Author: Archana

Once a Physiotherapist now a Wordsmith. Field Botanist. Bonsai. Proud Indian. Fauji Wife. Doting Mother and Mother-in-law. Devoted Grandmother. Reluctant Cook. Happiest on a road less travelled. 60s are the new 40s ;-)
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Grouping up!

Exercising with a friend or as part of a group is tremendous fun! It instills camaraderie and the group spirit is a huge motivator and challenger. If you are feeling down or need to pump up your workout to a new level, these members will be the ones to stand by you. And I speak from experience. I was able to increase my cycling distance only when I went along with a friend – I know I would have found ‘n’ number of excuses to return… road too bumpy/road is slippery; excessive traffic/ too lonely; too sunny/ impending rain… Sounds familiar??
🙂


When we exercise the Happy Hormones (Endorphins) are released in our brain. It makes us feel… well, happy, and its the urge to experience this post-exercise happiness that gets us to exercise again and again and again… It goes without saying that such happiness in highly contagious! 

A happy frame of mind will make us more productive in our work and improve our general well being. Group exercises done as therapy work like magic especially for elders suffering from knee pain or backaches. 



Next time you feel low you know what to do! Just go out and burn some calories along with your friends.
🙂
Cheers!


Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs.
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Food and exercise

Food. An important part of our lives. As someone said, Eat to Live not Live to Eat.
For fitness fanatics, food becomes a BIG part of their lives. Some become obsessive about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat to the point that no one knows what to cook for them..

Do I see some of you nodding in agreement? I have gone through these phases myself!

A dietitian is the best person to make a good diet plan so make sure you inform her (or him) about your routine, preferences, allergies (if any). This means a better chance of adhering to the diet plan. There are many who spew virtues of consuming protein supplements.The images of bulging biceps and toned bodies tempt us into taking up such high protein diets.  Here is an article from Spark People that gives detailed information. However such protein supplements should be taken only under advice from an expert.


While those trying to lose weight will consider food to be an anathema, it IS required for sustenance, energy and survival. In our zeal, some of us exercise and simply avoid eating to try to lose weight. Contrary as it may sound. eating after a bout of intense exercise actually will help! 

Whoa there… Yessss, you read it right. For a period of up to two hours post-exercise, our body uses food that we eat to replenish energy exhausted from muscles and will not be stored as fat. This phenomenon is referred to by many names one of which is the ‘carbohydrate window’.

Burgers, fries
Photo courtesy @puneribaker

Here is an article that explains this amazing phenomenon. Read it and eat guilt-free after  exercising.  

Some experts advice those trying to lose weight to have early dinner and to avoid eating sweet foods after 4PM. Its got something to do with exhausting storage of the absorbed nutrients hence everything additional that is absorbed thereafter gets stored as fat. Yet another suggestion for this group of people is to reduce portion size and not what you eat. Simply put it means eat less of whatever you are eating. 

Lets see if I these tips make any difference to what my weighing scale says..

Cheers!

Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs.  

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Extensions

What does the  word ‘Extensions’ immediately remind you of? Now, now, please don’t say nails or hair… remember this is the AtoZ challenge and I am trying to stick to a theme!!

So, w.r.t. extensions, the exercises that I can immediately recall
are back extensions and knee extensions. The Quadriceps (muscles on the
front of the thigh) are the knee extensors and can be exercised using
weight machines or weighted cuffs.Here is an image that will give you an idea.


If you are exercising on a machine, remember to keep your tummy tucked in (this will stabilise the spine), keep your head straight and breathe out every time you straighten the knees. Hold on to handles-trust me, your exercise performance will improve. 

Squats is another exercise that will help make the Quadriceps stronger. At all times remember to take your weight on the entire foot. Do not let your knees jut ahead of the toes when moving downwards.Also do not lower yourself to a below the level of your knees. That puts excessive stress on the knee joints. You may have already experienced a similar difficulty when getting out of low sofas.



Strong back extensors
will ensure a good posture and must be exercised proportionately with
the abdominals.The basic movement of back extension is bending the trunk
backwards. The exercise is usually done lying face down on an exercise mat with
hands crossed behind at the buttocks. I find that this gets quite boring
after a while. Some excellent ways to add a zing is by doing back
extensions from the edge of an exercise plinth or on a Swiss Ball. Its a
good idea to begin these sets under supervision. To increase intensity
further, change the position of your hands from behind the back to
behind the neck or even stretched out besides your ears. Always keep the head and neck in line with the trunk.

I can continue, but I know you have many blogs to visit and comment…
Stay fit, stay healthy!
🙂


Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs. 

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Crunches

A spreading middle is the bane of advancing years and a sedentary lifestyle. People spending hours behind a desk will find this to be an almost unavoidable part of the description of their physique.


The ‘Pear’ shape, the ‘Apple’ shape, the much coveted (or envied) Six Pack…are all terms that refer to the middle of our trunk / the shape of the tummy. Some of the bulge is because of fat deposition but lax or weakened muscles of the stomach is an important cause as well. There are several ways to deal with the fat but this is one question that will haunt you daily: How come fat settles so easily but takes forever to get rid of??







 Exercising the abdominals is the best way to tone them up. It will not only help melt the inches around the tummy but stronger muscles will improve posture which will reduce the ‘pot bellied’ appearance. There are several excellent workouts and exercise combos. The commonest one is doing hundreds of crunches. This will help only when done correctly.

Here are some tips to get your crunches right:

  • Make sure the head is relaxed and in line with the trunk. Often one tends to crane the neck and head forward which in effect means less work for  the targeted muscles.Support your neck if possible with your hands.
  • Depending on the type of exercise, keep the hips and knees bent when lying on the floor. This way one reduces/eliminates the action of the hip flexors and can get maximal work out of the abs.
  • Never ever hold the breath when doing crunches. Keep breathing. Breathe out when contracting the abs (when you come up or when you exert) and breathe in during the opposite movement.
  • Tighten and tuck in your tummy at the start of every repetition. 

Remember to exercise the opposing muscles as well, namely back extensors. You would have noticed that poles often have metal ropes on either side to support and keep them straight? Similarly, our spine needs strong muscles on both sides (abdominals in the front and extensors at the back) to keep it straight and strong. This improves core strength. Pilates, Power Yoga, Malkhamb are super ways to boost core strength.



Cheers!

Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs.  

Images taken from Microsoft Clip Art

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Burn (Wordless Wednesday)

save fuel

Exercise helps burn fat thus helping lose inches and weight.
Whenever possible walk instead of driving, use the stairs instead of using the elevator and so on… Burn Fat Not Fuel!! 

Stay Fit, Stay Happy! Save Our Environment!

Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs.  
 
Compiled with images from Microsoft Office Clip Art

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Aerobics

Aerobics is commonest abbreviation of aerobic exercise, something that many of us take up regularly. In simple language it means exercise that is done when oxygen (that our body gets from the air we breathe) is used sufficiently to cater to energy demand during the actual exercise. E.g. Fast walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, jogging. During this type of exercises, our heart rate and breathing  rate go up in such a manner that exercise can be sustained for that session. As the heart rate goes up, more blood is pumped into the muscles and the increased breathing rate means oxygenation is faster. Thus the muscles get much needed oxygen required to burn the stored fat or carbohydrate to produce energy to jog, cycle, dance or lift weights (exercise)!

When we exercise, glycogen present in muscles is broken down to glucose which is then metabolised to produce water, carbon dioxide and energy is released.There are several benefits from aerobic exercise. The most important one is that it helps fight depression. Weight bearing aerobic exercises can help improve bone density as well.

The opposite is anaerobic exercise when the heart and respiratory rate cannot keep up with the intense exercise. e.g. fast sprint (as in 100 m race) or lifting heavy weights. Due to the shortage of oxygen, the metabolism occurring in the muscles is of a different type. Metabolic wastes accumulate in muscles which cause pain (“muscle burn”) and one cannot sustain the exercise for a long time. If ‘aerobic exercises’ are performed at a excessively high intensity then they can turn into anaerobic exercises. These too have some benefits but in general its better to devote majority of an exercise plan to aerobic activities.

This is the first post on exercising for fitness. All through April 2014, I plan to cover important aspects of exercising for fitness and share links that  you can read at your leisure. Stay tuned..
Stay fit, stay happy.
Cheers! 

Disclaimer: All
suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise
caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is
suitable for their specific needs.  

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Sacred groves (Nandivli)

I have written before about Devrai or Sacred Groves. I had the opportunity to visit one more recently with none other than the Patriach of Botany in my city. He gave us some more insights about Devrai which I would like to put into my own words.


Devrai is the marathi word for sacred groves, and loosely put, they can be described as forests that are protected by a local deity usually a Goddess (देवी) but some devrai have Khandoba or Mhasoba as their deity. The forest does not have a ‘temple’ in the form that we know it but it may be a simple structure made from local materials and the idol itself may be no more than a stone. Usually the offerings are flowers that have naturally fallen off trees and the blooms must not be deliberately plucked in a devrai. In fact nothing should be plucked in this forest or even taken away including dead or dry branches, twigs, leaves all of which must be left to decay there itself. The species growing in such protected forests thus get protection and thrive. Some shrubs, trees, roots etc may have medicinal properties. It is the ‘Bhagat’ who is the only person who is allowed to pluck such tree parts to help any sick villagers after offering due prayers to the tree. No one else can do so.


Sacred groves, Mulshi
Backwaters of the Mulshi Dam near Pune, Maharashtra



The Sahyadris have about 3000 devrai and the Mulshi area has up to 30 sacred groves. The Kudawale devrai near Dapoli is said to be spread over about 100 acres. These can serve as reference ecosystems which will help chose the
correct species for any new plantation, afforestation projects in
the area. It takes a thousand years or more for a proper forest to develop and simply planting a few hundred trees is not akin to creating a forest.


Dam, water, sacred groves, forests
The Sahyadri crest line near Mulshi Dam



It is such blind faith has helped protect the forests from the relentless march of so-called progress and urbanisation that has extended cement and mortar monstrosities way outside Pune. The area of some devrai has reduced and some do not have undergrowth. The latter is an indication of regeneration of the species growing there.  Lack of undergrowth heralds a bleak future for the devrai. Construction of new roads is a good thing but it may have a detrimental effect on such protected forests.


Here is a link to a Wikipedia article about devrai.


This article lists sacred groves in Maharashtra and here is one with some general information.


We recently visited a devrai near Mulshi. A tarred road to Lonavla ran through a part of this devrai. Access is by personal vehicles or an ST bus service from Pune (Swargate). As we neared Mulshi, the blazing red Dhaitee (Woodifordia fruiticosa) provided a welcome relief to the dry brown and yellow of the countryside as was the furry soft white inflorescence of the Bhamni. The weather had just started warming up and people were just about recovering from ‘Holi’. There was extensive flowering which was a pleasure and helped identification.

Bhamni: Cholebroochia oppositifolia

 We stepped out of the bus and were greeted by the sweet fragrance of the ‘Lokhandi’ (an Ixora species). You may remember the red walking sticks in Mahableshwar. They are made from this tree! Other trees specifically found in this grove were the Toran (Zizyphus rugosa). Its fruit is double the size of the usual Karwanda and is ready around the Divali festival. We were lucky to see blooming of the Waras (Heterophragma quadriloculare) , Vatoli (Diploclisia glaucescens), Shivan (Gmelina arborea), Kakad (Garuga pinnata) and Kuda. The Palas was in fruiting stage while the red blazing leaves of Baheda (Terminalia bellerica) and Kusumb gave a flaming touch to the scenery. I saw the Khedshingi with its strange looking fruit for the first time. The poisonous Hura (Sapium insigne) and Raan ghewda (Paracalyx scariosus) was a first for me as well.

My friends tell me that they could spot many varieties of birds and had an extremely satisfying bird spotting session here.
 

Here are some images (absolutely amateur variety!!) that I have taken during my visit to the devrai. Enjoy!


(Double click to open a new tab so the photo description can be seen)

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