Chloe Ting's Workout Challenges (I Am A Fan)!

This lockdown time is definitely seeing more people try to exercise more regularly. I think the sudden shut down of so many activities for so many months brings a painful consciousness of our increased inactivity and sedentary lifestyle. And, my Youtube recommendations were suddenly filling up with 'Chloe Ting workout challenges', that I only cursorily glanced. A conversation with a friend, who mentioned her a couple of months back, made me go back and take a look at her workouts. 

First thing I wanted to know: who is this Chloe Ting? Chloe Ting is a Youtuber who started out with putting fashion and travel experiences, and then started putting out workout videos from 2017. Next question: why is everyone doing these challenges suddenly? There are two reasons for this. One, as I already mentioned, is our general consciousness of our own inactivity. Two, her workouts are great (and they work)!

The most popular of her workouts that I repeatedly kept seeing was the two week shred challenge. I decided to try that out, too. The results that people were claiming to have got was phenomenal. I have been working out in some form or the other every single day, and so I thought it might not really work that much of a change in my body (because I've been working out, anyway, duh). How wrong I was! My body felt and looked much better after the two weeks. I am already in my normal, healthy weight range, so I did not see too much of a difference in the scales. But, my body was actually feeling much better- and that is probably because some of the fat was getting replaced by stronger muscles. And, more than anything, I thoroughly enjoyed the workouts. 

So, here are some reasons why you should give it a try:

1. The workouts are challenging, yet not impossible to do even for a beginner. She also has good modifications that she shows in her videos. 

2. She gives you an entire week(s) planned, with everyday consisting of 2-3 video workouts for a total of 20-50 minutes. 

3. The difficulty progresses with every day, so it doesn't become too easy after the first week.

4. They are short and effective.

5. You can lose weight, tone, gain healthy muscle, improve flexibility, and just feel absolutely great after every single workout, every single day!

Of course, what you eat is also important. It is absolutely true that exercising is just half of the solution. There is not much of a point if the eating is not clean. If you are interested, you can even check out the meal plans that she puts up, though I didn't. I didn't do any dieting, or even go out of the way and eat healthy. I just ate normally, and tried to avoid junk on the days I am not really hungry. And even for that, I saw great results. On top of everything, I need to be able to enjoy a workout. And, I thoroughly did that with Chloe Ting's. 

I started another challenge of hers because I grew to really liking her workouts in the two weeks. Do check them out on her website! It's not another advertising gimmick that made it viral or popular. I was just as skeptical when I started her workouts. But, I can guarantee that you'll get into the groove and love it. And, what's better, you will see results that you can feel- irrespective of whether it shows a change in the weighing scales!

Go for it!

Zumba: Party-like-Workout, or Workout-like-Party?

All of us like to dance. All of us. Maybe, some may like to portray that they aren't really interested in dancing because they may be scared they aren't good at it, or they may not be comfortable enough to dance in front of other people. But we all shake a leg in private just as soon as groovy tune reaches our ears. Dance is literally as basic as the body's reflex to music. Then why not dance your way to glory (I mean a glory, healthy life)? 

I discovered Zumba around Class X thanks to a family friend and doctor. I went as a bubbly, chubby, pretty and plump kid to The Swingers Dance, and I absolutely, absolutely loved it! For the first time I felt like a proper heroine dancing, with no inhibitions, no judgement, as I danced away like crazy to my heart's content, dubbing the songs and matching them with the co-ordinated and easily choreographed steps, as I admired myself dancing, throughout the workout, in the full length wall mirrors in the studio! Until then, I had never taken much to keeping fit, and when I went for the Zumba classes, I didn't even realize that I was doing all this to lose weight!

Not even once. Not even once did I feel like not going or skipping. It was in fact the opposite. I used to be so enthusiastic about them- because why not, I was going to be the star of the day with some killer expressions and uninhibited dancing! Zumba classes were a major stress-buster and so much fun. The oodles of weight went away without even me thinking one moment about it. And soon, people started asking me. Wow, you've lost so much weight, what did you do? But, the issue was: when I told them Zumba, they eyed it like a workout, which it didn't feel like to me. 

Zumba classes in India are fun- they mix the right amounts of fun Latinotics, salsa, bachata, jazz, reggae, and peppy Bollywood with bhangra and other desi steps, all in the same spirit. The only place you can dance without a second-thought for Chikini Chameli and be its heroine is in an absolutely fun Zumba class! Zumba is in between aerobics and dance. It is more dance than aerobics. It is designed to make you feel great while doing it, and the music drowns your consciousness about the effort and pain during the workout. 

I think Zumba is an excellent option, especially for women. And, I say this because I have done Zumba for three years. It is the kind of workout that I know is my type. What seemed like a party produced such brilliant results, and over time I did become naturally health conscious. If you have a fitbit, or any other calorie counter wearable, do use it, it's great encouragement. I have a Ticwatch now, and I use that for my activities too. 

To those who are thinking about Zumba, and to those who have never thought about Zumba as an option: don't think, just do five sessions for a start before you think anything about it. It's way too much fun and it gives you mind-blowing results. How I am today is proof to that. 

Tip to those who already love Zumba: watch the mirror and yourself when you dance for songs you already know the steps for! You just tend to do it that much better!

Have fun (even while working out)!

And, What Haven't I Played?

Reminiscent pieces of writing are simply hilarious, and very rewarding. It shows you how much you have grown. It shows you how much has changed, and it shows you how much more will change in the coming years. 

26 December, 2014

"Looking back, I sincerely wonder about how many different games and modes of workout I have tried since Class One. In Class One, I seem to have gone to some dance class called “Swingers” in Pondy Bazaar. The fact about it is everybody remembers everything about it except me. I remember almost nothing. My dad claims to have taken me sincerely to every class, waited till it got over and have brought me back home. My mom remembers it all too. Why! Even my grand-dad says he has come with me many times to the class in ‘Challa Mall’. So, there is nothing much to say about my dances back then because I simply don’t remember anything. But then, it grows more interesting as I continue further. 

For some reason, which I have no clue about, I stopped going to the dance class- Swingers- and instead started playing a proper game- Table Tennis. That went along for quite some time. I played in a YMCA branch near my house(and was pretty good at it too). I was known for chattering non-stop with my TT friends. There used to be this coach who used to make us run around the ground ten times, skip a hundred times and give us those kinds of exercise. That is where the fun part comes! I never used to do it properly, and try all means of dodging.

But then, after sometime, I got bored of TT and the place became pretty crowded, and I didn’t get much of a chance to play. So, I quit playing TT. After that, I tried playing badminton for sometime in the same place, but didn’t stick with it. Well, at that time I even went for a chess class, but that wouldn’t hook me up, either.

All this while, my brother stuck on to one game- Tennis. He too was playing in YMCA. My dad then put my brother in a better place to continue his Tennis. That place was wonderful! When my brother joined, I told my dad that I seriously wanted to play Tennis. And ta-da! I was already going to my first class! I actually loved that place. I still do. The main coach was an old man whom we fondly referred to as “Tennis Thatha” while speaking to ourselves. He used to come everyday and coach us. We went four days in a week. I played Tennis there for three years(longest ever), from Class 6 to Class 8. 

I would have continued it there, but then we realised that the place was too far and that we couldn’t continue further because there were other classes. Both of us- my brother and I- dropped Tennis and decided to join some game in school. My brother had to choose between Basketball and Football. He chose football. I had two options too- Basketball and TT. I didn’t want to go for Basketball, so I chose TT again. I have been playing TT for two years now. I like the game very much. I went for the Clusters tournament representing my school last year, and my team came fourth place. But, now, I will have to stop playing TT also, because it takes up 2 hours every three days in a week.  

I cannot leave out the fact that I always complained about my school not having cricket or football coaching for girls. I remember how, back in Class 7, my classmates and I used to run for the cricket bats before the boys could get at it, so that we can train ourselves to play well and form a girls cricket team. We believed that one day we would be the eleven of the school’s A-Team in girls. We used to think of approaching the heads and asking for a girls’ team to be formed. One of my classmates used to say: “Hey, first we should be good at it. Suppose they allow the team to be formed, and we don’t know anything!” Yes, we used to practice for that. We sometimes went to the extent of challenging the boys! But I’m happy that now my school has coaching for girls in football. It came only this year when Class 6 girls went and represented.

And, amidst all this every year I go for the swimming course in Woodlands in the morning, since Class 4. It started with me being afraid of the water, and my dad not wanting me to be so. I improved year by year because of the awesome master I had. It is amusing to recall how terrified I used to be, and how I used to cook up all kinds of aches(especially stomach ache) so that I needn’t go to the class. The only thing that would make me overcome my fear is the cheese sandwich that my dad promises to buy if I swim well. Now, I am not afraid, and I can swim pretty decently.

But the question now is: what do I do if I quit TT?

I will have to do something. Something that is good, and doesn’t take up much time." 

Weirdly, I took back to dancing again, with Contemporary and Zumba. And, I also decided to get back to TT when I joined college. It is nice to note that I carried on a few pieces of doubtful questions, and have answers for them today!

Jogging Everyday: How Does It Feel?

My Ticwatch E is pretty cool!

I wake up in the morning, feeling fresh. And as I get ready, I put on those running shoes enthusiastically, and go for jog breathing in the clean, morning air, my brisk jog countering the general cold. After a good thirty minute jog, I hit the shower, and have a healthy breakfast- fruits, oatmeal cereals, milk. The day ahead is happy and energetic.

Okay, now, that's a great shot, hopefully in the future life of Sandhya, but let's cut the daydream, haha.

I bet all of us have those fancy pair of running shoes that we got with the optimism of living a lifestyle far removed from what we do live in. I will conveniently avoid the next statement about how often most of us use (or, don't use?) those pair of shoes though. I have a habit of waking up at around seven in the morning, so it's a great time to actually exercise. And, I do- yoga, floor exercises, indoor cardio. But, I still cannot make myself wear those shoes and get out of my room into that cold, windy, dreary morning. The days I successfully make myself walk out of the door into the open, and do go for a jog, you'd probably see me the next day, impishly limping down the hostel staircase with a slightly embarrassed grin. Yeah, that's the stamina.

A wise friend, clearly wiser than me because she executes what I am just writing as a post, told us during a general chit-chat yesterday, on how to make yourself get out there in the morning. 

1. Don't think about waking up. Just get up when the alarm blares. DON'T THINK. The moment you start thinking, you're never going to go out there regularly.

2. You can't get up, and then try to decide what you're going to do. That's not going to work either. Before you would have made up your mind, you'd find yourself crawling back into bed between the warmth of the sheets.

3. Whether you do go out for that jog comes down to if you really want to do it.

Ouch. The third one hurt, but when does truth not hurt! I feel at the end, that's the takeaway. If you really wanted it that much- all that brisk jog, great stamina, great fitness, energetic day- you'd do it. So, the key is to probably decide that you want it.

To increase stamina, and promote good fat burn, it's important to exercise sensibly. A random burst of cardio or high-intensity workout now and then is not actually going to help. Let's say out of 100, you start with an energy level of 90/100 in the first 10 minutes, and then it drops to 50/100 in the next 15 minutes, and then it's a sad 15-20/100 throughout the rest of the workout. You'll just be tired, and exhausted, and wouldn't have really done much to fat-burning. Instead, even if you are bubbling with energy, start out at a level that you can try and maintain through till the end, with little portions of cardio spaced in between. This is the kind of workout that promotes the right aspects for which you are working on.

Honestly, I am not that bad. I do have a general sense of activity that I do through the day. I seem to have a clear aversion to hitting the gym, unless I see no other way. But, I am starting to get a feeling that I can live my daydream with a little more effort. So, why not!

Are you living your daydream? If not, now may be a right time to start.

The Lazy Girl's Guide To Being Fit

Title: The Lazy Girl’s Guide To Being Fit

Author: Namrata Purohit

Do you pick the fattest book from the library so that you can just sit and read all day? Do you feel lazy to pick up a glass of water for yourself even when you are a little thirsty? Do you look at the mirror and know that you are going a little extra in some places but just ignore them, convincing yourself that you will slim down once you start working out? And do you always resolve that you will start working out regularly from the next day onward? Well, Namrata Purohit’s ‘The Lazy Girl’s Guide To Being Fit’ basically asks you to stop thinking too much about it and rather start moving. That would show better results, really, and then you can still read your fat book!

So, what should we be doing? The first thing, the book says, is start! Dance, jump, run, kick, play, walk, squat, stretch- just do something! You won’t and can’t lose all your extra fat in a month. But you surely will- gradually. Namrata, in the book, asks us to have SMART goals: simple, measurable, achievable, reasonable and time-bound.

The book discusses various exercise routines, and also talks about a healthy balanced diet and the benefits of exercising. It talks about motivating yourself. Start, and you won’t stop, the book says. It gives tips as to how to continue some workout routine even on long holidays.  

At the end of the read our motivation is renewed. And, we decide to start our exercise regimen from the next day onward…

Oh gods, no! Let’s start today. Let’s start now!