VARIETY@WORK

Everybody wants a body to die for. Everybody wants to get fit but does not want the strenuous hours of exercise that go with it. LiFE@WORK finds that most people who keep fit don’t necessarily follow the same rugged routine as it tends to get monotonous. A strict regime and a diet is no fun at all. Instead, people have started to mix and match their exercises to keep that interest going.

Model and actor Milind Soman believes in mixing different exercises and diets by listening to what his body says to him. So, it’s not same jogging routine every day, there’s a bit of everything. This is the new age mantra of keeping fit and people are lapping it up like never before. Try it too, you just might like it!

Variety in fitness

Anand, CEO GK Vale
In spite of having a hectic job, I enjoy working out and play sports with enthusiasm and vigour and therefore try and make time for it always. It is something that I am really passionate about.
His mantra: I avoid being repetitive with my exercise routine. Doing the same thing everyday is not very effective as it tends to get boring and uninteresting. I play different games, I take turns with squash, tennis, badminton, swimming or sometimes yoga.

Sheetal Jain, photographer
I spend at least four hours everyday on some activity or the other. Every work out needs a lot of energy, so it’s crucial that I have shooters of carbohydrates and proteins, which I keep sipping on through the day.
His mantra: My breakfast comprises of fruits and vegetables though lunch is generally heavy. I avoid outside food and stick to brown rice and chapattis. I also have a light snack of cornflakes at around five. I enjoy sports like swimming, badminton, squash and martial arts. Changing your work out sessions and diet keeps your mind and body interested.

Milind Soman, model and actor
My health and fitness lies in the awareness of what my body needs. Like my diet changes from time to time. For the past few months, I feel the need to have mixed cereals for breakfast, chapatti and vegetables for lunch and vegetables again at night. I don’t usually have anything heavy at night as I don’t sleep well if I do. My workout too is something I keep changing. Nothing is forced.
His mantra
The secret behind my well-toned body is all about mental fitness. Mental fitness is essentially the complete fitness over mind, body and spirit.
Diet
It is very important to differentiate the need that your body is associated with. There is a physical need and an emotional need. The physical need is to satisfy your hunger and you stop once you are full, but the emotional need is about the taste that you have acquired and it’s is impossible to stop that need.
His advice
You should allow your body to dictate what you should be doing. It’s the hold your mind has over your body that allows you to follow what your body needs.
Workout the right way
Enjoy yourself: It’s important that you enjoy what you are doing. So always blend different routines.

Develop a strategic plan: It is important to have a plan so that you know where you are heading.

Repetition is progressive overload:   The mistake of doing the same exercises, same weights, same everything, week after week, without challenging yourself is a no gainer. Such repetition becomes boring and decreases your motivation levels.
Starving yourself: A calorie deficit is the only way to lose body fat. However, the caloric deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which result in muscle loss, slow metabolism and plateaus. That’s why not eating enough is a big mistake.
Comparing yourself to others: Always trying to one-up the next guy is bonehead behaviour. Comparing yourself to others is a great way to lower your self-esteem and stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!

Accepting responsibility for all the results good or bad: When you win, you don’t attribute it to luck or give someone else the credit for it. You proudly say, “I created it… I did it… that was me!”

However, you must also take credit for your losses. Once you claim responsibility for every result, the feeling of empowerment and liberation is beyond description. You will realise that YOU are in control.