With several international athletes, business honchos and celebrities swearing by his fitness mantras, one would expect to meet a beefed-up trainer. But one look at Nick Orton and you’d assume he was a techie; get to know him better and you realise that he’s one of the most influential names in the world of fitness. In the city for the third edition of Fitness Model Hunt, the expert spoke to us about the whys and hows of staying fit while shedding light on the trends this season when it comes to staying in shape and how commitment is the key when undertaking any kind of fitness regime.
“If you’re not committed, you won’t be able to go through with your plan to reach a fitness goal. It’s so common to see people pay for gym memberships, drag their feet on it and go a couple of times a week before it reduces to once in a couple of weeks and finally stop altogether. It’s important to set a goal and work towards it,” says Nick, adding, “It doesn’t have to be a gym workout. Find a regime that works for you; something you will enjoy and will stick to. It could be morning walks, jogging or running if you are into it, or simply cycle to work. Finding the right trainer is also the key. Often trainers don’t guide people well and they end up spending hours on a treadmill or cross trainer. It’s not long till they lose interest and drop out. So, find somebody who will understand your body type, show you what to do and ensure that you do it.”
An idea of how many calories you consume can also go a long way in helping you shed those extra kilos, if that is what you are looking at. “A general idea of how many calories you need to expend and how many you are consuming goes a long way in meeting fitness goals. Don’t deprive yourself of things, just be sure to eat everything in moderation and learn when to say no,” says the UK-based fitness expert.
While he believes working out in a gym is not the only way to staying fit, he does say that being busy is certainly no excuse to skip a workout. “It really depends on how driven you are to staying fit. You’ll always find a way to make time for yourself. So ditch your car and cycle to work instead, give the elevator a miss and take those stairs, find an hour before or after work to either hit the gym or go for a run or indulge in any fitness regime that gets you going,” says Nick, adding that small group training is also a great way to keep you motivated.
“It is the newest trend on the block. More and more people are opting for small group trainings internationally as well. You can get three or four people, maybe a bunch of friends, together to train at the same time. It’s a wonderful way to share costs and also keep each other motivated. Crossfit is still trending in India and has quite a few takers, but what is piquing everyone’s interest is the Devil’s Circuit. It’s an obstacle race and is extremely popular internationally {there are quite a few Devil’s Circuit events being planned across Indian cities as well in the next few months},” says Nick.
Gym movements like free weights on a bar, dead lifts and Olympic lifting also are popular this season. “Strongman training is huge everywhere across the globe. It’s yet to catch on in India. It involves harnessing a lorry and pulling it, tyre flips and using different weighted steel bats. Another very popular trend is gym kabbadi; it’s great for team building exercises and helps people connect,” he says.
BodyPower
* Nick Orton is the CEO of BodyPower, which has been conducting the BodyPower Expo in India for the last three years. The expo initially began in the UK, but soon branched out to India.
“That apart, I think I’m half Indian,” he laughs, adding that India is at the juncture where it can learn from the mistakes made by the West and reverse the effects of obesity and its related issues before its too late.
* The Fitness Model Hunt, travelled to nine cities in India this year before culminating in Mumbai on October 11.
The judges for the Chennai round of the hunt were Jaco De Bruyn, Tom Coleman, Sangram Chougule and Wasim Khan.
* From a mere 60 participants in its first edition, the Fitness Model Hunt clocked in over a 1,000 registrations this year.
