Sports make you fit & improve your professional skills

Playing a sport is a fun activity and keeps you fit mentally and physically. It engages the mind and body while energizing and de-stressing you at the same time. All sports keep you active and improve blood flow in the body. Whether you are good at playing the sport or not it will always benefit you and improve  your fitness level. Playing any sport builds self-confidence, develops your personality and infact helps you understand yourself better. Most successful people enjoy playing a sport and even use it as an opportunity to network with other professionals. Being good at a  sport can help you also get successful professionally as it helps develop & sharpen essential traits like competition, strategy and desire to win in an individual.

Playing a sport is a great workout for the body as it improves breathing while working the muscles in the body. It drastically improves your eduarance, strength, stamina and helps build lean muscles. Besides for some people it is more engaging and exciting than going to a gym. To help you get better at a sport that you enjoy as a hobby or a fitness routine we have put together a few tips to improve your performance at the sport and enjoy more benefits.

Tips for weight loss with sports Read more

Circuit Training Benefits

Circuit training is a great combination of high intensity workout in combination with resistance training. What does it exactly mean: There are 4-10 exercises ( mostly resistance training) that make a circuit or a single set. Each exercise is performed for a specified number of repetitions before moving on to the next exercise. The exercises within each circuit or set  are separated by a short rest period, and each circuit or set is separated by a longer rest period. Circuit training is highly effective in increasing strength, stamina and flexibility. Each exercise has to be done in a steady pace and maintaining the right posture while performing them.

Circuit training in not a fixed type of exercise pattern but can be changed according to the fitness level of the individual. The exercises in a circuit can be total body, upper body, lower body, abs, combination of these body parts, biceps and legs etc . It can be designed to your body requirement hitting specific muscles if required.

Benefits of Circuit Training:

Weight Loss: Circuit training is a high intensity workout which will make the body burn a lot of fat as different muscles are being engaged in high repetitions with little intervals for recovery..If one is looking for a weight loss and wanting to get active and powerful then circuit training can be beneficial.

Body Building: If one is looking to build muscles then circuit training could help get lean and muscular including weight exercises to build bigger muscles. Circuit training helps maximize muscle size and  while reducing  the body fat to the minimum.

Develop strength and Endurance: It is a great way to develop strength and endurance as it can be made higher intensity circuits which make the muscles work more and build strength.

Equipments: With circuit training you have the flexibility to choose exercises from body weight, dumbbells, machines, elastic bands, Swiss balls, barbells, heavy weights, aerobics etc in a circuit . You could combine machines and weights or any other combination according to objective and convenience.

No Age Factor: It is high intensity but the intensity necessarily doesn’t have to be the same for everyone. It can be made according to physical ability. So old people can follow a circuit suitable to their body types. Women can choose a circuit which will tone up the body.

Feel Good: Circuit training finds a lot of popularity amongst people because of its options of plenty. Some people find gyms or other kind of aerobic exercises boring and mundane, while circuit training helps break that monotony and adds adrenaline pumping routine to the regular exercises that are done in isolation. Besides giving you double the results in half the time of any other exercise training fro weight loss.

Study says Lose Weight to Earn More

Could being fat make you lose your job or make you earn lesser than your co-worker? A recently published study shows a noticeable correlation between overweight and a decreased employment rate. This shows that a lean person could thin your chances for a job or a good salary.

It has been noticed that people have suffered monetary loss in getting appraisals, packages  and job offer. This stands true in companies where there is  direct interface between the company and client. Especially service industry like aviation, hospitality, beauty, marketing, PR employ attractive and fit employees as good presentation is critical to their business. This ideology is gaining relevance and is slowly been accepted and followed by many companies world over.

In fact a study by Judge and Cable tells that especially women who were underweight fetched a higher salary than their fat counterparts.

Besides the physical attributes employees that are fitter have better mental health, stronger immunity, are less stressed, are mostly happy which reflects in their performance. Employers want to invest in stable resources that help grow their business.You can also get an edge for yourself and demand a higher salary package by getting fit and looking good.

Tips To lose weight Read more

Exercise to Drink More Water

Inspite of knowing that water is good for your body, many of us find it difficult to drink water. … We have something that can help. Did you know exercising makes you thirsty? So if you are unable to kick out this bad habit of drinking less then maybe adding an exercise routine can help you get more water in the system.

But why does exercise make you thirsty?
First, during workouts we sweat … losing water and salt which causes the imbalance of fluids and electrolytes in the body. Our body naturally counters this internal reaction by triggering thirst. If you are feeling thirsty post workouts, its because you have worked hard and have lost water and salt through sweat.

As 70% of the body composition is water, after workouts and wear and tear the body goes into repair mode and requires water for speedy recovery. Water helps carry nutrients and helps remove toxins and wastes from your body.

Sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to the body signals and drink enough water resulting in dehydration.

Here are a few tips to maintain water levels and avoid dehydration
Read more

Get a body like Shahid & Priyanka

Many of us want to be fit like a sportsperson or a super fit celebrity, aspire for a 6 pack like Hrithik Roshan or a body like Shahid Kapoor, or wish to have a perfect figure like Lara Dutta or Priyanka Chopra.

When you see Sachin Tendulkar sustaining 50 overs at 36 it inspires you and makes you believe  that you too can do it. We like setting ourselves a goal of reaching to a fitness level like our favorite celebrity but how many have you have really worked-out to enjoy the high standard of fitness level of stamina, endurance Read more

Outdoor Activities for Kids

Best thing about being a kid was playing  games and indulging in all sorts of fun outdoor activities. But  gradually the trend is changing, kids these days are hardly seen playing outdoors.  Its important to involve  children in daily physical activities which will help them grow both physically and mentally.  It is becoming increasing important to ensure that the child is being given the right encouragement. As the anecdote suggests, all work and no play makes John a dull boy. Here a few easy tips to get your child started with some fun outdoor activities.

Sports: Develop a interest in a sport or two in your children. Team games will increase competition amongst children for increasing efficiency. Check that he is playing the sport and not hanging around and just watching others. Participating in sports will make your kids more active.

Fun workouts: Children are moody and joyful. They like games, exercises which are fun and not boring. Ask your child which sport he enjoys and support him in his liking for the sport so that he plays it and has fun along with it. Cycling, dancing, skipping are a few that you can get them started with.

Good Habits: Inculcate good habits in your children. Don’t over reward your child for every little achievement he makes. Keep a check on their eating habits and develop their taste buds to nutritious foods rather than burgers and pizza’s which will cause problems in their efficiency and weight gain. ( link it to child obesity link)

Be a Instructor: Children look up to their parents for advices and help. If possible accompany your child for a game and teach him the game. This will increase the interest level and will improve his performance in the game. Proper training and guidance can make him a rookie.

Don’t compare: With increasing competition pressure, we want our children to out beat every one. Don’t pile the pressure on your children. Some children are slow at learning and learn according to their own pace, comparing them might demotivate them. Let your child have his space.

Make learning fun for children with the direction and help them be fit and healthy.

Easy Ways to Get Fitter

Does the image of running indoors and pile of weights in the gym put you off ? If the monotony of gym workouts is coming in your way of kick-starting a fitness routine we have a few ideas that are fun and as effective as any gym workout routine. Plus there are added benefits of working out outdoors.

Swimming: Summers are creeping in with hot and humid afternoons. A swim in the evening will cool you down and will burn sufficient calories for a workout depending upon the duration and your weight. Thirty minutes of swimming is sufficient to burn a few calories and feel energized. Swimming improves your heart health and doesn’t strain the connective tissues. It improves the circulation and energy, strength, flexibility and endurance balance.

Water Polo: Nothing can be better than enjoying your workouts for best results. What about playing some ball in the pool with your friends for enjoyment as well as burning calories. This will also give you the motivation to stretch your game from half an hour to an hour. Team sports are more involving and engaging  than a solo gym workout routine.

Fitness Holiday: Giving the body and mind a break with fitness holidays can reboot your energy level and adventure can Distress and rejuvenate you. Fitness while holidaying is a great idea with a balance of exercise and nutrition to make the body recover and transform your body from unfit to a fit mode.

Walk your dog: Take the responsibility of walking your door. Once out try running instead of walking your dog.  A companion while running can be of help and of course dogs are very agile which will keep you on your toes. One study even found that older people are more likely to take regular walks if the walking companion is canine rather than human.

Join a Boot Camp: Register your self for a boot camp. Some serious exercise with experts for 2-3 times a week apart from your workout schedule can give you an advantage for a higher level of fitness and stamina. Workouts in group also gives the motivation to work harder than the people around you. A boot camp will also give you a check of your fitness levels with other people in your group. Aren’t you the toughest of all ?

Sports Complex: Sport complex’s offer variety of activities from aerobics, swimming, sports and space to do your workouts in clean and green environments. Join a group playing some sport or take a run in the field. You can add variety to your workouts with many options available there.

Play Cricket: You can find group of people playing cricket in a park, street or fields. Join them and stop a few boundaries and score a few runs. It will distress you and add the fitness element to your schedule. Cricket is not very intense and adds the choice of resting, running, jumping and gives a complete body workout along with the joy the game gives.

We have given you a lot of fun reasons to get started. Pick your favorite activity and call your friends!

Whey Protein- For Healthy Diet & Fat Loss

Protein helps build/maintain muscle and perform biological functions. The Indian diet is high on carbohydrates and low on protein, so most Indians actually do not get their daily protein requirement. Its even harder for vegetarians- an egg contains 6 grams of protein, and a glass of milk contains 8 gms. The daily recommended intake for protein is 56 gms for men and 46 gms for women.

Without enough protein in your diet, your body will eat into its own muscle for maintenance. This slows down your metabolism- so you burn fewer calories, and store more fat! Worry not- Protein powder can supplement your diet to ensure you get the recommended protein intake. One scoop of whey protein delivers 20-25 gms of high quality protein. Mix it with juice or milk, yogurt, fruits and you get a delicious, nutritious snack! Here’s a protein packed delicious dessert recipe.

If you play sports, workout or have a physically active occupation, your protein requirements are higher- they can vary from 1.5-2 gms per kg of body weight. So an 80 kg athlete might need to consume 120-160 gms of protein per day. That much protein is hard to get without protein supplements.

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that over a 12 month period, participants on a moderately high protein diet lost as much as 38% more fat, than those who followed the USDA Pyramid guidelines- more on how protein helps reduce fat

Myth: Whey protein is only for ‘body builders’. Fact: its for anyone who wants to ensure that they’re getting enough protein in their diet.

Note that not all protein supplements is equal. To make sure you get high quality whey protein- buy from a reputed international brand. Whey protein is higher quality than soy protein. Currently, Indian protein brands produce lower quality protein as compared to international companies like MegaPro.

Lose flabby arms, get toned arms

One of the biggest myths is fat loss, is spot reduction- the ability to reduce fat in only certain areas of the body. This myth is only propagated by advertisements of shady gyms and health equipment manufacturers promising ‘spot reductions’.

If you lose fat, you lose fat from all over your body. Of course, depending on your body type, you might have a tendency to gain fat in certain areas, like the belly, or the hips.

A sign of fitness for both men and women is defined arms. Getting that rounded shoulder muscle to show, and possibly that tricep muscle to pop- that’s money!

Since spot reduction of fat on the arms isn’t possible, to really get those sexy arms to show, you need to use a two pronged approach. First, build some muscle (yes, for women too!) and secondly, lose fat.

To build muscle, do some basic movements like pushups, pullups, and tricep movements should do the job. the pushups and pull ups will work other surrounding muscles also. Since more muscle is utilized, it will produce more growth hormone in your body, which will lead to better growth of muscle on your arms.

To lose fat, do some cardio- run, cycle, swim. Playing an intense sport like squash, basketball, rowing can help you build muscle and lose fat, along with having some serious fun! All this, while revealing those sculpted arms.

Breaking The Weight Loss Plateau

If you’ve tried to lose weight, you’ve been through it. Basically, to get into better shape you started exercising. For the first month, it worked well and you got results. But in the second and the third month, your results really slowed down, or there were none?! Wonder why? Because you hit a weight loss plateau, also called a fitness plateau. It is a phase when your results really slow down or stagnate, without making any changes to your workout routine.

Why do you experience a weight loss plateau? Think about it this way. When you try something new and cool, your brain finds it exciting. When you do it repeatedly for a couple of months, the excitement reduces, maybe even dies. Similarly, your body needs some challenge and excitement. It got some, when you started your workout, but after a month it got so efficient at performing the same exercises, that your efforts started losing effect.

So, how do you break this weight loss plateau? No reason to panic – All you need to do is throw some change into your workout routine. There are many ways to fix it:

- Remove the old exercises, throw in some new ones, and you’ll be rearing down that path to hotness.

- If you’ve been running on the treadmill for 20 minutes at a constant pace, change that. Use the cycle for 10 minutes and the stepper for 10 minutes. Or if you love the treadmill too much, then change the incline- throw in some hills into your boring flat routine, and you’ll feel the burn again!

- If you like running on flat ground, then change the speed- turn it up and you’ll turn up the fat burn also.

- If you lift weights, throw in some new exercises or even simpler- Perform your exercise routine backwards- start from the last exercise and end with the first.

- Add some yoga exercises and improve your breathing and stress levels.

Bored of the gym? Play sports for weight loss. If nothing else, play in the park with your kids.

So throw some change into your health routine, and bust that weight loss plateau.

Bored of the gym? Play a sport at Siri Fort

Everyone enjoys a little change in the usual boring routine. Working out in the gym can definitely get boring. So, why not play a sport?

Active sports aid developing muscle, burning calories and improving reflex action- Due to the new movements and reflexes needed to develop for a new sport, your brain makes more connections between its neurons for this development. Studies have linked physical and mental development from such active sports and delay in the onset of disorders like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. There are always the social benefits of meeting that hottie , or just catching up with friends.

Siri Fort Sports Complex, in the heart of the Delhi is the perfect venue for all kinds of sport activities- They have a bunch of racquets sports like clay tennis courts, badminton, glass walled squash courts and table tennis. Cricket, football and hockey fields and a soft 1 km running track- which is used by many runners and athletes to train for athletic events.

A driving range, putting area, skating area, gymnastics and even a shooting range. They also have the a gym, fitness center and a sports shop and a coffee shop.

If you don’t have membership, most activities are available on a pay as you go basis. And the charges are reasonable.

Next time you’re bored and want to do something new, hit the closest sport complex and try a new sport. Get fit, get smarter and have a ball. Be sure to hydrate yourself enough specially in hot and humid Indian weather.