but your body might not be able to keep up to it.

** Before you begin with any kind of exercise, please do enough stretches. Coz your body needs to know that you are getting into the mode of exercise. This also helps your body to loosen up a little. Stretches have to be done before and after your workout.

For those who cannot afford the gym or just don’t like going to one…

1) Start with speed walking-20mins..You can increase the time after a week, and then it can come upto 45-60mins a day..

2) Those who do have a good fitness level can also go for jogging as it’s a good cardiovascular exercise. But remember to jog only on sand, mud or grass. Running on tar roads can cause many injuries to your back, knee and ankle.

3) To make your routine more interesting take up something that you enjoy doing, like swimming, tennis, badminton or even fun things like rock climbing,wall climing, trekking.. That will add more flavour and it won’t get boring. Another way to keep your exercise going, is to have a partner.. It helps when you are accountable to someone..and you have the added advantage of companionship:)

4) One of the most important things that go with exercise is your food intake. A lot of people have this wrong idea that as long as I exercise I can get away with eating right about everything. I am not saying that you gotta starve yourselves by surviving only on salads.. Will never recommend that. You have to get into living a healthy lifestyle. Will talk in detail about food intake in another post.

This is for those who would like to workout in the gym…

1) You have a lot of options too when you are working out in the gym.Cardio, weight training, group classes (like yoga, pilates, dance class, aerobics etc.) You can divide your days into cardio workouts and weight training workouts. Try not to mix these two.(3 days cardio, 3 days weight training)

2) On cardio days start with a warm up of 5-10 mins either on the treadmill/cycle/cross trainer. Stretch your body well after the warm up and then you can begin your workout.

3) The same principle applies to those who are going to be working out in the gym, start off with 20 mins and then progress to an hr’s workout gradually. 20 mins each can be given to the treadmill, cross trainer, and the cycle. Try as much not to have a long break between switching on from one machine to another. (If your gym has a variety of cardio machines, the time then can be equally divided).

4) Start with a 10min warm up. Weight training days can be segregated to upper body and lower body. Upper body can be further divided into 2-3 muscle groups like, back and biceps and chest-shoulder- triceps. You can also focus on one muscle group at a time.

5) Workout for your abs can be done on 3 days too. Do it after your back workout or cardio days. No hard and fast rules as such, just do it on the days that are convenient for you. It helps in strengthening your core muscles.

Hope this has thrown some light on how to begin your exercise routine. Will get into the details of it in my coming posts.. Till then live well and stay fit :)

Getting geared up!!

Well in my previous post we saw the importance of exercise. Here I am going to give you an idea as to how to go about the whole thing. Now before you get all enthusiastic about working out, there are certain important aspects to be kept in mind

1) Get a general check up done from your family physician, so that u can be rest assured that you are in a condition to exercise.

2) Those that have been diagnosed with heart problems, pregnancy, high blood pressures, previous injuries, special care has to be taken. It would be advisable to join a health club/gym and be under the guidance of trained professionals.

3) If you have been sedentary for over a year then the exercise procedure should begin slowly. A sudden spurt of high intense physical activity can cause injuries.

Some of you might say that you don’t have any medical problems, but its better to be on the safer side and to get a health check done before starting the exercise routine.

The attire:

Many a times I have seen people go out for a jog or even walking with the wrong kind of shoes… It is very important to have the right kind of clothing and accessories before you start working out.

Clothes:

Please wear comfortable clothes when you are exercising. A pair of shorts and a T-shirt should do fine if you are going out for a jog or walk. The same could apply for those using the gym.The conservative kind can stick to track pants. Try not to use synthetic clothes while working out as they don’t absorb sweat. In out door activities protect yourselves with a hat, wear light coloured clothes, a good pair of glares and loads of sunscreen.


Shoes:

A visit to a sports shoe shop will give you an idea as to what kind of shoes will be your requirement. They have a range from running shoes to walking shoes and many more. Please do invest in a good pair knowing that it’s better to pay a little extra, than later pay the medical bills for the injuries caused by cheap ones.


Protection Accessories:

There are a lot of accessories to protect your knee, ankle, wrists etc in case you’ve had previous injuries. The orthopedic could advise you as to which brand and pattern needs to be used.

Well keeping all the above points in mind we can go ahead in the exercise part…Hey wait a minute I’m not gonna write everything in one post. So if you keen on reading more you’ll have to wait for my next post…Till then chow!!