Never Overtrain Your Body

Exercise has become a part of a lifestyle for many people these days because of its various mental and physical health benefits. But anything in abundance whether good or bad can sometimes become a threat to the human body. In an infatuation with the benefits involved some of the people overdo it which is where they forget the importance of giving relaxation to the human body. Most people are unaware of the fact that rest itself is a part of a fitness regime because just like machines need to be serviced after working for a long period the human body also needs servicing and in this case the resting time acts as the servicing medium for our body. Over-exercising has many ill effects some of which are listed below.

Underperformance - When the body is stressed too much it leads to a deterioration in performance in both professional life and fitness routine. It is the first sign that the body is being pushed beyond its limits.

Takes a Toll On Mental Health- While exercising not just our body but also our brain is put to work, and like our body, our mind needs rest too. according to a survey of a normal human body, exercising more than 7.5 hours a week can lead to poor mental health. Over-exercising is one of the reasons behind anger, anxiety, confusion and mood swings.

Weaker Joints- If you are into weight training then lifting heavier weights might be quite fascinating and motivating. But lost in this fascination people forget the physical limits of their bodies and sometimes go beyond that. It might feel very easy and be encouraging at that time but we are sometimes not able to identify when we are crossing the limits. This may lead to joint and muscle pains and sometimes extreme injuries which might take years to cure. 

Affect on Kidney- People who over exercise might notice a darker urine which is a signal of the damaged muscle tissues which get into the blood, this might be very stressful for the kidneys and might disturb its natural functions.

Missing Periods - This one is especially for the ladies. Over exercising can lead to a condition called amenorrhea, caused by a decrease in estrogen levels which leads to missing of the menstrual cycle. This is because our body becomes too stressed and diverts from its natural functions in order to recover your body.

So whether its mentally or physically, rest is an important part of a fitness regime. Remember its not always about how long you are exercising but it is about how effectively you are doing it in adequate time.

You Are What You Eat

Diet is a very important aspect of fitness. The accomplishment of our fitness goals is partially dependent on a diet regime. The regime varies according to our goals. Most people have this misconception that proper diet means we give away tasty food and eating all the way , instead it is about eating healthy and the right way. Timing also plays an important plays an important role in diet, it is strictly advised to procure your diet according to the timings suggested because all of it is related to our body’s metabolism and how it reacts at different point of time in a day. It is advised to eat very little at night as it the time to give rest to our body and its digestive system.

Bulking Up

If our goal is to bulk up you need to eat alot , but eating alot does not mean you eat anything. It is a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. In order to build up muscles the protein requirement per day for our body is 2.2grams/kg which means if you weight 70 kgs you require approximately 150 grams of pure protein eveyday. Chicken eggs, soya and fish are very good sources of proteins.

Talking about fats, here the fats that we talk about are the good fats like cheese especially cottage cheese. Yogurt is also a source of good fats for our body. 

Carbohydrates are not only important for building up our muscles but are also the energy source for our body which makes it the most important part of our diets. Carbohydrates include foods like boiled rice ,pasta and boiled potatoes. Since in India wheat roti is quit famous , it can act as an alternate to rice consumption but in a limited quantity. All these come under the category of complex carbohydrates. The other type of carbohydrates include simple carbohydrates like sugar which sometimes make you depressed and should only be consumed immidiately after workouts

Any carbohydrates gets converted into fats after sometime if not utilised. Therefore it is advised to consume that much of carbohydrates which can be burnt down easily. It is recommended to consume more of complex carbohydrates because it is slowly digested by the body and gives us long time energy.

The bulking diet should be divided in the ratio of 35:45:20 (protein/carbs/fat) and split up into six meals a day . In simple words if the calorie requirement for an individual is 2000 calories it should be divided into 35% protein 45% carbohydrates and 20% fat and split into 6 small meals after approximately every 2 hours.The calorie requirements depends upon body type and the goal of a person.

Leaned physique 

The leaning diet is a lot different from bulking. During leaning we have to concentrate on more of filling up our self rather than eating. More and more use of salads and fruits is advised. Normal white rice is replaced with brown rice which consists of complex carbohydrates. Brown bread or multigrain bread is an alternate for the normal bread. Use of fats is necessary in leaning too but in very limited quantity. Oats is also one of the most preferred diet in leaning. Use more of broccoli and vegetable salad. For the fiber requirement of the body sprouts is a very good option. The protein intake of body is met through boiled eggs , chicken , fish etc. 

Overall weather it is bulking or leaning , diet plays a vital role in achieving our goals. If we eat the right thing at the right time , we can get pretty good results in a short period of time

Fitness is The Need of The Hour.

Fitness evolution

Fitness has been an integral part of the world ever since. There have been gyms and exercises for centuries. But talking about the modern days, the trend has changed drastically with more and more people being indulged in fitness as the awareness about its benefits spread throughout.

Picture of a gym in 1920's New York

Who doesn’t want to look good and chiseled when he or she is spending thousands of bucks to buy new clothes, they don’t mind paying extra few bucks and sparing a time of an hour a day to do so. In India itself there has been an enormous growth in the fitness industry, in fact, it is one of the booming sectors in India. The number of gyms and fitness centers has almost grown four times if we compare it to 20 years back.

What are the new trends?

Modern Day gym

Swimming and running were quite popular in India ever since but the change in trend has brought into limelight many other aspects like gym, yoga, aerobics, Zumba etc. There are many fitness centers opening up in India every other day. Yoga has become the most popular fitness regime amongst woman, and India has seen an excellent increase in yoga followers since it has originated in India.

Many famous celebrities and sportsmen like former Indian Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the current Captain Virat Kohli have entered these fields as entrepreneurs.

A Virat Kohli initiative.

Diet’s the way

Apart from the new ways of staying fit, there has been an increase in diet awareness and nutrition too. There are many people who are not able to take out time for physical activities, they seek help from the nutritionist to achieve their goals through prescribed diet plans.

Importance for Body 

Personally being a fitness enthusiast I would urge all the people to start involving themselves in some kind of physical activity or exercise on a daily basis. It can be in any way which is suitable for you. Running is the easiest way to start with, start with a 20 minutes walk and gradually convert it into jogging and when you get comfortable you can add a little sprint it in the middle for around 4 to 5 minutes. This is the least we can do to help ourselves and our body because today's lifestyle has become so technology dependent that we have almost lost all our physical movements that helped our body. Also, the stress that we go through adds up to it. Stress is one of the main reasons for improper sleep but exercise helps us in overcoming the stress and indirectly it helps us in proper sleep.

Importance for Mind

Not only the body needs an exercise but it is also a must for our brain. Exercise helps us relieve stress, improves our memory and helps us cheer up our mood. Physical exercise also helps to overcome depression. It helps in relieving endorphins, which is a kind of chemical our brain generates which lightens our mood and keeps us motivated. In fact, I would suggest all the people who are suffering from depression or feel as if they have no motivation in life, go for an exercise regime, choose the one that best suits you and I assure you will feel the change from inside from the very first day.

I will share more of my views and tips in my upcoming posts.