Showing posts with label How To Get Fit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How To Get Fit. Show all posts
Fitness First | Get Fit with Celebrity Nutritionist Luke Coutinho - Exclusive
The marathon season has officially begun, and the season of resolutions for the year ahead is also just around the corner. Several people take up to hard core training and fitness routines around this time, mostly as a resolution for the brand new year (and to add everyday exercise to our daily routine) or simply, to look our best for the most coveted NYE party in town. However, for many others, fitness means serious business and is an important part of their lifestyle. Constant work pressure and stress takes a toll on us, and taking out some time for a walk, run or even Yoga can do wonders to take us away from the monotonous routine. In addition, it also keeps us fit, flexible and energetic.
Interestingly, Celebrity Nutritionist Luke Coutinho also believes the same. Coutinho, who is also an Exercise Physiologist and celebrated author of ‘The Great Indian Diet’ (with actress Shilpa Shetty), believes in lifestyle change and helps coach people to make ‘shifts’ in their respective lifestyles, in order to achieve their health goals. Coutinho is the founder and director of Pure Nutrition, well known for their wide range of organic health products. He is also the head nutritionist, master coach and mastermind behind the popular GOQii lifestyle and health coaching model. Coutinho enjoys a strong clientele across the globe and works towards a simple vision - “To empower people with skills and knowledge to live longer, healthier, and happier lives, through methods of consulting, mentoring, counselling and professional advice,” he says.
Since many of you asked us to share fitness tips for the ongoing season, we got Coutinho to discuss fitness at large in this feature. Right from tips for a marathon or gym beginner to eating right, workout do’s and don’ts and fitness trackers; we’ve got your covered on everything in this exclusive chat with the master coach and nutritionist.
Basic tips that a beginner should keep in mind before hitting the gym
Luke: Make sure you set your goals and duration to achieve them
Start some light walk or exercise before joining any gym, in order to see if you are and can be regular
Optimise location, so you aren’t bored to hit the gym
Make targets on daily basis to achieve the goals
Workout do’s and don’ts for the winter season
Luke: Do’s - Drink plenty of fluids
Protect your hands and feet, as while exercising, blood supply is to the core and in winter, extremities might freeze out. So, please take care. Wear socks and hand gloves
Don’ts - Don’t over exert yourself.
Don’t skip your meals during winters
How much does a fitness tracker benefit an individual, especially to track their progress, whether in the gym or while running / walking?
Luke: Fitness tracker proves to be beneficial in terms of keeping you motivated if you have set goals for yourself
Build up correct goals that you can achieve as per your previous records
Shows realistic picture of your current health and fitness status
Also helps to understand if you had sound sleep as that is also one of the major part towards health and fitness
Five everyday exercises that are a must and perfect for every individual, irrespective of age or gender
Luke: The utmost important exercises to be done daily by any age group are:
Pranayama, Stretching exercises, Walking, Yoga, Side kick
Five important tips for a beginner, who is looking to prepare for a marathon
Luke: If you are interested in taking part at any marathon, it is important to take care of the following things -
Eating meals on time with small gaps
Focusing on a balance in between carbs and proteins with fibre
Hydrating body is most important of all
Keep natural sugars like jaggery, dates, figs etc handy to munch on, especially when you feel low on energy
The best pre-workout food / snack?
Luke: The best pre workout food needs to be a good combination of carbs with protein, as they help you in maintaining good energy levels while working out. For eg: 1 whole wheat bread peanut butter sandwich or / 1 Fruit with handful of nuts or /1 bowl of curd with fruits (yogurt parfait) among others.
Your thoughts on dietary supplements. How do they benefit an individual?
Luke: Dietary supplements are not mandatory for all. They are best suited for people who are malnourished, have deficiency, suffering from digestive problems that hamper nutrient absorption, some medical conditions that need extra nutrition among others. These supplement help nourish them by supplementing those extra micronutrients that are needed to lead a healthy life.
Diet plays a crucial role in staying fit. What is your thought on people who only concentrate on pumping the iron at gyms, but staying away from nutritious food?
Luke: Together, both Diet and physical activity play an important role in staying fit. Diet plays 80% role in maintaining healthy and fit lifestyle. Just pumping out will not give any good results. Instead, it will affect the body more negatively, making it vulnerable to catching infections by weakening the immune system, digestive system and more over, loss of muscles that can lead to other related diseases and may end up giving you a distorted body shape.
An important workout tip that you always swear by
Luke: Daily aiming to do 8,000 – 10,000 steps a day is most important for everyone. It is better than 1 hour of continuous workout.
Love,
The Dancebee
6 Ways to Beat Stress | Health Diaries with Mickey Mehta
Stress impacts your immune system and can have adverse effects on your blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, digestion and hormones and can lead to fatigue, autoimmune diseases and even cancer. Extreme stress when left unattended can also speed up the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and tumours and other degenerative diseases.
Stress is a normal part of life and increases every time an event looms up and one cannot expect to escape it altogether. Most of us have long working hours, unrealistic deadlines to be met, family tensions etc. Stress, unwanted, but inevitable reflects concerns like anxiety, fatigue, anger, depression, irritability, headaches etc. It is one’s attitude to life that is necessary to tackle and manage stress. All of us are vulnerable to stressful situations and need to find answers or solutions
☻ Positive Attitude: A positive attitude really helps. Negativity fosters low self esteem and increases the chances to be more inefficient. Learn to manage time systematically, devote time for work and family, and convert any form of problem into challenges. Pace your activities and learn to delegate, share work, to ease your schedule and lessen the stress.
☻ Learn to relax: Rest, sleep and relaxation are crucial components for relieving stress, both physical as well as mental.
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| Sleep Like A Baby: A good night's sleep goes a long way |
☻ Prayers: Practise of meditation and prayers help to cleanse negative emotions like anger, anxiety and fear. Meditation helps lower stress levels very effectively.
☻ Eat healthy: “We are what we eat.” Food has an important role in influencing our attitude, thoughts and behaviour patterns. Opt for foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, sprouts, fresh vegetable juices, nuts, green tea among others as these foods can enhance energy, give rise to good mood and cheerfulness and can alleviate stress, boost confidence and a sense of wellbeing. Wholesome and natural foods have medicinal, healing and regenerative properties.
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| Image Credit: healthy-organics.com.au |
☻ Kick out the Junk: Avoid excess sugar/sweets, deep fried snacks among others.
Learn to say no to junk food, soft drinks, fruit juices, excess tea, coffee and alcohol. These are stimulants that affect the nervous system and can aggravate stress. Alcohol and smoking may give you temporary relief from the work stress, but in the long run, your health will suffer big time with their use.
☻ Balanced Diet: If you are on the go all the time and have been eating away from home (especially in the case of those who live alone), opt for grilled or steamed foods with clear soups and salads and avoid rich gravies, salad dressings, cheeses and desserts. Avoid large portion and sizes, especially during lunch time, as you have to get back to work. A balanced diet always helps.
In Part II, we will discuss effective exercises, that will help keep stress at bay!
By Mickey Mehta
for Diary of a Dancebee
How To Get Fit During Monsoon | Health Diaries with Mickey Mehta
Starting this July, we are excited to bring an all new monthly Celebrity Guest Feature as part of our fitness section. Our guest feature writer is none other than an extremely popular and respected Indian Holistic Health Guru. Yes, we are talking about none other than the leading expert with over more than 25 years of experience in the field of fitness - Mickey Mehta. The renowned health guru has a huge list of celebrity clients who swear by his teaching which includes Priyanka Chopra, Priety Zinta, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Smriti Irani and many more. A philosopher, life coach, an author and a fitness guru, Mickey Mehta has revolutionized health with his philosophies of zen, tao, tantra and ved, and blended the disciplines of exercises such as calisthenics, functional training, boot camp, agility drills, tai chi, pilates, yoga and swimming.
We are extremely delighted to have Mickey Mehta on board as the Celebrity Guest Writer, who will be providing fitness tips and answering reader queries every month on Diary of a Dancebee. This month, we got the Health Guru to talk about beneficial Monsoon Workouts.
A splash of cool rain drop on your face no doubt brings in a sense of relief from the scorching summer heat and makes you swoon with joy. It is a season to rejoice and enjoy the beauty bestowed by the rain God on mother earth. But this season tends to be the most difficult one for the fitness addicts. Unlike other seasons, during Monsoon, it not only becomes quite difficult to step out on rainy days but it also gets tough to cater to ones fitness needs. In this month's feature, I have put together some great exercises, especially for the ongoing monsoon season, that one can practice at home, without taking the trouble of traveling on rainy days.
JOG ON THE SPOT:
An indoor jog on the spot or around a house jog serves as a great warm up exercise and can be extremely beneficial. This is one important way to shed off the extra fat.
PUSH UPS:
Push ups serve as a complete body exercise and can be easily modified in order to make it more challenging for your body. Sometimes, even the most avid exerciser can find several reps of this exercise tough. For fitness enthusiasts who feel that a regular push up is too easy for you, try the Single Leg Push Up.
BURPEES:
One of the best exercises during monsoon is Burpees. This exercise serves as an intense, full body workout, and helps burn tons of calories. Burpees helps in increasing the metabolism rate as well. They are ideal for developing conditioning and endurance.
JUMPING LUNGES:
Lunges serve as an excellent thigh toning exercise. Add to that, jumps between these lunges and the entire exercise form - Jumping Lunges - turns into an incredible calorie burner. It also helps keep your legs toned and fit.
CLIMBING STAIRS:
The stairs in your building (home or office) serve as a superb exercising device by themselves. Walking up and down the stairs in between work is absolutely perfect for those who spent hours in front of the computer.
JUMP SQUATS:
Do a regular squat, then jump as powerfully as you can (reach up for the ceiling or sky). Jump Squats not only help in burning more calories, but also helps keep your legs fit and pushes you to challenge yourself for more.
JUMP ROPE:
Jump roping is an amazing and simple workout option. There is no end to the tricks and variations you can do with a jump rope. Not only jump rope is a good exercise, but it also helps you work on co-ordination and balancing your body. Jump roping burns a lot of calories and is also the cheapest form of exercise. No frills! Just a jump rope in your hand and you are good to go.
JUMPING JACKS:
Jumping jack is a structural workout. It is a full body workout and strengthens your core muscle very well. It also serves as a good warm up exercise. It is an effective exercise for the joints and also helps strengthen them.
YOGA:
Practicing Yoga on a regular basis is a must. Yoga is an incredible form of exercise that can be performed both indoors and outdoors. Select an airy, clean spot in your house, bring out your Yoga mat and practice simple asanas to keep yourself fit. Start with the basics like Pranayam, and slowly, move on to asanas like the Surya Namaskar. Yoga also helps diminish respiratory problems that are very common during the monsoon season.
DANCING:
Everybody loves dancing. And if you are someone who swears by it, then dance like no one's watching. Dance is an incredible form of exercise, who not only helps keep you fit, but also makes your body more flexible and free. Choose your favorite music and dance genre, and burn calories without having to worry about hitting the gym on a rainy day.
Make fitness and wellness a part of your daily lifestyle. A dash of discipline, good food habits, regular exercises, combined with adequate sleep, rest and relaxation and a graceful attitude will surely get you rejuvenated, revitalized and Mickeymized this Monsoon!
By Mickey Mehta
for Diary of a Dancebee
