Basic exercises one has to perform to stay fit – For Beginners

Hello everyone 🙂

It’s WEEKEND and that time of the week when you feel so relaxed and rejuvenated. But what have you planned for this weekend? My weekend is another whirlwind of activities for the blog that you will know through my updates on Instagram or Facebook very soon. 😀

Anyhoo, today we have a very interesting topic to talk about. Losing weight has been given so much importance these days that people fail to understand, it’s being fit that’s more important! Don’t you feel that too? The first thing one would jump about asking would be “How do I lose weight?” and not “How do I stay fit?”. What’s the difference between the two? Not much, the difference lies in your thought process though. If you have a motive to stay fit and not concentrate solely on losing weight, you would automatically work on the other aspects as well. 🙂

To talk about this, today we have Dr. Rahul Pendse, Fitness Expert at beattractive.org and curator of “The Proactive Lifestyle Programme” (PLP). He is a medic by profession, a fitness enthusiast by passion & education and a bookworm by nature. He has spent most of his life curing people in critical care units of various hospitals in Maharashtra. During this journey, he realized that most of his patients suffered from critical health conditions majorly because of flawed lifestyle. Having realized this he started research in understanding the flaws of the urban lifestyle that can be corrected in order to live a healthy life which lead to the inception of PLP.

The basic nature of Dr. Rahul Pendse has always been inquisitive. As his primary goal was to develop a healthy lifestyle, he eventually also did his M.D in Alternative Medicine and apart from graduations & post-graduation Ayurveda Medicine. These add on degrees made him a unique blend of Modern Medicine,Naturopathy & Ayurveda. He studied Fitness Management from Symbiosis Pune, did his Advanced Dietetics & Nutrition, Medical Nutrition Therapy and is currently doing his American College of Sports Medicine-Personal Training and Sports Nutrition from BFY,Mumbai.He also co-authored books on “ArogyaAmrut” and chapters on “Gym Workout for All Age Groups and Healthy Diet &Living”, along with Dr Anand More, MD (Ayu), which has been appreciated by the Hon. Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi. He is also a trainer and a motivational speaker.

Now that we know a little about Dr Rahul Pendse, I did ask him about what his idea of fitness is and help all our readers to know more about the “Basic exercises one has to perform to stay fit” . When I started exercising for the first time, I was clueless as to what are the basic exercises to go about. So keeping that in mind, I made sure you all have a clear idea regarding the same. So, read on and find out what Dr.Rahul Pendse has to say…

“Every day, a number of people make the spontaneous decision to get rid of their inhibitions or vices and take up the need to start following a healthier way of life. Whether it is to start eating the right kind of food or  losing weight, not many seem to know what they are doing and how to go about with it.

Ever had the small thought cloud spring up in your head as to the different means to help you follow the right path? Well yes, there are too many decisions to be made, isn’t it? Should I spring out of bed and callously start jogging to lose weight? Which well-known diet should I start following and so on…

To be able to reach the ultimate goal with regards to a fitter lifestyle, it is necessary to start with the basics. Overdoing yourself with exercises will lead to conflict by adding too much pressure on yourself and your body causing injury. The important fitness components should be kept in mind in order to perform daily functional activities without any hindrance and to be disease and injury free.

For those beginning to venture out on to the fitness trail, here are a few tips to follow, keeping in mind the 5 fitness components–

To start off, it is very important to follow a pre-workout warm up. It is recommended to provide 5- 10 minutes of low to moderate cardio respiratory (slow jog) and muscular endurance (low weight-high reps) exercises. This will increase blood supply to the muscles, lubricate the joint fluids and prevent injury.

1.Cardiorespiratory Endurance – In simple words, a good stamina. This is required for performing daily endurance activities in life, like walking a distance or running.

Simple breathing techniques will allow you to maintain your breathing and keep up with your workout, providing you with sufficient oxygen. Try the AnulomaViloma, which is also called the Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique. In this Breathing Technique, you inhale through one nostril, retain the breath, and exhale through the other nostril.

2. Flexibility – Flexibility is the ability of the joints to achieve their maximum range of motion. Flexibility is required in a lot of things in daily life as well. Stretching is recommended as a part of a comprehensive training program.These exercises have the potential to improve joint range of motion and physical function. Frequency: 2-3 days a week, although daily flexibility exercise is most effective.

Daily morning stretches after your cardio can be quite useful. Suryanamaskar in Yoga is excellent to develop flexibility.

3. Muscular Strength – Muscular strength is required to perform daily functional activities like lifting something heavy, pushing or pulling objects, etc. Building muscle improves your body composition (the ratio between fat and muscle), increases your bone strength, burns calories and increasing muscle strength can also help in reducing injuries. Remember to begin with one set of each exercise, comprising as few as 5 reps, not more than twice a week

The exercise one can undertake include, Biceps curl — to strengthen your biceps muscle

 Triceps extension — to strengthen your triceps muscle

  Quad knee and arm extension — to strengthen your upper, middle and lower back muscles, to name a few.

4. Muscular Endurance – Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscles to perform tasks for a long period. Exercises with low weights and a high number of repetitions must be followed to increase muscular endurance or resistance training.

The training includes free weights, machines (stacked weights or pneumatic resistance), rubber bands/cords and even body weight. Different activities can be used for different body areas.  Multi-joint exercises e.g. Bench press, leg press, pushups, pull ups, squats as well as single-joint exercises e.g. Bicep curls, leg curls & extensions. While selecting exercises should ensure opposing muscle group, are included in order to prevent muscle imbalance.

5. Body Composition – Fat Mass & Fat Free Mass

A Normal Lean Body Mass to Fat Mass ratio,which can be achieved by following a nutritional and balanced diet along with regular exercise and adequate rest. Drink plenty of water and include fruits and vegetables wholesome in fibre. Fitness after all is 70% diet and 30% workout. It is essential to eat right meals in order to live a healthy life.

For a beginner moving through this level usually takes 2 to 3 months, although remaining at this level until you feel comfortable enough to advance is appropriate.

Coming to the end of your workout, do not forget to cool down. At least 5-10 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance activities as above, must be followed to prevent lactic acid build up and DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness)

Most importantly, before you start your exercise program, please make sure to consult a certified expert along with your doctor to avoid any risk of injury. ”

Wow! Now after this session by Dr Rahul Pendse – I’m sure we all got to learn something new 🙂 But let’s talk a little about the ProActive Lifestyle Programme by Dr Rahul Pendse!

“The Proactive Lifestyle Programme is for people to be healthy, fit and act proactively to live a healthy life, irrespective of one’s busy schedule”, says Dr. Pendse.

The PLP starts with a complete consultation where the patient’s medical history, family history, current issues & targets to be achieved are discussed and recorded. The BMI & BMR is calculated & recorded according to the age, gender, the height and weight. Based on this a programme to suit each individual, tailored as per the person’s body type, metabolism and lifestyle is developed. For people who are already suffering from chronic lifestyle disorders, The ‘Proactive Therapy’ is used to help reduce the intensity of the disease in order to lead to a better wellbeing.

PLP uses a totally holistic approach of proper healthy diet, workout and rest, which is tailored as per the individual’s lifestyle and is easy to follow, regardless of their busy work schedules. It helps them achieve great results in terms of health, weight (fat) loss in the overweight/obese and over all weightgain, fitness in the underweight, malnourished, as well as in lifestyle& metabolic/hormonal disorders. Dr. Pendse has used PLP to help many people achieve great results. Dr. Pendse has received remarkable appreciation for the programme through his PLP lectures, which promote the message of a healthy lifestyle at various schools, colleges, financial institutions, Corporate & IT companies etc. and he plans on opening studios in Mumbai and Pune shortly.

So get your lazy rears up and start today, start now. 😉

And if you already exercise regularly, do let us know in the comments below about your routine. We would love to hear about them.

Until next time,

Ciao. ♥

Picture Courtesy: Dear Google