Getting fit isn’t rocket science, believes celebrity fitness trainer Ramona Braganza. She tells Deepali Dhingra how a few minutes of simple exercises every day can help you look svelte
We’re almost embarrassed to sit opposite Ramona Braganza. The celebrity fitness trainer’s toned body is capable of making even somebody half her age feel pathetically unfit. Braganza, who has trained the likes of Hollywood actors Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Zac effron and Jessica Biel, recently launched her new book, 3-2-1 Nutrition Plan-Secret to a Hot Hollywood Body. The 52-year-old believes that there are no shortcuts to a fit body. “People often ask me how to get in shape, but they don’t want to hear the obvious answer — eat right and exercise,” she tells us. However, the one myth that Braganza wants to bust is that you need to work out at least for an hour everyday to get fit. “People set up these huge goals as part of their New Year resolutions, to work out an hour every day for five days in a week. But you can even work out for half an hour or 20 minutes every day, and that’s fine. You can even split up your workout to 10 minutes in a day,” she adds. The fitness guru has a ‘3-2-1’ philosophy, which revolves around the thought ‘get ready, get set, go’. “The exercise regime is split into three sets of cardio, two of circuit and one of core,” she explains. Here’s how you can make it a part of your fitness mantra.
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The whole workout should be as follows
Cardio: 1 minute
Circuit A: 3 exercises in a row, 3 minutes total — do each exercise for 1 minute
Cardio: 1 minute
Circuit A: 3 exercises in a row, 3 minutes total — do each exercise for 1 minute
Cardio: 1 minute
Core: 1 minute
This regime is for a total of a 10-minute workout.
Cardio is all about increasing your heart rate. You can do so by using your leg muscles:
Side Kick: Stand sideways against a wall. Lean into it and extend your opposite leg sideways in a kick. Repeat for 30 seconds on one side then do the same 30 seconds on the other side
Circuit training is strength training, which builds your muscles:
Wall push ups: Begin by placing hands in line with your chest. Lean torso into wall in one straight line then push torso back to start.
Squat: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, sit and arch your back till legs are parallel to floor. Squeeze your hip muscles, also called glutes, as you raise your back up to stand.
Tricep kickback with water bottles: Holding two litre water bottles, hinge forward at the waist, keep elbows on the sides. Now, extend and swing lower arms while holding the bottles back behind. Pause and then release back to start.
Stick em up: Stand with back against a wall. Bend knees slightly. Bend your arms and raise them slightly, keeping wrists and elbows flat against wall. Slide arms up and then lower them to start position. Repeat.
Plie squat: Stand with your feet wider than hip width and point your toes outward. Hold a weight and lower into a squat, keeping torso upright. Pause and raise, squeezing glutes.
Lateral raise with water bottles: Stand with slightly bent knees, hold bottles and raise your arms till they are at par with your shoulders. Pause, then lower slowly.
Work your torso:
This exercise works the transverse, the muscle that cinches in your waist to make it look small. Balance on your arms on a low platform in plank position (your head, shoulders, hips and feet must be aligned in a staight, diagonal line). Contract abs and bring knee in to touch the side of the platform. Return leg to plank. Repeat the exercise on other side.
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