3 Fitness Pages For Fun Workouts

You remember the post where I talked about Chloe Ting workouts and how much I loved them? They are great, but I need variations in my workout. I think doing the same set of exercises everyday without a little bit of a shuffling can get pretty boring, and demotivate you from actually exercising. So, here are a few other people and channels who are pretty great to follow for an exercise routine. 

1. Fitness Blender

I think Fitness Blender is great, and they have workouts that range anywhere from 5 minutes to a hour- so they have a wide variety of workouts that can keep you not-bored! 

"We believe fitness should be accessible to everyone, everywhere, regardless of income level or access to a gym. That's why we offer hundreds of free, full-length workout videos, the most affordable and effective workout programs on the web, meal plans, and helpful health, nutrition and fitness information." - www.fitnessblender.com 

2. POPSUGAR Fitness 

Do you love the original, structured versions of Zumba and Strong Zumba? POPSUGAR Fitness is a great place to go for it. They also really interesting range of workouts that incorporates Dance, Zumba, Boxing Fitness, toning workouts, etc. I like them a lot!

3.  Fit Body by Ashley

If you want a 100% fun, sassy, absolutely energetic dance/Zumba workout that burns calories when you are just dancing away with Ashley's irrepressible stamina, energy, and zeal- go here! This is my absolute favourite. Discovering Fit Body by Ashley was the best thing that happened on the workout-side during this lockdown. The vibe is just so, so very good, and her smile and energy is so infectious that you see yourself smiling all the way through her sassy workouts!

You have to try these three- I absolutely love them. And, when you keep alternating between workouts, you feel much better and more enthusiastic about it, which is important to keep it going! Try them, and have fun!

Being Active

MU Extension

My dad showed me a tweet thread today where a cardiologist has discussed the increasing number of heart conditions that prop up even amongst those who are pretty young, and not too old. The thread talked of various possible factors, one of which was lack of an active life. We are all so busy today that we hardly have any time to move around. How ironic is that! While busy is supposed to be associated with a lot of activity, nowadays it's almost never a physical activity. We sit through the whole day, our eyes glued to the screen in front of us, most of the time in postures so horrid that the body screams for help through backaches at the end of the day.

Some of us do take the time out to make a slot for exercise- maybe running, walking, dancing, hitting the gym, cycling, or whatever. But, that is for a maximum of one hour. One hour of movement and calorie-burning does not compensate in any way for the rest 23 hours of sedentary lifestyle! My mom keeps saying that even if she doesn't exercise regularly, she is still highly active- and that is so true. She is not sitting all day long. I see her walking around in the house, and cooking (you essentially have to stand), and sitting down on the floor, and then up in chairs, and there is some movement every once in a while (unlike me). 

Have you probably wondered how your grandma would not exactly have done an hour of dedicated cardio, but could still be fit and fab at 70? I think that's because they didn't have a sedentary lifestyle. Moving around is important, but also becomes increasingly difficult nowadays. So, what we can do is:

1. Get up to go drink water regularly. (Now, don't skip drinking water just because you have to get up and go).

2. Walk a bit, stretch a bit before and after meals when you get up for them. Please don't have your meals brought to you where you have been sitting all day anyway!

3. Those of us who aren't even sitting, but are laid out all day lazing on the bed- maybe, get a chair and table? Lazing is okay for a day, or even a week, I'll say even a month! But, that may not be the best lifestyle to lead on a long term basis. It can also be a really bad posture. 

My dad was telling me how, in the set up of an office where work demands that you sit in front of your screen and get the job done, water breaks and loo breaks are probably a good time to move a bit, instead of being in the same chair for ten hours every day. We have our constraints in today's world. But, we can do what best can be done. I have seen some office spaces becoming more sensitive to these aspects, and have started allowing an open work space where employees can move around and shift spots as they work through the day. Though this is not very common yet, it is still a good initiative by some!

Even if we can't really move around much, we should at least be aware that we need to. It's not just about I-can't-do-a-desk-job feeling. It's about the actual movement that our body needs. And, I am not just talking about a workout activity at a scheduled time. What we need is to 'be active'. Being aware is a great first step that will help us find our way!

The image is a great pointer on the what makes the basics of being healthy- "lifestyle activities" are extremely important. This is actually a 36- by 24-inch poster by an extension of University of Missouri, designed to help children ages 6 to 11 understand. But I think, we all need it too!

Let's be aware, and be healthy!

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!

Born To Run

Title: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Author: Christopher McDougall

Why are we not able to run long distances with speed without regular injuries? Why does our feet pain? And, how do the Tarahumara Indian tribe, snuggled safely in the recluse of the savage Copper Canyons in Mexico, manage to be long distance runners at amazing speeds without even having any of the regular injuries? What starts as a quest with this simple question and thought, leads Christopher McDougall to explore the lives and the ethnicity of this soft and passionate tribe nestled away from the rest of the world. 

"How come my foot hurts? Because running is bad for you. Why is running bad for me? Because it makes your foot hurt. But why? Antelope don’t get shin splints. Wolves don’t ice-pack their knees. I doubt that 80 percent of all wild mustangs are annually disabled with impact injuries."

After an impact injury and painful running experience, McDougall sought answers for his questions. And, the only ones who knew the answers—the only ones who lived the answers—weren’t talking. Especially, not to him. Seeing the Tarahumara tribe for the first time in an article, he thinks the image is of "some kind of wishful Atlantean legend about an extinct empire of enlightened super-beings", only to realize later that all that he thought was true- except for wishful and extinct. 

"I felt as if I’d discovered the Future of American Running, living five hundred years in the past."

The Tarahumara Indians called themselves Rarámuri, which means 'the running people' in their language. We sprint through the events in the book, swiftly yet steadily, just like the run of the Rarámuri- as we meet them one by one, their kids and the society, and their unbelievable running culture. With a brief insight into the history of ultra-running or long disatance running, and the science behind it, McDougall paints the contrast picture of the same idea in the mind of an urban and the Tarahumara tribe. Not only was the tribe full of ultra-runners and superatheletes, the author finds himself facing a tribe with a great immunity and endurance. 

Born to Run is a wonderful book, and I could feel Marcelino and the kids whizz past me as I witnessed their rarájipari, or their famed running races, through McDougall's vivid and fast-paced description. Exploring the contrasting aspects of Science from the Harvard lab tests and pro-running shoes, to these rocky pathways where the Rarámuri ran in thin sandals, the author brings up wonderful questions and seeks answers for them in this hidden tribe. 

"His feet were jitterbugging like crazy between the rocks, but everything above his legs was tranquil, almost immobile. Seeing him from the waist up, you’d think he was gliding along on skates. With his chin high and his black hair streaming off his forehead, he looked as if he’d burst straight out of the Steve Prefontaine poster on the bedroom wall of every high school track star in America."

We are allowed a tiny insight into this warm and happy tribe to whom running comes second nature, and we learn how and why they run the way they do. The author also narrates how the Tarahumara-style of running helped him become a much better athlete, and how he gained endurance and reduced injuries while running. 

This was such a pleasurable and highly enjoyable read. I loved the narrative format in which the story took me through, and I loved all the characters and the people of this book. It gives a gleeful glimpse into a vibrant tribe of born ultra-runners, and highlights the learning that we must take from them. Also, it just amps you up so much when you read about the tribe and their running, it motivates you and makes you realize that running is one of the most natural things that we can do!

I really enjoyed the book. It has been one of my best reads this year!

Engrossing Plots, And Your Hunch

Ask any heavy reader- they'd probably have had several bad postures. When you are reading The Godfather, it's simply unputdownable. You cannot leave the story and that means you stretch along hours without moving beyond the four by four feet of space that you settle in. But, we usually toss, and turn, and lie down and sit up, and do some half-up-half-down postures, all within the same the square of area. 

I have sat for hours in the same hunched up position, a book in my hand, neck bent down towards the book in a posture as unhealthy as possible, looking down for hours together immersed in the world of fiction with just the fingers turning one page after another, without realizing the strain that it's putting on my neck and spine. All that is left would be a satisfying read and a stiff neck. Bad posture- it's a perennial issue if not consciously rectified. 

My mom has always been the one to correct me on my posture while reading, and make sure I sit well and comfortable. Nowadays, I try to be self-conscious and settle down in a position where I won't be slumped in a baleful posture for hours. It is a very important thing. As much as it is fun to relate to memes that show the different postures of bookworms, it  is nothing to be proud of. Sitting erect and comfortable without straining any part of your body is absolutely necessary to avoid unpleasant effects of it in future.

So, next time you sit down to read, make yourself comfortable and ensure that you are in a good posture. This actually applies to anything you do, not just reading! Sit straight, and don't slump. Keep your hunches limited to your guesswork on the plot, don't extend it to your posture.

Happy reading!

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!