A few days ago, this newspaper had reported ace badminton player Saina Nehwal sharing her struggles about her prolonged fitness issues. She said that although it often occurred to her to give up, she took it as a challenge to test how many more injuries her body could cope with. In the past year, the former world champion had missed several tournaments, including the World Championships, due to her multiple injuries. This attitude, says exercise scientist and founder of Benercise, Benafsha Gazdar, is also quite common among people pursuing ambitious fitness routines. “During the pandemic, we saw a lot of people following online workout tutorials in hopes of getting fit quickly — many of these routines are actually quite intensive and, without the right foundation of strength and conditioning, can leave you prone to injuries. I often say, anything done too fast and too soon can lead to injuries – in that, if your body is not prepared for an activity, it will undergo a shock it is not ready for and break down,” she explains. 

Benafsha Gazdar