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Search: Rediff.com The Web Advertisement Discuss this Article | Email this Article | Print this Article 8 weeks to a slimmer, fitter you Brinda Sapat

	Top Emailed Features • Six easy steps to lose weight • Bridal lingerie for your big day • Non-fried, healthy appetizers: Paneer Dumplings Have you tried this? • Ask a question • News on your Desktop Advertisements • Plan ur summer trip • Interior design tips • Shifting nomore a worry Get news updates: What's this? Advertisement Design your Home with us! We make well designed house maps to make your dream home come true at just Rs.500 www.saiarco.com Advice on Life Insurance Get free advice on life insurance, tax benefit 80C deduction, save upt 40% by comparing. Click here www.policybazaar.com 5Rediff P4C Classifieds June 13, 2006 There is only one way to lose weight and stay in shape: eat and exercise SENSIBLY. Incorporating these two elements in your lifestyle is easier that you may imagine. To help steer you towards an overall healthy lifestyle, we bring you an 8-week fitness programme, which recommends a diet and exercise regime for each week. At the end of eight weeks, you may lose up to seven kgs. However, this figure would also depend on factors like your metabolism rate and how closely you follow the programme. The plan for week eight is what you must sustain after that, failing which your body will go back to being what it was prior to the programme. Remember, maintenance is key. Before we get started... This is a basic programme for those of you who do not already follow a rigourous exercise/diet plan. You may feel tempted to give up within the first couple of weeks if you do not see a change in yourselves. Don't!It is important to complete the full programme to see any kind of benefits. This programme does not only help you lose weight, but is a lifestyle guide to help you maintain your weight and good health. Before starting out, consult your doctor to check if you suffer from any medical problems. Try to enjoy your weight loss programme. It might be hard to begin with, but once eating sensibly becomes a habit, you'll hate eating otherwise. Exercise too is addictive and if you pick a form that you enjoy you won't ever want to stop. Week 1 We launch this programme today, with a diet/exercise plan for Week One. The focus this week is to set the right foundation. You will see no change in yourself this week but will feel good - thanks to the healthy eating and exercise. Now, let's get started! Exercise Start with a simple cardiovascular activity three to four times a week. Begin with 30 minutes gradually progressing towards 60 minutes over the next few weeks. Walking, jogging and swimming are common exercises. If you pick the latter, then swim continuously for 30 minutes. Another great option is an aerobics class. Avoid doing aerobic exercises at home by yourself since you will need professional guidance. If you are working out on your own, start off slowly with warm up exercises. You should feel your heart rate increase, but make sure you don't get completely out of breath. Cool down with stretches at the end of the exercise. Top cardiovascular workout options Diet Streamline your eating timetable Your body must get food every three hours (except while you are asleep). Fuelling your body frequently keeps your energy levels and metabolism up. Five small meals a day is the formula. This can be divided as: Breakfast Mid morning snack Lunch Evening snack Dinner Set specific times for these meals and then stick with it. If you confuse your body by eating at different hours, it will store your food as fat. So if lunchtime is at 1 pm, stick to that everyday. Meal plan Breakfast 75 per cent carbohydrates: One bowl of cereal or 1-2 wholegrain bread slices or 2 chapattis. 25 per cent mix of protein: Two to three egg whites or low fat cheese spread. Vitamins: One small bowl of fruits (any fruit of your choice though bananas and mangoes are higher in calories). You can have tea or coffee made with skimmed milk. Lunch 50 per cent carbohydrates: Two wholegrain bread slices or two to three chapattis or a bowl of rice/pasta. 50 per cent mix of protein: Have one portion of either fish/chicken/dal/lentils/paneer or a combination and two portions of vegetables (include some green leafy vegetable among others as often as you can). Dinner 25 per cent carbohydrates: Same options as lunch but with half the quantity. 75 per cent mix of proteins: One or two portions of fish/chicken/dal/lentils/paneer and two to three portions of vegetables. Snacks You can have ONE of the following: Handful of nuts (almonds/cashews, which must not be roasted or salted) One fruit or a bowl of smaller fruits (grapes, for instance) of your choice One cup of low fat yoghurt 8 rules for healthy cooking Cooking tips All food must be cooked in healthy oil like olive oil or from a brand like Saffola. Eat your food slowly, relishing and chewing every bite properly. Take at least 20 minutes and leave the table feeling comfortably full, not stuffed. Try and eat dinner three hours before you hit the sack. Throughout the day drink at least eight big glasses of water. Search: Rediff.com The Web Advertisement Discuss this Article | Email this Article | Print this Article 7 weeks to a fitter, slimmer you Brinda Sapat Top Emailed Features • Six easy steps to lose weight • Bridal lingerie for your big day • Non-fried, healthy appetizers: Paneer Dumplings Have you tried this? • Ask a question • News on your Desktop Advertisements • Plan ur summer trip • Interior design tips • Shifting nomore a worry Get news updates: What's this? Advertisement 5Rediff P4C Classifieds June 20, 2006 In 8 weeks to a slimmer, fitter you we helped steer you towards the road to fitness. Last week, we kickstarted the first by recommending a healthy diet/exercise regime. If you stuck to it, then you must be on a sensible eating and exercising routine, and feeling great about it! Come Week II, we are going to make a few changes to help you start working towards weight loss. The changes are minor and easy to do so but please make sure you stick with the programme. This programme serves as a general guideline. Please check with your doctor if you suffer from any medical conditions. Increase exercise Week I: Cardiovascular exercises three to four times in a week for 30 minutes. Week II: Take brisk walks a minimum of four times a week. Increase the duration to 40 minutes. If you have been attending an aerobics class, increase the intensity by working harder and instead of three days a week, workout four times this week. Improve your posture One of the fastest ways to make yourself look slimmer is to straighten up your posture. Poor posture makes us look heavier and what's worse, it can lead to joint problems. Stand with your back against a wall. The back of your head, your shoulders, hips and heels should touch the wall. Next, lift your chin so that it is parallel to the floor and your neck is elongated. Pull your shoulders back a bit to open up the chest and keep the shoulders pulled down slightly (relaxed). Lift up your chest. Your hips should be relaxed with your tailbone in a neutral position. Your lower back should not be arched nor rounded. Lastly your kneecaps should be relaxed. Now come away from the wall in the position and take a look at yourself in the mirror. This is the posture you should maintain at all times. Correct it the minute you find yourself slouching. Diet stays the same No change from Week I. Since we have increased the physical activity, we don't need to make any changes in your food plan this week. Stick to five small meals a day and follow the diet chart for Week 1. Maintain a record 1. Weight and measurements If you haven't yet recorded your weight and vital statistics, do so now. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Also measure the width of your chest, waist and hips. Write it down and do not weigh/measure yourself until the end of Week IV. 2. How do you feel? Keep an account of how you are feeling by maintaining a diary. Are you feeling lighter, healthier, more energetic, relaxed, happier, etc? Look at your apperance too. Is your skin looking better? Do you feel more toned? This diary will help record the positive effects of being on a healthy routine. It will also provide inspiration for your friends and family who might want to do the same! The benefits of exercise and healthy eating are tremendous Other than the obvious "weight loss" benefit, adopting a healthy lifestyle has innumerous advantages. Here are a few worth thinking about! Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and other heart diseases Keeps blood pressure under control Strengthens the lungs and circulatory system Lowers asthma Reduces the risks of certain types of cancers Increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis Increases muscle density preventing joint problems Increases flexibility preventing injuries Improves your sensory awareness and reaction speed Improves coordination and balance Increases metabolism Increases number of red blood cells Improves resistance to illnesses Decreases premature ageing Decreases stress and anxiety Enhances self confidence Decreases bad cholesterol levels Improves condition of skin, hair and nails Sounds good? Remember when you don't eat healthy and don't get exercise, you miss out on all of the above. Eating right and exercising regularly has to be a lifetime routine. Next 6 weeks to a slimmer, fitter you Want to get fit in eight weeks? Yes, you definitely can and we show you how. We already brought you an exercise/diet regime for Week 1 and Week 2 of our 8-weeks to fitnessprogramme. We now move on to Week 3. Exercise regime In Week 2 you walked or attended an aerobics class for four days in a week. Continue with this but increase the intensity, working harder each time. And, it's time to throw in some weight training twice a week. This will help increase you muscle mass and work towards toning up your body. Muscles need something to feed on and they feed on the fat in your body. The more the muscle mass, greater is the amount of fat you will burn! You can do this at a gym or a group exercise class. If you cannot manage either, follow the exercises listed below for this week. Though mild discomfort and soreness is normal stop if you feel any pain and consult an instructor. You will need to get a pair of three kg dumbbells (available at any sports shops) Squat This exercise works for your thighs, hips and back. Stand with your feet a little more than hip width apart, keeping your arms out to the front for balance. Push your hip backwards. Slowly lower your body (as if sitting on a chair placed way behind you) till your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push yourself up to standing position again making sure you do not lock your knees. Complete the move in approximately four seconds. Do 12 repetitions, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat. Back | Next Chest press This exercise works your chest, front of the shoulder and triceps (back of the upper arm) Lie on a bench. Hold the dumbbells in both hands shoulder distance apart. The arms should be raised up in the air, in line with the shoulders. Keep your palms facing away form you. Slowly lower the dumbbells to your shoulders & lift up again. Complete the move in approximately four seconds. Do 12 repetitions, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat. Back | Next Bent over rows This exercise works the latissimus dorsi (large muscles in the back), back of the shoulder and the biceps. Stand in a lunge position. Keep your back flat; it should not slouch. Keep the dumbbells in both hands, hanging down by your sides. Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells up squeezing your back. Gently lower. Complete the move in four seconds. Do 12 repetitions, take a break, then repeat. Back | Next Ab, back stabilisation This exercise works your abs, back, hips, thighs and arms. Hold the pushup position for 30 seconds. Then reverse it (facing up) and hold for another 30 seconds. Repeat both positions again. More exercise tips Walk when the distance is short enough; do not take your car or a rickshaw. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Do some house cleaning activities like sweeping, vacuuming . Do not laze around in bed. Hit the sack only at night. Try to keep yourself physically active through the day. Take a picnic on the weekend instead of lounging about on your couch! Diet dos Breakfast and lunch remain the same as in Week 1. This week we make some changes for dinner. Please do not cheat on the meal content. Stick to the plan! Cut out the carbohydrates from your dinner ie avoid potatoes, chappatis, bread, rice etc. Eat only protein and vegetables. You can increase the quantity of your veggies and protein to compensate for the lost carbohydrates. Try to decrease the oil content to as little as possible. Remember to continue eating your meals on time. Drink eight glasses of water. Look for some delicious healthy eating recipes online. Cut down on the fried foods and sweets. Eat fresh fruits, simple non-oily home cooked meals and drink LOTS of water. Back | Start Bonus tip: How body burns fat Every week we help you understand more about the fitness process. This week we show you how the body burns fat. Cardiovascular exercise When you exercise (walk/aerobics or any form of cardio) your breathing becomes faster. As a result you take in large volumes of oxygen. This oxygen enters your lungs then gets absorbed by the blood and goes to the heart. The heart pumps the oxygenated blood distributing it all over the body. The oxygen in the blood is what burns the fat as it travels along. Cardiovascular workouts see immediate and high fat burn results. The fat burn happens during the exercise session only. Fact: Fat burn is a by-product. The main reason being cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart and lungs. Strength training exercises (weight training) When you do weight bearing exercises (dumbbells, ankle weights, body weight etc), the body increases its muscle mass to cope with the overload. Muscle is a live tissue and for it to exist, it needs to feed on something, so it feeds on fat, thus leading to fat burn. Weight bearing exercises result in slow and lower amount of fat burn. But it keeps burning fat even when the body is at rest. Fact: Fat burn is a by-product here too. The real goal for weight training is to increase muscle mass and strength so as to keep joints strong and lower the risk of injury. uly 7, 2006 Congratulations! You are almost half way through the 'eight weeks to fitness' programme. We already prescribed the diet/ exercise regime for Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3. By now, you are eating correctly and exercising regularly. Your body should be feeling healthier and you must be feeling happier. This week, the focus is on cardiovascular exercises once again. Besides this, I have added some of my favourite stretches that will make you feel long, lean and relaxed. Diet plan No changes! We stick to the same diet plan as in Week 3. Keep carbohydrates out of your dinner. Perfect dinner combination: Soup and salad In soups, take your pick from mixed vegetable soup, chicken soup, clear soup with vegetables/ sea food/ chicken, minestrone soup and lentil soup (similar to dal). Get imaginative! Use as many different veggies as possible. Salads could include one of the following: ~ Mix of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, capsicum, onion and crumbled paneer ~ Lettuce, onions and chicken ~ A seafood salad ~ Lightly sauteed vegetarian salad of spinach, mushroom, carrots, asparagus, broccoli and tofu. For salad dressing, try ~ Low fat yoghurt mixed with garlic paste, salt and pepper ~ Lime juice with salt and pepper ~ Vinegar, salt and pepper ~ Honey, limejuice, garlic, salt and pepper Email this Page | Write to us Back | Next Exercise Continue with weight bearing (strength training) exercises as mentioned in Week 3. Now, start doing the exercises THRICE a week. Stick with the same amount of repetitions and same weights (ie 3 kgs). Cardiovascular exercise This week you really need to PUSH yourself! You are walking or attending aerobics classes four days a week. Walking Increase your pace and start jogging now. Jog for the same amount of time that you have been walking. DON'T cut down the time. Sustain for at least a 40-minute duration. Aerobics If you have joined an aerobics class, increase your workout intensity (ask you instructor to give you special instructions for this). Push yourself to your maximum capacity. Monsoon dilemma It becomes difficult to walk outdoors in the rain. In that case, go to a gym and use the treadmill for the same amount of time. Due to extra client traffic courtesy the monsoons, some gyms may not allow a client to use the treadmill for more than 20-30 minutes. In that case, switch to a stationary bike after the treadmill to complete your workout. Email this Page | Write to us Back | Next Stretches Why do you need to stretch before a workout? You don't really need to stretch before a workout, a warm up is enough. But you MUST stretch AFTER a workout. Stretching opens up the tired and worked muscles. More importantly, stretching exercises prevent injuries to the joints and muscles. You must do these after your workouts. You can do stretches anytime, provided you first warm up gently, like jogging on the spot for about two to three minutes. Supine full body stretch This is a general, overall body stretch. Lie on the floor on your back. Take your arms up overhead. Point your toes and pull your body in two opposite directions as if you are being pulled both ways. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Then release it. Half cobra Lie on your tummy and prop yourself up on your elbows. Now pull your rib cage upwards and forward, away from your pelvic cage. Your belly button should be off the floor. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. You will feel it in the abdominal area. Email this Page | Write to us Back | Next Child's pose Come up on all fours (doggy position). Push your hip back on your heels, rest your head on the floor and stretch your arms in front as if you are reaching for something. Stay there for 15 seconds, then bring your arms down by your side. Stay there for 15 seconds. Email this Page | Write to us Back | Next More stretches Quadriceps stretch Lie on your tummy. Bend both knees and pull the heels into your hips, holding your feet with your hands. Feel the stretch in front of both the thighs. Hold for 15 seconds. Chest stretch Sit up on your heels. Place both your hands on the floor behind you, with your fingers pointing towards your hips. Push the chest upwards and open it by pushing the shoulders back. Try and get your elbows to touch each other. Hold for 15 seconds. And, finally... Back and Hamstring Stretch Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Reach your hands up towards the ceiling. From the hip, bend down reaching your hands towards the floor. Keep your back as flat as possible. You will feel a stretch in your lower back, hips, hamstrings (back of the thigh) and calves. Stay there for 15 seconds. Then bend your knees and slowly roll up. Email this Page | Write to us Next 4 weeks to a slimmer, fitter you If you have meticulously followed our '8 weeks to a fitter, slimmer you' programme, then your body is probably well adjusted to doing some amount of regular exercise. We prescribed a diet/ exercise regime for Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. Chat with Brinda Sapat, July 18, 4 pm Week 5 focuses on physical activity. What's more, you will be working out harder for the next couple of weeks as well. Before we give the body a chance to plateau (and before you start to get bored!), we must either vary the workout or its intensity. Since we increased the intensity in Week 4, let's change the workout this week. Exercise For those of you who have been walking/ jogging, substitute two of your four days of walking with an aerobics class. If you have never attended an aerobics class or have two left feet, make sure you attend a beginner level class. Alternately, you can try a more athletic class like kick boxing. Those of you who have been attending aerobics classes, substitute two of your four days with walking/ jogging. Keep your pace brisk and make sure you feel your heart rate go up. Walk/ jog for 40 minutes. Weight training You have been weight training twice a week since Week 3. Now start doing it THRICE a week. Stick to the same amount of repetitions. I'm going to add some variations to all the exercises you have been doing so far. If you are weight training in a gym, ask the trainer to change your exercises. If you are attending a weight training class, increase the weights to make them one level heavier. Email this Page | Write to us Back | Next Squat with knee lift variation Follow the same basic instructions as given in Week 3 but with a slight variation as follows. Go down into the squat and, as you come up, raise your right knee. Go back down into the squat, lowering the right leg to the floor. Watch your form as you go down. Make sure the knees stay in line with the ankles. Repeat with the same leg, doing 12 repetitions. Then, repeat with the left leg. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat both legs again. Keep the abdominal muscles tightly contracted all through. This will support and protect your back. Chest press with chest flyes variation Follow the same basic instructions as given in Week 3 but with a slight variation. Lie in the same position as for the chest press -- arms up in line with the shoulders, palms facing in towards each other. Keep the elbows slightly bent. Lower the arms out and down laterally towards the floor, keeping them in line with the shoulder. Raise them back to the start position, squeezing the chest muscles. The movement should be complete in approximately four seconds. Do 12 repetitions, rest, then repeat. Keep the abdominal muscles tightly contracted all through. Bent over rows with arm position variation Follow the same basic instructions as given in Week 3 but with a minor adjustment. Instead of starting with your arms hanging down by your sides, move the arms slightly forward, bringing them in line with the front knee. Keep the abdominal muscles tightly contracted all through. Abs & Back stabilisation Knee drop variation This works your abs. Hold the push up position. DON'T sink into your shoulders. Keep the chest lifted. Keep the abs tightly contracted. Now bend both your knees, dropping them towards the floor, but lift off just as they are about to come in contact with the floor. Make sure you lift back to the push up position. At the same time, your hips should be back in line with the shoulders and feet. Hip drop variation This works your back. It is done in the reverse position, where you are facing up. Hold the body in a straight line, keeping your abs and back tightly contracted. Ensure your hips are in line with the body. Now, lower the hips down towards the floor and lift off just as they are about to come in contact with the floor. Lift them back into the start position. Do the movement using muscle control. Any jerky movement will make the exercise ineffective. What's worse, you might end up injuring yourself. Follow this up with the series of stretches featured in Week 4. Make sure you are constantly checking on your posture. If not, refer to Week 2. Email this Page | Write to us Back | Start Diet dos No changes! Your diet will more or less remain what it was in Week 4. You must remember to eat as many different fruits and vegetables as you can. This will give you a supply of different nutrients. Try out interesting recipes. You should be able to relish your meal. Monsoon dilemma With the monsoons come all sorts of infections; a lot of them through eating uncooked veggies. This brings on the problem of how to eat salads. Substitute raw foods with blanched ones. Drop them in boiling hot water for two minutes to kill the germs. Chat with Brinda Sapat, July 18, 4 pm Try warm salads using different kinds of beans like broad beans, kidney beans, etc, with blanched French beans, tomatoes, etc. Or have a platter of boiled veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, carrots with a dressing of your choice. The honey, garlic, olive oil and lime juice dressing tastes really good. For some crunch, add baked croutons or a couple of bread sticks broken into small pieces. If you've stuck to the plan so far, you are doing GREAT! f you have been religiously following our '8 weeks to fitness programme', then the good news is that you have ONLY three more weeks to go! We already prescribed a diet/ exercise regime for Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and Week 5. During Week 6, you must increase the intensity of weight training exercises further and review your meal plan. Besides this, it is time for a self-assessment to see how well you have done so far. Chat with Brinda Sapat, July 26, 4 pm Exercise Cardio Keep up with the combination you picked last week (aerobics classes and walking / walking and swimming etc). Be focused on the intensity. You should be working out HARD! Strength training Change your routine to the following by combining the basic exercises from Week 3 and variations from Week 5. 15 repetitions of Squats 30 second break 15 repetitions of Squat with knee lift variation. 15 repetitions of Chest Press 30 second break 15 repetitions of Chest Press with chest flyes variation. 15 repetitions of Bent Over Rows (hands in line with hip) 30 second break 15 repetitions of Bent Over Rows (hands in line with front knee). 12 repetitions each of of abs and back stabilisation 30 second break 12 repetitions each of abs and back stabilisation with Knee Drop Variation. Meal plan review You have been eating healthy for the past few weeks and your body is probably thankful for it! Continue following the diet prescribed in Week 5. However, I am going to explain the physical activity required by your body post your three main meals. This will further aid your weight loss. Breakfast This is THE most important meal of the day, especially if your daily routine is high on physical activity. However, if you lead a sedentary life and if you consume too much carbohydrate, your body will not end up using it and it will go into fat storage. So get up and get moving. Do some housework or step out for your errands. After breakfast, move your body! Lunch After lunch DON'T lie down. Yes, no afternoon siestas. If you do wish to unwind, sit for about half an hour with a book or chat with a friend or go for a manicure. Anything except lying down. Other than allowing your food to digest comfortably, you want your body to keep burning calories. Sit or stroll around. Dinner With low carbohydrate content in your dinner, you are cutting down the energy supply to your body since it doesn't require many calories during sleep. A fun fact: Your body burns calories (minimal) even when you sleep, which is why you must never go to bed hungry or else you will not be able to sleep throughout the night peacefully However, those of you who hit the disco or party post dinner might want to add some carbohydrate (one roti/one slice of bread/ pasta etc) to your dinner to keep you going UNLESS you are going to be eating something during your outing.