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Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutations)

This is the topic for which I had to shelve Streches to the Odds and Ends.
Sigh. Both so important and it was a tough choice.
But let me get on with this….


I had first learnt Surya Namaskar way back from my Dad, did them for some time and slowly forgot the specific steps. The general idea stayed with me. Its only recently that the importance of this exercise has again dawned on me.


It is a combination of 12 asanas (Yoga postures) to be done sequentially preferably in the morning at Sunrise. This link has excellent photos to describe how to do the Surya Namaskar.


The breathing technique is extremely important if you want to do these right else you will only end up getting breathless and give up. Thats what happened with me and I turned to my Father for guidance. Basically it boils down to breathing out when exerting or forward bending.


The Surya Namaskar is a tribute to the Sun so what better way to perform the salutations than by saying the names of the Sun. This is also a good way to count reps. Here is a list of the names of the Sun that my Father gave me. Its in Marathi but I will put those names in English for you. Its for 13 repetitions and those wanting to do more can just start over. I have pasted the paper on the wall where I exercise just in case I forget! 




Names of the Sun, Suryanamaskar



I have added the above names in English at the end of this post for those interested.  

When time is at a premium, just do a set of 13 Surya Namaskar and you need not feel guilty about not exercising. It doesn’t need much space and done correctly the 13 reps will be done in a jiffy and get your heart rate up as well!


Different experts will suggest variations of this exercise. Its best to stick to one form and not try to combine them by yourself.


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. 

Om rham mitrya nmaha
Om rhim ravaye namaha
Om rhum suryay namaha
Om rhaim bhanave namaha
Om rhoum khagaya namaha
Om raha pushpave namaha
Om rham hiranyagarbhaya namaha
Om rhim marichaye namaha
Om rhum adityaya namah
Om  rhaim savita namaha
Om  rhoum arkaya namaha
Om  raha bhaskaraya namaha
Shri Savita suryanarayana namaha. 

Adityasya namaskaraye kuruvanti dine dine
Dirghamayur balam veeryam tejas teshamacha jayate.



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Rest and Recuperation

I expect this is a post that should get me some brownie points and boost popularity with those who find excuses to not exercise. Yes, you are right in thinking that Rest IS important when exercising. 

Why? 

Simply because it gives time for the muscles to recuperate and for broken muscle fibres (they are broken down during when doing resistance training) to repair. Its this repair process that increases our BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and makes the muscles stronger and bigger (over time). 

Obviously by rest I do not mean sleeping or becoming a couch potato. It simply means a day without your regular workout. For those who have specific fitness goals it can mean exercising a different group of muscles with a different workout or activity. There should be an interval of about six to eight hours between exercise sessions.Obviously I refer to those who exercise to stay fit not high performance athletes or those with specific health goals.

Besides rest as I have described above, one needs to get adequate sleep at night. It is the best healer for our body and mind. Overexercising can cause many problems and in this case more is not always better. 

So go ahead and take a break once a week in your workout. You’ve earned it.

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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Quiz

This year, I am blogging about ‘Exercising for Fitness’ for the A to Z Blogathon. I do hope you have gained something from my posts.

You have? Then lets exercise those grey cells today?
🙂

A sneak peak… Does muscle weigh more than fat?
Does maintaining fitness require a change in lifestyle?

For the correct answer, follow the link below… 

Exercise and Fitness Quiz on MedicineNet

Go on, dont hesitate, take this quiz…
Its
important to know what happens when we exercise, what goes on our body
so that we do not unknowingly hurt ourselves while exercising or get
swayed by exaggerated advertising claims about ‘body building’ or
‘weight loss’.

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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Push ups, Plank and so on

Push ups, Plank and so on are  yet another group of excellent all body exercises that demand good core strength. Don’t be deterred if you are unable to do the full push up or think your core strength is insufficient, ‘cos these exercises will also help strengthen those muscles.

Basically the moves use the body weight as resistance. Put very simply, it just demands that we support our body weight by using specific muscles that’s all. No additional dumbbells, external weights. So it should be easy right?

Wrong!

Well not completely. These are challenging exercises and must be done correctly (with correct posture and alignment) to get most out of them. As mentioned earlier, these can be considered among the most effective exercises. For newbies or those just starting out, modify the push up as depicted in slide 9 (nine) of the above slide show. If you can do the full push up then go ahead and increase the reps gradually. It takes a lot of practise and strength building to reach double digits or higher.

Exercises in this category do not need additional equipment (hence no need for additional expenses) and can be done anywhere (even in a hotel room if you are travelling).

Its possible to take pushups to a much higher level by doing single handed pushups or pushups on a Swiss ball or even with dumbbells. Believe me these require tremendous strength and are not for newbies.


The Plank is a sort of static push up, an isometric exercise that involves maintaining a certain position. It can be down in different positions and should be taken up after you have been exercising for a while. Always begin under supervision. Here is a link on how to do the Plank.

Go on! Get away from the computer and get those muscles moving!
🙂

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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Odds and Ends

No, no, don’t rub your eyes, you have read the title correctly. It’s “Odds and Ends”.
Pray why, you may well ask? Any relevance in this theme?

Yes. Yes.


I have decided to use this post to include some important aspects about exercise that I have not included in the other 2014 AtoZ Blog post. These are important things that we may ignore or forget.

Apps and Gadgets: Some years ago we measured exercise intensity by the
“Talk Test” or counting heart beats at the pulse. Things are much better
now with fancy gadgets and smartphones and Apps that can monitor the
heart rate, BP, distance covered/speed when cycling/walking/jogging and
so on. They are quite useful so do use them where possible within limits
ofcourse!

Attire: Its important to dress correctly when exercising. By correctly, I mean, dress according to the place you plan to exercise e.g. wear something warm if you go for a jog outdoors. Clothes made from the so-called ‘Performance’ fabrics may hurt your budget but they are quite effective- to ‘wick’ sweat away from the body, to support etc. Your clothes must suit your activity e.g. Baggy trousers can actually hinder cycling as the folds tend to get caught up in the chain. Whatever clothes you choose should be comfortable.

Footwear: Technological developments have helped experts create footwear specific to different activities. So you have footwear for different type of sports, for jogging, trekking and so on. Of course they come at a cost so try to find a pair that will serve you in your workout regimen.


Gym hygiene, fitness
Do not ignore hygiene aspects in your Health Club

 Stretches:
Actually I should have devoted a post to this topic but have something
else in mind for ‘S’. Its absolutely vital to end any kind of exercise
program with stretches especially for the muscle groups that have been
worked out. Stretches help improve flexibility, posture and prevent
injuries. It also helps increase blood supply to the muscles which can
wash away accumulated metabolic wastes. Important things to be
remembered are the stretching movement must be slow and gradual (no
bouncing) and hold the stretched position for a few seconds. Stretching
can be static or dynamic (done as part of rapid movements).

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. 

The above image is part of a my Health Column and was first published in Windows & Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airways.

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No Pain You Gain (Wordless Wednesday)

Exercise should not cause pain
Make this your exercise mantra!




Never ever exercise till your bones and muscles start complaining (bone). The gains if any from such exercise will outweigh damage to the body.
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. 

The above image has been compiled from Microsoft Clipart

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Mirror Mirror On the Wall…

“Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
A quintessential question, whose reply we always want in our favour. 
Fairest, Slimmest, Fittest or “Bestest” of whatever we are striving to achieve.


When we exercise, we need a mirror and its not to admire our beautiful branded attire or spot early signs of flab. When exercising it has other more important uses, namely to check our ‘form’ or posture when doing the movements. This is especially applicable when we workout without a personal trainer. The reflection when we do the Squats or Lunges or Pilates will help us maintain correct position of the spine, keep the head neutral and so on. Gym regulars will agree there will be plenty of distractions around and a mirror is useful to maintain focus.

Home gym

Some of us have installed gym equipment at home or workout at home. Make sure to have a good full length mirror on the wall where you exercise. It is your friend to avoid hurting yourself due to wrong postures when exercising. 


Of course there is a diametrically opposite school of thought which is against gym mirrors. The reflection may be a deterrent some experts have said. Read a report about such a research here.  




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.  

The above images are from Microsoft Clipart. 

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Lunges

Lunges are almost a perennial feature of every lower body workout and depending on the fitness level, the type of lunges may vary. Basically the movement consists of putting one leg forward, bending the knee of the stationary leg till it almost touches the floor and then returning the front foot back to starting position. 

As for squats, here too, do not let the knee of the forward leg jut out over the ankle. Begin with the weaker side (usually is the left for right handed individuals and visa versa) and then repeat the set for the other side. This is an excellent way to workout large muscle groups of the hip, thigh, knee and core muscles as well. The dynamic movement also helps improve our balance. Better balance reduces risk of injury and improves overall function of our body during cycling, hiking etc.

To increase exercise intensity, use bars or hand-held dumbbells. In this WebMD slide show, lunges have been included in a list of 7 most effective exercises. A good enough reason to include them in your workout isn’t it?

Some trainers advice Reverse lunges or Static lunges as well. 
Go on, get away from the computer and get moving! 
🙂
Stay Fit, Stay Happy!

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Knowledge is Vital

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of
knowledge.” 
-Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself.

It often happens that once we get on the exercise bandwagon several well wishers bombard us with useful information (isn’t that what i am doing??). Some of it is based on real training, some on experience and commonly on hearsay. Its the last kind that can be dangerous. Its the illusion of knowledge unsupported by formal learning that can lead us to doing the wrong exercises, wrong techniques or demotivate us. Hence its vital that we update ourselves on the correct terminology and its meaning, best practices and so on. 

Let me try to demystify some jargon:
BMI: Body Mass Index. Often considered to be the last word in deciding if we are obese or overweight. Yet this measure can be misleading.  This article on WebMD gives a
detailed explanation. Bottom line, dont be disheartened if the BMI is on
the higher side and take drastic steps. Take a step back and assess the
entire picture. Then decide what is to be done.

Body composition, weight loss
This is part of my health column first published in Windows & Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airways

Click here to calculate your BMI .

DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Syndrome. Simply put its the muscle soreness that arises for newbie exercisers or when we exercise after a long break. It usually goes away within a day or two without any pain relief measures.


Lats/Glutes/Quads/Obliques: Shortened names of muscles namely Latissimus dorsi, Gluteus group (in the buttocks) and Quadriceps (front of the thigh) and Obliques which are part of the Abdominal muscles. 


Interval Training: Dividing the exercise period into short bursts of high and low intensity work


Cross Training: Incorporating a variety of exercise types to help prevent muscles from ‘getting used to’ a specific routine. It is and excellent way to prevent boredom.


You can brush up on some more terms here.
Stay updated about fitness trends.
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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Jealousy will take us no where

When exercising in a gym or in a group its quite likely to meet people
who can do more reps, lift heavier weights, or are more flexible. They can
be a source of inspiration or envy. The first is good to some extent as
it can get us to work harder and raise the level of our effort. However
jealousy will eventually be detrimental. It may cause us to attempt
exercises we cannot do and lead to injuries and loss of self esteem.

I have
encountered some men in their thirty’s who have hurt their shoulder
joints in trying to better some Bench-press.  Ligaments have been damaged
n backaches precipitated by doing unnecessarily strenuous  Squats or
Yoga.

Some of these have meant surgery, a long post-op rehabilitation program and loss of self pride, thinning of the wallet. 

 

Envy, jealousy

Bottom line: never compare yourself with others. Each of us has
unique capabilities and limits. Know your own and challenge yourself
within those. Jealousy is certainly not among the helpful emotions when exercising for fitness. 
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. 
The above image has been taken from Microsoft Clipart Gallery.

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