Have you been thinking about getting fit but are afraid you might be too overweight to start? Take heart, the chair workout is here to get you to shed kilos and your inhibitions
Have you been thinking about getting fit but are afraid you might be too overweight to start? Take heart, the chair workout is here to get you to shed kilos and your inhibitions
Walking towards 10, The Health Spa, at Bandra, one of the gyms that Scrunch has a tie-up with, I had just one thing on my mind: lunch.
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It was the only way I was going to get through the next 45 minutes of an exercise routine involving a chair, and worse: be photographed while at it.
I watched as athletic men and women flitted past in their fancy workout gear, sipping on, presumably. Heading to a gym must also be an exercise in self-esteem, I thought to myself.
Rakesh pointed me in the direction of where there were three ordinary-looking chairs and asked me to choose one. As if to relinquish some of the power he knew he yielded, though we both well knew who was really in-charge that morning.
Getting started
We started the routine by doing a light warm-up: hands on hips, legs apart, and rotating the shoulders, and then the head in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
Rakesh demonstrated a series of exercises with names like "hand scissor" and "hand flies with legs bend".
This was followed by side bends, short lunges and full lunges using the chair for support.
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"To expect people who have not done any exercise in their life before or been inactive for years, to jump into a vigorous exercise routine is not a reasonable expectation," says Rakesh.
"Using a chair provides support both physically and psychologically so that people feel more motivated to stick to their workout," he adds.
Tough call
I agree. There's something to be said about the psychological aspect of working out if you think you can, that's half the battle won.
Having your own cheerleader, in the form of a personal trainer, also helps. Each time, I felt almost ready to throw in the towel and say, "no more", Rakesh would come back with an encouraging, "You can do it."
There is no doubt about the workout being a challenging one. I had to reach for my toes, swing my arms in the air and even use two 500 ml plastic bottles filled with water as weights.
The best part of the workout is that it requires no special props or machines all you need is a sturdy chair and sturdier will power.
And over time, you too can be on your way to sipping on an energy drink as you confidently walk out of a gym with a towel carelessly thrown around your shoulders.
Scrunch offers customised training programmes in your home or personal gym. For details, call 9821622122, or log on to www.scrunch.in
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