So, you go for a morning walk...

Personal fitness trainer R. Linga Bhaskar sets Pankaja Srinivasan straight about her delusion that a walk in the park is enough to keep her fit

July 28, 2014 06:35 pm | Updated 07:38 pm IST - COIMBATORE

R. Linga Bhaskar at his studio

R. Linga Bhaskar at his studio

“I walk four kilometres every day,” I tell R. Linga Bhaskar, virtuously. He looks singularly unimpressed and proceeds to grill me about my physical activity in a day. By the end of it, I am red-faced. Bhaskar is a certified personal trainer, trained by the American Council On Exercise, and I have come to him for help to get fit.

By the time he is done with me, a piece of paper in front of us has mortifying details of my 24-hour day. I walk for an hour, dabble in housework for a maximum of four hours, spend eight hours in the office in front of the computer and then sleep for eight hours. The remaining three hours, I watch television. In effect, out of the 24 hours, I am pretty immobile for 19 hours. That is sobering. I play no games (haven’t done so since I left school), drive everywhere and don’t really care what I eat.

“So, why do you want to sign up for a fitness programme?” asks Bhaskar. The minute I say “to lose weight”, I know by his expression, that my answer should have been something else.

My focus should be on fitness, not just weighing scale numbers, he says sternly. “A sound fitness programme should have a holistic approach and work on multiple levels,” he explains. Weight-loss is a natural by-product of that.

A 60-minute dedicated workout is all it takes to stay fit, he says. Bhaskar also helpfully points out that 60 minutes constitutes only four per cent of my day!

Chastened, I promise to do something about it. I feel slightly better when sneaky enquiries from other women of my age pretty much reveal they have the same sedentary routine as mine. Bhaskar, along with his wife Supriya and another trainer Shah Jahan, help men and women like me to get off their backs and on their feet. They have clients ranging from the age of 14 to 65.

Treadmills, cycles and EFX machines are conspicuous by their absence in Bhaskar’s bright and colourful studio. We do not need any machines, he says. Our own bodies are capable of doing that. As he expressively puts it, “We do not get enough ‘ass to grass’ action”. Earlier, people had no problem hunkering down on their haunches and staying that way for extended periods, cutting, chopping, pounding and cleaning. Bhaskar makes me squat, and with spectacular creaking and groaning I do, only to lose my balance. “Work out every day and that will not happen,” he declares.

Bhaskar has a fitness studio called 60 Minutes Work Out. To know more, visit 60minuteworkouts.com or call: 98942-86931.

Fitness is a lot more than just being able to run long distance or lift weights. A physically fit person should have

Cardio-respiratory endurance: The ability of the heart and lungs to absorb, transport, and utilise oxygen over an extended period of physical exertion. Swimming, brisk walking, jogging, cycling and dancing can improve cardio respiratory endurance.

Muscular strength and endurance: Bodily movement is a result of the muscular system working on the skeletal system. Muscles produce the force which helps a person push and pull, climb stairs, carry loads and so on. Regular work out of muscles helps the person get stronger. The reverse happens if the muscles are neglected, in which case they diminish and weaken.

Flexibility: This is the ability of the joints to move through a full range of motion, smoothly. A regular stretching routine improves flexibility. This results in better posture, less aches and pains and reduces risk of injury.

An ideal workout three to four times a week

Full body stretches for 20 minutes Resistance training for 40 minutes or walking/ jogging/swimming/ cycling for 40 minutes

Seek the help of fitness professionals to design a programme to suit individual age, lifestyle and current fitness levels. And, of course, keep up the motivation. You have to make time for exercise, be consistent with it and work out when your energy levels are high. A fitness routine should improve strength, flexibility, mobility, stability, balance and reflexes (important for older people).

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